First Word

If there is anything I hear all of the time as a publisher is "I have this story ..." Do you know what sets people apart? You have the dreamers and the doers. The doers walk up to me with a finished manuscript and pitch it. The dreamers always say, "I have a book in me." The dreamers will never do much more than say the words. The doers will get it published. I like to dream -- but I like to dream and then do. No dream is too big or too small to pursue. I think what gets me going is feeling inspired and excited. What I like about having a partner is that he inspires me. He gets excited. And while we dream together we do it. Our latest project is a children's book that sprung from a five-minute conversation into reality. You have to know you can do anything you set your mind to doing. Sometimes you might need help and guidance to make your story more than a dream. Believe me when I say anything can be accomplished -- especially when you have help. We provid...

When I speak to audiences I often get asked, "Should I have a fan page or a personal page?" The answer depends on you and what you want to do with the personal page. I do not have a personal page, but rather a professional page with a "personal touch," which means I do include some personal information or reflections. My rationale is I don't want to maintain two different pages, and I'm not using social media to "socialize". I am using social media to promote our business 3L Publishing ( www.3LPublishing.com ). I don't have time to maintain a personal page and another business page. Also, most people aren't as interested in professional-only information. They use social media often to get to know the person they are going to do business with. I suggest if you're going to "mix business with pleasure" you set your own guidelines and rules about it. I like to keep my page "interesting" so I pull a general audienc...

The Daily Cup: Issue 6 ​ Q: Is social media replacing traditional networking to attract business? A: In some respects, yes. When it comes to social media vs. networking you almost have a chicken before the egg situation. You have to build following in social media to effectively market, and you can't build an adequate following without networking -- and round it goes. My advice is to start by doing traditional networking and have your fan pages set up ahead of time. Make sure you've got the requisite "find me" on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, etc. on your marketing promo. As you're networking encourage people to follow you. Once you've got a big enough following then you can begin to enjoy the results on social media. Remember, though, to participate in your social media community. While in-person networking can be slowed down once your social media is established, you still have to be a "member" of that social media community. In...

The Daily Cup: Issue 6 ​ Q: How long should a tagline be? A: No more than 3-4 words Our tagline for 3L Publishing ( www.3LPublishing.com ) is "Where 'Write' Meets Light". Professionals often think a tagline is supposed to be a full sentence. In fact, a tagline doesn't have to be a sentence. A great tagline is easily remembered and snappy. The goal is to make it memorable and properly associated with your company, product or service. I wouldn't use a tagline like "Light me up" for a publishing company ... maybe "Light is the Word" but that isn't quite right either. Think of your most memorable taglines. "Go for it" for Nike or the recent "All-Day Breakfast" campaign recently launched by McDonalds. The word association for Nike is shoes help you go for it, or in McDonalds case they are famous for their breakfast. ​But notice those tagline are three words. It's not easy to distill a concept down to...

The Daily Cup: Issue 5   Q: Can you market without using social media? A: No, social media is the trend in marketing and communication. Not Tweeting or using Instagram or Facebook puts you behind the curve. When doing marketing and outreach, you need a fan page or Twitter account. You need to look at demographics and reach. The younger millennials are taking over Twitter while Generation X and the Baby Boomers are generally more involved with Facebook. Many people don't even get their news from mainstream media anymore. They depend on the announcements and news feeds to deliver more specific and personalized updates. Many media contacts expect to be contacted via Facebook. I've even had people direct me to their Facebook accounts to make submissions of press releases. The real way to look at it -- think of social media as a PART of your marketing mix and not the whole. It's merely one spoke in the wheel, but it has to be a spoke for the whole thin...

The Daily Cup: Issue 4 ​   Q: What is your "boiler plate"? A: A boiler plate is a brief description of your company, product or service. It is typically about 30 to 50 words in length. A boiler plate can also be the About section of a brochure, paper, website, one-sheet or any marketing collateral. ​The boiler plate is written to let the audience know what is your company ... your product ... your service ... your program. It should cover "who, what, where, when, and why." In fact, when you write your boiler plate, use that protocol and answer each of those questions one at a time. Build on top of it with each answer. Smooth out your wording. Cut unnecessary words or adjectives, but also keep some excitement, too. If you find you've gone past 50 words, cut some more. Figure out what isn't necessary to say. Your boiler plate can also be used as your "elevator pitch" when you're out networking, too. Every time you send someo...

The Daily Cup: Issue 3 ​ Q: What's the worst mistake people make on their websites? A: They either forget to include contact information or they put the information somewhere difficult to find. Many of you might be surprised by that answer. It's true. Businesses and individuals commonly forget to include contact information or a way to contact them. Your contact information should be easy to find, easy to understand, and easy to use. Do not make the mistake of not putting it right on your menu of information. I do not recommend burying it at the bottom of your website either. Many people put a contact link in small font at the bottom of the homepage. Avoid that method. Put it right on the end of the your menu bar items. Always include a phone number and email address. You might also include a submission form. However, do not only provide a submission form. If you have someone's attention you want to capture it. It's only a matter of second before their...