Social Media in my Writer's Toolbox

I've been on Facebook for years. In 2015 I joined twitter and started this blog. I had read that social media could be a great tool for marketing one's writing. This is a tool I'm still trying to figure out.

Some of the benefits of using social media to market one's writing include:

1. Refer people back to your blog or website. I have not seen a large uptick in viewers when I post my latest blog on my Facebook and twitter. Does anyone read them? You tell me.

2. Gain support from other authors. I do have several indie authors who follow me back. Yea!

3. Professionals can give you feedback on your writing. Again, haven't experienced this myself.

4. Build your community. Granted, this will take time. And effort. Perhaps my biggest hold-up is that I don't spend hours each week on twitter and Facebook. I need to start looking at it as part of the job, because, for me at least, it is far from enjoyable.

5. Build a worldwide audience. My readers are strictly East Coast at this point, according to the analytics.

So, what am I doing wrong? Why is it hard for me to make social media work for me?

The Write Life quoted Mary Kole, whom I follow on twitter (@kid_lit), as saying, "Do it well or don’t do it at all. There are billions of blogs and websites out there. On the Internet, if you build it, they will not automatically come. You have to give people a good reason to spend their precious time on your real estate." She then addresses what I've already recognized as my problem: if you do it reluctantly, the readers will sense it and never follow in droves. She advises consistency, in timing and quality.

Dr. Lissa Rankin, author of Mind over Medicine, was also quoted on The Write Life. She said offering a free gift increased her subscribers by 5,000 in one month. The obvious question, then, is what kind of free gift does one offer?

This is something to think about. I'm still working on using social media to the best advantage. At least this tool won't slice off an arm.