The world of publishing is being turned upside down – technology is making pages obsolete. There are some pundits who say that actual ink & paper books will be a thing of the past in just a generation or two, giving way to soft-copy books that can be read on tablet computers or smart phones. And there are the hard-core readers who say that they’ll never read anything but a “real” book.

So, how do you read a book? Has it changed in the past year or so? Please take a minute and take a quick poll. I’ll post the results here in early March. Thank you!

The world is looking for experts. Perhaps you know one, up close and personally. Perhaps it’s you.

In just a generation, we’ve gone from daily newspapers and the evening news to Google news alerts, Facebook shares and tweets as our primary sources for information gathering. And we’ve begun looking at those who provide the best information as experts. If they have a book, then their expert status is elevated even higher.

Are you an expert? Do you have a book? And do you provide your expertise and insights freely and often? Then you’re part of the new wave of celebrities, though you may not feel like it just yet. Here are seven things you can implement quickly to be on your way to Celebrity Expert status:

1. Tweet often. Thirty tweets a day is not too many, so long as most of them aren’t self-serving. Dish up advice, tips, tricks and news in your area of expertise, and once in a while, dish up news of your next webinar, book or speaking engagement. Heavy on content, light on self-promotion!

2. Have a presence on Facebook besides your personal page. Interact on Facebook as your business page (they used to be called “fan” pages) and offer up the same sort of good info you offer on Twitter, but much less of it. Seven to 10 posts per day is plenty on Facebook.

3. Embrace Google+. Why? Google+ results are being integrated into Google search results, meaning that if you’re on Google+, you have a better chance at landing on the first page of searches, where experts live.

4. Post videos on your YouTube channel. Don’t have one? Create one and use it. You can share other peoples’ videos on your channel, but you should also showcase your expertise there. Share the basic information in your area of expertise freely, and when people need to hire an expert, they’ll remember how helpful you are. You’ll be their expert.

5. On LinkedIn, update your status once a week and look for questions you can answer. Many people post questions to showcase their expertise – ignore those types of questions and look for people who really could use your help. As with YouTube, when you’ve genuinely helped them, they’ll remember you when a larger issue needs to be handled. You’ve become their expert.

6. Network with other experts. No, they are not your competition; they are your classroom, your sounding board and your cheerleaders.

7. If you don’t have a book, write one. Nothing says “expert” like a book with your name on the cover. If you don’t know how to start, find a writing coach and work with them to get started. If you have a book, be sure that it’s available in every way that someone would want to interact with your information: physical book, e-book and audio book. Meet people where they are and your message will be that much more resonant to them.

So there you have it – seven steps to becoming a Celebrity Expert. The last one is the most important – remember, nothing says “expert” like a book with your name on the cover. And with people reading and listening to books on their phones and tablets, it’s important to offer your book in as many formats as possible. Don’t miss a big part of your audience by skimping on this piece of expert advice.

Now, go out there and act like the Celebrity Expert you are!

Sandy Weaver Carman
I partner with people who want to take work they’ve already done and create a new revenue stream.
Ready to get your feet wet?

770-310-6932
sandy@voiceworkondemand.com

Audio books have become quite mainstream, and authors are offering their written words up as spoken ones, in order to broaden the readership of their works. The New York Times and a website called PsychCentral have both published really interesting articles comparing and contrasting the reading experience of audio books vs. book-books. Enjoy!

The New York Times article

The PsychCentral artcle

Podcast with Sandy Weaver Carman
“How the Economy is Impacting Advertising and the Internet”"
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The economy continues to be the top story at business…when will it turn around, and will that be before or after more bankruptcies? This deep trough the economy is in is affecting all businesses, everywhere, but none more than the advertising industry. Agencies are closing down, newspapers, radio stations and tv stations are watching as ad dollars dry up faster than a puddle in the hot summer sun.

In advertising, there are two kinds of business: agency and direct. Agencies represent the large and jumbo businesses, like national brands we all know and local, large businesses like car dealer groups. Direct business tends to be small and medium businesses, who can’t afford agency commissions yet but through advertising, hope to grow big enough to have agency representation someday. Agencies place advertising for their clients, usually regionally or nationally. Read More »

Podcast with Sandy Weaver Carman
“Re-Purpose to E-Purpose”

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Re-Purpose to e-purpose…the concept is sort of like making a silk purse from a sow’s ear.  Those with the right talent can make a great purse.  The rest will just have a fancy pig ear to show for their troubles.

Most people don’t like to write, don’t want to write, don’t have the time to write or think they don’t have the talent to write. So the idea of writing a book to showcase their expertise is something they may recognize as a good idea, and may hope to “someday” do, but not something they’re going to sit right down and do. Internet marketing research has shown that business owners who have written a book and are offering it for sale are perceived as having much more expertise than their competitors, who may have as much experience and ability but don’t have a book. Read More »

Podcast with Sandy Weaver Carman
“Success in a Slow Economy”
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Each morning‚ I read the on–line radio trade papers. I also check out a couple of marketing sites‚ some internet–geek–type sites‚ and a few blogs. Each morning‚ I learn a little bit more than I knew yesterday. And if you’re a business owner‚ I want to share something I found on a radio trade site recently.

There are weekly commentary pages on the site‚ and one is written by “JoeGM‚” who‚ according to the blurb under his very blurry picture‚ is “GM‚ Really Big Company.” JoeGM shares his weekly to‚do list‚ which is populated with some great ideas for radio‚ and sometimes great ideas that work for all sorts of businesses. The list I read recently had several great ideas for any sort of business‚ not just radio‚ and I’d like to share them with you. Read More »

Podcast with Sandy Weaver Carman
“Why Radio is Better Than TV or Newspaper for Advertisers”
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For a lot of reasons‚ business owners who advertise should be seriously considering radio right now. The spot pricing has never been better‚ because times have not been this tough for radio revenue for 50+ years.

Mary Beth Garber‚ who is the president of the Southern California Broadcasters Association‚ had these words of wisdom for business owners trying to decide if radio is the right advertising medium for them: Read More »

Podcast with Sandy Weaver Carman
“How Coaches Can Use Audio to Reach More Clients”
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Sure there’s a recession, and yes, the federal government is trying to find ways to fix it quickly, but as a smart business owner, you know that the solution isn’t coming from the capitol…it’s coming from us. It’s up to us to do what small and medium-sized business owners have always done…get smart about spending our money in order to expand the reach of our offerings.

Right now, the industries that are seeing a level amount of revenue are the recession-proof ones: auto mechanics, plumbers, used-car dealerships, crime-prevention, etc. The industries that are seeing growth are the ones to whom out-of-work people turn when they’re looking to improve their skills, their image, or explore other options in employment. Life coaches, sales coaches, business coaches, and speech coaches are all in demand right now as the unemployment numbers rise and people look for ways to stand out and get hired or re-tool for the next career option. Read More »

Podcast with Sandy Weaver Carman
“Enhance Your Website with Audio – Here’s Why”
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Would most viewers watch tv with the sound off? No…audio enhances the presentation. And since most computers have speakers, most websites should use audio to enhance their presentation, too.

With the current economic slump, business owners are looking at ways to improve on what they already have, hopefully quickly and preferably inexpensively. Some are taking collateral materials from their business, articles they’ve written and even their own website text and turning it into audio, either for sale or to exchange for contact information of prospects. Read More »

The Radio Ad Lab has been conducting a study about what makes a radio commercial work. Think about it…you’ve probably heard thousands of radio commercials in your life so far, and you’ll hear thousands more. How many of them have made you pick up the phone, look up the website or drive over for the deal you heard about? Not many.

If you’re either already advertising your business on radio or are contemplating a radio buy, please read on to make your ad dollars make sense. Read More »