Top 10 Tips to Get More Traffic to Your Blog

Posted on by April 9, 2013

Blogging – Yes You Can – And we’ll show you how.

Authors – Why DO you need to blog …. Diana Ennen show you the ways!

  • It allows you to connect with your readers. They want more than just to read your book. They can not only read more about you, but also talk with you via comments.
  • It builds a relationship and that’s exactly what you want.
  • It allows you to give out your social media information. You can share on your blog how to connect with you on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc. And what you will discover is many of your readers WILL connect with you more there.
  • It allows you to add more material than what is in your book so that they can show what else you are an expert. (Many authors also are speakers or sell products that are related to their book. Blogging lets you show that!)
  • It allows you to post your reviews and ask for reviews.
  • It also allows you to show off other books you might have written. Often when an reader loves one of your books, they will want more of them. Your blog allows you to do it.
  • It shows you are serious about your book and can actually help with your next book. If you were looking for a publisher and they see that you are an active blogger with a large audience, that is going to go far in your favor.
  • It allows you to host contests and giveaways. (And have some fun!)
  • It allows you to do additional marketing .. (we will get into that later.) But your blog postings can be turned into articles, which you send out online. Your blog postings can be turned into social media mentions, etc.

And BEST YET, it allows you to post your upcoming speaking events.

What shall I write???? (No problem. We’ll show you!)

What you need to add to your blog — And it’s more than just postings. (And the biggest mistake we see other authors are doing.) You’ll love this one.

Write articles & add to your blog – Yes, we’ll show you how to write those articles too that make tremendous blog postings and can be used for your online marketing efforts.

Don’t forget about Social Media – We’ll show you how to get more with all you do with the right way to take advantage of combining your blog and social media efforts.

And so much more.

Join us Thursday, April 11th at 4pm ET.

How Authors Can Use Pinterest to Market and Sell Books

Posted on by April 3, 2013

Ah yes, yet another tool yo can use to promote yourself as an author. Pinterest, yes, Pinterest.

How you ask?

Join me, Thursday, April 4th at 4pm PT in the latest webinar “How Pinterest Contests Sell More Books” in the 10-part webinar series,  Social Media KISS (Keep It Simple & Serene) for Authors.

My guest presenter this week is Pinfluence author and expert, Beth Hayden.

In this webinar you will learn:

  • how you can develop a successful Pinterest strategy, right from the start
  • how to get more Pinterest followers – FAST
  • how to drive more Pinterest traffic to your website
  • and learn how to convert Pinterest users into buyers

It’s important for all business owners to take social media seriously if they want to stay ahead in their industry. Pinterest is a powerful tool for driving massive traffic to websites and blogs and A MUST for staying ahead of your competitors and in tune with your audience. Let Pinfluence be your guide to fully understanding how to maximize this powerful social network.

Can’t make it live? No worries, I’ll be recording the whole webinar and I will send you the MP4, the MP3 and the PDF of the slides so you can watch and listen at your convenience.

Just click here to register!

Serenity VA Tweets of the Week–8 irresistible Twitter headlines

Posted on by April 2, 2013

Here are my Top 10 tweets from this past week, great for retweeting! If you missed these, follow me on Twitter.

8 irresistible Twitter headlines [check out number 8]
Good headlines are the lifeblood of success on Twitter. The best headlines will be a combination of techniques, such as tapping into something popular and promising useful information. Add a celebrity, and you’ll be the envy of copywriters everywhere.

Steve Martin’s Advice for Online Marketers
It’s springtime — the time for renewal and growth — which makes now a perfect time to revisit your website, and commit to creating incredible content. Make sure to make it so good that no one in your target audience could possibly ignore it.

Facebook Looks to the Past to Present Its Future
If there’s one key area that social network giant Facebook has been weak in, its the mobile arena.
Users of the official Facebook app for both major platforms Android and iPhone, as well as other handsets manufacturers, have had to dealt with slow loads, poor user interfaces, bugs and other such quirks.

Administrative Professionals on LinkedIn Provide Their Favorite Online Resources
Administrative professionals are vital to the success of many organizations. They serve as the main point of contact by answering phones, delivering correspondence and maintaining records of documents, in addition to numerous other responsibilities.

Firefox has added a few small but important features to ‘porn-mode’.
A spate of small but important improvements to Firefox on desktops and Android gives you fine-tuning in ‘private browsing’ mode, a new download manager, and multiple changes under the hood.

Introducing the Scribe Content Marketing Library
Content marketing has arrived as the way to build your business online, which means it’s time to get serious. We’re here to help by sharing the insider tactics, strategies, and processes that allowed us to build Copyblogger Media from a simple blog into a content-fueled software company with 100,000+ customers.

Microsoft’s Outlook.com calendar gets Metro-ized.
On April 2, Microsoft officials revealed that the new Outlook.com calendar is rolling out now and will be available around the world this week at https://calendar.live.com/.

Google Partners With Social Infrastructure Providers Janrain And Gigya To Bring Google+ Sign-Ins To More Sites. 
Google announced a new partnership with social login providers Janrain and Gigya that will bring its Google+ sign-ins to thousands of new sites.

This Camera Is the World’s Tiniest Digital Fisheye
Canon claimed the smallest and lightest DSLR in March, but one photo enthusiast is going a step further with a key chain-sized digital lo-fi point-and-shoot.

AdWords Launches New Keyword Bulk Upload Feature.
Google launched a new keyword bulk editing feature in AdWords designed to make it easier to add, edit and remove keywords at scale. The feature builds on the bulk editing tools released last November.

6 Twitter Tips That Sell Books

Posted on by March 27, 2013

Here are six ways authors can use Twitter to create excitement for their books:

  1. Tell your followers what you’re writing, and ask them what they’d like to see included in the book. If they feel a part of it, they’ll be more encouraged to buy it.
  2. Push followers to your Pinterest boards. Fiction writers, create a board around products that one of your main characters would love using. How-to authors, create boards on how to solve a specific problem that’s the topic of your book.
  3. Tweet your book as you’re writing it. Create excitement for the book by letting followers know about things like an expert or celebrity who has agreed to be interviewed for the book, or that your press kit is complete, or that you’ve lined up four more book signings.
  4. Fiction authors, for one day, write tweets in the voice of one of your characters. You can really have fun with this.
  5. Schedule a Twitter chat about the topic of your book, and answer readers’ questions. Set it up at TweetChat using their simple three-part process.
  6. In every tweet related to your book, use a hashtag, which is the symbol # followed by a word, or a few short words, from the title of your book. This lets people follow the conversation.

Joan Stewart, aka, The Publicity Hound, will be sharing dozens more tips like these when she is the guest expert from 4 to 5 p.m. Thursday, March 28, on the webinar “How to Use Twitter to Sell More Books.” It’s hosted by me and part of a 10-part series on “Social Media KISS for Authors.” KISS stands for “keep it simple and serene.”

I was the guest expert during the first three webinars that concentrated on Facebook profiles for authors, how to create your Facebook page to sell more books, and how to market your books on Facebook. The content rocks. And if you THINK you know Facebook, you’ll be amazed at what I am teaching.

Register for her session, or the entire 10-part series.

Serenity VA Tweets of the Week–Why You Need AuthorRank for SEO

Posted on by March 26, 2013

Here are my Top 10 tweets from this past week, great for retweeting! If you missed these, follow me on Twitter.

Why You Need AuthorRank for SEO 
AuthorRank is quickly becoming the new SEO you must include on your website if you want to continue to be found on Google. You’ve probably been reading more about putting the rel=”author” tag on your site.

Planning Your Exit Strategy. Not what you think.
If you’re serious about your business, it’s never too soon to start thinking about your exit strategy. Why?
Because some day, no matter what, no matter how much you love doing what you do…  You’re going to have to get out.  And it would be far better to get out with a whole pot of money.
.
How to Sell More Book on Twitter with Social Media KISS for Authors.
Are you one of the thousands of authors who think to yourself “I’m lost” when you read about the newest shiny object on the social media landscape? The big social media gurus and the mentors (you know the names) do a great job teaching advanced strategies for navigating sites. But you might not need that kind of help if you still can’t figure out the basics, like how to use your Twitter to sell books.

Worry more about being social, and worry less about doing social media.
I’ve been saying it for years, and I’ll keep saying it: we’d all be better off if we worried more about being social, and worried less about doing social media. It’s nice to have a new example of this principle in practice.

Google Plus – Want More Online Visibility, It’s Time to Get Onboard.
When Google+ (also written as Google Plus) launched in June 2011, most people who pay attention to these things figured it would flop. And while it’s not as popular and doesn’t have as many active users as Facebook, Google+ has become a site you must not ignore anymore.

Facebook Changes Page Cover Rules – Test 20% With This Tool.
Facebook recently (quietly) changed its Page Guidelines around Cover Images. Previously, you could not have any price or purchase information, contact information, references to Facebook features, or calls to action. Now, you can.The main rule that remains in place for Cover Images is that you cannot exceed 20% text.

Building Your Platform with Branding
Pam Perry is a “message strategist” and PR Coach working with non profit organizations, churches, entrepreneurs, emerging and best-selling authors.From being selected twice as one of the Top 50 Entrepreneurs by Black Business Women Online to being featured on Brand Makers News as one of the Top 25 Urban Professionals.

Five Customer Service Trends
The beginning of the year is the perfect time to look ahead to the future of customer service. There are five trends that I believe every company should be aware of as we move through 2013.

30 Terrible Pieces of Social Media Advice You Should Ignore
With all the bad advice floating around the web, how do you distinguish between what you should — and shouldn’t — believe?

Website or Blog: What’s Needed for Small Businesses?
Small business professionals don’t usually have large marketing departments and staff. So it’s important to focus efforts and resources on what will bring the best results.

 

Social Media KISS–Twitter Basics for Authors

Posted on by March 19, 2013

This is the fourth in the ten-part series entitled, Social Media KISS, presented by Serenity Virtual Assistant Services and featuring guest expert,”Coach” Laura Rubenstein. 

More about KISS:

Are you one of the thousands of authors who think to yourself “I’m lost” when you read about the newest shiny object on the social media landscape?

The big social media gurus and the mentors (you know the names) do a great job teaching advanced strategies for navigating sites like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. They show you how to target your market with Facebook ads, and how to measure your return on investment from Twitter. But you might not need that kind of help if you still can’t figure out the basics, like how to use your Facebook profile vs. your Facebook page to sell books.

“Social Media KISS (Keep It Simple & Serene) for Authors.” It’s a one-hour call every week that focuses ONLY on the basics. Each week, we’ll focus on one social media site. You’re free to pick my brain or the brain of the other experts because two brains are better than one. See all the other social media experts in the line-up.

 KISS Logo

 

Authors, You’re On Facebook, Now What?

Posted on by March 12, 2013

I hear that question all the time.

Authors, artists, musicians, entrepreneurs….it always the same, “I’m on Facebook, now what?”

You have set up your profile, your page and now you’re stuck. You see others using their pages to promote. You see all the tabs and applications being used, but you have no idea on how to set any of this up and you don’t have a lot of money in which to spend. Paying someone to do this for you, well, it’s just not it the budget right now.

I’m here to tell you that it is not that difficult, if you have the right tools and training.

Give me an hour this Thursday, March 14th at 4pm ET and I’ll walk you through the process, step-by-step.

What you will learn:

  • What are tabs
  • Which tab sites to use
  • How to use tabs
  • How to engage your fans
  • How to get new fans
  • Ho to keep your existing fans
  • How to create a contest
  • How tocreate “goodie bags”

and so much more!

Stay for an hour or check out or list of other experts, such as Joan Stewart, Beth Hayden, Diana Ennen who will be presenting in the coming weeks.

Join us on Social Media KISS (keep it simple & serene)!

How to Edit Image Title and Description on your LinkedIn Company Page

Posted on by March 11, 2013

I have several clients who seem to be confused as to editing the title of an image on LinkedIn. So, I am now sharing my step-by-step instructions on how to do this.

To get started, go to your company page.

1. Click on “Share an Update and then (2) click on the paper clip to upload an image from your
computer.

2. Click inside the image title and write a headline to replace the image title. Hit enter. If you don’t like the headline, just click inside the image title again and rewrite it.

3. Add a short description of image (you are describing the image.)

4. Now say something about it in the status update. Hot links will be “hot” in this section.

5. Final result

3 Frequent Questions Asked By Authors About Social Media

Posted on by March 6, 2013

Three frequent questions authors ask about social media:

Q. Can I use my Facebook profile to sell my books?

A. No. It violates Facebook’s Terms of Service. If you want to
sell books, create a Facebook page.

Q. I’m tweeting a lot about my books and linking to my Amazon
pages. But nobody is buying. Why?

A. Because it’s difficult to get them excited about a book in
only 140 characters. From Twitter, link instead to a blog post in
which you describe the book, or its characters, or why you wrote
it. From within the post, link to Amazon.

Q. I wrote a book about how women can duplicate hairstyles worn
by famous celebrities. The book is part of my business. So why
can’t I talk about hairstyles on LinkedIn, a business networking
site?

A. Because LinkedIn isn’t a site where people discuss how to wear
a celebrity hairstyle. You belong on Pinterest, where you can pin
hairstyle photos from your book and from other websites.

Those answers are from just a couple of the All-Star
line-up of other social media experts, such as Penny Sansevieri,
President and CEO of Author Marketing Experts, recognized leaders
in book marketing and Pinterest expert Beth Hayden author of “Pinfluence”.

We hear questions like those all the time, mostly from authors
who don’t understand the basics of how to create profiles on
these sites, and how to use them.

I kicked off this series last week on “Facebook Profiles for Authors”.

Tomorrow, Thursday, March 7th, at 4PM ET, I’ll be presenting

“How to Create Your Facebook Page to Sell More Books”, part 2
in the 10-part webinar series.

Can’t be live on the call? No worries, I’m recording all of these and you will be sent
the replay of the call.

Read more about the webinar series at
“Social Media KISS (Keep It Simple & Serene) for Authors.”

Serenity VA Tweets of the Week–Social Media KISS for Authors

Posted on by March 4, 2013

Here are my Top 10 tweets from this past week, great for retweeting! If you missed these, follow me on Twitter.

21 Ways Rich People Think Differently
World’s richest woman Gina Rinehart is enduring a media firestorm over an article in which she takes the “jealous” middle class to task.

FREE PowerPoint templates that help you make infographics easily. 
Thought about creating infographics – but it seems overwhelming? Did you know you can make infographics with PowerPoint? 

Social Media KISS for Authors: Keep it Simple & Serene.
Social media can make you crazy, especially Facebook. It’s one of those sites that gives you, I’m guessing, more than 50 ways to connect with your friends and fans.Because it’s one of five social media sites where I suggest your be fairly active, there are days when you simply can’t figure it out. You sit there and stare and stare and wonder……..

11 Reasons Why Prospects Don’t Convert Into Customers
Review the from handy cheat sheet to make sure your website has zero conversion repellents in this.

Are You Serious About Marketing Your Book?
Try GoodReads. The Goodreads Author Program is a completely free feature designed to help authors reach their target audience — passionate readers.

5 Tips for Avoiding Social Media Burnout [See tip 5]  
By selecting just one or two of these tips and putting a plan in place you will be more effective in utilizing your time on social media.

Some basic SEO to-do’s SEO for WordPress Blogs: Getting the Basics Right
Like with all CMS systems, you get a lot of plugins and themes to set up your new site for SEO success, but you will also find that from to time to time, themes and plugins behave in an unexpected way and breaks your site.

SEO: 3 Things Journalists and Bloggers Can Learn
Review the three basics of search engine optimization and how it applies for both getting found and getting read

Why Google+ Is the Best Social Platform for Content Marketers
If you want to drive more traffic to your website and boost sales and opportunities …Then get over yourself and get on Google+. 

The 10 Commandments to Successful Blogging
There are not right or wrongs when it comes to blogging and if you can think it, you can do it.