5 Bad Practices in Social Media Management

 

Social media has come to stay, that is why you see individuals across income levels, large, medium and small-scale organisations, as well as public figures and institutions scurrying to have a notable presence on popular social media networks such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn, Medium, to mention a few.

The fact that you took the time to read this is another strong indication of the importance ascribed to social media these days. Business schools now dedicate modules to teaching it as part of the strategy for business success. Not to mention that 32-year-old Mark Zuckerberg, founder of Facebook, the largest social media network, is currently the 5th richest man in the world with an estimated worth of $56.0 billion.

In this age and time, to be without a social media presence is like living in the Dark Ages. That on its own has unsavoury implications for a public figure or prominent organisation, as it means unscrupulous fellows will go ahead to create social media accounts in the name of such persons or entities and use such to defraud innocent people. In Australia alone, there were reported cases of $300million lost to social media scammers in 2016, with one person losing $1.6million out of that sum. At TRW Consult, we recently did a survey for one of our clients, a major oil and gas corporation and discovered there were other social media accounts in the name and guise of this company, all with valid and up-to-date information on them meant to defraud innocent people who are either aiming to work for or do business with this organisation.

However, the focus of this article is not about the increasing fraudulent practices around social media. That is a discourse for another day. What I intend to dwell on are some of the bad practices business owners/managers make in deploying social media networks for commercial success which ultimately result in frustrations and failures.

5 Bad Practices in Social Media Management

1. Hiring IT experts to manage your social media accounts

When there were just issues around internet connectivity, hardware and software, then an IT guru would have offered more value to your online endeavours. But in this dispensation of social media, a content expert is what you need to run a successful brand campaign. Content in this regard refers to text, graphic, and audiovisual information which can be published on your social media accounts in daily or weekly frequency that will be of substance to your audience; thus positioning you in their consciousness as an expert or a provider of value in your field and keep them coming back for more. As the saying goes in social media circles, content is king.

2. Hiring anyone to manage your social media accounts

Next, to ramming a square peg into a round hole by deploying a software and hardware person to manage your brand, the worst damage you can do to your corporate brand is to hire just anyone to manage your social media accounts because the person has a social media account of his/her own.

Managing corporate or individual brands on social media must be done strategically. It involves planning, trend analysis, research, reporting, and creative skills coupled with content development expertise to make a success of social media. The way you won’t approach anyone you see in the hospital to attend to your ailment is the same mindset you must deploy in handing over your most sensitive and easily accessible brand assets to anyone to handle because he/she is a graduate and has social media accounts.

3. Doing it all in-house

A vibrant social media brand is usually a result of plural input. No single person can deliver a successful social media campaign on his or her own. The saying “two good heads are better than one” holds true in social media management as in other concerns that justify it. To give your brand a vibrant edge on social media networks, you need cognitive skills in research, creativity, analysis, reportorial, content development, intuitive and trend analysis. While it’s possible to have all these talents latent in one person, that is usually an exception and not the rule.

From experience, at TRW Consult, we usually have to deploy between three operatives or the entire team to a single campaign, depending on the scale of expected result and budget of the project. Apart from this, we also have three agencies [two local and one foreign] that we also engage in running our flagship accounts. That is why we are renowned for stellar results in content, brand and reputation management, while most of our jobs come through referrals.

For you to make the most of your social media brand assets, you need to deploy between two or three of your staff to the assignment for an average brand. And they should see to such concerns as social media calendar, audience analysis, [industrial or societal] trends, marketing integration, audience engagement, etc. You should also invest in training them so they can be abreast of developments and add such to their delivery.

4. Spending less and expecting more

This is another faux pa business owners and managers make. Due to the common notion about social media as a plaything or an avenue for frivolous social engagements, they do not consider it an end for business investment or marketing budget. It is this belief that informs assigning just anyone to handle their accounts in the first place.

Social media, while thriving on seeming frivolous social engagements, is a serious business. The stocks of corporate and individual brands rise and fall by the week on the back of social media hits or misses. If in doubt, then google Pepsi’s Black Lives Matter to cite a recent global example. The Nigerian scene abounds with scandalous posts by spokespersons of government officials, which have earned their principals more enemies than fans, not to mention the international embarrassments such ill-advised outputs attract.

To make the most of your social media endeavours, you must be willing to invest a sizable sum in growing your audience and increasing the reach of your posts so that more netizens can see them.

5. Content is no longer king

This may sound self-contradictory, considering my first point. Yes, content is no longer king in effective social media management, quality content is. You can’t say because you need to keep your channels busy with content as well as engage your audience, then you post anything or only information about your business. You will only make your audience unfollow/unlike your accounts fast. And, once gone, it’s difficult to win them back because they would have profiled you in their psyche as a junk or irrelevant brand.

You need quality, fresh and relevant content to engage a social media audience, who by nature are restless and insatiable. And you don’t do that by posting stuff about your business alone. There must be a perfect blend of content ranging between serious and trivial, hard and soft information, business and social content to win on social media. The interesting thing is that not every social media expert or agency can offer you that blend. To underscore this point, here is a commentary from the anchorperson of a local social media outfit we engaged for a major campaign: I commend TRWConsult and the team for a great job when it comes to research and content development. We also offer content development as a service for the too busy clients, but we just always prefer that the clients pass to us useful information that will make the work smoother and easier.

I suppose that nails it on the importance of quality content as a catalyst in driving your personal and corporate brand to social media hit.

As a recap, go for the right expertise, go for teamwork, go for quality content and have the right mindset to project your brand to top-of-the-mind awareness on social media.

How to Make Your Social Media Stand Out (When Everyone Else Is Doing It, Too)

As a social media addict, I feel like each time I turn around, there’s some sort of new Facebook or Instagram update that will change how my followers engage with both my personal and business accounts.
Sometimes, it can be a bit of a hassle to keep up with it all. Standing out in a crowd feels nearly impossible.
We’re all looking for a way to engage with our friends, customers, and followers online in the most natural way possible. The best way to do that is to create unique content, which is easier said than done.
Here’s how I approach it for Instagram. You can use these ideas for Facebook, too.

How to Use Instagram for Business

When it comes to Instagram, it’s not necessarily what you do, but how you do it.
We all fell in love the with “Stories” feature when it landed on the platform. When users noticed their followers engagement levels dropping, they eventually caught on that they could supplement it by following their posts up with stories informing their followers that they’ve dropped some new content.
This was well and fine, and Instagram itself continues to introduce new ways to decorate your stories to stand out. But, I love seeing people’s unique talents take center stage.
I know it can be difficult to stand out in the crowd online, especially when you’ve got a business account. It’s a struggle I constantly face while constantly reevaluating the social presence of my business, Bikini Luxe.
Because we’re always looking for photographers to collaborate with, I follow a ton of talented individuals–and recently, one in particular stood out to me. The manner in which they were presented made me laugh and piqued my curiosity.
Photographer Joey Wright replaces the faces of models with his own. He has dubbed this collection of art, “Joey Wrong” and saves all of his favorites to the highlights on his profile.
When you’re scrolling through the seemingly endless sea of photos, stumbling upon something funny makes it all worth it. Wright’s unique use of the stories feature entertains his current following and draws new curious people into his profile, thus broadening his reach of potential clients and boosting his stats.

How to Stand Out on Instagram

It’s less about Wright having fun with the face-swapping tool and more about using readily available features to create unique stories on a platform that constantly begs for new content. It’s refreshing. It keeps viewers asking for more, and is a great way to use social media for your business.
You can, for example, use videos on Instagram stories–something not enough people do, in my opinion. Instagram’s newest feature, IGTV, could be a great place to get a foot in the door. After all, nobody else has used it yet either.

You’ll captivate viewers by creating content that is, above all else, relatable. Here are a few questions to ask yourself before you hit record:

1. What is the takeaway? Is the goal to turn them into customers, keep them engaged with your brand, or simply for brand awareness? Determine how you want your viewers to feel after watching your story and incorporate that into your recording.
2. Will this capture their attention for the length of the video or until I get my point across?  Be sure to engage verbally or offer strong visual cues to suck them in.
3. What is the call to action? Do you want viewers to comment on the IGTV post, answer your poll questions, or like your latest image post? Let them know, sometimes a subtle nudge in the right direction is all they need to engage further.
4. It’s key to always be fluid and keep an eye out for ways to enhance your potential client, customer, or supporter experience when dealing with your brand. As social media algorithms change, so should your attempts to stay relevant.

And finally, remember, everyone loves a good laugh.

By Candice Galek Founder and CEO, Bikini Luxe@bikinigeek

Inc.com

Post Tags:
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10 Things a Writer Should Never Do

 

There are a lot of articles on how to be a better writer and things a writer should do, but what you rarely see though is what a writer should never do. Thus, here goes 10 things a writer should never do:

 

1. Follow a strict rule:

   In writing, there are rules and guidelines on how to go about it. However, what a writer should never do is follow a strict rule on how writings should be done. As a writer, you should be free to break the norm, find your path and do what works best for you.

2. Write like someone else:

   Yes, it is good to have a mentor or a writing idol; however, what you should not do is to write like someone else; because in that case, you would never be the best, rather you would be the second best. So, be free to find your own voice and style and write like yourself.

3. Give up:

   Although writing is tasking, it can also be very rewarding. So when writing becomes tough, take a break, re-strategize but never give up. Just keep writing until you become the very best.

4. Hate a critic:

   When you write a piece, a lot of people offer feedback even when you didn’t ask for it. Some of these feedback might be unpleasant but what you should never do as a writer is to hate the person who gave the feedback; rather, analyze the feedback and work on being better.

5. Get Envious:

   When you are a writer and you see someone else’ work being celebrated more than yours, sometimes you may feel envious, but you should never embrace that feeling. Instead, celebrate the writer, ask him or her for advice and work hard for your own success too.

6. Wait for the perfect idea:

   Sometimes, you can run out of ideas, but rather than waiting for the perfect idea to hit you like a wave, go out and search for an inspiration. Talk to a friend, go on a date, observe nature and find your muse.

7. Lamenting over a mistake:

   Everyone makes mistakes, and sometimes, you will make one too in your writing. So, when someone points out a mistake in your writing, rather than lamenting over it, correct it and move on from it.

8. Steal another writer’s work:

   Sometimes, you may need to develop a piece and you find out that someone else has written something similar, so you pass it on as yours. Such an act is unethical and immoral; so, rather than stealing another person’s work, read and learn from it and write your own piece.

9. Be in a hurry:

   Sometimes, you may need to churn out a piece of writing very fast;as a result, you tend to write in a haste While it is good to write fast, never be in a hurry that you forget to review your work before publishing; this is in order to avoid a lot of mistakes that will question your credibility as a writer.

10. Be afraid:

    Sometimes, the fear of what people might think of your writing may stop you from writing,but you never can tell, people might actually love your writings once you share them with the world. So, rather than letting fear stop you from writing or publishing your work, be brave and get on with it.

 

Finally, as a writer, be original, ethical and consistent, and you will find yourself soaring high.

 

Goodluck!

8 Important Questions to Ask Before You Publish Your Book

 

Right now, I feel like I’m drowning.

I’m in the final frenzy of preparing for the launch week of my new print business book, The Pocket Small Business Owner’s Guide to Starting Your Business on a Shoestring.

I’ve learned a lot about book marketing since my previous print book, How They Started, came out, and I’m excited to apply some of the ideas.

In going through this process, I realized there are some basic questions all authors should ask themselves if they are preparing to publish a book, whether self-published ebook, print-on-demand, or physical, traditional press, fiction or nonfiction.

These questions provide a roadmap that will clue you in on whether now is a good time to put your book out, and will steer you to use what marketing time you have productively.

Ask yourself:

1. Who will care about and buy my book?

These days, book sales are all about who you know. How big is your network? Who can you promote this book to? Most importantly, who do you know who has a big audience of their own who’d be willing to review it, interview you, or otherwise help you promote your book?

If you’ve been sitting in your garret writing and are thinking your book is so amazing and irresistible that it will sell itself (as I saw one writer boast recently on LinkedIn)…prepare to be disappointed.

I meet too many writers who write their book and then decide to start blogging to promote it. That gets the order backwards. First, start building your audience and making connections with others in your planned book niche, so that you have a way to market your book.

2. Who will blurb my book?

I saw this eye-opening comment on one of LinkedIn’s author groups recently — a new nonfiction book author wanted to know how she could get the top thought leaders in her niche to give her book some raves for the cover.

She wondered if a traditional publisher could line that up for her. The answer is no. It doesn’t work like that.

The people who blurb your book tend to be people you know well and who likely you have done favors for in the past. If you don’t know him, Bill Gates is not going to blurb your business book, and J.K. Rowling isn’t going to rave about your children’s book.

Blurbing a book is actually a big pain because you have to really read the entire book to make a coherent review comment! It’s a lot of ask as a favor of someone.

I had interviewed quite a few business-book authors over the years as a business reporter and built some relationships there that helped. But if I hadn’t attended SOBCon, I would have been hard up for book-cover blurbs on my first book — about half of them came from relationships I formed there.

3. Who will review my book?

The next thing you need is people willing to read advance copies and post Amazon and GoodReads reviews on publication day, so that readers get the idea it’s a happening tome with an active reader base.

Could you get 50 or 100 people to do that? If so, that will get your book off to a good start. Once you’ve got a nice number of reviews up, other buyers will tend to chime in and add to them.

4. What forms of marketing can I do?

Lots of writers hate talking about themselves, and hate marketing in general. But selling a book involves butt-loads of marketing. Start thinking about what types of marketing you’d be willing to dive into. Could you hit trade shows and do a book tour? Bookstore-based book talks and signings? Rent a billboard? Start thinking about what’s within your comfort zone, time availability, and budget.

Consider what marketing will make the most impact for your particular book. There are only so many hours for book marketing, and you cannot do it all.

Because I’ve been blogging and writing about business for years, I’m focusing most of my energy on tapping the blogging community. I’m submitting my book to business-book review sites, guesting on business podcasts, doing guest posts, and Skype interviews.

That comes naturally to me, and I’m well-connected there. I’m doing a bit of in-person, but since I live in a small town it’s more impactful for me to concentrate on Internet marketing, where I can reach a much larger audience.

5. Can I tap my network for marketing ideas?

The best advice I can give about book marketing is to start asking around about what you should do. You’ll learn a lot.

For instance, I did one post on Facebook and Twitter asking for suggestions and immediately got three leads of business blogs I hadn’t thought to approach, even though they were names I knew.

One of them I turned out to become an instant new best friend on Skype. We turned out to have loads in common. she introduced me to a large Skype mastermind group she’s in, and asked for a video post! You will greatly increase your marketing reach when you ask for help.

I asked one personal friend for ideas and she reminded me that — duh — our town has a daily paper, a monthly lifestyle magazine, and a regional business journal, all of which might write about my book launch event here in town. In fact, as I write this, I see the business journal has posted a release about my local book launch party. That’s a great bit of great exposure I would have probably would have forgotten to pursue without the nudge.

6. How much free time have I got?

In my case, the answer is not a ton, since I need to spend a lot of time helping Freelance Writers Den members. I have dropped some freelance clients, but still have family responsibilities, too.

Unless you can drop everything to become a book-marketing machine, you’ll need to pick and choose your promotional methods. Also, start earlier if you know you’ll need to juggle your schedule with other commitments.

For instance, I gather GoodReads does only marginally well for nonfiction books, and that you should spend an hour a day on there interacting with people to get some real traction. Given that it’s not an ideal platform for my type of book, I decided to fill out my profile and do a giveaway contest (check it out in the sidebar!), but otherwise not make this a big focus.

I think the most important sanity-saver here is realizing book marketing is a bottomless pit. In the end, you need to do all you can with the time and resources you have, and then let it go.

7. Can I do something creative?

I took a book marketing training this week, and one of the things I learned that works well in book marketing is the element of surprise or something unusual. How will you make your book stand out in the sea of new releases?

For instance, the trainer had worked with a Christian book author who did some book-signings in brewpubs, because his theme was taking Christianity to blue-collar people. I’m still brainstorming about what I might do that would be off-the-wall.

8. How does this fit with my goals?

We only have so much time in our writing careers. Each book you write leads your career in the direction of that type of subject matter. Is it something you love? Will you enjoy the opportunities that come out of this particular topic and book type?

As a longtime business writer, I jumped at the chance to boil down 20 years of business interviews into a single, handy guide full of great stories of success and failure that will help other owners stay in business. Writing about business is one of my passions and my future goal is to ghost business books for CEOs, so to me this book was in line with my plan for my writing career.

Culled from Make A Living Writing

How to Deal with a Bad Review as an Author

Writing is hard enough, and getting a book published for the world to read is even harder; but what is worse is going through all the pains only to end up getting a bad review. Most authors, when they get a bad review, tend to be very angry, and then later feel depressed, or feel like a bad writer. However, that shouldn’t be the case; so, here are five ways to deal with a bad review, if you ever get one:

1. Don’t take it personally: Yes, it is easier said than done, especially because most writers/authors can’t seem to detach themselves from their writings; but as an author, try to look at your book from a business standpoint, and view it like a product. When you do so, it is easier not to take the review of your book personally.
2. Discern the reviewer’s motive: Did the person who wrote the review do so out of bitterness? If you feel it is, then you can simply ignore it; but sometimes, it might be that the reader does not understand what the book is about, and if that is the case, you can choose to enlighten the reviewer on the theme of the book, or again simply ignore.
3. Know that it is a part of being an author: Great authors like Sidney Sheldon and John Grisham occasionally get bad reviews too. So, if you get a bad review, understand that it is part of the job. Not everyone would be able to connect with your book, and that is okay; those who do, would enjoy it and be happy.
4. Take a break: When you get a bad review, rather than being angry and drowning in self-loathing, take a break and go on an outing with your loved ones; do something to make you feel better, and move on from it.
5. Take note and get better: It is important to know that a bad review is a review nonetheless; and it is also a form of feedback. So, after discerning the motive of the reviewer, take note of the part of the review that seems to make sense to you and use it to publish a better book.

 

Remember, having a bad book review isn’t the end of the world, and great authors often get bad reviews too.

Cheers! 

8 Tested Ways to Overcome Writer’s Block

Ah, the old enemy. Writer’s block can happen to anybody no matter how good a writer you are. From writers like Malcolm Gladwell to writers like the author of “Nkechi the bush girl.” Not just authors but musicians, speech writers or anyone who deals with content. So, what do you do when you feel like you don’t have a creative bone in your body and everything you pen down finds a home in your trash bin?

Frist, Writer’s block can be caused by timing. Sometimes your ideas need a little more time to get fleshed out before they are penned down.

It can also be caused by Fear. Some writers fail before they even fail. They are so scared of penning down their ideas and showing the world to critic.

The third reason is perfectionism. Many people want their ideas to be perfect in their head before penning it down and when this doesn’t happen, they fail to write. Truth is, perfection comes during the process of writing and not before.

Now, there is no formulaic fix to this problem as different tricks work for different people. You simply have to find something that works for you (which might not work the next time you try it so you have to think up something else again). Here are some creative and practical solutions to Writer’s Block.

1. Go for walk to take your mind off the work a bit. View the scenery and it will help you relax.
2. Eliminate as much distractions as possible. Sometimes, the problem is that the creative space in our head is being occupied by pictures from Instagram.
3. Play a game. Chess will do, or a word game.
4. Change your environment. Sometimes it might just be your village people…ok, seriously, it might just be that the environment isn’t conducive enough for you to be creative.
5. Read a book. This does wonders!
6. Listen to music. This also works wonders!
7. Spend time with someone that makes you feel good. A friend, family member or partner will do.
8. Brainstorm ideas in bullet points. These ideas might look stupid at first but if you drop your book and take a second look later, you might be able to build something around them

If all these still don’t work, then you should probably call us to do the writing for you.

But note that you do not overcome writers block by refusing to write and waiting for “inspiration” to come. Also, do not wallow in self-pity and make excuses to procrastinate. Also, watching TV is a bad idea! And you do not overcome writer’s block by reading articles on how to overcome writer’s block…oops.

Skills Needed for Writers and Editors

Written language skills are an integral part of many positions in almost every industry. Even staff positions and freelance opportunities that centre around writing or editing skills occur in multiple fields that don’t overlap. For example, just because you can create advertising copy or web content does not mean you can be a technical writer or a journalist—and vice versa.

Yet there are certain core skills that all writers and editors share, plus there are other skills that are important features of many forms of professional writing.

Applying for Work as a Writer or Editor

Besides a traditional resume, you will likely have to provide a portfolio of successfully completed projects and a collection of writing samples.

For your portfolio, choose those projects and writing samples that are most relevant to the client’s project. Use your cover letter and other communication to point out how the skills demonstrated by your history relate to the client’s needs.

Also draw attention to any relevant awards, publishing credits, or occasions where your work led to documented improvements in your client’s bottom line. Because clients vary in what they want, be prepared to re-organize your materials for every single pitch.

In many cases, educational or work history not directly related to writing or editing might be relevant to a particular job or project. For example, you might be hired to edit a book, and knowledge of a book’s subject matter would be a definite plus. Always be on the lookout for the possibility that your special expertise may be relevant because the client might not think to ask.

Here are some of the most in-demand skills for writers and editors.

Excellent Spelling, Grammar, and Punctuation

Automatic spell-checkers and similar services are useful, but none are fully reliable. Excellent editing still requires a human being. Show prospective clients you can spell by making sure the writing in your pitch is perfect and by including any experience you have as a proofreader.

If you are familiar with a specific usage style, such as Chicago Manual or Associated Press, say so. And if you're trained in other style guides such as medical or legal, mention those as well.

Professional Writer Research Skills

As a professional writer, you could be called upon to write on topics you don't know much about. This requires research, sometimes online. If you are good at finding and assimilating large amounts of information quickly, say so—and provide examples from your history to prove it.

Familiarity with Relevant Software and Platforms

Some clients require the use of certain word processing programs, file-sharing services, collaboration apps, blogging platforms, or website templates. Some projects require other types of software, such as spreadsheets or video editing. The more of these you already know how to use, the better. If you can advise your client on which programs, apps, and platforms to use, that is better yet.

Collaboration and Communication as an Editor

Writing is often collaborative, and editing always is. And the reality is that many people hire writers and editors because their own communication skills are poor. To succeed, you must be able to get along with others, even when the others are difficult to get along with.

Technical Writer Skills 

A technical writer prepares instructional and supporting documents to communicate complex technical information in a user-friendly manner.

They develop and gather feedback from customers, designers, and manufacturers to help identify areas of confusion, and present solutions to the design and development teams. A technical writer is responsible for creating FAQs, charts, images, and training document, that can easily be understood by a wide range of backgrounds.

 

A technical writer must have strong communication skills, along with exceptional writing and grammar skills. A Bachelor’s degree in Journalism, English, or Communications is often required. However, some companies require a degree and/or knowledge in a specialized field.

 

10 Great Writing Tips for Producing Articles (Part 1)

Are you worried about writing articles? Not Sure where to begin? Have a tight deadline to meet? Then this blog on 10 great writing tips for producing articles is just for you – and it contains a bonus!

 

1. It Shouldn’t Be a Chore

Writing articles and blogs can sometimes feel like a chore but don’t despair; we all feel that way at times. However, if you find you always seem to dread the journey to the keyboard, then ask yourself whether writing is right for you. If you lack enthusiasm for writing, readers will pick up on this.

 

2. Get Started

Sometimes it’s difficult to pick a subject or theme, or to get started once you have a topic . Relax! The main thing is that you get started. Pick a subject you know something about and just start. You will be pleasantly surprised at just how easily ideas flow. Don’t assume everyone knows what you know. They don’t. One tip I was given years ago: if you are finding it difficult to get started, then stop thinking about “what must I write” and focus instead on “what does the reader want to read?”

 

3. Quality

Your old English teacher is not looking over your shoulder.  Perfection is not the goal and is, in fact, seldom possible. Keep your writing short and simple and your readers will thank you for it. Perfect but long and boring will not be read.

 

4. Length

If you are writing commissioned work, stick to the publisher’s requirements. Most publishers want between four and six hundred words.  Blogs can be much smaller and should include appropriate pictures and embedded links.

Just don’t over do it. Remember, it’s the “World” wide web. Many readers in developing countries are still using dialup modems.

 

5. Format 

Microsoft Office often adds weird, hidden code to what has been written. If at all possible, use Notepad to produce your final copy.

7 Cold Calling Tips to Improve Your Closing Rate

 

Cold calling potential prospects can be frustrating and hard. Whether you are doing it in person or on the phone, it is your job to warm up a potential customer.

This process can be exceedingly difficult, especially if you’re not used to it.

I’ve called many prospects and I’m going to show you a few cold calling tips that make this process much easier.

Here are 7 cold calling tips to help improve your closing rate:

1. Focus all of your questions on your client, not yourself
2. Plan all of your questions in advance
3. Don’t follow any cold calling scripts
4. Don’t overwhelm your prospect during the first meeting
5. Don’t attempt to sell on your first cold call
6. Keep your prospect relaxed
7. Find out what benefit will make your prospect buy from you

Focus all of Your Questions on Your Client, Not Yourself

In your initial contact with the prospect, focus all your attention and your questions on the prospect.

Don’t talk about who you are and what you do, or about your company or any other companies.

Remember, it is about them, not about you. Client-centered selling is professional selling. You are only selling professionally when you are talking to your client about his or her wants and needs.

Plan All of Your Questions in Advance

More Information = More Sales

In cold calling, the more information that you can elicit, the easier it will be for you to qualify the prospect and then go on to make a sale.

This is where questioning is so important. Your questions should be thought out carefully in advance, and organized in a logical sequence, from the most general to the most specific.

Don’t Follow Any Cold Calling Scripts

Once you have a positive response from a prospect to your opening question, you then ask him questions about his business, his market, his budget, and so on. Very often, people will give you all of this information in exchange for the benefit that you promised in your opening question.

To get the answers to these problems from your prospect, ask questions such as the ones in these cold calling scripts below:

1. “If you could magically eliminate three of your biggest problems in your business or market, what would they be?”
2. “If you could create the ideal situation for your business, what would you change?”
3. “I’d like to schedule a meeting with you in person to discuss your business needs and how my product will benefit you. How does Wednesday at 2PM sound?”

Always remember, that cold calling and sales in general, should be very personal. You should focus on your customer’s needs as an individual on a case by case business.

This is how you build relationships with you customers and have long sales relationships to come. Using cold calling scripts can make the call feel less personal and this is something you want to avoid.

Don’t Overwhelm Your Prospect During First Meeting

When you are “cold meeting” a prospect for the first time, a strategy is for you to “go in naked.”

What this means is that, at the most, you carry a simple folder rather than a briefcase full of brochures or samples.

If the prospect is interested and wants a presentation and more information, you can always go back to your car to get what you need and bring it in. But, when you go in without a briefcase you lower the stress of initial sales resistance and cause the prospect to relax and open up to you sooner.

Don’t Attempt to Sell on Your First Cold Call

On your first call, you should never attempt to sell.

Focus on information gathering. Unless you are selling something inexpensive that requires little thought, you want to interview the prospect by asking questions. Take notes and tell them you will come back to them.

Focus on building the relationship and coming across as friendly, genial and non-threatening.

Keep Your Prospect Relaxed

The longer that your prospect remains relaxed, and the more he opens up to you, the more likely it is you will make the sale in the long run.

If you are cold calling on the phone, read my previous blog about my “100 Calls Technique” that I like to use. It will help you to relax and be much more personable on every one of your sales calls.

Find Out Exactly What Benefit Will Cause Your Customer to Buy From You

With each customer, there is a key benefit that will trigger buying desire and cause the customer to purchase your product or service.

At the same time, there is a key fear or doubt that will hold the customer back from buying. Your initial job in your first cold call with your prospect, and the key to qualifying them, is to find out exactly what benefit will cause this customer to buy from you, and exactly what fear or doubt might hold this customer back from buying from you.

BONUS TIP: Don’t Be Afraid to Ask For More

Don’t be afraid to ask. “Ask” is the magic word for sales success.

You can even say, “Mr. Prospect, what we have found is that there is always a key benefit or major reason that a person would purchase our product or service. What might it be for you?”

If you are open, honest, and genuine, and ask out of curiosity, you will be amazed at the answers you’ll hear. Prospects will ofter give you all the information that you need to make a sale.

The key for you is to ask.

Culled from Brian Tracy

Writing for an Academic Journal: 10 Tips

 

1) Have a strategy, make a plan

Why do you want to write for a journal? What is your purpose? Are you writing for research assessment? Or to make a difference? Are you writing to have an impact factor or to have an impact? Do you want to develop a profile in a specific area? Will this determine which journals you write for? Have you taken their impact factors into account?

Have you researched other researchers in your field – where have they published recently? Which group or conversation can you see yourself joining? Some people write the paper first and then look for a 'home' for it, but since everything in your article – content, focus, structure, style – will be shaped for a specific journal, save yourself time by deciding on your target journal and work out how to write in a way that suits that journal.

Having a writing strategy means making sure you have both external drivers – such as scoring points in research assessment or climbing the promotion ladder – and internal drivers – which means working out why writing for academic journals matters to you. This will help you maintain the motivation you'll need to write and publish over the long term. Since the time between submission and publication can be up to two years (though in some fields it's much less) you need to be clear about your motivation.

2) Analyse writing in journals in your field

Take a couple of journals in your field that you will target now or soon. Scan all the abstracts over the past few issues. Analyse them: look closely at all first and last sentences. The first sentence (usually) gives the rationale for the research, and the last asserts a 'contribution to knowledge'. But the word 'contribution' may not be there – it's associated with the doctorate. So which words are used? What constitutes new knowledge in this journal at this time? How can you construct a similar form of contribution from the work you did? What two sentences will you write to start and end your abstract for that journal?

Scan other sections of the articles: how are they structured? What are the components of the argument? Highlight all the topic sentences – the first sentences of every paragraph – to show the stages in the argument. Can you see an emerging taxonomy of writing genres in this journal? Can you define the different types of paper, different structures and decide which one will work best in your paper? Select two types of paper: one that's the type of paper you can use as a model for yours, and one that you can cite in your paper, thereby joining the research conversation that is ongoing in that journal.

3) Do an outline and just write

Which type of writer are you: do you always do an outline before you write, or do you just dive in and start writing? Or do you do a bit of both? Both outlining and just writing are useful, and it is therefore a good idea to use both. However, make your outline very detailed: outline the main sections and calibrate these with your target journal.

What types of headings are normally used there? How long are the sections usually? Set word limits for your sections, sub-sections and, if need be, for sub-sub-sections. This involves deciding about content that you want to include, so it may take time, and feedback would help at this stage.

When you sit down to write, what exactly are you doing:using writing to develop your ideas or writing to document your work? Are you using your outline as an agenda for writing sections of your article? Define your writing task by thinking about verbs – they define purpose: to summarise, overview, critique, define, introduce, conclude etc.

4) Get feedback from start to finish

Even at the earliest stages, discuss your idea for a paper with four or five people, get feedback on your draft abstract. It will only take them a couple of minutes to read it and respond. Do multiple revisions before you submit your article to the journal.

5) Set specific writing goals and sub-goals

Making your writing goals specific means defining the content, verb and word length for the section. This means not having a writing goal like, 'I plan to have this article written by the end of the year' but 'My next writing goal is to summarise and critique twelve articles for the literature review section in 800 words on Tuesday between 9am and 10.30'. Some people see this as too mechanical for academic writing, but it is a way of forcing yourself to make decisions about content, sequence and proportion for your article.

6) Write with others

While most people see writing as a solitary activity, communal writing – writing with others who are writing – can help to develop confidence, fluency and focus. It can help you develop the discipline of regular writing. Doing your academic writing in groups or at writing retreats are ways of working on your own writing, but – if you unplug from email, internet and all other devices – also developing the concentration needed for regular, high-level academic writing.

At some point – ideally at regular intervals – you can get a lot more done if you just focus on writing. If this seems like common sense, it isn't common practice. Most people do several things at once, but this won't always work for regular journal article writing. At some point, it pays to privilege writing over all other tasks, for a defined period, such as 90 minutes, which is long enough to get something done on your paper, but not so long that it's impossible to find the time.

7) Do a warm up before you write

While you are deciding what you want to write about, an initial warm up that works is to write for five minutes, in sentences, in answer to the question: 'What writing for publication have you done [or the closest thing to it], and what do you want to do in the long, medium and short term?'

Once you have started writing your article, use a variation on this question as a warm up – what writing for this project have you done, and what do you want to do in the long, medium and short term? Top tip: end each session of writing with a 'writing instruction' for yourself to use in your next session, for example, 'on Monday from 9 to 10am, I will draft the conclusion section in 500 words'.

As discussed, if there are no numbers, there are no goals. Goals that work need to be specific, and you need to monitor the extent to which you achieve them. This is how you learn to set realistic targets.

8) Analyse reviewers' feedback on your submission

What exactly are they asking you to do? Work out whether they want you to add or cut something. How much? Where? Write out a list of revision actions. When you resubmit your article include this in your report to the journal, specifying how you have responded to the reviewers' feedback. If your article was rejected, it is still useful to analyse feedback, work out why and revise it for somewhere else.

Most feedback will help you improve your paper and, perhaps, your journal article writing, but sometimes it may seem overheated, personalised or even vindictive. Some of it may even seem unprofessional. Discuss reviewers' feedback – see what others think of it. You may find that other people – even eminent researchers – still get rejections and negative reviews; any non-rejection is a cause for celebration. Revise and resubmit as soon as you can.

9) Be persistent, thick-skinned and resilient

These are qualities that you may develop over time – or you may already have them. It may be easier to develop them in discussion with others who are writing for journals.

10) Take care of yourself

Writing for academic journals is highly competitive. It can be extremely stressful. Even making time to write can be stressful. And there are health risks in sitting for long periods, so try not to sit writing for more than an hour at a time. Finally, be sure to celebrate thoroughly when your article is accepted. Remind yourself that writing for academic journals is what you want to do – that your writing will make a difference in some way.

Culled from The Guardian

6 Tips for Submitting your Manuscript to Publishers

 

If you are considering submitting a manuscript for publication these tips will help you to achieve the success you are looking for and will reduce the chance of your work ending up in the rejection pile.

1. Do your Research

Before submitting a manuscript to any publishing house you will first want to know:

• if they are currently accepting manuscript
• whether they accept unsolicited manuscripts (those submitted by authors, not agents)
• if your work fits with the content they are currently looking to publish
• what manuscript format they require
• their submissions policies

Once you have identified a specific publishing house to submit your work to you will be able to find all of this information under the “submissions” section of their websites.

If finding the right publisher/s for your work seems like a daunting task and you are unfamiliar with all the ones available to you, you can find them in the books below. These resources include all the information you will need in a way that is organized and complete. These are a must-have for every writer who is seriously seeking publication and they will save you lots of time and open up many new opportunities that you did not know even existed.

2. Network

Take the time to get to know other authors in your genre. This can be done by:

• joining writing groups
• visiting and participating in online writing communities and forums
• attending writing conferences
• participating in workshops in your community and online
• using social media such as Facebook or Twitter to connect with other writers

You will learn valuable information from other published authors. Their advice and connections may go a long way when it comes to getting your own work published. We have personally found that just as misery loves company, so does success! Once a person finds success in the publishing world, they cannot wait to share their advice, experience and joy and to help others obtain this same success! So if you have not done so already, reach out! You’ll be glad you did.

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3. Format your Manuscript

Prior to submitting your manuscript to any publishing company, it is first necessary to make sure that it is formatted to their specifications. You can find their requirements on their websites. If there are no specific requirements listed you can be sure that the standard formatting is sufficient. When formatting your book make sure to adhere to the proper font, text size, margins, spacing, headers, footers and page numbers.

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4. Submit it to Editing Services

You want to make sure that when you are submitting your manuscript to a publishing house it is as flawless as possible. It is very distracting for editors when they are reading a manuscript when typos, misspellings and grammatical errors keep popping out at them. To ensure you are sending a polished work, consider hiring an editing service to catch these errors so that they are not present to distract the editor and take away from the overall quality of your work.

5. Tailor your Cover Letter

Make sure that when you are submitting your cover letter you are addressing the person that will be reading your manuscript – this is not the place to write “To whom it may concern.” Take the time to show each individual publishing company that you know who they are, understand their needs and how your work specifically provides them with exactly what they are looking for.

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6. Know the Standard Policies for Manuscript Submissions

More and more publishing companies are getting with the times and allowing for online submission of manuscripts, either directly through their website or through email. This saves time, money and paper. However other publishing companies still prefer (and require) the traditional method of using traditional mail. It is important to know which policy your publishing company of choice is using and to format your manuscript accordingly. You will be able to find out which policy they are using on their websites under their “submissions” sections.

To learn more about how to submit your manuscript, whether it is via the Internet or post office the following articles will provide you with what you need to be prepared to do either:

By using these 6 tips you will be able to find the appropriate publisher for your manuscript and tailor it to their requirements, setting you up for success and a real shot at being offered a contract.

Culle from Think Written

9 Tips for Marketing to Kids and Teens Successfully

 

What’s one tip for marketing your product or service specifically to kids or teens?

The following answers are provided by the Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC), an invite-only organization comprised of the world’s most promising young entrepreneurs. In partnership with Citi, YEC recently launched StartupCollective, a free virtual mentorship program that helps millions of entrepreneurs start and grow businesses.

A. Advertise on Music Platforms

There are two things you know about most teens: they love music, and they don’t have much money. One way to reach teens is by advertising on music platforms with free versions (YouTube, Spotify, Pandora, etc.). Teens are more likely to be using these free versions, and most of these platforms have advanced advertising analytics to ensure that you’re reaching your audience.
- Brett Farmiloe, Internet Marketing Company

B. Get Them Involved

Cut through the commercials, and take your product on the road. Hit high-density venues where you will find kids and teens, such as malls, fairs, schools, etc., and bring your product to them to try firsthand. If mom and/or dad are there to witness their children having fun with your brand, then they will be more likely to purchase it for them over and over again.
- Vinny Antonio, Victory Marketing Agency

C. Be Trustworthy

Even with teenagers, you’ll be dealing with parents who have the power to block your access to their children. You have to make sure you’re worthy of the trust parents need to place in you before they’ll let their children use your product or service.
- Thursday Bram, Hyper Modern Consulting

D. Keep It Short

In today’s age of 140 characters and Instagram pictures, kids and teens have extremely short attention spans. Long sentences, lengthy explanations and blocks of copy will not communicate your message in a way that’s easily processed. Pictures, graphic examples and short sentences that pop have helped ZinePak effectively market to younger audiences quickly and efficiently.
- Kim Kaupe, ZinePak

E. Hook Their Curiosity

In case you haven’t noticed, there’s a lot of noise out there. And the things that gain the attention of teens are what makes them laugh, cry, jeer or truly think. In building content for one of the top 50 most-trafficked websites on the Internet, we built teen content in near real time with a unique voice and engaging visuals. Relevant content that resonates at an emotional level is king.
- Matt Hunckler, Verge

F. Target the New Social Networks

New social networks, such Instagram and Snapchat, rise fast these days. Pay attention to what social networks kids are using, and you’ll be able to leverage those channels to reach them. If it’s a great product or idea, word will spread fast.
- Russ Oja, Seattle Windows and Construction, LLC

G. Be Relatable and Relevant

Marketing to kids inherently involves appealing to their inner world; their imagination. We once developed a tea product for children, licensing a known cartoon to brand it. For teens, social currency is a must. You must stay attuned to current social media trends such as Instagram and Snapchat. Being conscientious matters; do not forget parents spend on and supervise their children.
- Arthur Ebeling, Koi Creative, Inc.

H. Reply Quickly

When marketing to kids and teens, social media is where most of your target consumers are hanging out. Social media moves fast, so when you’re marketing to kids and teens, remember that the attention span on most of these platforms is rapid fire. You must engage fast, be responsive to questions and feedback and communicate in real time. Being accessible will gain you mindshare with this audience.
- Doreen Bloch, Poshly Inc.

I. Post Sharable Videos Online

Kids and teenagers still respond to video best, but not many companies can afford a prime TV spot. The best alternative is to create exciting online videos and market them through social media channels. Once kids see their peers sharing the next cool thing, you can bet their parents will hear about it.
- Robert De Los Santos, Sky High Party Rentals

Culled from Huff Post