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When you’re starting a new business, it can be overwhelming trying to keep up with maintaining a presence on every social media platform. A lot of social media experts will tell you to just focus on one or two to begin with and work from there. Even though I use Facebook every day, I still decided to focus on Twitter when it comes to marketing my copyediting and proofreading business. Here are three reasons why editors should tweet:
Your Clients Are on Twitter
Potential clients of all kinds are on Twitter. All the publishing houses are there, as well as magazines, bloggers, businesses, etc. Authors especially (both traditionally published and indie) can be found in their droves on Twitter. One of my favorite authors on Twitter is Marian Keyes. She’s hilarious! Not that I think Marian Keyes is going to hire me to proofread her next book, but a girl can dream, can’t she? 😊
I find that people are a lot more natural and open on Twitter than they are on other social media networks. It gives you the perfect opportunity to get to know them on a more personal level. They tweet about their work, their day, or even just a random thought in their head, and you can reply if it strikes a chord with you. If you engage with them on a regular basis, they might remember you when it comes to getting their next book copyedited or proofread. Just be natural about it, not creepy or spammy!
Of course, if you don’t have your Twitter profile optimized, they may not realize that you’re an editor. Make sure you fill in your bio with information on what you do. Include a link to your website. You should be sharing your website link any opportunity you get.
Upload your photo. No one wants to talk to that egghead picture! They want to talk to a real person. Putting a photo of yourself on your bio builds trust, especially if you use the same photo across all your social media profiles and website.
Other Editors Are on Twitter
I’ve been able to connect with lots of “edibuddies” on Twitter. Many of the editorial associations and societies host monthly chats where they pose questions, usually to a guest host, and encourage replies from their followers. My favorite is the #ACESchat which is run by ACES: The Society for Editing and takes place at 4 p.m. EST on the first and third Wednesdays of the month. They discuss interesting topics like fact checking in fiction editing or chatting with Emmy J. Favilla, the author of A World Without Whom. It gives you the chance to meet other editors and build a network of colleagues. If you work from home like I do, then this will make you feel more connected to the outside world.
Other good Twitter chats include the #EFAchat with the Editorial Freelancers Association, which takes place on the last Friday of the month at 3 p.m. EST, and the #APStyleChat with the AP Stylebook whose monthly chat takes place on different days each month. You don’t have to be a member of any of these associations to take part in the Twitter chats.
It’s Good Editing Practice
Trying to get your message across in 140 characters or less is an art. It will give you great practice in cutting out unnecessary words. You can then apply this when faced with a client’s text that’s overrun with filler words. Twitter increased the limit to 280 characters in November 2017, but my advice is to just ignore the extra 140. Half the fun of Twitter is that it is straight to the point. And if you give away all the details in the tweet, no one will need to click on your link to find out more!
So if you’re not already using Twitter to market your editing or proofreading business, then consider giving it a go. Even if you don’t get any new clients, you might make some new friends!
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