Note from Jennifer: One of the my takeaways from the recent ASJA conference was that brands and agencies want writers with social media followings. Since that is an area where I need to improve, I enlisted a guest poster to share five strategies on how to expand your social media following. Today’s post is written by Simon Campbell, a writer from a Facebook ad campaign tool – Qwaya. He loves to write different topics about social media and participates in some communities and forums. If you have more social media marketing questions, feel free to ask Simon on Twitter.

By Simon Campbell

From the most awe-inspiring political speeches and the biggest Hollywood blockbusters of the summer, to the number-one song on Billboard and the latest underground trends, writers are behind the scenes pulling on the strings. Writers are truly the proverbial man behind the curtain, but that doesn’t mean every writer has that type of exposure, especially freelance writers. Since brands and agencies are looking for content marketing writers to be influencers in their industry, it is especially important for content marketing writers to excel in social media.

Here are five ways writers can take advantage of social media for broader exposure:

1: Choose a Big Network for a Big Presence

Why are you joining social media as a writer? Is it to gain more exposure for your content marketing writing services? Whatever your particular reasons, starting a social media campaign starts with choosing the right social media site.

Facebook and Twitter are the big two, and naturally they should command most of your attention at the onset of your venture. A site like Twitter is the crème de la crème for writers; it’s constantly on and churning furiously with hashtags, links, and those short, attention-grabbing one-liners that writers do better than most. Create a home on the big networks as you ready yourself for the start of a campaign for exposure.

2: Engage On a User’s Level

Once you do join up with the big networks, the next question is one of approach. How do you go about attracting an audience? Engage with users on social levels by implementing a few tried and true tactics:

• Garner interest in your page by creating snazzy, witty status updates
• Be the first to reach out to an audience interested in what you’re about
• Use the sites’ search features to narrow your market down
• Post only high-quality material on a regular schedule
• Keep posting regularly even though you don’t have an audience yet
• View your goal on social media as one of a problem-solver, not as an individual looking to have a problem solved. Present yourself as if what you’re offering is the answer your market has been looking for

3: Ease Up On Self-Promotion

So, how do you promote yourself and not come cross the line of being too self-promotional? When you promote your work via social media, here are some “don’ts” to keep in mind:

• Don’t remind people that you’re great; let them find it on their own
• Don’t appear over-confident about work
• Don’t criticize other work to promote your own
• Don’t use social media solely to promote a blog or sales page
• Don’t engage in petty criticisms, back-and-forth arguments with trolls, spelling and grammar corrections, etc.

4: Reach Out to Other Writers

Fostering relationships with other writers, professional or amateur, does more than build your reputation as a social brand. You’re allowing yourself to forge real friendships and contacts within the business. Having real relationships with other writers provides you with a great source for information sharing, motivation, and tips and tactics to use as the market evolves.

5: Consider Paying for Advertising

With ad formats like Sponsored Stories and Promoted Posts, just to name two, a little bit of spending goes a long way. Ads playing to a social context, honed with a third-party management app, can attract attention and reach far more corners than even the best organic ad.

What are your best tips for social media for content marketing writers? What questions do you have or challenges do you struggle with?