Content is King, Curator is Queen

"Content is King," Bill Gates famously said 2 decades ago, making his prediction that soon, "anyone with a PC and a modem can publish whatever content they can create." 

When speaking about content in the near future, I think we can say with certainty that it will be even more imperative. It was fairly important up to now as well; very rarely would you see a page on the internet that has poor content ranking very high. However, it could still be done, especially by curators more interested in that quick fast success rather than long-term strategies and victories.

It's sexy to take the stairs!

In 2017, the playing field is expected to be leveled, and no amount of SEO trickery will suffice to help those brands that do not take content seriously. This is because content will take a much more diverse role in the near future; it will not only be responsible for visibility, it will ultimately be responsible for engagement and, by extension, turning buyers into advocates for companies and brands.

Coming Soon! #GetASocialMediaPlan in Digital Format

Monica Hardwick Says: #BeLegacyMinded and #GetASocialMediaPlan [the Long Version] #StPete

Monica Hardwick

It is not a good idea to eat only doughnut holes all of the time. Duh! Right?  They are great for only once in a while eating. In addition, they are not healthy to eat every day and besides that, having meals of only doughnuts is so uneventful!

If BRANDS (Entrepreneurs, Artists, Athletes and Businesses) take that symbolism and apply it to social media, most are only serving their audiences doughnut holes. And serving them that all the time. Plain doughnuts I might add over and over again. Blah. Blah. Blah! We want a cheeseburger or a steak sometimes. Perhaps even a giant green healthy salad, we want some candy. And we NEED protein, but oh noooo. You keep serving ... doughnuts!

If you stop and think of your entire web presence, your website and your social media practices should complement one another.

THINK LIKE THIS: 
Your website is the house or real property on the internet. It is what you own. That is where the lot is. This is the place that ‘houses’ everything. Your website should be the home and the source of your BRAND housing ALL main elements.
Your home has a few [or several] windows allowing audiences to peer into it.

1.  Facebook Window  
2. Twitter Window  
3. YouTube Window 
4. Blog Window 
5. Pinterest Window
6. Tumblr Window or
7. Google+ Window

However many windows you decide to have

 ---> **Everything Leads To the House**

In addition to the windows, your mobile devices: smartphone/camera act as your chimney. Allow "smoke signals" (social media releases, Instagram posts, text blasts and newsletters) to be sent to either make the house known or invite them to see something new. Letting audiences know that something is indeed cooking.
If you have a Call to Action (CTA) such as a: "visit my website" post and you choose to use a photo, you should use Twitter so the link is accessible to be clicked on. 

If you just want to post a photo using Instagram, have your web address typed directly on the photo without links. #GetASocialMediaPlan

So, how do you stop or not serve plain doughnuts? Easy!
Create and share the content in a different way on each social media platform.
Example A:

• House a full video only on your website 
• Share a teaser on YouTube
• Instagram a still photo with your clean web address (just the name, not all the https://stuff) typed on the photo
• Tweet photo with your clean website link

Example B:

• House a full photo gallery only on your website
• Create a GIF on Tumblr
• Blog about your photoshoot and provide your clean website link
• Facebook post a picture with a CTA to visit your website

  

**Everything Leads To the House**

Building a Strong Online Brand: Doubtful Beginnings

You Will Doubt Yourself… And Then You’ll Doubt Yourself Again.

Doubt HAS to be the number one killer of brands. I can say from personal experience that this was the hardest obstacle to overcome. And yet, I had to work to over come my own doubt about my brand on a regular basis (if not more often).
Because building a brand is so abstract, and can take such a long time to establish, you’ll often feel like you’re just treading water.
This is normal!

The audience will usually trickle in: one-by-one or two-by-twos.
Your family and friends are not your true audience. Do not count them.
Because of this, it is important to find any successes, even if they are small, that you can not only rejoice in on a regular basis, but can use to keep you motivated:

• A couple of Facebook ‘likes’ on a status update
• A comment left on a blog post
• A Re-Tweet or an inclusion in a #FF (Follow Friday) tweet

These are all successes. Use them as indicators of your growth and realize that with each small success, you’re working towards your brand-goal of creating compelling content, a unique voice and a trustworthy reputation.

Building a Strong Online Brand: Rome was not built in a day

Defining Your Voice Can Take A LONG Time
Whenever branding is discussed, one of the first components to be included is the idea of establishing a ‘voice’. This ‘voice’ must combine a powerful mission statement with a unique approach.

It won’t work with just one or the other.
This voice may not come to you right away. In fact, it is normal for this to take a VERY long time to fully realize.

As Malcolm Gladwell has said in his book ‘Outliers’, it takes 10,000 hours of practice to master a craft.
Once you do fully realize this voice, your focus and ability to create compelling content will be likely to become prolific.
When I created Bay Area Studios Foundation Blog, it took me over a year’s worth of daily blogging before I found my voice. I was all over the place under my company name. It was tragic.

I knew I wanted my mission to launch young people’s careers and help kids to advance their careers through performing. But it wasn’t until I found the right approach of creating quick and actionable posts inspired by social media marketing tactics, that my voice became truly defined.

Building a Strong Online Brand: The Foundation

The key to establishing yourself online is building a strong brand. It is easier said than done. The method of designing, building and nurturing a new brand means you have established:

• A unique voice
• Consistent convincing content
• A trustworthy reputation

The challenge for most comes down to the fact that there is no single path to achieving any one of these things. And yet, you need to achieve them all in order for your brand to flourish.
What works for some, may not work for others.
What seems to be an obvious indicator of success for some, it may be hidden for others.
A ‘brand’ is such an elusive, flexible concept and it may be difficult to know if you’re heading on the right track. In fact, it is often wearisome.

YouTube Joins Elite Club Along With Facebook

Eight  Years, One Billion Users And Really Just Getting Started.

 Google held a fancy press event in Santa Monica, California last month to tout that its video site YouTube is now averaging 1 billion monthly users who are streaming a stunning 4 billion hours of content every month. The purpose of the gathering was to let advertisers know how great a platform YouTube is so that they spend more money there in the upcoming year rather than on traditional TV.

Authors Need Digital Press Too

Authors eventually come to the realization that: 

a). Their book won’t sell if they don’t promote it and 

b). They have to learn how to promote it if they want it to sell.  

I have learned that if you don’t know how to get in touch with your audience, you’re dead meat, and your book won’t sell but to a few Facebook friends and family members and that is it. It will stop right there.

This is really common knowledge to PR folks, but you’d be amazed at how many new authors don’t think how it is necessary to go outside of the box when they are setting up their book marketing plan. 

Let’s hope they already know they need a website.  Then, there’s setting up a blog

to talk about your book, the principles to be learned and/or the characters plus garnering a few reviews from reputable publications and interviews or exposure from the media.

But, what if the author doesn’t know how to do this or where to go?  That’s when

they enlist the help of someone who does.

There are many reasons why authors decide to hire a PR coach. 

They include:

•  They are too busy writing and need someone to do the PR for them.

•  They do not have access to media databases or mailing lists.

•  They understand the importance of press releases but don’t know how to use them effectively.

•  They want to do author tours but don’t know how to set one up.

•  They want to do radio and TV spots but don’t know the first place to go to attain them.

•  They are tired of humdrum sales and need outside help to point them in the right direction.

I have found that in order to get your books noticed, you have to spend an extraordinary amount of time doing your own public relations if you don’t hire outside help.  Yes, you can do this yourself, if you know where to turn and who to turn to.

This is where a PR agency becomes an attractive alternative.

As a digital publicist, I understand all of the above.  I understand what online publicity entails.

I also understand that while there are thousands of books being published throughout any given year, yours has to stand out from the pack.

A key press release at the right time, a blog and a well built Fan page and website is a great start to success!