Becky Robinson's Blog, page 87

The Most Important Door-Opener

Bill Treasurer has invited bloggers to write about people who have opened doors of opportunity for them as part of his Leadership Opportunity Blog Fest. I’m pleased to participate to draw attention to this simple and powerful leadership concept, inspired by Bill’s son, Ian: leaders open doors!

While I could list the names of people who have opened doors of opportunity for me along the way — and there are many — as I think through my life chronologically, from college until now, there is one person who has been a part of every open-door moment of my adult life, my husband.

Married only three months, he opened the door as we decided to go to graduate school, despite uncertainty about where we would work and how we would pay for it.

A few years later, we stood, shoulder to shoulder, opening doors for others at the church we partnered together to start.

After the birth of our daughter, his constant support and hard work opened the door for my dream of staying home with my children during their early years.

When I decided to pursue a career, he held the doors open wide, encouraging and cheering me on at every step.

He uses his vacation time to stay with our children when my work requires travel and listens patiently while I share the ups and downs of my journey as an entrepreneur. His secure career, income, and insurance allow me to take risks and open doors for others as I build my business, giving me true freedom to choose.

Most recently, my husband opened a door of insight to help me see myself in a new way. I was sharing a struggle in my business, and he recounted a conversation with a co-worker about politics and how the government can encourage the creation of new jobs.

“The government doesn’t create jobs,” he said. “People do. You are creating jobs.”

Because of his constant encouragement and support, my husband is the most important door-opener in my life.

Tell me something! Who is the most important door-opener in your life?

This post is part of Leadership Opportunity Fest Blog Tour, hosted by  Bill Treasurer . Watch the Leadership Opportunity Fest webinar  here , find his book on  Amazon , and then join us for the  blog  tour on August 13 as we celebrate leaders who open doors! Write your post and join the fun! 

Is Your Article Making People Sad?

Blog posts without pictures make me sad.

There, I said it.

It’s partly because I’m a very visual person. Images grab my attention; they pique my interest and illicit emotion in a strong way. But my personal preference isn’t the main reason posts without pictures make me sad.

A large part of my job is promoting blog posts and articles through a variety of social media channels. After all, here at Weaving Influence we’re on a mission to connect authors to online audiences. A big chunk of my day is spent trying to figure out how to get articles noticed in a sea of online content.

As many of you may know, it’s harder than it sounds.

Without a compelling image, it’s nearly impossible.

Interaction on Pinterest, Google+, and Instagram is largely driven by the quality of an image. For many (but not all) Facebook users, big beautiful pictures ensure engagement.

If one of our primary tools for building buzz is social media, why are some people still creating content without an image?

Whhhhhyyyyyyyyyyyyy?

At Weaving Influence we have the luxury of working with some very talented graphic designers. Hiring their expertise and talent is worth every penny we spend. But if budgeting top dollar for several articles a week isn’t a possibility for you, you have other options.

1. Point and Shoot

I know, I know, photography isn’t everyone’s forte. But with cell phone cameras getting better and better, don’t underestimate the power of the resource in your pocket. There’s beauty all around you! Collect it when you see it and put the images to work in your next post.

2. Borrow and Cite

Flickr is a wealth of really, really compelling pictures. Its searchable database provides a wealth of options appropriate for a variety of topics. But be sure to grab the HTML code and embed the photo into your article. Screen captures aren’t acceptable. Paying credit where it’s due is imperative, and including a citation is more than polite, it is required.

3. Create Quotable Graphics

Sites like PicMonkey, Recite and pinwords have made creating quotable graphics a breeze. Whether you drop text on one of your own pictures or use one of the backgrounds these services provide, quotable graphics are easier than ever for everyone to create in just minutes.

4. Purchase Stock Photos

Reasonably priced stock photos are another great option for your blog. Websites like 123RF and Lightstock have thousands of searchable photos to choose from and even offer a handful of pictures that can be downloaded at no charge.

After crafting your copy don’t leave it all alone on the page when you publish your next post. Investing time or money in quality images will pay huge dividends when it’s time to promote your article on social media.

Where do you source images for your articles?

Featured on Friday: Favorite Finds {Edition 1}

When you find something amusing or helpful, don’t you want your friends to know about it? Well, we consider each one of you to be our friends, and this week we’re using our Featured on Friday post to share some of the best links that our team has found over the last week.

Ready? Start clicking!

Wondering how to get more people to read your post, or should we say, article? One of our newest team members, Megan, found these suggestions  from explore B2B to be quite useful.
Looking for some fun social media trivia? Becky shared this list of 21 marketing facts with us earlier this week – and no, we weren’t surprised by #21 on the list.
This link comes from no one in particular, but we wanted to remind you that you have until Monday, August 5 to write a post and share the link for the Leadership Opportunity Blog Fest , hosted by Bill Treasurer.
While you’re at it, have you downloaded your copy of 31 Days of Twitter Tips ? Becky’s giving it away for FREE through September 1!
Curious about the use of hashtags on Facebook? Molly shared this “ how to use ” guide on the Weaving Influence Facebook page – have you liked us yet?

It’s Your Turn! Tell us what articles and links we need to be checking out… we might share it in the next Favorite Finds link up!

Best Book Launch Tips: Leverage Free Resources for Book Marketing

Launching/marketing a book can require a significant investment of time and money.

As much as possible, seek to leverage free resources and opportunities so that you spend your money on services that aren’t free. This tip will be especially helpful for you if you have more time than money.

You may be able to learn from free webinars, free e-books, blog posts, articles, groups on LinkedIn, and groups/communities on Google+.  And here’s one you might not have thought of: you can learn from Facebook friends. Find and friend book marketing experts or authors marketing their books well and you will soon find that even your Facebook newsfeed can be a valuable source of (free) book marketing tips and information.

I recently sent a friend request to John Kremer, book marketing expert and author of 1001 Ways to Market Your Books. I also joined his community on Google+. Almost every day, I get a new idea from his postings. (All free!)

Here’s what you don’t want to do: get overwhelmed and distracted by a deluge of free content that you will never read/listen to/ learn from.

If you want to build your book marketing expertise by learning from free resources, follow this plan:

Download one or two great resources a week and then read them before you download more free stuff. I have two free resources to suggest. You can learn to use Twitter more effectively by downloading my  e-book, 31 Days of Twitter Tips, free now through September 1st. You might also enjoy my e-book Your Book Deserves a Celebration (always free!)

Join one LinkedIn Group about book marketing or one G+ community. Interact for a while and see if the group is a good match. If not, leave and try another one.

Learn from free general information and apply what you learn to book marketing. Chris Brogan’s newsletter, in my inbox on Sunday morning, is one of the most valuable free learning tools I read weekly. It’s not specific to book marketing, but it is always thought-provoking and idea-inspiring. You can subscribe for free, too!

Only sign up for webinars you intend to attend. Nothing will distract you from learning faster than a bunch of email reminders and marketing in your inbox from a webinar you signed up for but never attended. Limit yourself to signing up for free events that you intend to attend (or watch later.)

Choose to learn and APPLY one new tip or tactic daily. Rather than trying to read everything you can about book marketing, read one article daily and seek to apply what you learned. Learning is important but what you DO matters more.

Tell me something! What free resources can you recommend? What tips do you have about leveraging free resources?

Let’s Give Them Something to Talk About

Recently I stumbled on a Fast Company article written by Paul Jarvis entitled, More Doing, Less Promoting. Jarvis complained of, “drowning in self-promotion on social media.” It’s something we all feel from time to time. And while I’m not ready to completely ditch promoting myself, I sure wish everyone else would knock it off.

What? Don’t tell me you don’t feel the same way sometimes.

We’re living in a promotion-saturated time. Corporations buy naming rights to buildings. Transparent hashtags float in the corner of every program on network television. We can’t escape. And most of us have become cynical. Often we tune out.

The shift in focus toward Word of Mouth Marketing is an understandable result. It makes perfect sense. Don’t you trust a friend’s review over a slick marketing campaign, anyway? As sites like Yelp, TripAdvisor, and Goodreads continue to grow, they influence public opinion as well as consumer activity.

And that brings me back to Jarvis and his compelling point. If we focus on doing good work, people will talk about it. The more people talk, the less we have to promote ourselves. In the end, that word of mouth marketing is much more valuable than our self-promotion, so it’s a win-win. It all sounds so simple, right?  Except for one teeny, tiny detail. How do we get people talking?

Here’s where I slightly disagree with Jarvis. A great product or compelling content  is important, but it isn’t enough. Consumers are savvy and the assortment of available product is wide. So if we want people talking, we have to give them something special to talk about. More importantly, we have to give them a reason to talk. The Doughnut Vault (401 1/2 N. Franklin Street) in Chicago has done just that.

There are a lot of specialty doughnut shops in Chicago. What’s even better? There are a lot of specialty doughnut shops in Chicago that make really amazing doughnuts. But there is one doughnut shop that has a line around the block nearly every day of the week. Sure, their doughnuts are tasty, but what makes people willing to wait in line for Doughnut Vault doughnuts?

I have a hypothesis. They’ve created what Jonah Berger refers to as “social currency” in his book Contagious.

The doughnut vault is open every Tuesday through Friday from “8:00 a.m. until we run out.” Saturday hours are similar. They’re open from “9:30 a.m. until we run out.” That simple little phrase, “until we run out,” is incredibly powerful. I’ve waited in line. In fact, I’ve waited in line several times, so I can promise you it’s powerful. As customers excitedly wait, sometimes for 30 or 45 minutes, anticipation builds. With every person that leaves you watch as the inventory gets one doughnut (or 12!) closer to zero. Will you make it to the front of the line in time? Will you get a doughnut before they “run out?”

Surviving the Doughnut Vault line and bringing home the prize generates social currency. As you enjoy the incredibly tasty spoils of victory, you’ve done more than just buy breakfast. The doughnuts you waited for, the doughnuts you barely got in time, are worth talking about. The experience is something you want to tell your friends. The experience is one they will want to have for themselves.

A great product or content is important. As a matter of fact, it is expected. But if you want to cut back your self-promotion and get people talking, you’re going to need more. Social currency is a powerful part of generating buzz. How can you utilize it to get your customers talking?

 

Social Media Questions Answered: Part Four

I’m answering social media questions from the Berrett-Koehler Author Co-Op Book Marketing event. You can read Part One, Part Two, and Part Three. This week’s post wraps the questions from the event. However, if you like this feature, please leave a comment or email me your questions and I can write more questions and answers in this Monday spot.

Here are today’s questions.

Does it make sense for authors to produce book-specific newsletters as part of a social media strategy? Yes. Your mailing list is one of your most powerful tools in marketing your book. Briefly, my recommendation is to produce content as a supplement to your book that you can use as a lead generation tool. Create a landing page and use social media to send traffic to the landing page, where people can give their email address in exchange for your content.Then write and set up an auto-responder of emails that is centered on your book/content in a way that adds value to your subscribers. You can also create a series of emails to your existing list, letting them know about your book.

How much time does it take each day to “service” an integrated social media presence? As you probably know, interacting on social media channels takes time. The more time you invest, the more results you will see. Rather than planning an amount of time per day, I recommend that you set aside a weekly allotment of time. You can spend time each week creating and then scheduling content (perhaps 2 hours, depending on if writing blog posts or creating video is a part of your strategy) and then allocate a minimum of 15 minutes per day to show up, respond, and interact. Or, you can hire a assistant, internal to your company or outsource to a team, like mine, to support the time you are able to devote to social media.

How can I really use Twitter well? This is a big question, answered in book length works rather than a brief blog post. If you will email me, I will send you a free copy of my Twitter Tips e-book to get you started.

How do you find time for social media? Participating in social media needs to be intentional. You don’t find time, you make it, if you see the value of using social media. For example, unless I am convinced that exercise is important, I’ll never find the time to exercise. Instead, I’ll allow other activities to fill my time. I recommend that you schedule time for social media, just like you would for other important activities in your life.

Tell me something! What other social media questions do you have?

Featured on Friday: Julie Winkle Giulioni

Curious about the Featured on Friday posts? Learn more.

This week we’re excited to introduce you to one of our very first book launch clients. Shortly after taking off as a company, we were honored to have her entrust us with the promotion of her first book. And if the honor of working with her for the last year wasn’t enough, she also introduced us to Fairytale Brownies upon the successful launch of her book last September. A woman, author, speaker, and friend who has been a joy to work with, and is a delight to know.

MEET JULIE WINKLE GIULIONI

Julie is the co-founder and principle of DesignArounds, a bi-coastal consulting, training, and development firm. She is a speaker and trainer who is passionate about improving performance through learning. It was this passion which led her to co-author the Amazon Best Seller, Help Them Grow or Watch Them Go: Career Conversations Employees Want with Beverly Kaye. When she’s not busy writing best sellers, training teams, or speaking at TEDx, Julie can be found spending time with her husband and children, or paddle boarding off the coast of California.

WHERE TO FIND JULIE THIS WEEK:

The Conference Board Human Capital Exchange – Declining Development: Heck No, I Won’t Grow

Halogen Software – From Distracted to Drawn In: 3 VILT Strategies for Optimal Engagement

Linkage – What’s the Difference Between Employee Development and Career Development?

New post on her blog each Tuesday - Common Career Advice That’s Well-Intended, Well-Worn, and Well – Full of It! 

CONNECT WITH JULIE:

Visit Julie’s website, learn more about DesignArounds, follow her on Twitter and Pinterest, and connect on Facebook, and LinkedIn.

UPCOMING EVENT:

Just in case you’re in New York City this autumn and find yourself without plans, Julie and her Help Them Grow or Watch Them Go co-author, Beverly Kaye, will be hosting a workshop at The Conference Board Conference Center, October 22, 2013. The topic for discussion is Reinventing the Career Conversation in a Time Starved World. It’s no secret that we all find ourselves a little short on time, so this should be a very helpful event to attend, if you find yourself in the area. For more information, or to register, click here.

Share Your Thoughts: Have you read Help Them Grow? If you could talk to Julie about your career, what would you ask?

Best Book Launch Tips: 3 Ways to Get Started with Goodreads

If you are an author and looking for new ways to connect with readers and market your book, Goodreads is a great platform for you.

We’ve been using Goodreads with authors and are excited about the potential connections we can help our authors make with readers.

If you haven’t used Goodreads or aren’t sure how to use it to market books,  I’m going to share 3 ways you can get started.

Three Ways to Get Started as an Author with Goodreads

If you don’t have an account, set one up. (This is not one of the three ways.)

Set up your profile and connect with friends. Once you have an account on Goodreads and have done the preliminary work of adding your profile and selecting genres of books that interest you, take the time to connect with friends from Twitter and Facebook and add a few titles to your book shelves: books you’ve read, books you’re reading, and books you want to read. I read A LOT of books, and I don’t record them all on Goodreads. As a start, I recommend adding at least ten books, and if you take the time to review the books, that’s even better.
Join the author program. I’m not going to recap the steps since Goodreads offers such clear and helpful instructions. Instead, I’ll show you some cool author pages on Goodreads of our clients: Chip Bell, Bill Treasurer, Steven Snyder. What I love about the author pages is that you can add videos, include the RSS feed of your blog, and connect all your books.
Set up a giveaway. We recently concluded several Goodreads giveaways with our authors. During the course of the giveaways, we saw our authors’ titles added to many “to read” shelves. Hundreds of people entered — all potential buyers, readers, and reviewers of the books. We are now setting up giveaways for books prior to their launches to build buzz, but you can also do giveaways any time after your book is launched, as long as you are willing to provide (and ship) the books.

I’m excited to learn even more about the benefits participating with Goodreads brings for authors.

Tell me something! How have you used Goodreads to generate interest in your books? Or, if you are a reader who uses Goodreads, how do you discover new authors/titles?

How My Blog Spent Its Summer Vacation

You’ve booked your tickets, picked all the right restaurants, and packed your bags. You’ve taken the time off from work, set up your “out of office” email reply, and maybe even *shudder* removed the Twitter app from your smart phone. But the question remains, when you take a vacation, what do you do about your blog?

If you’ve developed a loyal following and are passionate about sticking to your meticulously planned editorial calendar, this can be a real concern. What’s the right way to handle temporarily stepping away from the blogosphere?

Here are three ways to be sure you aren’t blogging from the beach or posting by the pool during your summer vacation.

Schedule New Posts with a Special Message Continuing to churn out new content when you’re away from the interwebs is an ambitious and completely feasible option. With tools like IFTTT and Twitterfeed you can even do a bit of promotion without ever touching your keyboard. Just be sure to let your readers know you’re on vacation. Either mention that you are unplugged in your posts, or edit your comment message to remove the  expectation of an immediate response.

Rally The Troops An extended vacation can be a fantastic time to invite other bloggers to submit guest posts. Include a specific topic or prompt in your invitation and be sure to tease the series before you leave, to build anticipation. Not only will you publish fresh content, you’ll also introduce your readers to bloggers that you enjoy and respect. Be sure to include a personal introduction in which you share why your readers will find the content valuable.

Silence is Golden It is absolutely, positively, perfectly acceptable to take a few days off. It is also absolutely, positively, perfectly acceptable to go a few days without new posts on your blog. In fact, it might even be a good thing. Give your writing muscle a break. Give your readers a chance to miss you. As the wife of a pilot, I can attest that absence unequivocally makes the heart grow fonder. If you’ve cultivated a loyal community through your blog, they are not going to abandon you if you take a few days off. I promise.

Whichever option you choose, be sure to plan ahead. Nobody wants to be cobbling posts together or begging blog friends for guest posts in the hours before your departure. Something tells me you booked those tickets months ago. Don’t let your blog be an afterthought. Make your decision and take the time well in advance to prepare your posts. Lining up posts ahead of time or allowing yourself the freedom to unplug will make your vacation all the more relaxing and rejuvenating.

Tell us, what happens in your corner of the blogosphere when you take a vacation?

Social Media Questions Answered: Come Back Next Week

Today was to be the final post in our series answering social media questions from the Berrett-Koehler Author Co-Op book marketing event that took place in Atlanta last month.

Miss the earlier posts? Read Part One, Part Two, and Part Three.

However, I’m enjoying some rare unplugged and out-of-the-office time, so I’ll be back next week with Part Four in this series.

Thanks and enjoy your Monday.