Posts Tagged ‘authors’

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Building Relationships One Tweet, One Post, One Friend at a Time.

Monday, November 15th, 2010

by Leyane Jerejian

A communications and marketing specialist, Leyane is the latest publicist to join FSB Associates and has experience in many different areas of marketing, including e-mail marketing, client relations, event planning, and project management.

Social Media in 2011

2010 brought an onslaught of social media buzz and hype. Since the early part of the century, the trend of social media has spread to virtually every corner of the globe. Like a tidal wave, we couldn’t predict how large and powerful it would be, nor were we able to grasp the vast effects it would have on our personal lives and our business environment.  Social media effectively changed the way information is served and accessed, as well as the way people and businesses communicate. The emphasis now is on virtual relationship building. A social phenomenon for certain!

For 2011 we are urging everyone to plan for and embrace social media. Why? Well, there are many reasons. Chief among them is because social media has changed the face of our global society- and that is something that cannot be undone. Second, there is a good portion of the population that uses social media as their primary source of information. And lastly, in this digital age, people are craving individual interactions and connections, even if it is online! So, it’s sink or swim time – the price is too high to miss the boat on this one!

A Publicist’s POV

From a publicist’s perspective, social media is quite necessary, actually imperative. Just like all good reporters run to where the story is – any forward-thinking mind will tell you that adopting social media as a means to communicate with the world will only enhance your personal brand as well as your business’ brand. Information is being spread virally via tweets, posts, and links. This adds a whole new and ever-changing dimension to my job as a publicist. Social media will always be somewhat unfamiliar territory because it is constantly morphing – my best advice is to learn the basics, then stay fluid, remain teachable, and learn to adapt to and embrace change. (This goes for life in general as well!) I was always told to embrace change and scoff at fear! So I encourage everyone to plan for and forge through the world of social media, keeping in mind the interpersonal nature of your online interactions. You may fumble your way at first, but soon enough it will become second nature.

Foundation of Effective Social Media

Developing your own “brand” or personality and building relationships are the keystones of social media. The central concept of effective social media strategies is building relationships. Unlike conventional ways of advertising or marketing, social media brings a level of personal connection. In fact, social media is all about personal connections!  I would even go as far as to say that developing relationships through social media exponentially increases its own effectiveness.

Place Your Efforts Where They Count

If you had to choose between a stadium filled with 20,000 half-enthused fans or a stadium filled with 10,000 fully-enthused fans which would you choose? Well let’s just get to the point here: The fully-enthused are always better! Social media makes it possible to find and create and engage with fully-enthused brand advocates……

To Infinity And Beyond

Considering the entire realm of possibilities, the majority of social media is still vastly untapped. One thing is for sure, this trend is moving forward so hop on!

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Want to Make the Marketing Grade? Hit the Books!

Wednesday, November 10th, 2010

by Ken Ishii

It’s hard to believe that we’re coming to the end of 2010.  Where did all the time go?  For all of us at FSB, much of the time was spent adapting to the rapidly developing digital age of business.  It’s safe to assume that most of the other businesses out there were doing the same.  For many of us, this year felt a lot like freshman year of high school.  Greater responsibilities, large unexplored spaces, new relationships, awkward social procedures, unfamiliar jargon, and an intimidating tower of learning all weigh down on us.  But we’ve gotta get through it for the sake of our future and besides, everyone else is doing it too.  Well, like most things we fear, it’s not so bad once you’re over the hump and by now we’ve become pretty adept at circumnavigating the halls of social media high.  What’s left now is to examine what went right and, more importantly, what mistakes were made up to this point so that we can move into the sophomore age of business on the web with a digital marketing plan for 2011 minus the rookie flubs gone by.  Below you’ll find a few books authored by experts on cutting-edge business practices to help put you at the head of the digital class.

Fans of the reality TV show “The Apprentice” might recognize the co-author of this book, Randal Pinkett, as the first African American winner of the show.  This book points out that life too is a game and one that has played out unfavorably for many African Americans.  The 10 strategies for success outlined in Black Faces in White Places aims to break a vicious cycle by evening the corporate score.
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It’s been such a hectic year that we may not fully understand the repercussions of actions that were made hastily in an effort to keep up with developing marketing trends.  Now, before the new year, is an opportune time to think about those decisions before outlining your digital marketing strategy for 2011. In fact, author Daniel Forrester insists upon it in his book Consider: Harnessing the Power of Reflective Thinking In Your Organization.
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Now that you have a plan outlined, it’s time to tweak it.  That’s where The Network Is Your Customer by David L. Rogers fits in.  The author examines how digital technologies are transforming the types of relationships we keep in business.  With total global Internet connectivity on the horizon and smartphones in our pockets, the world we’re entering is one previously only imagined in the realm of science fiction.
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At this point you’ve established your target audience and snagged their attention through a clever network of channels and communities.  To keep them interested, you need to bring something fresh to the table.  Who better to take cue from than the head of one of today’s biggest and most revered companies, Apple?  Author Carmine Gallo has laid out a simple step-by-step program surrounding seven principles that set Apple’s CEO apart from the pack in the highly anticipated book, The Innovation Secrets of Steve Jobs: Insanely Different Principles for Breakthrough Success.

You’ve examined your previous efforts, planned a strategy around future trends, and have a delivery that’ll knock their socks off.  Now, Build A Great Business, that is, the book by authors/entrepreneurs Mark Thompson and Brian Tracy will give your business steadier footing in this shaky economy.  The focus here is on the basics.  Successful businesses, at any gigahertz, rely on solid time-tested strategies that have lifted industrialists like Tony Hsieh, Richard Branson, Charles Schwab to great heights.

Don’t compound the stress of the holidays with uncertainties about business in the new year.  Prepare your digital marketing strategy now because if you thought this year was tough, wait until social media college.

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Posted in New Books, Social Media Tips | 1 Comment »

Love Of Reading

Thursday, November 4th, 2010

By Ken Ishii

It’s the start of a new month and flipping the calendar comes with some excitement for me.  This is when I get to sneak a peek at new books coming around the bend here at FSB.  It’s like peeling away the corner of gift wrapping.  I’ll be sharing the joy each month with an update of new projects we have in store.  Below are just some of the titles we started to work on and they’re shaping up to be great campaigns.  I left ZooBorns out of the mix because we dedicated a whole post to it last week, but we’re definitely still ‘oohhs’ and ‘aahhs’ over our baby animal newborns.

Remarkable Creatures by Tracy Chevalier is the author’s latest novel that, like The Lady and the Unicorn and Girl With a Pearl Earring, transports readers back in time and into the role of a passionate tradesperson.  I’m especially happy to see Tracy actively supporting her books by communicating with her fans on Twitter.  With this combined effort, we may have another bestseller on our hands.
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Nighttime Novelist by Joseph Bates is not only a motivational book about making the most out of your spare time, it’s also an incredible resource of writing strategies and fundamentals for getting your novel out the door.  Despite the name, this book is valuable to screenwriters and playwrights as well with sections to help develop character arcs and three-act structures.  Joseph has a well-rounded web presence that includes a website, blog, Twitter profile, and Facebook page.

Black Faces in White Places by Randal Pinkett and Jeffrey Robinson outlines ten strategies for African Americans to achieve success particularly during the current recession.  Fans of The Apprentice will remember Pinkett as the first minority winner of the show in season four.  We like the ability to pull a ten point list from the book. It makes for effective copy that’s highly portable across various social media platforms.  Randal Pinkett is a widely recognized public figure thanks to the help of his website, Twitter profile, and Facebook page.

Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche has returned to FSB with a new book called Rebel Buddha: On the Road to Freedom.  The author is often praised for his ability to take the teachings of Buddha and make them accessible to contemporary readers who may not be familiar with Zen spirituality.  We’re thrilled that the Buddhist community has a strong online presence and that it’s open to all walks of life.  The author’s Twitter profile streams words of wisdom and gains new followers on a daily basis.  It makes increasing the book’s popularity that much easier.  I have to add that it also helps to have one of the coolest covers I’ve ever seen.

It’s great to see authors using social media more and more these days.  Sure it helps in marketing their books, but it also solidifies a relationship with readers that goes beyond the pages.  It can help predict a demand for future book releases and gives authors an unprecedented opportunity to share their opinions worldwide.  Soon the day will come when you’ll learn about new releases from the authors themselves.  Until then, I’ll be inviting you to check out some fresh and interesting reads here and on FSB Media.

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Posted in New Books | 2 Comments »

FSB Welcomes ZooBorns!

Wednesday, October 27th, 2010

By Ken Ishii

The “miracle of life” stands as a timeless source of wonderment.  We get gushy over newborn babies with their clumsy limbs, miniature facial features, and wide-eyed curiosity ogling a newly inherited world.  Equally, only the coldest of hearts could deny an affection for the vast amount of adorable animals in the world.  Deep down, we’re all some sort of pet-lover.  Well, authors Andrew Bleiman and Chris Eastland have tag-teamed to smack our soft spots with two new books revealing the marvel of newborn baby animals.  The books, ZooBorns and ZooBorns! (for young children), feature dozens of dazzling high-resolution photographs of newborn climbers, divers, and crawlers from zoos and aquariums around the world.  Every slice-of-wildlife picture in ZooBorns is captioned with information about each animal including species endangerment status making this an ideal book for kids and grownups alike.  Ten percent of all ZooBorns book sale proceeds goes to support the Association of Zoos and Aquariums Conservation Endowment Fund, so you’re not just an observer when you purchase one or both books published by Simon & Schuster. Find out more on the ZooBorns website or on the new books section of FSB Media.

An FSB first, Fauzia captured a few of our first impressions of the book on video.  Thrilled to say the least.  Have your own DV, flash or webcam recorder?  We’d love to see your favorite ZooBorns baby!

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Marketing Tips for Authors: Go Digital. Start Early. Be Authentic.

Wednesday, October 20th, 2010

By Fauzia Burke

Anyone who works in the book industry will tell you it’s the people that make our industry so amazing. Everyday I work with publishers who are generous and smart and want to do right by their authors. So when I started working on a piece on marketing tips for authors, I decided to tap into the collective intelligence of our industry. I asked them, “What is the one marketing tip you would give to authors?” Of course as is their nature, they responded right away.

If you are an author or aspiring author, I hope you will find these tips helpful.

  • Maureen Donnelly, VP, Director of Publicity of Penguin Books advices that you, “Listen to your publicist. If you are a first time author, do as much grass-roots work for your book as you can. The build up will pay off.”
  • Beth Gissinger, Publicity Director of Adams Media, seconds that idea. “Work as a partner with your in-house publicist.  Our time is short and our list is long.  Authors who take the lead on social media and grass-roots outreach will be well-poised to keep the promotion going once we’ve moved on to other books.” Follow Beth on Twitter @bgiss
  • Michael Fragnito, VP, Editorial Director of Sterling Publishing tells us that, “You should know specifically what your publisher is planning to do. If you are not satisfied, then dig deep and buy your own publicity. Don’t let the moment pass, because there is a very small window after the book is published.”

    • Although I did not specifically ask for digital marketing advice, most of the people naturally leaned in that direction. The advice comes back time, and time again about developing a long term relationship with your readers.

  • Debbie Stier, SVP, Editor at Large and Director of Digital Marketing for HarperCollins says, “Find a comfortable way to engage and connect with your readers (ie not the megaphone), and then spend as much time as you possibly can doing that (online and irl). And start early (at least a year before your book is published). It’s not a campaign; its a relationship.” Follow Debbie on Twitter @debbiestier
  • Peter Costanzo, Director of Online Marketing, for The Perseus Books Group, also talks about the advantage of developing a long term relationship with your readers: “Unless you’re planning to launch a robust, content-rich website with purpose, you’ll most likely be better off directing your fans to Facebook where you can spend time engaging with your readers. Honestly, It’s a lot of work and the reward of doing so may not be apparent for your first book, but it could develop into a great platform to help with the launch of your next one.” Follow Peter on Twitter @PeterCostanzo
  • Kelly Leonard, Executive Director, Online Marketing, for Hachette Book Group gave a great, Twitter worthy tip: “Dig your digital well before you’re thirsty: make connections with readers online far in advance of your book release.” Follow Kelly on Twitter @kellyleonard
  • Aileen Boyle, VP, Associate Publisher, of Simon & Schuster asserts the importance of building empathetic dialogue with readers. “Talk about your book with passion. Be it a book on knitting, politics, or romance, if you as the author don’t deeply care, no one else will either!”
  • Patty Berg, Director of Marketing, for Crown Publishers & Broadway Books tells authors to, “Be authentic in your Facebook and Twitter postings–when you post about things you care about, aside from your book, you develop a closer connection to your followers. They’ll pay more attention when you DO post about your book because they won’t feel like you’re only just trying to sell it to them. And they’ll be more likely to share or retweet your posts to THEIR friends because you’ve established a common ground.”
  • In case you are wondering how to incorporate social media into your already busy days, Michael Taeckens, Online and Paperback Marketing Director, for Algonquin Books offers this tip. “Engage directly with fellow readers and authors on Twitter, Facebook, and your blog; consider your daily engagements there just as important as your daily writing routine.” Please follow Michael on Twitter @AlgonquinBooks
  • I will end with a tip me: It is important for authors to start early and build a digital footprint. Engage in social media and be authentic. Make sure that you have a variety of places where you can share information, grow your features, publicize your book, and share your successes. Social media outlets provide more exposure for your book and help to establish a relationship with your readers. Publicity breeds more publicity. So, my advice is to chat it up, but remember not to be a living, breathing advertisement. My rule of thumb on sharing is a 4 to 1 ratio. You can post something self-promotional if you post 4 other non-promotional links that are helpful to your followers. The key is to build credibility. If you are looking for a way to get started, I wrote a blog on 5 Easy Ways to Build Your Digital Reputaion which might be helpful.

Bonus: Make sure your digital marketing plans are cohesive and customized for you and your readers. Your website, blog, Facebook page, Twitter feed, digital PR and email marketing should all play nice together. Establish your goals, and timelines and then monitor to see if you are on track. If things are not going as you expected, just go back to the drawing board and make some adjustments.

To all authors and aspiring authors out there, I admire you greatly. You are the carriers of our civilization. I know the new world of digital marketing is intimidating and time consuming, but it is also rewarding and essential. I wish you well on your journey to meet your readers. If I can be of further help, please post a question below.

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Appetite For Awareness 2010 Giveaway

Wednesday, October 13th, 2010

By Ken Ishii

I was working as a chef in a restaurant 15 years ago when I first heard about celiac.  One of my regular customers, a good friend who I’ll refer to as ‘Kate’, managed to maintain a healthy slim appearance at a time when so many other patrons struggled with tabbed binders, charts, and food points just to keep their pants zipped.  It’s not that Kate limited her portions (she often ordered more than her husband who’s twice her size), she just avoided anything with starch including certain noodles, floured meats and vegetables, and foods with fried coatings.  She would also ask how sauces were made for nearly everything on the menu.  Naturally, I started to think Kate was on the no-carb diet phenomenon that swept the country off its feet at the time, but then I realized she ate plenty of rice, soba, and potatoes.  Over time we grew close enough that I could come right out and ask what kind of wicked diet she was religiously chained to.  Over a few drinks (rice wine sake) behind bolted restaurant doors after hours, the whole staff shared laughs with Kate and her husband over all the crazy ideas we concocted for years about her eating habits which, in the end, turned out to be a disease that prevented Kate from eating anything made with wheat.  From that night on I went on a quest to create dishes and find ingredients Kate could eat that didn’t contain any wheat, rye, barley, malt, or oats.  This proved to be a greater task than I imagined.  The term gluten-free was foreign to supermarkets and specialty markets that actually had celiac-friendly products often kept them in sections that were small, isolated, over-priced, and of inferior quality.  Today, the gluten-free food market is alive with healthy variety, competition, and experience.  Stores both large and small are catering to an estimated three million US celiac sufferers with products that have broken out from cramped dusty shelves in misfit aisles to sharing spaces next to wheat-loaded counterparts in every aisle, on every shelf.

One enthusiast voicing gluten-free awareness is Silvana Nardone.  Silvana is the former editor in chief of Ever Day with Rachel Ray magazine, a food columnist, cooking instructor, and author of Cooking for Isaiah: Gluten-Free & Dairy-Free Recipes for Easy Delicious Meals which she wrote after adjusting her entire family’s eating habits to accommodate the needs of her son Isaiah who lives with celiac.  You can also visit the author’s website, DishTowelDiaries.com, for recipes, tips, and stories with and without the wheat.

More recently, Silvana Nardone has been gearing up for a culinary event coming to Philadelphia, PA on Sunday, October 24th.  Foodies will want to mark their calendars to make sure they don’t miss the annual Appetite for Awareness 2010 festival sponsored by The National Foundation for Celiac Awareness.  Silvana will be among several special guests attending and will be signing copies of her book and inviting visitors to sample gluten-free treats featured in her book.  Additionally, dozens of local restaurants will participate in gluten-free food and beverage samplings and products will be showcased from over 85 gluten-free vendors from across the country.  For more information including pricing for this event, swing on over to the NFCA website at www.CeliacCentral.org.

Now for the part you’ll REALLY be into! FSB Associates will be accepting entries for our contest where we’ll be giving away free tickets to Appetite for Awareness 2010 and Silvana Nardone’s cookbook, Cooking For Isaiah! (tickets valued at $75 each)  To enter, simply leave a comment (preferably food related) with your email address and/or Twitter handle so we can contact you if your entry is drawn (fret not, we will never sell or give away any of your contact information to outside parties or vendors) by Friday, October 21st at 11:00 am EST.  Want to boost your chances?  Add one entry by becoming a fan of our FSB Facebook page and leaving a comment under our contest giveaway post.  Add another entry by following us on Twitter, @FSBAssociates, and retweeting this message:

Big @FSBAssociates giveaway! Free tickets to AppetiteForAwareness in Philly, PA! Details on blog. http://ht.ly/2T31J #GF #AFA #NFCA

You must first post a comment on this blog to qualify for additional entries.  Two grand prize winners and two runners-up will be drawn on Wednesday, October 24th.  Runners-up will receive a copy of Cooking For Isaiah.  Grand prize winners will receive a book and instructions the following day by email for obtaining registration to the event for each winner plus one guest.  You heard right, two winners plus one guest each will be given free access to Appetite for Awareness 2010, Philadelphia’s spectacular culinary event!  Good luck!

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Posted in New Books | 7 Comments »

Happy Days

Wednesday, October 6th, 2010

FSB Associates Staff
By Ken Ishii

We’re all smiles at FSB and what’s not to be happy about?  Fall (arguably the most romantic season) is here and along with the new season we’ve got new projects, achievements and, greatest of all, people added to our workplace.

This month our shelves are lined with projects from every end of the genre table.  We’re performing balancing acts with titles ranging from Carmine Gallo’s business marketing book The Innovation Secrets of Steve Jobs to Annexed by Sharon Dogar, a historical novel recounting Anne Frank’s story through the eyes of a boy she shared a sheltered life with.  On the lighter end, Comfort of Apples by Phil and Lauren Rubin is chock full of recipes featuring America’s favorite autumn fruit and Pukka by Ted Kerasote follows the story of a yellow lab puppy that’s melting our hearts.  Throw in health and self-help titles Treat Me, Not My Age by Dr. Mark Lachs and Laurie Puhn’s Fight Less, Love More and we’re quite pleased with how our diverse line-up has made a jack-of-all-trades out of us all.

We would normally be pretty charmed just working with such great projects, but this month we have more reason to celebrate as we welcome new members to our family and add grease to our wheels.  Ashley joins us as Client Relations Manager bringing a wealth of customer service exposure and a willingness to go that extra mile long after the buzzer.  Leyane is our newest Publicist and a PR pro with a long list of marketing, planning, and project management experiences.  Her positive attitude makes it easy to tap her expertise and is an asset to our client service needs.  Jaime signs on as our Digital Media Specialist and strengthens FSB’s web design and development efforts.  Smart, efficient and professional, Jaime comes as a welcome addition to our technologies department headed by Vice President John Burke whose tireless contributions allow the rest of us to focus on our campaigns.

Let’s not forget about the success of the rest of the team.  Our veteran Senior Publicist, Anna, proves time and again that experience in this business pays off by continuing to rake in big hits such as features on The Village Voice, Glamour, and CNN to name a few.  The backbone of these campaigns is strengthened by Kasey, our Web Publicity Assistant, who has consistently proven able to rise to the occasion when work loads intensify.  Not one to be shown up, I’m continuing to bridge the gap between books and readers by stepping up my own social media game and leading a record number of new fans and followers to our Twitter, Facebook, and company sites by taking advantage of today’s top marketing trends.  Fauzia, our ringleader, who orchestrates the cyclone of our work into tightly organized campaigns has expanded FSB services to include social publicity consultation making not just ourselves, but netizens everywhere, happy.

As if we would stop there, everyone here is thrilled over the announcement of Julie’s recent engagement.  As Publicity Manager, Julie has brought great success to authors and FSB over the years that will, without a doubt, continue to follow her for a lifetime of joyous and healthy matrimony.  We recently held an office celebration breakfast complete with catered treats and mimosas to congratulate Julie, show appreciation to our staff, and welcome new sisters to the circle.  With such success in our work and personal lives it’s no wonder we’re all smiles, though the champagne does help.  ; – )

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Twitter 101: Tips to Get You Started

Friday, October 1st, 2010

By Fauzia Burke

I have a confession to make: I was not an early adopter of Twitter. To be honest, I didn’t get it. I didn’t get the language. It seemed like a string of links to even more things I had no time to read. It felt overwhelming.LinkedIn and Facebook made sense as a perfect extension of networking I was already doing, but the charm of Twitter eluded me.

Sound familiar? I hear the same thing from many people, but what I discovered when I actually engaged on Twitter has turned me into a devotee. Twitter has been one of the greatest learning tools of my career.

If you are hesitant to join Twitter, you are not alone. However, I want to encourage you to give it a shot. Set up an account, follow some people and learn some things. People on Twitter are very generous with their time and knowledge. Yes, you will spend time on Twitter that you already don’t have, but you will also learn things that will make you more valuable, smarter and “in the know.” I use Twitter instead of Google for information gathering, and it has made me more productive.

Change is all around us, and the only way we can move forward is to change together and collaborate. I am still a newbie, but if I have inspired you to try, here are some tips to get you started:

1] Come up with a goal for trying Twitter. Is your goal to interact with the media or journalists? Is it to gain exposure for personal branding in your area of expertise? Is it to learn from others who are experts in their field? Or is it to increase traffic to your Web site or blog?

2] When you sign up, complete the profile as fully as possible. Add a photo, short bio, user name and real name. People want to know who you are. Your bio should reflect your goal. Make sure you include the URL for your site, blog or Facebook page.

3] There is no need to panic if you don’t have a ton of people following you. If you post good information, people will find you slowly and steadily.

4] You may have multiple goals for Twitter, feel free to have multiple accounts. At our firm we have 11 accounts and each one has a different audience and purpose.

5] Start off by sharing your knowledge. I bet you know a lot about your industry and your business. Think of Twitter as a great way to share that information. If you read something helpful, share the link on Twitter and let others benefit from your find. Generosity is a good business practice.

6] Because we are limited to 140 characters on Twitter, you will need to learn about shortening URLs. I use a site called Bit.ly because it helps me track my shortened URLs. Or you can use a web site called Hootsuitewhich allows you to shorten URLs, track them and manage multiple accounts. It’s kind of like the Swiss Army Knife of Twitter.

7] Learn the common abbreviations. We created a helpful postcard for our clients. Please feel free to print it for yourself.

8] If you read something you like on Twitter, remember to retweet it. It’s a great way to give credit to people who are putting out good information. If you want to join the conversation, use reply.

9] Follow people you already follow in other ways: Journalists you admire, comedians who make you laugh, or authors who inspire and teach.

10] Be a good community member. A good rule of thumb is to have a 4 to 1 ratio for self promotion. One self-promotional tweet to 4 that will help others or engaging in the community through reply or retweet.

If you are new or nervous, follow me on @websnapshot and we’ll learn together. My goal for this feed is to learn and share good ways to integrate social media and web publicity. Along the way, I share resources and tools with my staff, increase exposure for my clients, get business ideas, and collaborate with smart people. I post links and articles everyday that help me be better, and I hope they will help you as well.

In the comments below, tell me about your experiences with Twitter. Do you like it?

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5 Easy Ways To Build Your Digital Reputation

Wednesday, September 22nd, 2010

By Fauzia Burke

Social media has given us great ways to protect and build our digital reputations. Today we have the ease of searching conversations, the ability to set alerts to help us monitor our names, the constant availability of learning opportunities and more ways to communicate and interact with others. All of these tools, which were not available just a few years ago, now make it possible for us to be proactive in maintaining, building and protecting our good name. Here are five easy ways to do just that:

#1 Set Goals
I am sure you have done this already, but just in case, first do a search on Google for your name in quotation marks. It is important to see what comes up on the first page. The first page of a google search result is precious real-estate. Then set up a simple spreadsheet so you can keep track of your digital footprint. Do a little research and spend some time collecting numbers. How many Facebook followers do you have? What kind of traffic do you get on your site? Once you have the numbers you can then decide on your goals.

Are you interested in growing the numbers of links/connections/followers or do you want more one-on-one engagement? Or are you more interested in getting retweets on Twitter (which, as Guy Kawasaki said recently is “now the sincerest form of flattery”). Once the goals are in place, track the results in the spreadsheet and adjust as needed.

#2 Learn
To accomplish any of these goals, you are going to need to learn. The new world of communication is moving quickly, which naturally lends itself to a couple of advantages. First, there is a lot of room for experimentation, so use your talents and skills to communicate in your own unique way. Second, this experimentation has led to collaboration, and smart people are sharing information all the time. Make sure you make time every day for “learning.” Look over sites and information to keep up with the developments in social media. Currently I am taking part in an online conference, called Social Media Success Summit 2010 and am learning a lot. And among the many sites I visit, one of my daily stops is: PR Daily News: Public Relations news and marketing in the age of social media.

#3 Develop Content
To communicate 24/7, which is now the expectation and the norm, you need to develop different types of content. Blogging is a great way to share your knowledge and collaborate with others. However, blogging can be a big undertaking. Blogging expert Denise Wakeman recommends that you blog 3 times a week. If that is a daunting task for you, try guest blogging on an established site or blog in your industry. Another way some of my clients have developed content is through books, ebooks, whitepapers, audio recordings, slide presentations and videos.

#4 Build Relationships
Building and maintaining relationships has never been easier. Those of us in sales and marketing have always known the value of relationship building, but now everyone needs to make it a priority. Make sure you have profiles on LinkedIn, and Facebook. Twitter is a fantastic source of information, and an excellent place to learn. People on Twitter are eager and happy to help each other. To get tips on effective communication on these sites, I look to Cindy Ratzlaff who has a daily video tip along with regular blog posts on her site. Social media is an excellent way to build relationships, but don’t forget the value of face to face meetings, phone calls, hand written notes, and emails. It’s good to focus on important clients and influencers, but leave room for the “accidental” connections. Social media networking can be serendipitous, you never know which person may lead you to a new connection or client.

#5 Monitor
Social media alerts (Google or Social Mention) are a great way to monitor your name and/or industry. If something important happens in your industry you’ll know about it and can comment. If someone says something positive, a thank you goes a long way. If there is negative chatter starting up around your name or company, alerts keep you on top of it and you can jump in and take care of things quickly. I also use Addictomatic which is a great site for big picture monitoring.

There are many tools and resources now that can help us to become better communicators and better guardians of our reputations. I know it is a big undertaking, but the question to ask yourself is: If you are not investing in yourself, why should anyone else?

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Between Seasons

Friday, September 17th, 2010

by Ken Ishii

As we wrap up our giant list of August projects, the team at FSB realizes summer’s heat wasn’t limited to just the outdoors. We now have a moment to breathe and reflect on campaigns that really hit the mark and boosted the visibility of our authors.

We had the incredible honor of working with some fantastic trendsetters and thought leaders recently. FSB took command of an intense rally of updates as Rebecca Costa was instrumental in weaving breaking news with content from her book, The Watchman’s Rattle. Kristan Higgins’ RITA award gave us plenty to blast the social media lines with. Carmine Gallo whose number two ranked book on Amazon Japan is back for an encore with Innovation Secrets of Steve Jobs. We paused to laugh up the hilarious creative content by John Stewart The Daily Show’s comics Kristen Schaal and Rich Blomquist celebrating their title, The Sexy Book of Sexy Sex. Throughout each campaign we kept close ties with our authors and their books which allowed us to find parallels between projects that could one day become pathways for client collaboration enabling each to pool communities and generate a greater buzz for all.

Digital is today’s standard. It’s no surprise that major news outlets have acted on their predictions about web popularity by shifting emphasis from traditional print to multimedia-rich Internet content. What is a welcome eye-opener is the rapid uptake of digital media by subscribers around the world. Online media is rapidly becoming the go-to choice for consuming current events. FSB took things a step further by delivering news such as Peter Miller’s features on CNN and The Washington Post, Silvana Nardone on ABC’s Good Morning America, and Rachel Simmons’ The New York Times story to the public through social media channels like Facebook and Twitter. Actively putting our authors front and center online saved readers from seeking stories themselves and guaranteed visibility for our authors. In the end, the resulting correlation between strong media placements and soaring Amazon sales ranks turned out to be no accident. Powerful campaigns and author participation turned profits every time.

Our fall lineup is shaping up to be an interesting one comprised of books spanning numerous categories both fiction and non-fiction. We’ve got our work cut out as Amazon’s ebook sales topping paper book announcement adds Kindle tracking to our trend watch and while social media usage continues to climb at record-breaking speeds. There’s no shortage of items on FSB President, Fauzia Burke’s plate this season either. Recently Fauzia has taken on the role of social media ambassador offering expert online network consultation to New York City’s premier book publishers. Additionally, Fauzia’s newly created Squidoo lens and Ezine article submissions have fortified her presence on the web in ways that can benefit our future clients.

Without a doubt, this summer offered us plenty of opportunities to learn and grow as a web influencer in an arena where many have yet to find their bearings. Our ability to keep up with the shape-shifting web publicity industry is something we are quite proud of and we’d pat ourselves on the back, but occasionally an author like Judith J. Wurtman, PhD of The Serotonin Power Diet will beat us to it with a warm note of appreciation. In the end, that’s what it’s all about.

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