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Posts Tagged ‘social media marketing’

50 Qualities of the Best Business Blogs

February 24th, 2012

Hi All!

As you know, I’m constantly doing research for tips, trends and strategies that pertain the branding, business, marketing, social media, sales, PR, etc…basically anything that can help people build their small businesses and achieve success!

And today I came across this great blog post written by Marcus Sheridan, The Sales Lion, entitled: 50 Qualities of the Best Business Blogs in the World.

I wanted to share several of the tips on his list here because SO many clients and people in my workshop audiences constantly ask,”What can I do to make my blog better?” Or, “I want to start a blog but don’t know what to do!”

And after reading Marcus’s post, I felt many of you could benefit from the info. So, here are 15 of the 50 qualities he shared:

1. They answer the basic consumer questions first and foremost.

2. They don’t suffer from the curse of knowledge.

3. They don’t try to impress readers because they know that happens naturally with great teaching.

4. They don’t brag about themselves, their company, and why they’re so awesome.

5. They are willing to have a conversation below the post (in the comments section) or behind the scenes via email.

6. They don’t waste words, and if they can state it shorter, they do.

7. The owner/CEO of the company is involved and also is a blog contributor.

8. They include at least one image on every post.

9. They make it readable by using short paragraphs, bullets, headers, etc.

10. They include video as much as possible.

11. They address subjects no one else in their industry is willing to address.

12. If they see something wrong in their industry, they tactfully call-out the action, person, or company doing it.

13. They leverage as many employees as they can in the content curation process, and see every member of their staff as a “blog contributor.”

14. They don’t have a bunch of frivolous red tape, filters, and stupid management teams holding up every blog article that’s written.

15. They have thick skin and don’t back down as soon as someone doesn’t like what they have to say.

To read the other 35 qualities he shared, simply click here!

I hope that all you small business owners, speakers, authors, coaches, entertainers and consultants find this info helpful for improving your blogging efforts. If you’re going to take the time to have a blog, you should at least do your best to make your efforts effective!

Cheers & Happy Marketing!

Lisa

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Beyond a Press Release: Two More Strategies to Get Media Interviews

February 05th, 2012

Hi All!

By writing and distributing Press Releases for myself, I have been interviewed by well-known media such as The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, U.S. News & World Report, and many others. And when you give them a great interview or sound bite, they come back to you. I have one reporter who has contacted me 3 different times in the past 6 months for 3 different articles she was writing. That is FREE publicity to the world!

Press Releases can also prompt the media to ask you to write an article for them. Why? They perceive you as an “expert”! In a short period of time I was asked by BNET.com, WomenEntrepreneur.com, and PersonalBrandingBlog.com to write articles for them – all because they received a Press Release from me and it put me on their radar as a “go to” expert in my niche.

But once you’ve crafted a newsworthy Press Release, and deployed it through a distribution service like PRWeb.com, what else can you do as a small business owner on a budget to get media interviews? Here are 2 strategies to consider:

Spoon Feeding the Media Segment Ideas

In addition to sending out “mass news” Press Releases, there is another strategy for getting publicity. I call it “spoon feeding” the media. The media loves it when you approach them with specific story ideas. This can be along the lines of topics like: “Is Your Career Suffering? 5 Unique Tips for Success”, or “Do You Struggle With Money? 3 Surefire Tips for Finding Financial Bliss”, or “Is Stress Ruining Your Life? 4 Proven Ways to Overcome It”.

The key here is you’re doing the “thinking” for the Reporters, Editors, Producers, etc. They are always looking for ideas, and appreciate when they get some! So focus on topics that fit within your niche as a Coach, develop compelling topics that would be great interview topics for print, online, radio or TV, find several media outlets that cover stories related to your expertise and that reach your target audience, and pitch them your idea(s). This strategy has worked very well for me, personally, and my clients!

And you can approach the media contacts via phone or email. But, and here’s a key point, whether you send them a Press Release or contact them with a specific topic idea, you need to follow-up. Sending them one email or leaving one voicemail message is typically not enough. Try 3-5 follow up attempts before you give up. Most members of the media are approached with many news stories and topic ideas daily, so being the “squeaky wheel” is often necessary. And even if they don’t jump on the first one you present, continue to the send them new ones. Eventually you will get their attention!

Sharing Your News Through Social Media

Once you have uploaded and deployed your Press Release through PRWeb.com or another online distribution service, the services create a web page for it with a unique url. So not only post your Press Release on your website but also be sure share the link to it with all of your Social Media channels: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, MySpace, etc. You can also use the Press Release as a post for your blog.

And, when you start to get media interviews, be sure to add the links to the articles or appearances on your website. Plus, share links to those, too, with your Social Media communities. Please note, it’s not only totally acceptable to toot your own horn by sharing these things, it is necessary for building your business and brand!

OKAY! There is your crash course in how implementing effective PR strategies can benefit your business. Again, this is a key marketing tool for building brand awareness, positioning yourself as an expert (ie: personal branding), generating sales for events and products, attracting new clients, and landing speaking engagements.

Being persistent and consistent with your PR efforts can bring you substantial returns…and prospects will be impressed by the media coverage you post on your website. It really will build your credibility as an expert in your field!

Cheers & Happy Marketing!

Lisa

 

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Why Not Understanding Social Media Etiquette is Impacting Your Efforts

January 11th, 2012

Hi All!

Back in 2012  I wrote a blog post entitled “Do You Suffer from Social ‘Me’dia Syndrome?”. It was picked up by tons of other blogs and also led to my being asked to write variations of it for several online business communities and magazines. I bring this up because yesterday I spoke to a good friend of mine who was asking me about Social Media tips. After my chat with her I realized that it was a good time to revisit this topic in 2012. Why? Because MANY people are still clueless about proper Social Media etiquette!

Here’s the deal…you have to participate to make it work for you. If you make it all “about you”, you’ve lost the entire essence of what Social Media is about! I find that many new clients who come to me are not getting much out of their Social Media and online marketing efforts because they’ve forgotten ONE little detail…they forgot about the word “social” in their Social Media strategy.

Here are a few tips that will quickly illustrate my point:

1. Comment on other peoples’ blog posts. If you have a blog and want people to comment on your posts, you have to comment on OTHER peoples’ blog posts to start generating traffic to yours. It’s simple: If you read a blog post you like or have an opinion on, don’t just “keep it to yourself”. POST A COMMENT!

2. Retweet other peoples’ tweets: If you like a tweet from someone else, take a split second to click on the retweet button to share it with your followers. That’s why the retweet icon exists! To SHARE info with everyone and help cross-promote each other to help increase awareness for other people. It’s amazing how much more tweet-love and traffic you’ll get if you retweet, reply and comment on other peoples’ tweets. AGAIN…it’s part of being “social” in tweet-ville…and it’s part of Social Media etiquette!

3. Comment or Like other peoples’ posts on Facebook or in LinkedIn Groups: If you want more people to comment and/or click on the “like” button on your Fan Page or Profile posts, then do it more for other people! It takes less than one second to click “like” under someone’s post and sometimes just a couple of seconds to write a comment. Again, if you see a post that you like or find interesting, rather than just THINK to yourself, “That’s funny!” or “That’s cool!” or “That’s interesting!” or “That’s really helpful info!”, move your cursor up to the word “like” under it and simply click. Or type a short comment to acknowledge what that person posted!

This may all sounds like common sense BUT it’s NOT common practice…which is why millions of social media hobbyists and small business owners are involved in Social Media but frustrated with it. They constantly just focus on posting stuff about THEM, their businesses, their products or events, their books, their families, their vacations, their kids, the songs they like, food they like to eat, etc., but they rarely take the time to acknowledge what other people post and share online.

So…here’s my challenge to YOU: If any of this describes how YOU participate in the world of Social Media, make “improve my Social Media etiquette in 2012” one of YOUR resolutions in the new year! You’ll be pleased with the results and will truly be participating the way the world of Social Media was intended!

Cheers & Happy Marketing!

Lisa

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Experts Share Great Tips for Using Videos for Marketing

August 08th, 2011

Hi All!

I came across this terrific article on SocialMediaExaminer.com, written by Cindy King, entitled: “29 tips to make Your Video Marketing Easy“.

Basically, if you are a small business owner wondering how you can begin to use, or more effectively use, short videos in your marketing mix, and you’re on a limited budget, you don’t want to pass up these great tips!

Cindy interviewed experts to share some helpful tips to improve your efforts and strategies. Here are a few of the tips shared, and you can read the entire list of 29 by CLICKING HERE!

5 out of the 29 tips:

Chris Garrett @ChrisGarrett

#1: Try video now

My biggest tip is to try video out, see if it works for you. I resisted video for so long due to my shyness, but when I did put some videos out there my audience reacted so warmly (and forgiving of my goofs) that I wish I had tried sooner.

You don’t need professional gear, expert editing skills and software, and you don’t need a fancy script. You don’t even need to be super-confident in front of the camera.

Just make a good point and deliver content people can use and enjoy. There is no time like the present. Get started!

Chris Garrett, author of the popular blog chrisg.com.

Kristi Hines @kikolani

 #2: Use Google Search Stories if you’re shy

If you’re shy about videos and not ready to put your face (or voice) on camera, there are still options!

My particular favorite is using Google Search Stories to show viewers your best online properties by simply searching for them. You can see mine below that highlights my blog and guest posting contributions.

If you’re having a hard time getting particular results to show up, use some more advanced search queries. For example, one of mine was Kristi Hines site: socialmediaexaminer.com, which showed results with just my posts here on Social Media Examiner.

You can get really creative too, incorporating results from Google image, maps, news, blog, product and book search to feature photography, a business location, blog posts, stuff you sell and books you have written!

Kristi Hines, author of the popular blog Kikolani.

Stephanie Gehman @airport_girl

#3: Find your company’s best cheerleader

Find your internal cheerleader to be the person you put in front of the camera. Your marketing and sales professionals are not always the most likely candidates to be the star of your company/brand’s videos.

Consider the person in the office who encourages and has a smile for everyone, as his/her natural exuberance may be just the on-camera talent you’re looking for!

Stephanie Gehman is marketing manager for Harrisburg International Airport in Pennsylvania.

Lewis Howes @LewisHowes

#4: Start publishing regularly

Video can seem like just another challenge to overcome, but I see a major increase in my business and brand awareness all from the power of video. There are a number of tips I could share, but the best one is easy. Simply put, it’s important to start publishing video on a consistent basis.

Don’t worry about what camera to use (I use the reverse camera on my iPhone often) and don’t worry about editing it to make it look perfect (the “mess-ups” will make you look more genuine and real) as the most important thing is to simply get your message out there on video.

Start with shorter 1- to 3-minute videos that educate your audience, then as you get more comfortable, you can make them longer or do more editing, but for now, the best thing you can do is take action and produce videos on a consistent basis.

Lewis Howes, author of a popular blog and soon-to-be-launched Video Traffic Academy.

Neal Rodriguez @notifyneal

#5: Be transparent and authentic

You want to be as transparent and authentic as you can be when expressing yourself on video; talk with a naked tongue.

I have generated business through video by communicating passionately and honestly on the topic of social media marketing. I have touched on topics and tactics that other people with whom I operate don’t discuss, like the successful use of social bookmarking platforms like Digg, Reddit and StumbleUpon.

Success with such platforms is perceived as black magic by most social media marketers and strategists, but I have communicated how I have been successful in detail through video.

The other critical component is the marketing of your videos. I have developed relationships by helping other bloggers and webmasters in my niche, who have allowed me to post guest contributions on their websites. This way, a proportion of people who visit another website will visit mine, and a proportion of people who visit my website linked from the guest post will subscribe to my email list, RSS feed, Twitter, YouTube, Digg and Facebook digital assets.

Once you have built a community of engaged friends with whom you keep in touch through social channels, some of these people will help you promote your content by sharing it on social media, buying your products or services, or referring you to somebody who will buy your products or services.

Neal Rodriguez is an online marketer who teaches companies how to use social media marketing.

OKAY! There are 5 tips to get your head around using video in your marketing mix. But don’t forget to check out the other 24 ideas and strategies that Cindy compiled.

Cheers & Happy Marketing!

Lisa

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5 Things Your Freelance Sales Writer Must Deliver

July 18th, 2011

Hi All!

The following blog is a guest post courtesy of Debbie Feldstein, a freelance non-fiction writer based in New York City.  For more than 20 years, she has provided imaginative, unique, and persuasive copy in the form of press releases, brochures, sales letters, and autoresponders.  She has authored dozens of books, reports, and articles on effective sales and marketing.  Among her ‘best sellers’ are How to Use Social Media Marketing to Attract More Prospects, Make More Sales and How to Create Information Products.  For more information, please visit www.creativeblocks.com or send a message to oddball@creativeblocks.com.

Plus, I can personally vouch for Deb’s talent because she has been the Editor for my 3 books! She really is fabulous and great to work with.

Okay! Let’s jump into Deb’s article:

5 Things Your Freelance Sales Writer Must Deliver

The Internet makes it easy to find and hire freelance copywriters.  But the question many entrepreneurs and small business owners face when they want to outsource their copywriting needs is this:

How do I know which copywriter to choose? (My short answer is ‘Choose ME,’ of course.)

If you don’t know anything about the product you’re buying, then it’s tough to get a good deal.  For example, if you don’t know diddly about cars, you may end up buying a Yugo instead of a Mercedes.

One way to ‘look under the hood’ of a potential hire that you want to handle your business writing is to ask them in their proposal if they know (and can deliver) the 5 essentials of a good sales message.

Anatomy of a Conversion-Oriented Sales Message

Whether it’s an advertisement in the Sunday paper, a postcard, an online sales letter, a television commercial, or even a flyer stuck under the wipers of an automobile, an effective pitch always includes these elements.

To assess skills, ask your copywriter to provide portfolio samples of:

***Headline – A headline should be unique, powerful, and convey the biggest benefit of using a product or service.

***Body Copy – The body copy should be an emotionally compelling recitation of what the consumer will receive and needs to do.

***Social Proof – Testimonials and endorsements, prove that an offer is what you claim.  The problem is that many testimonials and long and rambling.  (Ask your copywriter for a sample of a before-and-after testimonial that he/she has edited.)

***Guarantee – Guarantees should remove risk so that the consumer has no fear of disappointment.

***Bonus – Offering something of additional value (“But wait, there’s more!”) should transform a sales offer from ‘good’ to ‘irresistible.’

***Urgent Call to Action – Procrastination kills profits and, unfortunately, prospective buyers may be likely to put aside offers to act upon at a later date.  Ask your copywriter for an example of a statement that tells a consumer how to place an order, with an incentive for them to act quickly.

Important note: When asking for a sample of these various elements, it is appropriate to request something from the writer’s portfolio.  It is NOT appropriate to ask your as-yet-unhired writer to do work ‘on spec’ and deliver samples based on your specific project.

Unscrupulous entrepreneurs (and you don’t want to be one of THOSE) sometimes ask numerous copywriters to provide on-spec samples.  Then they simply cobble those samples together to create their own sales message, without paying any of the writers whose creativity they are pilfering.

Your prospects are waiting for you.  And so are the talented copywriters that can help you turn those prospects into buyers.  Go for it!

Thanks, Deb, for the great advice!

Cheers & Happy Marketing!

Lisa

 

 

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Business Building Tools for Coaches and Consultants

February 11th, 2011

Hi All!

Many of my clients are coaches or consultants, and they hire me because they are struggling with growing their practices and generating more income. And, some of them are also authors who have written a book to help increase their notoriety as an expert so they need my help with their branding and book marketing, too.

If you can relate to any of that, and you are a coach or consultant, I recommend checking out these (2) FREE tools, created by my colleague, Kathleen Gage. Kathleen is an online marketing expert and has helped many coaches and consultants increase their income by becoming more savvy about using the internet as a key marketing and sales tool for growing their practices.

Here are the 2 FREE Products she is offering:

1. SPECIAL REPORT: What You Need to Know to Start & Build Your Coaching or Consulting Business

Again, it’s free and NO OPT-IN is required! Simply click here to receive this info-packed pdf!

2. 3-PART VIDEO SERIES: Build a Successful Coaching and Consulting Business

This is ALSO FREE, and simply click here to access the videos!

And, if you’re really serious about ramping your practice, be sure to check out the New Horizon’s Telesummit! 12 Experts (one is me!) will be conducting sessions loaded with advice and strategies all about how to grow your coaching and consulting business. Here is a snapshot of what you’ll learn by attending this event:

– Attract higher-paying clients
– Develop multiple streams of revenue
– Have the choice to work face to face or virtually
– Gain massive visibility and credibility
– Become and expert at social media
– Be viewed as an industry expert
– Develop a sustainable business
– Convert prospects to paying clients
– Create money-making products to sell to clients

There are several different registration options, ranging in price, so you’re bound to find one that works with your budget! And the event is VIA PHONE, so you can attend from anywhere on your phone.

The New Horizons Telesummit is February 23rd and 24th, so CLICK HERE for details!

Cheers & Happy Marketing!

Lisa

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4 Steps to Leveraging Other People’s Audiences for Big Exposure

January 14th, 2011

Hi All!

I saw the following blog post on ByBloggers.net (an amazing resource for learning effective strategies to create and market digital products), and received permission from them, and the article’s author, to share it here. It’s loaded with great information to help you expand your brand to the followers of other bloggers and online broadcasters (ie: People with podcast shows) who have large audiences.

No need for me to go on about this topic…author, Mike Tiojanco, does a fine job on his own! But before you dive into his info-packed article, here’s some info about Mike: He is an entrepreneur, blogger, and partner at BlogcastFM Premium. In January, he is launching his new project, 8 Hour Rebellion, aimed at helping people break out of the 9-5 and live a life free from the chains of an office desk (so he can spend more time with his wife, two kids, and Xbox360). And you can follow him on twitter: @mtio.

So, without further delay…here is what Mike has to say about:

Leveraging Other People’s Audiences

Most entrepreneurs are familiar with the concept of using leverage to make money.

Use other people’s time (OPT) or, more commonly, other people’s money (OPM) to push your business.

However, when I launched a membership site, it wasn’t OPT or OPM that made it a success.

It was OPA. Other People’s Audiences.

Anatomy of a Partnership

Last November, I helped launch BlogcastFM Premium – a membership site that helps people take their blogs to the next level.

None of that would have happened without a partnership between myself and the BlogcastFM founders, Srini Rao and Sid Savara.

Let’s go step-by-step through the partnership/joint venture (JV) process as I experienced it:

1. Build Your Network

Way back in February I heard about a new podcast series that was launching – BlogcastFM. I had been reading Sid’s personal development blog and following him on twitter. I was just starting my own blog at the time, so the podcast content was perfect for me.

I ended up following Srini on twitter and reading his blog.

A couple posts into my blog I shot him an email asking him to take a look. He was kind enough to take few minutes to check it out and give me some feedback.

I kept in contact with him via twitter, and eventually pitched him on my very first guest post.

At the time I had no clue that these initial contacts would turn into a partnership, but at the time I was just looking to connect with people who were doing what I wanted to be doing.

The takeaway: Work on building your network early and often. Many successful bloggers advise that you spend 50% of your time writing content and 50% of your time networking.

2. Listen to People’s Needs

Like I mentioned before, I am a devoted listener of BlogcastFM.

I listen to just about every episode the day it comes out, sometimes more than once (I’ve got a 45 min. commute).

After listening to that many episodes, a common theme appeared.

In just about every episode, Srini commented, “If I could put into action the ideas I get from every interview, my blog would be way more successful than it is.”

So even Srini, the host of the podcast… the interviewer himself… needed help pulling the best tips out of every interview and figuring out how to implement them.

Surely their audience was having the same issues.

I could help with that.

The Takeaway: Find something that someone’s audience needs that the blogger doesn’t have time to create (or has no interest in creating).

Dave Navarro did this with Naomi Dunford’s audience.

Her audience at ittybiz.com consists of small online business owners. She offers marketing and business development advice – a lot of which is focused on creating ebooks and other digital products. However, her material didn’t really focus on how to launch the ebook once it was created – Dave’s specialty.

Before partnering on “How to Launch the **** of Your eBook,” Dave Navarro was mostly unknown. It was the partnership with Naomi that put him on the map.

3. Pitch the Idea

Back in September, I approached them with an idea for the product – a membership site offering action worksheets for each of their 100+ interviews on BlogcastFM.

They said yes.

I think what really put them over the edge is that I provided a sample of the product – an action worksheet for the interview with Sean Ogle.

This let them see exactly what I had in mind, as opposed to an abstract description in an email.

The Takeaway: Don’t be afraid to pitch the idea. After my pitch, the feedback the guys gave to me was that this was something they really wanted to create for their audience, but they didn’t have the time to do it themselves. Worst case scenario, they pass, but now you’re really on their radar.

The last step:

4. Make Them Love You.

This is something I’m still working on, and will continue to work on as long as BlogcastFM is around.

Do the best work you can.

Make them feel lucky to have you on their team.

Remember, your work is a reflection on their reputation.

The Takeaway: After someone says yes, provide the best work you can so that they feel that the partnership was the best business decision they ever made.

Like I said, I’m still working on this one. I had some family issues that prevented me from doing this over the past month or so, but you better believe I’m going to work my tail off showing them that this was the right decision for them.

That said, I’ve got some interviews to listen to and some worksheets to create…

BIG thanks to Mike, and to Jonathan, founder of ByBloggers.net, for allowing me to share this! GREAT ADVICE and useful info!

Cheers & Happy Marketing!

Lisa

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How to Conduct A Virtual Book Tour to Increase Your Sales

November 13th, 2010

Hi All!

Book authors are on a never-ending quest to promote their books, sell their books, and increase awareness for them. Yet, many authors struggle with this. I know this first hand because I have a lot of clients who are authors and seek my help with their book marketing.

One effective book marketing strategy that most authors do not use is conducting a Virtual Book Tour; using blogs as the vehicle. There are many ways to do one, so this post will give you some general guidelines to follow and you can adjust, alter and brainstorm additional ideas for your tour.

And the great thing about Virtual Book Tours is that it doesn’t matter if your book is new or not! There are many authors who have books that are several years old and their Virtual Book Tour brings the book back-to-life, generates interest for the book amongst people who didn’t know about it when it first came out, and ramps sales again. So don’t think this strategy is just for NEW books! And, it doesn’t matter whether you self-publish or not! I know authors who get hung-up on the self-published status of their book, but it’s NOT an issue!

1.)   Establish a timeframe for your tour. This can range from one week to one month. And you’ll want to start organizing it 1-2 months ahead of time for effective planning.

2.)   Find blogs that reach the audience you want to target for your book, and contact the owners of those blogs. This can range anywhere from 10 to a million blogs! How many blogs involved on your tour just depends on the time you have to do this outreach and how many blogs are the right fit for your book’s topic.

3.)   Tell each blogger the tour’s timeframe and what your expectations are when they participate in the tour. This may include: During the tour, they need to write a review of your book that includes the book’s cover linked to your Amazon page or wherever your book is sold; and you’ll provide them with 1-3 articles that pertain to your book’s topic that they will run during the tour as “guest blog posts” (from you) on their blog. And in the articles you provide them, they’ll include your short bio, pic of your book (or of you), and link to your website. You’ll provide EACH of the blogs that participate the same articles and each of them can run the articles in any order they want during the tour.

4.)   Send each participating blogger an organized “kit” for the tour (via email). This should include: General tour info (restate expectations, tour timeframe, roll-out schedule, etc.); file of your book cover; file of your headshot; and the articles you wrote for them to use as “guest posts” (as Word docs with links embedded to your website, Amazon page, etc.). Don’t rely on the bloggers to find the correct links to YOUR stuff!

5.)   Mail each blogger a copy of your book. Obviously you need to do this so they can read it BEFORE the book tour launches. And, no, don’t ask them buy it! Mail them a free copy!

6.)   Offer several copies of your book to each blogger who participates to use as a giveaway item for a contest they can create (or use it as a free gift for something the blogger wants to promote). You may not want to do this with every blogger who participates (if you have TONS of blogs on the tour), but you’ll want to offer it to the ones who have a lot of traffic. This is a good strategy because aside from them writing a review for your book and running the articles you provide to them during the tour, they can create a contest (or promotion) “around your book” which will be additional exposure for your book.

7.)   Thank and mention the blogs who participate on YOUR blog throughout the tour, on Twitter tweet the links to the blog posts they do about (and from) you, mention them on your Facebook Fan Page, etc. Doing all of this is critical because you are giving the participating blogs exposure to YOUR social networks, and that’s good business. The bloggers who participate on your tour are doing YOU a favor so giving them some “link love” and exposure is only right.

8.)   Consider sending each blogger who participated in your tour a Thank You gift when it’s over. Again, show them gratitude for their time, effort and help in promoting YOUR book!

Okay! That’s a general overview of how to do a Virtual Book Tour. Yes, I could go on & on with more ideas for conducting a successful tour, and ways to make it more elaborate (but that can get costly), so this gives you a good starting point. The “basic” approach I provided can get you great results as long as you PLAN ahead of time and connect with enthusiastic bloggers who are excited to participate in your Virtual Book Tour.

And if you want help with ideas, planning, and execution of your tour, or need other book marketing strategies, you know where to find me…

Cheers & Happy Marketing!

Lisa

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5 Ways to Use Video to Build Your Brand and Create Products

September 30th, 2010

Hi All!

I just posted my newest video on my YouTube Channel. In this video I share 5 quick tips on how you can use video, easily, to build awareness for your brand, blog, products, website, etc. I also share a great tip on how you can quickly and inexpensively create video products that you can sell on your blog or website to generate income online.

And, in this vid, I also mention Kristi Hines (follow her on Twitter @Kikolani), social media expert an blogger, because some of the tips I share are from a blog post of hers. In that post she focused on “5 Types of Videos for Bloggers“, but I expanded on those with additional info to help you.

Whether you’re a small business owner, solopreneur, speaker or author, you’ll find the tips helpful. And you’ll quickly see that creating promotional videos, how to videos, tutorials, or video products is VERY easily (you don’t need to be a video producer to create them!)…and they can be done (nicely) for free!

Ok! I’ll keep this blog post short because the info you really need can be found in the video!

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE VIDEO!

Cheers & Happy Marketing!

Lisa

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Free e-Book to Improve (or Start) Your Social Media Efforts

September 12th, 2010

Hi All!

Social Media Strategist, Chris Tompkins, CEO & Founder of Go! Media International, has written a very comprehensive “how to” e-book that clearly maps-out the steps and strategies you need to know to improve, or start, your social media marketing efforts. This is ideal for small business owners and solopreneurs!

Here is a brief overview of what he covers in this terrific e-book, “Social Jump Start”:

1. How to create a clear picture of what your social media marketing environment will look like

2. What your “voice” and purpose is

3. Creating an organized marketing strategy

4. How to identify your target audience(s) and know what makes them tick

5. Determining your “schedule strategy” for your social media efforts

6. How to ethically interact online

7. And MUCH MORE!

Plus, he concludes the e-book with his Top 30 suggestions on how to effectively get started. These quick-hit tips are also loaded with great strategies about effective copywriting, creating easy products to generate traffic and build your list, starting online groups, info about blog tours, and a ton more.

Again, this e-book is FREE, so CLICK HERE to check it out. You’re not even required to provide your contact info to download it! The link takes you straight to the PDF.

Even if you only learn ONE tip, it may be one that makes a big difference in your branding, sales and business building efforts!

Cheers & Happy Marketing!

Lisa

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