Way less TV and way more reading. And that’s a good thing, for me anyway. Keeping my mind in an active state vs. a dull state is better for my mental health! How about you… reading or TV? What keeps you mentally sharp?

BTW, the most clicked link in the last 5 Things was for Amazon’s World Book Day. While the free books are no longer free, you can still learn about and buy the books recommended, written by authors around the world.

Now, here are the 5 Things to read or use for your personal and professional development:

1. Let’s start with beautiful photographs! This place is now on my “must-experience” list when travel is allowed again. The Most Beautiful Flower Garden In The World Has No Visitors For The First Time In 71 Years And I Got To Capture It (31 Pics)

2. If you’re wondering who could use your help with donations or virtual volunteering: Here’s How You Can Change Lives in the Pandemic

3.  Are you prone to “optimism bias?” Why we find it difficult to recognise a crisis.

4. This is worth paying $1.50 for (support the person who created it!) so you can print it out and use it daily… Isolation Mental Health Wellbeing Daily To-Do List Worksheet.

5. Ann Handley, the author of Everybody Writes, offered a free webinar about her approach to writing. It was brilliant. From her presentation style to her enthusiasm and use of the children’s book, Charlotte’s Web to teach her points, I was hooked every minute. You can watch the replay at Marketing Profs, though you must sign up for a free membership to do so. It’s worth it.

What’s something you’ve been reading lately?  Please let me know in the comments, below. And, feel free to share the post with your friends and colleagues!

Denise
You Guide To Better Visibility on the Web

This post was originally published as an email on May 1, 2020

Click here to catch up on previously published 5 Things emails.

Photo by Reinis Birznieks on Unsplash

The post 5 Things for Your Personal and Professional Development appeared first on Adventures in Visibility.

What are you doing to stay mentally and emotionally healthy? Based on the article with the most clicks last week, you’re looking for ideas to help stay focused on what’s important: Six Daily Questions to Ask Yourself While Social Distancing.

In my breaks from staying on top of my business and to clear my head of Covid-19 news, I’ve been bouncing between reading Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari and rewatching all 5 seasons of The Wire after HBO opened access with no subscription required. Best. Show. Ever. Any other fans out there?

Now, here are the 5 Things to read or watch while you #stayathome:

1. April 23, 2005, the first-ever YouTube video was uploaded. Here it is. You may be underwhelmed.

2. Thanks to my fave morning new email, Morning Brew, I discovered a slew of Quarantine Book Recommendations via Literary Hub. It also happened to be World Book Day on April 23 and you can get 9 free Kindle ebooks on Amazon through the end of today (sorry, this special has expired)

3.  As a card-carrying introvert, I can relate…Yes, Even Introverts Can Be Lonely Right Now.

4. I don’t entirely agree with the last point… 8 science-backed ways to boost resilience during the COVID-19 crisis.

5.  And for a hit of beauty and peace: Coyotes, bobcats and bears: Wildlife is reclaiming Yosemite National Park .

One more thing, if you’re curious about Intermittent Fasting, my colleague Ellen Britt and I are hosting our second 10-Day Intermittent Fasting Challenge, starting May 4. Details here.

What’s something you’ve been reading or watching lately?  Please let me know in the comments, below. And, feel free to share the post with your friends and colleagues!

Denise
You Guide To Better Visibility on the Web

This post was originally published as an email on April 24, 2020

Click here to catch up on previously published 5 Things emails.

Photo by Reinis Birznieks on Unsplash

The post 5 Things for #StayAtHome Life appeared first on Adventures in Visibility.

During the course of every week, I read, watch and collect a lot of content that interests me, fascinates me or that I want to share with my communities.

This morning I decided to take a few minutes and share a few things that have stood out for me recently.

What I’m Watching

1. Women Who Rock – my friend and colleague Lou Bortone has published a series of videos featuring women who use video in their businesses. There are some wonderful nuggets shared by each rockin’ businesswoman. You’ll probably know at least one of the women, too. 😉

2. GaryVee – How to Start – I don’t watch much by GaryVee, but I’ve been following him for a long time and every now and then I see something that piques my interest. This 12-minute video on Instagram is worth watching – and then taking action – if you’re feeling stuck or waffling about starting something. Caution: Gary curses a lot so if that’s not your thing, don’t watch this. However you feel about Gary, what he says is worth taking to heart.

What I’m Reading

3. YouTube Statistic – This chart is worth noting. If you’re still on the fence about creating videos for your business, this might convince you. Keep in mind, YouTube is the second largest search engine on the web.

4. The Most Colorful Places in the World – Beauty is all around us. This photo spread in Conde Nast Traveler is a feast for the eyes. It may trigger your wanderlust, too!

What I’m Listening To

5. Tim Ferris Podcast – Neil Gaiman – When I saw Neil Gaiman’s name pop up on Tim Ferris’ podcast, I had to listen to it. Neil Gaiman is prolific and writes in many genres, from comic books to fiction, non-fiction, science fiction, and screenplays. He’s won many awards and I always love diving into one of his books. I loved American Gods. This interview gives a lot of insights into how Gaiman writes, the tools he uses and how he avoids distractions.

What have you enjoyed reading and watching in the last few weeks? Please let me know in the comments, below. And, feel free to share the post with your friends and colleagues!

Denise
You Guide To Better Visibility on the Web

P.S. One more thing… this gives me joy every day!

Click here to catch up on previously published 5 Things emails.

The 5 Things emails began in March 2019, when I felt like there was more I wanted to share with the people I connect to via email. I was looking for a way to create a more intimate conversation, a peek at who I am and my interests, and not always be marketing! 😜

Since then, I’ve started sending the emails every Friday and have received tremendous feedback. When I asked my community whether they thought it would be beneficial to post the emails on my blog, I got a resounding “YES!” from everyone. So, here we are. If you miss the emails, they’ll be published here on Mondays (after I catch up with posting the previous notes.)

This post was originally published as an email on March 30, 2019.

Photo by Reinis Birznieks on Unsplash

The post 5 Things…the first one appeared first on Adventures in Visibility.

Well, sometimes, the record isn’t broken. In the case of video, you’re getting a message that is true and you’d be wise to listen.

Ok, you get it. You are committed to creating more videos for your business. You’re even on board to do LIVE video on Facebook so you can create deeper relationships with your followers. Now what?

Repurpose and Leverage Your Videos

I’ve been a fan of repurposing content for a long time (can’t think of the year, maybe 2007?). I’ve taught many classes and written blog posts about it. But, repurposing content takes time and repurposing video is a real convoluted pain in the neck.

Content repurposing is the process of taking existing content and converting it into new formats, for the purposes of promotion or monetization.

Take Facebook Live, for example. Think about what it takes to repurpose that one video.

• You go live on Facebook. 
• You end up with a video replay on Facebook.
• Once you find the feature to download your video, you download it to your computer or cloud storage.
• You want to add the video to your YouTube channel. Depending on how long the video is and the quality of your Internet connect, that could take awhile.
• You want to create a blog post and embed the video.
• You want to strip the audio from the video, create an MP3 and add it to your podcast.

How long do you think it takes to do all that? 

I’ve never timed it, but I know it can take a few hours, at best.

It's OK to automate the distribution of your content; don't automate the personal side of your connections. Click to Tweet

Here’s how to do a lot of the processes automatically – as soon as you click “end” on your Facebook Live video [watch webinar replay below]:

[ssp-video]

Hani Mourra is a Softwareprenuer and the creator of Repurpose and Simple Social Press. I am in love with Repurpose. In fact, I was so blown away when I saw the original demo in 2016, that I invested before the software was ready to use. Now, I’ve been using it for about a month and it’s made my repurposing life so much easier.

Using a combination of the Simple Social Press plugin and Repurpose, here’s what happens now:

• As soon as a (pre-recorded) video or a Facebook Live video is complete…
• The video is automatically uploaded to a backup folder in Dropbox
• The video is automatically posted on my blog as a draft post (the video on this page was done that way)
• The video is automatically uploaded to my YouTube channel (unlisted so I can make some edits to the description before it’s made public)
• An audio file is created from the video and uploaded to a folder on Dropbox for future use

How long do you think it took to do all that? 

Less than 10 minutes and it all happened automatically, behind the scenes. All I have to do now is finish the blog post and publish. Oh, and add some details to the description on YouTube, add the video to the appropriate playlist and then make it public.

RECOMMENDED READING: Repurposing Your Content – 13 Ways to Reach More People

Here are some of the “repurpose workflows” I’ve set up:

You can even convert your audio podcast episodes to videos and post them on YouTube (see the demo in the video). It’s fast and you’ll have an opportunity to reach a new audience for your podcast on YouTube.

I don’t know about you, but for me, saving a couple of hours on tedious work is a big win. If you are producing a podcast or videos on a regular basis, I believe you’ll find that these automation tools will save you time and money.

Ready to get started? Check out Repurpose and Simple Social Press.*

If you have questions about the software or creating a video strategy, post them in the comments below.

*I’m an affiliate for this product and earn a small commission if you purchase.

The post How to Quickly Repurpose Your Facebook Live Videos appeared first on Adventures in Visibility.

Google+ Hangouts on Air are a game changer for small businesses and entrepreneurs. When you produce a successful show, it can be the fastest way to get seen, be heard, build trust and connect with your ideal audience.

The key phrase in that last sentence is “successful show.”  Anyone can set up a Hangout on Air (HOA) and fumble their way through it. And many do, which is not a great experience for the audience. 

HOAs are Better than TV

Why better than TV? The ability to connect intimately with your audience. Not only can you broadcast globally…

• You can interact in real time via the Event page
• You audience can watch anytime at their convenience
• Public Events are indexed by Google
• YouTube is the second largest search engine
• You can get the exact, highly-niched content you want

I was invited by Zara Altair to be a guest on her Midweek Zap HOA to discuss the process for setting up an HOA and some promotion tips.  In 36 minutes we covered quite a bit, and yet there’s so much more I do for my own show, Adventures in Visibility. The conversation does not cover the steps for setting up an HOA. My program on Google+ 101 can help you with that.

10+ tips for making your Hangout on Air Show a Success

There are detailed timestamps for the tips in the video description on YouTube.

1. What is the purpose of your show: why, what, when and how are they going to support the growth of your business?

2. Before you create your first show, watch other shows first. RSVP, +1 and share. Participate during the live show to experience the live engagement. An excellent example of a highly engaged show is The Mia Connect. 

3. Practice. Before you schedule a live event, do a couple of practice runs with a friend or colleague.

4. Brand your show. Create a header banner that tells your story. Google+ Business Spotlight is a great example.

5. Create a YouTube custom thumbnail. This can be used in place of a trailer video for your HOA as well as uploaded to your video as a branded custom thumbnail. You can see how I use a custom thumbnail here.

6.  If you have guests on your show, get correct, up to date information from them: bio, headshot, social links and bullet points for the content they want to cover. It’s critical to make your guest(s) shine and you do that by providing your audience the best and easiest ways to connect with them.

7. Include calls to action in the Event description. Tell your audience to RSVP, +1 and share the event. Ask them to comment and ask questions for your guest.

8. Promote the heck out of your guest(s). Use Canva or PicMonkey to create images promoting your show and pithy quotes by your guest.

9. Promote your show on other social networks.

10. Show promotion doesn’t end when the show is over. Now, it’s time for you to post the video on your blog and then promote your post. Go the extra mile and transcribe the show and add captions to the video. At minute 25:00 in the video I share additional ways I get the word out post-show.

It doesn’t end there!

This is just the tip of the ice berg. I have a checklist of nearly 50 actions I take pre-, post- and during the HOA. The results are proof that the work pays off. My audience grows with every show. My guests love me and the audience gets tons of value from the information shared before, during and after the show.

The post Ten Tips for Making Your Hangout on Air Show a Success appeared first on Adventures in Visibility.