Here is where I must admit that marketing is probably my weakest point. It stems from a few things. First, I have a love-hate relationship with social media which is a key marketing tool. Second, I’m often so busy writing that I forget to publicize my writing. Third, I simply don’t make time for it. Let me talk about each of these just a bit.
My relationship with social media could be described as introverted. I don’t mind looking at things on social media, but I’m not very interested in posting on those platforms because I don’t need constant interaction. Introverted! I also don’t like all of the platforms available. I rarely use Facebook. It’s where I keep up with family and friends, but I don’t really want to use it for business. I don’t use X (formerly known as Twitter) because I’ve just never taken the time to get to know the platform to any extent. However, I do use Pinterest and Instagram which is rather ironic since they are both visually based, and I tend to deal in words. I’m slowly building my presence as a writer using Pinterest, but I also need to utilize Instagram the same way. Further, I would like to establish a presence on YouTube and experiment with other platforms.
So why am I reluctant to use social media for marketing? Honestly, it’s because of people. We’ve all read comments on social media pages that are brutal and cruel, and I just don’t have the patience for judgmental keyboard warriors. However, I also recognize I can control the access someone has to me and my emotions so I know I can regulate this aspect. I remember watching a YouTube Short in which a young baker explained that she preferred to market using platforms aside from Facebook because she found Facebook users to be demanding and ungrateful compared to other social media platforms. That’s a keen observation from a young person, and it has caused me to pay attention to comments. YouTube users can be the same way so it’s important for me to learn my preferred social media platforms.
Some people think they can make demands on you because they view your content, but the reality is that we as creators set the boundaries with readers and viewers. Over the last year, I’ve listened to comments from a lot of successful content creators to learn how to handle “keyboard warriors” and when it is just best to ignore them. This has changed how I’m looking at social media, and this year, I want to improve my marketing skills using various platforms. I also want to improve my social media skills by setting boundaries with other users. It’s okay for us to find the line and not let others cross it, and we need to recognize the lines others establish and respect those.
When I write, I often find myself down the proverbial “rabbit hole” of a story or concept in my mind. My brain takes me to a different place when I write, and when approached, I often have a distant look and vague responses while I’m writing. I hyper-focus when I write which is very frustrating for others, but it helps me maintain my storylines and key points. Because of this focus, I often forget to market my blog posts. I’ve only recently begun to go back and market some of my first posts, and I’m slowly working my way forward. It isn’t a habit yet so it still gets lost in the shuffle of writing.
Making time for marketing is just as important as the writing process. Eventually, I would love to pay someone else to handle the marketing, but the reality is that I’m a one-woman show right now. That’s okay because it’s teaching me to appreciate the skills other people have, and I’ll be more than willing to pay someone else for their skills in the future when I’m capable of hiring someone. For now, it’s just me, and I’m learning basic marketing from the ground up. This is where scheduling is important. My wall calendar has all the dates on it for each post this year, and what I need to do is add marketing to my calendar so it becomes a regular part of my writing schedule.
Writing has rarely been my problem. It’s how I share my writing to draw in new readers that is difficult. This year, I need to improve my marketing skills so I can share my writing with others. If I truly want to do this for a living now, I can’t neglect marketing my writing. If you are a writer, content creator, or small business owner, marketing is such an important skill. It isn’t that we can’t do our own marketing, but we just don’t take the time. Let’s add this skill to our repertoire this year. We can be our own worst critics, but let’s use marketing as an opportunity to be our own cheering squad.
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Inspirational Verse for the Day:
Better is a little with righteousness, than vast revenues without justice. (Proverbs 16:8, NKJV)
All Things Subject to Change 