Granny Nanny in the Business World

“Granny Nanny in the Business World”

I had an interesting week last week. My daughter had to attend a business conference in San Diego. She asked if I would like to go with her to be a Granny Nanny to my four-month-old granddaughter. You bet!

Ahh... San Diego

The conference hotel overlooked the marina and the ocean. That would be enough. But having a large, comfortable suite was more than I imagined. Baby J was perfection and I truly enjoyed my new, albeit temporary job.

So what does this have to do with blogging? I’m getting there.

The conference was on the use of qualitative research in marketing. My own research when I was in the field of education was largely qualitative in nature. I get the lingo. On Friday morning, my daughter needed to stay in with the baby for an extra hour and asked if I would to go to one of the breakout sessions to take notes. The one we settled on was on blogging and using social media to promote your business.

The presenter, a man by the name of David Bauer, is a qualitative research consultant with a company called Hemispheres. He listed benefits of blogging. Six benefits on the list he produced truly apply to us as writers, even if they take a somewhat different twist. The headings are his. The descriptors are mine. Thank you, David.

1.     Thought Leadership- When you blog about something you know, you take a leadership role. You can show your expertise. No, I’m not the expert on how to write a novel, but I am still early enough in my career I can be a leader in sharing with other new writers the ups and downs of creating a book. I can share the process.

2.     Support Partners- David spoke of others out there who partner with you in your business. For me, the blog is a way I can support my publisher, +Eddie Jones and Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas. I can also use it to support my editor, +Bethany Kaczmarek of A Little Red, Inc. These are important people to me in my efforts to publish my book.

3.     Support Colleagues- No matter what you think, writing is not a competition. Each book is unique. Each author brings a fresh perspective. I have had the privilege to meet several new and established authors at writing conferences and via Facebook or Twitter. I can support them through my blog by writing about them or reviewing their work. I can invite them to be guest bloggers on my site or interview them. We are in this together.

4.     Be creative- Yep, that’s us. We thrive on creativity in the written word. The blog can be a way to tell the story that isn’t going to be told elsewhere. It’s a place we can dump our ideas and play with new concepts. Who knows, comments from others might fan the flame that brings one of those ideas to fruition.

     5.     Have fun- One of the greatest benefits of blogging on a regular basis is you get to know your voice. You begin to develop your brand. If I say Mary Higgins Clark, you think “mystery.” If I say John Grisham, you think “lawyer drama.” If I say Danielle Steel, you think “romance.” That is branding. One day, I hope you hear “Rebecca Waters” and think “Christian fiction.”

     6.     Build Website Traffic (Don’t worry, this is the last one.) You can link your blog to your website and visa versa. Of course I see great benefits here. Even better if I actually had a website. But that’s another day. And another post.

Next Week’s Post: Going Amish

For more information about Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas, follow this link:

http://lighthousepublishingofthe carolinas.com

For more information about Bethany Kaczmarek or A Little Red, Inc. follow this link:http://bethanykaczmarek.com

For more information about David Bauer or Hemispheres, follow this link:      http://www.hsrsh.com/about/our-team/

For more information about the publication of my first book, Breathing on Her Own: Stay tuned! I will be announcing the publication date on this blog.