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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

#MotownMusical #MartinaSykes Remembers #StLouis, #MikeBrown and the Non Indictment of Darren Wilson

Read here: MARTINA SYKES

If You Absolutely Must Take Your Naked Photos on Your iProduct, Watch This! #GetASocialMediaPlan

... Or you could start using Blackberry.

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**

Men Who Are Wanting to Increase Their Audience with Women Should Use Pinterest #GetASocialMediaPlan

 Ideas to pin on Pinterest

1. Locations (city you are from and places you tour) 
2. Fashion and Style (what you wear on stage or photo shoots)
3. Musicians Who Influence You
4. Your Favorite Era (70’ s, 60’ s etc.) 
5. Favorite Lyrics (use your lyrics in here) 
6. What or Who Inspires You 
7. Musical Instruments you play(ed) 
8. Favorite Memorabilia / Tour Souvenirs 
9. Share your heart: Charity / Causes 
10. Something that reinforces your brand; i.e. a hat 
11. Favorite Food, Drink, and Recipes 
12. Favorite place to travel 
13. Favorite studio you have recorded in    

and last but not least, we all know
 
   14.  Animals! Women love animals and the men who own them.

Monica Hardwick Says: The Erroneous Effects of Music Reality TV on the Music Business is the Equivalent to McDonald's #BeLegacyMinded

Back in the day when American Idol first began, most of us thought it was fun. We were even glued to our television screens. 

Monica Hardwick

 Now 10+ years since then we've had American Juniors (American Idol for kids), America’s Got Talent, X Factor and I remember a show called Duets. 

The concept of these series of Television Shows is (or was) to find new solo recording artists. What I call: The McDonald’s of the music industry. 

While the shows are entertaining, they come at a price. The true elements of music is being lost, because it seems as if it is easy, that everyone can do it, and it can happen for you overnight. Television is a lie. It CANNOT happen overnight. In the real world; by the time you hear of an artist they have been working and perfecting their craft for years. These shows propel contestants into the spotlight perpetuating the celebrity culture. The shows are teaching audiences that real talent should not be valued while beguiling the public toward an image. A carefully crafted, well invested image.

True, there is no one path to enter the industry; each artist has managed to break through in various ways. Plus, some profound artists have come through the music reality TV path.  But because it is TV, These shows cannot encourage artists to explore, develop and perfect their musical talents over time. These artists are patterned and procedured, which is processed, unoriginal and boring. 

They also take deep short cuts.  

McDonald's.

5 Things: What Grown Ups Need to Know About Being Grown Up #BeLegacyMinded

Monica Hardwick

• 1. Show some excitement about what you do but do not over promise on what you will deliver
• 2. Do away with the slang. Adults are to be mature, not high school/college cool.
• 3. If someone is good at what they do and/or has assisted you in some way; Be Encouraging. TELL THEM NOW. Don’t wait until the eulogy.
• 4. Don't speak for other people. Don't allow others to speak for you. And Don't pass messages via people. Speak for yourself.
• 5. In conflict, make sure all parties are present when discussing.

Leverage Relationships Instead of Take Advantage - #BeLegacyMinded

We must learn to leverage our relationships and friendships to garner the results needed for endeavors. Unless services are offered, instead of taking advantage of the relationships and friendships by using services for free, figure out how to provide a trade; an exchange of services.

Monica D. Hardwick

Brand Me Please!

Create A Knockout Brand:

Social media has leveled the playing field for the entertainment industry, making it so ALL artists have the ability to build an audience, it has also leveled the playing field for every business within every industry as well.

In the eyes of the average social media user (your potential audience), your presence is the same as any and every other audience, company and organization out there… and only those who establish an effective Brand will be able to keep their attention and loyalty.
So how do you establish an effective brand?
 
CONSISTENCY!

Create consistency across all platforms.
If you have a defined look and feel on one platform, it is important that the look and feel remain the same on other platforms so your current audience (and new audience) can identify you easily everywhere else.
The stronger your Brand becomes, the easier it will be for your audience to identify you through the social media clutter.

Here are 4 different elements of Digital branding that you must ensure are consistent across all of your platforms:

Fan Page Images:  Profiles pictures, timeline banners, logos, album covers, etc. should all be of the highest quality (i.e. no fuzzy or grainy images taken from an iPhone) and should be the same on all platforms. Your profile picture on Facebook Fan Page  should be the same as your profile picture on Twitter, Youtube, Google +, Soundcloud, etc.

Color: Be consistent about color palette.  

Bio: Who you are should be on every social media platform you use.
There is no better example of a wasted opportunity than one where a new potential audience stumbles upon your Facebook page (or your website!) and wants to know more about you but there is no bio available there.Your bio gives you the opportunity to control YOUR story, telling new and existing audiences what you want them to know about you.

Content: Social Media is all about content.The look, feel, style and frequency of the content you publish (images, music, videos, blog posts, etc.) must be consistent on every platform in order to stay relevant and keep your existing audience interested. If you change your content style too often, your audience may grow to not know what to expect and will be far less likely to come back or look for you on other platforms.

CONSISTENCY! 

 

Building a Strong Online Brand: The Tipping Point

Often There Is No Discernible Tipping Point

However, all the small successes that are discussed previously will, as Malcolm Gladwell once again famously outlined, help you to reach your ‘Tipping Point’. That is, the point in which all of these small successes finally barrel over into your one major moment… in this case it would be the moment that your brand becomes established.


To use my own experience as the example; after a year or so of working day-in-and-day-out of blogging, tweeting consistently and building conversations, my personal brand as a blogger had developed.
I still had the same lingering doubt that I felt from the beginning.

It wasn’t until one day when I was secured to be a judge for Talent Quest Florida (held position for three years) that I realized my Brand was there and it had been experienced.

7 Ways To Build Brand Using Instagram