Singing in the Rain at the Alexandra Theatre Review and Interview

Posted on by

Last night The Bloke attended the Press Night of Singing in the Rain at the Alexandra Theatre. Additionally, I was lucky enough to be able to interview the lead actor in the show (who happens to be an ex-student).

Singing in the Rain is this years’ Stage Experience production, which every year sees over 100 of the brightest young talent from across the Midlands put on a professional show. In just two weeks, with the support of professional industry creatives and technical staff, a full scale production is brought to life on stage. Previous Stage Ex alumni include Brummie comedian Joe Lycett (who performed for several years in the scheme) and musical theatre star Liam Doyle, who went on to leading roles in West End hits such as Wicked, Mamma Mia and Legally Blonde. Continue reading →

Advertisements

Boost Your Blog or Products with my Advertising, Consultation and Photography Services!

Posted on by

Social Media Management Services

Want to boost your blog, engagement, subscribers and stats? Do you need beautiful images to enhance your blog posts, or professional photographs of your recipes or products?

I offer lots of different opportunities for fellow bloggers, authors and business owners to gain extra promotion.

  • Social Media Management – Pinterest, Twitter and Facebook
  • Blog of the Day opportunities
  • Hour Blog Consultation Slots
  • Canva images for your blog posts – created for any area of social media
  • Food, Product and Flat Lay Photography

Stats

At the time of publishing, Suzie Speaks has received over 1,200,000 views. Here are my readership stats:

  • WordPress: 11,000 +
  • Twitter: 8,900
  • Facebook: 800 +
  • Pinterest: 10,300 +

Of all of the blogging regrets that I have, my lack of knowledge when developing my blog and hesitation when setting up my social media accounts are the biggest. Why?

My social media is now responsible for HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS of referrals of my total views.

The problem with social media is that (during the initial set-up months in particular) it can incredibly time consuming, even when using schedulers. Posting a blog post now doesn’t just involve pressing the publish button – I think about keywords and SEO, create a pinnable image for Pinterest and then pin it, tweet it using specific hashtags, share it on Flipboard and then share it again into specific Facebook groups. How, when and where I share it will depend on the specific day and time so that they get the maximum audience.

And that’s just the beginning. I have created interesting Pinterest boards that fit within the themes that I cover, along with a successful group board, and participate in link-ups (even starting my own which is now the biggest blog sharing hashtag on Twitter at the weekends) and various Twitter chats. I share high quality pins and tweet interesting posts from others. I follow a daily checklist to make sure that I don’t forget anything.

Sound exhausting? Don’t even know where to start? Don’t have the time?

What if someone could do that FOR YOU?

Social Media Management Packages

I can set up and manage your Pinterest, Facebook and Twitter, or create a package to suit any combination of these, and you won’t have to do anything!

This is what I can offer for the full-package price of £140 for the month

Pinterest

  • Optimised profile description
  • Board optimisation – organisation and arrangement of your top boards based on relevance to your niche
  • Board descriptions with keywords
  • Addition to group boards
  • 10 personalised vertical Canva images, complete with keyword description (if you require more than ten there will be an extra charge)
  • Almost daily pinning

Twitter

  • Optimised profile description
  • Daily tweeting with relevant hashtags
  • Inclusion in weekly link-ups

Facebook

  • Almost daily post shares
  • Further shares of interesting content

Want to focus on just a single area of social media? I also charge separate prices for individual social media plans for the month:

Pinterest: £85

Twitter: £25

Faceook: £40

Here’s what just some of my clients had to say about my advertising and social media management services…

If you’re an author or blogger who wants to grow their stats, if you’re busy and struggling to manage your social media, or perhaps you just want to focus on something else, then Suzie’s your gal. There are few people I’ve met online that are as shrewd, talented and social media savvy as Suzie. In my first month I saw my follower growth (per month) quadruple compared to my efforts the previous month, and my referrals from Pinterest saw a 90% increase on the previous month.  As far as I’m concerned Suzie takes growth hacking to the next level. But one of the things I love most about working with her, is that I don’t have to do a thing. I sit back, concentrate on writing and she takes care of Twitter and Pinterest. I genuinely cannot recommend working with Suzie more … Sacha Black

As an independent author, having a presence online is vital. I’ve learned that by employing the services of Suzie Speaks I have been able to market my site, attract a wider audience and sell more books without spending hours campaigning. Shelley Wilson, Motivate Me Now

She is very skilled at what she does and has helped me significantly grow both my Twitter and Pinterest followers. Because of her efforts, 50% of my blog views now come from Pinterest vs 0 when I started working with her – Ana, Project Life Wellness

My Pinterest views went from 104 page views to 1263… Suzie has given me great ideas to implement for both platforms and is in touch with the current news of social media – Tiffany, A Girl and Her Passport

I have used Suzie’s services to help widen the reach of my blog, Love, Laughter & Truth. I have been very pleased with the response to Suzie’s work and she really does have so much expertise around blogging and using social media to reach a wider audience. Just as importantly Suzie is an absolute pleasure to work with – friendly, professional and gets the job done efficiently and effectively. I couldn’t recommend her services highly enough. Thank you, Suzie! – Matt – Love, Laughter and Truth

My followers on Pinterest have gone from 3 to 3200 and I receive hundreds of views a month which is pretty amazing, plus I’ve met some great new bloggers, which has been a nice bonus – Helen, Journey to Ambeth

I was a new-ish blogger and rebranding my blog when I started working with Suzie. It was invaluable to have an experienced blogger available to help me through the complicated process. Suzie helped ensure all my social media branding was consistent and patiently answered my endless questions. She helped me get started on Canva, work more effectively on Pinterest and showed me the value (and enjoyment) of interacting with other bloggers through Facebook Groups and Twitter chats. A month or so after working with Suzie my stats had trebled – so I was well chuffed! I’d recommend working with Suzie to any blogger out there looking for some help in getting their blog up and running or revamped. In my book, she’s a star! Jill – Midlife Smarts

Suzie has managed areas of my social media for a while now and is extremely dependable in her support and guidance. Her organisation and management has enabled my blog to be a constant presence in the social media world and I have seen very positive and consistent results. I would highly recommend Suzie as a Social Media Manager. Donna – Jot to Jot

I worked with Suzie for one month while I was building my business. She managed my Pinterest and Twitter accounts and not only did she completely take on full responsibility for both of those, so also massively increased engagement. I got a lot more exposure on Pinterest which is now converting into much more web traffic, as with Twitter. I got to connect with a lot of people in my line of work in Twitter thanks to Suzie tweeting almost daily on my behalf. She also got me added to a lot of Pinterest group boards, optimised my profile and made me look so much more professional on both platforms. She made ten graphics for my blog posts and a couple of landing pages which got great engagement on both platforms and I’m continually repinning them. They’re still converting into web traffic thanks to her great copy. I’d love to work with Suzie again in the future. She’s very friendly and always responds to my messages, no matter how busy she is. I can’t recommend her services enough to busy professionals who need someone to take on that big part of maintaining a business and helping you to grow online. Charlotte – Charlotte Produces

Interested? Send me an email suzie81blog@hotmail.co.uk for a chat!

What about being promoted on my blog for just a single day, being featured as my ‘Blog of the Day’ post.

Blog of the Day

This is available to WordPress followers only and there is a single space for one blogger every Sunday. There are two price options available:

Option 1: £20.00

A single promotional post about your blog with links to all of your social media accounts on Sunday afternoon

A reblog of a post of your choice on Sunday evening, during my highest traffic.

Option 2: £30.00

A single promotional post about your blog with links to all of your social media accounts on Sunday afternoon

A reblog of a post of your choice on Sunday evening, during my highest traffic.

Promotional tweets from my account with all of my favourite Twitter hashtags throughout the week that I participate in (one tweet a day).

Introductions via social media to some of my favourite bloggers.

Disclaimers:

I cannot guarantee an increase in following, or traffic, but everyone that has been featured as Blog of The Day or advertised their blog so far has indeed received significantly higher views than their usual traffic and gained new followers. Testimonials are available upon request…

I cannot (and will not) offer opportunities to any blogs that promote content that is racist, sexist, homophobic or promote any form of cruelty to animals. This includes hunting for sport and the wearing of fur for fashion.

Hourly Blog Analysis and Consultation

Struggling with ideas on the direction to take your blog?

Price for consultation and analysis: £100

  • Analysis of blog layout, functionality and content
  • An hour-long consultation over the phone or via Facebook messenger call
  • Advice, hints and tips on building your social media
  • A personalised social media schedule
  • Follow-up opportunities

Canva Designs

Price per design: £2.00 – for multiple images a package can be created to suit you!

Need beautiful images for your blog posts that can be used across your social media? Check out the examples below for some of the images that I have created for my own Pinterest – click on the images for the full size

Food and Product Photography

Calling all food bloggers and business owners! Want professional photographs of your latest dishes or products? I offer a selection of photography packages, starting at £35 for a series of 5 styled photographs (plus the cost of ingredients for food bloggers). Examples are below – Click on the images for the full size!

What about flat lay photographs for your latest book or product? Perfect for Instagram, I can create a series of beautiful flat lay images that can enhance your latest venture – £25 for five images. Here are some examples – click on the images for the full size!

 

Want to know more? Email me at suzie81blog@hotmail.co.uk

You can also find me on Twitter and Tumblr @suzie81blog and you can also find me on my Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/suzie81speaks, my Pinterest page http://www.pinterest.com/suzie81speaks and my instagram page http://www.instagram.com/suzie81speaks

An Evening at the Newly Revamped Marmalade Restaurant at The Rep

Posted on by

The Bloke and I were invited to the newly revamped Marmalade restaurant at The Rep in Birmingham last week.

The Marmalade team have been working closely with local businesses and artisan suppliers to provide customers with an all new dining experience that is inherently Brummie and combined with a new outdoor terrace that is capable of seating up to 200 people overlooking the recently developed Centenary Square, it is perfectly situated for both lazy summer lunches and date nights.

I liked the fact that the menus are environmentally conscious, utilising local suppliers with a focus on low environmental impact, including the use of heat exchange technology to reduce energy consumption and natural wetland systems. Continue reading →

When Facebook Actually Leads to Good Things…

Posted on by

1

I’ve wanted to get back into some form of regular exercise for a while. The Bloke and I are fortunate enough to go out on a lot of day trips and date nights, but working from home means that I spend a large amount of my time sitting. I like sitting. I’ve adopted our living room space as my office which allows me to work from the comfort of the couch while binge-watching the latest series of whatever is available on various streaming services.

Unfortunately, while I find this extremely soothing for the soul (especially on a rainy Monday morning when everyone is battling their way through the traffic on the way to work), it isn’t particularly beneficial for the body and as a result my health has started to suffer for it. I repeatedly mentioned to The Bloke that I needed to start being more productive, but even the thought of it has proved to be rather intimidating. Continue reading →

Amélie the Musical at the Alexandra Theatre, Birmingham

Posted on by

Last night The Bloke and I went to watch Amélie the Musical at The Alexandra Theatre, Birmingham. The 2001 Oscar-nominated film is to date one of the biggest international successes for a French movie and is renowned for its feel-good and whimsical story, which the musical version closely follows. This beloved story of an imaginative and shy romantic with a gift for helping others, in a vibrant re-conception with new orchestrations and has garnered critical and public acclaim leading to a sell-out season.

Amélie is the story of an astonishing young woman who lives quietly in the world, but loudly in her mind. She secretly improvises small, but extraordinary acts of kindness that bring happiness to those around her. But when a chance at love comes her way, Amélie realises that to find her own contentment she’ll have to risk everything and say what’s in her heart. Although times are hard for dreamers, Amélie is someone to believe in… Continue reading →

Little Miss Sunshine at the Alexandra Theatre

Posted on by

The road to happiness is a bumpy ride…

Last night The Bloke and I were invited to watch Little Miss Sunshine at the Alexandra Theatre in Birmingham. I’d heard lots about the film, but almost nothing about the musical. I was intrigued by the plot:

The Hoover family has more than a few troubles, but young Olive has her heart set on winning the Little Miss Sunshine beauty contest. When an invitation to compete comes out of the blue, the Hoovers must pile into their rickety, yellow VW camper van. Can it survive the 800-mile trip from New Mexico to California – and more importantly, can they? This inventive and uplifting musical celebrates the quirks of every family, the potholes in every road, and the power of overcoming our differences. Continue reading →

Happy Birthday, Alfred!

Posted on by

These are my grandparents – Alfred and Edna – on their wedding day in the 1940’s. Today marks what would have been my grandfather’s 100th birthday. He was a true gentleman – kind, highly intelligent and enormously funny – and while he passed away in 1997 he remains as one of the greatest men I’ve ever known. I think about him regularly, and despite the fact that I have often conflicting spiritual beliefs I take comfort in the idea that he is watching over us all. 

Happy birthday Granddad xx 

Travel and Money-Saving Tips When Visiting Dubrovnik

Posted on by

Planned and booked in advance, flights can be extremely cheap. We booked in November to travel in June with EasyJet, flying from London Luton to Dubrovnik for just £75 return. The flight from Luton took just under 2 1/2 hours.

By law, the relevant regulations of Croatia means that the provider of accommodation services in a hospitality facility is obliged to collect and record the personal data of each person using those accommodation services. Essentially, the place where you stay will take a note of your passport and travel details. You don’t have a choice in this. Continue reading →

How to Do a Blogging Mid-Year Check-In

Posted on by

Simple Ideas for a Mid-Year Blogging Check-In

As July has seemingly appeared from nowhere it occurred to me yesterday that over half a year has slipped by.

I’ve never really focused on a mid-year check-in before. I actively track my stats, growth and client data every month in my Bullet Journal which allows me to see progress over a long period of time, but any goals and plans I usually set are long-term (often with a deadline of twelve months).

At the point where I decided to take blogging more seriously I had two goals that were my sole focus: to replace my teaching job with my own social media business, and to hit a million views, and I worked incredibly hard to achieve them. Once I had done both, it was almost like the fire went out – I made the crucial mistake of not setting something meaningful to work on. Admittedly, I took my foot off the gas, sat back and coasted along because, quite frankly, it was easy to stay in my comfort zone and within the deliriously happy little bubble that I had built for The Bloke and I. Continue reading →

Things to See and Do in Dubrovnik, Croatia

Posted on by

Things to See and Do in Dubrovnik 3

In June I was lucky enough to travel to Dubrovnik, Croatia, for the first time. As a huge Game of Thrones fan I had been eager to visit for a while, but nothing prepared me for how spectacularly beautiful it was. Steeped in history, clean, safe and with population of friendly and lovely people, it’s an absolute must-see.

While isn’t possible to see everything in just a single trip, here are a few highlights that may help when planning a future vacation of your own. Continue reading →