Task It Tuesday: Social Media Work for the Blog
Welcome to Task It Tuesday, my weekly attempt to actually do the unglamorous behind-the-scenes work that keeps a book blog running. This week: social media. I have been letting my socials drift, and it shows in my engagement numbers. Time to stop ignoring it.
The Problem
Here is what my social media situation looks like right now: I post review links sporadically, my Instagram has not seen a new photo in three weeks, my Pinterest is a graveyard, and my Twitter scheduling tool subscription expired and I did not notice for a month. I have been treating social as an afterthought, and unsurprisingly, it has been performing like an afterthought.
What I Am Doing About It Today
Here is my Task It Tuesday list for the day. I am giving myself two focused hours and seeing how far I get.
1. Audit My Profiles
First job is to look at every social profile with fresh eyes. Are the bios current? Do the pinned posts represent who I am as a blogger right now? Are the profile photos consistent across platforms? Are the link-in-bio destinations actually what I want to be sending people to? I bet at least half of these are out of date.
2. Fix the Scheduling
I am picking a scheduling tool and committing to using it for at least the next quarter. The plan is to spend an hour each Sunday queueing up the week’s posts (review links, throwback content, audiobook quotes, FitReaders check-in reminders, food blog favorites for Foodie Fridays). If I can get that into a habit, I will stop scrambling on weekday afternoons.
3. Write a Tiny Style Guide
This sounds extra, but I think it will help. I want to write a one-page social style guide for myself. What is my voice on Twitter (warm, casual, opinions held loosely)? What kind of photos go on Instagram (cozy, natural light, audiobook-and-coffee energy)? What hashtags am I using consistently (#audiobook, #booksta, #FitReaders, #amlistening)? Without a guide, I keep reinventing the wheel and getting tired of it.
4. Pinterest Refresh
Pinterest is a sleeping giant for book bloggers and I have been ignoring it. I am going to make at least three new boards (audiobook recommendations, cozy mystery favorites, romance heroines I love), pin twenty existing posts, and call it a starting point.
5. Set Up a Weekly Review
Finally, I am putting a recurring 15-minute slot on my Friday calendar to look at the week’s social analytics. Not to obsess, but to see what is landing and what is not. Cannot improve what I am not measuring.
Why Task It Tuesday Works for Me
The reason I started doing Task It Tuesday is that I kept letting these maintenance tasks pile up forever. By giving them a dedicated day (and putting it in front of you all on the blog), I am much more likely to actually do them. Accountability is a beautiful thing.
What is on your Task It Tuesday list? Tell me in the comments. Let us cheer each other through the unglamorous work.