Mountainside Marketing Retreat
Ridgecrest Mountainside Marketing Retreat
Embarking on a writing journey is an exciting and slightly terrifying endeavor. The trail ahead offers promise but will be filled with unexpected twists and turns. This retreat equips authors with the tools they need to scale the peaks of branding, blogging and social media.
A commitment to writing quality books means ensuring the work captures the eyes of the reader and leaves them wanting more. Learning the craft is critical—no shortcuts allowed—especially if writers want to succeed. Along with this, we must acknowledge that learning how to market is an integral part of our journey. It’s vital that we scale the peaks of marketing to ensure our work lands in the hands of our readers.We understand the difficulties. The publishing journey isn’t a day trip but a climb toward excellence. Many of us have begun and gotten lost—miserably. This event was created out of our experiences navigating the rigorous requirements of branding, blogging and social media. The good news is we’ve learned how to avoid the detours and dangers, and we are here as your mountain guides. Our goal is for no writer to be left stranded on a cliff with nowhere to turn. We can’t guarantee a smooth trip every step of the way, but we can show you how to avoid a lot of the obstacles.Grab your backpack and your spirit of adventure. We’re headed onward and upward!
Equipping Authors with the Tools Needed to Scale the Peaks of Branding, Blogging and Social Media.
- Program Fee: $250.00 per person
- Accommodations: $75.00 per room, per night
- Meals: $105.00 per person, includes Friday dinner, Saturday breakfast, lunch and dinner, Sunday breakfast, lunch and dinner, Monday breakfast, and lunch.
Classes
During Mountainside Marketing, we do NOT require you to sign up for classes beforehand. We will be publishing a list of classes and the schedule soon, so check back.
What to Bring
This is a hands-on conference. Attendees will be working on social media, websites, and a variety of online platforms. Computers are a must. Several of the platforms are harder to use on a tablet. If no laptop is available—and the attendee is aware of possible issues—a tablet will be accepted.
Because attendees will be working on integration between social media, websites, and blogs, a way to retrieve the relevant log-on information is required. This includes user names, passwords, and access to the relevant email accounts.
Appointments
These are scheduled times when you can sit down with DiAnn and Edie to discuss your specific situation. You do NOT have to pay for these appointments, they are included as part of your conferee experience.
You will NOT sign up for these appointments until you get to the conference.
In the meantime, consider what you need help with and make a list of questions. Edie and DiAnn will also have several Q and A sessions scheduled. In addition, they’ll be available to sit with for lunch and dinner.
General Information
Attire:
Conference attire is business casual/casual. This isn’t a conference where attendees will be pitching editors and agents, so casual attire is acceptable. Remember, there is a lot of walking up and down hills, so be sure to pack comfortable shoes.
Stay Current on Changes:
We encourage you to please frequently check this website for new information. There is a place there to sign up for email updates when new information is posted. We strongly urge you to do so. This is the first place we share new information.
Facebook:
We will be sharing all Facebook information for Mountainside Marketing Conference on the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference Facebook Page, so please LIKE that page and turn on notifications.
This is a hands-on conference with time for the writer to put into practice what we’re teaching. Bring your laptop, and get ready to roll up your sleeves and work!
- The Map
- Know the goal of your journey
- A list of social media platforms and how they’re used.
- What makes a social media update valuable (4 types of updates)
- Compose an effective update
- Discovering your social media voice
- Follow that star – creating a bio
- Long and short bios
- Hows and whys
- Make Sure Your Backpack Has All You Need
- Motivation when spark plugs fail
- When boo birds dump their stuff
- Nourishment? Health maintenance
- Define and explore passions
- What to talk about on social media
- Evaluation of time and balance
- The importance of small, consistent steps and what that looks like in application
- Why and how
- Social media voice
- Consistency across networks
- Social media template
- Know the difference between bragging and sharing
- Make Your Steps Count
- Marketing and promotion while in the writing process
- Marketing Template
- Social media is a world without context. Learn to think in headlines.
- Hashtags and tweetables
- Social media scheduling
- Tools
- Linking networks
- Marketing and promotion while in the writing process
- Avoiding Dead Ends, Sheer Cliffs and Exhaustion
- 9 reasons why you are failing at social media
- 8 social media updates you should never share
- Organizing Your Trip Checklist
- Utilize tools to watch your progress (ManageFlitter, Invisible Ceiling in Twitter, etc.)
- Picking Your Passengers
- Street Teams
- How, why and where to begin
- The care of street teams
- Incentives
- Contests that work
- Pinterest boards
- Keeping up the momentum
- Speaking, blogging and social media posts – how they work together
- The importance of images in social media
- Where to find safe and effective free image sites.
- Street Teams
- Who’s Your Navigator
- God, the ultimate GPS
- Maneuvering around obstacles and detours
- Comparing the world of publication to King David’s journey
- Writing in faith – stepping into publishing & social media is living out Hebrews 11:1
- God, the ultimate GPS
We truly look forward to seeing you discover God’s path for your writing life!
Thanks & Blessings,
Edie Melson & DiAnn Mills
Directors, Mountainside Marketing Conference
“The inaugural Mountainside Marketing Conference 2018 not only “showed” me how, but provided me the tools, the experience, the accountability and the strong group of supporters to carry out the journey of successfully getting my words out there. I would recommend this to anyone. It was inspirational, educational, emotional, with life lessons thrown in!”
“Mountainside Marketing Conference was amazingly professional, comprehensive, and… even fun for me, so inept with technology. So…besides the great overview of social media, the book launching session taught me what, why, where, when, and how to successfully launch a book. My book is a ship. I’ve christened at the Mountainside Marketing Conference. Now I’m ready to launch—not expecting all smooth sailing (after all, I wrote a Titanic novel!)—but I do expect to arrive at my destination: God’s port.”
