Month: April 2014

One of my writing buddies
always gets a zillion reviews
when her stories release.
I asked her how she did it.
Her answer?

“At the end of every story,
I include the line
‘If you liked this story,
please leave a review’
and I give the direct link
to the review site.”

That’s it.
She asks for reviews.
That’s her big secret.

Christopher Litster
suggests methods to gain referrals
in other mediums

“Email.
Add this line to your signature:
“Know anybody who needs help with X?
Send them here,”
with the “here” being
a link to your website.

Newsletters.
Include the following at the bottom
of your newsletter:
“Thanks for reading.
Feel free to pass this along to your friends.”
You can even offer an incentive,
such as,
“Refer three friends and
I’ll send you a
[insert incentive,
such as a coupon or free report]
as a thank you.””

The internet makes it easier
for shy entrepreneurs
to ask for referrals.
Make this process automatic.

One of my buddies fancies himself
‘a great listener’
because he doesn’t talk.

Yeah, no.
Talking with him
is like talking to myself.
When we’re speaking on the phone,
half the time
I wonder if we’ve been disconnected.
I don’t benefit from the conversation
and I suspect he doesn’t either.

Great listeners are active listeners.
They ask questions.
They rephrase information.
They add prompts
or indicate understanding.

As Mind Tools shares

“To enhance your listening skills,
you need to let the other person know
that you are listening
to what he or she is saying.
To understand the importance of this,
ask yourself if you’ve ever been engaged
in a conversation when you wondered
if the other person was listening
to what you were saying.
You wonder if your message is getting across,
or if it’s even worthwhile continuing to speak.
It feels like talking to a brick wall
and it’s something you want to avoid.

Acknowledgement can be
something as simple as a nod of the head
or a simple “uh huh.”
You aren’t necessarily
agreeing with the person,
you are simply indicating
that you are listening.
Using body language and other signs
to acknowledge you are listening
also reminds you to pay attention
and not let your mind wander.

You should also try to respond
to the speaker in a way
that will both encourage him or her
to continue speaking,
so that you can get the information if you need.
While nodding and “uh huhing” says
you’re interested,
an occasional question
or comment to recap what has been said
communicates that you understand the message
as well.”

Being a great listener
doesn’t mean being silent.

I was reading an author loop yesterday.
There were two major threads
that everyone was talking about.
The first thread claimed
that blogging was dead
and
blog tours were a waste of time.
The second thread discussed
a BLOG POST by a big romance blogger
that had reviewers upset.
(Ironically,
the same people who said
blogging was dead
commented on the blog post thread.)

Blogging isn’t dead.
Vampire romances aren’t dead
(well, the heroes are dead but…).
Facebook isn’t dead.

When the average person
says something is ‘dead’,
he or she usually means
it is no longer hot or trendy.
It is no longer being talked about.

This does NOT mean
it no longer works.
Clearly, blogging works.
Vampire romances continue to hit
the best seller lists
so they obviously still work.
Facebook is one of the most effective ways
I market to readers.
It still works for me.

‘Dead’ marketing tactics can work.
Very well.

I’m putting together a series
of blog posts
and I’ve been roaming
the blogosphere,
looking for bloggers to partner with.

What I’ve found is
MOST of the contact pages
I’ve used
don’t work.
They don’t allow the note
to be submitted
or
they reject almost all of the information
(including emails)
as being invalid
or
they crash in some other bizarre way.

I list my email on my blog sites
(yes, even on client k).
I haven’t had a huge problem with spam.
Many of my writing buddies
have both
a contact page
and an email listed.
That’s how important responding is
to building sales.

If you don’t list your email
on your blog,
make certain your contact page works.
Some bloggers missed out
on a great promo opportunity.

As a writer,
my issue with creating content
for my romance blogs
isn’t lack of ideas.
I have a zillion ideas.
My issue is
uncovering
which idea readers will want.

This is mostly trial and error.
I’ve written blog posts for a couple of months
on one theme
and haven’t seen any growth in readership.
Now, I’m trying a different theme
and I’ve already seen an increase in interest.

The key is to start
with the audience in mind.

As Phil Laboon,
founder of
Eyeflow Internet Marketing,
shares

“Everyone likes to think they know
what’s best for their audience,
but too many companies write content
that sounds good to them.
They focus only on topics
that cover their own interests.
If you want your content
to be successful,
you have to write with your audience in mind.
Craft your content
so it speaks to them
about the issues they are actually facing.

How can you find out what your readers want?
The answer is already out there.
Read through consumer reviews,
social media comments,
question-and-answer sites
and forums for your industry
to see what makes your audience tick.
What are they asking questions about?
The better you are at identifying
their wants and needs,
the easier it will be
to tailor your content marketing plan
to suit them.”

Develop your content
around your target audience.

There has been some push back
in the Romance Writing Industry
over aggressive street teams.
(street teams are groups of readers
who help writers market
their books)

Some street teams are bashing
books written by other writers
and doing other negative things.
The writers
of these hostile street teams
are claiming they didn’t know
or approve of these actions.

That’s bullsh*t.

I’ve never had an issue
with members of my street team
doing or saying things
that don’t represent me.
It is my job
to manage them,
to ensure I know what they’re doing
because when they’re promoting my books,
they’re representing me.

As
John Jantsch shares

“While you might not always
think of your staff
as an offline marketing tactic,
the way that they interact
with your prospects and customers
is certainly a big part of the experience.
Smart firms know this,
and know how to turn it
into a competitive advantage.

Based on a 2011 survey
commissioned by RightNow
and conducted by Harris Interactive,
86 percent of consumers said
they would pay up to 25 percent or more
for a better experience.”

Your staff represents you
and your brand.
Take time to manage them.