2021 Writing Goals

In order to make progress in whatever it is you do, SMART goals are an essential part of the process.

S - Specific

M - Measurable

A - Achievable

R - Realistic

T -  Timely

At the beginning of 2021, I set some writing and writing-related goals. I am pleased to say that I achieved (mostly) each of these goals.

1. Write creatively everyday for one hour. This falls under mostly successful. I didn't write everyday, but I did write most days. I participated in NaNoWriMo as well.

2. Engage on social media (see social media goals). Increase the following: brand awareness (measured by number of followers and reach of posts, including mentions, shares and retweets); website traffic (measured by number of visitors to website and blog); lead generation (measured by newsletter sign-ups); and engagement (measured by likes, shares, comments, mentions, and replies). I saw increases to the number of followers on each social media platform except YouTube which stayed the same as 2020. My website, blog, and Pinterest had steady daily traffic. My social media posts were shared and liked, although I didn't receive many comments. My newsletter mailing list had a net increase of 64 people. Some of my posts had hundreds of shares and likes.

3. Publish A Fairy's Quest. I submitted my book in late 2020 and published it on April 6, 2021.

4. Publish A Fairy Godmother's Redemption. I submitted my book in early 2021 and published it on July 27, 2021.

5. Write A Magical's Gift. I started writing this book for NaNoWriMo 2020 and finished the first draft in September... some 310 days later. I have submitted it for publication.

Bonus Goal:

1. Revamp website. I'm always tweaking my site and updating images. This year, I went dark... Well, I changed to a dark theme. It is very dramatic with a black background and white text. Images against the black "white space" really pop out. I also incorporated my new logo, and added links to my book covers.

This year, I made positive strides focusing on my author platform and brand. If I'm going to be serious about writing—which I am—I need to set and achieve SMART goals.

As I look to 2022, I think about what I want to accomplish in the next year. I want to publish A Magical's Gift, finish writing this year's NaNoWriMo project which is Book One of a new series (I'm 37k in), and write Book Two. The new series is set to be a trilogy, and the pipe dream is to finish all three books next year, but that goal doesn't sound very achievable or realistic with everything else I have on my plate. I have more than enough ideas, but time is at a premium. On the author platform side, I'd like to increase social media followers and engagement; my newsletter mailing list; and my blog subscribers. I'll set my SMART goals and let you know how I measured up next year.

How to Manage Your Social Media

I've used Hootsuite for more years than I can remember... so probably since 2014 (if it existed in 2014?). Recently, the free plan went from 1 user with 3 social profiles and 30 scheduled posts to 1 user with 2 social profiles and 5 scheduled posts. The paid plans start at $49/month. There's no way I can shell out $49/month for social media scheduling... Yet it takes a lot of my time. Time I could spend writing. That's the thing about being a writer these days. Especially Indie, digital only. Your target market is on social media so you need to be there too.

Social Media platforms with regular postings: Facebook; Twitter; Instagram; Pinterest; Blogger.

Social Media platforms used rarely or as read-only: YouTube; Snapchat; Goodreads; BookBub.

I need to be present on Social Media, but I also need time to write so it's a real conundrum in time management. With the changes to Hootsuite, I needed a new (or supplemental) Social Media Management Tool. I started doing some research... After a ton of research, I found three management tools with a free option that supported all the platforms I use.

Here are the contenders:

Agorapulse

Buffer

Planoly

I schedule posts to Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest so all three tools meet my platform requirements.

As with any free option, there are limits to posts, channels, and users. Although Buffer looks like you can schedule 10 posts at a time, Agorapulse and Planoly have limits that renew each month. Planoly, in particular, limits by upload—not limited to scheduled posts—so deleted items count toward the total.

After I set-up my accounts (only Agorapulse required email confirmation), I tried some posting. None of these choices have a Dashboard (overview look) like Hootsuite. Agorapulse and Planoly have a calendar you can view by channel while Buffer shows a daily agenda look (viewed by channel). You can also view Agorapulse's calendar by week.

I set-up Twitter and my two Facebook pages on Agorapulse. It was straightforward to set-up a post, and I could post to all three social profiles at once. Posts could be scheduled or posted immediately. Its interface was the most similar to Hootsuite.

On Buffer, I set-up Instagram and my two Facebook pages. Publishing was called "sharing" and you could select a pre-determined time slot, choose your own time, or share now. You could also customize the post per profile in the same place which was a convenient trick.

Planoly's interface is the most aesthetically pleasing of the contenders. I set-up Instagram and Pinterest. I was a little confused on how to draft a post, but then I realized I had to upload media first (add to grid for IG and add to library for Pinterest). Posts have to be composed separately for each profile, but that makes sense as Pinterest asks for different information for its pins. You also have the option to upload media into your library (and save for later) to plan your future pins (remember this counts in your upload limit). It shows both posted and scheduled posts for IG, including the number of hearts and comments. You can select custom or quick schedule.

This is my very, very initial assessment of these tools and, by no means, a comprehensive evaluation. I'll try them out for the rest of the month (at least), and let you know if I pick one to use exclusively or if I use them all. You have to be creative when you are a struggling writer (aka writer in the red). In the meantime, I'll keep writing and hoping to make enough of a profit someday so I can afford to pay for Social Media management.

After Five on Facebook

Traffic is higher at certain times on Social Media. If you're like me and you check your email, Facebook, Twitter, and website / blog stats about every five minutes...

Then you've probably noticed there is a surge in activity during non-business hours, especially on Facebook. Of course, time zone plays a role as well. I live in the Eastern Standard Time (EST) zone, but I have a lot of interaction with folks in other time zones. That's the great thing about the Internet in general and Social Media in particular. We live in a truly global world. You can communicate with people from all over and they can respond at their leisure. There are as many people who read my blog in the UK as the US, and I live in Canada.

A smart phone has made Social Media so much more accessible for me. I don't have a data plan, but wifi is everywhere. I can check my email and Social Media sites with my phone and schedule my posts with Hootsuite. Talk about convenience.

Consistent with the rest of my writing journey, I've researched Social Media as thoroughly as possible in order to optimize its potential. (Note to self: add experienced researcher to resume.) I want to sell my book, but beyond that I want to establish myself as a brand. I can use Social Media to accomplish this.

There are countless articles on the subject of Social Media optimization. Some suggest when to post on certain sites. Some suggest the best hashtags to use on Twitter or the best groups to join in Facebook. I've experimented with most of these suggestions, but the proof is in the pudding. What works for me may not work for all.

The takeaway from my research and experimentation: I get more retweets, likes, shares, and hits when...

1. I have new content.
2. I engage followers, friends, and basically the general public.

I mainly use Twitter and Facebook. There are so many great sites out there and I know I underutilize Google+, Pinterest, and Goodreads to name a few...

I think of Twitter as a fast flowing river, with a constant stream of new tweets. I try to post a variation of the same promotional tweet at different times during the day in order to maximize exposure. Hootsuite makes this very easy. In between my scheduled tweets, I re-tweet tweets I find interesting or informative, promotional tweets from the companies who promote my book, and tweets from those who retweet my tweets. Thanking those who retweet or mention you is good Twitter etiquette. Re-tweeting their tweets is probably more appreciated. Using popular or trending hashtags and images/video is a great way to make your tweets stand out.

In comparison, Facebook seems more like a wave pool. The water constantly swirls around you, but your reach is constrained. New posts seem to come in waves, concentrated around mealtime and evening. The trick is to join appropriate groups; manage your own author/book pages; and post interesting links (other than exclusively posting your book link). Facebook gives you opportunity for engagement as well. You can comment on/share posts and 'like' pages.

What are your thoughts on Social Media? Even if you are a business, it has to be more than just selling your product. I wanted to join in and participate so I asked myself two questions. Are you ready for a conversation? Or is constantly screaming "Buy my book!" working? In order to optimize Social Media, I realized I would have to increase my engagement. That means active and consistent, two-way communication. Every day.

How do you use Social Media?

Thanks for reading! Have a great day and see you after five on Facebook!