Social Media Marketing Experiment Underway

After a hectic couple of days with clients, I’ve finally been able to make a start on my social media marketing experiment. Here’s what I’ve done so far:

•  Faffed around slightly with my Facebook page. I’ve added a new custom cover photo and made more of an effort to update my statuses.
• Made more of an effort to connect with people via Linkedin. In actual fact, this has helped my Facebook page too. There’s a conversation in one of my groups that allows people to put a link to their Facebook page. The idea is that people scroll through the list, pick out the pages they like (depending on type of business and interests) and like the page. Most people send a little message saying that they’ve found the page through Linkedin and 9 times out of 10 they’ll get a like back. Personally, I think this is a brilliant idea. If you’d like to know more about this, contact me and I’ll be happy to chat with you.
• Created a new Twitter account, complete with a custom background.

Playing Around

It’s not really the design aspects of each account that I’m too concerned with at the moment, although I do find that side of things quite fun. The more important thing to me is how I represent myself in the way I run the accounts. For this reason, I’ve decided NOT to link my social media networks.

The reason I’ve come to this decision is quite simple: Each network is completely different. Twitter and Facebook are prime examples. Twitter only allows updates containing a maximum of 140 characters. Facebook allows reams and reams of words per status update (perfect for those personal rants that we all love to see on there). So it seems a little silly to either waste all the space on Facebook with a short Tweet, or have an incomplete status on Twitter, which is what happens when you link the two together.

Another valid point is that Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin and any other social network site attracts different audiences. This is a fact. People might open every social network account possible, but they always prefer one over the others. I have friends that have both Twitter, Facebook and Linkedin accounts. Some of them tweet every 2 seconds but only check Facebook once a week, whereas others will openly admit to abandoning their Twitter account because they didn’t really understand it. So why would I treat different audiences in the same way? Well the point is, I won’t be doing! 🙂

another thing I haven’t done is set up an automated message for followers on Twitter. I don’t think this method is effective anymore. In fact, I think it might be bordering on badgering people. I’d like people to follow me because they’re interested in what I have to say. If the first thing I have to say to them is a generic message asking them to do something that will help me and not them then I’m most likely to get them clicking the unfollow button!

Up Next…

So my short term aims for the rest of the week are:

• Try to increase my followers on Twitter and Facebook through writing incredibly witty and informative updates
• Set the new website up (I’m uber excited about this)
• Make more connections through Linkedin
• Try to log in and out of Pinterest within an hour (seriously, every time I go on that site, I spend far too long. I’ve banned myself from it until my workload is complete every day)

Hopefully the next time I have an experiment update, it will be posted on the new website (did I mention I’m excited about that?). I’ll look forward to seeing some of you on my various pages.

Peachy times

Time for an update on how life is for me at the moment.  I’m sure you’re all very interested…

Well yesterday was the day my ex moved out and went back to England.  I felt a little sad that we would probably never see each other again (I’m slightly angry with him about the situation but I won’t go into it).  I had already blocked him from all my social networks and I don’t have his number so he is effectively out of my life.  Except for the fact of course, that we share a daughter. 

For her sake, we have kept things civil and to be fair, it is not all that hard because I have always liked this man that’s been my significant other for the past ten years.  We have been each others rocks for so long that it feels a little unbalanced knowing that when either one of us reaches out in the future the other will not be there to take the load.

Surprisingly though, I am not absolutely heartbroken as I have been previously (those of you who follow my blog will know we’ve been on and off all year).  Instead, I felt an almost sense of relief that it is really over.  I wondered why this should be and I slowly realised that he was not the version of himself that I love.  Everybody has a dark side, myself included and I have worked very hard indeed to overcome mine.  In fact, we both worked together to be the best possible versions of ourselves and begin afresh.  This was a huge reason for moving to Bulgaria.  Unfortunately, for reasons known only to himself, my Ex has reverted back to somebody who I don’t like very much, let alone love.  I am sad that we had to end, and that does hurt.  I am also sad that he doesn’t seem to see the potential in himself that I see.  I am hurt that I could not protect my daughter from the heartbreak of her father not being there.  But I cannot change water to wine and I cannot change the will of a man just by needing it to be so.  Believe me I have tried and it hurts more than anything to fail.

The revelation that I no longer want to be with this man is liberating.  Do I wish that he was the version of himself that I love and didn’t leave?  Unequivocally yes.  But that is not the case.  He is troubled and I cannot help him anymore so I will let him go and wish him luck. 

My daughter is older and wiser than her years (scarily so sometimes).  She misses her dad when he’s away, but she, like all of us, eventually gets used to the situation at hand.  I will channel my efforts into supporting her by laughing with her twice as hard and working every second that I can to put food on the table and a roof over our heads.

I have no doubt at all that my Ex will continue to support our daughter and stay in touch with her and I would encourage him to do so.  But for us adults, I have already walked away.

After a revolutionary day yesterday, I get to enjoy my lazy Sunday which largely consists of snuggles on the settee with my little girl while we watch our favourite programmes; X Factor and Merlin.  Of course today brings an extra treat with the Mobo’s aswell.  I may decide to do some Pilates later but we will see how things go.

So there it is.  Some people may look on yesterday as being rainy and to be honest, it was a little.  But overall, the finality of it all gave me the closure I needed and now I am on the brink of starting out my life again which is scary to say the least, but also invigorating and exciting! Altogether, peachy times!

31/10/2012 Peachy results

Today has been a day for networking. 

The importance of networking for a freelance writer is almost unfathomable. It’s all about getting your name out there and letting people know exactly what you have to offer.

Today was one of those rare days where my “paid” workload was pretty quiet (for freelance writers, there’s always work to be done whether it’s paid or not).  So, as I said, today was all about networking.

After receiving another great inspirational post from Young Pre Pro, I decided to get out there and really try to expose my blogs.  There are numerous ways to do this, but one of the simplest and most effective tools to use are social network sites. 

How I used social networks to drive traffic to my blogs

I decided to use the two sites that I am most familiar with; Facebook and Twitter.

Facebook – I set up a fan page.  The page benefits me in several ways:

• It acts as a Landing Page for prospective clients.  I used my own name followed by the service I offer as my profile name for the page, so: Memma Hough; Freelance writer for Online content.  I let everyone that visits the page know straight away that I’m available for hire by saying exactly that in the information section that’s displayed beneath my profile picture.
• It drives traffic to my blogs.  By sharing my posts to the Facebook page, not only do I increase my overall exposure for my blogs, but I am providing ample examples of my work for anyone looking to hire a writer.   
• By using my own page to like other pages, I am heightening my profile again.  In addition to this though, I am able to look for companies that I might like to work for; About.com; Make Up For Ever; eHow.com and so on.  Even if they are not looking for a writer at the moment, if they know about me now and like what they see, this can serve as a foot in the door should a position come up with them in the future.  It could even lead to me getting head-hunted which is of course, every writers dream.

Twitter – I already had a Twitter account (@MemmaHough).  Unfortunately, I don’t use it nearly enough.  I decided that this was to change today.  I began to Tweet links to my blogs as well as my Facebook page.  This casts a wider net again for readers.  In the same way that I liked other Facebook pages, I also followed other people and companies that are in my specialized fields.

Has it worked?

Well none of my posts have gone viral yet. BUT, when I checked my stats for the blogs and my Facebook page, I was pleased to see that my effort was already beginning to pay off.  I’ve received more views on both of my blogs today than any other day since I started them.  95% of those views are from Facebook referrals.

Obviously it is by no means time to rest on my laurels, but for a first attempt; I think it’s a peachy result!

On a side note: I have also used Facebook as a resource for a future blog.  I’ve asked people for photos of their amazing Halloween pumpkins.  Fortunately, I have many kind friends who know their way around a pumpkin with a carving knife.  I can’t wait to put the Pumpkin post up tomorrow and showcase their talents.

29-30/10/2012 – Peachy with a side helping of Peachiness

I neglected to post my daily Rainy or Peachy snippet yesterday so I will apologise straight away.  However, I do have a fantastic excuse for it.  I have been rewarded for my dedication to writing.

After searching continuously for writing jobs that appeal to my specific skills and subjects that I am actually interested in, I received a reply from a prospective client the other day.  The work is for the Health and Beauty niche (a personal favourite) and concentrates on marketing new and existing products.  This means copy for landing pages, as well as pamphlets, blogs and articles driving traffic to the site and leading to high conversion rates.  Basically, get people to buy the product.  This kind of work is exactly what I love but although I’ve done work like this in the past, this is the first time I’ve actually gone after it myself.  Every other time, I’ve received copy writing jobs via publishing companies that act as a middle man.  This is great for experience but doesn’t quite carry the rates that I would like.

Anyhow, yesterday, the client set up a conference on Skype and we spoke about how I would be best suited to the job.  I told him about my passion for the niche as well as my experience with the kind of content he was looking for.  From there we discussed rates and how I could be of use to his marketing scheme.  The client and his partners loved my ideas and after a couple of hours on Skype, I am now to write the copy for the landing page of a brand new product at a rate that reflects my ability and talent.

I’m super excited about the whole project and it looks as though there is plenty of work to come my way should things go right with this initial page (which of course, I will make sure of).  As a writer, being given so much creative license is a special gift, really giving me the chance to expand my portfolio in a unique way. 

No doubt I’ll be blogging about my journey as a freelance writer a little more, as well as some great new products on my Living Beautifully blog

.  So now, after a slow couple of months, it looks like I will be very busy indeed carving out a new life for me and my daughter.  Exciting times indeed! 

On the other hand, my partner and I have finally called it a day with our relationship.  For all those who have read my other posts, you will know that we have been off and on throughout the year. Unfortunately this is the final curtain.  I don’t know whether it’s the fact that I am used to us splitting up now, or the fact that I have reached the end of my tether, but this seemingly bad news has actually had an adverse effect on me.  I feel as though a weight has been lifted from my shoulders and everything seems to have come back into focus.  My main priority now is to become the fantastic writer I know I can be and in turn, earn a living that enables me to spoil my daughter and spend quality time with her.  Peachy, with a side order of peachiness J

The Breakup Playlist

Having gone through a breakup five times this year with the same person (too long of a story to go into), the feelings of despair, sorrow, loneliness, anger and eventually peacefulness are only too familiar.  Without trying to sound like a bleeding heart, I’ve always found that music has the ability to pull me out of the darkest moods.  Or allow me to wallow in them should I feel the need.  Everyone will have their own personal list of breakup songs to help empower or comfort them.  This one is mine. 

This playlist has a little of everything I find.  There are the usual defiant “I’ll be better without you” songs, with a hint of the “let’s just acknowledge it’s over” songs and of course, the songs that might have very little to do with the breakup theme at all but always make me smile and want to dance.  They’re not in any particular order, as my emotions don’t seem to follow any logical pattern.  Underneath each video is a little explanation as to why the song has made it on to my breakup song playlist.

Firstly, I love Pink and when I’m at my most vulnerable, I am known to crank up any one of my Pink albums and pretend that, I too am a super cool rock chick who doesn’t give a d*** about anything.  This song relates to the “let’s just acknowledge it’s over” realm with lyrics such as “I think I’ve finally had enough, I think I maybe think too much,I think this might be it for us (blow me one last kiss)”

I would think the reason for this on the breakup playlist is obvious but just in case – “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, stand a little taller, doesn’t mean I’m lonely when I’m alone”. Great tune that will have you dancing round the room giving the unlucky ex the proverbial finger in no time.  

I realise this choice may seem a little bitter to some people. I don’t care. It is an extremely funny song which makes me smile and in actual fact I don’t share the sentiment (I would rather concentrate on my own happiness than somebody else’s misfortune). Great for jumping round the front room to and pretending to be an All American reject.

Inspirational and catchy. I truly believe that I am the fifth member of Little Mix when I play this song and I know that I was “made to fly”.

When this woman opens her mouth my heart breaks, but in a good way.  As most of you will have guessed, I like to keep my breakup songs upbeat so I don’t flood the house with my tears.  This is why I love the Calvin Harris mix of the song.  The song reminds me of what I used to feel like at the beginning of the relationship but instead of making me morose, it makes me happy to have shared a great part of my life with someone and helps me to look forward to the next time I might feel that way again. 

Scatman – No obvious link to a breakup at all, but I defy anybody to listen to this song without smiling at the very least.  If you’re anything like me, you will probably experience full belly laughs when trying to sing along.  Also, it is my battle cry when I am a little “tipsy” many a person back home has heard me paying homage to this funny  little song at silly o clock in the morning.  Sometimes good memories are everything you need to bring you out of a depressed state of mind.

As a final note, many people will be racking their brains as to why Adele has not made it onto the list.  The reason for this is simple; although I am a huge fan of the very talented lady (she is on my list of people that I would definitely go for a pint with), her albums are… depressing! They are wonderful to listen to when you are completely over your breakup, or if you are completely happy.  But anyone going through a breakup should put the Adele albums waaay at the back of the cupboard and wait for peachier days to come round before attempting to play them.

So there it is, my breakup playlist. Not to everyone’s taste no doubt but I have found that these songs do their bit to help lighten my mood and laugh each day. By doing this, I can help my daughter see that there is always something to smile about no matter what life throws at us.

28/10/2012 – Perfectly Peachy Snoozy Sunday

Today was bound to be a great day for me.  I am a sleep lover.  Sleep and I have had a great relationship for many years.  Of course we’ve had our little spats where my snooze time evades me and I find myself being wide awake at silly o clock but mostly, sleep is my best friend.  That’s why, every year, when the clocks go backwards and I am rewarded with an extra hours sleep, I am truly grateful and more excited about the event than many people are about their Birthdays.

When I awoke from my slumber (thanks to an alarm clock that was NOT mine), I had that wonderful glow inside that comes only from the knowledge that I don’t have to get up for at least another hour.  This is a million times better than any snooze button.

When I finally did get up, I managed to spend a whole day doing… nothing! I’ve updated my blog, scouted around on Facebook and been in charge of the feeding times at our little zoo.  All of these tasks have benefited me in some way and did not feel like work at all.  I have managed to watch so many TV programmes today that if I was back in England, I might not mind paying the TV license so much.

As any mother will tell you though, the act of sitting quietly is easy for us.  Nothing to shout about.  It is the fact that I was ALLOWED to sit quietly that is to be celebrated.  My daughter asked for maybe three things today and all were reasonable requests.  Permission was granted and she was content.  Her father simply sat watching the same programmes with me or exploring his shiny new phone, in a not uncomfortable silence.  This is the second day in a row that we have acted like a perfectly functional family despite all that is wrong.  It was pure peachy, snoozy, Sunday bliss.

27/10/2012 – Rainy start with a Peachy result

Happy Saturday everyone!  I’d like to kick off a new regular post on my Rainy or Peachy Blog.  This is the place where I will be venting my frustrations or sharing my joy with you all.  Each day will be categorised as Rainy or Peachy depending on my mood and what happens during the day.

Today started off with a slight drizzle on my mood.  Family life is not at its best at the moment as I am on the brink of losing my partner of ten years for the 5^th time this year. 

Trying to figure out whether a relationship is really over or not when you have been together as long as a decade and have a child together can be tough on everyone concerned.  Fortunately, we have spent so much time together that we can actually work together as a great team, even when we’re talking about separating.

So in true Dave and Mem style, we decided to go out for a walk with our gorgeous daughter.  We did a little window shopping while we walked along the main street of our little town.  Then we found a new park that had some exercise equipment in it and had a play around on there, even us adults.  From there we headed up to the local running track and watched some kids mess about with a kite, before strolling back home. 

The walk wasn’t awkward, far from it in fact.  There was laughter and smiles and… a great family atmosphere.  I doubt anybody looking at us would have guessed the turmoil that our little family is going through and for that reason; I’m chalking this day up as a peachy one 🙂

Long distance relationships – Can they really work?

 

There are lots of reasons that people enter a long distance relationship.  Singles who meet online might find a kindred spirit on a different continent; couples may go to different colleges or Universities and sometimes people need to work away.  Whatever the reason, there are couples all around the world who spend their time missing their partners, waiting for the day that they are able to truly be together again.

Statistically speaking…

According to Statistic Brain, 14 million couples worldwide say that they are in long distance relationships.  So what are the chances of these couples making it?  Well statistically speaking…

• Total amount of long distance relationships that fail – 40%
• Average time for break-up to occur in a long distance relationship – 4.5 months

Pretty depressing data eh?  Of course there will be people out there who will shout from the rooftops that they will be in the 60% that make it because their relationship is the strongest that they know.  Whilst this is a great attitude to have, the facts tell us that confidence in a relationship working is not enough to see a result.  70% of those relationships which fail are put down to the fact that the couples were not prepared for the huge change of living so far away from each other.

So the big question – How do you make sure you’re not in that 40% and you get that long awaited happy reunion?

image source: wallchan.com http://www.wallchan.com/1450-couple-reunited-wallpaper/

Making it work

Firstly, I think it’s important to realise that long distance relationships actually can work.  60% is on the right side of half as far as I’m concerned.  In fact if only 1% of couples were in a successful long distance relationship then it would be enough to inspire hope, but then again, I’m a “glass is half full” kind of girl at heart. 

So how do these superstar couples make the long distance thing work?  Well you don’t have to be a psychologist or relationship expert to figure out that they will be putting a huge amount of effort into keeping their relationship alive.  But what does the effort entail?  What are they doing that’s so different to the other 40%?

Making time – Speak to anyone whose relationship has failed due to the distance and they will tell you that at first; they were never off the phone/Skype/Facebook to each other in the early days.  Then after a while, the calls and messages started to deplete.  Pretty soon, they seemed to be missing calls more often than taking them.  The reason?  They had other things going on, something came up and they just weren’t around. 

image source: eligiblemagazine.com http://eligiblemagazine.com/

This is natural.  Life goes on and just because the person you normally share your experiences with isn’t there, doesn’t mean you stop having experiences.  But if long distance relationships are going to work, it depends on couples making time for each other.  A busy day at work followed by some drinks with friends can mean it’s easy to not to call a loved one.  But it’s just as easy to take two minutes to make that call or even send a text and let them know they’re in your thoughts. 

Best foot forward – couples act as a sounding board for each other:

• Rough day at the office – Tell your partner about the idiots at work when you get home. 
• Annoyed about finances – Speak to your partner and know that somebody else shares the problem with you.
• Annoyed with your partner – Tell them, possibly have an argument and then work things out.

These are standard procedures for most couples around the world no matter who they are.  But couples in a long distance relationship need to keep things as happy as possible.  I’m not saying that people should bottle up their emotions; that’s no good either.  It’s just that if you only have ten minutes out of the day to speak to each other, it’s not advisable to spend the full ten minutes whining about all the things that are wrong in the world when you could be spending the time letting each other know how much you love each other.  A great way to do this is by looking to the future.  Talk about the things you look forward to doing together when you’re re-united; going for meals; sharing a bottle of wine with each other on the settee and watching a film; going away for a romantic weekend; anything that focuses on the positive and reminds you about why you’re going through the stress of being in a long term relationship.

What if it doesn’t work?

Whilst that 60% gives us all hope, it’s an undeniable fact that the other 40% still exists.  Somebody has to be part of that percentile.  Personal experience has taught me that not all long distance relationships work.  For some people, it seems like everything is ok when things are easy, but the relationship simply doesn’t stand up to the huge test of distance.  One of the best pieces of advice I have ever read is from Julie Gerstein who confesses that she stole it “directly from Maya Angelou”:

“When people show you who they are; believe them”

If you are the one that always makes it home in time to use Skype and your partner constantly lets you down, perhaps it is time to realise that they are not prepared to invest as much time and effort into the relationship as you.  This is no reflection on either partner.  It’s just fact.  The next step is to be brutally honest with each other and talk about whether it’s time to call it a day.

image source: orientalsparkle.blogspot.com http://orientalsparkle.blogspot.com/

Man tip:  We love big gestures but only they’re not the be all and end all.  Repeatedly promising things and not delivering is a million times worse than not making any gesture ever.  Diamonds are not a girl’s best friend: kept promises are.

Peachy Keen

After years of thinking about it, the day has finally come for me to start my blog.  As this is my first ever post, I think a quick introduction is in order, so here goes….

I am a twenty something  mother with an amazing 9-year-old daughter.  I moved from the UK to Bulgaria two years ago and have never looked back since.  I can be quite opinionated and have a slightly perverse and wicked sense of humour.  These are not things that I hide easily or willingly.  As far as life mottos go, I don’t really have many, except for these:

• There are two types of days; rainy or peachy.  Everyone has their fair share of each.
• There are two types of people in life; ones I would have a pint with and ones I would not

As you can see, they’re not actually mottos at all, they’re just silly things that I say but that pretty much sums up the whole way I view life.  It may not be deep and meaningful but it helps me cope with the chaos that I’m often finding myself in.

So about this blog.  Well as a newbie, I’m going to be sticking to what I know best which is, voicing my various opinions on family life, relationships and anything else that might be on my mind!  I”ll be writing it from my own point of view so it may not be that interesting to any of you men out there, unless of course you want to find out what might acutually be wrong with your wifre/partner when she’s giving you the standard response of  “nothing”.  In which case, I will try to post a couple of tips for men to remedy a situation in the post.   As well as venting, I’ll be looking at ways to overcome the troubles that are common in life.  The aim of the game is to try and have as many Peachy days as possible.

I think that’s about it for now so, thanks anybody for reading and I hope I have something better to write about next time 🙂