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- Social Media Tip #1
  
  by Nikki Rung, CMN Social Media Manager
  
  Be Succinct!
  
  Social Media is fun but it can also be an amazing tool for engagement of your audience and potential clients. It is always a good idea to state clearly why you are making a post and to limit it to one single call to action. Let’s say you have a photo of yourself playing at an event—are you posting this to try to get similar work? If so, do not use this time to also, for example, advertise your recorded events on YouTube. You do not want the reader to get bogged down with multiple calls to action and become overwhelmed and disengaged.
  
  In summary: Draw attention to one single call to action per post!
- Social Media Tip #2
  
  by Nikki Rung, CMN Social Media Manager
  
  Engage!
  
  Creating a social media profile is not enough to promote your business. It is critical that you engage on that platform to share your profile. Think of your profile like a single tree in an enormous woods . . . how will it stand out? Find your audience, share your posts to their page, and share their posts to show your engagement. Engagement is key!
- Social Media Tip #3
  
  by Nikki Rung, CMN Social Media Manager
  
  Know Your Audience
  
  You need to understand your audience—inside and out! You should be able to pinpoint their needs, wants, and desires in order to create a successful social media strategy. Once you get a feel for who your target audience is, you’re better equipped to help them and get that next gig!
- Social Media Tip #4
  
  by Nikki Rung, CMN Social Media Manager
  
  Watch For Trends
  
  If you notice a pattern or strategy rising in popularity and it aligns with your messaging, then it’s a great idea to capitalize on it to drive engagement. Be mindful though, you never need to create a particular type of content just because you see other brands doing it.
- Social Media Tip #5
  
  by Nikki Rung, CMN Social Media Manager
  
  CHECK YOUR ANALYTICS
  
  When was the last time you took a look at your social media analytics? We’re talking about a deep dive into what’s working and what’s not in your social media marketing strategy. What content received the most likes, shares, saves, comments? You’ll quickly understand what content your audience wants more of and what you need to drop from the mix by going through this process.
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Authors

Valerie Leonhart Smalkin

Ventriloquist, musician, composer, and performer Valerie Leonhart Smalkin was one of the writers, performers, and co-producers as well as the head puppeteer of the Emmy award winning television program It's Kindertime on Baltimore’s ABC affiliate WMAR-TV 2. Val’s CD, A Gentle Halloween, received a Parents’ Choice Fun Stuff award in 2015, and in 2016 her follow-up CD, Sing! Sing! Sing!...and Dance!, garnered a Parents’ Choice Approved award. Her current CD, Love Bug! received a Parents’ Choice Recommended award.

Her book Springtime Dance took gold in the Moonbeam Children’s Book Awards in 2014. As a recipient of a Maryland State Arts Council grant for solo nonclassical performance in 2015, and for solo theatre performance in 2016 and 2019, Val continues to perform and compose music designed for the two- to ten-year-old set. As a ventriloquist, Val performs for family and educational events in Maryland, Washington DC, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Delaware, New York City, California, Cap d’Antibes, France, and Brussels, Belgium. As a jazz chanteuse Val performs with the occasional puppet and the Silverback Jazz Quintet in Baltimore, Maryland.

Since 2017 Val has been the Co-President of The Children’s Music Network, made up of 360+ performers, teachers, librarians, music therapists, parents, and children from around the world who celebrate the positive power of music in the lives of children by sharing songs, exchanging ideas, and creating community.

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