But while the book writing part is over (YAY! and CONGRATS!), there is a new stage that you’ll now find yourself in the months leading up to and after the release date: letting people know about your book or book marketing.

The publishing industry has changed a lot over the last decade and it is still changing. Digital- and self-publishing have shaken up an industry that for years was built upon a specific method of finding authors, choosing what to publish, and getting the book distributed and marketed.

Now, the onus of marketing often falls to you, the author. Even if your publisher provides marketing, there is still an expectation that you will be an active participant in promoting and selling your book.

Most authors didn’t major in marketing and often find themselves overwhelmed and confused by the task. When I did a survey among authors and asked them to tell me about their pain points, the common response was marketing, specifically online.

Because of this uncertainty, many authors opt for the obvious: Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, among other social sites.

While these are all good and, I dare say, necessary, there are reasons you shouldn’t rely on just those tools for your marketing efforts, and why you truly need an author website.

You own your site

You don’t own Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or LinkedIn. They can all go away tomorrow. If your entire platform is built on a free tool that you don’t own, if it goes away, if they change their algorithm, change their terms, or begin to charge for views, you will be at a huge disadvantage, and might find yourself having to restart all of your efforts elsewhere completely from scratch.

You have control over it

Facebook and LinkedIn only look and function one way. While they have expanded some of their features recently, there are still certain things you cannot do on those platforms, such as selling directly from them, or collecting emails for your newsletter (you plan on having a newsletter, right?) With a self-hosted site, you can add in functionalities that help you connect more with your readers, customize it to show off your personality and style, and provide it all in an organized, helpful manner.

Serves as your online hub

When all of your fans and potential readers are scattered all around the internet it’s difficult to connect and create a community. It can also water down your efforts rather than concentrating them. Having a website allows your readers a place they can always access and connect with you. Your website can be the place you point your fans and readers to when they want to see your upcoming events calendar, freebies, chapter downloads, book reviews, and more.

You can sell your book

Add in some ecommerce functionality and voila, your site can help you sell your book in ways that allow you to also provide a special touch by sending the buyer a personalized thank you note, or a free gift.

You can provide marketing resources for others to share

All marketing efforts should include pre-made Pinnables, Tweets, Instagram-ready images that allow your fans to easily share info about you and your book. This is much easier to provide and point people to when it’s located in a central spot.

Your readers can get to know you

While your personality can shine through on any online tool, customizations and the profile sections are limited. Providing a central spot to direct readers to allows them an opportunity to learn more. If you choose to include a blog on your site, this allows for even more interaction and a place to share about your writing process, details behind the scenes, and so much more.

The bottom line is this:

If you are an author and you do not have a website, you are missing out on a fantastic marketing tool. If you are an author and you are just relying on your social media accounts to market your book, you are only tapping into a small percentage of your possible potential online marketing.

Don’t overlook this important and useful part of your book and brand marketing.

Do you need help with your online marketing efforts? Let’s talk. We’d love to help you prepare some real actionable steps you can take with your book promotion.

Despite a supposedly thorough home inspection prior to the purchase of the home, ripping out the drop ceilings, and the three other layers of even older ceiling, quickly revealed that the main support beam had been cut through by a prior DIY ‘renovator’.

This beam supported the house and without it intact the house was in danger of collapsing in on itself (and my family.)

Needless to say, rather than starting on the pretties of the home renovation, plans changed and it started with the have-to-dos.

Not only was time averted from working on the pretties, money from the renovation budget was diverted to pay for the absolutely-necessary beam repair (and fixing many other hidden ‘renovation’ issues.)

Why DIY Websites Aren’t Always Worth It

I have seen lovely sites that are built on really poor foundations (in this case, bad coding and poorly written themes) and are structurally unsound. They are susceptible to malware, slow page load times, crashing, and other things that affect the user experience (UX.)

When your site isn’t properly built, it can cost you more than just extra money to fix. It can cost you readers, decrease your reputation, and ultimately decrease your potential revenue.

Think about the money you’ve already spent in the time you’ve taken to try and do it yourself.

Bottomline: taking shortcuts and undercutting the process can bite you in the butt.

You Get What You Pay For

DIY websites are fine for someone who is starting a new personal blog. It’s simple to setup, start a new blog, and get writing. There is not much to maintain at that point. (Just be sure to choose a good quality framework and theme to build your WordPress site on. I always use and recommend the Genesis Framework from StudioPress.)

But at some point, as your brand grows, it’s worth investing in your site and working with someone to design and build a site that works well for your business.

Every project we work on follows a process that includes a thorough assessment of the client’s business goals and needs in order to ensure that the site helps you grow your business and is truly useful to your readers, clients, and potential customers.

Accomplishing that on your own, with a DIY website approach can be overwhelming and extremely difficult.

A professionally designed and developed website may seem expensive, but if you value your brand and business, what you really can’t afford is the DIY route.

Creatives aren’t the only ones prone to doing this, though. We all like to look at things that appeal to us and that we consider visually pleasing, whatever our definition of visually appealing might mean.

It makes total sense then, that when you consider the look for your website, your first thoughts are based on what you find appealing.

Who are you designing for?

But what will your target audience think of the look that appeals to you?

What appeals to you might be a feminine look, with pastel colors and lots of texture. For your target audience, it might be modern, jewel tones and limited textures.

If you don’t understand your target audience, you may be way off base in who you are actually designing for and it might cost you in the long run.

Pretty sites that frustrate users aren’t useful, they’re just pretty.

That wine with the pretty label tasted awful.

The book with the impressive cover was one of the most boring books I’ve tried to read in ages.

You can have the prettiest site on the block, but if that’s all it is, it’s not going to convince anyone to stick around or convert anyone to purchase what you are selling.

Your site layout, organization, and contents require, and deserve, just as much consideration as what it will look like. Failure to make these things a priority will result in lackluster performance.

So I can’t have a pretty site?

The look of your site is a fine thing to consider, but it’s not the approach to start with when you are redesigning your website. In fact, when I work with clients, the design is not even discussed until I have a full overview of the business needs, the target audience, current business and marketing problems, goals and more.

In other words, what problems are we trying to solve, what goals are you wanting to reach and who are we doing this for?

That is what should guide your website redesign.

Make it pretty! But…

So go on – build a pretty site! But first, take the time to do your homework and make sure that you are building not just a pretty site, but one that is useful and helpful to your target audience, and makes your audience want what you have to offer.

I recently had a discussion with a fellow web designer about images used on a client’s site.

Her client contacted her after receiving a $1400 invoice from the image’s license holder, for unauthorized use of an image. He thought that because he had found the image on Google Images that it was free for him to use.

Just because it is on the internet, it doesn’t mean it’s yours.

If you have a budget that allows, and you need the “perfect” shot, there are many stock photo sites where you can find and purchase images, thereby obtaining a license that allows you to use it on your site, in your logo, on your promotional material.

But let’s say your budget is limited. Or that all you need is a photo for a blog post. Where do you find high quality, hi-resolution images that fit your content and don’t look awful?

What are your options for free photos?

Below you will find several sites worth bookmarking. I have highlighted some of the options to be especially aware of as you search. (click on images to enlarge) Always be certain that you read any license information. As my fellow designer mentioned, “Ignorance is not an excuse for theft” in the eyes of the license holder.

Google Creative Commons Image Search: (*Please note that this is not the same as ‘Google Images’. ‘Google Images’ is not a free image site. It is still up to the user to verify and obtain image rights prior to using)

Check “Usage Rights” on the Advanced Image Search to filter your images.

Flickr’s Creative Commons Image Search: Flickr is filled with amazingly stunning photos from photographers around the world. Just about any and every keyword is covered.

But be sure to check the license. To do so: Go to “advanced search”, scroll to the bottom of the page and search within the creative commons content. You will still need to check the requirements that each user stipulates for their photos. Some allow a simple attribution, others still require that you ask for permission.

EveryStockPhoto.com: A search engine for free images from various sources. As always, check the license for each photo.

Stock.xchng: Owned by Getty Images, this site contains over 350,000 free images. Your search will also show premium photos from other sources.

As you search, be aware of the restriction information presented in the Download / Image Use Related Questions section of the FAQ page.

FreeStockPhotos.biz: Over 16,000 “free images available in a variety of commercial and editorial licenses, including public domain, creative commons, and custom agreements.” Check the FAQ page for usage information and check the ‘license details’ link on each photo.

All of the sites listed above have different license details, but all of them are excellent resources. As always, be aware of the usage rights and restrictions, educate yourself and you won’t have to worry about receiving a surprise $1400 invoice.

Update:

Since writing this post a few years ago, several sites have started that grew out of the frustration many felt in finding quality images that don’t scream stock photo! These sites all have beautiful, hi-res images for your site and are:

Death To The Stockphoto (attribution not required)
Unsplash (attribution not required)
Minimography (attribution not required)
Picjumbo (attribution not required)
Superfamous (attribution required)
Pixabay (attribution not required)

But what if you want to explore something else. Or you’ve reworked all of your old posts?

Don’t fret – you’ve still got plenty of options.

Here are some of my favorite idea-joggers for those times when I’m, once again, staring at a flashing cursor :

• If you use Google Analytics (of course you do, right?) check the search terms and keywords that bring visitors to your site. If it’s relevant to your business, give them what they want: write posts using those terms for your topic. (*I’m not talking about ‘keyword stuffing‘ – that is something entirely different, and you want to absolutely avoid that.)

• It may sound obvious, but stay informed. Read magazines, newspapers, books, websites of all kinds. Sometimes inspiration comes from reading something that seems completely unexpected.

• Is there something that clients regularly ask you about? Write your answer and explanation in a post.

• Don’t shy away from a topic that is industry related, yet controversial. You might choose to take a neutral stance, offering up all positions and viewpoints, or, if you are comfortable, go ahead and write up your own well-thought-out stance on the topic.

• Pay attention to your social media accounts. What are others talking about? What questions are people asking? What are they looking for?

• Always keep a notepad or voice recorder close by to jot down ideas and thoughts or to journal. I can’t begin to count the number of fabulous blog posts I’ve come up with while in the shower, only to forget them by the time I was done. You never know when an awesome blog post will form in your mind.

• Where do you see your industry headed in the next 5, 10, 40 years? How is it different from 5, 10, 40 years ago? Reflect on trends and speculate on what lies ahead.

• Know of a good topic already, but don’t feel comfortable writing on it yourself? Ask someone to guest post, or interview them and write up your Q & A session.

• Worst case scenario (or maybe, it’s the best place to start?): take a walk, go for a run, drive through the countryside. Just step away from the computer and allow your mind to relax.

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It got hard. And it became a struggle.

So what do you do when you fall into those times of writing drought; when the ideas no longer flow, or even trickle?

If you’ve been blogging for any length of time, you already have a stockpile of topics sitting on your blog.

Not only does revisiting old posts help generate new post ideas, but it allows new readers to become familiar with some of your older postings.

Some ideas for making your old posts new again:

• Revisit what you’ve written in the past and freshen it up. Write a completely new post, based on the original (be sure to link to it) and update it with new information and statistics. Or include excerpts from it, and use those excerpts as a starting point for explaining any new views or positions and why they have/haven’t changed due to new evidence/support/data.

• Rewrite old content to address current/relevant events. You may have a fantastic post that stands completely on its own, but it’s buried under a mountain of old posts. Use current events as a reason to revisit the post. Write a brief summary of how a particular current event relates and simply link back to your post within it.

• Have you written a post in the past that targets a certain audience? Why not use the same topic and write a post that is relevant to an entirely different one.

• Create a roundup of some of your favorite posts. Usually this is a great way to end the year, but it can work during the year, on a smaller scale. Writing a post to highlight posts that may have been overlooked in recent weeks, creates another opportunity for readers to see and connect with them.

Blogging does require dedication and thought, but coming up with new posts doesn’t always require completely new thoughts. The ones you’ve already written can be some of your best springboards.

No one wants their site to be “that site”; you know, the one that crashes your browser or takes so long for anything to show on your screen, that you just move on to something else.

Bottom line: Viewers aren’t very patient and it gives a bad first impression.

Slow load times can cost you sales and return visits.

Don’t be that site.

If that’s not enough of a reason to encourage you to read on, consider this: Google’s algorithm for site ranking includes site speed. In other words, your site ranking is affected by your site’s load time. If your competitors have a quicker load time, it could mean they come up higher in search results.

So what can you do about this?

Look over the following list to do some troubleshooting:

1) Check your hosting: Not all hosting companies are created equal, nor are the servers that they use. If your site is loading slowly, it could be because you are not hosting your site with a quality host.

2) Know your theme: Choosing a theme has an impact on more than just the look of your site. A bad theme may be so weighed down by messy (sometimes malicious) code that your site will get hung up on loading no matter what other measures you take. It’s not worth the risk, just to save some extra bucks. Invest in a theme from a reputable company, or make sure that your web developer is doing the same.

3) Compress images for the web: Image size is a common oversight. You might be aware that image size affects load time, but did you know that just cropping an image or making it smaller does not have an affect on the file size of the image? In order for it to make a difference, make sure that your images are saved for web quality: usually 72 dpi resolution. This includes all images and graphics, from your header, to your background, to the photos in your post. There is no reason to have print quality images on your site, especially at the expense of your viewers.
(Be on the lookout for my next post, which will show you how to do this. It’s quite simple.)

4) Get rid of what you don’t need: Is everything on your sidebar necessary? Are all of those plugins really improving your site’s usability? Also: just because a plugin is “deactivated” doesn’t mean it’s not having an impact. Delete any plugins which are inactive or that your are not using.

5) Consider your Content Management System (CMS): Just like hosting and themes: not all CMS’s are created equal. Most of the popular ones are popular for a reason. But if you aren’t running the most current version of your CMS, it’s not only a security risk… It could be slowing down your site.

6) Look into Google Webmaster tools: Create your free account, sign your sites up and find out how Google sees your sites, receive alerts, analyze data and much more.

There are many things that might be causing your site to load slowly, but this list is a great place to start troubleshooting. It might take a bit of time to carefully look each of these possible issues over, but your potential clients will thank you, in sales or return visits.

If you still need help troubleshooting or need to get set up on a fast-loading, SEO-friendly theme, please contact us.

Too often we hear someone in business say that if you can’t do something correctly/properly/”right”, it’s worse than not doing it all.

Of course, it’s always said with good intentions (right?), but is that true?

Is it really better to not do something, than to do it in a way that (some… many… few) others perceive to be incorrect?

Let’s take a look at that theory and break it down, as it pertains to social media and websites.

As I watch my streams on Twitter, I see “experts“, “mavens” and “gurus” doling out advice on the right way to do social media (often, while ignoring the rules themselves).

The tips range from the amount of time to spend on social media daily to which sites (ie: LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, Pinterest) are the most effective.

For the most part, these sorts of tips are helpful.

But too much of what I see doesn’t pertain to specifics and facts, but instead, are simply opinions masquerading as truths.

“Correct”, “Proper” and “Right”

These words tend to be wrapped with a lot of emotion, because they are subjective. Culturally, “right” and “wrong” vary. “Proper” and “improper” differ. Making eye contact in the US and most parts of the world is considered a way of conveying openness and trust, while in some parts of the world it’s seen as invasive, disrespectful and offensive.

Just as there are differences in cultural norms, there are differences in how every business should and can use social media. Posting every day on LinkedIn may be great for one business but be a waste of time for another. Creating a campaign on Facebook could be a total flop for the tire company around the corner, while the restaurant across the street has huge success with one. (*edited to note: if you try something and it doesn’t work, no problem! At least you are trying and learning.)

The reason? Social media is user driven. It’s not a one-size fits all concept.

In other words, your business’s social media strategy needs to fit your business and your customers. You should know your customers and potential clients better than anyone. And if you don’t? Well, social media is the perfect avenue for doing so.

Listen to them. Help them. Know, learn and use your tools.

There is no great mystery to it. It just takes some research, planning and common sense.

Need some helping planning? Talk to us. We can help get you started.

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Sure, you are a “small business”. But does that mean your ideas are small? That they can’t sprout and grow.

When you were first planning your business, you had big plans. Big dreams for it.

Now you are faced with the day-to-day list of things to do; things that had to be done, yesterday. Business ownership is a lot of work. Some days, those dreams seem a million miles away. Unattainable.

Stop for a moment, and return to those dreams that propelled you into business ownership.

What were they? What did they look like? Can you still feel them? Are they still there, but buried under a mountain of “stuff”?

Here are some suggestions for getting those dreams back on track. They are basic; not-earth-shattering… But we all need the gentle reminder, once in awhile.

Write down your goals and dreams

Post them to your mirror or computer, so you can be reminded of them each and every time your stand/sit before it. Repeat them to yourself when you see them.

Write down your personal and business priorities

What is important to you: Having the ability to pay the bills each month? Being home and readily available for your children in the evenings? The ability to take nice family vacations? Working from home? Providing great customer service?

Whatever they are, write them down on a sheet of paper and then prioritize them. Choose your top two and write down actionable steps you can take, and are already taking, to make those priorities become reality and sustainable.

Take an inventory of what you do on a daily basis

How much time do you spend on administrative work for your business, versus the actual business of your business? How much time is spent shuttling kids here and there? What amount of time do you spend on business planning? How much time do you waste on stuff that is just noise?

Do these things line up with the priorities that you listed above? Are they moving you closer to those dreams? If not, and there is a strong disconnect between them, then you are just spinning your wheels. You are struggling to propel forward.

If you are frustrated in your business, it doesn’t mean that you are in the wrong business.

Maybe it just means that you are going about it the wrong way.

Are all of those things that are distracting and keeping you from your business dreams necessary? If it’s not working, and stalling your business, then it’s time to rethink it.

Get back to that place where you can dream, set goals and make it happen. Reduce the noise and the distractions. Focus and re-prioritize.

If you are a new business, one of the things that will (or should) eventually take priority on your to-do list  is the need for a logo.

All of us are familiar with logos that we are able to instantly recognize. Most preschoolers are able to identify many items with the correct manufacturers logo.

So where do you start?

Is it really worth it to take the time to create a well-thought out mark?
Or is it alright to  just write the company’s name in a nice font and color it in pretty colors?

Ultimately, that decision will be up to you, as the business owner. But a carefully crafted logo (or a poorly executed one) goes a long way in shaping how the business is perceived by the public.

Before you ever make contact with a designer (or even if you choose to do it on your own), there are several things that you’ll want to consider and determine.

What often stalls a project is when a client knows they need something (in this case, a logo) yet hasn’t taken the time to consider what that would look like in terms of their companies desired image. Saying you want something that conveys calmness, is a start, but how does that look in your mind? What colors and images do you associate with that? And do they accurately portray your business?

So gather your pencil and paper and jot down your initial thoughts to each of these. Taking the time to answer them thoughtfully will help the entire process move smoothly.

Company Info:

What name or acronym will your Company/Product/Organization go by publicly?
What is your company’s purpose/mission?
Who is your target market?
Do you feel as though you are currently reaching those clients effectively? Why or why not?
Who are your main competitors?
What do you think of their logos?
What are your company’s strengths?
What are your company’s weaknesses?
What is your company known for? (a product? great customer service? prompt replies? great value?)

Design:

Do you have a current logo?
What about your current logo do you want to change and why?
What is the purpose of your logo?
How will you use the logo (print, video, social media avatars, clothing, signage etc)
Are there any elements you would like to see used within the logo?
Are there certain words or text that need to be used within the logo?
Are there certain colors that you would like to use within the logo? Or do you have existing brand colors?
What defines a good logo, in your opinion?
Name 3 logos you like and why?
Name 3 logos you dislike and why?

Budget and timing:

How much money do you have budgeted for this project?
How many initial concepts would you like to see?
What is your deadline?

Having a clear idea of what your business is about and how you want potential clients to perceive it will go a long way in creating a logo that helps your business stand out from your competitors.

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