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.
With so many options available to you for marketing these days, it can be really easy to over do it and find yourself overwhelmed. Don’t let that happen. Keep it simple and use only the marketing tools that work for you and that you can maintain without drowning.
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.
Marketing is a double edged sword. I bet you thought I’d say it was an art or a science. For most people, it’s a necessary evil. You have to market to get people to buy your stuff or use your services or support your cause. Don’t do it enough and the phones stop ringing. Too much and the exact same thing can happen. I myself can become quite irritated when, outside of my work, I get over-marketed by someone.
Example: when I run into a store, the last thing I want to do is answer a ton of questions upon checkout. “What’s your zipcode? Your phone number? How did you hear about us?” This usually before they have even begun to scan into the register whatever it is I’m trying to buy, and all because someone, somewhere, decided that it was a worthwhile exercise to annoy some people as long as some other people went ahead and gave them the information they were looking for. But is it worth it?
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.
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.
I remember the phone book. (I don’t say this sarcastically) Anytime you needed to find someone, you looked in the phone book. I had a good friend at school but didn’t have his phone number, so I looked it up and found what I thought was his home phone number. I called it up and it turned out to be his father’s office.
Ooops. I was eleven, so I could be forgiven.
Today, I can’t remember the last time I looked inside a phone book, and that’s huge. Even more important, I’m not the only one.
If you are serious about your marketing, you probably already have a copy of The New Rules of Marketing & PR in your library, but the 3rd edition, The New Rules of Marketing & PR: How to Use Social Media, Online Video, Mobile Applications, Blogs, News Releases, and Viral Marketing to Reach Buyers Directly, updates the book to include more social media areas and content.
Even if you have an older edition, the core tenets of this book can be applied to your 21st Century marketing plan, but I’d recommend picking up (or downloading to your Kindle) the latest edition.
If nothing else, grab this book for the updated case studies, examples, and the Marketing and PR Strategy Plan template.
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.
I have the Kindle version of Likeable Social Media: How to Delight Your Customers, Create an Irresistible Brand, and Be Generally Amazing on Facebook (& Other Social Networks), and I find that it speaks to the heart of social media: connecting.
Everyone will tell you, when it comes to social media, you have to be a real human being, someone people can identify and connect with. An endless stream of links and in your face selling will not get you anywhere.
Likeable Social Media lays it out for you in clear, concise language with plenty of examples and success stories. Highly recommended for anyone looking to be successful with social media marketing.