How Small Publications Can Play A Big Role In Your Publicity Efforts …
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Since we are starting a fresh New Year, I came across TWO exceptional articles from my friend and PR Expert, Marsha Friedman that shares two vital parts to marketing you, your books, and Brand! We can never have too much advice from a Public Relations firm that Marsha runs and is the founder of. Let’s make 2018 our “Year To Shine!”
Marsha Friedman+ by | Jan 3, 2018.| General Marketing, PR Education
The start of a New Year is always a great time to focus on creating a ânew youâ â or at least an improved version of the old you.
Sometimes we do that through resolutions about dieting and exercise that, sadly, we donât always keep. Sometimes we enter January vowing that in the next 12 months we will travel more, read more or spend more time with the family.
As you look ahead to all the possibilities that a New Year brings, let me suggest that if youâve been letting your personal brand languish, 2018 can be your time to shine! It can be the year you rise from obscurity to fame â or at least to recognition as a voice of authority and go-to expert in your field. You just need to be willing and determined to make it happen!
You can bet that if you donât, someone else â possibly a direct competitor â is going to step into the limelight that you neglected. They will be the ones polishing up their personal brands and, as a result, speaking with journalists, chatting with radio and TV show hosts, and linking to their media success stories on their websites.
Several years ago when I wrote my book Celebritize Yourself, personal branding hadnât become quite as widespread as it is today. Certainly, some people â Zig Ziglar, Suze Orman and Bob Greene, just to name a few â had become extraordinarily successful at it, but at that time there werenât always as many ways for people to promote themselves as there are now.
Most of the social media platforms that we have come to take for granted were either in their formative years or were dismissed as being irrelevant or unimportant. How quickly that changed! Now itâs so easy for anyone to create a Facebook, Twitter or other social media account and introduce themselves to the world.
Meanwhile, the old-school ways of promoting yourself via earned media in print, on radio and TV are still around, too. With so many opportunities out there, let me suggest just a few things you can do in 2018 to make this the year you take your personal brand to a new level:
So make a vow that 2018 will be your year! Although it may seem a daunting task, this really can be the year you create a truly authentic personal brand that will positively sparkle by the time 2019 arrives.
Thatâs a resolution definitely worth keeping…Shine on!
Yes, this is me shining on!! Now to our next article!
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This week my creative team and I were in the middle of just such a session when Jay York, our senior social media strategist, intrigued me with his thoughts about current trends in video marketing.
Letâs face it. With todayâs technology, combined with the vast reach of social media, itâs easier than ever to create your own video segments that can become an integral part of your overall marketing strategy. You donât even need a studio worthy of âGood Morning, Americaâ or special effects that would make you the envy of George Lucas. In fact, the less formal the production is the better.
And once you arrive at your finished product, you can put your video on Youtube, share it on other social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter, and post a link to it from your website.
Frankly, you can get a lot of marketing mileage out of just one video â but you shouldnât stop there because there are so many approaches you can take. You might create a series of short messages filled with insights into your area of expertise.
You might want to show your company culture with glimpses of team-building outings for example. It can show youâre a fun company to work with, or that youâre philosophically aligned and share commonalities with potential clients. These can be deciding factors when choosing a company to work with. At EMSI, we often use videos for those peeks inside the company, sharing them on Instagram!
So, with an assist from Jay, let me offer a few tips on what you should do to get started and get the most out of your video marketing this year:
A video is going to be more relevant in marketing in 2018 than ever before, which means you need to give serious consideration to incorporating it into your overall strategy.
Granted, not everyone enjoys going in front of a camera. I get that! But I also know the importance of video, so Iâm going to suggest you overcome any camera fright and, if you havenât already done so, take the video plunge! And yours in high definition!
About Marsha Friedman
Marsha Friedman launched EMS Incorporated in 1990. Her firm represents corporations and experts in a wide array of fields such as business, health, food, lifestyle, politics, finance, law, sports, and entertainment. She consults individuals and businesses on a daily basis and is frequently asked to speak at conferences about how to harness the power of publicity.
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Hello, and Welcome Everyone!
Today my dear friend and PR expert, Marsha Friedman, CEO of EMSI Public Relations is our Guest and will be sharing why Social Media is still a great place to build your brand as an author. Engaging and interaction with your readers is also a vital part of building a following too!
So let’s see what Marsha has to say.
Every day people start their day by checking in on social media â and before too long the sharing of memes, posts, videos and cat pictures starts in earnest on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and other platforms. Whatâs driving all that sharing?
Lots of things, probably, but to boil it down to its essence, people share on social media because they come across something that appeals to them and they think it will appeal to like-minded people. They share because they like the feedback they get from sharing. And they share just because itâs fun. So what does that mean to you and why does it matter to your brand? After all, youâre looking for results!
It all boils down to understanding how and why social media users behave the way they do. This information is valuable because if you understand the needs of your social media audience it will help you make decisions that influence those users to act in a way that benefits you or your brand. Let me share (thereâs that word!) just a few key points about sharing on social media:Â
Getting into the minds of social media users is an important precedent for ensuring that your brand is doing all it can to attract and convert your target audience to grow your business.
Make sure you arenât just looking at social media as an advertising avenue, but also a place to share valuable, appropriate, engaging and entertaining content that will get social media users to make you part of their personal brands and share it so they can get the responses from their peers they desire.
Your brand will benefit â and so will your followers who are the recipients (and sharers) of your interesting and relevant content!
Just thought Iâd share that!
Marsha Friedman
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About Marsha Friedman
Marsha Friedman launched EMS Incorporated in 1990. Her firm represents corporations and experts in a wide array of fields such as business, health, food, lifestyle, politics, finance, law, sports, and entertainment. She consults individuals and businesses on a daily basis and is frequently asked to speak at conferences about how to harness the power of publicity which includes many authors!
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Now that is a great question author’s ask me all the time. And it is why I have a page here on my blog for author’s to use to know where to be on social media to promote your books effectively. But Marsha is an expert in this area and so I wanted to have her give us all that advice from a more PR perspective. So let’s get right to it!
Why You Should Use Social Media to Build Your Opt-In Email List!
By now, everyone knows that social media is a key component to any marketing campaign. At least if youâve been reading these newsletters you do. But aside from the obvious benefits of outreach and awareness, there is something else you can be doing with your social networking campaign that can supercharge all of your efforts: build an opt-in email list.
I know from my own experience that social media marketing has enabled me to increase my email list by thousands, with those on the list continuously receiving my newsletters that carry my advice, my tips, and my message.
My newsletter helps my social media contacts remember me and what I do, not because I am actively selling and promoting myself. Like my social media strategy, I use these pieces to add value to the lives of the people on my list. My formula is simple â if some of you like what you read, when you have the need and the resources and are considering using a PR firm, you might consider my company. And thatâs it. Whatâs more, I know it works, because Iâve used this formula to build a thriving 27-year-old business.
Adding value for my clients is the real reward I have enjoyed by combining my email and social media marketing efforts. So how can you do this? Let me share a few actions that we find are successful.
Thatâs how it all fits together. Social media is not the next big âthing.â Itâs now part of the foundation of a good marketing campaign, as intractable as advertising and public relations.
Hope this helps!
Marsha
P.S. If youâd like professional help getting interviews with the media, weâve been arranging interviews for our clients on radio and TV, and obtaining editorial coverage in newspapers and magazines for more than 26 years. We also offer a comprehensive social media marketing program for select clients, where we do it all for you. If youâre interested in our help, please call us at 727-443-7115 Ext. 231 or  (800) 881-7342 or send me an Email: info@emsincorporated.com Weâd love to hear from you!
Please take a visit to my friends and see how they can supercharge your Public Image at EMSI Public Relations Firm!
Author, Catherine Townsend-Lyon
I am always honored to be asked by my good friends over at Book Marketing Tools.  It is the best place to be if you are an author. They have many tools to help self-published authors learn to book promote and advertise with them as well. So I was invited to write and share MY opinion on the best places for a “New Indie Author” to learn How and Where to promote their books throughout social media.  Here we go!! *Author, Catherine Townsend-Lyon*  đ
              ( Courtesy of Book Marketing Tools )
Authors, you just published your first book. Congratulations!
Now your publisher tells you they only will send out a press release announcing your new book and thatâs it for book promoting.
So, now what? How and Where do you promote your book?
You could hire a book promoter like me but you have no money left after paying for publishing costs.
I am here to help you learn.
Many authors canât afford to pay big bucks for mainstream media advertising. And quite frankly, my book promotions business is booming all through social media! Promoting throughout social media sells books, and you receive book reviews in return. Social media has changed the landscape of promoting oneâs book through places like Facebook and Twitter as they have enhanced their services for authors to promote books with cost effective adâs. Here are my social media picks I use to promote my author clientâs books with impressive results.
Goodreads is known for bringing authors and readers together to benefit them both! Readers can find good books, follow their favorite artists, even ask authors questions in real time! The Goodreads Author Program is a completely free feature designed to help authors reach their target audience â passionate readers. This is the perfect place for new and established authors to promote their books. Authors get a host of tools to use for promoting your books, do giveaways or promos, and you get a free blog too on Goodreads Author Program.
Here are some of the benefits that come with being in âThe Goodreads Author Programâ:
Here are some of the promotional tools available on Goodreads for Authors:
So all you do is go join free and follow the instructions for âThe Goodreads Author Program.â You can add friends and readers by using your Facebook account or even your Email list. So make sure you explore thoroughly.
My next pick is Twitter. I love Twitter for book promoting. It can be a challenge as they only give you 140 characters to work with, so you have to be more creative and learn quickly on how to abbreviate. For book promoting or promoting your brand as an author, Twitter has come a long way! You can share your books, and the book covers with a tweet by using your Amazon or Barnes and Noble links to post and share. Twitter has enhanced their services to help you reach more readers. Start by opening a free account, then build a following by interacting and engaging with readers.
They follow you, and you follow back. Look for book and reader groups and book clubs, other authors and writers as they will be helpful by retweeting what you post. Your followers will retweet what you share about your book, and you get the benefit of reaching ALL their followers. âWord of mouthâ promoting by one little retweet.
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Here are some new tools Twitter has rolled out to help get your new book in front of readers. Yes, some cost money, but you can set a low budget limit to try it out to see if you get good results.
How Twitter Ads Work:
Choose your target audience:
Reach the right audience by targeting based on interests, geography, gender, device, or users similar to your followers. Also, maximize the relevancy of your message by targeting by keywords in peopleâs Tweets.
Amplify your message and get discovered:
Get your Tweets and your account in front of more people who are interested in you.
Set a budget and pay for what works:
Only pay when users follow your account or retweet, like, reply, or click on your Promoted Tweet. Youâre in complete control. Thereâs no minimum spend, and you can start and stop at any time. So open a free Twitter account to started. Then visit their Twitter Ads advertising to see what works best for your book promotion budget.
My last pick on social media is Facebook. Again, I read my several email newsletters from Professional PR firms, and they all say that having a social media presence is a crucial to all authors in promoting their books. I have been promoting my books since 2012, and I am a firm believer that social media is where your readers are. But engagement and interaction are what makes the âmagicâ happen between readers and authors. And that is how you sell books and gain book reviews.
Facebook is another fantastic place to promote your books, authors. Here you are not limited to how you can post all about your new book. I like being creative when sharing my clientâs books on Facebook. I produce fun book cover photos to share; I can share book reviews of their books right from Amazon or Barnes & Noble and so much more. And just like Twitter? Facebook has rolled out some new advertising tools authors can use to help promote your book or brand as an author. And yes, you can join Facebook for free. Here are things you can do to enhance your book promoting through Facebook.
Create an Author page separate from your home Facebook page here: Facebook Advertising
Creating a separate âlike pageâ for yourself as an author allows you to use that space to promoting your book. You can schedule eventsâgiveaways, book tours, book trailers and release datesâconnect to your readers in a professional space, and use the page to link to your website or blog. If you gain enough âlikes,â you can also use Facebooks ads.
Facebook Ads:
Facebook has a whole host of new advertising methods to help you promote your books or brand. You can visit Facebook Ad Products for Business to explore all your paid or free options of advertising through Facebook. And like Twitter, they have a âpay as you goâ option to see if you get results before spending a lot of money for ads. They even have tips on how to write your ads and proper images to go along with them. So join today and get started.
If you need more helpful advice, tips, and some good listing book sites to share your book through just like here on âBook Marketing Tools,â then come to Lyon Book & Social Media Promotions tips and advice page today. I got authors covered!
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Catherine is a best-selling TKG author of âAddicted to Dimesâ, available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble. She is a freelance recovery writer/columnist for âIn Recovery Magazine, and âKeys to Recovery newspaper,â and an ‘Expert blogger of Gambling Addiction Recovery on Addictionland’ recovery.
Another passion is her Book Promotions business called, âLyon Book and Social Media Promotions.â Catherine has fast become well known in many addictions and recovery communities and book promotion & reader communities. She has a large following on social media. You connect with Catherine onTwitter, Facebook, and Goodreads. She lives in Phoenix, Arizona with her husband and 3 cats.
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