How Facebook Works (or so they tell us)

A lot of people ask me how Facebook ‘works’, how they get their message out to their fans and followers and the truth is – it can be very confusing, even for professional marketers.  Unfortunately, Facebook itself doesn’t make it any easier to understand, and some recent changes make it even more complicated.  I thought I’d talk a little bit about those changes today.

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Live Appearance: Author Fest of the Rockies

If you are an author interested in Social Media Marketing or Podcasting for Creatives, I’ve got a little something for you.  This weekend (the 28th & 29th), I’ll be presenting as part of the 7th Annual Author Fest of the Rockies in Manitou Springs Colorado. As mentioned above, my presentations will be on Podcasting for Creatives and Social Media for Authors, two topics that authors have a lot of interest in and questions about.  Cost for the event is $75 for two days and includes breakfast and lunch.

A little background: Author Fest of the Rockies is a nonprofit organization operating under the umbrella of the Business of Art Center. The conference is open to anyone interested in the written and spoken word. Author Fest is dedicated to keeping a strong arts-in-education component in its activities and to supporting the Manitou Springs Community.

For more information, visit the Author Fest Website.

Hope to see you there.

I’m Back

Hi there.  I need to apologize.  I’ve been away and haven’t been blogging.  Several factors led up to this absence, including travel, award shows and a prolonged sickness that I am only this week starting to beat back and feel like myself again.  As for the awards, well, that would be the 2012 Hugo Awards, presented each year at the World Science Fiction Convention.  I was up for the podcast I produce and host over at SFSignal.com.  Alas, I did not win, but being nominated was thrilling and an experience I won’t soon forget.

A lot of podcasting out there is about promotion or self-promotion, and so I thought that would be the topic for today’s blog post.

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How to Start a Blog

In today’s world, having a website is the most basic form of marketing anyone can have.  I’d go so far as to say a website has replaced the business card in your marketing toolbelt.  A website is cheap in the scheme of things, and can be cheaper than that business card when you look at how easily it can be updated and the long term impact having a good site can have.  Can you still find people charging upwards of $10,000 for a ‘basic’ website?  Sure.  And if you’re a multibillion dollar company, that’s probably an investment worth making.

But there are affordable options and solutions for everyone out there, from the author looking to start their platform, the sales person looking to connect with existing and potential clients, all the way up to the small business owner needing to jazz up their online presence.

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5 Rules for Social Media

When it comes to social media, some people think they should put it all out there while others are loathe to reveal any part of their personal lives.  Knowing where to draw the line can be difficult, but really, it all comes down to common sense and a little self-discipline.

Here’s a list of 5 rules for social media I think will help.

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Being Social

I’m always surprised by people who miss the point of social media; being social.

There is a definite benefit for sales people who use social media correctly, but some try to force it to be something it isn’t.  I see this a lot, especially with self-published authors, or people who pay services or companies to ‘monitor and update’ their social medial channels for them.  This leads to a stream of endless and impersonal links, an immediate turn-off for people who are looking to connect.

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Google Says: Don’t Do This

A massive mistake people make, especially sales people trying to navigate their way through the social media and blogging landscape, is to copy/paste whole ‘articles’ onto their own websites.  This is a big no-no for several reasons, not the least of which is the impact it can have on your visibility on search engines like Google.

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5 Reasons You Should Be Using Pinterest

As one of the newest kids on the social media block, Pinterest is growing by leaps and bounds.  Once thought to be for women alone, men are jumping on board with the site that lets you ‘pin’ images to virtual cork-boards where friends and followers can find them.

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What is Pinterest?  Let’s take a look at the official description:

Pinterest is a virtual pinboard. Pinterest allows you to organize and share all the beautiful things you find on the web. You can browse pinboards created by other people to discover new things and get inspiration from people who share your interests. People use pinboards to plan their weddings, decorate their homes, and share their favorite recipes.

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