Writers Chat, hosted by Jean Wise, Johnnie Alexander, and Brandy Brow, is the show where we talk about all things writing, by writers and for writers!
“Because talking about writing is more fun than actually doing it.”
Featuring…
Canva for Beginners with Norma Poore
In this episode, Norma, a member of the Writer Chat Admin Team, demonstrates how easy it is to use Canva to create Twitter posts, Instagram reels, and other social media content. Sharing her screen, Norma walks us through the steps of using templates, adding text and music, uploading our own photos and videos, and including our own personal watermarks. We also discuss hacks for resizing images for those who don’t have the Pro version, and Norma demonstrated how easy it is to purchase a single Pro element. For more information and resources, check out this week’s replay.
Watch the October 11th replay.
Norma Poore has lived through difficult circumstances, and now allows her journey to fuel her encouragement for those who are hurting. Her inspirational nonfiction is penned with honest transparency and filled with hope from God’s Word. As a respected member of the publishing community she’s an award-winning author, and editing manager of Almost an Author. Married for 40+ years, has six children, and eleven grandchildren. Connect with her on social media or at NormaPoore.com.
Writers Chat is hosted live each Tuesday for an hour starting at 10 AM CT / 11 AM ET on Zoom. The permanent Zoom room link is: http://zoom.us/j/4074198133
We want to be responsible, professional writers, but there are so many little details to remember. Here are some best practice tips to help you look and act professionally on your blog, website, social media, guest posts, or anywhere else you appear on the internet.
Be consistent with your image
Choose one headshot and use it on all author profiles. This includes all author-related social media, email, professional associations, the bios on guest posts, and your primary “about me” website photo.
Use a professional headshot. This is the image that you are putting out there in the world. Spend a few dollars to make it look professional. You don’t need to spend a mint to get a good photo, but it’s important to use a high-quality photo that makes you look good.
Keep consistency in mind when writing bios for profiles. Select the primary facts you wish to include in your bio and then use them consistently across all internet arenas. Otherwise, you are sending mixed signals. This does not mean using the identical bio everywhere. You can tweak your bio slightly to best fit the occasion, but don’t introduce yourself as a chocolate-loving motivational speaker and dog-lover one place and a chess grand master who writes mysteries about vintners somewhere else.
Be consistent with your brand
Assume everything you put on the internet is public—every post, tweet, reel, comment and like. Decide not to put anything out in the virtual universe that you don’t want associated with you. If you’d be embarrassed to let your friends hear you say something, it’s not something you should be saying or sharing.
Also, consider the whole picture your internet presence creates. If a stranger studied a random selection of your posts, comments, and shares, who would they think you are? The closer that impression is to the truth of your brand, the better. You are the author of your brand, so only you can act responsibly and choose what messages are suitable and what messages don’t belong in your brand.
Be responsible with intellectual property
Everything you write is your intellectual property. This is good news for writers. The intellectual property laws protect us without our having to submit every single thing we write to the copyright office. But this same law protects everyone else’s intellectual property, too, such as images, songs, music, quotes, and videos. So, be responsible.
Don’t use images without permission. It is not OK to copy any image you find on Google and use it in your blog, meme, or handout. You are free to use your own photos, but when it comes to using someone else’s, you have two choices: A) get permission from the source and attribute the photo correctly B) use a legitimate source of free-to-use images. Three I use are Canva.com, Pixabay.com and Pexels.com.
Don’t use testimonials or reviews without permission. Just as we may not swipe any photo we find to use in our own material, so too we should not steal someone’s review of our book. Including reviews and testimonials on our site or social media, or marketing is great strategy, but ask permission before using someone else’s words.
Use quotes responsibly. In general, fair use practices mean we may use a small excerpt of a published work, as long as it is properly attributed. Although not required, it’s good form to include the title of the book the quote comes from, along with a link to the book or author’s site.
An exception. Since poetry and song lyrics are relatively short, using even a line is more than the “fair use” limit. Thus, it’s not best practice to quote poetry or song lyrics without express permission.
Finally, use due diligence. Always double-check the accuracy before using a quote. There are tons of quotes floating around the internet that are incorrectly attributed. Spend a few moments searching to verify you have the wording correct and that it’s a legitimate quote and not an urban legend.
One final tip—use “clean” links
When you arrive at something like a product page through a search, the address of the page often has a bunch of extra gobbledygook after it. It’s better to cut that excess stuff off before using that address as a link on something you post.
An example:
Here’s the whole URL for my book after I typed a search into Google:
Notice the bold part is the same. That’s the actual URL of the page or the “clean” link. The rest is recording how I searched to get there. In both cases, I want to erase all the extraneous stuff to shorten the link. In Amazon, this means everything from the ref= onwards.
(To be safe, I always delete the stuff I think I don’t need and then hit enter to make sure the link still works. Then I copy the link and paste it where I need it.)
I hope these simple tips have helped you put your best, professional foot forward. Happy writing.
Lisa E. Betz is an award-winning mystery author, entertaining speaker, and an unconventional soul. She combines her love of research with her quirky imagination to bring the world of the world of the early church to life. She infuses her novels with unconventional characters who thrive on solving tricky problems. Her second novel, Fountains and Secrets, was recently named a finalist in both the Golden Scroll and Christian Market Book Awards.
She also blogs about the joys and challenges of living an authentic, purpose-filled life. Lisa and her husband reside in southeast Pennsylvania with Scallywag, their rambunctious cat—the inspiration for Nemesis, resident mischief maker in the Livia Aemilia Mysteries. Lisa directs church dramas, eats too much chocolate, and experiments with ancient Roman recipes. Visit her Quietly Unconventional website at lisaebetz.com or check her Facebook page at LisaEBetzWriter.
Writers Chat, hosted by Jean Wise, Johnnie Alexander, and Brandy Brow, is the show where we talk about all things writing, by writers and for writers!
“Because talking about writing is more fun than actually doing it.”
How to Create Simple and Effective Videos as a Writer in Just Minutes a Day
Bethany Jett, author, entrepreneur, and literary agent, shares how to create quick, easy videos for use on social media, namely Instrgram. In this episode she covers eighteen topic ideas and four steps to making a video. Bethany even explains how to tell which music/songs are trending. If you want to give followers of your social media something to look at, plus get more tips and resources, be sure to check out this week’s replay.
Watch the July 12th Replay
Bethany Jett is a multiple award-winning author, ghostwriter, marketeering strategist who earned her Masters in Communications focusing on marketing and PR. Her motto is “Teach as you go” which she lives out as the co-owns Serious Writer and Platinum Literary Services and loves everything about the publishing industry…except the rejections! Bethany is married to her college sweetheart, and together they’re raising 2 teen and 1-pre-teen! boys. She loves to post on Instagram about #MarketingAndMomLife, and her two fluffy Pomeranians. Connect with Bethany at BethanyJett.com.
Writers Chat is hosted live each Tuesday for an hour starting at 10 AM CT / 11 AM ET on Zoom. The permanent Zoom room link is: http://zoom.us/j/4074198133
Writers Chat, hosted by Jean Wise, Johnnie Alexander, and Brandy Brow, is the show where we talk about all things writing, by writers and for writers!
“Because talking about writing is more fun than actually doing it.“
Pinterest Jam with Patricia Tiffany Morris
Are you active on social media, like Pinterest? Whether you’re writer or a creative who is looking to increase your visibility and drive people to your website or other social mediums, then this is the episode for you. Patricia shares the basics of setting up a Pinterest account and how to use the same color schemes as your other social media platforms. If you’ve been unsure about how this platform works, Patricia breaks it down and brings clear instruction with her step-by-step presentation. Be sure to catch the replay for more great information.
Watch the July 20th replay.
Patricia Tiffany Morris sketches ideas while she sleeps, that is, when she sleeps. She encourages others to hope in Christ. An eclectic creative with a geeky-tech affinity and a poet with three names, Patricia adores Pinterest and hashtags, but finds Twitter quirky. She owns Tiffany Inks Studio LLC, publisher of Journaling Scribbles. TISLLC provides troubleshooting and artwork services for writers. You can connect with Patricia on social media or at www.patriciatiffanymorris.com
Strategies Every Writer Should Know to Create Short Videos on Reel & Tik Tok
Bethany Jett joins this episode of Writers Chat to share basic information on using Instagram Reels and Tik Tok for short videos, which engage viewers with entertaining and/or pertinent information on all kinds of topics. Writers can create content to build their brands and increase their name awareness using strategies presented by Bethany. We talk about the basics of beginning an account and about ways to grow our outreach on these platforms.
Watch the July 27th replay.
Bethany Jett is a multi-award-winning author, a ghostwriter, and marketer who received the Distinguished Scholar award for earning the top GPA in her Masters Program, where she focused on Communications: marketing and PR. Bethany co-owns Serious Writer and Platinum Literary Services and loves everything about the publishing industry…except the rejections! She is a military wife to her college sweetheart and a work-from-home momma-of-boys who loves planners, suspense novels, and all things girly. You can connect with Bethany on social media or at www.bethanyjett.com
Writers Chat is hosted live each Tuesday for an hour starting at 10 AM CT / 11 AM ET on Zoom. The permanent Zoom room link.
Are you looking for the perfect guide to improve your marketing strategy on Instagram? Follow these 7 effective steps that will help you to enhance your business.
Before we enter into the main topic, a quick look about Instagram marketing.
Instagram is one of the most popular and influential social networks in the world. As more and more people use Instagram to update their valuable information. Instagram is an excellent platform for publishing your visual thoughts.
Instagram marketing is the process of promoting your brand among Instagram users. It helps you to reach a large & new audience, increase brand visibility, build strong brand & customer relationships, and generate more sales and revenue for your business.
Okay, shall we move to our main topic: 7 unique Instagram marketing tips for beginners:
Tip 1: Make A Great Profile
When someone enters your profile, the first thing they see your profile picture, short bio, and your most recent posts. Your Instagram profile clearly explains who you are and what your business does. It can help to show your brand personality and get people to notice your actions.
Here are some important parts of your Instagram profile:
Profile Image: The image that you use should be relevant to your brand or business.
Username: Add the right username that is searchable.
Bio: You have 150 characters to write an effective bio. So, spend some time making the right impression.
Clickable Links: Bio is an excellent place to take people to your product page directly.
Call to action: You can insert additional call to action buttons such as call, email, etc.
Tip 2: Follow A Unique Content Strategy
A solid content strategy is essential to succeed on Instagram marketing. Without useful and relevant content, it is hard to grab the attention of your target audience.
So, you should analyze what type of content is best to gain more potential followers to your account.
But, how to find & improve your content strategy?
You should upload more photos and videos that are relevant to your brand/products.
You can make videos that show your company culture and give a behind the scene look.
Create a mixture of contents with different formats.
Focus on high quality and subject matter contents.
Post one or two times per day when your followers are more active.
Tip 3: Collaborate With Target Influencers
Influencer marketing is the best strategy to reach out to your potential customers and gain followers on Instagram within a short time. Partners with the right influencers can show your brand in front of a wider audience.
According to the research, more and more people purchase products based on the content of influencers.
Usually, Instagram influencers have a large and loyal follower base. So, most people trust their recommendations to make a successful campaign.
Ensure that you should choose to partner with those who have a highly relevant audience based on your product and services.
If you partner with the right influencers, you can easily build strong brand awareness with your target audiences.
Tip 4: Take Advantage Of Instagram Stories
Instagram stories are similar to Snapchat posts, and it is a great way to keep your followers engaged and get more engagement.
Instagram stories are easy to create and get more user attention when compared to Instagram photos. Because Instagram stories appear at the top of your followers feed. So, your followers can easily notice your stories and expose your content to a lot of people. Moreover, stories are a great feature to get more views on your profile page.
When you boost Instagram story views, you get a chance to increase organic views for your stories. It can also help to drive traffic to your profile and expand popularity within a short period. It even encourages people to share more of your content with others.
Tip 5: Use Powerful Hashtags
Hashtags play an important role on Instagram, and you can use up to 30 hashtags per post. Hashtags can help you get more people to see your content and connect your brand with a wider audience.
There are two types of Instagram hashtags that can get more visibility:
Brand Hashtags
A brand hashtag is basically your company name or the name of your marketing campaign. You can create branded hashtags to promote your business on Instagram easily. But, make sure your hashtags are easy to remember, unique and trending.
Content Hashtags
The content hashtag is essential for getting more and more people to discover your content. You can use these hashtags within your content when it is relevant to it.
If your content wants to become popular on Instagram, using a content hashtag can help you to show your content in front of your target audience.
Tip 6: Leverage Instagram Ads
Most marketers use Instagram advertising to enhance their brand to a huge audience. On average, there are 2 million users who use Instagram as an advertising platform.
Here are few strong reasons for you to use Instagram advertising:
You can introduce your brand to a target audience through Instagram ads.
Instagram ads are more engaging, which can help you to get a better conversation rate.
It provides huge creative features for both images and videos when promoting your products.
Instagram ads increase the chance of generating more sales and getting revenue.
Tip 7: Access Right Metrics
Understanding your metric performance is the first step to improve your marketing strategy. Instagram provides a free inbuilt analytics tool to measure the success of your profile, content, audience demographic and more.
These include:
Follower Growth Rate: The number of followers you have in the last 7 days.
Engagement Rate: It includes likes, comments, and shares per post.
Click Through Rate: You can know how many people are clicking through to your URL.
The above metrics will help you to market your business more effectively on Instagram.
Conclusion:
Instagram marketing strategies are the best marketing strategies in the digital world! You can use the above mentioned 7 marketing tips that can develop your marketing level and help to move the next! As a beginner, you must know the importance of Instagram marketing and their stats.
Good luck for your business!
Caterina Taylor is an experienced social media marketer and writer who works at PlanYourGram.com. She loves to work on content creation for social media blogs and has the potential to deliver engaging content on various platforms and networks.
Ever wondered if your attraction to Pinterest can save you time as a writer? You need to watch this episode of Writers Chat to learn from Melissa Stroh just how many benefits Pinterest offers writers, from platform building to brainstorming!
Join us!
Writers Chat is hosted live each Tuesday for an hour starting at 10 AM CT / 11 AM ET
on Zoom. Participants mute their audio and video during the filming, then we open up
the room for anyone who wishes to participate with our guests. The “After Party” is a
fifteen-minutes of off-the-record sharing and conversation.
Additionally, you can grow your network and add to the conversation by joining our
Facebook Group.
