“The 10 Rules of Social Media Engagement” plus 1 more

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The 10 Rules of Social Media Engagement Posted: 22 Jul 2012 01:02 PM PDT This guest post is by Matthew Turner of Turndog Millionaire. Wouldn’t it be nice if there was a set of universal social media rules? The internet is full of social media wisdom, but what if we had 10 rules of engagement? If you’re reading this, you’re probably a writer of some kind. Whether you’re a blogger or author, social media has become a large part of our lives. The options are vast, but how do you stand out from the ever-growing crowd? The 10 rules of social media engagement The following tips are adapted from my ebook, How To Build An Author House. Reading this post won’t turn you into a superhero, nor will you wake up tomorrow with 100,000 new Twitter followers. I’m sorry to disappoint you, but I’m not one of those guys. What this post does offer is some tips to help you become a social media rock star. 1. Engage first, sell second The clue is in the name … social media. Your first instinct might be to tweet about your book, but what good does this do? When did you last buy a product because someone Tweeted about it? These days, we buy from those we trust. This takes time to develop, so engage first and sell second. 2. Be consistent If you’re a celebrity this doesn’t apply to you. You’ll be able to share a Facebook message about that muffin you just ate and receive 2,043 likes. The rest of us need to keep it relevant. People like consistency. If they know you as that girl who shares great financial advice, keep giving them what they want. You can mix it up from time to time, but make sure you’re being consistent overall. 3. Be regular We’re all guilty of it: we start with vigour before getting lazy. This is social media suicide. If you open a Youtube account, comment on 30 videos a day, and upload daily, people will begin to take notice. If, after a month you stop, guess what? People will forget who you are. Once again, it comes down to consistency. Be regular and be consistent. 4. Look beyond your own nose It’s not always about you. If someone follows you on Google+ they want to know what you’re doing. By all means share your stories and spread the love. Don’t, however, think you’re the centre of the universe. Have you ever been to a networking event where someone only talks about himself? Do you want to be that guy? 5. Reply to everything If you have 100,000 Linkedin connections, this is bad advice. Assuming you aren’t Darren Rowse, though, you should try to reply to everything you can. If it’s spam, by all means press Delete. If it has value, make sure you reply and keep the conversation going. We’re forever sewing seeds. 6. Search, don’t wait to be found Again, if you’re a celebrity, this doesn’t really apply. You can sit back as a million people follow you. Most of us, however, need to search, but don’t worry, it’s quite fun. Search for conversations that interest you. These are the people you want to meet. Go find them and make some new friends! 7. Be patient Instant social media success is hard to find. You might upload amazing images to Instagram, but don’t be surprised if it takes a few months before people take notice. The truth is, most people are wary. They see people like you all the time disappear after a few months. Be patient and earn your stripes. It will be worth it. 8. Spend time on it One thing I discuss often is finding the right platform for yourself. Social media is a demanding mistress. If you think you can get a way with a mere fling, think again. Join every platform at your own peril. To get the most out of social media you need to put in the hours. Picking the right channels is key. You want time to blog, too, after all. 9. Be your brand Chances are you’ve built a platform. This means you have a brand. This means you have responsibilities to upkeep. Represent your brand as often as you can. Again, consistency is important. Provide a message that spreads across platforms and you’ll do just fine. 10. Remember to sell We began this journey with the warning of selling too soon. However, don’t forget to ask the darn question. Whether it’s a book you’re selling or a blog you need people to visit, make sure you plug yourself from time to time. It’s about finding a balance between sharing your own world, and sharing other people’s. Being social is the first step, but we all have bills to pay. Like I say, these rules of engagement won’t guarantee you an instant hit, but they will point you down the right path. Social media can help, but only if you use it properly. Do you follow these rules of social media engagement? Has social media propelled you in front of new readers? Share your own stories below. Matthew Turner (aka Turndog Millionaire) is an Author of both Fiction & Non-Fiction. Part of his life includes helping fellow Writers Build an Author Platform & Brand Story. You can find out more about him by visiting his Website or downloading his Free Ebook How To Build An Author Houses. Originally at: Blog Tips at ProBlogger The 10 Rules of Social Media Engagement

Limitations: Your Key to Blogging Success? Posted: 22 Jul 2012 07:01 AM PDT This guest post is by Timo Kiander of Productivesuperdad.com. I know a blogger who tries to do everything he can to make his writing career successful. He posts multiple times a week on his own blog, writes guest posts for others and spends a lot of time researching affiliate marketing. On top of all this, he is creating his first info product. Of course, there’s social media too: Facebook, Twitter, Google+, LinkedIn… he feels obligated to be everywhere, on every platform. As if this wasn't enough, his email inbox is full of compelling info product offers and they all claim they will change his life if he acts on them now. My blogger friend works so hard, but when he looks at his blog stats, he collapses completely. Hard work has yielded barely any new visitors and only a couple of measly subscribers to his list. Is it any wonder he’s ready to quit blogging? Filling the glass with too much water Do you see what’s going on here? I bet that, as an observer of this scenario, it's very easy for you to see the problem: the blogger I just described is trying to do too much at once. But let me ask you: is this blogger anything like you? Because we are often so blind to our own situation that we fail to recognize the entire picture. Just like a glass will overflow as you try to fill it up with too much water, the same will happen to you, my blogger friend. The difference is that in your case the overflow means burning out—and as a result your productivity will decrease dramatically. With too much to handle at once, there’s another negative side effect: you lose your focus completely. Even if you think you’re getting the right results and you think you’re moving in the right direction, you’re going to be shocked. Most of the hours you've spent on your blog have been a waste of time. Being afraid of the unfair advantage There is something that has been sold to most of us and the marketers have done a good job at making us believe it: the unfair advantage (and fear as a bonus). How many times has a marketer or another blogger told you that you have to do a specific thing or buy a certain product to succeed? And if you don't do as you're told, then those who do buy the product or implement "blogging tactic X" will have an unfair advantage. It's quite natural to want to avoid being the outsider. Have you ever thought to yourself, "No way am I going to give others this advantage and struggle myself—I'd better join the tribe or I'll be doomed with the rest of the average Joes." I know that I recognize it myself when I look at the statement above. That's the main reason why I have spent thousands on info products and blogging tactics that I didn't use and which were actually steering me off course. There is actually a term for these kinds of thoughts. It's The Fear of Missing Out (FOMO). You are afraid to be an outsider because you think you might be missing out on something very important. When you take the concept of FOMO and apply it to blogging, the scenario described near the beginning of this article starts to make sense; you want to do everything because: someone told you to (“I have to be part of this group, otherwise…”) you are afraid to let go of something (“If I let go now, I will never become successful.”) you’re afraid to be an outsider (“I don't want to be an ‘average person’ while others are successful.”). It's no wonder you’re stressed out and overwhelmed: you’re trying to move forward on too many fronts, yet your blog is not getting any more popular. Pressing the reset button To move from chaos to clarity, you should start limiting both your mind and your actions. "Limiting?" you ask. Yes, limiting. The problem with your current overwhelming and stressful situation (and lack of results) is that you’re trying to do too many things at the same time because you are afraid that you will miss out. But if you limit your mind and your actions, you will exclude the unnecessary stuff, thus seeing your destination again. In the process, looking at those stats is not very scary anymore, because the figures have improved. In fact, you will begin to look forward to checking the stats! When you decide to let go of the unnecessary, you are kicking your FOMO's butt. The feeling of liberation as you sit back and let others rush to buy that $1000 course is unbelievable. Reclaim your enthusiasm and clarity If you’re overwhelmed and confused, it's time to put yourself back on track. Try these steps to get rid of FOMO: 1. Unsubscribe To decrease the amount of “shiny object syndrome” exposure you get through email (and to clean your inbox at the same time), use online application called UnRoll.me (please check out their FAQ page before you join). UnRoll.me lets you unsubscribe from multiple email lists at once—it's a great way to prevent your inbox from filling with clutter. Unsubscribing from multiple lists is very easy and you can feel the relief as soon as you do it. Just stay with those subscriptions that you truly like to follow. 2. Take a critical look at your goals Cut down the number of big goals to a minimum. For example, trying to be a social media maven and PPC wizard at the same time may not be the best strategy. Instead, choose the one thing you would like to be spectacular at, roll up your sleeves and start working. That old pearl of wisdom is still true: the more you do something, the better you become at it. 3. Take a critical look at your current projects Look your project list. How does it look? Do your current projects truly support your big goals? For example, I mentioned already that I dropped my plans to build niche websites. Instead, I'm focusing on guest posting to grow the audience of my blog. While I'm concentrating on building my audience, I'm not going to be creating products or developing services. Although they have their place, they are not important right now—I want to have the right audience first. This is exactly what you should do too: if you have even a bit of hesitation about whether a project should be on your task list, then consider freezing that project until a later date. 4. Apply the 80/20 rule Everyone seems to be talking about the 80/20 rule at the moment. They're asking what it is and why it's a great way to increase your productivity. The main principle behind 80/20 is that focusing on 20% of something brings 80% of your results. A classic example of this is that 20% of your clients bring you 80% of your sales. So how do you apply 80/20 to blogging? Well, since you've now got your big goal in mind and decided which important projects contribute to that goal, it's easier to see the tasks that will help you complete those important projects. In my situation, I'm focusing on guest posting, building my email list and interviewing people in my niche. That's my 20%. I feel super-focused since I can concentrate on a few choice activities and I don't have to hustle around doing too many things at once. 5. Neglect the fear Make a bold decision to let go of everything that becomes a burden. Once you have defined your goals, projects and your 20% actions, you are on a road to becoming a happy and successful blogger. Whatever you do, ask these questions: "Should I be doing this?" or, "Is this action contributing  to my goals?" Whether it is spending time on Pinterest, buying yet another ebook on Google domination or trying to create a logo for your blog, keep asking yourself these questions. If you answered "no" in your mind, then listen to your inner voice and let go of them. Finally, dare to be different and stop following the herd. For example, I decided to stop doing  SEO on my blog almost completely. I'm also spending much less time on social media in order to focus on my 20% activities. Getting over the fear is not easy, since you will feel that you are going against the flow. But doing certain blogging-related activities differently is also very liberating. It also cuts down stress and leaves you with more time to spend on the important things. 6. Outsource the small but important Outsourcing may sound scary, but it doesn't have to be. First of all, you don't necessarily have to hire a full-time virtual assistant, but you can still get certain time-consuming tasks done very easily. I regularly use Fiverr, whether to hire proofreaders, designers, or voice-over artists for my videos. Although I haven't been happy with the results all of the time, I still think it's a great resource for getting small tasks done. Another way to outsource is to ask your family members to help you. For instance, my wife does some of my proofreading work and this has the benefit of not having a fee. You also have the advantage of knowing the person you work with very well. These two methods can help you reduce your workload quite a bit. Do you limit your blog for success? Over to you: what limitations do you use to improve your blogging productivity? How are you handling this overwhelmin situation? Do you feel your limitations have brought you blogging success? Timo Kiander, a.k.a. Productive Superdad, teaches WAHD superdad productivity for work at home dads. If you want to get more productive in your own life, grab 222 of his best Tips for Becoming a Productivity Superstar. Originally at: Blog Tips at ProBlogger Limitations: Your Key to Blogging Success?

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ProBlogger: Weekend Project: Write Posts that Hold Readers to the End, Part 2

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Weekend Project: Write Posts that Hold Readers to the End, Part 2 Posted: 21 Jul 2012 07:07 AM PDT This guest post is by Peter Sandeen of Affect Selling. In yesterday's post, you learned how to get people to start reading your posts. So, if you haven't already checked that out, do so now! But do you want your visitors to increase your page view count by one, before leaving for good? Or do you want them to read what you have to say? Great headlines will get you the latter benefit, through Twitter and the merry company of social media sites. But getting those visitors to read to the end is a different goal. And something most bloggers get really wrong. The content that comes after the headline has to accomplish two things: meet expectations create and intensify suspense. And when it does those things, readers read to the end. What I'm about to say next will sound a bit like a wine review. You know, like, "The softness of this metallic wine makes your mouth as dry as the sea." But here it is: You must give your readers what they want without giving them what they want. Again that's simple, but not necessarily easy. But keep reading and you'll write posts that every visitor wants to finish. Meet expectations The headline sets expectations. If you don't meet those expectations, visitors will leave after the first few sentences—regardless of your post's quality and content. The expectations range from the actual value you provide to the way in which it's delivered. For example, 5 Simple Ways to Discover What People are Dying to Read promises simple ideas you can use immediately, but it also promises clear and easy-to-follow advice (no "set up a pop-up poll with JavaScript that you introduce to repeat visitors when they scroll to the 8/9 part of a page, after reading for at least three and a half minutes, but only if they're from Timbuktu…"). Another example is 3 Strategies for Email Marketing and How to Succeed with Each. Headlines that have two parts, like this one, create even more expectations. In this case, you're not promising that the reader will get a good understanding about email marketing. Instead you're promising that in an easy-to-understand form that gives practical steps for getting real results. On one hand, specific headlines usually capture attention better than vague ones. On the other hand, it's more difficult to meet the expectations they set if you don't understand headlines really well. After you've created certain expectations, there's no going back (unless you rewrite the headline); the beginning of the post has to reassure the reader that they'll get what they came for. If you promised simple steps, but your first paragraphs don't meet or reinforce that expectation, readers will leave and maybe never come back. Likewise, if your headline promises entertaining content, but your first paragraph feels like it's copied from "The 1001 Traditional Oven Mittens", your visitors won't risk reading more. But now the wine review part: You shouldn't give them what they came for… Don't share your goodies If you've read a lot of blogs, you've probably noticed how you often lose focus right before the final call to action (comment, share, read more…). Have you noticed why that happens? And if you have, then do you write in a way that keeps readers reading to the end? The reason you lose focus is that you got what you came for. In other words, you don't expect to get any more value from the post if you keep reading it. That doesn't mean you could hold all the value to the end of your post; no one will get there unless the post is useful from the start. So, how do you keep readers reading, then? Create suspense Great headlines create suspense. Great first paragraphs add more suspense. Great content keeps adding suspense while providing value. Suspense is a blogger's best friend. Without it, your blog has a squirrel's chance on a 16-lane highway to succeed: suspense is the reason why anyone reads anything you ever write. So, how do you create suspense? Suspense in headlines Your headline should always promise clear value. It can do that in countless ways: A Better Starting Point for Choosing a Niche gives you the promise of finding a great niche for your blog. It's a very specific promise and anyone looking for information about niche selection will be interested. How to Sell More in 5 Steps – The Essential Guide to Marketing promises a comprehensive understanding of how marketing works and actionable steps you can take to sell more immediately. Your headline can also promise entertainment, excitement (sex, violence, action), or anything else that the reader is currently in the mood for (note the news anchor example in yesterday's post). But as your headline cannot (and shouldn't try to) make multiple promises, it's not enough to keep readers reading to the end. If you're deprived of the promised value for long enough, you skip straight to the end—or you leave. So, your content has to play its part in suspense-creation. A hunger that grows as you eat Your content has to create more and more suspense, but it also has to offer value. Suspense doesn't last forever; you'll forget the promises at some point and your interest will be gone as well. You could remind the reader about the original promise, but if you constantly go back to that, it starts to feel like annoying hype… Instead of going back to the original promises, make new ones and deliver what you promised before. But there's a big "but" to this approach: people came to read your post because of the headline, and they kept reading because of the first paragraphs. So, if you deliver the promises you made there, you lose most of the suspense. The solution? Make smaller promises along the way that move the reader towards the main promises that you'll deliver at the end. Sub-headlines are maybe the easiest way to make more promises. For example "Suspense in Headlines" promises to explain how to create suspense in headlines. Deliver those promises in the following paragraphs and make promises about what's to come to create more suspense. And now I'll finally deliver what I promised in yesterday's post: what to do if you write about a general topic, or about something that your audience has already read a lot about. Be weird or be square Let’s say you write a post about healthy foods. Odds are your audience has already read a post or two (or 100) about the same topic. You could be more specific and write about the health benefits spirulina has. But maybe you want to write about healthy foods in general and you know your post is the greatest article ever written about it. Well, none of your readers care to read more about that … unless you frame your message the right way. How do you frame something ordinary as something new and interesting? You do something unexpected, or weird. How interesting is "How to Eat Healthy"? Compare that to: "How Not to Eat Yourself to Early Death," "How to Be as Green as a Gorilla," or "Are You Killing Your Children with Food?" Any one of these headlines will most definitely get more people to read your post than the original one. But it's not quite that simple. Most people make two mistakes with being weird: The headline isn't weird enough or it's not weird in the right way, so it doesn't capture attention or create fascination. The content loses the fascination the headline created. The first problem isn't so difficult to solve. Just think of something so freaky that you'd skip your trip to the Moon to read what it's about. The second challenge is what most bloggers get so wrong. When you start with a weird headline, you promise weird (that is, entertaining) content. And most importantly you promise your content to stick to the weirdness of the headline; if you just explain what the headline means in the first paragraph, readers will probably leave. So, if your headline is, How to Seduce a Goldfish, you’d better write about seducing goldfishes… Can you write a post that gets read to the end? Have you written a post that gets visitors to read to the end? Why not share it in the comments below? 101 Headline Formulas is a FREE eBook that's Not Just a Swipe File; it also explains what should come after each headline to keep readers reading to the end. To learn Persuasive Copywriting, building High-Conversion Landing Pages, and the Real Principles of Effective Marketing, check out Affect Selling by Peter Sandeen. Originally at: Blog Tips at ProBlogger Weekend Project: Write Posts that Hold Readers to the End, Part 2

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