socials

Let’s Talk About… Twitter Statistics

Lee Hall

Converting any kind of social media traction into sales, follows or anything else is really really hard. It takes a boat-load of dedication, time, patience and the sheer will to move mountains to sometimes feel like you are making any progress – that’s how it feels to me every so often but it is not impossible to turn your social media into some level of success. This post will highlight the difficulty us creatives can face on social media whilst also providing a few solutions to help move the needle.

The inspiration for this post came from my recent ‘break’ from social media, now I say ‘break’ but really I just reduced my efforts for a few weeks for a little self repair. For all the things social media can be, it can be a drain on one’s mental health and can also be addictive so its good to take a break every now and then and focus on the to-do list.

Tip: When it comes to social media, you always come first. So does your mental health. There is no shame in practicing self-care and you can only do what you can do. Take a break if you need to.

For someone who has built their Twitter presence from zero to 30,000+ it took a long time to get to where I am now and so I went forth into this recent break knowing the majority of my numbers across platforms along with sales would drop, and I was right.

So for perspective, let us look at the Twitter numbers for May before I reduced my presence and tweeting whilst cross referencing that with book sales:

Now everyone’s Twitter is different, including numbers but May was an awesome month for me which was mainly driven by the grey bars on this graphic which represents Tweets. In simple terms, the more you Tweet, the more you get back eventually.

For me, any impressions over 20k a day is the sweet spot and means good things should eventually happen such as more followers and even book sales. Anything below that for a period of time and everything slows down. Because everyone’s Twitter is different, you’ll probably have a different sweet s[pt number. Using the Twitter analytics via the browser version should help you dive deeper into your own numbers.

Here are my book sales for that period:

Now these a pretty good numbers, with a little paid advertising thrown in at the mid point but most of my regular day-to-day sales come from Twitter and so I have to keep those numbers up.

Let us now look at what happens if I reduce my Tweeting which I did in June.

The numbers pretty much halved and then after the 60k spike, they dropped below that ‘sweet spot’ and over time the sales dipped.

So the numbers say it all. Less tweeting for me equals way less regular sales. Now by July I decided to do something about this and began upping my Tweeting. It took a few days but I managed to push the numbers back up to that ‘sweet spot’ and even sold a book for my efforts.

I keep a close eye on the Analytics of my Twitter and its pretty good for indicating what is needed to get the numbers up. But what was I Tweeting about?

Tip: As long as it aims to inspire, inform, entertain, give value or incentive then a Tweet with these things should be well-received eventually. Quantity is key.

Now this post is just a slice of the Twitter pie and you can read so much more for free via the resources section of this very blog.

If you want a detailed deep dive at how I have turned my Twitter into a book selling machine then do check out my Twitter Coaching Sessions here. As you can see one of my students A-M is benefitting from it. Thanks for reading!

The Twitter Bar Analogy: Creating a Nice place to be…

Lee Hall

Hello loyal followers, today I’d like to share this guide from earlier this year all about Twitter – this bar analogy will also be the subject of my next Patreon Twitter Coaching Session…

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The majority of people enjoy nice experiences and the same can be said for most people on social media. A nice or pleasant social media experience can lead to so many possibilities from making new friends and connections, to even earning someone else’s trust or perhaps making a sale. Subconsciously and over many years, I made my social media presence across the platforms a nice place for my followers to hang out. This was also driven by how welcome I have been made to feel by so many others. Because social media is sometimes viewed in a negative light for many reasons, being pleasant tends to stand out.

I’m going to use this post to talk about Twitter in particular and how for me it compares to a bar or pub. Those who know me will also know I love an analogy! As of today my Twitter stands at nearly…

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Weekly Ramble #129

Lee Hall 2 Comments

I’m hanging on down in dry county… Truthfully, this whole author blogger social media plant requires constant watering if I want any type of flowers. The rain being how much I put in but the measure is determined by my following and how they receive my content. Sometimes no matter how much you raise your game, it just feels like you are wading though semi-dry concrete.

There are no reasons for me to complain because this year stands as the best ever but it is a grind and a constant one and as soon as you let off, everything drops to zero. I suppose the demand to keep going does make some fall of the wagon and its understandable. Very little reward for constant work can bring anyone down but those who do keep going throughout the droughts and rains will find something good eventually.

Social media success if forged by presence and reaching out to others. Conversation and interaction, giving and helping. All of the things that make us human are what help us succeed in the virtual world that we are becoming more and more reliant upon – something I enjoy and embrace. With this year nearly coming to an end, I just got to keep hanging on no matter the weather.

The Twitter Campfire Analogy

Lee Hall 5 Comments

Twitter presents a wonderful opportunity for anyone to find success on social media. Whether you are looking to make friends or sell content, everything on Twitter revolves around connecting with others. This Campfire Analogy explains how you can reach others and find success on Twitter.

Image via Pixabay

So you’ve set up a small campfire on the edge of some woods (you’ve created a Twitter profile).

This nice spot is adjacent to a path, that path is then connected to a much wider path where people walk, jog, cycle and appear along frequently. (Basically the wider twitter community, no specific demographics)

You begin to talk to yourself while the small fire crackles away. There is a little warmth but other than the low hum of your quiet voice it’s pretty desolate.

You then talk a little louder (your tweets are specific to your interests, if you’re an author you use the writing community hashtag).

It might feel like you are talking to yourself but that busy path is ever so near. (it feels like you are talking to yourself. This is normal for a while)

A little time passes and someone along that wider path hears you talking (the hashtags amplified that voice of yours).

This person then moves onto the path adjacent to that campfire of yours, (you’ve attracted the attention of a specific demographic you’ve got something in common with).

You talk to this person as they have just replied to you. (they commented on your tweet). It was a brief but a pleasant exchange. This passer by then decides to come off that path and sit at your campfire (congratulations, you’ve just earned a follower).

Because this follower responded to something you said, you now tweet more about the subject you exchanged engagement with. You also talk directly to them (you follow them back).

Other passers-by begin to hear this follower talking to you and some at the very least stroll past the campfire. This one follower has sat at a few campfires before and those who he sat with can see the engagement you are having, (mutual followers of that first follower see your tweets in their feed).

You keep talking and exchange engagements. Some of these mutual followers have now walked by and sit at your camp fire. You talk to them also (follow each other). These folks even bring their own logs and the fire grows in brightness and warmth (more engagements happen, subjects range).

More folks who have been to other campfires see your campfire is a two way conversation and come to sit by it. (Your following steadily increases because you are talking and including them and you are present consistently over time).

The subjects you talk about are interesting and engaging. More passers-by join the congregating people already by your now roaring fire. You’re going to need more seating soon but you keep talking because these passers-by have become important connections. They have invested in you and trust you because your word is good and honest which started literally with you talking to a campfire. How do you know what to talk about everyday – you get better at this the more you do it. It even feels warm inside…

Some of these passers by now want more from you and so they see you have a product or service available that they know will be trust worthy or will at least provide something which will make them feel good, (You’ve grown your own algorithm of trust over time, as an author or content creator these followers buy from you).

You share with these fellow camp fire members how you got to this point. They eventually take on some of what you have learned and in their spare time they go and start their own campfires and the cycle continues, (you see others being successful at twitter also, they didn’t give up and kept talking also).

Although this is a specific analogy in a perfect scenario, it highlights the importance of being social no matter where you start.

This post is inspired by another guide which you can read here. Thanks for stopping by!

Weekly Ramble #118

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I’m warming to the idea of starting a Patreon for my writing and self help social media guides. My overall ambition is to make writing my primary occupation and this year has proven that I can take strides from this being a hobby to something much more serious. From having 10,000 people download one of my books in a single day to exceeding that same number in follows over on Twitter, maybe it is time to monetise my content.

Of course the concept of monetising isn’t just about me. I intend to very much make it worthwhile for my patrons by rewarding them not just with content but hopefully other stuff like social media shout-outs, guidance, and even author spotlight stuff on here – a place where I know book folks and good readers are. And this won’t be monetising all content all the time – there is value in our words and with the right following it can be perceived that way.

Something seems to have aligned quite well with the content I create and the readers who appreciate it. You can see for yourself the plethora of social media, blogging and author guides I’ve put together over on the resources page to back that up. Not only do I have content, but a following who appreciates it and this is only ever going to be a career option if I take strides towards setting it up for that. By no means is this a cash grab because as I said there will be incentives for supporters that I will work for so to me, this is merely an opportunity for my words to support themselves and seeing that I have the infrastructure, perhaps Patreon is the way forward.

Already I have a content plan – much of the stuff you have become used to seeing on here will remain on here but will most probably premiere on my Patreon first. I’m committed to creating content that helps others and so the idea would be to make my Patreon an intimate way of passing on knowledge not just through posts but with perhaps one on one coaching – this will all depend on the level of membership available. I am also envisioning to release exclusive fiction stuff to patrons as a further reward for their support. Watch this space.