Becky Robinson's Blog, page 39

How to Build a Support Network for Your Book (hint: you may already have one)

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.

As part of our book launch process, we brainstorm lists of networks with our clients, outlining every possible group or individual with whom the author is connected who may be supportive of their book marketing efforts. We include obvious networks —like professional organizations and community groups — and less obvious ones, like siblings and neighbors. I encourage authors to list these affiliations in a spreadsheet and to identify key individuals, then to match specific requests with each group/individual. The challenging part starts next: following through to contact each group or individual with specific asks.

When an author has a key network that is primed and ready for their work, such as facilitators already teaching content from their organization, it is even more critically important to have a strategic and focused way of involving those people.

Here are some suggested way of mobilizing your built-in network in marketing your book:

Involve them early. The sooner you involve your network, the more they will be invested in your success. Share glimpses of your journey to publishing your book. Tell the story of why the book is important for your organization and, (by extension), for them. Let them know as early as you can that you view them as integral to sharing the message of your book. Remember, book promotion is not promotion of you as an author — it’s promotion of the important messages contained in your book.

Personally invite them to be involved in the marketing effort. The more personal your requests to support your book marketing, the more likely people will be to follow through. With an already existing group identity, for example,”facilitators”, you have a short-cut to a group identity. Take it a step further, call them Ambassadors of your message or some other catchy name.

Provide a place for your network to connect and share ideas. A temporary Facebook group, for use during the book marketing campaign, is a great place for people to collaborate on book marketing ideas and for you as the author to celebrate people’s contributions while fueling their participation. The more insider-information you can share in the group, the more important and involved your group will feel.

Plan a schedule of requests and email/post these requests regularly. Before starting your formal asks of the group, let them know what to expect. You might let people know that you’ll be emailing a requested activity weekly for 6 weeks, for example. Then plan out the asks and write as many of the emails in advance as you can.

Here is a suggested list of weekly asks, starting 6 weeks before book launch:

Six weeks before launch, request pre-orders and encourage your networks to invite others to pre-order the book.
Five weeks before launch, ask your network to get involved by promoting your book locally. Ideas could include contacting local bookstores to host events and stock your book, sharing about your book with local media, or inviting local friends to a Facebook group discussion about your book. Encourage individuals to reply with their specific action steps.
Four weeks before launch, encourage your network to share a favorite quote from your book on social media channels or in email marketing to their lists. Provide graphics to make this request easy to fulfill.
Three weeks before launch, ask your network to prepare to share Amazon reviews. This message can include a reminder to people to finish reading their advance copies of your book and some simple instructions to craft a 2-3 sentence review. You can also request that your network remind those they may have told about the book to participate in writing Amazon reviews. provided they’ve also received advance copies.
Two weeks before launch, involve your network in promoting any launch week events including webinars or in-person events. Encourage them to invite others through social sharing, email marketing, or individual email outreach.
During launch week, request that your network buy the book to share with others while sharing about the book through social media channels, email marketing, or personal emails.

Look for ways to support and reward the people who help. Expressing gratitude for the ways people are involved is an important part of the process. Consider creative ways to express your thanks.

Include your network in an ongoing plan. Your built-in network showed their commitment to your work/message before getting involved in your book marketing. They are likely a long-term member of your community. Involve them in plans to spread your book’s message far after the launch. Are you creating new certification programs based on the book’s content? They are the first ones to invite. Are you creating new events? Invite your communities participation. Consider involving your network in the planning as well as the execution of any ongoing work.

What other ideas do you have for involving key stakeholders in your efforts to spread your message in the world? 

When You Have a Built-In Support Network for Your Book

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.

As part of our book launch process, we brainstorm lists of networks with our clients, outlining every possible group or individual with whom the author is connected who may be supportive of their book marketing efforts. We include obvious networks —like professional organizations and community groups — and less obvious ones, like siblings and neighbors. I encourage authors to list these affiliations in a spreadsheet and to identify key individuals, then to match specific requests with each group/individual. The challenging part starts next: following through to contact each group or individual with specific asks.

When an author has a key network that is primed and ready for their work, such as facilitators already teaching content from their organization, it is even more critically important to have a strategic and focused way of involving those people.

Here are some suggested way of mobilizing your built-in network in marketing your book:

Involve them early. The sooner you involve your network, the more they will be invested in your success. Share glimpses of your journey to publishing your book. Tell the story of why the book is important for your organization and, (by extension), for them. Let them know as early as you can that you view them as integral to sharing the message of your book. Remember, book promotion is not promotion of you as an author — it’s promotion of the important messages contained in your book.

Personally invite them to be involved in the marketing effort. The more personal your requests to support your book marketing, the more likely people will be to follow through. With an already existing group identity, for example,”facilitators”, you have a short-cut to a group identity. Take it a step further, call them Ambassadors of your message or some other catchy name.

Provide a place for your network to connect and share ideas. A temporary Facebook group, for use during the book marketing campaign, is a great place for people to collaborate on book marketing ideas and for you as the author to celebrate people’s contributions while fueling their participation. The more insider-information you can share in the group, the more important and involved your group will feel.

Plan a schedule of requests and email/post these requests regularly. Before starting your formal asks of the group, let them know what to expect. You might let people know that you’ll be emailing a requested activity weekly for 6 weeks, for example. Then plan out the asks and write as many of the emails in advance as you can.

Here is a suggested list of weekly asks, starting 6 weeks before book launch:

Six weeks before launch, request pre-orders and encourage your networks to invite others to pre-order the book.
Five weeks before launch, ask your network to get involved by promoting your book locally. Ideas could include contacting local bookstores to host events and stock your book, sharing about your book with local media, or inviting local friends to a Facebook group discussion about your book. Encourage individuals to reply with their specific action steps.
Four weeks before launch, encourage your network to share a favorite quote from your book on social media channels or in email marketing to their lists. Provide graphics to make this request easy to fulfill.
Three weeks before launch, ask your network to prepare to share Amazon reviews. This message can include a reminder to people to finish reading their advance copies of your book and some simple instructions to craft a 2-3 sentence review. You can also request that your network remind those they may have told about the book to participate in writing Amazon reviews. provided they’ve also received advance copies.
Two weeks before launch, involve your network in promoting any launch week events including webinars or in-person events. Encourage them to invite others through social sharing, email marketing, or individual email outreach.
During launch week, request that your network buy the book to share with others while sharing about the book through social media channels, email marketing, or personal emails.

Look for ways to support and reward the people who help. Expressing gratitude for the ways people are involved is an important part of the process. Consider creative ways to express your thanks.

Include your network in an ongoing plan. Your built-in network showed their commitment to your work/message before getting involved in your book marketing. They are likely a long-term member of your community. Involve them in plans to spread your book’s message far after the launch. Are you creating new certification programs based on the book’s content? They are the first ones to invite. Are you creating new events? Invite your communities participation. Consider involving your network in the planning as well as the execution of any ongoing work.

What other ideas do you have for involving key stakeholders in your efforts to spread your message in the world? 

Finding Gratitude in What Could Have Been

We’re currently wrapping up a season of gratitude in the U.S. that starts in November with Thanksgiving and runs through to Christmas. While being thankful is not isolated to a few months in the year, we seem to become more aware of the need to be grateful during this time.

We’re thankful for family and friends, food and shelter, gifts and opportunities. We remind children to say thank you or write thank-you notes for gifts received. We try to always be grateful for what they have.

But sometimes I wonder if we should also be grateful what we didn’t get. The missed opportunities for disaster. The close calls with death.

I heard an interview between social media guru Gary Vaynerchuk, and motivational powerhouse Tony Robbins, that discussed gratitude. They both shared their system for staying grateful. Gary told how every morning, he pretends, just for a moment, that all his family members had been killed and how that puts everything in perspective for the rest of the day.

It is easy to be grateful for what’s in front of us — what we can see, hear, feel and touch. But how about everything else? There is so much that could happen in life. Tomorrow is not promised to any of us. Every day we’re alive and in one piece is a miracle.

When I get a text from my older sister asking for a favor, I’m reminded of her brush with death earlier this year. When I see the healing wounds on my husband’s hand, I think of how close he was to amputation. When I feel like complaining about little annoyances that some would deem “first world problems,” I think of how different — and harder — my life could have been if I had been in a different part of the world or grown up in a different family. The what-could-have-been elicits waves of gratitude in me.

So many in America like to complain about the “top 1%” of wage earners in the U.S. However, most of what we call “lower income” would be seen as rich in other parts of the world. In a land filled with social programs, free hot meals, clothing giveaways, and child sponsors, how can we not be grateful still? I knew a pastor of an inner city church who reminded his people every now and then how blessed they really were, despite their hardships, compared to elsewhere in the world.

This perspective is not meant to make you feel guilty. It is not meant for you to feel superior. I believe this perspective increases an attitude of gratitude. One that hopefully overflows into giving for others. Because no matter where you are in life, there is always something to be grateful for — not just for what you have, but for what you could have had.

There’s a song my family used to play when I was a kid that repeated the phrase “behind every dark cloud there’s a silver lining.” The truth of the matter is that, even in those “why me” times, things could always be worse. There’s always a reason to be thankful. Just sometimes you have to look at what could have been to find it.

What “could have been” scenario are you grateful for this year?

Embolden Yourself to Take More Risks

We’re throwing it back! This week we’re showcasing a guest post from Scott Mautz about taking risks (just in time for New Year’s resolutions, perhaps?).

As we take risks and try new things, we expand our horizons and get exposed to more. Our fear of the unknown diminishes as a result, and we’re more likely to try yet more new things.

As we broaden our horizons, we narrow our inhibitions.

What a wonderful virtuous cycle.

So, what holds us back?

For certain, many of us are working more in a culture of caution than courage. A study conducted by Blessing White found that 41 percent of employees said their manager never encouraged them to take risks, while another 33 percent said their manager only sometimes encouraged them to take risks. Behind this reluctance may lay fear, born from precedent or perception, for the negative consequences of failure.

Perhaps we don’t account for the cost of status quo, we don’t feel equipped to succeed when we do take risks, or we don’t feel we have the capacity to invest the effort it can take to see a risk through. Maybe the poison of practicality seeps into our veins – “I’d like to go for it, but realistically….”

Or maybe we don’t live our lives as if on any given flight someone won’t switch their phone to airplane mode.

Anyway, whatever the culprit, one thing’s for certain.

When our hesitance rules the day, inspiration can’t be our knight (see what I did there).

You can start small in risk taking. You can go big. Either way, the wonderful freedom from familiarity will encourage more and more risk taking.

 

Read Find the Fire to learn the 12 tactics of risk taking.

Are You Who Your Social Profiles Say You Are?

Social media has the potential to connect us. Through Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and more, social media offers the opportunity to spread our ideas and to allow us to interact with people we might never otherwise meet.

I’ve seen this in my own life. A few years ago, I joined an author’s Facebook group and connected with a number of new people around the country. Some of these women have become my best friends. I’ve met them in person, traveled with them, and even attended one of the women’s weddings!

But this is all only possible because I’ve been honest, both in my online presence and in our interactions. They know that the person I put out there online is really me. We can trust each other.

The internet allows a layer of anonymity that can be dangerous. It’s easy to misrepresent ourselves. We can hide the bad stuff and put forth the best version of ourselves. We can give advice while not following it ourselves. And we may be able to hold the illusion . . . for a time.

But eventually the illusion gives way to the truth. The truth always comes out, as we’re seeing in the news daily. When it does, at best it can cause tension in a relationship. At worst, it can ruin a career or damage a relationship beyond repair.

For thought leaders, having integrity in your online relationships is even more important. Do your actions line up with what you teach and what you espouse online? Do you practice what you preach? Are you more concerned with gaining followers than in really helping them? Are you who your social profiles say you are?

For thought leaders, your audience needs to be able to trust you. This doesn’t mean they need to know every personal detail or flaw. But they do need to trust that you believe and practice what you teach.

If you’re looking for a way to test your integrity, Whitney shared four ways earlier this month. These steps can also be applied to your online presence. I’d encourage you to take a look back at your social media page, or ask a friend who knows you to take a look. Does who you are online match who you are in real life? If not, what can you do to be more authentic?

As we’re moving into a new year, now is the perfect time to reassess your online interactions and persona. Let’s make 2018 a year of honesty and integrity, both in person and online.

 

First You Must Believe

We’re throwing it back! This week we’re showcasing a guest post from Paul Cummings about the importance of believing in what you do.

As I sat in a room with a group of young and eager sales professionals, I thought back on my own sales career. What key factors led to three decades of sustained growth for our company? Then it hit me like a sledgehammer: we believe in what we do. We believe in our products and our world-class service. We believe in our mission. We believe in each other and our ability help our customers achieve their goals and dreams.

THE KEY TO WINNING IS BELIEF

I asked each person in the room to write down why they believe in their products. I asked them to be specific, to give every reason why that product is the product I should own or use. This was a very compelling moment as many students struggled with the answer.

Many were simply hoping to take advantage of an opportunity. They weren’t there because they believed in a product, but because they wanted to make good money.

You must believe in what you sell if you ever hope to be successful.

The business of sales is challenging enough without trying to convince or persuade someone to buy something you don’t believe in. Believe in your product.

I AM SOMEONE SPECIAL

Belief in yourself and your ability is vital in sales. When you are running short on belief, it’s like trying to make a car run without fuel. No matter how hard you accelerate, the car will not move. Our belief in ourselves is our fuel for future growth and success. We can’t go anywhere with an empty tank.

I asked each student to list all their positive traits. We shared our traits as a group to reinforce this belief. I asked them to tell me why a customer should choose them over a competitor. Is it fair to expect a customer to believe in you if you don’t believe in yourself? The answer is no. Believe in yourself.

THE COMPANY IS AMAZING

A true sense of pride in the company you represent every day will shine through to potential clients. Why would you ever represent a company you don’t have faith in? If you don’t believe your company is amazing, potential customers can tell, and will most likely choose to spend their money elsewhere.

I asked each person to write down why they believe in their company. The majority of the students knew very little about company history. It was obvious we needed to slow down and help them build that belief by sharing all the positive things about who they were working for and with every day. This exercise had a profound effect on the group. Believe in your company.

HOW ABOUT YOU?

Do you have the belief factors operating in your favor presently? If you don’t, slow down enough to figure out why, and take the necessary steps to stimulate and foster belief. Ask yourself why your belief is lower than it should be. How can you have a stronger sense of belief in your products, yourself, and your company? Simply taking the time to ask and write out the answer makes a tremendous difference.

Your beliefs matter. I believe in you, and I hope you do too!

Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, & YouTube Roll Out New Features

December is the season for giving, and social media is in the giving spirit. Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube are all rolling out new tools and functionality this month.

Twitter

It’s no secret that Twitter has had trouble staying relevant as younger users bail in favor of Snapchat and Instagram. In an effort to attract users, energize power users and brands, and create revenue, Twitter is rolling out a monthly boosting service. For just $99 per month, the first 10 tweets each day will automatically be boosted to reach larger audiences. The service was rolled out in July on an invitation-only basis, but is slowly being rolled out to more users this fall/winter.

Facebook

Facebook is offering more tools and support for content creators. It just launched the Facebook Creators App, which offers tools to help improve content, videos, and images. Facebook has also launched a community for creators with additional tools and resources to help creators unleash their creativity and grow their online communities. Fill out this Facebook form to join.

Instagram

Instagram rolled out the Story function this time last year, now they’re letting users keep their stories. The new feature will allow users to create private archives of all of their stories. Archiving will be automatic, although that feature can be turned off. This is Instagram following on Snapchat’s heels again (Snapchat introduced Memories earlier this year).

The most interesting new feature, and one that brands and thought leaders/influencers are sure to leverage, allows users to create highlights of stories and images. These highlights will appear at the top of the Instagram page. Users get to choose which stories to package together, and choose both a cover photo and catchy name. You’ll receive a notice on your account when you have access to these new features.

YouTube

YouTube is experimenting with a version of Stories. It’s called Reels, and will allow users to create videos with similar subject matter. The videos will be place at the top of the YouTube page. Right now, the functionality is being tested by a few power users, but YouTube has plans to roll it out to more users in 2018.

Which of these new options are you eager to try?

Three Beautiful New Author Websites to Visit

This fall, we’ve been working hard behind the scenes to design and develop some fantastic new websites for our partners! Over the years, we’ve tested different website formats and have figured out what really works for authors. Some of the elements you may notice on most of our websites are share elements (graphics, tweets, or other social posts), press and speaking information, and multiple ways for readers to buy the authors’ books.

Here’s a closer look at three of our most recent author websites.

Pam Fox Rollin – Full Custom Author Website

Pam Fox Rollin is an author and experienced executive coach who works with executives and teams to lead even more effectively at companies throughout the Bay Area and across the world. She is also the author of 42 Rules For Your New Leadership Role, which describes practical and effective actions for you to make a strong start at your new VP, Director, or manager job.

One thing I love about Pam’s website is how, in her navigation and throughout her site, she makes it easy for potential clients to figure out exactly how she can help them. Her “For Companies” and “For Leaders” pages in the main site navigation are excellent examples of how to create a website that speaks to exactly what your audiences need.

You can learn more about Pam and her coaching, training, facilitation, and speaking at IdeaShape.com.

Paul Larsen – Full Custom Author Website

Paul Larsen, author, coach, consultant, and speaker, loved the design of the cover for his book, Find Your Voice as a Leader, and wanted a website that would reflect the same branding and emphasize his book while clearly communicating the services he offers.

We thoroughly enjoyed designing and developing this crisp, clear website that really conveys Paul’s energetic and warm personality. My favorite part of the site is seeing pictures of different people Paul has worked with internationally, which truly shows his expertise and comfort with a world-wide audience.

Learn more about Paul and his work at PaulNLarsen.com.

Shelly Francis, Center for Courage & Renewal – Book Marketing Website

The Center for Courage & Renewal is a nonprofit organization that works to create a more just, compassionate, and healthy world by nurturing personal and professional integrity and the courage to act on it. Shelly L. Francis has been the marketing and communications director at the Center for Courage & Renewal since mid-2012.

The organization and Shelly came to us looking for a simple but effective book marketing website for their new book, The Courage Way.

We used our standard book-page template for this site, and we love how it turned out. We often use the book cover to inspire the graphics and colors for our book marketing websites, and this book cover was so beautiful! I especially appreciate the detail our designer gave to the share graphics, which feature inspiring quotes from the book.

Learn more about Shelly Francis and the Center for Courage & Renewal at CourageWay.org.

We love partnering with our clients to create beautiful, effective websites for their books and work.

Interested in collaborating with us? Email our web projects manager, Margy Kerr-Jarrett, at margy@weavinginfluence.com to start a conversation!

4 Ways to Test Your Integrity

Matt Lauer. George H.W. Bush. Charlie Rose.

Everyday the headlines are filled with accusations of men sexually harassing women. And some of the names are pretty surprising as they are otherwise respected people who have led highly-regarded careers.

Clearly, there is a crisis of integrity happening in the workplace. And while it appears to be isolated to the media and political arenas, chances are it’s an industry-wide epidemic that’s just now being brought to light.

Thankfully, Weaving Influence holds integrity as one of its core values—and the people here live it fully in their professional and personal lives. And by integrity, I mean, “the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles.”

You don’t have to look hard to find it here—whether it be in honesty with our clients or service to those in need.

I appreciate this value now more than ever. I hadn’t always worked in places that had a moral compass. In fact, I venture to say that the media often turns away from it. I, myself, had crises of conscience where the duties of my TV newscaster job came in direct conflict with my integrity.

For example, I was once assigned to cover a story where a politician’s young son had shot his other young son. I was supposed to get the politician on camera talking about this tragic event. Surprisingly, the man did speak with me but he was so distraught, I doubted he even knew what he was doing.

For the purpose of ratings, this interview would have been gold. But, for the purpose of doing the public a service, I really didn’t see how. Instead, I would have just been piling onto the pain this man and his family were experiencing.

I know my bosses would not have thought twice about using the interview. They would have been so pleased that we got it over the competition. But I didn’t use it. My value of integrity far outweighed making my bosses happy or a short spike in ratings.

How did I make this decision? I put up my radar.

Here are simple ways to ensure your integrity is in tact when doing business.

Do a gut check.

There really is truth to the saying “trust your gut.” If you’re having second thoughts about a decision, pause and examine why. Ask yourself, “What is causing me to think this way? What belief is forming this thought? What pressure is making me believe my assumption is true?”

My mom once told me that if I ever find myself saying “what the heck?” before doing something, I’m probably about to do something I will regret. It’s held true throughout my adult life.

Get an outsider’s perspective.

Talk with someone who you trust about the situation. They have an unbiased opinion that may be able to help steer you in the right direction.

If you don’t have someone like this available, try to play the role yourself. Ask yourself, “If this were someone else’s situation, what would I think?”

Share your decision with someone you love.

Are you ashamed to talk about what you decided? Would your parents or children be proud of you? If I had told my parents or kids that I used that interview, I believe my parents would have been disappointed in me or my kids would have been taught the wrong life lesson. Always act as if someone is watching you.

Sleep on it.

If you have the luxury of time, sleeping on decisions can be really effective as you’re more likely to think clearer in the morning. If you’re having trouble sleeping because of your personal dilemma, try writing down your thoughts before bed.

Sometimes acting with integrity conflicts directly with business. While doing the wrong thing may help advance one’s career or bring in the dough in the short term — in the long term, you’ll pay.

Meet Team Member Margy Kerr-Jarrett

I’m not sure where our company would be without today’s featured team member. She’s our Web Projects Manager and is the community manager for the Weaving Influence Lab, but it seems like she does so much more — not just at work, but in the rest of life too. She’s a gracious coworker, a sweet mom to her little girl, loving wife, and caring neighbor and friend to many. I’ve not had the privilege of meeting her in person, as we basically live on opposite sides of the globe (Wyoming and Israel — maybe someday our paths will cross!), so I was grateful she agreed to share a little more about herself in today’s post!

Meet Margy Kerr-Jarrett

Tell us a little bit about yourself!

I am originally from Indianapolis, Indiana, and have lived in Israel for the better part of my adult life (I am now 29). Actually, Indiana and Israel are the only two places I have ever lived, and they could not be more different! I am so grateful for my life — I have an amazing Jamaican husband who is studying to be a Rabbi and an adorable 2-year-old daughter named Eliana. Besides working from my home office (a desk in my daughter’s room) for Weaving Influence, I enjoy exploring this amazing city, cooking, hosting guests in our home, and writing and reading poetry.

What’s one thing you’ve been learning about recently?

I have recently been reading a lot about meditation and how it can affect our health and overall productivity — something I could definitely use a boost in, as a mom of a young child in preschool. My husband prays in a synagogue three times a day and that really keeps him grounded, but I often need to be really mindful to take time to decompress and re-focus on what’s real and important.

Just for fun: tell us something unusual about yourself!

I LOVE spicy food! My husband and I are always looking for new spicy recipes from around the world. In recent weeks, we have made Jamaican Jerk Chicken, Ethiopian Darowat (a spicy stew), and Sudanese-pepper beef. Ironically, my husband was vegan for 5 years before we met and I was vegetarian for 16 . . . now we love meat!

How did you originally connect with Weaving Influence?

My Aunt, Jesse Lyn Stoner, connected me to Becky when I was still in college. I actually was part of the original WI team for about a year back in 2012.

Share a little about your current role on the team.

This time around, I have been with the WI team for about 2.5 years. I mostly focus on business development, marketing, and project management for web projects.

What’s your favorite aspect of your work?

I love working creatively on new projects and thinking big-picture.

Can you share one tip about websites for the rest of us?

Websites can be so overwhelming, but the most important part is to be SUPER clear about what you offer and who it’s for, otherwise visitors to your site are likely to click away without giving you a chance.

How can people connect with you outside of Weaving Influence?

You can email me margy@weavinginfluence.com or find me on Facebook.

Thanks Margy!  It’s been great getting to know you a little better! 

Got any questions for Margy? Leave them in the comments below.