I like and use HootSuite’s basic/free version quite a lot, especially for scheduling tweets and it’s dead simple to use.  So this morning when I got an email from HS telling me how I could get 60 days of HootSuite Pro for free, I was intrigued:

Now normally I hate these ‘give us a tweet and we’ll give you this’ offers, but I do use and like HootSuite, and I have been curious about trying out HootSuite Pro, so I decided to send the tweet.  And as promised, I immediately received my email telling me how to get my 60 days of HootSuitePro for free:

Yep, I’ve just been had.  After I send the tweet that HS told me would get me 60 days of HootSuite Pro for free, I am then told that I can only get the 60 days free if I am ALREADY a Pro subscriber.  So why not just tell me that to begin with?  From my POV, HootSuite just punished me for trusting them.  So I am now less likely to make that mistake again.

I see this sort of stunt all the time, and it doesn’t build brand loyalty, it builds brand distrust.  I get why HootSuite made this offer, they want me to sign up for Pro, and then I can apply the coupon and get the first two months free.  At least I think that’s their motivation.  If the goal is to drive Pro signups then just give me a 60-day trial.  If the service is worth paying for, then I will.

I’ve talked about this before, but as a customer, I cannot advocate for a brand that I do not trust.  So if your brand wants to cultivate fans that love you (and customers that stick around) then the trust of your customers is your most prized asset.

Here’s what HootSuite should have done instead: Since the goal is to drive new signups, then instead of 60 days free, give me 30 days, no strings attached.  And in those 30 days, give me access to training (via videos, screencasts, etc) that will show me how to get the most out of HootSuite Pro and help me understand how to use the new features so that I see for myself why HootSuite Pro is a service worth paying for.  Then tell me if I agree to stay on with HootSuite Pro after the 30-day trial is up, that you’ll give me 50% ($5) off my first two months as a ‘thank you’.  That gets me hooked into using HootSuite Pro for 3 months, which gives me time to use the features and become familiar with them.  If the service is worth my time and money, I’ll stick around.  But even if I don’t, I will still feel like I got a ‘deal’ because I got 3 months of premium service for $10 and HootSuite does get my $10.

And no, I don’t want someone from HS to read this and offer me the free Pro trial the email promised, that’s not why I wrote this post.  I wrote this post to give YOU a real-world example of how an offer such as this can drive new business if positioned correctly, and how it can do the opposite if not positioned correctly.

So in 2012 when I signed my contract to write my first book, I decided to write a post that would help my peers get a similar book deal.  It’s become one of the most popular posts I’ve ever written, but something unexpected happened as a result.  Every week I either get a comment or an email about this post from people that want to write a book.  Often, it’s from someone that shares a heart-breaking life story that they want to share with the world, and they are asking me if I can help them.

First, you have to remember that publishers are a BUSINESS.  They won’t publish your book or your story unless they believe they can make money off it.  That’s reality, and in order to get a publisher to buy your book idea, you have to make the case to them that it will earn them more money than they will pay you for it.

Let’s assume that when you approach a publisher that they have no idea who you are (don’t worry, most publishers my agent contacted had no idea who I was when she pitched Think Like a Rock Star to them).

That means you need to convince a publisher that you have two things:

1 – A story/book idea that they believe they can make money on by publishing.

2 – The ability to effectively market your book idea and sell copies.

If you don’t have both of these things, then you have almost no chance of getting a book deal.  I’m sorry, but that’s reality.

So you really need two things: A great idea for a book and a great platform for promoting your book.  A publisher will want to know what you can do to help promote the book and sell copies.

Will you be speaking regularly to promote the book?

Do you have an online following?  Are you active on social media?

Could your position at the company you work for potentially bring positive exposure to the book?

Do you have a huge marketing budget and can you spend a LOT of money to promote the book when it launches?

 

Let’s assume you said ‘NO!’ to all of these questions.  So what do you do if you have an idea for a book, but you have no way to promote it or market it?

Here’s what I would suggests you do: Start a blog based on your book idea.  Starting a blog is your chance to do two very important things:

1 – It helps you flesh out the idea for your book

2 – It gives you the chance to prove to publishers that other people would buy your book and that you can write it

 

If you can go to a publisher and show them that you’ve been writing a blog for the last 6-12 months based on your book idea, and that readers are regularly commenting on your posts and enjoy them, then you are proving to publishers that there is a market for your book.

So that’s my advice if you want to write a book.  Instead, start with a blog, make it successful, and then show that to publishers with your idea.  If the writing on your blog is generating engagement with your readers then it greatly increases your chances of getting published.

Good luck!

 

While most sports finish its season with its biggest event (such as the NFL with the Super Bowl), NASCAR is different in that its biggest race is the season’s first, the Daytona 500.  And two years ago marked the most bizarre Daytona 500 on record.  First, rain showers moved into Florida, postponing the race’s noon start-time on Sunday to noon the next day.  Then the rains picked up again the next morning, and NASCAR made the decision to move the race to 7pm Monday, marking the first time the race had been postponed as well as the first time it would run in primetime.

The race began and for the first time all weekend, things got back to normal.  But all that changed with 40 laps left in the race.  There was a wreck, and what typically happens with a wreck is that there will be debris on the track and possibly liquid from the cars involved.  So trucks will be sent on the track to clear the track and while this is happening the race will be put under caution.  Meaning cars will stay on the track, but their speed will be greatly reduced (from 200 MPH to 50-60 MPH) and their position is frozen and so is the racing until the debris is cleared from the track and officials signal to the drivers to resume the race.

Driver Juan Pablo Montoya had reported some problems with his race car just before the wreck, and during the caution as his car was circling the track, something ‘broke’ and he lost control of his car and it spun out of control into one of the trucks on the track to clean up the mess.  When his car collided with the cleanup truck, the truck literally exploded, creating a huge fireball.  Luckily, both Montoya and the truck driver were fine.  NASCAR immediately ordered all drivers to stop their cars on the track where they were, as they cleaned up this additional mess.

And then, serendipity struck.  As the drivers were sitting in their cars on the track unable to move them, it turns out that one of them, Brad Keselowski, actually had his phone with him in the car, and took a picture of the track, and tweeted it to Twitter.  Marking the first time in the sport’s history that a driver had taken a picture and shared it during a race.

And just like that, NASCAR discovered social media.  Brad gained 55,000 followers just in the hour or so it took to clean up the mess, and during the downtime while waiting for the race to resume, Brad’s sudden fame on Twitter became the story.  Fox Sports showed Brad out tweeting and other drivers talking to him asking him what in the world he was doing.  Over the next few weeks, several of NASCAR’s drivers and on-air personalities started using Twitter, and the sport began pushing Twitter as a channel to connect before, during and after the race.  Typically with NASCAR races, since they are run outside, if there are any weather issues such as rain, the race will be delayed until the weather clears.  During this downtime, drivers will use social media to stay engaged with the fans, while the broadcast teams will interview the drivers on-air during the delays.  Fox has reported that some of its best rating periods for races actually come during delays when its able to interview drivers and get ‘behind the scenes’ chats and give fans a better sense of what their lives are like at the track.

On Sunday night, NASCAR kicked off its 2014 season with the Daytona 500, and again dealt with a rain delay that caused the race to be postponed until primetime for only the 2nd time ever.  But the wait was worth it for NASCAR and many of its fans, as the sports most popular driver, Dale Earnhardt Jr, won The Great American Race.

And then he celebrated by joining Twitter.

What I love about Dale’s Twitter account is how he’s using it.  Even though the account has only been up for a couple of days, Dale has been giving fans like me a behind-the-scenes look at what he’s been experiencing since winning the Daytona 500, including pics from Victory Lane, and trips to do media appearances with David Letterman and ESPN.  This is exactly the type of content that fans want to see.  And to NASCAR’s credit, the organization has been very open to its drivers using social media.  They immediately saw the impact that Brad’s tweet from 2012 and how it resonated with fans, and the sport realizes the ability of Twitter in particular to drive interest in ongoing races.  Plus, NASCAR has always been a fan-friendly sport.

As for Dale’s Twitter account, the sport’s most popular driver is pretty popular on Twitter too, racking up over 300,000 followers in his first 6 hours on the site.  If Earnhardt can parlay this fast start into his first points championship this season, the business of NASCAR will get a huge boost.  And if the past two years are any indication, its fans on social media will be along for the ride.

The final 4 months of the year are typically my busiest time.  Companies near the end of their fiscal year and find out they have some budget left, so they decide they want to spend it on social media training and advisement.

If you’re in this situation, then this post is for you.  First, check out my Social Media Consulting Rate sheet to see the services I offer and the prices I charge.  There are a few exceptions to these rates that I wanted to highlight:

1 – If you are a ‘local’ business, then all these rates are negotiable.  And by local I mean if you are within driving distance of me, I will do all I can to work with you.  Basically anything in Alabama north of Birmingham.  If your business or organization is in North Alabama, or North Eastern Mississippi or Southern Tennessee, then please email me and let me know how I can help you.

2 – I want to present Think Like a Rock Star to your group or event, and will do so VERY cheaply! In most cases all you have to do is pay my travel.  In fact, if I can drive to your event, all I’ll charge you is $150 for travel fees, and I’ll even bring books to your event to sell to attendees and will sign them.

3 – I’m happy to barter with you.  Let’s say you want to purchase my $7,500 Social Media Strategy Audit (with a guarantee), but only have $1,500 in your budget for social media.  Email me anyway and let’s see if there’s a way we can make it work.  Maybe your company offers a service or product that I need.  I’m a fan of creative solutions!

4 – #Blogchat sponsorships for 2013 are almost gone and the rate WILL be going up soon.  September and October’s sponsorships have already been sold for #Blogchat, and November’s is currently on hold.  The first available month is December.  If you want to sponsor #Blogchat in December, the rate is $1,500.00, and you can reserve the month now with a $500 deposit.  Click here to see exactly what is included in a #Blogchat sponsorship.

 

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