My marketing (old career) mind pondered a question from a blog subscriber regarding building followers. The more I thought, the more convinced I became that order does matter because some platforms naturally feed others that don’t actively reciprocate.

The NLBHorton platform started with facebook and twitter. These building tools weren’t genius or strategy; they appeared easier to implement well than a full-scale blog. Many elements of these two are tightly controlled, so development involved fewer choices that could (and should) be consistent across both—cover shot, and author bio and photo on facebook; background, and author bio and photo on twitter.

Developing a professional-looking blog requires more decisions, time, and effort (conquering WordPress, for instance). Followers must find a blog, whereas twitter requires little more than sitting at a computer watching posts scroll. Facebook is a little more work for your following than twitter, but linking facebook and twitter accounts make them interact: if someone sees one, they are led to the other. (I recommend a professional facebook author page instead of using a personal one; remember, you’re promoting your work. Few followers want to see photos of your 25th high-school reunion.)

And then there’s the website: the mother-ship, really. Embed your blog therein, post links to your site on facebook and twitter profiles, and present a comprehensive package that’s a one-stop waltz through your public platform. A beautiful website, one that moves readers toward your writing, is time-consuming to develop, and requires a lot of planning and thought. So your first good shots out should be facebook and twitter, followed by website with blog. You’ll also see what works on facebook and twitter, enabling you to better target your website (which can be expensive to develop, so you want to do it once).

It’s easy to become overwhelmed by social media, but easier than you think to build and control. I’ve just crested an aggregate of 10,000 followers in about six months (without a product). While managing the public image is a little time-consuming, tools like BUFFER (https://bufferapp.com/) automate posting and make it doable.

With planning, consistency, and thought, you can create the impact today’s publishers require—and enjoy the process as well by interacting (VERY important) with those interested in your thoughts and ideas. Twitter…facebook…website…blog. You can do this.[subscribe2]