A great way to elevate meaningful conversation and connections!

It’s that time again, for the I C Publishing Summer Blog Tour 2015 . . . a great way to elevate meaningful conversation and connections. Last year’s summer blog tour focused on navigating the writing path from start to finish. This year we’re going to share our insights and expertise on creativity as it applies to business . . . creating bites, blogs, talks, and books.

Beginning today, with my post below, and over the coming weeks and months, we will offer up a wealth of wisdom on creating everything from great content, new workshops, writing blogs and books, to achieving the level of meaningful success you’ve always dreamed of. How are we going to do this? By inviting an inspired and seasoned group of professionals to share their experiences and best advice, ultimately creating a mini-masterpiece of motivation and real-life support, much like we did in last year’s blog tour which reached hundreds of individuals internationally within a very short time . . .

I can’t wait to introduce you to the other awesome and generous individuals who will be contributing, and helping to keep the tour going well into the summer for some excellent reading.

Joining me again to help kick of the tour is our social media expert and blog administrator. Charlotte Ottaway (@charlottaway) is a freelance writer and the owner of Web of Words, where she works with solopreneurs and small business owners to share their authentic brand story through blogging and social media. You can find her over at charlotteottaway.com.

Bites and Blogs: What are your tips for creating meaningful content for social media? How do you determine what blogs you’re going to write, and why? How do you remain consistent? How do you know you’re on the right track?

First, I believe it’s so important to be yourself on social media. At the same time, you have to know who your audience is and make sure you are communicating in a way that both intrigues and resonates with them. There are so many places to extract small sections of useful and interesting content from blogs, articles, or even books you’ve written, not to mention the expanse of the internet and our social networks these days. In fact, I often spend half my social media time each week simply engaging and supporting other people’s posts by liking, sharing, and/or commenting.

Consistency is a real strong suit to have in business, and most weeks it’s on the top of my list to do a little content pre-planning, which helps me stay ahead of things and always have something to share (without having to spend too much looking up, deciding, and extracting snippets each and every time I want to post).

On another note, it’s good to be posting content that will help others see you as a “go to” person in your field. Keep in mind that most of the time this should be editorial and informational in nature, and only occasionally advertorial. There are some posts that will fall in between, just take a thoughtful approach to the way you want others to see you online and you should be fine.

With respect to bigger writing projects, including blog topics, I tend to evaluate and strategize at the beginning of each year as to the theme of certain blogs, and whether I’m writing the blog, or I’m inviting a team member or colleague to impart their knowledge on a particular subject. And I revisit this quarterly.

Last but not least, and worth a mention, I am constantly paying attention to comments and questions being asked online and information being sought, and this alone always helps me creatively (i.e. what to write about)—especially when it’s in my area of expertise and I know I can help.

P.S. If you are hiring someone to assist you with this part of your business, be sure to notice their communication style. You want it to complement yours as much as possible so, whether you’re posting or they are, it will be your company’s message that shines through. Like any other services you hire, it’s a great investment when you find the right person.

Talks: What steps do you take to create new workshops, programs, or keynotes?

Creating new workshops, programs, or keynotes all provide you with a way to answer current industry questions for your target audience/clients, announce/teach on something new, and/or add another revenue stream. In the early days of my career I would often write things out word for word. Now, I tend to create an outline of the points and sub-points I want to cover, and trust myself to deliver my intended message with knowledge and confidence (takes practice). What I love about the latter approach is that it allows me to notice and engage with the audience in a way that is more enriching and empowering for them, as well as me. Also, as a speaker, interacting with the audience in this way helps me to ensure that participants are getting what they came for, and likely much more.

Books: Everyone has a story, some a book. If you’ve written a book, what was your creative process? What encouragement would you give others just beginning their book writing journey?

For the sake of time and space, here are two other blogs I’ve written about my own path and experiences as an author and business owner, along with some encouraging words for those just embarking on their author journey.

What advice would you give your younger self?

Don’t sweat the small stuff. Don’t take things personally either—everyone is learning or dealing with something. Stay focused on your own personal and professional growth. Be kind, compassionate, and helpful. Enjoy every moment, it goes by so quickly. 

What are you working on now, and how can we, as a collective community, help?

It’s a very exciting year. For the first time, I’m blogging two books into life. They’re on my two favourite subjects, writing and entrepreneurship. One is called, Do You Have a Book in You? The other is called, The All Season Entrepreneur.

In addition to I C Publishing sponsoring a couple of great events and organizations this season, including the Canadian Small Business Seminar on August 22nd, I’ve been invited to be a guest speaker at the classy and content-rich Brand Yourself in a Weekend workshop and conference with Kharisma Aro and Stephen Scoggins, taking place in Toronto later this year. I will be leading a highly interactive session on writing, production, and publishing. We’ll share more on our social media channels soon. Stay tuned.

As I mentioned above, under the bites and blogs section, I think it’s great when we all authentically support one another where we can, by simply sharing meaningful information and events to our networks. I’m always grateful when someone takes a moment to notice, comment, and circulate something I (or my clients or colleagues) have put thought and care into posting for others to benefit from. The genuine, positive energy and amazing connections that come from this approach in business elevates and blesses everyone involved. 

Passing the pen next week to:

 

Dwania Peele is the Owner and Executive Director of Canadian Small Business Women, a company soon-to-be the number one provider of business resources for women who are current or aspiring business owners in Canada. The CSBW connect, teach and inspire through online resources, networking events, Seminars and Expos across Ontario.

Website/Blog: canadiansmallbusinesswomen.ca / Twitter: @DwaniaP

 

Linda Ferguson, Ph.D., is curious about how people make the choices and connections that build a life well-lived. Her publications include Shiftwork and Living Your Purpose. Linda is the Senior Partner at NLP Canada Training and offers perspectives on chance and choice in her blog, ntgr8.

Website/Blog: www.nlpcanadatraining.blogspot.ca / Twitter: @LindaRFerguson

Anita Heidema is a speaker, author, mindset coach, strategist, and “go to” person for achieving freedom andprosperity in your world. Founder of the YIJ Group. Creator of Amazon bestselling book VITALITY KNOCKS and popular programs including the 21 Day Journey to Success, B.E.L.I.E.V.E GoalSetting Principles, S.E.L.F Sales series, and various Getaway To Find Your Way Travel programs.

Website/Blog: YIJGroup.com / Twitter: @Journeys4u

I have invited all of our blog tour contributors to add a link to their post under the comment section below, so everyone will have one place to view all the amazing contributions as the tour grows. We will be sharing on social media all summer (LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, e-newsletters, Google+). For those of you on Twitter, the hashtag for the tour will be #ICBlogTour.

Happy summer reading, writing, and creating your ideal life! You deserve it!

Sheri Andrunyk

Founder, Publisher, Author, Mentor