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Don’t Work Hard At Finding Ways Of Saying Very Little

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It isn’t often (like maybe once in a blue moon) you have the joy and privilege of crossing paths with a consummate professional, outstanding blogger, and delightful human being like Keith Davis of espeaking (Easy Public Speaking).

Keith knocked on the door of Solo Mompreneur recently, read a few of my posts, and left not only comments in the box, but compliments, as well.

Talk about a hallmark moment!

What sincerely warmed my heart and made me feel appreciated in the blogosphere was his mention of my “short, sharp posts” that manage to deliver a valuable message in so few words.  He also wrote that my posts were “easy to comment on”.

I responded by thanking Keith and letting him in on my secret — “Pigeonhole posts” are my signature writing style and one that I have been criticized about in the past.

A few bloggers have accused me of taking the lazy way out because I don’t write lengthy posts.  One person actually said I wasn’t worth a hill of beans as a blogger and that maybe I should consider writing commercial jingles instead.

You know, that might not be a bad idea!  Come to think of it, I hear there’s a lot of money to be made in that industry.

In case you’re curious as to why you won’t find a post with 500+ words in it on my blog …

I’ve settled into a form of writing that’s right for me – a comfortable fit (like my fuzzy bunny bedroom slippers).

Some bloggers work very hard at loading up the page with what I call “filler and flowery jargon” and, in essence, end up saying very little (at least very little that’s of interest to me).

Remember that axiom you learned in math class – “What is the shortest distance between two points?”

The answer is “a straight line”.

That’s what my blog posts are – the shortest distance between inviting you in and having you leave with something valuable.

P.S. If you’re at all interested in public speaking (or you just want to connect with a true gentleman and a fabulous blogger), please take a stroll on over to espeaking and introduce yourself to Keith Davis.  And if you like, you can tell him I sent you.

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Filed Under: Blogging, Education and training, Micro blogging, Public speaking Tagged With: , , , , , ,

My Twitter Motto: “There’s More to Life than Life Insurance”

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You never want to be thought of as “THAT guy” or “THAT gal” on Twitter or any of the social media marketing venues.

You know, the person everyone finds distasteful and avoids like the plague!

Have you ever followed someone on Twitter who only talks about themselves or their business and products?

They’re either touting how wonderful their company is or how outrageously fabulous they are.  Yuck.

Very UN-attractive social media behavior.

Using Twitter for business really is easy, you just need to know “how” to go about it.

3 Steps to Avoid Becoming “THAT guy” on Twitter:

1.) Listen

2.) Respond

3.) Engage

Define Your Twitter Strategy – “Why” are you there?

  • Supporting a cause
  • Lead generation
  • Customer Support
  • Education
  • Product and Service Awareness
  • Mix of all of the above

Get Your Twitter Mix On

As an example:

10% – About yourself, your company, and your products or services

50% – Useful information for your target audience

20% – Joining interesting and fun conversations

5% – Posing thoughtful questions (which stimulate response and interaction)

5% – Tips which can make your followers lives better and easier

10% – Follow-ups and notes of appreciation for your peeps

Your Twitter-for-Business Plan

At the very least decide:

When (what days) and what time/s you’ll use Twitter and …

For how long – 15 minutes every morning?  1 hour every evening?

**If you’re an online marketer and small business owner who’s using Twitter successfully for business, what tips or suggestions can you add here?

Please leave your comments and help others who may not be having much success or finding much value in using Twitter.

Thanks!

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Filed Under: Brand yourself online, Building relationships online, Business Plan, Micro blogging, Small business owners, Social Media Marketing, Social Networking Tagged With: , , , , ,

Word Count Doesn’t Count

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People like to tease me, make fun of me sometimes, and call me names.

Names like …

“Queen of Concise Content”

Or …

“Microscopic Melanie”

And then there’s this really silly one …

“Princess of Petite Posts”

I don’t mind.  People have been called a lot worse, right?

If you hang around here long enough, you’ll figure out that I craft shorter posts than most bloggers.   In my blogging book, word count doesn’t count – quality content counts.

When I’ve got a point to make or tips to share or interesting news, I prefer not to ramble on about it.  Fluff and filler occupy no space on my blog.

Are my posts short because I’m just lazy or in a rush to bang them out or because I really don’t have much to say?

Nope.

Shorter posts have become my signature writing style.  That’s what my readers expect to find when they land on my blog.  They’re people who want to get to the meat of the matter and move on with no time to dilly-dally.

My readers don’t want a 500-word dissertation.  We’ll leave those to all the prolific article writers out there. :-)

Your readers might enjoy Pigeonhole Posts, too!

What’s your signature writing style?

Filed Under: Blogging, Freelance writing, Micro blogging Tagged With: , ,

Tweet Longer and Add Some Oomph

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I’ll openly admit that I’m a Twitter-holic. (I know. They have support groups for people like me). :-)

There’s something fun and really easy about Twitter’s micro-blogging platform that fits nicely into my marketing strategy.  And it’s a free social media platform so it definitely fits into my marketing budget.

Once in a while I am challenged, though, to fit my Tweets (messages) into 140 characters or less.  Sometimes I just need 5 or 10 more characters and sometimes more than that.

I discovered a great free tool that allows me to Tweet longer when I want to.

If you find that you’re also in need of extra characters when you’re tweeting, check it out.  It’s called “Twitlonger”.

Visit www.Twitlonger.com

While we’re on the subject of Twitter, did you know that you can schedule your Tweets in advance?

As a busy mom, small business owner, and online marketer, I’m always on the lookout for time-saving and organizational tools that will help to make my days run a lot smoother and less stressful.

“Social Oomph” is a no-cost tool that I can’t be without!  If you’d like to save lots of time and get your Twitter messages scheduled a day in advance or a week or more, check it out.

Visit www.SocialOomph.com

Are you a Twitter fan, too?  What Twitter tool or application do you like best?

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Filed Under: Building relationships online, Internet Marketing Tools, Micro blogging, Online Marketing, Small business owners, Social Media Marketing Tagged With: , , ,