Coverblurb: A new writing website

I received an email from The Writers' Cooperative, a writing group I subscribe to. There is going to be a whole new site for freelance writers! The message reads as follows:

"Our Writers’ Co-operative, Writer’s Choice, is putting together – actually our brilliant Sharon Robards is doing it – a rather special website. We’d like to invite writers’ groups like RWNZ or freelance writers to consider using it.

"CoverBlurb is a multi-media social site for readers, authors, and anyone interested in entertainment related to books. We’re interested in anything to do with books and writing presented via various media.

"Our aim is to extend beyond the book and the blurb and to include all media related to any individual title and provide a more personal experience for readers in regards to how books are created, their inspiration, settings and more.

Authors can feature new book trailers, covers, interviews, audio only interviews, and even hold a live video conference with their readers, and if you’re a reader or blogger you can upload video book reviews - or perhaps even your own book trailer for a book you have read if that book is in the public domain and no longer under copyright. You might have a picture with your favourite author or a signed copy of their book. Share the images with others on CoverBlurb.

"Everyone can watch book trailers, reviews, interviews and much more on CoverBlurb. People can see first-hand newly released book trailers, find videos about their favourite books, find books they have never heard of, and gain a more personal insight into each title by authors and their readers interacting with photos and video. The use of CoverBlurb is only limited by your imagination.

Register at the site first, then Sharon will manually approve the registration. In the next few days they will be able to link up their blogs, like happens on Goodreads, and the groups will have more functions added and the galleries etc… promotions and PR will be pushed to coverblurbs Googleplus, Facebook, and twitters pages, and of course on our special Writers’ Choice website."

The Hutt Valley Hub

Today I went to check out The Hutt Valley Hub. The Hub is a shared premises in Lower Hutt where you can find a professional environment for co-working and collaboration. If you have a business but can't afford an office, you can run your business at The Hub. Or, if you are not a business person, The Hub is also a place where you can work with other people who can support and encourage you. The Hub provides you with Wifi, tea/coffee, meeting rooms, hot desks, training room areas and a shared reception. During March it will be free for you to use, but afterwards there will be charges. Well, that's what the brochure says.


I myself went down to the Hub to see what it was like and what contacts I could find. It was pretty quiet, and the atmosphere reflected how new and clean it was, but it was pretty nice. The contacts I did find were Citizens Advice Bureau, and I had a jolly good natter with them. I think CAB is taking advantage of the Hub facilitities after being forced to leave the Community Centre and shunted into Apex House. I think I will go to the Hub again and see what else it can offer. It is still pretty new, and open for more discussion on how it can benefit the people and businesses of the Hutt Valley. In the meantime, it looks like one place where you can find a meeting room or place to work and you're pressed for time.

The Hub can be found at
8 Margaret Street
Lower Hutt
Phone: 586 3255
10-2pm Monday to Friday. Other times by arrangement.
Email hub@huttvalleyhub.org.nz
Website www.huttvalleyhub.org.nz

Hutt Valley Business Expo 2013

The Hutt Valley Business Expo is something I look forward to each year. Every year the business expo is held at the horticultural hall. Businesses, charities, community organisations, medical organisations, even local councils and government organisations can run a stall where they promote their goods and services, make new networks, and inform people what is going or what is new in the business world and community. And there are plenty of business seminars. 

 For everyone who comes, there are opportunities to enter draws for prizes, make new contacts, networks, find the service they need, whether it’s for business, the home, travel or personal health, or get extra business training. Stallholders can range from accountants and legal experts to gyms and survival kits. This year I found Les Mills, Totally Pink (where you can stop for an espresso break from all the stalls), the Hutt City Council, and a new, upcoming outfit called the Hutt Valley Hub. It is going to be a hub for work-at-homers, sole traders, community workers, or anyone who wants to join.

This year had a new twist – you are given a passport for collecting stamps from each stall. At the end you put your passport into a draw for prizes. What sort of prizes? It depends on whether you collected under fifty stamps or over. Now, that is a great incentive to go around as many stalls as you can, and pause at some that you might otherwise pass over. And a few stalls had spin the wheel, throw the dart, or have a lucky dip for prizes – which means everyone who goes is guaranteed a prize of some sort. Which makes it all the more fun to go! But still take a big stack of your business cards because you will still need them for draws at every stall – and maybe make some new contacts.

Low-cost Advertising: The Compelling Elevator Pitch

The topic for the June meeting of the Microfocus group was ‘Advertising on a Shoestring’. But instead of the usual round table of brainstorming, suggestions and personal experiences, Rob McTague treated us to a powerpoint presentation on the Compelling Elevator Pitch – a 10-30 second mini commercial that sells you and your business. I’ve googled and links, advice and suggestions on the compelling elevator pitch are everywhere.

Rob gave us three strategies for applying your compelling elevator pitch:

1.    Networking.

You’re at, say, a business function and someone asks what you do. You might say “I sell real estate.”

Yawn. 

How about you do it like this: “I work for XXX real estate company. And if I don’t sell your home in 29 days, I do it for free!”

And what do they say now? “Wow! How do you do that?”

And you might say, “That’s the guarantee of our company because we take such pride in selling homes fast!" 

That’s the guarantee of your company, and you’ve turned it into a compelling elevator pitch. But it doesn’t have to be the guarantee. It could be simply what you do that you take to a compelling elevation:

“I’m a masseur and people say my fingers have a magic touch.”

“I’m an accountant and I’m very popular with business people who hate doing their tax returns.”

“I’m a beautician and people say I make them look ten years younger!”

That’s the 10-second pitch and the person is interested. So what’s the next step? They might ask for more details, in which case you have another compelling elevator pitch. All down pat of course, so you have it at the ready whenever anyone asks. Or they ask for your business card. But what happens to most business cards? They end up in the rubbish bin. And that brings us to:

2.    Business Cards

Most business cards just give your name, your occupation and your contact details, and have nice little graphics to make them eye-catching. They don’t sell you, so they end up in the rubbish bin. So what do you do? You rework your business card so it has a compelling elevator pitch. But it has to be a very short one as business cards are very small, and it could be something like ‘No results – No fee’, ‘Want to Know How to Make $10,000 in 7 days?’ or ‘Feel Chicken about the Dentist?’

Your business card can also have links to where you promote your other compelling elevator pitches. It could be the link to your web page. Your blog. YouTube, where you have posted a video of your compelling elevator pitch.

3.    Landing Page

This is, of course, the first point of call where you promote your business. And the first thing people must see on your landing page is what is most relevant. So it is here that you have your compelling elevator pitch. The compelling elevator pitch must start with the heading, and then the sub heading. Then you might have special offers, guarantees, anything that elevates the pitch. Then finally, the Call to Action, such as filling in the Offer Box on the right hand side of the page or the Query Box where you fill in your query and post it off.

Right, so how do you get started with your compelling elevator pitch? Rob was telling us about one outfit called Leader Publishing Worldwide at www.marketingforsuccess.co.nz. From as little as $97.00 a month you have access to all their e-learning business courses and resources, including writing compelling elevator pitches, headline banks, elevator pitch templates and libraries, and quick start programs. There are even membership grants, of which Rob had two. 

Whether or not we sign up, we certainly came away with elevated ideas for our own compelling elevator pitches.

Hutt Valley Business Expo 2013 is coming!

Bookings are underway for Hutt Valley Business Expo 2013. Here are the details from Chamber of Commerce:

Hutt Valley Business Expo 2013
The Hutt Valley Chamber of Commerce and GoFi8ure are proudly sponsoring the Hutt Valley Business Expo 2013 and we would like to invite all business owners who are looking to increase their business to book into this great opportunity.
 

Whether you want to target a different audience, grow your business, promote business awareness or simply look at other forms of marketing, the Hutt Valley Business Expo will give you the chance to work your business to its full potential.

Expo stands are limited so make sure you secure yours NOW!

 

Date: Wednesday 11 Spetember, 9am-5pm
Venue: Horticultural Hall, 32 Laings Road, Lower Hutt
More info: click here
RSVP: anna@hutt-chamber.org.nz or kimberley@hutt-chamber.org.nz on 939 9821

Even if you're not booking a stall, do go along if you can. The Hutt Valley Business Expo is a very exciting, enjoyable way to find new networks, suppliers, the latest business developments and trends in the Hutt Valley, and some whole new businesses that you probably never knew existed. And take plenty of business cards so you can enter the draws. You could win a bottle of wine, a free business consultation, or some pampering!

 

LinkedIn - what are the benefits for business?

The topic for the May Microfocus meeting was LinkedIn. Was LinkedIn worth linking into? Would it have benefits for your business? Was it a good way to socialise on the Internet? Or was it a waste of time and encouraged spam? I myself was not able to attend the meeting at the time, but I did pass on some of my own thoughts. My first encounter with LinkedIn was one of regret – I responded to an invite and ended up with a lot of spam messages from LinkedIn, as did many people on my mailing list. Since then it has been a bit more positive – I have found some of my old clients on LinkedIn and even reunited with an old friend. And by a strange coincidence, LinkedIn sent me a message saying they were celebrating their tenth anniversary. I passed that detail on to Microfocus as I thought it might add something to the discussion that I would not be able to attend. Well, if LinkedIn is ten years old, it must have something going for it.

The feedback I received back from the discussion revealed that Microfocus had come to the conclusion that LinkedIn can work for you. However, LinkedIn is like a Facebook page – you need to devote time and energy to keep your LinkedIn active. And if you have a busy schedule this can be difficult. But if you can devote time and energy to LinkedIn, what would the benefits be? Our group coordinator is going to try it over the next few weeks to see what benefits she gets. I shall be looking forward to her feedback. 

In the meantime, the benefits of LinkedIn that came up in the meeting were similar to those of Facebook. They include Internet socialising, sharing information on blogs and forums, joining interest groups, and reuniting with people you have lost contact with, as I did. In terms of business benefits, LinkedIn is just like Facebook. It is an avenue for making yourself and your business visible on the Internet. You can connect with people who work in the same industry as you, and you can also make contact with potential customers. People can find you directly or through your connections. LinkedIn can help you make yourself visible by replying to other people’s comments/forums, and learn from others by joining groups in your field and typing in your own updates of what you have been up to recently.


But, as with Facebook, your LinkedIn page is not private. It is open to everyone, so you do not want personal content there.

So LinkedIn is just like Facebook and has the same type of benefits as Facebook. So how does it differ from Facebook? Does LinkedIn have any advantages over Facebook or will Facebook work just fine? If you have a Facebook, is there any point in having a LinkedIn and vice versa? These are questions I am left asking after reading this feedback, but I have no answers. Except one – having a separate LinkedIn and Facebook can be an excellent way to separate business and personal visibility on the Internet. So you can have a business LinkedIn and a personal Facebook.

What are your thoughts on LinkedIn?