Social Mum of the Week – Nicola Young

Our Social Mum of the week is author Nicola Young who is a member of our Social Mums West Kent Facebook Group. She shares how her love of writing inspired her to start her business and the one thing she has found that works for her on social media.

Tell us a little bit about yourself and your family.

I’m Nicola and I live in Sevenoaks with my husband, three children, our Boston Terrier, Barnie (crazy dog) and more recently, Oscar, the rescue cat. I’m a Northerner, originally from Leeds, but have lived down south for twenty years. I still have the accent though, and argue with my kids frequently about whether you take a ‘bath’ or a barth’, a ‘bus’ or a ‘bas’.

What is your business?

I’m an author and write books for the middle grade and young adult ages ranges. I also run a creative writing club for kids called, Storymakers, which provides weekly classes, holiday workshops and 1-to-1 sessions for children aged 7 and above. In addition, I’m a copywriter, blogger and writing coach.

What inspired you to start your business?

A love of the written word drives everything that I do. I had always wanted to write a book, but didn’t know, for a long time, what I wanted to write. My middle daughter, a reluctant reader, was the one who inspired me to write for children. I wanted to create something that was lively, interesting and most importantly, achievable.

What social media platforms do you use and why?

I use Facebook because I find a lot of value and support in the groups that I’m a member of, including Social Mums West Kent! Twitter, for me, is great because I can connect with a lot of writers and teachers on there. I also use Instagram and LinkedIn.

What do you find most challenging about marketing your business on social media?

You have to be constantly present on social media, which means being constantly interesting. This is the biggest challenge – coming up with ideas to post, whilst at the same time, trying to connect with other people. It takes up a lot of time.

What is the best social media tip you have picked up for your business?

The thing I’ve found works best is the consistency. Although it is hard to keep up, it really does start to pay dividends after a while.

What have you found most useful about being part of a Social Mums Facebook Group?

The Social Mums group is really supportive. We all understand the need to have a presence on social media and as such, help each other. I also like the fact you can ask a question, without feeling dumb for not knowing, and someone will always answer.