Sep 9, 2017 |
by Molly Jo Realy @RealMojo68
What’s your social media identity? Are you popular on Instagram but not Twitter? Does your Facebook feed look a little hungry?
One way to keep your numbers up across the board is to maintain consistency.
WHO you are is as important as WHERE you are, and these are both as important HOW OFTEN you make your presence known.
I’ve seen people have a different user name for each platform they use. That’s not a good idea, unless you’re creating multiple personalities. You want your followers to be able to find you easily, like the neon Denny’s signs for late-night travelers.
Now, I’m not advocating cookie-cutter posts. You don’t want your feeds to be a Xerox copy of each other all the time. But you do want to share your same message through different venues.
You are the cake, and your media is the icing. The icing doesn’t change the cake, it makes it more appealing.
Frankly, My Dear . . . Icing on the cake!
Some sites may want a small piece, others require something bigger. A third requests a chunk of frosting the size of your fist. You’re the chef. This is your restaurant, your bakery, your tail gate party. You know what you’re good at, so don’t be afraid to serve it up with a smile.
And be sure to include the whole meal. Your followers will, well, follow you more if the breadcrumbs you leave are flavorful, lead to better foods, and invite others to the table. By that I mean, well, now I mean I’m hungry. But in the social media world, I mean give your peeps a buffet to choose from. There are nine gajillion ways to cook foods. Surely you know more than just one meal’s worth.
Your garden, your fridge, your pantry all work together to make a great meal. Your media sites should do the same. Add a little of this, a side of that. My, that’s a lovely four-course plate you’re serving up.
Bring your people back to the table with a variety that will garner their taste buds. And if you experiment with the recipe now and then, great. How else will you know what you can add to your plate?
Just make sure your meals are going out three times a day, every day. Don’t leave ’em hungry and eating elsewhere. Like picky eaters, your audience will let you know what works and what doesn’t.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I have some cupcakes I need to bake. And eat. Share. I mean, share.
TWEET THIS: #SocialMedia Saturday: What Are You Feeding Your Followers? @RealMojo68 #cake
With a cool apron in a hot kitchen,
Bake those posts!
~Molly Jo
And Frankly, My Dear . . . That’s all she wrote!
Sep 8, 2017 |
by Molly Jo Realy @RealMojo68
Frankly, My Dear . . . : Five Things Friday
You know those moments when you know what you know, you just didn’t know you knew it until someone else turns on the light bulb? Yeah. That’s how the new career is lighting up my world lately. And it’s ahh-mazing. It’s like a triple-caffeine-intake while racing the Indy 500 through LA Traffic and surviving kind of high. It is that kind of awesome sauce.
Frankly, My Dear . . . : Which Bulb are You?
So, I’m still doing the writing thing, still doing the editing thing. But as you can tell, I’m also still doing the marketing thing. And this new career keeps reaffirming that I know what I’m doing. How’s that for sweet in me tea. (Oh, please. Y’all know it’s not a week unless I mention my sweet tea.)
BEE the Zebra is super excited, too. Because while NIPPERS is all about the media, y’all just know BEE is all about the marketing.
Frankly, My Dear . . . : BEE the Zebra has a plan
Now, whether you’re a writer, editor, quilter, clothes salesperson or dog walker, we can at least all agree that we’d have, like, zero business if it weren’t for marketing, am I right? And whether you have a team behind you, or you run a do-it-yourself ad campaign, here’s a few things I know.
So grab yourself a glass of that goodness and relax while I share with you five prominent marketing ideas.
- I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. And again. And again. Word of Mouth Advertising only works if you open your mouth. You can’t very well be a dazzling zebra if you don’t let anyone see or share your stripes, now, can you?
Frankly, My Dear . . . : Word of Mouth Advertising only works if you open your mouth.
- Brand Awareness. This was a fun one for me to name. Because I love love love helping others find, and maintain, their online identity. You are not your brand. Well, sometimes you are, but not really. You have so many facets. And like most people, you keep a good portion of your private life, well, private. But if you were to poll your peeps, most of them could easily give you five to ten traits that make you, you. From those, you can easily curate your brand. It should be the image you want to publicly reflect. When people think these things, they should think of you. That’s the power of branding.
- Needs Analysis. Holy cow, is that a fancy way of saying, “How can I help you?” A needs analysis is a term that’s been used for years. It basically is the LEGO connector between what you need and what someone else has to offer. Offer-Person says, “Let’s discuss this.” And Need-Person says, “This is where I’m at, and this is where I want to go.” So Offer-Person creates some strategies to help get you there. The information is the needs analysis, the diagnostic appointment to get the ball rolling.
- Pivoting. We all do this. And as fiction writers we’re especially good at it. This is where Person A says, “I need Item A.” But Person B, who knows more about the situation, says, “I agree. Let’s take care of this and then let’s talk about that.” See? You went from A to B with just a turn of the page. Writers pivot every time we ask you to believe our characters then put them into turmoil. We cause you to read on, with different expectations.
[Note to self: Stop letting Josie get into so much trouble in NOLA. no spoilers!]
- Audience Engagement. Do I really have to explain this? Nope. But I do want to discuss it. This of course is when you get your peeps involved. You’re nothing without your audience . . . Unless you sing in the shower. And while most of us like the acoustics, do we really want to stop there? Not at all. We all have gifts, talents, product, merchandise, you-name-it-we-got-it stuff that we want to share with others. So we need to make sure we’re actually sharing it, and not just laying it down. It’s a hand-off, a relay-race if you will. Get your people involved and they’re more apt to pass the baton to someone else (that’s the referral).
Frankly, My Dear . . . Are you ready to run the marketing race?
So now it’s your turn: What are some of your marketing tips and tricks?
TWEET THIS: Frankly, My Dear . . . : Are you ready to run the #marketing race? @RealMojo68 #FiveThingsFriday
With high top running shoes and a bejeweled baton,
Happy Marketing!
~Molly Jo
And Frankly, My Dear . . . That’s all she wrote!
Sep 7, 2017 |
by Molly Jo Realy @RealMojo68
Still Waters by Lindsey P. Brackett
So. This author? Lindsey? We kissed frogs together. #truestory.
Frankly, My Dear . . . Kissing Our Frog Princes at Blue Ridge
She has completely hunted me down threatened encouraged me to embrace my inner Southern Belle and pushed me toward being the person I am today. Yeah, I’m sorry. Wait. What?
No, seriously. Since I met her a few years ago, she’s been nagging me. “When are you gonna write for Splickety?” “How can I pray for you?” “Are you working on NOLA this week?” “When do we get to have coffee?” I mean, the girl is just . . . such an encourager. Sigh.
Annnnnd in the throes of being a wife, mother, magazine editor, and local newspaper columnist, she just published her debut novel, Still Waters.
Cora Anne Halloway has a history degree and a plan: avoid her own past—despite being wait-listed for graduate school. Then her beloved grandmother requests—and her dispassionate mother insists—that she spend the summer at Still Waters, the family cottage on Edisto Beach, South Carolina.
Despite its picturesque setting, Still Waters haunts Cora Anne with loss. At Still Waters her grandfather died, her parents’ marriage disintegrated, and as a child, she caused a tragic drowning. But lingering among the oak canopies and gentle tides, this place also tempts her with forgiveness—especially since Nan hired Tennessee Watson to oversee cottage repairs. A local contractor, but dedicated to the island’s preservation from development, Tennessee offers her friendship and more, if she can move beyond her guilt.
When a family reunion reveals Nan’s failing health, Cora Anne discovers how far Tennessee will go to protect her—and Edisto—from more desolation. Will Cora Anne choose between a life driven by guilt, or one washed clean by the tides of grace?
I’ll review Still Waters next week, but tonight, we’re celebrating. How? Why, having a Facebook Launch Event, of course! C’mon, you know you want in on this action.
Here’s all you have to do: Click this link: Still Waters Launch Party. That’s it. Follow the link, click, “going”, and show up. I’ll be interviewing Lindsey about her book, the writing process, and her life, and she’s got a few giveaways for y’all as well.
Oh, and you can follow Lindsey P. Brackett on Twitter, too.
TWEET THIS: Join the fun for the release of @lindsbrac debut novel #StillWaters. @RealMojo68 #FBLaunchEvent #amreading
With a party hat and bookworm heart,
Happy reading!
~Molly Jo
And Frankly, My Dear . . . That’s all she wrote!
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Sep 6, 2017 |
by Molly Jo Realy @RealMojo68
Frankly, My Dear . . . : Heart’s Song by Aaoron Gansky and Kaye Morrison
Okay. If y’all missed the podcast last night, or any online banter between myself and the faux bro, I’m here to tell ya,
HE MADE ME CRY.
Okay, not him, really. This story. This modern-day rock romance between Geoff Morris and Emily Amhearst that’s played out via emails and text messages and phone transcripts and journal entries. What an amazing way to tell a story. What an amazing story to tell!
Written by Aaron Gansky and Kaye Morrison (Cindy Sproles), this is edge-of-your-seat action and emotion.
Now, full disclosure, I haven’t read the entire book yet. There’s been things like working and eating and sleeping and, wait for it–writing my own novel–that’s interfered. That may have contributed to the story-induced tears.
I can’t share with you the full text exchange that went on between me and Aaron the last two days, because I don’t want y’all to have any spoilers. Let’s just say on my end there was a lot of “#ihateyou” and on his end a lot of “Sorry. I’m going to be saying that a lot, aren’t I?” The book is just that beautiful. It really is. And it really did make me cry. In public. At my new job. See? I hate him. #notreally
Every dialogue transaction brought me deeper into the characters’ plights, their pull to each other, the world keeping them apart. One thing after another, and then finally, almost, together HAHA FOOLED YOU, but wait, no, he’s here, she’s here, YES!, nope, fooled you again, home calls, responsibilities, past troubles . . . Ugh. It’s like breathing underwater while trying to dance the Mambo. Get it? It can’t be done!
I’m almost half through the book and I’m so furious. Because I really want to know what happens with Geoff and Emily, and even Yaz. And Hailey. But I don’t have time. Like they don’t have time for each other. They call, but life interferes. Again and again.
I can tell you, the story starts with a bang. Literally. Well, almost literally. Emily’s boyfriend beats the youknowwhat out of her and Geoff sends her a ticket to safety. They knew each other back in the day, and have rekindled their friendship. Is it more? They want it to be. Or do they? He’s a budding rock star, she’s a quiet girl trying to put her life back together. They’re like oil and water.
They get to know each other again, on deeper levels, and it’s pretty revealing. And pretty misunderstood. And pretty terrific.
Look, if you’ve ever been in that get-to-know-you stage of a relationship, if you’ve ever had an ex who scarred you in different ways, if you’ve ever wanted to matter to someone, you need to read this book. Live vicariously through it. Root for Geoff and Emily. Because right now they’re being pulled apart. And they need all the rooting they can get.
Purchase Heart’s Song on Amazon.
TWEET THIS: Heart’s Song: A Modern-Day Romance @RealMojo68 @adgansky @cindydevoted #heartssong #romance
With an eager heart and a reading schedule,
Happy reading.
~Molly Jo
And Frankly, My Dear . . . That’s all she wrote!
Sep 5, 2017 |
by Molly Jo Realy @RealMojo68
Frankly, My Dear . . .: Nippers, Bruno, and Molly Jo Realy
I worked on NOLA this weekend. Like, a lot. Of course, along with writing comes being creative in other ways. Like creating this cover for my Facebook Group:
Frankly, My Dear . . . : Excerpt from NOLA by Molly Jo Realy (work in progress)
And that got me thinking about the other memes and designs I’ve created. So I wanted to let y’all know the monthly PDF is now available at MollyJoRealy.com. This month I designed a fun inspirational wallpaper for your computer or mobile device. Feel free to download and share! (Sorry, no NOLA memes yet. Be patient!)
I also put up a sub-link so y’all can do the same with all the Frankly, On Faith memes. Yup, they’re now available as a PDF download or computer wallpaper.
Keep an eye on the libraries throughout the month as new PDFs may be added through individual posts.
I mean, it’s autumn, right? Oh, shush. I got my Pumpkin Spice Latte. That makes it autumn in my book!
I’m thinking soup recipes, autumn pics, just a whole lotta leafy fun.
Anyway, it’s late and there’s a thing happening in New Orleans I need to finish writing.
So, with a lot of wallpaper and a waiting protagonist,
Happy Everything,
~Molly Jo
TWEET THIS: Frankly, My Dear . . . : Your Monthly PDF is available. @RealMojo68 #PDF #franklymydear
And Frankly, My Dear . . . : That’s all she wrote!
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