I was chatting with a writer friend a couple of weeks ago about Twitter and she said something that I have heard more than once. “I don’t have time for it.”
I may be fairly new to the writing world but I owned a small business for 10 years and know the power of word of mouth. Yes, you need a quality product. That’s the first step. But your product (books) will sit on a shelf forever if people don’t know it’s there. You NEED to get your product out there for people to see.
You have the time. You just need to learn how to use it. “But Falyn,” you say, “I have a full-time job and a family and (insert other excuses here). I DON’T have time.”
Here’s what I say to that:
- Do you have a cup of coffee or tea before starting your day?
- Do you eat breakfast, lunch, or dinner?
- Do you spend time in the carpool lane?
- Attend sports events?
- Watch TV?
Then you have time for social media.
Even though I work from home, my clock does not look like this:
I must plan my day out just like everyone else.
While I drink my morning coffee, I write my blog. I also have Tweetdeck running in the background. Mealtime is when I check the blogs that I follow and, again, Twitter is in the background. A smart phone is my best friend. In carpool and at sports events, I can tweet and Facebook. TV time with the family is a great time for networking (especially if kiddie shows are on).
So you see, you DO have time for social media. You just need to look at your day and find where it fits in.
What can YOU do to become more active in social media?
Don’t forget to check out my GIVEAWAY. It’s got CHOCOLATE and some other stuff.
Falyn Donaldson's World 
you forgot about the shy and introverted people who have no idea HOW to jump into the middle of networking. Me. Scares the crap out of me to blind post on someones blog. To ask to guest blog. Twitter to me is like all the cool kids in school chatting amongst themselves. I don’t want to risk the dirty looks by interrupting their conversation. KWIM.
Putting yourself out there is not always as easy as it sounds. I’d much rather use the time I “try” to network, writing. That is what the end goal is after all. Write to sell, network to sell, then write more. Which is more important? The five thousand words I can write in a day or fake perkiness on someone else’s page?
vicious cycle can’t have one without the other.
I plan to address this issue soon. Stay tuned for that. Meanwhile, congratulations on taking the first step and “trying” social media. You’re doing a good job.