Becky Robinson's Blog, page 82

The Power of Kickstarter

I always knew I wanted to write children’s books but needed a way to fund the project to make it happen. My dream became reality when I discovered Kickstarter and started my campaign.

Founded in 2009, the website serves as a meeting point for artists to find project backers. Kickstarter has already connected more than 5 million donors to contribute over 800 million dollars to 51,000 projects around the world. Helping independent artists, musicians, film makers, authors, and all sorts of creative people, I knew it was my way to get self-published.

Having published 20 books to date, I am excited to share with you a few best practices for planning your successful Kickstarter campaign.

Deadlines

Deadlines are an important part of Kickstarter. They are an all-or-nothing funding system. The project creator must raise 100% of the funds needed to get funded. Project creators who do not meet 100% funding do not receive any funds. People who backed (pledged financial support for) the project will not be billed if 100% of the funding is not met. I find deadlines to be motivating. They encourage me to take action immediately.

Social Media

Social media is one of the best ways to gain attention. Some unique products go viral on Kickstarter. The project spreads like wildfire on the internet, television, and social media like Facebook and Twitter. I have not had major world-wide viral explosion with my projects (yet).

Kickstarter also has an email newsletter in which they suggest three awesome projects each week. This newsletter is sent out to many people and increases the likelihood that more people will know about your project and potentially back it. Great projects are more likely to get this kind of attention. Based on my experiences, I have had to reach out to my own network. Broadcast reguarly and don’t be afraid to share with all of your social networks!

Tribes

Enlist your tribe. Tribes, as coined by Seth Godin, represent a group of people who are connected to each other.* Successful project creators are leaders of their tribe.

Here is an example: a band that has played several shows monthly for the last several years may have built up a group of followers who would pledge financial support for a new CD. They have a tribe of followers. Think Dead Heads following the Grateful Dead, or Parrot Heads following Jimmy Buffet. If Jonny-Nobody releases a CD, he will have a more difficult time getting people to pledge because he does not have a group of followers. The tip is to become outstanding in your field, wether it be writing books, playing music, creating a fashion line, making a movie, creating a video game, etc.

Authors need a tribe. Famous people like J.K. Rowling, Dean Koontz, and  Suzanne Collins have their own group of people who follow them. People will line up for their next release. The rest of us have to start working on building a group. It can start small (for example, 10 people that consist of similar interests). I have a small group of followers who back my creative book projects on Kickstarter. Most people have backed more than one or all of my book projects. I send out free information to people in my group through social media like Facebook, Twitter, Blogspot, and email-newsletters, that people who love books are interested in knowing about. It would do no good for a Country Music Band to reach out to a group of people who are not interested in country music. It is best to create social media pages and newsletters based on one main topic.

Do you know your topic, niche, or specialty?

Once you know your expertise area, you can start building a social media platform that will help you to become more successful at raising funds for creative projects.

Best wishes in giving Kickstarter a try and creating a group of backers!

 

 

Danny Pettry is a book creator. He loves coffee and conversation. He also loves reading dystopian novels. His favorite food is cookies. His nephew calls him “Uncle Cookie.” He lives in West Virginia. Danny invites you to receive his book club/book therapy email newsletter and access to download several e-books that you can print and use. Connect with him on LinkedIn, Twitter, or Facebook to ask him questions about his work.

*Godin, S. (2008). Tribes: we need you to lead us. Portfolio

photo credit: Barta IV

Featured on Friday: Black Friday Shopping Edition

If you’re like a large section of the American shopping public, you’re out there today, fighting the crowds to find a deal. Or maybe you’re like some of the folks on our team who prefer to avoid the after-Thanksgiving madness and do our shopping online. If so, then we have some great suggestions for you to add to your online shopping cart today (or at least, this holiday season!).

Please note: we have launched a number of books in 2013, and we think they would all make wonderful gifts, but for the sake of time, we’re only sharing five of them today. 

Bill Treasurer – Leaders Open Doors

Looking for a leadership book that cuts right to the bottom line of the leadership issue? Something so simple even your 5-year-old could understand it? Well, since Bill’s 5 year old son is the one who came up with the initial concept of Leaders Open Doors, we think this might be the book you’re looking for. Better still – you will be giving a gift that will help others. Bill is donating 100% of the proceeds from Leaders Open Doors to help children with special needs.

Amazon  |  Barnes & Noble  |  iUniverse  |  800 CEO READ

Chip Bell – 9 1/2 Principles of Innovative Service

Chip is the master of customer service. If you’re looking for a great book to gift your sales team this year, we highly recommend picking up a copy (or 10) of Chip’s most recent book, 9 1/2 Principles of Innovative Service. Written as a timely reminder that tough economic times call for a new approach, and packaged in gift book format. you can easily take care of your team list with a few copies of this book wrapped and ready to hand out at the office party.

Bulk Buy (U.S. Only)

Mark Miller – The Heart of Leadership

Mark’s book, The Heart of Leadership, is number four in his series on what makes a great leader and a successful team. In The Heart of Leadership, Mark focuses on the fact that title and position in a company do not make a leader. In fact, you can work an entry-level job and be a leader, just as you can sit in a corner office and be lost when it comes to knowing how to lead. Short enough to read over the weekend, but profound enough to make a difference. As with all of his books, Mark is donating 100% of the proceeds to charity.

Amazon  |  Barnes & Noble  |  Berrett-Koehler  |  800 CEO Read

Mike Myatt – Hacking Leadership

Hacking Leadership is one of two book launches we are gearing up for in December. Available for pre-order now, and in bookstores everywhere on December 16th, Hacking Leadership covers the 11 gaps every business needs to close, and provides a roadmap for how to get there. Written for leaders at any and every level, the lessons in this book are helpful whether you work in a cubical or find yourself with “CEO” behind your name. Perfect for everyone on your team to help get 2014 off to a great start.

Amazon  |  Barnes & Noble  |  Bulk Buy Offers  |  800 CEO Read

Ralph Jacobson – Getting Unstuck

The other book we’re buzzing about in December is Getting Unstuck, by Ralph Jacobson. If you want to achieve a higher level of success – or if you want your team to experience success – but you’re feeling stuck, then this is the book you want to pick up for the holiday office party. While the holidays are a time when you want to think positively, the fact remains that it’s not always easy to get people to work together, but Getting Unstuck could be the key to making 2014 the year of success, both for you and your team.

Amazon  |  Barnes & Noble  |  800 CEO READ

You Tell Us! Are you giving books to your team this year? What’s the best book you’ve read in 2013?

How to Use QR Codes for Your Business

Most of us have probably seen these abstract images, consisting of black and white squares, and it’s becoming a common occurrence to see these squares used everywhere. Rather impressive, considering that they have only been around for 20 years.

Originally designed in Japan in the 90′s for tracking car parts, they are more multi-purpose than barcodes, and that’s why they offer even more opportunities for business. So, let’s check what we can get by using them.

What are they and how do I use them?

QR – short for quick response code – is a two dimensional barcode with coded information of any kind: text, business card, link to the website, and so on. All you need for decoding these mysterious squares is mobile phone with a QR code reader and Internet access. After scanning, the information contained in the QR is displayed on the smartphone screen.

How can I get one?

There are many free QR code-generating services online, including the-qrcode-generator.com or goqr.me. You can choose the type of the content for your code and state your preferences about what the code should look like. It’s really that fast and easy.

How to use them for business?

QR codes have a wide range of applications for business. The most common ways to use them are:

Placing the code on your business card. Then, in addition to knowing your contact info, people will have an opportunity to visit your site straightaway.
Put it on your printed ad. The ad, in this case, should be intriguing and encourage the reader to scan the code and know more.
Offer a discount or attractive proposition for everyone who scans the code. This will draw more people’s attention to your business as well as traffic to your website.
Promote your social media page. Create the code especially for your page.
Offer a code to scan in your shop. Place the code in a visible place near the entrance and offer a discount or some kind of prize and, chances are, nearly everyone will scan it.
Use a QR code to promote your special offer or an upcoming event. Give a hint so everyone who scans the code will see the detailed information.

As you see, there are lots of opportunities to make the QR code work for you. If used correctly, it can be a good promotional tool, and creating the code and checking its features is definitely worth your time.

 

About the Author: Paul Smith is an experienced writer. He enjoys spending his time traveling and writing articles about health, business and social media. Paul also writes essays for Clever Paper Writing Services, and you can find him on Google+.

Featured on Friday: The Thankfulness Edition

On June 28, 2012, just under two months after I started working with Becky, I wrote a post for Weaving Influence in which I shared how practicing daily gratitude had changed my outlook on life. If you follow my personal blog, you know that every Friday I write a post about thankfulness. If we were friends on Facebook, then you would know that every day that I am online, I use my status to give thanks for something (I use the hashtag #iamthankful). The bottom line is that gratitude has changed me as a person, causing me to recognize that I am enormously blessed.

As we head into the Thanksgiving week and busy holiday season, I’ve asked several members of our Weaving Influence team to share a few things they are grateful for. It looks like we are a team who is thankful for our families, our jobs, and our coffee!

Christy B. I am thankful for my father. We were told three times this year that he wasn’t going to make it. I’m grateful for every moment I get with him. And for my beautiful son who never ceases to amaze me. He’s got the best heart and I want to grow up to be just like him.
Rachael D. I’m thankful for healthy children, God’s provisions for our family, and a wonderful job that is accommodating with a busy family.
Joanna J. I am thankful for new life (baby due soon!), for health, and for God’s provisions, including our new house after 5 years of living the apartment life! I’m also thankful for Chick-fil-A, pumpkin spice lattes, and Bluebell ice cream.
Amy D. I am thankful for the blessings God has given me in my husband and children, for work that is flexible, fulfilling and fun, and for the opportunities I have to serve others through volunteer work and caregiving. And donuts. I’m very thankful for donuts!
Elizabeth J. I’m thankful for a husband who faithfully loves me, the power of encouraging words, the unique beauty of each season, and COFFEE!
Megan C. I’m thankful for my husband, Frank – amazing, good looking, smart, and my very best friend. A loving God who is always there for me, and His creation, in particular, my pets – they add to our lives and make us smile. And Brooke’s Running Shoes – can’t run without them!
Becky R. I am thankful for mentors/coaches who see, support, and encourage my journey, for opportunities to make a difference, and for a tremendous team of dedicated people who bring their best to serve our clients; and I’m grateful for a supportive husband and wonderful kids who make it all possible! More? I’m thankful for peanut M&Ms, dark chocolate covered pomegranates, and mochas.
Amanda H. I am thankful for my hardworking husband! He works long hard hours to provide for our family. I am thankful that even though I have 2 special need kids my family is pretty healthy, for 2 jobs that I love, my aunts who help me out all of the time, and for all 3 of my kids.
Rachel R. I am thankful for my family (they keep my life fun & exciting), my church (they keep me centered), and extra hold mousse (I’d look like a lion without it).

And me? What would make my thankfulness list today? 

Carrie K. I am grateful for my faith, without which I could not get through life, and my husband, who is an incredible gift to me. I’m thankful to be blessed with a supportive family, good books, the opportunity to travel, and God’s financial provision through good jobs. And, if you know me online or in real life, it should be no surprise that I am also thankful for pumpkins, coffee, and Dunkin’ Donuts!

As we head into the rush of the holidays, I encourage you to take time out each day to give thanks for the blessings in your life. It may be good health, it may be good medical care. It might be time spent with family, or it might be extra large cups of coffee to help you make it through family functions! Whatever it is, count your blessings today, and every day.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Do You See?

I love connecting virtually, but there are limits to how well someone can know you when they only see your life displayed online.

Sometimes, that’s because we only choose to show the pretty parts, the shiny ones, the happy ones.

We pick and choose what to share. We brand ourselves and craft our updates to reinforce the choices we’ve made about branding and positioning.

Even when we let people get a bit deeper with us, through phone conversations or by sharing a bit more openly, they are still limited to seeing what we choose to share with them.

And though I tend to be an 0ver-sharer at times, I still think there is no way to really see another person’s life until you live with them, walk with them.

This week, I invited Susan Mazza into my life for a few intense days of infrastructure building and planning for my company.

She arrived late on Tuesday night, at a time not-that-late for most people but long past the hour during which I typically crash out on the couch.

She’s now seen me at the end of an 18 hour day and seen me this morning, beginning another. She’s seen my kids at their cutest and their crankiest. She’s had the complete tour of my house and even seen the mess in my master bath cupboards. She’s gotten to know my spouse, the folks who help out around my home and office, and my favorite baristas at Starbucks.

We’ve known each other for years and I’ve cried on the phone to her during some of the lowest moments on my journey. She’s rejoiced with me in the happy ones as well.

In the quiet of this new day, I am wondering, and wanting to ask these questions to Susan:

Now do you see? Do you see who I am?

Does sharing my space help you know me better? Or did you see me, truly, before?

Is face-to-face required for genuine relationships or can we effectively and authentically share our lives through virtual channels?

Face-to-face matters, more than I’d like to admit, especially since most of my life and business is built around virtual relationships with clients, colleagues, and team members.

We can see each other and understand each other much more effectively in real time, sharing space. And the more we share, the more we can see and be seen.

But until that day when I can meet you face to face, I’ll keep trying, through words scratched here and posts shared there, to let you see me. Do you see me?

Tell me something! How successful are you at building authentic relationships through virtual channels? How much do you allow people to see through your updates online?

The Twilight Zone

Note from Becky: This post marks 600 posts on the Weaving Influence blog. Yes, 600! I started blogging at weavinginfluence.com in December of 2010, although the 600 posts published here also include several from my days blogging at LeaderTalk, with dates reaching back to April 2009. Since I often coach clients about blogging, I am feeling the weight of these 600 posts. I think, by now, I can safely say I know a bit about blogging. I’ll own that.

Here’s the welcome post I wrote to kick off  weavinginfluence.com. Here’s the most read post - it’s the most read because it is candy for Google, apparently. This one, the 2nd most read, is appropriate for today — ideas about how to celebrate social media milestones. Later this week, I’ll share a few lessons about blogging I learned from writing 600 posts. For today, though, let’s celebrate.

How am I celebrating? As a small thank you, I am giving away all my e-book resources for free. Go to 12minutemedia.com and enter the code 600FREE. Grab whatever you want. My most read resource is 31 Days of Twitter Tips, so if you aren’t sure what to choose, choose that. And tell your friends, please? 

I just downloaded FREE resources from @beckyrbnsn to celebrate 600 blog posts. Visit 12minutemedia.com and use the code 600FREE. Tweet Now!

This post, however, is not my writing. Instead, it comes from the guy we call Mr. Becky on this blog, my husband. This blog and my business would not exist without his support, but he is not a fan of social media channels himself, especially Facebook. Read more to find out why.

Season 3 of The Twilight Zone (1961) featured the story of a six-year-old boy named Anthony Fremont who appeared to be like any other child, but who had godlike powers. This episode was so popular and well-known that I remember to this day how Anthony terrorized his family and community, with not only his powers to change the world at his whim, but also to read people’s thoughts. It all culminated with Anthony reading his father’s mind and turning him into a jack-in-the-box, to everyone’s alarm.

Imagine the horror of living in a world where every thought was broadcast. Your secrets known, your dirt on display, all that is hidden uncovered. Consider what life would be like if your neighbors could hear every fight with your spouse or were aware of each time your children misbehaved. What if friends knew your stupid mishaps and received notice on their smartphone of your every fault?

Welcome to Facebook.

I carry a healthy loathing for Facebook and its ridiculous displays of immaturity and inanity. A favorite website of mine is lamebook.com, which chronicles the absurdities of people who freely tell the world their secret vices, arguments, and countless childish blunders with cries of “look how foolish I am.”

Remember the days when your folks said, “Let’s not fight here in public”? Now every fight is open and searchable. If a person wasn’t book smart, there used to be ways of hiding it. Facebook has a remedy for that: get in a heated argument with some idiot who claims that the sun is a star. Back in the day, Walmart was the only place to catch the exploits of unruly children and incompetent parenting. Any more, if you missed the empty threats to “take you outside and paint your back porch red” Mom has graciously posted every detail of today’s Mountain Dew-infused meltdown.

I’m not as smart as I try to convince people I am. I’m not as nice as I let others believe. There is a short list of 44,000 humiliating stories, any of which would keep me from ever showing my face in public. Somewhere in our house is a shoe box of embarrassing pictures that needs to remain in a shoe box.

I find that not looking like a clown is a full time job for me. That’s why I don’t have a Facebook page.

It’s What I Didn’t Do

Running a virtual business requires a high degree of connectivity. My clients are virtual; most of my team are virtual. To serve them well, I must stay connected via email and social media channels. I am nearly always tethered to my iPhone.

That my company is a social media one compounds the issue. If I’m going to preach the importance of showing up on social media channels (and believe me, I do), then I have to show up.

Toward the end of the day Friday, I had had ENOUGH.

I turned off my cell phone, people. Powered it off. I closed my laptop and closed my office door.

I can tell you about what  did this weekend, but it’s what I DIDN’T do that is more significant. I didn’t look at email — not once. I didn’t sneak a peek at Facebook or scroll through tweets. I. DIDN’T. DO. IT.

I did power my cell phone back on sometime Saturday morning, mostly because I wanted to contact friends about fun activities we might enjoy together. I may have answered a random text or two from my team.

But I DID NOT look at email or social channels. Not for a moment.

While sitting at the hair salon on Saturday, hands idle in my lap, it occurred to me how I’ve spent every other appointment mindlessly checking email and scrolling Facebook, which seems kind of silly now.

Leaving my phone in my purse — It was wonderful.

I loved my unplugged weekend so much, I might make it a monthly event. Because I took off an entire weekend and nothing catastrophic happened, I have hope that there may be a real vacation in my future (not a working one.)  I loved it so much, I found myself dreaming about reverting to a flip phone.

Because admit it — I’m not the only one who’s contemplated chucking my iPhone in a sewer or tossing it into a lake. Am I?

Featured on Friday: Tara Alemany

Today’s guest post comes from Tara Alemany, author of The Best is Yet to Come, which was released on November 8, 2013, and is available on Amazon. Congratulations, Tara! Like what you read today? Follow her on Twitter, visit her website, and don’t forget to buy her book.

It’s All About Community

For me, it started in 2009. I’d just lost my job and had to figure out “what came next” in a time where jobs were scarce. I was concerned that staying home all of the time would isolate me.

What was I going to do without a job or work?

I’d worked from home before, so that wasn’t so much the issue. My real concern was losing my community. The people I had spent the past 6 years of my life with were either losing their jobs too, or still going to work every day.

So, where was my new community going to come from?

Little did I know at that time, that social media would deeply connect me to a whole new network of people. Or that my presence there would open doors, create connections, and generate opportunities I had never even imagined before.

Or how those new connections I’d made would spider-web outward, introducing me to even more people.

Meeting Arvee Robinson at SANG (the Speakers and Authors Networking Group) last year led me to meeting Sheli Gartman, Lori Whaley and Terilee Harrison; three incredibly gifted speakers who are part of the Christian Women Speakers Movement that Arvee founded. From there, Terilee introduced me to Kate Wedell at an Embrace Real workshop Sheli was holding.

Social media also enabled me to keep up with the progress my friend, Barry Spilchuk, was making as he completed the publication of his newest book, THE cANCER DANCE.

And it enabled me to strengthen a chance, in-person meeting with Croix Sather, The Marathon Man, who ran 100 marathons in 100 days and gave a keynote speech every single one of those days.

Add to the mix my own personal friend (like in real life, without social media!), Carol Barnier, and I’m surrounded by people who have incredible, inspirational stories.

As I considered the launch of my new book, The Best is Yet to Come, I knew I wanted to be lining up as many speaking engagements as I possibly could. But my greatest hope for my book is that it touches the lives of as many people as possible.

I want to reach those who are struggling with a significant loss in their life. Through my own story, I hope to show them how to take any painful experience and change their perspective of it. It doesn’t need to be an anchor that holds them back. It can be a beautiful gift that enables them to live life knowing that the best is yet to come.

Thankfully, I am one of many people who have chosen to use past hardships in their lives in ways that will change the world.

So rather than simply tell you how to make that shift in perception, we’re going to show you how at The Survivors Summit.

The Survivors Summit is a 3-day virtual conference taking place November 19-21. All you need is access to a computer or phone line.

Whether or not you attend live, you’ll receive the complete set of replays with your conference registration. Or, you can purchase the replay to a single talk if that’s all you’re interested in.

Social media has taught me that the power of a community can change the world. I invite you to let this community of speakers change yours.

Featured on Friday: Tara Alemany {Guest Post}

Today’s guest post comes from Tara Alemany, author of The Best is Yet to Come, which was released on November 8, 2013, and is available on Amazon. Congratulations, Tara! Like what you read today? Follow her on Twitter, visit her website, and don’t forget to buy her book!

It’s All About Community

For me, it started in 2009. I’d just lost my job and had to figure out “what came next” in a time where jobs were scarce. I was concerned that staying home all of the time would isolate me.

What was I going to do without a job or work?

I’d worked from home before, so that wasn’t so much the issue. My real concern was losing my community. The people I had spent the past 6 years of my life with were either losing their jobs too, or still going to work every day.

So, where was my new community going to come from?

Little did I know at that time, that social media would deeply connect me to a whole new network of people. Or that my presence there would open doors, create connections, and generate opportunities I had never even imagined before.

Or how those new connections I’d made would spider-web outward, introducing me to even more people.

Meeting Arvee Robinson at SANG (the Speakers and Authors Networking Group) last year led me to meeting Sheli Gartman, Lori Whaley and Terilee Harrison; three incredibly gifted speakers who are part of the Christian Women Speakers Movement that Arvee founded. From there, Terilee introduced me to Kate Wedell at an Embrace Real workshop Sheli was holding.

Social media also enabled me to keep up with the progress my friend, Barry Spilchuk, was making as he completed the publication of his newest book, THE cANCER DANCE.

And it enabled me to strengthen a chance, in-person meeting with Croix Sather, The Marathon Man, who ran 100 marathons in 100 days and gave a keynote speech every single one of those days.

Add to the mix my own personal friend (like in real life, without social media!), Carol Barnier, and I’m surrounded by people who have incredible, inspirational stories.

As I considered the launch of my new book, The Best is Yet to Come, I knew I wanted to be lining up as many speaking engagements as I possibly could. But my greatest hope for my book is that it touches the lives of as many people as possible.

I want to reach those who are struggling with a significant loss in their life. Through my own story, I hope to show them how to take any painful experience and change their perspective of it. It doesn’t need to be an anchor that holds them back. It can be a beautiful gift that enables them to live life knowing that the best is yet to come.

Thankfully, I am one of many people who have chosen to use past hardships in their lives in ways that will change the world.

So rather than simply tell you how to make that shift in perception, we’re going to show you how at The Survivors Summit.

The Survivors Summit is a 3-day virtual conference taking place November 19-21. All you need is access to a computer or phone line. Whether or not you attend live, you’ll receive the complete set of replays with your conference registration. Or, you can purchase the replay to a single talk if that’s all you’re interested in.

Social media has taught me that the power of a community can change the world.

I invite you to let this community of speakers change yours.

Social Media Is Not The Enemy

Working in the world of local television news, social media was once seen as an enemy, just another thing added to a long list of things we have to get done by deadline.  There just wasn’t enough time in the day to get everything done and to have it done well! Unfortunately, the world changes and to keep up with it, we too must change.

I will say that adding social media to our workflow has been a challenge. Getting reporters to focus on putting their stories out on Facebook and Twitter ahead of their on-air deadlines is something even the newest and most modern reporters couldn’t get into their heads. Of course getting our on-air product should be the focus! We don’t want to give our competition a headsup on our stories! These were all complaints I listened to daily. They seemed very valid complaints at the time, but I’ve learned that instead of fighting change, we need to embrace the change.

Something I’ve learned about using social media is that it is a great tool for engaging your audience. Instead of just telling people what is happening, you can gain a greater depth of understanding of the fallout from certain situations. You can get a more personal touch on a story – finding the daughter of a murder victim who is crying out for justice, or a family that lost everything in a fire. Using social media, not only can we report the story, we can be part of the answer as well.

What I find the most useful when it comes to using social media is the open ended question. If you are posting on a topic that you want feedback on or shares, it’s vital to invite someone to do what you want. An example of how to spark conversation could be, “Government shutdown enters 15th day. What do you think needs to be done to get the government back on track?” Or perhaps, “A walk to cure diabetes is coming up next week. SHARE this post to let everyone know and get involved.” This is a proven way to increase hits and shares on your post.

People like to be engaged. They want posts that are interesting. Appealing to emotion or action are good ways to get people involved, whether it be a story or an event. In the news business, I find that if you post a story on social media sites like Facebook or Twitter, you need to be concise but get the vital information. If the words READ MORE… appear on your post, people aren’t interested. They will likely scroll past and keep reading. Grab their attention as quickly as possible. We need to tell them why this post would be interesting to them. We try to use this on a daily basis in the news, but it could be used in business as well. Say you have a fantastic product or service you’re trying to sell. You want to use the growing world of social media to capture attention and develop interest in what you’re doing. Like in advertising, you need to sell it to your customers.

Look for ways to grab attention in the fewest words possible. An even better idea is to use a picture to draw people in. Give them a reason to be interested. I’ve heard a lot of people tell stories about how they’ve got that one friend on social media who posts everything they do all day long… “I’m eating a sandwich now” or “Walking the dog.” These kinds of posts don’t draw people to what you have to say; rather, they cause people to avoid your posts. Instead, try to find the interesting angle on the action – for example, “I’m eating a sandwich now. I can’t believe the price of bread these days!” Or, “Walking the dog earlier – stumbled on this great place at the park.” The posts aren’t much longer, but now you’ve peaked interest, and you will start conversations, likes, shares, and even have people talking about you in the real world.

Something I’ve also found useful out of social media when it comes to television news. It takes our audience from something intangible – a faceless person out there – and lets them interact with us, gives them a chance to add the personality to the stories. The time we have on television is limited to the best and most compelling. Often, there are times when there are people in the communities affected by the stories we tell that we are not able to reach. Using social media, we are able to reach a much wider audience. An audience that can add perspective and insight, sometimes even help.

While many of us who worked in local news production for years fought the change of our workload and the addition of SOMETHING ELSE to do – we’ve long since embraced it and are trying to see it for the benefits it brings. There are more changes headed our way. Even social media won’t stay the same for long.

 

About the Author: Valerie Sullivan is an Orange County, NY native. She graduated from Concord University in 1999 and has worked in the world of local news production in Southern West Virginia for nearly 15 years. Her greatest accomplishments are her sons. You can find Valerie on Facebook and Twitter.

photo credit: Rosaura Ochoa