Recommendations
In this section, recommendations have been suggested in various areas based on my eleven-week observation and subsequent usage and content comparisons. Afterwards, all figures, tables, and textual references will be sourced separately.
Schedule
Nathan Ellring from CoSchedule Blog drew from ten social media studies to compile the ultimate infographic for people wondering how often to post on various social media platforms (4). Rather than import the long and narrow infographic here, below is a table summarizing the relevant information. The infographic even cites when to post each day if a stricter schedule is desired, but I left that out due to readability purposes.
Schedule
Nathan Ellring from CoSchedule Blog drew from ten social media studies to compile the ultimate infographic for people wondering how often to post on various social media platforms (4). Rather than import the long and narrow infographic here, below is a table summarizing the relevant information. The infographic even cites when to post each day if a stricter schedule is desired, but I left that out due to readability purposes.
Table 4: “How Often to Post on Social Media” infographic turned into a table for legibility and brevity.
With Quill Shift Literary Agency having Twitter, LinkedIn, and Google+, the majority of their efforts should be focused on Twitter. Twitter seems to be the hub for the literary industry, anyway, given this is where the majority of followers accumulate for both 3 Seas Literary Agency and Penguin Random House. If I were running Quill Shifts social media, I would focus my time on Twitter while still maintaining a presence on LinkedIn and Google+. As for adding new online outlets, I would consider either Pinterest and Instagram due to their large, young, and diverse user base. Twitter should always be the focus, though.
Blog
Become the proponent of diversity mentioned all over Twitter, and become the voice of diversity with a blog. This is another avenue for engagement without the length limitations. The blog format allows one to dive deeper into touchy topics, which diversity in literature is full of, especially with how diversity is portrayed.
Additionally, a blog would provide linkable content for the Twitter, LinkedIn, and Google+ platforms above, promoting the company further. Moreover, if the blog allowed guest submissions from diverse writers, this would give those writers another space to share their voice and explain why diversity is so important in modern literature.
The possibilities are endless with a blog, especially once it’s up, rolling, and gaining attention from key figures in the industry.
Diverse Media
Content that varies catches the eye of the consumer best (5). Text, static images, moving images like .GIFs, interviews and podcasts in the form of videos, and more. Currently, Penguin Random House exemplifies this, and Quill Shift Literary Agency should strive to. Relevant images should accompany most posts – as those tend to gain the most traction – but I suggest Quill Shift also spends some time creating videos as well.
Video in social media is a trend only expected to climb. By 2019, 80% of all internet traffic is estimated to be video (6). That being said, these video productions do not need to be elaborate affairs. Buzzfeed, INSIDER, Tasty, and other media outlets excel in this sector of social media because of their simple, straightforward approach.
For Quill Shift, this could mean introducing books, new authors, diverse writing prompts, or creating a “Call to Action” type video in which they open their submissions for diverse books. I would suggest at least one video a week, but it seems Quill Shift does not have that sort of business yet. However, if Quill Shift seeks to create videos on various platforms, they need to know the video length allotments to post within.
Blog
Become the proponent of diversity mentioned all over Twitter, and become the voice of diversity with a blog. This is another avenue for engagement without the length limitations. The blog format allows one to dive deeper into touchy topics, which diversity in literature is full of, especially with how diversity is portrayed.
Additionally, a blog would provide linkable content for the Twitter, LinkedIn, and Google+ platforms above, promoting the company further. Moreover, if the blog allowed guest submissions from diverse writers, this would give those writers another space to share their voice and explain why diversity is so important in modern literature.
The possibilities are endless with a blog, especially once it’s up, rolling, and gaining attention from key figures in the industry.
Diverse Media
Content that varies catches the eye of the consumer best (5). Text, static images, moving images like .GIFs, interviews and podcasts in the form of videos, and more. Currently, Penguin Random House exemplifies this, and Quill Shift Literary Agency should strive to. Relevant images should accompany most posts – as those tend to gain the most traction – but I suggest Quill Shift also spends some time creating videos as well.
Video in social media is a trend only expected to climb. By 2019, 80% of all internet traffic is estimated to be video (6). That being said, these video productions do not need to be elaborate affairs. Buzzfeed, INSIDER, Tasty, and other media outlets excel in this sector of social media because of their simple, straightforward approach.
For Quill Shift, this could mean introducing books, new authors, diverse writing prompts, or creating a “Call to Action” type video in which they open their submissions for diverse books. I would suggest at least one video a week, but it seems Quill Shift does not have that sort of business yet. However, if Quill Shift seeks to create videos on various platforms, they need to know the video length allotments to post within.
Table 5: Excerpt from “26 Ways to Use Videos for Social Media Marketing” article turned into a table.
While I would never recommend a video longer than three minutes on Facebook (allowing for longer videos to be posted on YouTube), sixty seconds on Twitter or Instagram is the perfect amount of time to give snapshots into new releases, new authors, or promote what it means to be a shifter (reader that gives feedback on manuscripts) or an author under Quill Shift Literary Agency.
Interaction, Promotion, and Outreach
The key to effective social media platforms is interacting with the userbase. To do so, one must engage them, form connections, and continually strengthen them through holding their interest with quality content and consistent posting.
With Twitter, this means hashtags and mentions. With them, one can weave themselves into an industry tweet by tweet. And with these connections, with this slow branching out, the followers will come. When they come, one should continue to interact with them.
In terms of Quill Shift Literary Agency, they should emulate Penguin Random House. Penguin weekly engages their audience through #askalibrarian and #quoteoftheday, and Quill Shift should strive to do the same in a way that best represents their company, or rather, their brand.
When I think of Quill Shift, I think of diverse writing in the modern age, as publishing moves from strictly print to also online. Digital media – digital literature – is a trend that Quill Shift intends to hone in on while also representing a minority group. This is the audience Quill Shift needs to focus on for promotion and outreach, but promotion and outreach can only stem from interaction.
Attaching hashtags such as #diversty, #diversityinwriting, #diverselit, #diverseya, #diversebooks, and so on, to any and all promotional images, articles, or announcements will help boost follows and future views. Capitalizing on #useyourquill, however, is one way to create engagement through weekly writing prompts, further defining the brand.
Branding
Branding is key to standing out from the crowd, and Quill Shift Literary Agency — from first glance at their logo and about section — has uniqueness in spades. By honing in on their brand and exploiting their various, attractive traits, they could potentially create both meaningful and marketable content just as 3 Seas Literary Agency and Penguin Random House have done.
Content, as stated before, is how one forms connections. This content needs to represent their brand in every way, shape, and form, though. Where Penguin Random House exceeded in this with their Happy Holidays video from 2015, this is because Penguin knows who they are; Quill Shift needs to learn the same.
If I were Quill Shift, I would start with #useyourquill, as it is a tool with untapped potential. Using your quill, as they say, is a way to encourage writers to write in a whole, new way. Quill Shift is the only person or entity to utilize this saying, which is a great shame, given the platform is could create to showcase diverse voices.
As stated in the previous subsection, tagging this saying alongside weekly prompts or tips and asking all followers to use the hashtag after creating work based on said prompts or tips would increase engagement and outreach, further promoting the brand under a guise of encouraging those to write (which all writers could always use a bit more of).
Though they have been a company since 2013, I know their brand only from the word “diverse” and the explanation of their name, which is found scarcely throughout their platforms. If this is their brand, it is not apparent, and it is only to me due to digging deeper for this project. However, the scope of the brand can build as Quill Shift Literary Agency learns who they are, what they stand for, and what their goals are in the literary world. Then, they must create a plan that aligns with those ideals and stick with it.
Interaction, Promotion, and Outreach
The key to effective social media platforms is interacting with the userbase. To do so, one must engage them, form connections, and continually strengthen them through holding their interest with quality content and consistent posting.
With Twitter, this means hashtags and mentions. With them, one can weave themselves into an industry tweet by tweet. And with these connections, with this slow branching out, the followers will come. When they come, one should continue to interact with them.
In terms of Quill Shift Literary Agency, they should emulate Penguin Random House. Penguin weekly engages their audience through #askalibrarian and #quoteoftheday, and Quill Shift should strive to do the same in a way that best represents their company, or rather, their brand.
When I think of Quill Shift, I think of diverse writing in the modern age, as publishing moves from strictly print to also online. Digital media – digital literature – is a trend that Quill Shift intends to hone in on while also representing a minority group. This is the audience Quill Shift needs to focus on for promotion and outreach, but promotion and outreach can only stem from interaction.
Attaching hashtags such as #diversty, #diversityinwriting, #diverselit, #diverseya, #diversebooks, and so on, to any and all promotional images, articles, or announcements will help boost follows and future views. Capitalizing on #useyourquill, however, is one way to create engagement through weekly writing prompts, further defining the brand.
Branding
Branding is key to standing out from the crowd, and Quill Shift Literary Agency — from first glance at their logo and about section — has uniqueness in spades. By honing in on their brand and exploiting their various, attractive traits, they could potentially create both meaningful and marketable content just as 3 Seas Literary Agency and Penguin Random House have done.
Content, as stated before, is how one forms connections. This content needs to represent their brand in every way, shape, and form, though. Where Penguin Random House exceeded in this with their Happy Holidays video from 2015, this is because Penguin knows who they are; Quill Shift needs to learn the same.
If I were Quill Shift, I would start with #useyourquill, as it is a tool with untapped potential. Using your quill, as they say, is a way to encourage writers to write in a whole, new way. Quill Shift is the only person or entity to utilize this saying, which is a great shame, given the platform is could create to showcase diverse voices.
As stated in the previous subsection, tagging this saying alongside weekly prompts or tips and asking all followers to use the hashtag after creating work based on said prompts or tips would increase engagement and outreach, further promoting the brand under a guise of encouraging those to write (which all writers could always use a bit more of).
Though they have been a company since 2013, I know their brand only from the word “diverse” and the explanation of their name, which is found scarcely throughout their platforms. If this is their brand, it is not apparent, and it is only to me due to digging deeper for this project. However, the scope of the brand can build as Quill Shift Literary Agency learns who they are, what they stand for, and what their goals are in the literary world. Then, they must create a plan that aligns with those ideals and stick with it.
Conclusion
Quill Shift Literary Agency is a newborn baby: still finding its place in the world, wondering who they are, and struggling to communicate that. They may be on their fourth year of business, but as far as I am concerned, they are starting from scratch.
I firmly believe Quill Shift has failed with social media marketing because they do not have a plan, and like many that try to navigate the waters of these online platforms, simply do not know what they are doing or how they should be doing it because it seems as easy as one-two-three.
If that were the case, though, I would be writing about another company.
Quill Shift Literary Agency is sorely lacking in their online presence. So much so, it seems more of an absence. To be successful – to even compete with comparable companies – they need to post more, post with thought, and connect to their intended audience through those posts.
With this proposal, I hope their eyes are opened and that they can become the company I imagine they could be, the one I would be proud to work or write for.
I firmly believe Quill Shift has failed with social media marketing because they do not have a plan, and like many that try to navigate the waters of these online platforms, simply do not know what they are doing or how they should be doing it because it seems as easy as one-two-three.
If that were the case, though, I would be writing about another company.
Quill Shift Literary Agency is sorely lacking in their online presence. So much so, it seems more of an absence. To be successful – to even compete with comparable companies – they need to post more, post with thought, and connect to their intended audience through those posts.
With this proposal, I hope their eyes are opened and that they can become the company I imagine they could be, the one I would be proud to work or write for.