audience - Frankly, My Dear . . .

Five Things Friday: Marketing Terms

Sep 8, 2017 | 2 comments

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!

Sweeten my tea and share:

Social Media for the Anti-Social: If You Build It, They Will Come

Aug 21, 2016 | 4 comments

Saturday, I had the opportunity to present “Growing Your Social Media Swarm” to the Writers of Kern, a branch of the California Writers Club. I was excited to learn the audience also had non-writers interested in learning better building techniques.

One of the first slides in my presentation is one you’ve seen for years on this blog.

If you build it, they will come.

Remember back in the day when I revamped my blog, and my brother created this wonderful graphic for me? It’s years old, and it still thrills me.

It’s a reminder to take those steps toward better social media. “If you build it, they will come.”

Social media (emphasis on social) is more than just “look at me.” It’s a mutual support.

Many years ago (okay, we’re gonna pretend I didn’t use the word “many” here, okay? Thanks.) in college, I attended a reading and lecture by W. P. Kinsella, author of Shoeless Joe, which became the inspiration for the movie Field of Dreams. Mr. Kinsella and I spoke after, and he encouraged me to keep writing. “It’s a special gift that takes years,” he told me. “Don’t give up.” To this day, Field of Dreams is still one of my favorites.

When you place your focus on “social”, “media” is just the means by which you connect. As writers, we are the first generation to have instant worldwide access. [You can thank Al Gansky for that soundbite.] Why wouldn’t you want a piece of that pie?

Before building your social media platform, it’s important to know a few things:

Facebook and Twitter are da bomb. That’s where you’ll reach 100% of your target audience. The other sites are just icing on the cake.
What do you want to be known for? If it’s being a creative, design your posts to share creative ideas. If it’s business management, you may want to share ideas on personnel, budgeting, and the like.
Who do you want your target audience to be? This is the money shot. Find a unique way to present who you are with what you know, and you’ll be set.

Running a social media platform takes time. Effort. A little brain-powered creativity. Here’s the good news: You don’t have to do it alone.

Remember the emphasis on “social”? It works both ways. You want to share content to help connect you to a broader audience, right? Well, reverse that. Someone else out there has information and links you’re interested in. Find them, promote them. By sharing someone else’s posts and pages, you’ve still supplied your audience with information, while helping someone else gain status in the social media foray.

See? They built it, you came. Now it’s your turn. Build it, and they will come.

This is where I pat you on the back and say, “Good game. Now, go get ’em!”

And Frankly, My Dear . . . That’s all she wrote!

You may also enjoy reading:
TGIF: A-P-P-R-E-C-I-A-T-I-V-E-L-Y
Social Media for the Anti-Social

Sweeten my tea and share:

Are they hearing you?

May 31, 2015 | 2 comments

People hear what they want to hear.

Children have selective hearing that picks up words like “ice cream” and ignores others like “chores”. When a friend asks, “How are you?”, they’re already hoping you’re going to ask them the same question. Our lifestyles are wired to be self-fulfilling, and serving others is a secondary agenda.

But what if what you have to say is important? So important, it could be a life changer? And what do you do if your audience refuses to listen?

Microphone, empty chair. Is this thing on?

Is Thing Thing On?

In the last few years, I’ve changed jobs, quit a relationship, and forayed into more writing, media, and public speaking.

With each new experience, I’ve tried to still the waters behind me. I had a burning desire to explain myself, to be heard.

It’s not you, it’s me.

But the truth is, it was them, too. And I don’t owe them an explanation.

I was called to move on, not to stand still.

I’m not advocating telling your boss off or always needing to be the center of attention. But you have a message to say, and if others aren’t listening or respecting you, it’s okay to move on and find your audience.

Is there anyone out there?

In fact, God instructs us to leave the past in the past.

“If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words,
leave that home or town and shake the dust off your feet.”
~Matthew 10:14, NIV

When God says “GO”, are you going? Or are you slowly dragging your feet, hoping He meant “later”? Hoping He meant “together”?

We all need to support our families. We all have a need to be loved. We all need to be heard.

It’s hard to make changes and keep going. It can be super scary to climb those steps when you don’t know what’s at the top.

Those Daunting Steps

But there are some situations when we need to take that leap of faith and trust that God knows more about our path than we do.

Stopping in hope someone else understands, trying to reason with people who choose not to hear, is telling God that while He may have a decent plan, it just doesn’t work.

I don’t know about you,
but I don’t want to ever be the one
to tell God
His plan won’t work.

Think on this: If you’re sharing your message but not being heard, it’s not you, it’s them.

Here’s another: If you’re compromising your message to stay where you’re at, it’s not them, it’s you.

Are you listening? Don’t drag them with you. Leave the unlisteners where they are. It’s okay to move on without them. God will lead you to where He needs you to be.

It’s hard, to be sure. Especially if you’re a people-person.

But it’s the right thing to do.

Your audience is everyone you come into contact with. Not just daily, but even those once-in-a-while folks you might not otherwise think of.

Coworkers
Friends
Neighbors
People at church and community functions
When you run errands to the store or gas station
Strangers on the phone or in the next car

Are you sharing your message? Are you actively seeking out your audience? If you’re doing your part but those doors keep closing on you, it’s time to find a new audience.

Do whatever it takes to live the message God has called you to live and to take care of the family He’s given you.

Pray for divine appointments
for Him to bring people you can encourage,
and for those who can encourage you.

A Pastor at my church used to tell everyone, “We’re all in this together.” And he was right. This life isn’t just about me, or you, or us, or them. It’s about us all.

We’re all in this together – Are you doing your share?

And it’s okay to venture out into the big, scary world when God tells you. Just don’t look back. Shake off the unbelievers and follow Him around the bend. You may not know what’s ahead, but He does. And He’s really glad you’re coming with Him.

Remember this: God never calls the equipped. He equips the called.