How (not) to Build Your Social Media Platform by Susan Tuttle

Susan and I switched Thursdays this month. She normally posts on the first Thursday of each month, but in March she is graciously visiting with us on the fourth Thursday.

 

I’m in a couple different groups that are giving some great advice about social media platforms. The need for consistency and clarity across all devices is imperative. Your numbers and constant growth is even a larger concern. And as writers, we are brainstorming ways to reach the broadest audience in the most effective way. As I’ve listened to everyone chime in, I’ve learned a lot about what to do. More importantly, I’ve learned what not to do. Today I want to chat about that.

See, publishers want to see big numbers. We’ve heard that repeatedly. In fact, I’m pretty sure it’s been rubber stamped across my forehead. But when you are unpublished, it feels like you’re peddling air and asking for gold. How do you market a product that is as-of-yet invisible? But it’s a necessary in this world, and so the work for numbers begins.
We:

• Push “friend request” on Facebook a hundred times and when someone accepts, our first message to them is, please like my author page.
• We blindly follow on Twitter and when we receive a “follow” back, we send an automated reply to their inbox saying, if you follow me here, like my author page too!
• We stalk hashtags on Instagram and blanket the popular users with requests so that they will follow us back.
• We pay a source to increase our numbers for us.

I know there are far more ways people gain a skyrocketing number across their social media platforms, but do you know what is missing when it’s done this way? Authenticity. Without it, you’ve gained numbers but no relationship.

If we are not interacting with people, it doesn’t matter our numbers because they aren’t going to care what we have to say when we finally have a stage to say it on. Readers want to trust the voice that spins the story they are reading. They want to connect not only to our characters but to us. And as Christian writers, isn’t connecting what it’s all about? Because to share our message of faith, we first need their ear.

If you’re trying to build your social media numbers, I challenge you today to start by interacting with the people who are already there. Begin to build your content and connections. Let God worry about how big your reach is while you worry about authentically following that which he’s called you to do.

Susan L. Tuttle lives in Michigan where she’s happily married to her best friend and is a homeschooling mom of three. She’s firmly convinced that letters were meant for words, not math, and loves stringing them together into stories that inspire, encourage, and grow women into who God created them to be. Romance, laughter, and cookies are three of her favorite things, though not always in that order. You can connect with Susan at her blog, Steps, Facebook, or Twitter.

Living Stories by Candice Sue Patterson

If a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step, and every picture is worth a thousand words, then an author’s experience is worthy of a novel. When I began writing seriously in 2011, I never expected I’d be living the words I type on the pages.

It came as a shock, really. After writing my first Christmas novella Bright Copper Kettles in 2013, I received a contract a few months later. In the story, the hero’s dad suffers from a stroke at age fifty-five. My “word to live by” that year was believe. I was challenged to believe God’s will is perfect, just like my hero. During my first round of edits my dad suffered a severe stroke during a routine back surgery. He was fifty-five.

In 2014, my word to live by was trust. After an unforeseen set of circumstances knocked my world off axis, I clung to that word like a life preserver. Later that year, I signed a contract for Silver White Winters, where the heroine must trust God to repair the broken pieces of her life as she surrenders her talents and abilities to Him.

One year later, those same unforeseen circumstances returned to taunt me. As much as I wanted to take control, think I could fix the situation myself, all I could do was let God lead and continue following Him. In case you’re wondering, follow was that year’s word to live by. During that time I was offered a contract for How to Charm a Beekeeper’s Heart. The novel is symbolic to the Israelites wilderness journey to the Promised Land, as both characters experience times of rugged, barren unknowns. My life, at that time, was grueling and seemed to stretch in never-ending wilderness.

The great thing about my writing life is that I learn and grow along the way. The bad thing is that I have to endure some tough lessons. My Christian walk with Christ is better for it. Dan Balow said it best with his blog post titled “Writing From Weakness.” (http://www.stevelaube.com/writing-from-weakness/) He believes books written from pain and suffering have the biggest potential to touch readers’ lives. I agree. Not because I think my books are better than anyone else’s—or even comparable—but because it’s written from personal experience. If one of my stories helps someone who’s hurting than it was worth every tear.

Are you a writer? What stories have you lived? What lessons have you learned through your writing?

Readers, what stories have ministered to your heart lately?

Weddings are the last thing beekeeper Huck Anderson wants to be associated with, considering his past. So when he inherits a building occupied by a bridal boutique, he aims to evict the failing business and open a sporting goods store. Until his tenant ends up being Arianne Winters, a woman he’s indebted to from a mistake made years ago.

When a life-threatening injury derails Huck entirely, Arianne offers a compromise to keep her boutique, and her life, out of bankruptcy—she’ll aid in his lengthy recovery if he’ll allow her to remain in his building. But nursing her adversary proves challenging when her adolescent crush resurfaces.

Amidst a battle-of-wills, their lives intertwine in unexpected ways, providing opportunity to overcome their pasts and start anew. Will this confirmed bachelor consider holy-matrimony, or will Huck’s choices sting them a second time?

Purchase Links:

Amazon https://www.amazon.com/Charm-Beekeepers-Heart-Candice-Patterson/dp/1611168562/ref=sr_1_1?

Pelican Book Group http://pelicanbookgroup.com/ec/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=34&products_id=763

Barnes and Noble http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/how-to-charm-a-beekeepers-heart-candice-sue-patterson/1123346380?ean=9781611168563

Walmart https://www.walmart.com/ip/How-to-Charm-a-Beekeeper-s-Heart/54213058#about

Author bio:

Candice Sue Patterson studied at The Institute of Children’s Literature and is an active member of American Christian Fiction Writers. She lives in southern Indiana with her husband and three sons in a restored farmhouse overtaken by books. When she’s not tending to her chickens, splitting wood or decorating cakes, she’s working on a new story. Candice writes Modern-Vintage romance--where the past and present collide with faith. Visit her website at www.candicesuepatterson.com; Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Candice-Sue-Patterson-Author-420360958035447/; Twitter: https://twitter.com/candicesue_patt; Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/CandiceSuePatterson