/Communication

7 highlights from the New York Social Media Week Panel

SMWUSTeamThis week, I had an opportunity to attend the New York Social Media week sports panel hosted by Blue State Digital “You Won. What’s Next? How to keep your audience engaged after the big moment.”

The panel featured Olympians and NBC Broadcasters Tara Lipinski and Johnny Weir;  Joey Maestas, Head of Social Media at the US Olympic Committee; Ashley Ramirez, Senior Account Strategist @ Twitter; and Evan Moody, Senior Media Strategist at Blue State Digital and Mitch Germann of FleishmanHillard.  It addressed the topic of “how you can keep your audience engaged after the big moment – whether it’s your athletes taking the global stage, a major legislative victory, or after a breaking news story hits. Because when the world isn’t watching, how do you stay relevant? ”

The video offers my seven highlights from the social media panel that apply to authors, experts and speakers.  After you have written a book, launched a program or a course, or had your big PR moment, how do you keep the momentum going?

P.S. You are invited to our first Cyber Soiree. Join our virtual get-together and learn how to create your perfect cyber cocktail:
    Mix your favorite brand ingredients;
    Stir by putting your brand message in motion;
    Create buzz 8 seconds at a time.

We’ll demo a few of our favorite things.
March 4th, 8:30pm EST/7:30pm CST/5:30pm PST. Click HERE to register.

cybersoireebrandbumper

 

By | 2015-02-28T02:05:59+00:00 February 27th, 2015|Communication, Learning|0 Comments

Automate Your Marketing with These 3 Simple Steps: Interview with Toya Nicole

automatization

Did you know that in the 19th century, during the entire 100 years, there were fewer photographs taken than in 2 minutes today? Our life is speeding up, our information is created and consumed faster than ever. How then can you keep your sanity and the love for your business in this rapid, constantly changing world?

Automation is the key!

Today we are super excited to have a special guest, an expert in social media marketing and branding Toya Nicole, who is going to share 3 simple steps on how to work smart and not hard. Watch this 5 minute video to learn Toya’s secrets!

Now, here are the special gifts that we talked about in the video. Just click on the links below to get to them:

#1 More strategies for working smart and not hard from Toya

#2 Free Resources to Make Your Life Easier!

Your opinion is important! In the comments below please let us know about YOUR strategies for automating your life and working smarter, not harder.

By | 2015-02-20T17:19:50+00:00 February 20th, 2015|Communication|0 Comments

One Simple Solution to Stop “Exchanging Money for Time” Madness

friends

…There’s only one of you…And, like you’ve probably realized, there’s only so many hours in a day. And that means that no matter what, your income (and your impact) will always be limited.

When there’s no more room in the day for any more billable hours, how do you grow? And even more importantly– how do you stay sane?

Here are some possible causes of your “insanity” (see if you catch yourself nodding your head as you read the following statements):

  • You want to be seen as a leader in your industry and being recognized for your expertise
  • You want to create something tangible, something of your own, but instead you are still a jack of all trades (doing tons of things that others are doing), or have so many offerings that even you can’t keep up with them….feeling drained and unmotivated…
  • You have a lot of great ideas but you are not sure which one to pursue – which one will make the most impact and bring the most income.
  • After following tons of other experts, it seems that all niches are taken and you just do not have anything unique to offer to the world anymore…
  • You know you have talents but it seems that you cannot get out of the “world’s best kept secret” level …

 These thoughts are a sure way to get yourself upset, disappointed, unmotivated and “stuck”

 Now, how do we stop this madness?

 Very Simply- You need to create your original

Signature Program

that can be used either face-to-face or online.

See how your world (and your physical and emotional state) change as a result of this simple solution:

  • You will stop worrying about attracting new clients. Imagine creating a referral powerhouse where your satisfied clients spread the word about you! (Remember, people would more likely buy a product recommended by their friends).
  • You will feel more fulfilled and confident as your make much more impact on other people’s lives
  • You will grow your income in less time. When you can serve more people and still offer high-quality products that deliver outstanding results, and create an army of raving fans–your reputation grows.
  • You find your “golden niche”: during the process of creating your Signature Program you become crystal clear about your main message and your competitive advantage.
  • You build your presence and your expertise. Having a Signature Program moves you to a “leading expert” or “authority” status. You start being recognized for your message and your unique way to solve your customers’ problems.  You will see that new opportunities that you have never before imagined possible start rolling into your life.
  • You package and repackage already created content.  All of those cool ideas that you have been writing down, all of those pieces of content that has been created over the years – they will be rolled into one system., You will be able to use them and reuse them to create more products that serve multiple people at the same time.
  • You attract more engaging, committed clients that are willing to pay premium prices.

So, in essence, it’s about leverage. It’s about scalability.

And it’s about going from a 1:1 mindset, to 1:1000 And beyond… while being able to engage with each customer ….

Now that you discovered one simple solution to help you move from 1:1 model to 1:10000000 model, do you want to know HOW to do it?

Then join us for a Rapid Fire Free Mentorship Session on Wednesday, February 11, 2015 at 8pm ET http://forms.aweber.com/form/08/86908308.htm

In this session we will show you how to follow a 3-step process for creating Signature Systems.  You will discover 3 simple steps to:

  1. Discover your main idea and Signature System that will instantly connect with your audience.
  2. Shape, reposition & intelligently repackage your ideas into training programs that multiply your impact and income.
  3. Build connection and engagement through compelling storytelling, gamification and scenario-based activities that could be adapted to face-to-face and online environments.

Here is the link again: http://forms.aweber.com/form/08/86908308.htm

 

By | 2015-02-05T21:56:22+00:00 February 5th, 2015|Books, Communication, Learning|0 Comments

25 Goodie Bag Ideas for Your Book Launches, Readings, Signings and Other Promotions

book bag

Image credit: Hammer & Thread

 

Goodie bags are not just for birthday parties anymore. Just like companies give goodie bags filled with small presents to promote their products, authors can fill goodie bags with little literary treasures to excite and delight the hearts and minds of book lovers. You can use them as gift bags for your VIP clients and strategic partners, as well as prizes in giveaways and contests.

Everybody wants to feel special, and with a little imagination, you can put together your own signature goodie bag to make your readers and clients happy. Here are 25 bookish goodie bag ideas for your book launches, readings, signings and other promotions:

  1. Your book autographed by you (Duh!);
  2. Bookmarks: check out some cute DIY felt ones on our Bookphoria Pinterest board or turn your photo collage into a bookmark with an added quote ;
  3. Reading lights;
  4. Fabric book covers;
  5. Pens custom-branded for you;
  6. Calendars with illustrations or quotes from your book;
  7. A set of cards featuring illustrations and quotes from your book;
  8. Stationary, such as notepads, cards and envelopes, custom-branded for you;
  9. Magnets with quotes from your book;
  10. A set of printed library cards that can be used as gift tags, invitations, records of book exchanges, or little notepads (see examples here);
  11. Gummy worm candies for bookworms;
  12. Book-themed mugs;
  13. Feeling crafty? Make some DIY Tile Photo Coasters or pick from the existing styles, colors and shapes, add your words, and then personalize your coasters with your own photo or art.
  14. Favor containers personalized with your quotes;
  15. Recipe cards if your book contains any recipes;
  16. Fortune cookies with your book quotes inside;
  17. A pack of custom heart candies with your clever sayings;
  18. A spice jar filled with your favorite spices and a label with your quote;
  19. A whimsy literary charm to mark a drink glass, like this set of 6 double-sided Fairytale Wine Glass Charms that include Pride and Prejudice, Jane Eyre, Snow White, Red Riding Hood, Romeo and Juliet and Cinderella;
  20. Copied book pages to wrap small items;
  21. Bookish socks, like Curl Up With a Good Bookworm Socks or Typewriters: “Your feet will want to tap, tap, tap the day away in our fun Typewriter women’s crew socks!”
  22. Origami made out of paper with your printed press releases, book reviews and other marketing materials that look impressive but not salesy in a cute origami form;
  23. A flash drive with audio files of your interviews, book readings, etc.;
  24. A DVD of your public appearances, talks or presentations;
  25. A custom designed library tote bag to hold your creative goodies.

What bookish gifts have you enjoyed giving or receiving? Share in the comments below.

P.S. Want our opinion on how you can multiply your impact and income?
Click here to join other experts invited to our free rapid fire mentorship session.

By | 2015-01-28T19:38:59+00:00 January 28th, 2015|Books, Communication|0 Comments

3 Surprising Patterns of Reading Online

eye2

While writing content for online environments you must think of the following paradox: reading is the PRIMARY action performed on the web. AND people try to read as LITTLE as possible (online) 20%!

So the goal for any visitor of your site is to scan as efficiently as they can to understand whether they like what they see or not (in which case they will click away).

Because users read differently online than they do offline – we need to utilize different techniques while writing for the web.

There are 3 main patterns that users employ when they access a website according to Nielsen et al.

1. F-Pattern

When users first come to your site, they will most likely implement an F pattern
F pattern

They will first move in a horizontal movement, usually across the upper part of the content area.

NOTE: sometimes users disregard the whole line if the 1st word is not appealing!

Then, if they like what they see in the first line, they will proceed along the  second horizontal movement that typically covers a shorter area than the previous movement.

Finally, they will explore the left side in a vertical movement.

If their initial scanning fulfills their needs, they will move to the second pattern:

2. Layer Cake Pattern

Now they are using a more committed pattern, a layer cake pattern- where they explore horizontal lines quickly to see if the section they chose strikes their interest.

jucy cake 2

3. Spotted Pattern

If the layer cake scan pattern shows that the user is still interested, he/ she will proceed to a spotted pattern- choosing looking for the main ideas.

So how can you implement this knowledge for your online writing? You need to make the text more scannable.

Make sure that you position most important words and ideas along the F line breaking the text into convenient paragraphs; that each line starts with the catchy word, and that you utilize the following elements for better scanning:

~ bolded words

~ underlined text

~ words in color

~ numbers as numerals

~ words in capital letters

~ long words

~ words in quotation marks

~ words w/ trademarks, copyright

~ words around any of these elements

Using these techniques will increase the usability and convertability of your site.

Now, in the comments below suggest YOUR strategies for breaking the text for better scannability.

P.S. Multimedia solutions, such as brief video explainers, games, assessments, scenarios, and animations, can make your content marketing more engaging. Visit www.bookphoria.com to learn more. Want our opinion on what kind of multimedia solution you could create? We’ll mentor you for free.
Click here to set up a free rapid fire mentorship session with us.

By | 2015-01-23T15:52:24+00:00 January 23rd, 2015|Attention, Communication|0 Comments