Great Expectations

by Gary Fearon, Creative Director, Southern Writers Magazine

So where were you during the 2017 eclipse? If you're like an estimated tens of millions of Americans, you went outside (or at least looked out the window) to try to catch your local version of the highly-publicized event.

After it was over, reviews were mixed, with reactions covering the gamut from "Spectacular" to "Was that it?" This range of opinions often came from folks who had observed from the very same vantage point.

As fate would have it, I was traveling through Kentucky yesterday and managed to be in the path of totality as it crossed the Bluegrass State. I pulled into a Dollar General parking lot off the interstate at the right time and joined a small group of travelers who had the same idea. One couple had come equipped with pricey black plastic eclipse goggles and a picnic lunch, enjoying their own little tailgate party. Another couple of women who just happened to be at the store paused outside just long enough to watch it get almost dark and then went inside.

Being a people watcher anyway, I was as entertained by the divergent levels of interest shown by those around me as I was the solar show going on in the sky. Some people booked their hotel rooms months in advance to ensure their place in the path of totality, while others just stopped to get a Pepsi. Apparently not everyone is blinded by science. (And hopefully nobody was.)

What makes this total eclipse a little more notable to any of us in the publicity game, is that this was the first eclipse where social media is to thank for really getting the word out. In the past, only the astronomers and devoted stargazers "saved the date" so far in advance. This time around, the buzz started very early via the Internet, and millions timed their vacations to be somewhere in the eclipse path on August 21st.

Social media is free advertising that works, but we already knew that. The real takeaway from this is that 1) the Internet buzz reached many who otherwise might not have cared and caused them to go to considerable effort in order to experience the event, and 2) the buzz began early enough that marketers, hoteliers, t-shirt manufacturers and commercial opportunists of all kinds could plan ahead and capitalize on it.

Publicity experts tell authors to start promoting their books months before they're actually available. One author we work with has been promoting her new August release since Christmas, with excellent results. To her fans, the book is a familiar friend that is nearly selling itself.

Posting progress reports on Facebook ("Just finished chapter 20!") or posting small samples online are simple ways to attract early attention. Some authors do contests, offering to name a character after the winner. Others ask readers to vote for their favorite of several proposed titles or covers. Getting fans involved makes them feel personally invested.

Generating buzz well in advance of your book's release and positioning it as an "event" is an easy but powerful strategy for attracting new readers and building their anticipation. Like a good solar eclipse, a successful book launch doesn't just happen. You planet.

Integrating Social Media and Websites

By Sheena Mathieson

The advancement of technology has certainly made an impact about the way big and small companies run. What used to be a fine line between personal and professional interaction has suddenly become blurry. A fine example of this is the use of social media. Much of the members of the society use various social media platforms to explore, learn and reflect about things that are of importance. There are many who turn to social media marketing and use it as a strategy to promote their business online. It is probably one of the best ways (and the least expensive) to reach the current generation who are transfixed on their multipurpose gadgets.

Businesses have resorted to a strategy just like social media marketing to keep up with the current trends. Depending on the target market of your users, the majority of existing and possible customers can be found directly online. Also, they are the ones who hold disposable income, which makes them a target for exposure towards certain products and services. By implementing the perfect blend of marketing techniques, you can easily round up these customers and the easier it is for you to relay on what you have to say towards them.

There is a bigger world in the digital marketplace and that is why many continue to find many opportunities here compared to elsewhere. This is probably one of the main reasons people exhaust a huge chunk of their resources here and not there. It doesn’t matter where people come from, what language they speak or what they are doing because the most important thing is that they have access to the internet. After all, being seen online through promotions and advertisements, when done the right way, can make huge waves. If you’re a small company, you can really learn a lot from the giants who exert a lot of effort in order to promote their brand all over the world. They make it a point that their products and/or services are readily available to a fellow neighbor or someone who is thousands of miles away. With the cyber world, anything is more than possible.

Social media marketing is here to stay for a relatively long amount of time and isn’t going anywhere at the meantime. While this internet savvy generation is still currently finding ways to improve their methods, there will always be a way to incorporate various social media platforms into their websites to reach and expand the number of interested members. We will continue surprising ourselves to what the future holds for us. We will never know if integrating social media into our company websites will become a stepping-stone into something bigger unless we try it.

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Sheena Mathieson is a content writer from Kentucky. She understands the essence of making excellent content that suits the needs of every business especially when it comes online marketing. She can spice up your marketing campaign with the content she writes. Her social media links are Twitter: https://twitter.com/SheenaMathieson and

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100009061264244

Linkin:   https://www.linkedin.com/pub/sheena-mathieson/b1/767/737

It's Always Personal

by Doyne Phillips, Managing Editor

Do you have a Blog? Are you on Twitter? Have you set up your Facebook account? Do you Post? Do you Tweet and Retweet? Do you Share, Like and Friend? I hope you do. I hope you do all of these things to promote yourself, your interest and your craft. In our society today it is so important to be a part of the Social Media. It is so important that it has become a major part of marketing.

YouTube reaches millions in minutes it seems. People become overnight celebrities with millions of hits from around the world. Many times they are able to use this as a platform for their pursuits. They are seen on early morning and late night television. What a fast track they seem to be on.

How fortunate for them we all say as we begin to pursue these same paths. As we do we tend to expect the same immediate rewards, immediate celebrity, and overnight success? Not all of us will be greeted with the same success or the same timeline we have seen in others. The odds are not in our favor.

Should we not be so fortunate what then do we do?  Many will become disconcerted. Frustration will set in and lack of success, or the tardiness of it, will bring questions concerning the path they have chosen. They may even question the dream they have pursued. They have failed to see the fundamentals of marketing, which deals with personal relationships. It is a personal thing.

When all the doubt sets in and the quick paths to success seem to have failed we must ask ourselves, “Were there any relationships built along the way? Did others sense I cared about them? Did they realize I was there to encourage and help them as I sought out my path? Or was I seen as a black hole taking in all around me for my gain?” People will know and respond according to their relationship with you.

Thomas J. Peters, author of In Search of Excellence, said "The simple act of paying positive attention to people has a great deal to do with productivity.” So much of what we do is determined by finding out what others are looking for and responding to their needs. If we take the time to build those personal relationships as we go we will find we will have many lifelong supporters.

There is no doubt in order to reach more people with our message we need the social media. I think it is obvious that we at Southern Writers Magazine are on board with that. As we reach others we should bring them into our extended family. Just as a smile can be heard over the phone, your desire for a personal relationship can be read between the lines. Lasting personal relationships are a must. Build them as you go.