 Your website is your home on the Internet; it’s your online business card. This means you need to have your complete information here and then some. When someone comes across your website they should be able to learn all about you, your work, your message and the other places you can be found around the Web.
Below are two lists. One is for authors and the other is for churches. Authors: Domain name: I talked about this last week. Home Page/Landing Page: This is the most important page. This is where you capture people’s interest. Your latest work should be here, the book cover, the blurb, tagline and the most adoring sentence from a few reviews. This is where you’re going to have your email list sign up and social media links. About page: Tell us about yourself. What makes you tic? What do you enjoy doing when not writing? Maybe you’re a writer who also enjoys photography. Share where people can find that work. Who inspires you? This is your bio and then some. Email signup: Email marketing is still a great way to connect and sell. You can use tools like Constant Contact or MailChimp. Calls to Action: Make your site interactive. You want people to buy your work so put in a “Buy” button. If you want them to follow you on Twitter or sign up on your email list ask them to do so. Contact Info: Make it easy for people to contact you. You neverknow if someone will want you to talk to their group, or has some other lucrative proposition for you. Samples of your work: People like to see what they’re buying. Share an excerpt from your book right on the site or offer a free chapter of your book via a PDF download. List of your books: You should display the book covers, the publisher info, book blurb, reviews and where to buy them. Current publisher: Share the love and appreciation for those who believed in you. If you’re self-published this could be an acknowledgement page, like the one you might have in your book. Representation: Have an agent or manager? Share the love some more and list them. Also let people know if you’d rather they went through your manager for gigs. Media Room: This is for the press. List press releases, a few different high resolution pictures of yourself and make sure to credit them, PR contact if you have one, manager if that’s who you work through, clips and a bio you’d like the press to use. News: This is for your fans. You can share what you’ve been up to. Have a new book contract? Finished your latest novel? Read at the local collage? Spent a week on the lake writing? Tell your fans all about it and post photos. Events: A calendar with your appearances. It’s also nice to sharelinks to the venues with a little blurb about them. Social Media: Have a link to your Facebook page, Twitter account, LinkedIn profile, etc. on every page. Also be sure to utilize those share buttons. Blog: If you use your blog to share about your life you may not need a “News” section on your website. But if your blog has a specific purpose, let’s say you use it to give advice on writing or publishing etc. then keep your life events in the “News” section. Links of Interest: This is another place to share the love. Share links to your favorite authors, artists, musicians, as well as links to helpful blogs and other information you think will be of interest to your fans. Make it easy for your visitors to find all the above information Churches: Domain name: I talked about this last week. Home Page/Landing Page: This is the most important page. This is where you capture people’s interest. There should be a short blurb that tells people what your all about, address or a clear link to a map and directions, testimonials, a message from the minister (a video message would be best), and pictures that portray your mission and message. About page: Tell us your history and what work your organization does in the world today. Email signup: Email marketing is still important. You can use tools like Constant Contact or MailChimp. Calls to Action: Make your site interactive. If you want them to follow you on Twitter or sign up on your email list ask them to do so. Contact Info: Make it easy for people to contact you. You never know when you may be able to truly be of service to someone. Sermon page: Share samples of the minister’s Sunday sermons. Reading List: Share what books best exemplify your message. Media Room: This is for the press. List press releases, a few different high resolution pictures of your minister and make sure to credit them, contact person, short version of mission and message. News: This is for your congregation. You can post your newsletter here or make weekly or monthly updates using words and pictures. Events: A calendar showing the service times and any upcomingevents as well as the study classes you provide. Social Media: Have a link to your Facebook page, Twitter, LinkedIn profile, etc. on every page. Also be sure to utilize those share buttons. Blog: The blog can be used as the “News” section or it can be a weekly message from the minister. Links of Interest: This is the place to share links to guest speakers and others who exemplify your philosophy. Make it easy for your visitors to find all the above information
Please visit New World Creative Union where you can find many
of the social media tips I shared with this great group of creatives!
You can also hear me on NWCU's Blog Talk Radio show: The Nexus Cafe
every Thursday at 6 p.m. EDT where I share Social Sprite's Tip of the Week.
If you're a poet, writer, artist, artisan photographer, musician, etc. and
interested in being on The Nexus Cafe contact me and I'll tell you more
about how you can get on the air.
Visit me during the week on your favorite network:
Facebook, Twitter, Google+ or LinkedIn for more helpful
social media and marketing tips!
Here’s my weekly schedule of the kinds of helpful posts I’ll be sharing:
Monday – General social media and marketing tips
Tuesday – Tips for spiritual organizations and churches
Wednesday – Tips for writers
Thursday – Social Sprite's Tip of the Week on The Nexus Cafe and this blog
 I’ve harvested four articles this week instead of three on:- Public domain resources
- Social media success stories from a music artist and authors (2 articles)
- What churches should post on Facebook based on an internal study by Facebook
It’s a review of posts I shared this past week. Since it’s a holiday week and many of you are busy I put all the posts here for perusal at your leisure. I believe these articles are particularly helpful so I didn’t want you to miss out.
Enjoy the rest of your holiday weekend!
How to Use Public Domain Content to Boost Your Blog By Christopher Jan Benitez on Social Media Today
Christopher put together a great resource here. Check it out!
How Social Media Made Indie Hip-Hop Artist Macklemore #1 on iTunes
By Zoe Wilson on the Confluence Digital Blog
Zoe breaks down an artist’s strategy on various social media channels to show you how to use social media to make it big.
Is Social Media The Magic Bullet To Promote Your Self Published Book?
By Annie Pilon on Small Business Trends
Annie has compiled real life stories from authors who have succeeded in using social media to gain awareness for their work.
Facebook Page Engagement Insights for Churches
By Dave Hakes on Internet Toolbox for Churches
Dave breaks down a report from Facebook on what makes a good post and applies it to the needs of churches.
Please visit New World Creative Union where you can find
a storehouse of social media tips I shared with this great
group of creatives! And if you're a poet, writer, artist, artisan
photographer, etc. please join us!
Visit me during the week on your favorite network:
Facebook, Twitter, Google+ or LinkedIn for more helpful
social media and marketing tips!
Here’s my weekly schedule of what kinds of helpful posts I’ll be sharing:
Monday – General social media and marketing tips
Tuesday – Tips for artists
Wednesday – Tips for writers
Thursday – Tips for spiritual organizations and churches
Friday - Post my blog, hang out on Twitter and study social media so you don't have to.
 There is something in the air…a change is coming. In fact I believe we’re in the middle of shift. You can read more about it in the first article and learn how to use it to your advantage. Also, you can now verify your Pinterest account. Tehmina Zaman shares how and why you should. Last but not least is an article that will fill your head with new ways of looking at your blog. So dive in and discover how you can become a part of the shift!
Contagious Conversations Change The World. Where’s Your Spark?
By Kathi Kruse
We’re in the midst of a shift from an information based culture to a conceptual based one. This means those right-brained functions are now coveted by the corporate world and beyond. It is conversation that will change minds. Creatives, now is your time! In this article discover how to utilize this shift in your marketing. And you can read more about this movement in a book called A Whole New Mind by Daniel Pink.
How To Verify Your Pinterest Account and Why You Should!
By Tehmina Zaman on Jeff Bullas Blog
Great for more visibility! So far it only works for top-level domains. If you use Blogger or Etsy and other such hosts you are out of luck for now because they don’t allow the uploading of the HTML file needed for the verification process. Tumblr is the exception.
8 Under-Used Blog Post Structures to Try Today – And 24 Inspiring Examples
By Joe Williams aka SEO Joe
If you’re blogging more than your art or poetry then these tips are great! Authors, maybe you share writing tips or community managers of spiritual organizations maybe you need to change it up once in a while. Click to find out what will work for you.
Please visit New World Creative Union where you can find
a storehouse of social media tips I shared with this great
group of creatives! And if you're a poet, writer, artist, artisan
photographer, etc. please join us!Visit me during the week on your favorite network:
Facebook, Twitter, Google+ or LinkedIn for more helpful
social media and marketing tips!
Here’s my weekly schedule of what kinds of helpful posts I’ll be sharing:
Monday – General social media and marketing tips
Tuesday – Tips for artists
Wednesday – Tips for writers
Thursday – Tips for spiritual organizations and churches
Friday - Post my blog, hang out on Twitter and study social media so you don't have to.
 If you only have time to read one article this week read Chris Brogan’s about telling bigger stories. Social media is all about stories. Whether you use images or words or both think bigger and make sure you’re not the star.
You can also learn lots about reaching your fans on Facebook and managing your brand online. So dive in and discover something to help you increase your success!
How Do I Get People to Care About What I’m Doing? – Tell Bigger Stories
By Chris Brogan
Chris has a simple formula that you can follow. Create a compelling tale so potential fans feel drawn to buy your book or art. Share stories that place potential congregants at the center. Soon they’ll want to drop by on Sunday to experience that feeling you created again. It’s all about story, as my husband always says. He’s a former journalist. Try it for yourself and see what happens!
4 Steps to Easily Increase the Reach of Your Facebook Page Posts
By Craig Smith on Social Media Today
You’ve heard it before, but I think you’ll find Craig’s post quite helpful. Engagement, type and timing of posts, all are important. It’s good to check in to see if you’ve been following your strategy at least once a month.
About Managing Your Brand Online
By Shaun Hinklein on Social Media Today
It’s about paying attention to everything you do. Don’t make it so you don’t have fun anymore. Being spontaneous and authentic are so important. Just listen to that little voice that says, “Should I?” If you have any doubts…don’t post it.
Please visit me over at New World Creative Union every week where I share a weekly tip with a great group of creatives. And if you're a poet, writer, artist, photographer, musician, etc. please join us!
Visit me during the week on your favorite network:
Facebook, Twitter, Google+ or LinkedIn for more helpful
social media and marketing tips!
Here’s my weekly schedule of what kinds of helpful posts I’ll be sharing:
Monday – General social media and marketing tips
Tuesday – Tips for artists
Wednesday – Tips for writers
Thursday – Tips for spiritual organizations and churches
Friday – Post my blog, hang out on Twitter and study social media so you don't have to.
 This week it’s about Twitter and hashtags and that all important aspect of social media marketing…engagement. Stanford Smith has a great piece of advice about sharing vs. telling. Let’s jump in and see what they have to say.
One Reason Your Posts Aren’t Getting Any Comments By Stanford Smith on Social Media Today
Stanford says:
We often make the same mistake on our blogs. And it’s the one reason why many blogs fail to get comments. People can compare, relate, and find connections with emotion and intent. Your readers can relate to happiness, regret, surprise, and wonder. They can’t relate to labels, abstract concepts, and clever sound bites.
*This is where that venerated or over used piece of writing advice can come in: Show don’t tell. And this is what happens in share mode, when you share you’re there. You’re remembering the moment which means you are no longer in tell mode, you’re in the story and all the sights, sounds, smells, and things said are more vibrant and a part of your sharing as are your emotions. So when you post online remember to get into a different frame of mind, take us there and share how you feel.
Strategic Tweeting: Fewer Hashtags And Tweeting When People Are Busiest [STUDY] By Lauren Dugan on All Twitter
Lauren tells us:
One of the report’s findings was that tweeting when people are busy will get your brand more engagement. Tweets sent between 8AM and 7PM received 30 percent more engagement than tweets posted outside that timeframe. And interestingly, Buddy Media’s earlier report on Facebook engagement showed opposite findings.
*They say timing is everything. But be sure that you know your audience in particular. If they are nocturnal beings you need to take that into consideration when you tweet.
To Hash or Not to Hash? A Decision-Making Guide By Courtney Hunt on Social Media Today
Courtney explains:
The fundamental point of the flowchart is to help people avoid adding unnecessary, gratuitous, and potentially spammy #s to their tweets. They’re less critical than many people assume, and using them inappropriately can actually detract from a tweet rather than enhance it.
*Great flow chart! Remember when people search on Twitter for a topic, both the word by itself and with ahashtag will show up in their search.
Please visit me over at New World Creative Union every week where I share a weekly tip with a great group of creatives. And if you're a poet, writer, artist,photographer, etc. please join us!
 This week learn more about how Facebook works so you can be the one to say, “Hey wait a minute…that’s not true,” to all those rumors. It’s also about being more visible and the strategy that gets you where you want to go. Let’s dive in!
A Common Sense, Non-Reactionary Approach to EdgeRank and Facebook Business Pages by Ken Mueller on Inkling Media
Ken gives us the lo down:
Understand what EdgeRank is really about – Not to further buzz a buzzword, but it’s the relationship, stupid. Use your social platforms, particularly Facebook, to build and deepen relationships. That is the key to determining both engagement and affinity, and increasing your EdgeRank numbers. It’s not something you “game” or “beat”. It just happens as you work to build relationships, the same way you do in real life. Don’t spend time worrying about the numbers, and wondering who is or isn’t seeing your updates. In short: be social.
*What does social look like on Facebook for fan/business pages? Post great content to draw people out of the woodwork for starters. Then when they start commenting and sharing your posts be sure to interact. Unfortunately on Facebook they need to come to you first, but when they do, be there.
26 Tips for Integrating Social Media Activities By Debbie Hemley on Social Media Examiner
Debbie shares:
Brian (Solis) says that listening and observing is not enough. Instead, we must make the shift from a simple response to purposeful, strategic communication. “It is in this stage that we can truly produce captivating content and messages. In order to hold it, we have to give the audience something to believe in—something that moves them.”
*This is where your strategic plan comes in. Of course you need to be genuine and spontaneous. But when you have a plan and have done your market research you will, in the moment, know what to say and how to say it to inspire your audience.
7 Ways to Increase Your Blog Visibility With Social Sharing By Janet Aronica on Social Media Examiner
Janet tells us:
The Customer Insight Group (CIG) at the New York Times published an interesting study exploring why people share content online. They found that people share for a number of reasons to:
Bring valuable and entertaining content to others
Define themselves to others
Grow and nourish relationships
Give self-fulfillment
Market causes or brands
Before you put pen to paper (or finger to keyboard)—really think—what’s the hook?
*Do these reasons jibe with the reasons you share otherpeople’s content? Can you think of other reasons you share? Brainstorm even more reasons, add them to this list and keep it nearby when creating or curating content.
Please visit me over at New World Creative Union every
week where I sharea weekly tip with a great group of creatives.
And if you're a poet, writer, artist,photographer, etc. please join us!
 This week it’s about your image, content marketing, and using images in your marketing. Let’s jump in and see what the experts have to say!
20 Tips to Avoid Being a Social Brand Gone Wrong! By Pam Moore “the marketing nut”
Pam says:
Pick the top 3-5 words you want people to feel when they come in contact with your brand? Do you want them to feel empowered? Inspired? Peaceful? Trust? Energetic? Hungry? Fulfilled? These 3 words can be the driving force behind your brand development. We leverage such process and it literally shaves weeks off of development and design projects as it helps get the designer, developer and you on the same page from the start, not after the site is coded!
*Take the time to think about this one. These descriptive words create an image in your mind which you can than translate into how your website and logo look as well as how you act and treat your visitors. And remember to carry this out beyond the virtual world.
The 10-Step Content Marketing Checklist On Copyblogger
The Copyblogger lets us know that:
Content worth reading usually:
Appears under a headline that attracts and pulls in the audience, and
Is genuinely useful, focusing on problems readers actually care about, and
Is formatted to engage and hold attention, and
Is at least moderately entertaining.
*Keep this list in view when creating your content.
Maybe You’re Just Thinking About Content All Wrong By John Jantsch on Social Media Today
John shares:
Create content partnerships to lighten the load
*Maybe you authors and ministers out there have no trouble coming up with content to share, but you often don’t have the time. Ministers, perhaps church volunteers can write guest posts, a testimony of their experience at your church or your youth minister has something to share with parents. Authors, you can have your publicist or agent share their expertise or you can offer your platform space to up and coming authors…share the light.
I’m throwing in a couple of bonus articles on using images in your social media marketing. With Pinterest, Tumblr, and now Facebook’s Timeline the image is more important than ever on social media networks. And it’s always been worth a thousand words.
A guide to using images on Facebook By Jim Belosic on SmartBlog on Social Media
Images: 5 Ways to Feed the Content Beast By Heidi Cohen
Please visit me over at New World Creative Union every week where I sharea weekly tip with a great group of creatives. And if you're a poet, writer, artist,photographer, etc. please join us!
 Every week I’ll be reading, reading, reading. I’ll find
the top five social media posts that will help you in your endeavor to build your online presence. I’ll share a tidbit of them and add anything else that will be of help to you. Be sure to click through to the original posts to learn even more.
This week I’ve got some great and helpful posts for you.
It’s all about what’s new, listening, being heard, and planning. Let’s dive in!
Facebook Timeline for Business Pages – 21 Key Points to Know by Mari Smith
Mari's twelfth key point is:
Milestones
You can go back in time to add business milestones on your Timeline.
When you do, these will post at the right date, and go out into the news
feed of your fans and create more visibility and engagement.
The full extent of the actual timeline element of the Timeline design
is geared toward what Facebook calls “Legacy Brands†– those brands
with historical data spanning decades that they’d like to feature.
*I just saw this great post from Mari Smith, the relationship marketer
and Facebook expert and had to add it. The marked up screen shot
of her Timeline is full of great info, be sure to click on it and study.
These milestones give you the chance to tell your story.
If you have an interesting story to tell take advantage of this tool.
Remember, story is what grabs people.
Social media is about social science not technology by Brian Solis
Brian's take on the importance of listening:
Once you listen, not monitor, but truly listen to customer activity
and observe online behavior, you cannot help but feel both empathy
and harmony. Empathy is the secret ingredient in what I refer to as
the ART of Engagement. It is the source of inspiring desired
Actions, Reactions, and Transactions that means something to all those
involved in commerce and relationship models.
*What does your target audience want? What excites them?
Motivates them? Choose a few of your fans or followers to
listen to. Watch their posts, notice what they share and
listen a little deeper; notice what they don’t share.
Also on Facebook, when you click on one of your fans,
the page it takes you to shows, not only that person’s info,
but also the pages all of your fans like. (Look to the right.)
Take notes.
Marketing Lessons from The Artist by Amanda DiSilvestro on Sparksheet
Amanda's second point:
Second, people still appreciate simple. The most up-to-date technologies
are great, but sometimes they simply aren’t necessary to get a story across.
*So true! So keep it simple, create great content, tell an engaging story
and people will listen.
What are 10 Addictive Types of Content? By Jeff Bullas on jeffbullas.com
Jeff's sixth type of addictive content:
Negative or Contratrian Stories
It never ceases to surprise me that a negative headline and position
will drive more traffic than a positive slant on a story or article.
Example
30 Things You Should Not Share On Social MediaWhat is revealing is that the article 20 Things you should Share on Social Media
only had half the traffic of the article with the negative headline!
*People always want to make sure they are doing it right
so telling them what to avoid peaks their interest.
Keep this in mind when creating content. You have something
important to say. Make sure it gets heard.
103 resources for becoming a Pinterest expert via Kissmetrics
*An amazing collection of helpful articles about the hottest
social media platform right now. I highly recommend all you artists
out there take a close look at these, especially the sections on
marketing and small business use. Pinterest is highly visual
and a perfect way to get people to share your work.
12 Tips to Rock Your Blog This Week! By Pam Moore “The Marketing Nutâ€
*Bonus link! This is from a couple of weeks ago,
but contains some really helpful tips like this one:
Random Acts of Marketing (RAMs) will eat your return on investment
for lunch and dinner. Don’t fall victim to the random blog list
(like this one) without first having a plan with clear goals and
objectives, understanding of your audience and target readers
and a plan to further align and integrate with your business
and marketing goals where appropriate.
*Always plan. It saves time, it saves money, and it saves your hair
(a plan will keep you from pulling out your hair). Invest some
time in creating an editorial schedule. Read Copy Blogger’s
“The Easy-to-Use Tool that Helps You Build a Breakthrough Blog.†Do you have any helpful tips you'd like to share?
 Every week I’ll be reading, reading, reading. I’ll find the top five social media posts that will help you in your endeavor to build your online presence. I’ll share a tidbit of them and add anything else that will be of help to you. Be sure to click through to the original posts to learn even more.
This week we begin with something for you authors out there, though this advice is good for the rest of you, too. There is also lots of help with Twitter, a couple of cool things about Facebook, and some ideas for creating a great Q & A for your blog.
7 Best Practices for Building an Online Presence by Daisy Whitney via Writer’s Digest on Chuck Sambuchino's Guide to Literary Agents Blog
PICK AND CHOOSE WHERE YOU WANT TO BE ONLINE
- You don’t have to be on all platforms. Do you want to blog,
tweet, Facebook? All of them? Have them connected?
*When you’ve made your choice create an editorial calendar to keep you focused. Keep it simple for each post: platform, date, time, theme, URL. If you plan a week in advance you’ll be better able to have a theme and it will save you time the rest of the week.
48 Twitter Lessons – What I Have Learned In 4 Years And 1,180 Articles About Twitter by Shea Bennett via All Twitter – The Unofficial Twitter Resource
FINDING PEOPLE TO FOLLOW
- You don’t need to follow more than a few hundred people. Honestly, you don’t. Everybody on Twitter is connected, so news will always filter through. What you need to do is follow the right people. And that’s the right people for you. Nobody can tell you who that is – you have to find out for yourself.
- If you’ve been on Twitter for some time and are still following more people than are following you, you’re doing it wrong.
* I’m sure this part or any of it isn’t to be taken as the book of law on Twitter, but this is a very helpful guide.
Number one listed above makes a good point about following influencers. The second point has and probably will always be debated. Unless you’re truly famous following only a few may not get you the visibility you’d like. Mari Smith, a very well-known social media expert, follows almost as many people as follow her, over 100,000. Ultimately, you’ll have to figure out what works for you.
Holy Timeline! New Features for Marketers, Part 1 by Melanie Wright via Social Media Today
Melanie writes: “The social media gods must have been listening when they made this Timeline update because our prayers have been answered— direct messaging to users is now an active feature on Timeline brand pages!”
*This is great news! The lack of this feature has felt like a block to progress with the fan pages I manage. I hope you all will be able to make great use of this feature, just don’t abuse it. Facebook’s reasoning for not having it was so we could all be saved from spam. Make sure you don’t spam people. Update: In order to speak directly to a fan the fan must first speak to you.
How to Edit the Title on a Facebook Post by Tracy Sestili via Social Strand Media
Tracy says, "When you add a link to a post on Facebook, you can double click on the title of the article (in bold) and edit it to be whatever you want."
*I stumbled across this little feature awhile back. (Watch her video…it’s helpful.) You can also edit the body of the link. If it doesn’t have compelling text in it already I copy a short, eye catching portion from the article and paste it in. You may have also noticed that you can go back and add or change the place and time on the link. By changing the time you can place the post back in time on your timeline.
5 keys to conducting great blog Q-and-As by Mary Ellen Slayter via Smart Blog on Social Media
Tailor the questions. While it’s fine to have a few stock questions you always ask, your Q-and-A will be much richer if you develop three to five questions specific to your subject and audience. At least skim your subject’s book, if she has written one. Visit his website or blog. What is she most passionate about?
*Yes, find those things your subject is passionate about. When you find that you’ll have plenty of good stuff for your interview. And this will be easier for you to do if start with a subject you find interesting. When both the interviewer and interviewee are passionate you get a lively back and forth that everyone wants to be privy to.
Do you have any helpful hints or little tricks you've come across?
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