Lucy Leiderman (@Lucy Leiderman) is the Director of Digital Strategy for Toronto-based agency Pilot PMR. Here, she advises clients on content and social media strategy, oversees promotion and advertising across new media, and writes on a number topics related to internet and technology.
Lucy is also a published author, having written the Seven Wanderers Trilogy, a series of novels in the historical fiction/fantasy genre.
This conversation is split into two parts, where the first discusses her work as a digital strategist, and the second speaks more to her personal habits and her workflow as an author. Catch up with Lucy on her website, LucyLeiderman.com
Listen Now
Part I:
Get The Episode
- Download The Busy Creator Podcast, Episode 47 (MP3, 33:07, 16.0 MB)
- Download The Busy Creator Podcast, Episode 47 (OGG, 33:07, 26.0 MB)
Part II:
Get The Episode
- Download The Busy Creator Podcast, Episode 47 (MP3, 29:07, 14.3 MB)
- Download The Busy Creator Podcast, Episode 47 (OGG, 29:07, 22.5 MB)
Subscribe to Get New Episodes
Subscribe to The Busy Creator Podcast on Apple Podcasts, on Google Podcasts, on Stitcher, on iHeart
Show Notes & Links
- Prescott and Lucy know each other “from the internet”
- Directors of Digital Strategy need to have the “widest toolbelt” of digital knowledge, to always offer fresh, innovative, custom solutions – there is no more “cookie cutter” approach
- Agile Methodology
- “Project Managers have become Scrum Masters”, says Bob Calvano during his episode
- Scrum Alliance and their certifications
“The Scrum Master is, above all, a facilitator.”
—Lucy Leiderman
“At the end of the day, we're all in the business of marketing. We’re trying to get people to do something.”
—Lucy Leiderman
- Traditional can be contemporary — living as if they’re in 2008
- Lucy writes numerous articles
- Growth Hacking
- Internetalia — is that a word?
“The Free Market is as active online as it is anywhere.”
—Lucy Leiderman
- Instagram gets bought for $1 Billion
- Instagram needs to solve its multiple login problem
- The Busy Creator on Instagram — completely locked out and can no longer be updated
- When Instagram first came out, it didn’t have a web presence
- 18-year-old Instagram celebrities/millionaires
- Patagonia on Instagram
- Zildjian on Instagram
- “Login Fatigue,” when you have too many damn accounts and log-ins
- Coca-Cola’s social media “happy” campaign backfires
- Kim Kardashian’s twitter goof during the Aurora, CO shootings
Wrong Aurora
- DiGiorno Pizza during The Ray Rice scandal — hashtag #WhyIStayed
You Had Pizza
“With analytics, anything can be good or bad. It's up to you to frame it.”
—Lucy Leiderman
“I started writing because I ran out of reading material.”
—Lucy Leiderman
- Lucy’s first books were set in the world of Celtic Mythology
- Lucy does not take inspiration from Russian Literature, in spite of her heritage
- Originally, she wrote for children, but her work ended up a little more mature
- Only about 30% of a story plan actually comes to be
- Prescott thinks stories are like trees, or spiderwebs. Lucy says they’re more like a tapestry (with threads woven through)
“Writing a book is committing yourself to always feeling guilty.”
—Lucy Leiderman
- NaNoWriMo – National Novel-Writing Month
“I love the finished product, but the process is hard.”
—Lucy Leiderman
- Lucy never took courses in writing or studied the craft
- Average sci-fi novels are 100,000+ words
- It can take 25 minutes to get back on task following a distraction, according to an article from The NY Times, which cites a study from UC Irvine
- Lucy has never had a full cup of coffee, prefers tea
- McDonald’s + Shazam ad – did it work?
- LucyLeiderman.com, an About.me page
- Lucy’s Author Page
- Lucy Leiderman on Twitter
- Lucy Leiderman on LinkedIn
- Lucy Leiderman on Instagram, mostly her dogs
Tools
- Google Analytics
- Radian6
- Buffer
- HootSuite
- Google Drive/Apps for Work
- Workamajig
- Basecamp
- Balsamiq, for wireframes
- InVision, also for wireframes
- Slack
- Microsoft Word
- Facebook, and its ever-changing nature
Techniques
- Don’t create content for it’s own sake
- Don’t waste a call-to-action and spend money when it doesn’t drive sales
- Use data to show how campaigns are effective
- Get immersed in the community; go to events/Hackathons, watch TED talks
- Use the channel itself for full analytics; don’t trust third-party sites for data collection
- Factor “the environment” into your channel-planning
- Ask questions in your story plan (e.g. “why does this person think this?”)
- Have a publisher or editor kick your butt a little
- Use Post-Its to highlight points-to-make
- Keep a plan for the next 5000 words, and another document for the actual text
- Build a nest of pillows and stay deep for 5-6 hours of work
- Allow your daily routine to flex with the day (and the dogs’ breakfast schedule)
- Read case studies rather than opinions, especially for continued growth/learning
Habits
- Editorialise and examine your data; never show raw numbers to a client
- Don’t email when voice communication is faster and more direct
- Acknowledge your inner emotions when writing a book
- Build a comfortable setup and work in spurts
- Take breaks and go for walks (with the dogs)
Try Audible.com Free for 30-Days
Visit BusyCreatorBook.com for your free trial
Join the Discussion
Add your experiences in the Comments section below.
Enjoyed this article?
More insight and resources delivered in our newsletter. Sign up below to receive site updates.
