Mitzi Eaker

Don’t Take the Social Out of Social Media

Chanda Temple, Mitzi Eaker, and Jennifer Warren shared their web wisdom
at the See Jane Write social media panel discussion, I Tweet, Therefore I Am. 

On Tuesday, Oct. 29 See Jane Write Birmingham and See Jane Write Magazine hosted I Tweet, Therefore I Am, a panel discussion on social media featuring public relations pro Chanda Temple, Mitzi Eaker of the social media consulting firm Mitzi Jane Media, and Jennifer Warren of Alabama Social Media Association (ALsocme).

The evening’s conversation ran the gamut as we discussed Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, Google + and LinkedIn. We discussed blogging as well. The focus of the panel was how people can better use social media to promote their projects including their books, blogs, and businesses.

Ironically, the major takeaway from the night was that the best way to sell yourself on social media is to not focus so much on selling. Instead focus on building relationships.

Don’t treat social media like traditional advertising, Eaker advised. Build relationships with people and they will sell your product or service for you, she said.

Eaker used an apt analogy to further explain her point. If you’re going to a party and you’re wearing a great dress you snagged at a great price, you don’t walk through the door and immediately announce where you found your dress and how much you paid. Instead you mingle and work the room, and as you do people begin to comment on your fabulous frock. And then you share where you bought it and for how much. Approach social media the same way: network and mingle and as you do people will comment on how inspiring, entertaining, or informative your tweets, posts, and status updates are. Then you let them know there’s more where that came from on your blog, in your book, or through your business.

While all three panelists agreed that scheduling tweets and posts through tools like TweetDeck and HootSuite can be a great way to manage your time, they also all agreed that live tweeting is essential. Authentic engagement is a must. Thank people for retweets. Respond when someone asks you a question.

Temple declared during the discussion, “I work HootSuite to death,” but she also shares plenty of live tweets especially when she’s attending events. Pay attention, listen, and then tweet out little nuggets that interest you, she said. Temple is known for her inspirational and informational tweets about business and Birmingham. On Facebook you can also expect amusing posts about ABC’s hit TV show Scandal on Thursday nights.

At events like Tuesday’s panel discussion it’s easy to feel overwhelmed, to feel as if you need to run home, sign up for an account on every social media platform that exists and devote hours each day working on your online presence. Temple’s advice, however, was simple: pick one or two social media outlets and strive to excel there. And later, if you choose to, you can move on to trying other tools. Eaker added that when choosing the platforms on which to focus be mindful of where your audience is. For example, if you’re trying to reach people who love fashion and food, Pinterest may be a great place for you to invest your time.

All three panelists said they find value in having a presence on LinkedIn. Keep this profile very professional, they said. In your headline explain what you do instead of simply giving a title. Use a professional headshot. Be sure your information is current and complete. Warren also advised checking your LinkedIn profile regularly looking for ways to improve it. You want your profile to present your best self, she added.

Warren also urged the audience to step away from the computer sometimes. Face-to-face networking is still important, she said. ALsocme, for which Warren serves as a board member, provides excellent IRL networking opportunities. And, of course, so does See Jane Write!

Be sure to visit SeeJaneWriteMagazine.com on Monday for an article by novelist Stephanie Naman on social media tips for authors.

Why Writers Need Social Media

Sponsor Spotlight: Mitzi Jane Media



What’s your social media strategy?


If you’re having trouble answering that question or perhaps even wondering what a social media strategy is, you may need to give Mitzi Eaker of Mitzi Jane Media a call. 

Mitzi Jane Media is a small organization of social media strategists and content providers that work with small businesses, nonprofits, and bloggers to make their creative vision of growth a reality.

Writers and small businesses need social media to stay connected to their readers and/or customers,” Eaker says. “Social media not only allow for writers and small businesses to share what is important to them with their following, but most importantly, they hear directly from their customers as they engage them in community online.”


Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, blogging, and online forums and polls are just a few of the ways writers and business owners can see firsthand how their followers engage with their work or purchase their products. 


At Mitzi Jane Media, “we work hand-in-hand with each client to establish a strategy that really fits their brand, their purpose and goals, their skill set, and the time they have to do social media within the budget they have allocated,” Eaker says.


Head over to See Jane Write Magazine for 5 Mistakes You May Be Making On Social Media.

And the winner is…

The winner of the free all-access pass to the Strength Mitzi Jane Media Social Media Conference is “Katie – Hems for Her.” Please email me so I can get you set up with your prize. 
If you didn’t win remember you can still get a $20 discount on the full conference rate until 10 p.m. tomorrow by using the code jane. Click here (affiliate link) to register. 
*I used Random Number Generator to select the winner. “Katie- Hems for Her” was the fourth person to enter.
True Random Number Generator  4Powered by RANDOM.ORG

Win a Free Pass to the STRENGTH Social Media Conference

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We writers may like to believe that wise and witty words are enough to bring readers to our books and blogs, but sadly, that’s just not true. We must market our work as well, and these days one of the best ways to do so is through social media.


“Social media, partnered with blogging, is a tool to strengthen your personal brand, connect with current and future readers, network with other writers, and share stories,” said Mitzi Eaker of the social media consulting group Mitzi Jane Media. “For writers, blogging highlights their talents and gives them a platform to share their writing.”




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Mitzi Eaker of Mitzi Jane Media


Next month you’ll have a chance to learn how to improve your social media skills at STRENGTH, a Mitzi Jane Media social media conference for small businesses. If you think this conference isn’t for you because you’re a writer, not a business owner, think again.

“I think all the sessions are beneficial to writers, especially if they want to create a business as a writer, monetize a blog, or market a book,” Eaker said.

Eaker believes so strongly that this conference is beneficial for writers and bloggers that she is offering a discount to See Jane Write members and giving away an all-access pass to one lucky Jane.

Workshops will be held every Monday evening during the month of April from 5:30 to 9 p.m. The conference takes place at Danberry at Inverness, 235 Inverness Center Drive.

During the first session Eaker will give a broad introduction to social media and later author and blogger Teri Lynne Underwood will share how she used social media to promote her blog and sell her books.

For the second week Eaker will share the steps to building a social media strategy and veteran blogger and designer Karla Archer will share how to create strong social media content and a blogging calendar.

The third week will cover Google Analytics and SEO. Week four will delve into branding. In the final session Emily Lowrey of Magic City Post will help attendees learn how to be more productive with their time online.

Other things you can expect to learn include: how to use Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Pinterest strategically; steps to ebook publishing and how to connect with small businesses for marketing promotions.

Early bird registration for the full conference is $129.99 and available through March 8. After March 8 the full conference rate is $169. The cost per night is $39.99.

Click here (affiliate link) to register.
To receive $20 off registration for the full conference use the code – jane. This code will expire Saturday at 10 p.m.

To enter the giveaway for the free full conference pass leave a comment telling us what your greatest social media training needs are. Also, to be eligible to win you must follow See Jane Write and Mitzi Jane Media on Twitter or Facebook. The contest will end Friday at 5 p.m. and the winner announced shortly after.

Mitzi Jane Media on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/MitziJaneMedia

Mitzi Jane Media on Twitter @mitzijanemedia

See Jane Write on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/seejanewritebham

See Jane Write on Twitter @seejanewritebhm