Becky Robinson's Blog, page 37

Favorite Tools of the WI Team: Buffer

So you’ve chosen your top two social sites and set aside 12 minutes to do some focused marketing or networking. What now? How can you maximize your efforts, streamline your efforts, and boost shareability in a limited number of minutes?

One of our favorite apps to create an exponential return with a minimum time investment is Buffer. Hands-down, it’s the best all-around tool for sharing and scheduling across multiple social platforms. Even better, it offers a great free version if you don’t have too many social accounts or just want to try it out for a time.

Here’s a few things we love about it.

Social Media Scheduler

The free version of Buffer allows you to connect up to 3 social accounts (paid plans allow 10+) from any of the following:

Twitter profiles
Facebook profiles, pages, or groups
LinkedIn profiles or pages
Google+ profiles or pages
Instagram profiles
[Pinterest boards for paid accounts]

With the free version, you can schedule up to 10 posts in your queue (again, paid plans allow more) including link posts, YouTube videos, or custom images. It automatically shortens all links, so they don’t count against character limits, and automatically pulls in featured images when attaching those links. You can set custom post times in addition to creating a regular posting schedule, and easily shuffle posts around in the drag-and-drop interface.

One feature that our team especially likes is the Pause button, which allows you to quickly stop all social sharing for a set time period — but leaves all your content in the queue for later. This is a great option for when breaking news or tragic events occur, or if you just need to take a brief but unexpected break from social media.

Buffer also allows you tag other Facebook or Twitter accounts when scheduling posts. This a great way to connect with other leaders in your field, and give due credit when sharing curated content. You can also include hashtags in your scheduled posts for Twitter.

Multi-Platform Integration

We love using the Buffer browser extension to easily add content to our queue. The app also integrates with over 60 third-party apps such as Twitter, IFTTT, Instapaper, WordPress, and various RSS readers.

If  you find an article you want to share with your followers, you just highlight the quote you want to include in your post and hit the Buffer extension button. It automatically shortens the link and pulls in the quote, along with any featured images, and you can either share immediately, add to your queue, or custom schedule for later. On Twitter, instead of always retweeting content immediately, you can add a tweet to your queue for later and even add your own comment, if you desire.

Simple Image Creator

Another feature we love about Buffer is Pablo, which is a simple image generator that allows you to create beautiful quote graphics in just minutes. It pulls in thousands of royalty-free images, has preset templates and sizes for various social platforms, provides a handful of filters such as grayscale or light contrast, and lets you add up to 3 content boxes (header, body, caption) and a custom logo. You can choose from about 2 dozen fonts, a handful of preset or image-related colors, and some simple formatting to maintain a consistent look across your brand and created images.

When you’re done, you can either download the image to share later, add it directly to your Buffer queue, or immediately share it to one of your connected social channels.

Extra ‘Awesome’ Features

If you have a little more room in your budget, we highly recommend upgrading to Buffer’s Awesome plan. It lets you connect up to 10 social channels (including Pinterest), schedule up to 100 posts, add an additional team member, schedule via a calendar interface, and access basic 30-day analytics. That lets you see which posts have been most popular based on likes, comments, or other engagements, and provides an easy way to re-share them later on.

If you’re interested in learning more, check out the Buffer guides here.

What’s your favorite tool for scheduling social media posts?

 

The Top 5 Social Media Platforms & What to Share on Each

There’s dozens of social platforms available online, from the ubiquitous to the obscure. You can’t be on all of them, but you can be on some. Which ones should you choose?

At Weaving Influence, we primarily focus on five channels: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, and Pinterest. These five have shown the greatest return on the smallest time investment, and are where the majority of authors and thought leaders prefer to hang out.

However, if you’re just getting started building a social media presence, even five channels may be too much. You certainly need to have a regular presence somewhere — but your followers will generally go wherever you are. So we recommend picking two platforms to start with, and committing to showing up there with consistency and quality, before adding any others.

Facebook

Facebook is the place to build community by emphasizing engagement and driving conversation. Posting daily is optimum. Try to keep your posts under 90 characters, and whenever possible, avoid text-only posts and hashtags. However, feel free to use plenty of emojis! What should you share?

High quality images and videos with quotes, relevant data, endorsements, personal updates, or on-topic humor. Get creative, but be sure you have permission to share everything before posting.
Articles that will resonate with your audience. Embed the links so they pop up with the featured image. Share your own articles about once a week, and share other curated content a few times per week.
Consider forming a private group to build a stronger, more interactive community (more on that in a later post!), or do a Facebook Live event to give a more personal, behind-the-scenes glimpse for your followers.

Twitter

Twitter is a great place to build online thought leadership and reach a wide audience of potential audiences. We recommend posting 3-7 times per day, with a greater emphasis on early morning or late evening times. Be sure to use hashtags (up to 3 per tweet), personal tags, or emojis whenever possible. Here’s what you should share:

Images, videos, and links perform best. Share a balanced mix of original content, relevant retweets, and curated links. Repeating content does well on Twitter, so re-post your highest performing content several days later, one week later, and one month later.
Create Twitter lists of accounts most relevant to your expertise. These might be other thought leaders, authors, publishers, marketing firms, or individuals who share regularly about the same topics as you. Use these lists as a basis for finding content to retweet to your own followers.
Pin a “Twitter card” to your account to highlight a product or service, share a link to your site, or simply bring awareness to an initiative. These stay at the top of your feed, and are the first thing followers see when they navigate to your page.

LinkedIn

LinkedIn is the place to build your professional reputation. We recommend posting once per day, during business hours, for greatest engagement. Include embedded links or multimedia when possible, and feel free to write lengthier posts. Use a hashtag or two if you desire, but avoid emojis. Here’s what to share:

Inspirational images and quotes, photos or videos, or strategic curated content works best here. Share promotional content less frequently. Also, be sure to keep content distinct from what you share on Facebook.
Lengthier, in-depth articles (similar to blog posts), with helpful information at the end such as a brief author bio, relevant links, or other calls to action. We also recommend tweeting @LinkedInPulse with the link after you share an article here, to encourage inclusion in a Pulse feed.

Instagram

Instagram is the place to bring your brand to life in a visual way. We recommend posting only when you have beautiful, clear, vibrant multimedia content. The focus is on quality, not frequency! Hashtags are also important: research the most popular ones for your field, and include 3-11 relevant tags in each post (or afterwards in a comment). Share the following:

High-quality photos, graphics, gifs, or videos (nothing grainy or blurry!) that represent your brand and engages your community.
Re-gram relevant content from other accounts to increase reach and engagement; but always be sure to get permission from the original poster, and tag them in your re-post.
Add helpful links to your bio, such as your website or product page, and share occasional posts that direct fans to these links.
Consider sharing Instagram stories to offer more behind-the-scenes glimpses or personal notes. They are only available for 24 hours, so they’re great for displaying limited time offers or in-the-moment events.

Pinterest

Pinterest is another visual-only platform that acts like a bulletin board or file cabinet of helpful tips. We recommend creating multiple boards and sharing your own new blog content and other helpful articles related to your fields. Always include a meaningful description, the author’s name, and a short url to the original site on each pin — and avoid hashtags. Here’s what to pin:

Content with strong graphics. Share a mixture of blog pins with share graphics, and share more than just your own content.
Spend a few minutes each week searching Pinterest for helpful content to pin to your own boards.
Consider creating a group board for a particular topic, and inviting others in your community to share.

Bonus Tip

Make consistent progress in building your network each week by using the 12-minute per day approach! Choose one platform per day, set aside 12 focused minutes, and make serious strides in increasing awareness of your brand and strengthening your influence online.

Which social channels do you show up on consistently?

Servant Leadership in Action: A Better Way to Lead

When people lead at a higher level, they make the world a better place — because, in addition to results and relationships, their goals are focused on the greater good. Perhaps few modern leaders exemplify this truism more than Ken Blanchard, a man who has dedicated his life to helping people lead at that higher, greater-good level.

This week we’ve enjoyed celebrating the launch of Servant Leadership in Action, a collection of essays from over 40 well-known thought leaders compiled by Ken and his long-time editor Renee Broadwell. We’ve been so thrilled to see it rise to Amazon’s #1 top new release in Business Mentoring & Coaching, and hit the top ten mark in multiple other categories such as Christian Business & Professional Growth. It is one of the most comprehensive and wide-ranging guide ever published on servant leadership, and well worth acquiring!

Servant Leadership in Action

We’ve all seen the negative impact of self-serving leaders in every sector of our society. Not infrequently, they end up bringing down their entire organization. But there is another way: servant leadership.

Servant leaders lead by serving their people, not by exalting themselves. This collection features forty-four renowned servant leadership experts and practitioners — prominent business executives, bestselling authors, and respected spiritual leaders — who offer advice and tools for implementing this proven, but for some, still radical, leadership model.

Edited by legendary business author and lifelong servant leader Ken Blanchard and his longtime editor Renee Broadwell, Servant Leadership in Action is the most comprehensive and wide-ranging guide ever published for what is, in every sense, a better way to lead. With daring insights from over forty contributors, this book shows how true servant leaders lead by serving their people, not by exalting themselves.

Meet the Authors

Ken Blanchard is one of the most influential leadership experts in the world. He is co-author of the iconic bestseller The New One Minute Manager, and more than sixty other books, with combined sales of more than twenty-one million copies in forty-two languages. Ken is co-founder of The Ken Blanchard Companies, a leading international training and consulting firm. He is also co-founder of Lead Like Jesus, a non-profit organization dedicated to inspiring and equipping people to be servant leaders.

Renee Broadwell has been an editor with The Ken Blanchard Companies for more than ten years, working with Ken as lead editor on several book projects. She also serves as editor on articles, blogs, social media, and special projects, partnering with various Blanchard departments including communications, marketing, and the executive suite.

Other contributors include: Cheryl Bachelder, Tony Baron, Colleen Barrett, Art Barter, Richard Blackaby, James H. Blanchard, Ken Blanchard, Margie Blanchard, Robin Blanchard, Brené Brown, John Hope Bryant,Shirley Bullard, Michael C. Bush, Tamika Catchings, Henry Cloud, Stephen M. R. Covey, Holly Culhane, Jim Dittmar, James Ferrell, Mark A. Floyd, Jeffrey W. Foley, Marshall Goldsmith, Jon Gordon, Craig Groeschel, Phyllis Hennecy Hendry, Chris Hodges, Phil Hodges, Laurie Beth Jones, James M. Kouzes, Patrick Lencioni, Rico Maranto, John Maxwell, Erwin Raphael McManus, Miles McPherson, Mark Miller, Tom Mullins, Neal Nybo, Barry Z. Posner, Dave Ramsey, Garry Ridge, Mark Sanborn, Simon Sinek, Raj Sisodia, Larry C. Spears.

Praise from Readers Like You

“When Ken Blanchard assembled forty of the wisest people in the world and asked them to contribute to his newest book, he hit the jackpot. If you are looking for pearls of wisdom on leadership, there is no better place to go than Servant Leadership in Action.”

—Perry Smith, 5-star Amazon review

“If you want to do more for the people you serve and care more about people, then read this book to learn how to empower them to use common sense and good judgment. you want to start catching people doing the right things, and great things, read this book!”

—Byron Ernest, 5-star Amazon review

“Ken Blanchard has compiled contributions from some leaders who are serving as an example of what to do rather than the usual ‘Do as I say, not as I do.’ For those of us who want to be one of those servant leaders, the book serves as encouragement that we can do it.”

—Bold Consumer, 5-star Amazon review

“This is by far one of the best books I’ve read on the topic of servant leadership . . . Not only does the book add clarity to the concept of servant leadership, it also paints multiple pictures of the potential ways one might implement servant leadership in various settings.”

—SW, 5-star Amazon review

Learn More

Visit the book site to learn more, download a sample chapter, and find beautiful graphics to share with your networks.
Buy a copy of the book for yourself or a friend, or share your review of it, on Amazon.
Watch the recent webinar to learn more about servant leadership.

What Can You Accomplish in 12 Focused Minutes?

What can you do in just 12 minutes a day? Stop for coffee. Walk a half mile. Call a friend to say hi. Wipe down the kitchen. Read 10 pages of that book you’ve been plodding through. Take a quick power nap. Catch up on paying bills and scheduling appointments.

You could also make great strides in connecting with your audience online.

I recently had the opportunity to participate in our #12MinuteBookLaunch challenge, along with others from our community of first-time and experienced authors. My book has actually been out on the shelves for almost five years, but I saw it as a great way to kick-start my own DIY marketing efforts, which have been sorely lacking.

The premise of the challenge was that you could spend just 12 minutes every weekday to identify and connect to your various online networks. This was primarily geared towards authors, but the basic ideas apply to anyone — those with a physical product to sell, those offering a service, even those simply looking to increase influence as a leader in their field.

I admit, I was surprised by the results. No, it didn’t propel me to celebrity status overnight. None of my new posts went viral. None of my new connections thought I was the greatest thing since AOL first came along.

But I found out how easy it was to set aside 12 minutes for a small task (or two), how motivated it made me feel in pursuing those more “nebulous” goals, and how effective it was in accomplishing the nitty-gritty housekeeping tasks involved with building my influence online.

Big Gains from Small Steps

You probably spend an hour on most days twiddling your thumbs, scrolling through your news feeds, or doing some other task that doesn’t really accomplish anything. What if you reclaimed that time, broke it up into five 12-minute segments, and set out to do five “little things” that could pay big dividends in time, mental space, and progress towards long-term goals.

It’s incredibly do-able to do something for  just 12 minutes a day.

We tend to get sucked into social media or other “housekeeping” tasks, and before we know it, far too much time has rolled past. (Or is that just me?) Setting a timer for 12 minutes tends to motivate more effective, productive work.

For instance, I may sit down to research a guest post opportunity: setting the timer for 12 minutes helps keep me focused, and prevents me from slipping down the rabbit hole of following links or reading posts completely unrelated to my intended topic. Or I may need to refresh one of my social profiles with current contact information, an updated headshot or cover image, and ongoing works-in-progress. Once again, setting that timer for 12 minutes helps me concentrate on the task at hand and ignore the click-bait that catches my attention along the way.

On the other hand, consider the last time you set aside a whole hour to “refresh your social profiles” or “look for guest post / guest speaking opportunities.” Failing to break those down into smaller, bite-size tasks probably weakened your concentration, decreased your motivation, and likely allowed you to get sidetracked from the task-at-hand by petty distractions.

Breaking a larger or a longer-term goal down into 12-minute tasks makes it more manageable and more effective in the long run.

It could also save you thousands of seconds in car insurance mental space.

Have you ever had that nagging feeling that you forgot to pack something for a trip? Or that you missed an appointment? Or . . . ??? It gnaws away at you, stealing prime real estate in your thoughts and distracting your focus from what you need to be doing instead.

Maybe you aren’t as concerned about your branding, audiences, or marketing as you would be about missing or forgetting something . . . but if you’re an author, artist, consultant, thought leader, or influencer in some other field, you likely have a few grey cells that are continually dedicated to considering how to increase your exposure and build your platform. The bad news is, it usually takes a lot of small tasks to accomplish those big goals. The worse news is, those small tasks take up a lot of mental real estate (and a lot of space on the never-ending to-do list!).

Here’s something to consider: once you spend 12 minutes working on one or two of those small tasks, you don’t have to think about them for the rest of the day! It no longer has to clutter up your mental space or your to-do list.

What can you do in 12 minutes?

Here’s a few ideas . . .

Record contact information for new connections
Research a desired speaking opportunity
Write a short blog post (just the facts, ma’am!)
Share a recent article across your social channels
Record a brief podcast/video and publish it
Re-share a few key posts on Twitter or Instagram
Work through the ideas in 31 Days of Twitter Tips
Refresh one of your social media profiles
Write a template for requesting product reviews
Write a template for guest post/speaking opportunities
Send a few requests to key contacts or companies

So . . . when can you set aside 12 minutes today? Maybe now, maybe during your lunch hour, maybe when you get home from work or before you go to bed tonight. Figure out a time in conjunction with other related tasks, during a transition between larger priorities, or as a bookend to a larger block of focused work.

What can you commit to spending 12 minutes on every day, that will lead toward bigger gains in the long run?

 

To read more about this idea, download our free ebook 12 Minutes To Change Your Day .

How to Attract and Keep the Best People

We’re very excited to be launching another book this week for longstanding friend and client, Mark Miller. His newest book has risen rapidly to the top of Amazon’s new releases in Business Mentoring and Coaching, and delivers a powerful message about the greatest factor in increasing wins — and opportunities for wins. More than vision, strategy, creativity, marketing, finance, or even technology, it is ultimately people that determine success. That’s why virtually every organization wants to attract — and keep! — more top talent.

But do you really know what you’re looking for? It might not be what you think!

Talent Magnet

There is a long-standing truth in the world of organizations: talent wins! But how do you attract the best people? What do they really want? Based on his rigorous and extensive research, Mark Miller learned that top performers are looking for very different things than solid contributors.

Talent Magnet uses a clever and entertaining business fable to share these findings. It tells the parallel stories of Blake Brown, a CEO struggling with winning the war for talent, and Blake’s sixteen-year-old son Clint, who is trying to get his first job so he can raise money to buy a well for a village in Africa.

Blake reaches out to leaders in other industries and works with his team to solve the puzzle of making his organization a destination for exceptional performers. But he also learns from his son. Listening to Clint and his friends compare notes on the companies they’ve worked for that summer, ranging from the awful to the inspirational, Blake realizes they want the same three things out of a job as any top performer in a Fortune 500 company.

Talent Magnet identifies these three critical aspects of a true talent magnet and explores the deeper meaning of each. It pulls back the curtain on what leaders can do to find and retain the very best people — a strategic need every leader faces.

Meet the Author

Mark Miller is an international best-selling author, business leader, and communicator. He began writing almost twenty years ago when he teamed up with Ken Blanchard, co-author of The One Minute Manager, to write The Secret: What Great Leaders Know and Do. With over 1,000,000 books in print, in more than 25 languages, Mark’s global impact continues to grow.

In addition to his writing, Mark enjoys speaking to leaders. Over the years, he’s traveled to dozens of countries teaching for numerous international organizations. His theme is always the same: encouraging and equipping leaders!

Mark started his Chick-fil-A career working as an hourly team member in 1977. In 1978, he joined the corporate staff working in the warehouse and mailroom. Since that time, he has provided leadership for Corporate Communications, Field Operations, Quality and Customer Satisfaction, Training and Development, and Leadership Development. During his tenure with Chick-fil-A, the company has grown from 75 restaurants to over 2,300 locations with annual sales approaching $10 billion.

Mark lives an active lifestyle. As a photographer, he enjoys shooting in some of the world’s hardest-to-reach places, past locations include: Antarctica, Everest Base Camp, the jungles of Rwanda, and the Galapagos Islands. Married to Donna, his high school sweetheart, for over 35 years, Mark has two sons, Justin and David; a daughter-in-law, Lindsay; and two amazing grandchildren, Addie and Logan!

Praise from Readers Like You

“ Mark Miller has done it again — presenting what might be considered complicated research findings in a practical, easy to read story . . . This should be required reading for anyone wishing to lead a growing organization!” 

—Douglas Zabonick, 5-star Amazon review

“Mark’s key elements for creating a magnetic environment that attracts quality employees are true in church work. Top talent wants to work for a caring boss who encourages growth and calls people to greater vision. As with all Mark’s books, this is a must-read for empowering leaders who want their business, organization, or church to be filled with top candidates.”

—Mike McKay, 5-star Amazon review

“The best books about business are not about business. They tell a story about life that can be applied in a business setting. And this one is about people — our most valuable asset. After a long day at work, my nightly read is my chance to escape and the last thing I need to unwind is homework, but . . . the uplifting style of the book actually inspired and refreshed and gave a new outlook.”

—Carolyn Patton, 5-star Amazon review

“Mark took months of research and data and has masterfully woven the principles of ‘A Better Boss’, ‘A Brighter Future’ and ‘A Bigger Vision’ throughout the story of Blake and the organization he leads. If you have any involvement in leadership or the HR process, this book is a must.”

—Troy Slezak, 5-star Amazon review

Learn More

Visit the book site to download a sample chapter, discover the bonus offers, and find beautiful graphics to share with your networks.
Buy a copy of the book for yourself or a friend, or share your review of it, on Amazon.
Watch the recent webinar to learn how to make any organization a destination for exceptional performers.

News Flash: Press Releases Are Still Relevant—Ten Tips to Write a Good One

If I were to write a press release about a press release, the headline would read that they are still relevant.

In today’s high-tech world, the words “press release” sound old-fashioned to many. But they aren’t. Press releases are still a worthwhile part of communications and marketing strategies.

When done right, they can garner media attention and serve as background information for future stories. Furthermore, they help build a brand by marking important chapters in the brand’s story.

One reason why press releases may have a poor reputation is because so many are poorly written. Journalists receive them in droves, and many don’t have anything to do with what the journalist covers and what their audiences should or want to know about it.

To help you avoid making this mistake, here are ten tips to help attract media attention and tell your brand’s story.

Think of the audience first.

Press releases shouldn’t be self-serving; serve your audiences (potential customers) first. Tell them a compelling story. Think: What would they like to know and how does the information benefit them?

News jack.

Even better, make it relevant. Releases that tie to a topic a reader may be interested in, particularly a timely or trendy one, can be what saves your email from being deleted.

Spend extra time on the headline.

Don’t have it be too long (stay under a line in length). Don’t make it boring but don’t make it misleading either. Try to have something that is unique, pithy, and understandable.

Get their attention.

Start your release with a snappy introduction that sets the stage for your announcement. Avoid overselling and don’t be verbose.

Get to the point.

After the intro, get straight to the facts. That means give them the who, what, where, when, why, and how. Include relevant links, e.g., where to buy your book or buy tickets to an event.

Cut the fat.

Press releases should be 500 words at maximum (not counting the boilerplate). Tell the nuts and bolts of the story in simple, straightforward, non-jargon language. Write succinctly and give contact information.

Go easy on adjectives and adverbs.

A good press release has all the facts and none of the hyperbole. Don’t use extraneous adjectives and adverbs. They make the material seem slanted and often annoy journalists.

Do your homework.

Ideally, you’ll be familiar with the work of the media who you send your release. Journalists really appreciate it when people know what they do and pitch them relevant information. Even better, build a relationship beforehand. Comment on and share their social media posts. You can also give them first dibs on a story to ensure they cover it before everyone else gets the info.

Think about the big picture.

Media relations pros think beyond the written word to images, video, and sound. They offer good pictures or video, or the opportunity to get some—and have great interviews lined up for those who are interested.

Follow-up.

Sometimes your email gets canned. Sometimes it gets ignored. Sometimes it just gets overlooked. Follow-up a couple times to see if the contact is interested or needs more info. Sometimes they just need a reminder that a great story is waiting for them to pounce on.

Have you ever written a press release for your book or brand? What did you learn from the experience?

Why Authors at Any Stage Should Join Hometown Reads

With nearly two years under our belt, the Hometown Reads team has definitely learned a thing or two about how to serve local authors in a prolific and meaningful way. In case you aren’t familiar with Hometown Reads, it was founded by Weaving Influence CEO, Becky Robinson, and it’s a community dedicated to serving local authors across the country by helping them connect with readers in their hometown, through what we call the Read Local movement. We currently showcase over 4,500 books in nearly 100 locations on our virtual bookshelf!

With our sights on the future and ambitious goals always on the horizon, there is one goal that is a constant in our day-to-day work — growing and nurturing our authors’ connections. We believe that Hometown Reads is more than just a place to list books, it’s an active community where authors can build their networks, learn about local marketing, and create lasting partnerships in their hometown.

Here are 3 reasons why authors any stage should consider joining Hometown Reads.

Community-Based Collaboration

Hometown Reads spreads its influence not only to authors, but into the doors of local organizations who share our same vision of supporting local authors. We are building a community of local bookstores, libraries, publishers, writers groups, and more, who will partner will us to raise awareness of reading local. We call these organizations our Read Local Champions.

These relationships are key to our success in every community. With their support, we can make each author’s book stand out among the noise of a flooded book market. We have Hometown Reads branded shelf-talkers for these organizations, which we hope will result in local author shelves across the country.

By becoming an author on Hometown Reads, you are joining an extensive movement and a community atmosphere. We believe that each author has a special role in our community!

In-Person Partnerships

Although our author community is created online, our desire is to foster in-person gatherings so authors can develop true connection with one another and with readers. We’ve been encouraged and amazed by numerous locations that have coordinated events under the umbrella of Hometown Reads. These group gatherings are a combination of efforts by our team and each location’s Ambassador volunteers.

It’s amazing what can happen when authors meet up — that’s where the magic happens. Together, authors can open up crucial conversations, share marketing successes and failures, combine marketing efforts, and much more. At Hometown Reads, these in-person partnerships are what make our community unique and valuable to authors at any stage in their journey. 

Range of Resources

Our website features authors from all walks of life. We have first-time authors, traditionally published authors, and even ones with their own coaching/consulting firms. We have authors who are Twitter experts, while others are struggling to grow their Twitter influence. Some are outgoing and active at writer’s groups, while others prefer to keep a low profile.

Well, in this diversity, there lies the opportunity to learn new ways of expanding your book’s reach. Each has skills and talents that should be shared between one another, especially in the realm of today’s local marketing where an author IS also their own marketer. At Hometown Reads, you can connect with authors, share ideas, and learn what strategies can help market you book more effectively.

The Hometown Reads team encourages the idea of generosity among our author base. Drawing reference from author and global speaker, Jennifer Kahnweiler, it’s a myth to view authors in your same genre as you competitors. She recently shared her experience with collaborating with an author in her field that yielded fantastic results! If authors can share resources and embrace the idea of collaboration, together they can accomplish great success.

Have you joined Hometown Reads yet?

If you’re interested in joining Hometown Reads as an author, you can join here.

If you have questions about our other programs, please contact us.

Getting the Most Out of Amazon Author Pages

If you’re an author with a book for sale on Amazon, you may be overlooking a prime (pun intended) spot for advertising yourself with no cost to you. If you’ve heard of Author Pages but aren’t sure where to start, or if you set up a page years ago and think it might need an update, then keep reading! We’re going to show you some simple ways to optimize your account in order to get the most out of this free online real estate.

Author Central

If you haven’t already done so, go sign up for an Amazon Author Central Account. Step-by-step instructions for how to do that can be found by visiting: http://amzn.to/2mPUbGU.

Once you have your Author Central Account set up and confirmed, it’s time to start optimizing your page. There are six main areas that you will be able to personalize, and I’ve included links to detailed instructions on Amazon with each one to make it easy for you.

Current, professional headshot, and up to 7 additional images to share (http://amzn.to/2BfJnXC)
Current biography (helpful tips from Amazon: http://amzn.to/2Dxcc74)
Blog feed URL (more info on how to get that: http://amzn.to/2Bfohc9)
Original video file (not hosted on YouTube) about you or your book (guidelines: http://amzn.to/2BftXml)
Links/information about any upcoming live events (http://amzn.to/2FXdKWG)
Personalized URL for sending people to your Author Page (http://amzn.to/1nNN94B)

After you’ve got your page set up, make a note on your calendar to check in on the page once or twice a year to ensure that it remains current. If you’ve got a new book coming out, that’s a great time to revise your bio. If you just had a new headshot taken, remember to include your Author Page on the list of places online to switch it out.

International Sites

Something that is often overlooked is the fact that creating an Author Page on the Amazon.com site does not automatically give you an author page on their international sites. As of this writing, Amazon has 15 localized storefronts/URLs worldwide, but only four of those offer authors the opportunity to grab their Author Pages. In order to do so, you will need to check each of these sites and claim each Amazon Author Page in order to control what your author presence looks like internationally.

UK – https://authorcentral.amazon.co.uk
Germany – https://authorcentral.amazon.de/
France – https://authorcentral.amazon.fr/
Japan – https://authorcentral.amazon.co.jp/

Even though most people who are searching Amazon in Germany, France, and Japan are not native English speakers, English is the third most spoken language in the world (after Chinese and Spanish); so by broadening your reach to include an international audience, you have a good chance of reaching a new category of book buyers.

Over the years, we’ve worked with a number of clients who wanted to know what the benefit was to creating one more online space to keep up. If you’re still asking the same thing, I’ll tell you what I told them:

Having a perfectly optimized Amazon Author Page will NOT turn your book into a best-seller or be the game-changer you’ve been missing; but WITHOUT an optimized Amazon Author Page, you will not be able to ensure that the information shared about you is accurate, or receive free exposure to a much wider audience for you, your books, website, and brand.

The choice is yours.

 

How to Make Meetings Dynamic, Productive… and Fun

Ugh—meetings. They’re where productivity goes to die, right? There has to be a better way. According to leading consultants Dick and Emily Axelrod, there is. This week we’re celebrating the re-launch of their book Let’s Stop Meeting Like This, an invaluable tool for shifting meetings from time-wasters and frustration-builders to thriving, productive, even enjoyable moments.

The Axelrods take a unique approach to improving meetings by focusing, not on how to be a better leader, participant, or facilitator — but on how each of those roles has a part to play in the Meeting Canoe, their blueprint for conducting effective meetings that works in organizations and offices of any size.

Let’s Stop Meeting Like This

Complaints about meetings abound. Plenty of people have tried to offer solutions, but authors Dick and Emily Axelrod have created and field-tested a six-step system for meetings where productivity thrives rather than dies.

This system goes far beyond typical attempts to improve meetings with agendas and Band-Aid solutions. Using the same principles that make video games so engaging and that transformed the numbing assembly line into the dynamic shop floor, the Axelrods outline a flexible and adaptable system used to run truly productive meetings in all kinds of organizations — meetings where people create concrete plans, accomplish tasks, build connections, and move projects forward. They show how to design every aspect of a meeting — from the way you greet people at the beginning to how you sum up at the end — so that real work actually gets done. Those who have adopted this system will never go back. Neither will you.

Meet the Authors

Emily and Dick Axelrod have a combined 60+ years working with businesses and non-profits. They are pioneers in creating employee involvement programs to effect large-scale organization change. They co-founded the Axelrod Group in 1981, and are frequent keynote speakers and co-authors.

Dick is also an executive coach, lecturer in University of Chicago’s Masters in Threat and Response Management Program, and faculty member in American University’s Masters in Organization Development program. He created the Conference Model®, an internationally recognized high involvement change methodology. Dick is the recipient of the Teaching Excellence Award from the University of Chicago. He remains a long-suffering Chicago Cubs fan, which explains his optimistic spirit.

Emily believes in stretching organizations so they can unleash their creativity and knowledge. She uses visioning, work redesign, team development, and good old common sense to build sustainable, fun, and collaborative enterprises. Emily is a guest lecturer in organizational change at Benedictine University, contributing author to multiple publications, board member of the Organization Design Forum, and coaches participants in University of Chicago’s Leadership Arts Program. Emily brings her southern spirit and wit to everything she does.

Praise for the Book

“As the world becomes more interdependent, meetings will become more frequent and a more necessary part of the work of organizations. Rather than waste time in and get mad at meetings, read this book and learn how to make them more productive.” 

—Edgar H. Schein, Professor Emeritus, MIT Sloan School of Management, Author of Humble Inquiry

“Reading this book is invaluable time well spent. It’s the most practical and instantly applicable resource available for not only revolutionizing meetings but providing effective and tangible ways people can work together productively and creatively.”

—Angeles Arrien, PhD, President, Foundation for Cross-Cultural Education and Research

“With this book you can create meetings that are engaging, productive, and intentional. Whether you are an OD practitioner, leader, or frequent meeting participant, the tools and approaches shared by Dick and Emily Axelrod can be quickly put into practice to achieve dramatic results.”

—Kim Gallagher Johnson, Director of Organizational Effectiveness, Allstate Insurance

“With just the right balance of people and process, this book provides a great way to turn a negative into a double-positive—more productive meetings and increased levels of employee engagement.” 

—Kevin Limbach, Vice President, US Operations, TaylorMade-adidas Golf Company

Learn More

Buy a copy the book, or share your review of it, on Amazon.
Visit The Axelrod Group to learn more about the authors and the book, discover the Meeting Canoe, explore recent press, and read the first chapter for free.

4 Things You Can Do for Your Book Marketing Right Now

Recently, Weaving Influence hosted our first #12MinuteBookLaunch challenge. For one week, we sent daily 12-minute prompts to authors of all types and saw some truly amazing results. The power of a challenge is that it engages a group of people for a set amount of time — participants are generally more motivated when they know they will see results right away, and that they won’t need to put in endless amounts of work to succeed.

For all of you who did not participate in the challenge, or even for those who did (these are all scalable!), I’d like to recap four of the most powerful prompts that you can execute right now to see immediate results.

Identify Your Networks

Your already existing networks are your greatest asset in book marketing. Your book marketing efforts will succeed (or not) based on your follow-through in reaching and mobilizing your networks.

Download this spreadsheet (or use a Word document or simple notebook). Brainstorm all of the various networks that you’re connected to. If you’re using the spreadsheet, list the networks in the left-hand column called “Networks.” Here are some places to start:

Think about hobbies you have: are you in any book clubs? sailing club? rock climbing? dog grooming? It doesn’t need to relate to your book subject — just write it down for now!
Where did you go to school? Are you a member of any alumni associations?
Do you belong to a church or other religious community?
Are you part of any online communities?
What about your local neighborhood? Are you in any local groups?
Write down any other key individuals in your life — clients, coaches, colleagues.
Think about the people you invited to your wedding, if you are married. These are significant relationships. Are these people reflected in your list?

Spend some time (no longer than 20 minutes) writing down every network you can think of that you are connected to — you will come up with a far bigger list than you ever expected!

Surprised by your results? Most people are! It’s often only when we really sit down and make a list do we realize how many people can potentially help with our book marketing.

Plan Your Asks

Go into your spreadsheet and write out three asks in the “Areas for Help (Asks)” column — or simply make a section in your notebook titled “Asks” — and come up with three different requests you can make. They can be all in one network category or can be for separate networks.

There are an unlimited amount of asks you can make. You can call a friend to ask them to leave an Amazon review; you can email a co-worker asking them to post about your book on their blog; you can email a favorite influencer and ask if they’d be willing to review an advance copy of your book. No matter what your ask, be specific and personal. People are far more likely to respond to a personal, specific request than a generalized, mass message.

Send a Request

Go ahead and make an ask! Reach out to at least one person you identified in your brainstorming exercise and ask them for help. You’ll be amazed how eager people are to get involved when you make the request.

Create a Share Graphic

Create a book graphic that you can post on social media, send in marketing emails, and share with your launch team. 440 x 220 is a good size for a graphic, but any landscape-style graphic should work on most platforms. Here are a few examples.

This graphic was created by a professional designer and utilizes a testimonial about the book.

This graphic was created by the author and features a quote from his book. Notice how he also included his website url and Twitter handle — this is a great way to “brand” your graphic if you are less known as an author.

The fun part is . . . you don’t need any graphic design skills to create a share graphic! If you do have design skills, feel free to use whatever program you want to create your graphic. If not, visit www.canva.com (a free graphic design program) and create your image there.

You could do one of these four things per day for four days — or do them all at once! You will be amazed at the results you can achieve in such a short amount of time when you have the right system in place.

Interested in more practical and in-depth tools to use in your book marketing? Check out the Book Marketing Action Guide, our signature course for authors looking to market their books successfully, and hop on over to our free Book Marketing Facebook community !