Analysis of Current Social Media Usage
In this section, data from all three of Quill Shift Literary Agency’s current social media channels will be compiled from the time between January 20th, 2017 and March 31st, 2017. The accounts are as follows: Twitter, LinkedIn, and Google+. Afterwards, a conclusion will discuss the various insights made from such observations.
Twitter
The first week of analysis revealed that Quill Shift Literary Agency had not posted on their Twitter account since December 28th, 2016. As my first review occurred on January 20th, 2017, this meant almost a month had passed since they had last published a tweet to their followers.
The first week of analysis revealed that Quill Shift Literary Agency had not posted on their Twitter account since December 28th, 2016. As my first review occurred on January 20th, 2017, this meant almost a month had passed since they had last published a tweet to their followers.
Figure 2: A screenshot from Quill Shift Literary Agency’s Twitter account showcasing the last time they had posted.
While the consistency is a problem, the hashtags #writetip and #worldbuilding allowed their tweets to appear in channels frequented by writers, therefore placing their company in the eyes of potential clients and consumers. The final hashtag, #useyourquill, is unique to Quill Shift Literary Agency. No one else has utilized the clever saying, which is a shame. It is a tool with untapped potential, which I will expand upon in the Recommendations > Branding section.
Weeks, and months, passed before Quill Shift Literary Agency posted on their Twitter account again. In fact, it was within the last week of my observation that they finally broke their online dry spell.
Weeks, and months, passed before Quill Shift Literary Agency posted on their Twitter account again. In fact, it was within the last week of my observation that they finally broke their online dry spell.
Figure 3: A screenshot of the only two tweets published during my project from Quill Shift Literary Agency’s Twitter account.
By the end of the observation period, I considered any activity a miracle, so two tweets in one week was revolutionary.
The hashtags, once more, should be noted. #useyourquill appears again, along with #writetip and #worldbuilding. Additionally, #diversity, #writing, #resources, and #muse16 show up. Hashtags, used correctly, are an effective way to reach intended audiences.
LinkedIn
The first week of analysis revealed that Quill Shift Literary Agency had not posted on their LinkedIn account since August 2016.
The hashtags, once more, should be noted. #useyourquill appears again, along with #writetip and #worldbuilding. Additionally, #diversity, #writing, #resources, and #muse16 show up. Hashtags, used correctly, are an effective way to reach intended audiences.
The first week of analysis revealed that Quill Shift Literary Agency had not posted on their LinkedIn account since August 2016.
Figure 4: Original screenshot of Quill Shift Literary Agency’s LinkedIn profile, taken for Week 1 Review (January 13th-20th, 2017) for analysis.
At this point in time, this was the last time the company utilized LinkedIn.
Unlike the surprise, Twitter posts at the end of week eleven, Quill Shift Literary Agency did not post once on their LinkedIn profile during my entire observation.
Google+
The first week of analysis revealed that Quill Shift Literary Agency had not posted on their Google+ account since July 2016. This is when I began sensing a pattern.
Unlike the surprise, Twitter posts at the end of week eleven, Quill Shift Literary Agency did not post once on their LinkedIn profile during my entire observation.
Google+
The first week of analysis revealed that Quill Shift Literary Agency had not posted on their Google+ account since July 2016. This is when I began sensing a pattern.
Figure 5: Original screenshot of Quill Shift Literary Agency’s Google+ profile, taken for Week 1 Review (January 20th, 2017) for analysis.
Analysis
To engage in any form of transaction with a company, one must have trust or confidence in said company or their products. It is the companies job to inspire this trust or confidence, and Quill Shift Literary Agency has failed. Thoroughly.
One of the services Quill Shift offers to their clients on their website is Social Media Assistance, but how could an aspiring author feel assured the associates at Quill Shift would boost their social media prowess and help sell their book when the company itself cannot even post on their own online accounts to begin with?
Faith is lost before it can ever be built.
Contact (bridging the gap from company to client/consumer) is limited. For the duration of my project, non-existent. Additionally, Quill Shift never responded to either of my emails. As my weekly blog reviews illustrate, for a time, I worried over the idea that Quill Shift was no longer in business. At one point, I questioned their practices:
With no social media activity across the board in a month and a half, I'm concerned. I'm starting to question if they're even a company anymore. What are they doing? Is there a new project taking up all their time? If so, why aren't they posting about it? Hyping people up? On the other end of the spectrum, is something personal going on? …I love the mission of the company, but will having their name on my resume mean anything? Truly?
Furthermore, I cannot imagine how prospective clients must feel, especially if they know any better. But if they don't and pursue them, anyway? Are they going to receive the best service in this industry? I cannot confidently say yes because of my observations these last few weeks. (1)
Publishing, like restaurants and retail, is a customer and client-oriented business. In Quill Shift’s case, the focus is on the writers and readers, whom they are failing to contact (ie. connect) with. However, content is as important (if not more) as contact, which will be further examined in this proposal later. For now, it appears their current attempts have not received a strong response, given the low numbers of retweets and favorites.
For instance, both tweets (Figure 3) combined were not as noticed as their singular one (Figure 2) posted three months before. This could be a combination of content and consistency; without having a look at their Twitter analytics, along with the current activity through those separate hashtags, it is impossible to determine.
Nevertheless, it appears that Quill Shift, even with these appropriately implemented hashtags (“#writetip,” “#worldbuilding,” and “#writing”) struggle to bridge that gap. Furthermore, the untapped potential of #useyourquill should be reiterated. The saying is clever, relevant, and encapsulating; in the Recommendations section, I will provide several suggestions that, if followed, will enable Quill Shift to both build and grow a dedicated audience.
Returning to the topic of content, I discovered a crucial error: the podcast link – their only form of non-textual media or marketing from my research – no longer works. Additionally, the dates of the Google+ announcement do not match those from their LinkedIn profile. July and August, though only one month apart, reveal a glaring issue within their social media marketing capabilities, proving once more to prospective clients that if they cannot market their own company, how will they bolster authors’ online presences?
Because of Quill Shift Literary Agency’s lack of online activity, my weekly reviews were also spent comparing them to a similarly sized literary agency, 3 Seas Literary Agency, along with Penguin Random House. In the next two sections, Quill Shift Literary Agency’s usage and content will be compared to 3 Seas Literary Agency and Penguin Random House.
To engage in any form of transaction with a company, one must have trust or confidence in said company or their products. It is the companies job to inspire this trust or confidence, and Quill Shift Literary Agency has failed. Thoroughly.
One of the services Quill Shift offers to their clients on their website is Social Media Assistance, but how could an aspiring author feel assured the associates at Quill Shift would boost their social media prowess and help sell their book when the company itself cannot even post on their own online accounts to begin with?
Faith is lost before it can ever be built.
Contact (bridging the gap from company to client/consumer) is limited. For the duration of my project, non-existent. Additionally, Quill Shift never responded to either of my emails. As my weekly blog reviews illustrate, for a time, I worried over the idea that Quill Shift was no longer in business. At one point, I questioned their practices:
With no social media activity across the board in a month and a half, I'm concerned. I'm starting to question if they're even a company anymore. What are they doing? Is there a new project taking up all their time? If so, why aren't they posting about it? Hyping people up? On the other end of the spectrum, is something personal going on? …I love the mission of the company, but will having their name on my resume mean anything? Truly?
Furthermore, I cannot imagine how prospective clients must feel, especially if they know any better. But if they don't and pursue them, anyway? Are they going to receive the best service in this industry? I cannot confidently say yes because of my observations these last few weeks. (1)
Publishing, like restaurants and retail, is a customer and client-oriented business. In Quill Shift’s case, the focus is on the writers and readers, whom they are failing to contact (ie. connect) with. However, content is as important (if not more) as contact, which will be further examined in this proposal later. For now, it appears their current attempts have not received a strong response, given the low numbers of retweets and favorites.
For instance, both tweets (Figure 3) combined were not as noticed as their singular one (Figure 2) posted three months before. This could be a combination of content and consistency; without having a look at their Twitter analytics, along with the current activity through those separate hashtags, it is impossible to determine.
Nevertheless, it appears that Quill Shift, even with these appropriately implemented hashtags (“#writetip,” “#worldbuilding,” and “#writing”) struggle to bridge that gap. Furthermore, the untapped potential of #useyourquill should be reiterated. The saying is clever, relevant, and encapsulating; in the Recommendations section, I will provide several suggestions that, if followed, will enable Quill Shift to both build and grow a dedicated audience.
Returning to the topic of content, I discovered a crucial error: the podcast link – their only form of non-textual media or marketing from my research – no longer works. Additionally, the dates of the Google+ announcement do not match those from their LinkedIn profile. July and August, though only one month apart, reveal a glaring issue within their social media marketing capabilities, proving once more to prospective clients that if they cannot market their own company, how will they bolster authors’ online presences?
Because of Quill Shift Literary Agency’s lack of online activity, my weekly reviews were also spent comparing them to a similarly sized literary agency, 3 Seas Literary Agency, along with Penguin Random House. In the next two sections, Quill Shift Literary Agency’s usage and content will be compared to 3 Seas Literary Agency and Penguin Random House.