Biz Tips Blog: Online Marketing, Visibility and Business Blogging Tips

Online Visibility Tip: Create a Video Podcast

You know how I'm always telling you to integrate video into your marketing mix? Well, what do you do with all those videos? On Build a Better Blog I shared my system for distributing my video tips for broad-based visibility, but I forgot a very important site and I thank my client Dr. Steven Park for bringing it to my attention...[click here if you can't see the video]

So how did I create my video podcast?

New poll on Build a Better Blog - Please Vote!

I have posted a new poll asking for your preferences for consuming content online. I'd love to get your comments, feedback and vote in the poll. Click here to submit your preference: text, audio, video or something else.

Authors Need to Use Social Media Too

Later this week I'm speaking at the 20th annual Mendocino Coast Writers Conference in Ft. Bragg, CA. Over 100 authors convene to attend intensive writing workshops with well known, award winning authors. They also have panel discussions with agents and publishers and me...speaking about online marketing. The big headliner at this year's conference is Luis Rodriguez a widely respected, multi-award winning author, former gang member...and blogger!

I'm going to talk to the authors about blogging and social media.

While preparing my presentation, I took a tour of the blogosphere, checking out the sites and blogs of the authors who are on the Conference faculty.

Blogs were in short supply and most that I did find were hosted on Blogger. All the blogs I found were author blogs vs. book blogs.

I tried to find Facebook fan pages and was unsuccessful, though I may have missed them if any of the authors have book pages vs. author page.

I found Luiz Rodrigez on twitter, but there had been no updates for over a month (I also discovered that we're practically neighbors and I look forward to meeting Mr. Rodriguez at the conference!).

What's this all mean? I have no doubt that all the faculty authors are fantastic and I have no idea how many books they actually sell. Most have very little online visibility which could certainly boost awareness and attract more fans and readers. If that's what they want.

A great model is what Paul Chaney is doing for his soon-to-be-released book The Digital Handshake. He's got a book blog and a Fan page on Facebook. When I checked the book on Amazon, I didn't see his blog, and I believe you can import blog posts into your Amazon sales page so you can more intimately connect with readers. Also, there's no video, yet.

You can see how Dave Lakhani uses video on his Amazon page for his new bestseller, How to Sell When Nobody's Buying.

I'm looking forward to connecting with so many creative people this week and showing them how they can boost their online visibility so they can attract more raving fans and make more sales!

Resources:

13 Mistakes Authors Make on Their Blogs

Becoming an Online Bestseller - report and teleseminar from Kathleen Gage

An Interesting Book Promo Offer - blog post by Chris Brogan

Video Isn't Just for Blogs and YouTube

Today on a teleseminar, Terri Levine, one of my mentors, talked about how she's using video to create closer relationships (and as a result a lot more business) with people she meets: prospects, clients and other people in her life.

She's shooting about 100 (!) very short video greetings every week and sending them via email to her contacts. This isn't a revolutionary new idea...it's a reminder that there are many ways of connecting and by far video is the most powerful.

When you deliver a video greeting that has no hidden agenda, no sales pitch, just a heart-felt sincere message, then you create a connection that will stick with the recipient. You make someone feel really good!

Now that I think about it, I actually did this a few weeks ago.

Chris Garrett on Social Media Success Summit

This past weekend I was in Chicago for Biz School For Bloggers conference. Lucky me because I got to catch up with uber-blogger Chris Garrett, a member of the team putting on the Social Media Success Summit which kicks off on May 26. I convinced Chris to give me just a quick little tease about what he'll be presenting on at the Summit.

This is the first major online event dedicated to helping businesses succeed with social media marketing.  Nearly 300 of your peers have already signed up.

The line-up is an all-star cast.