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Wednesday, December 21, 2011

Buzz Words Breeds Success

Buzz words can be a useful PR tool. Let's face it, buzz words make an otherwise boring topic, interesting. In the media world they create excellent sound bytes and noteworthy headlines. Consider it the spice in the mix.
 
What do you think of when you hear the word Brangelina

That's right, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie. 

The reason the media uses buzz words, is because they work

Which is more likely to get your attention?
1) Early Intervention utilizes entertainment as education
2) Edutainment is the new early intervention

The media has been creating buzz words for ages. Greensboro, North Carolina wasn't always Greensboro. It was incorporated as Greensborough in 1808, but the city's local newspaper, the Greensboro Patriot kept printing the city's name as Greensboro. It saved them ink, print space, and was easier on their old fashioned printing machine. The result? It ended up influencing the name change of the entire city to Greensboro in 1895.

Not only are buzz words helpful to media people, but they can also benefit authors and publicists when used appropriately and creatively. When writing press releases, blogs, and new pitches, authors need to think in terms of a journalist. The market is saturated with editors, reporters and producers receiving thousands of daily pitches. By using a buzz word, phrase, or catchy headline, you'll have a better chance at edging out the competition.

Note: This is for news editors for promotional purposes, not book editors who you are pitching or sending a proposal to in the hope of getting your book published. Standing out to these editors for any other reason beyond a compelling, well-written story could work against you.

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

Today Begins the Highland Sanctuary Blog Tour!

Don't miss the fall blog tour for Highland Sanctuary, Jennifer Hudson Taylor's new novel, releasing Oct 1st. We'll have a mixture of reviews, guest posts and author interviews. Jennifer will host limited giveaways and will share the Sanctuary of Secrets...

We'll continue to update more blog stops as we book them.
Sept. 14, 2011 AJ Hawke Inspirational Writing

Sept. 15, 2011 A Day in the Life of a Wife Mom and Author Blog

Sept. 16, 2011 Quintessentially Quilly

Sept. 19, 2011 Faith Chats Blog 

Sept. 20, 2011  Living Water Fiction Blog

Sept. 21, 2011 Creative Madness Blog

Sept. 22, 2011 Sharon's Garden of Books

Sept. 23, 2011 Reviews By Molly

Sept. 26, 2011 Katieslegacy Blog

Sept. 27, 2011 A Christian Writer's World Blog

Sept. 29, 2011 Tracy Riva Books & Reviews

Sept 30, 2011 Black n'Gold Girl's Book Spot

Oct. 3, 2011 By Grace Alone Blog

Oct. 4, 2011 Edgy Inspirational Blog

Oct. 6, 2011 Write of Passage Blog

Oct. 7, 2011 Beverly's Bookshelf

Oct 10, 2011 Margaret's Blog 

Oct. 11, 2011 Daysong Reflections Blog

Oct 12, 2011, Living Faith in the Real World Blog

Oct. 17, 2011 Valentine at Carabosse's Library

Oct. 2o, 2011 Reviews by Jane 

Oct. 21, 2011 Inkslinger Blog

Oct. 24, 2011, Bibliophile's Retreat Blog

Wednesday, August 10, 2011

Need Some Social Media Knowledge? Or a Social Media Job?

HootSuite is now offering HootSuite University. Here's an excerpt straight from their latest newsletter, Marketers, industry professionals, consultants and those looking for advanced social media skills will enjoy the helpful webinars and a bevy of new videos too. Curious? HSU is offering the first video series free for everyone. Visit learn.hootsuite.com to watch.

Of course, the first "free" video is only the basics, most of it is self-explanatory and you can pretty much figure it out yourself. Therefore, in my humble opinion, there isn't much they're offering for free. However, you can advance to the next level, for a fee of $21.99/month if you already pay for their Pro-package, or $26.99 if you're using the free version of HootSuite. 

I'm not sure if one can learn enough from the first month or two or how long the process takes before you earn your certification. And yes, they are offering certifications. For those of us who may have graduated college with a marketing degree before 2011, I'm sure your field of study didn't include Social Media and you're now being asked to figure it out as you go along. I'd be interested in hearing from anyone who has taken HootSuite's course. 

One great aspect I believe is going to be very beneficial is their Social Media Job Board. They have listings from companies all over America hiring for positions requiring Social Media skills and knowledge. 

Are you already using HootSuite? How do you like it?

Tuesday, August 9, 2011

Authors, Don't Be Fooled By the Recession

There's some good news in the midst of all the bad news, a single ray of sunshine. Whenever there is a recession and people are hoarding their few dollars for emergencies and the unknown, they still need a wee bit of entertainment--history has proven that they turn to books. They're seeking a ray of hope in the midst of their despair and that's when our inspirational books serve their purpose the most. 

Books are cheap compared to lots of other forms of entertainment--both print books and e-books alike. So authors, don't despair, thinking your books won't sell well in this climate. They may sell better than they would have if we were in a booming economy. People can't go anywhere, they aren't taking as many vacations, are eating out less, are spending less time at the malls and stores, are buying fewer gadgets, and that means they have more time on their hands. Eventually, they run out of movies they've seen over and over again, and they get bored with reruns on TV. There's only so much computer time one can take. A book is the next logical choice. 

These days authors also have a form of free advertising at their fingertips that authors in the past didn't have--Social Media. Word-of-mouth advertising is still over 70% effective compared to all other advertising, and according to several recent studies, Social Media has made that percentage sky-rocket. 

If you're on a tight budget, use the tools of Social Media to spread the news of your book. Use blogs, podcasts, vlogs to put out informative, consistent content and readers will find you by word-of-mouth recommendations through Social Media. 

What are some of the silver linings you've discovered in this near broken economy? How has Social Media improved your networking and promotional efforts? Please share and give others a little encouragement. 

Sunday, July 31, 2011

How to Disable Google+ Instant Photo Upload on Android Phone

For the record, you must disable this feature directly from your phone. Apparently, when you first download the Google+ app to your Android phone, they default this Instant Upload feature to enable. You will have to go in and manually disable it.

Below is a quick tutorial video on how to do this.

Blog Tour: Highland Sanctuary by Jennifer Hudson Taylor

Don't miss the fall blog tour for Highland Sanctuary, Jennifer Hudson Taylor's new novel, releasing Oct 1st. We'll have a mixture of reviews, guest posts and author interviews. Jennifer will host limited giveaways and will share the Sanctuary of Secrets...

We'll continue to update more blog stops as we book them.
Sept. 14, 2011 AJ Hawke Inspirational Writing

Sept. 15, 2011 A Day in the Life of a Wife Mom and Author Blog

Sept. 16, 2011 Quintessentially Quilly

Sept. 19, 2011 Faith Chats Blog 

Sept. 20, 2011  Living Water Fiction Blog

Sept. 21, 2011 Creative Madness Blog

Sept. 22, 2011 Sharon's Garden of Books

Sept. 23, 2011 Reviews By Molly

Sept. 26, 2011 Katieslegacy Blog

Sept. 27, 2011 A Christian Writer's World Blog

Sept. 29, 2011 Tracy Riva Books & Reviews

Sept 30, 2011 Black n'Gold Girl's Book Spot

Oct. 3, 2011 By Grace Alone Blog

Oct. 4, 2011 Edgy Inspirational Blog

Oct. 6, 2011 Write of Passage Blog

Oct. 7, 2011 Beverly's Bookshelf

Oct 10, 2011 Margaret's Blog 

Oct. 11, 2011 Daysong Reflections Blog

Oct 12, 2011, Living Faith in the Real World Blog

Oct. 17, 2011 Valentine at Carabosse's Library

Oct. 2o, 2011 Reviews by Jane 

Oct. 21, 2011 Inkslinger Blog

Oct. 24, 2011, Bibliophile's Retreat Blog

Social Media: Stay Connected Monthly Package

Stay Connected Monthly Package ($150)

This package is for authors who have established accounts and who need to be actively promoting and growing their Social Media, but also need more free time to write and meet deadlines. This package includes the following:

Facebook
~ 50 Friend invites and/or readers targeted to your author page per month

 Twitter
~ 300 Targeted followers per month
~ Monitor return follows & unfollowers, mentions & retweets, thank retweeters & mentions

LinkedIn
~ 100 Targeted connections per month
~ Respond to friend requests

Pinterest
~ 50 Targeted connections per month
~ Respond to friend requests

YouTube
~ Upload new videos to YouTube Channel as needed
~ Manage subscribers and subscriptions
~ Respond to friend requests each month

Goodreads
~ 50 Friends per month
~ Respond to friend requests each month
~ Upload new events and books as needed

LibraryThing
~ Respond to friend requests per month
~ Upload new books each month as needed

Google+ 
~ 30 Targeted friends per month in circles
~ Respond to friend requests each month
~ Upload new events and books as needed

Note: We cannot guarantee people will accept friend requests or follow back. Therefore, targeted means we will try and target these numbers for you, but there is no guarantee.

Social Media: Get Connected Package

Get Connected Package ($500)

This is our start-up package for authors who are just beginning Social Media. If an author already has an account set up at some of these sites, we would work on optimizing what they already have and create the new ones. Please note, we can only target a number of followers/friends. We cannot guarantee a specific number. This package includes the following:

Facebook
~ Create account/profile 
~ Create an Author Page on Facebook 
~ Consult client on creating a 3rd party App promoting books on FB
~ Create Facebook/yourname for a shortlink
~ Target up to 100 likes within the first month
~ Set RSS feeds from your blog
~ Will email html code to author for a Facebook widget or buttons to be embedded on author’s website/blog

Twitter
~ Create account/profile
~ Design a customized background and header
~ Target up to 500 followers
~ Set RSS feeds from your blog
~ Will email html code to author for a Twitter widget or button to be embedded on author’s website/blog

LinkedIn
~ Create account/profile
~ Set RSS feeds from Twitter
~ Target 100 connections
~ Will email html code to author for a LinkedIn widget or button to be embedded on author’s website/blog


Pinterest
~ Create account/profile
~ Create up to 2 story boards with at least 5 pins on each board from author’s website/blog to promote their books.
~ Will provide html code for a widget or button to place on author’s website/blog.

YouTube
~ Create account/profile
~ Upload current video book trailers if there are any
~ Target 10 subscribers/Friends
~ Will provide html code for a widget or button to place on author’s website/blog.

Goodreads Author Page
~ Create account/profile
~ Request Author page for your books (books must be available on Amazon)
~ Set RSS feeds from your blog
~ Target 100 friends
~ Will email html code to author for a widget or button to place on author’s website/blog

LibraryThing
~ Create account/profile
~ Request author page
~ List your books

Other Account Set-Ups
~ Create Twitterfeed account 
~ Link Twitterfeed to Twitter and Facebook accounts and set RSS feeds from your blog(s)
~ Create Hootsuite account/profile 
~ Link Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn accounts for tracking 
~ Note: Hootsuite may also be used to track future social media contest/campaigns
~ Create Booktour.com account/profile
~ Note: Booktour events can be linked to your Amazon Author page
~ Create a Google Gmail account for all your social media so your main email will not be bombarded with tons of alerts.

Amazon Author Page (Optional)
~ Consult client on how to create an account/profile or optimize your current page
~ Upload video book trailers, new books
~ Set RSS feeds from your blog(s)

Google+ 
~ Create account/profile
~ 80 Targeted friends in circles

Note: We cannot guarantee people will accept friend requests or follow back. Therefore, targeted means we will try and target these numbers for you, but there is no guarantee.

Sunday, April 24, 2011

Thank You!

We have received your submission form and will respond in the next 24-48 hours.

Thank you for your interest in Upon the Rock Publicist!


Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Ads


Advertise on our Site! - (See Samples)
If you would like to purchase a banner ad that scrolls across the top of our homepage, we will design the ad and you choose the length of time that displays on our site. 

$100 buys a 30-Day Banner Ad + Design
$150 buys a 60-Day Banner Ad + Design


Banner Ads
 
 

Thank You!


Thank you for choosing Upon the Rock Publicist!
 

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