 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
 Ever wonder why the sound of certain voices makes you take notice or soothes you? It’s not only the sound or the physical vibrations in air, it’s how the voices are used and the personality expressed. A voice adds immediacy and makes a poem or story come alive. The personality is especially important for ministers because who you are is what draws people to your church.
The power of the voice is why social networks like SoundCloud are an important part of the marketing mix. Writers, poets, ministers, you all have a voice and a message or story to share with the world. I encourage you to use your voice and be heard. If you don’t feel confident here’s a video interview with Lynn Singer that will help you learn how to find your voice.
This week’s tips are all about SoundCloud and podcasts. There is specific advice for writers as well as tips on how to best use this particular social media effectively to market yourself and your work. Let’s dive in and discover its secrets.
SoundCloud Tips: Marketing and Promotion II
By Symphonic Distribution
You've heard the name now discover how you can use this fast growing, music sharing site. With 18 million users and an estimate of 1.5 million new users every month it’s rapidly becoming the place to share your sounds and be heard.
SoundCloud Advice for Writers
By Jason Boog on GalleyCat
Share the richness of your text via the sound of your voice. Via this podcast interview you’ll find out how to best utilize this popular site as a writer.
Is Your Church Social? Part 20 – Podcasts – Kinds of Podcasts
By Kurt Steinbrueck on Church Marketing Online
Now that you know about SoundCloud this article gives you an idea of what kinds of shows you ministers can add to your Church's account.
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 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 Top 3
 This week it’s all about Facebook and how to engage your fans. Much of the information here is based on the latest research. Check it out and discover what works for you. It’s important to do your own research. Let’s dive in and see what the experts came up with first.
5 Quick Tips for Engaging Facebook FansBy Kristy Barkan on Social Media Today
This is a great reminder of some of the basics. But always try them out for yourself and see what works best for you and your fans. Don’t do what the experts say if it doesn't work for you.
What Makes A Story Successful On Facebook?
By Justin Lafferty on AllFacebook
NPR did some great research to find out what kinds of stories were the most successful on Facebook. Check out the article and see what might work for you.
New Facebook Data Proves Social CTAs Lead to More Comments, Likes & Shares [INFOGRAPHIC]
By Dan Zarrella on HubSpot
Calls to action really work in the social media world accordingto Dan’s research. Posts that ask people to “like,” “comment,” or “share” get more action. Try it out for yourself and let me know the results.
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.
 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.
 This week it’s all about boosting your use of social media. From making it easier, to getting the most out of Google+ to getting those calls-to-action down this week’s selection will help you streamline your process. Let’s dive in and see what they have to say!
The Minimalist Guide to Social Media By Toni Tesori on Livehacked
If you only have time for one article this week make it this one. Toni walks you through the basics. Her tips will help you optimally use social media and still have time for your creative work.
5 Tips for Using Google+ to Boost Your Marketing
By Jason Miller on Social Media Examiner
Google+ is becoming more important all the time. The number of users is growing and the biggest factor in its importance is that it is connected to Google Search. Google is still the number one way people search the Web according to this research by eBizMBA.
13 Point Checklist to Optimize Social Media Call-To-Action
By Heidi Cohen
Whether you’re selling a piece of art or a book of poems this checklist will help you move people to action. Her advice on getting specific on what you have to offer is very important. Start off by trying a few of her tips and see what happens.
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.
 We live our lives through story. We share tales of our day around the dinner table, tell our colleagues a funny anecdote about our weekend, hold onto the stories of the past…our memories of childhood or our favorite aunt.
What better way to reach people than through story. So this week that’s what it’s all about. This is juicy stuff…let’s dive in!
The Art of Making Your Customers the Hero of the Story
By John Jantsch on WordofMouth.org
A couple of weeks ago I shared Chris Brogan’s blog post How Do I Get People to Care About What I’m Doing? – Tell Bigger Stories. This article by John Jantsch works great in conjunction with it. And John’s ideas help you truly get in touch with your target audience.
The Future of Successful Business Means Scaling Empathy – Part 1 – Customer Personas
By Adam Helweh on Social Media Explorer
And if you’d like more details on how to develop that “hero” of your story this article explains in it greater detail.
Does Your Content Strategy Tell Your Customer’s Story
By Kat French on Social Media Explorer
This is all about how to approach your overall content strategy using storyboarding. It’s great analytic tool that’s not overly analytical. Kat also includes a number of links that further flesh out this idea.
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.
 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 there’s lots of advice on Facebook engagement. No matter who your fans are, you can probably find them on Facebook which means it’s important to know how stand out there. You can also do market research on your target audience using the various social media sites. The third article will tell you how. Let’s jump in!
5 Ways to Increase Your Facebook Engagement By Mari Smith on Social Media Examiner
If you post consistently, and post consistently engaging content you’ll have a winning formula. The other points are important too so click on the article and take in Mari’s wisdom.
5 New Ways to Improve Your Facebook EdgeRank By Brian Carter on Mashable
Again, images are important, but the great news in this post is number five:
“The new post-targeting feature, still being rolled out to all Facebook pages, allows you to segment your fans by criteria previously only available to advertisers. This includes age, gender, interested in (likes), relationship status, all education information, workplace, plus the old options like language, country, state, and city.”
How to Use Social Media for Customer Research By Fred Perrotta on Social Media Examiner
This article lists some great ways to research your fans or potential congregants. The easiest thing to start with is to search for your target keywords on Twitter. By doing this you can see what people are saying about your particular genre of writing or denomination.
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.
 Ok, so this week it’s four instead of three. I couldn’t help myself since these articles go so well together.
Learn how to create a powerful first impression online, how to inspire your audience to take action with high impact words and discover how the image now dominates social media.
Let’s dive in and learn how to make that great first impression!
‘When a user lands on a page, you have three to five seconds to make your impression’
By Mona Zhang on 10,000 Words
Here are a few basic points that can make all the difference. Think brevity. Think about how you react to a wordy website compared to one that is brief and to the point as well as easy to navigate.
The Power of Your Website’s First Impression [Infographic]
By Tracy Sestili on Social Strand Media
Where do your eyes go when you visit the landing page of a website? This infographic shares the research. 5.59 seconds is how long people spent skimming the written content. Remember what I mentioned above? Keep it brief and get your core message in at the top. Also, use those bullet points so people can see what you have to offer immediately.
10 High Impact Words That Prompt Response in Social Media
On Social Media Magic
Many of you are wordsmiths and understand the power and importance of words. Browse this list and discover ways to motivate and inspire your audience with your social media posts.
Why Photo and Video Shares Rule Social Media [INFOGRAPHIC]
By Shea Bennett with infographic by M Booth on All Twitter
As we’ve been seeing this past year it’s not all about words anymore. Though they are still important, the image has begun to rule social media. The stats in this infographic tell the story.
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!
If you have any questions about social media marketing or writing please contact me at: jelliott@socialspritemediaservices.com
 It’s that time of year when many are heading back to school. There's something about this time that makes me want to learn new things so I included a link to a quiz if you're in the mood to test your knowledge.
This week you'll learn how to make your content go viral, discover interesting and useful data on Instagram and receive answers to your Facebook questions. Let’s jump in!
How To Make Your Content Marketing Go Viral [Research] by Heidi Cohen
Some great ideas here! Her first point is to be upbeat. One thing that stands out among the angst and dreary news on social media is that uplifting post. Sure we need to look at the facts of what’s going on in the world and right now there isn't a whole lot of pretty going on, but we also need beauty. You don’t have to be a Pollyanna just share what fits your voice. Beyond those two things find the good news that is out there; share a message that uplifts.
Instagram Research You Need NOW! [7 Charts] by Heidi Cohen
On previous posts I talk about how important images are in your social media marketing. Here Heidi shares some great research on Instagram, one of the fastest growing platforms. She says: “In under two years, Instagram has surpassed the Library of Congress in terms of the number of photographs.” What does this mean to you? It’s a great place to reach people who love to share images. Share great images and people will take notice.
The 12 Most Common Facebook Questions, Answered (Test Your Facebook Knowledge) by Jim Belosic on Social Media Today
Got a Facebook question? This article answers them all in the form a fun quiz. Test your knowledge or just scroll down to the answers for a quick review of Facebook. Here’s a question you might not know: What does the “Talking about this” number really mean? Three points if you get this one right.
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!
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