Welcome to the lemonade stand!
When I first started to promote my books and my blog on social media, it was oh-so overwhelming. I tried to dip in my toe, but the digital media universe made me feel so dumb. I took some online tutorials but each one tried to convince me to put all my eggs in one basket – and there were more baskets than a Longaberger close-out. I was overwhelmed, convinced that my success depended on doing it all.
And then I started to think of my lemonade stand.
Remember your lemonade stand? You set up one of your mom’s card tables in the front yard, brought out a Tupperware pitcher of lemonade and a short stack of Dixie cups, made a homemade sign with your fattest magic marker, and sold overly sugared lemonade. You didn’t worry about competing with the McDonald’s down the street, which sold a hundred times more lemonade in one day than you could in a lifetime. You were a kid with a lemonade stand and you were having fun and hoped to make a couple bucks out of it. But if not? At least you had a good time and spent the day outdoors.
That’s what I hoped to do with digital media. And guess what? I started to get good at it. I experimented wildly, tried a lot of different things – some of them my own instincts, which were getting sharper – and began to see an upturn in my followers. I started to build a community on social media, got a lot more hits on my blog, and started to hear, “I just bought your book, after finding you on Facebook.”
Digital media helped me meet my goals: carving out an online persona, building a community (Oh, the community! I can’t wait to tell you about that!), selling, and leaving a neat digital footprint.
I wrote a guide for those of you who are OK with having a lemonade stand in a world of slick marketing firms. If you have the money, you should by all means hire yourself a savvy marketing company to build you a comprehensive digital media strategy. They know what they’re doing and they’ll handle it all for you.
But if you’d like to try it on your own, starting small and finding your own way – trust me – you’ll have fun. If you’re ready, say the word and I’ll hook you up with my Digital and Social Media Guide to get you started. And I’d be happy to offer a helping hand in whatever help you need to get your business the exposure it deserves.
Contact Diane at Digital Content and Services at
diane@dianelaneyfitzpatrick.com
561-281-3145
💻 Digital and Social Media Guide for Small Businesses
The Digital and Social Media Guide for Small Businesses will give you the basics and beyond on:
* Why your business needs a digital media presence
* How social media can help you reach an audience of potential customers and clients
* Which social media platforms in which you should invest your time
* How to create a community of your clients and customers through an e-newsletter
* The basics of blogging – so easy, you’ll be astounded
* How to find and create excellent content online
* How to make all of your digital media – your website, your blog, e-newsletter and all social media pages – work together for you.
The guide includes 12 pages of worksheets for you to easily customize your business’s digital media plan.
💻 Consulting services
I can help get you up and running with more customized digital media strategies and consulting. Working together, we can come up with a package of services you need.
Fees are negotiated and start at $50 per hour.
I can provide:
- One-on-one strategy-setting consultation
- Set-up or updating/renovating social media channels
- Content calendar of topics custom built for your business
- 30-90 days of Facebook and Twitter posts – ready to post
- List of sources for future social media content, blog topics and e-newsletter content custom to your business
- Help with blog writing and editing
- E-newsletter content, writing and production
- What else do you need? Let’s chat. I can help!
And if you’re simply looking for a starting boost, I provide an overview evaluation, assessment and recommendations of your business digital media for $75. That includes a digital copy of the Digital and Social Media Guide for Small Businesses.
💻 What small business owners are saying about Digital Content and Services
“Diane is so down to earth, relatable, and dedicated to helping people with their business. She listened to what I was looking for and patiently acted as my sounding board when I was a bit stuck on an idea. Then she put together a very comprehensive and beautiful social media plan for me for an entire month which really made things so much easier, and now I don’t have to struggle with coming up with something to post.
“Diane’s writing and blog help is really incredible, too. She truly understands Voice and Style and how to weave your personality through a blog post. You are in good hands with Diane as your social media and marketing writing Master!”
~ Allison Coulson, founder of Ideal Spaces Home Organizing
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“When launching my personal styling business, I knew I needed to develop a professional online presence, but lacked the skill, knowledge or commitment to do so. A friend recommended Diane Fitzpatrick of Digital Content and Services. Diane listened, assessed my needs, and promptly created a step-by-step digital marketing plan for me that’s easy to execute. This included a monthly social media calendar that provides the structure and discipline I need to connect consistently with current and potential clients. She continues to follow-up with me, sharing new ideas and commenting on my posts. Diane’s services were reasonably priced and I received excellent value for every dollar spent.
~ Deborah Cox, Impeccable Image
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“Diane is like a breath of fresh air in the crowded space of social media professionals! Before aligning with her, I had worked with quite a few others and none of them did anything the slightest bit interesting or successful. Right off the bat, Diane ‘got it’! Her work is intelligent, witty, funny and insightful – and brings a lot of great attention to my skincare brand.”
~ Cathy Kennedy McCracken, founder of I Am Selfcare Skincare
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“I’ve been following Diane on social media for years. As a newbie author trying to build an online presence, I have marveled at how fun and engaging her posts are. I assumed Diane’s gift for humor and keen observations accounted for the robust following she attracts on every platform where she has a presence. Well, as it turns out, she has also analyzed what it takes to succeed, and she’s organized and diligent about making and sticking to a plan. After a brief consultation, she gave a strategic plan and a wealth of information and resources to start working it. Whatever your business, if you want to master digital marketing and build a social media presence, Diane can show you the way.”
~ Barbara Leary, children’s book author
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“In today’s publishing world, writers are expected to maintain a robust social media presence through which they can promote their published works and literary interests. Thanks to Diane Fitzpatrick’s guidance and detailed social media plan, I created and began posting to a Facebook page and Instagram account, both dedicated to my writing. I then was able to demonstrate to a publisher that I had the ability to support promotion of my writing and, shortly thereafter, was notified that my poetry chapbook was selected for publication. I am convinced that Diane’s advice was a turning point in my goal of publishing this book.”
~ Pamela R. Anderson, poet
Contact Diane at Digital Content and Services at
diane@dianelaneyfitzpatrick.com
561-281-3145