Social Media Marketing | Solo Mompreneur

Straight Talk On Why You Should Use Social Media To Market Your Business

The new way of marketing with social media is not just a different set of rules; it’s a whole new game. Marketing is being totally transformed and the internet is a game changer.

For the minimal cost of internet service, it’s possible to reach the entire world from your computer.

The days of old fashioned (traditional) advertising are numbered. Have you noticed how many newspapers and magazines are either closing or moving online?

Even television commercials (yuck) are slowly becoming less and less effective. Why? Because more people are spending their valuable time online and much less time sitting in front of the television.

The game changer, the internet, has created lots of different venues for reaching prospective customers and clients. Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Blogging, just to name four, are all effective platforms for engaging your target audience and making valuable and lasting connections that can lead to sales.

Social media venues are ideal places small business owners can go to interact with their target market and with other business builders. The days of shouting out sales messages are over! Entrepreneurs can now create their own communities based on their passion, products, or services.

Know what’s really cool? [Read more...]

Filed Under: Blogging, Building relationships online, Customer Care, Online Marketing, Social Media Marketing, Social Networking Tagged With: Blogging, Facebook, Internet business success, LinkedIn, Social Media, Twitter

Why Blog If Your Niche Is Already Stuffed To The Gills?

By Melanie Kissell 24 Comments

Simple …

You have something to say.

Just the thought of knowing there may be thousands of entrepreneurs in your same niche can be pretty intimidating.

Like it or not, unless you are selling one-of-a-kind handmade items, expect to have tons of savvy competitors hovering around who are working diligently to grab your target audience by the lapels to gain their attention!

So start thinking about your competition in a different, meaningful, and positive way. Consider your business “You, Incorporated”.

There’s only one of you in this world and “you” CAN’T be duplicated.

Study your competitors and determine what you can add to what they’re already offering or what you can do differently or better than them. Identify your “competitive advantage” – your leading edge.

Sometimes the biggest difference between you and the competition in your niche isn’t “what” you have to say, it’s “how” you say it. Maybe you have more effective communication skills, a powerful edginess to the copy you write, or a welcomed sense of humor your competitors don’t possess.

Maybe the ONLY difference between you and the next guy in your niche is that you have mastered how to boost your online visibility - which will place you MUCH closer to the finish line in the race to win over the attention of your target audience!

Don’t be scared off by competition. Embrace the notion and use it to your advantage.

Give your prospects, customers, and clients something they can’t get anywhere else. Give them YOU.

Filed Under: Blogging, Brand yourself online, Niche marketing, Social Media Marketing Tagged With: Blogging, Boost online visibility, Denise Wakeman, Online Visibility Secrets, Social Media

Business Building Strategy – Smaller Is Better

By Melanie Kissell 9 Comments

You might suspect this post is about …

Chunking down your bigger projects into smaller, more manageable bite-size tasks for better organization and to help you stay on track.

Or …

Having a smaller number of words in your blog posts than most other bloggers doesn’t mean your message is any less powerful or has any less impact on your readers.

Or …

Instead of trying to accomplish some daunting, humongous goal – having a series of smaller goals leading up to that giant one is a more sensible approach.

But …

It’s none of the above. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Blogging, Building relationships online, List Building, Making money on the internet, Online Marketing, Small business owners, Social Media Marketing, Social Networking Tagged With: Blogging, Internet business success, List building, Social Media

Blogging for Dollars

By Melanie Kissell 12 Comments

Almost any day of the week you’ll find someone online who’s asking, “How do I monetize my blog?” or “What’s the best way to make money with my business blog?”

Here’s the way I would answer those questions and go ahead and throw rotten eggs at me if you wish.

“Stop thinking about the money.”

“Stop focusing on blogging for dollars.”

Instead …

Continually strive to improve your writing skills
Reach out and brainstorm with fellow bloggers
Link to other people’s posts
Better your best freebie offer and give it away on your blog
Invite people to do guest posting
Deliver clear and consistent marketing messages
Reward your commenters
Visit blogs in your niche and build community
Understand the needs of your target audience
Strut your stuff with personal flair
Ask others how you can help

How are you monetizing your blog?

Filed Under: Blogging, Making money on the internet, Online Marketing, Social Media Marketing Tagged With: Blogging, Improve your writing skills, Internet business success, Marketing your services online, Monetize your blog

Social Media Site Designed To Help You Get Things Done

By Melanie Kissell 10 Comments

I decided to go on a hunt for a social media venue that focuses exclusively on PRODUCTIVITY – one that’s designed to help
entrepreneurs and other solo professionals GET THINGS DONE.

Productivity is vital to your success. With all the online noise and distractions, an ongoing business-building learning curve, and the solidarity of working from home, productivity can be a challenge.

Take a look at the short video below. I think Blellow is a community worth checking out.

Blellow is a community with a focus on productivity. It’s a place for freelancers and professionals to collaborate, find work, and solve problems!

What are you producing in your business these days? Are you producing results? How would you rate your productivity level on a scale from 1 to 10?

Filed Under: Build an online empire, Productivity, Social Media Marketing, Social Networking Tagged With: Blellow, Freelancing, Internet business success, Productivity, Social Media

Best Way To Communicate With Your Audience

By Melanie Kissell 12 Comments

To tap into the needs of your target audience and ramp up your marketing results …

Communication is the key.

Of course, there are many ways to “talk” to your prospects, clients, and customers.

Are you aware of how your target audience prefers to communicate?

Figuring that out is the cherry on the ice cream sundae!

Your audience may prefer to communicate with you by:

Email
Phone Call
Text Messaging
Hard Copy Newsletter
Social Media
Video
Podcast
Ezine
Direct Response Mail

A “best practice” for marketing your products or services is “Test Before Invest” – and that could mean an investment of either time or money or both. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Building relationships online, Customer Care, Email Marketing, Ezines, Online Marketing, Online newsletters, Podcasting, Social Media Marketing Tagged With: Communication, Customer Care, Customer Service, Email Marketing, Ezines, Internet business success, Marketing your services online, Podcasting

20 Blog Post Titles For You

By Melanie Kissell 27 Comments

Need a blog post idea or two … or twenty?

Whether you participate in blogging challenges or not, you need to be posting fresh content consistently on your blog. You have that strategy written down in your online marketing plan, right?

If you’re currently stumped for ideas and you’re feeling like your well has run dry, look over these twenty titles and see if something resonates with you.

Maybe these ideas will help get your creative juices flowing again and your blogging engine revved up!

1. My Mother is On Facebook

2. Books I Want to Write

3. Social Media Marketing vs Traditional Marketing

4. My Community and How You Can Engage It

5. Just Jump into Podcasting- Here’s How

6. Technology That Empowers Me

7. Should My Town Use Social Media?

8. Ways to Save a Bad Time at a Conference

9. My Children Will Do it Differently

10. If I Were a Television Producer

11. What I Spend Money On

12. Ten Guilty Pleasures

13. The Internet Application I Haven’t Seen

14. When I Feel Frustrated

15. Friends I Can’t Wait to Meet

16. When to Cut Back on Web Habits

17. WordPress Plugins I Use And Why

18. How I Drive Traffic to My Site

19. Downtime – What I Do Offline to Recharge

20. How I Went From Very Shy to Less Shy

You may be thinking, “Melanie, don’t you want to hang on to these titles for your own blog posts? You need ideas, too, right?”

Yes! I need ideas, too, but I never seem to run out. I find ideas at the turn of every corner in everyday life – online and offline.

Help yourself!

And will you come back and let me know if you use any of these ideas?

Filed Under: Blogging, Internet Marketing Tools, Social Media Marketing, Writing effective headlines Tagged With: Blog post ideas, Blog titles, Blogging, Marketing strategies, Online marketing plan

The Best Parts of Marketing

By Melanie Kissell 12 Comments

Want to be an expert, effective, and dynamic marketer?

Start by tossing out everything you know about selling.

When people sense you’re pushing something on them, they run away and they run fast. They’ll avoid you like the plague!

Marketing is a softer, gentler, more palatable strategy for getting you, your business, and your products and services in front of the eyes and in the minds of your potential clients and customers.

Communication and relationship-building, in person or online, is what marketing is all about.

You need to “talk” to your prospects.

Begin from a place of generosity and a belief that what you have to offer will change peoples’ lives for the better.

Keep the lines of communication with your target audience open with the distribution of valuable FREE content through: