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“Tug of War” For Entrepreneurs

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Website or Web Presence.

Which one is tugging harder?

You can have a website that resembles designer fashionwear — with all the latest trendy tools and trimmings.

Peachy.

I mean, after all, who doesn’t want to LOOK good, right?  And not only is form important, so is function.  You’ve got to have a website that’s working for you — easy to navigate, captivating content, and one that won’t have people clicking away in seconds.

Your work is cut out for you.

It’s not an onvernight accomplishment to design a website that educates, enriches, entertains, and engages your target audience.

Website is pulling pretty hard on that rope!

But what about web presence?

I’m sure you know this by now.  To have success on the internet, you’ve got to be seen everywhere.  You can’t hang around on your website all day and expect to create a presence online.  Ain’t gonna happen.

But being seen everywhere takes mounds of time.

Joining conversations on Twitter, answering questions on Quora and LinkedIn, participating in forum discussions, submitting articles to article directories, interacting on Facebook, recording audios, doing interviews, hosting teleseminars, publishing blog posts — WHEW!  And this is only a partial list.

Looks like web presence is pulling pretty hard on that rope, too!

So which one is going to win the entrepreneurial game of “Tug of War”?

Website?

Or Web Presence?

You tell me.

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Filed Under: Blogging, Brand yourself online, Building relationships online, Internet Marketing Tools, Social Media Marketing, Social Networking Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

20 Best Blogging Tips – Compliments of Members of the Tweet Like Comment Club

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Enjoy these blogging tips from 20 members of the “T.L.C. Club”, jot down the ones that resonate with you, and get out into the blogosphere and rock your blog!

Sweepy Jean: I try to limit the post length to about 500 words. We all have good intentions, but with so many blogs competing for attention, the shorter ones are going to be read fully, the others maybe will be skimmed over. I don’t go crazy over it, and occasionally the subject matter requires more space. But when I hit the 500 word mark, I know it’s time to wrap it up or if possible, edit it down.

Maureen Hunter: Although a relatively new blogger I would have to say from my own experiences, blog about what fires your Mojo. Write about what you know of, inspires you, or feel would be of most benefit to others. Don’t be afraid to show something of yourself that others can relate to.

Hajra Khatoon: One thing that I keep in mind is that I keep my posts within a word limit. When I hunt blogs, I find that I lose interest when the post is way too long. So I decided to keep mine at a length that is able to capture and hold the readers interest and attention.

Veronica Campos-Hallstrom: Although I have a running list of ideas, in the middle of the night something may come to mind that is worth writing down.  So, get your fresh idea on paper or print before it slips away, even if you sacrifice your sleep – you can always take a power nap the next day!

Dani Nir-McGrath: I always get inspired at off times when I can’t actually write a blog…kids are in the tub, driving, or putting the kids to sleep.  So, when my brain is creative, I want to capture the thought so I don’t lose it.  I just jot down the theme and maybe a sentence or two (or maybe a heading) that I’m thinking.  If I can’t write, I call and dictate the thoughts on my home voicemail from my cell while I’m driving or send a text on my phone with the thoughts from tub-side. Then when I’m sitting down to blog, I have a concept, a few sentences, and even a heading to build from!

Melissa Austin: Write about whatever “lights your fire”. Find a niche and go with it. By writing on a certain niche, be it business, a mommy blog, or fitness – makes it so your blog is easier to find. Readers will be more attracted a blog that has a niche and stays on topic. Also, don’t forget spell check. It seems so simple, but it is often forgotten. You want people to come back to your blog, not avoid it.

Leanne Chesser: My best blogging tip is to have a theme or topic or niche for your blog and write within that area. Write what you’re passionate about.  Also, respond to all comments. This creates a culture or an atmosphere on your blog of “interaction” and “relationship”. And design your blog so that it’s easy to read and navigate.

Janette Fuller: My best blogging tip is to “know your audience”. Who are you trying to reach? Who are you trying to appeal to? What are their interests? What do they do for fun? To be able to able to effectively communicate, you have to have some idea of “who” is reading your material so you can package it in the best possible ways.

Leona Martin: This is from the 31 Days to A Better Blog: Day 1: Develop an Elevator Pitch for your Blog. Why?  ”YOU as a blogger need to have thought through and crystallized in your mind what your blog is about.”  I like this idea because I have an elevator pitch for my business when I attend networking events so why not my blog, too?!  Put your Elevator Pitch on your business card, email signature, and on all your social media profiles!

Amberly Mauszycki: Just simply “be yourself” when writing.  If you are writing and your true personality comes out in your blog posts, people will relate more with you on a personal level and want to read your articles more than a post that sounds too stiff and un-natural.  Blogging should really be about branding yourself, and if your true personality isn’t coming through in your posts, people aren’t getting to know YOU.  I also suggest doing vlogs (video blogs) to develop more of a connection with your readers. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Blogging, Brand yourself online, Building relationships online, Business Card, Email Marketing, Following Your Passion, Niche marketing, Social Media Marketing, Social Networking Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Social Media: Express More Vulnerability

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As entrepreneurs, we are taught to create personal brands that, proudly and prominently, place our strengths in the spotlight.

And we are also taught to carefully and cleverly mask our weaknesses.

This flies in the face of traditional business school wisdom.  Having said that, are you suddenly getting that inflexible, conservative “stuffed shirt” feeling?

Heaven forbid our target audience should find out we goof up sometimes and don’t know everything about everything.

Mistakes.

Errors.

Typos.

Faux Pas (a social blunder or indiscretion)

Boo-Boos.

Raise your hand if you’ve never made any of these.

Imagine that.  I don’t see one hand going up.

Here’s a BIG newsflash!

Trust requires vulnerability. If you value trust in your social media network and you want your target market to trust YOU …

You’ve got to remove your mask and start talking about the really tough issues you’re wrestling with and let your human, far-from-perfect self show through.

My personal favorite social media marketing tip:

Express more vulnerability.

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Filed Under: Brand yourself online, Building relationships online, Online Marketing, Social Media Marketing, Social Networking 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: , , , , ,

My RSS was a Mess – Michelle Shaeffer Saved the Day!

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Today’s post is not only about publicly thanking my brilliant friend, Michelle Shaeffer, for her help but also about the power of online connections.

For 23 days, starting January 1st, my RSS was a mess!

The problem:

  • Feedburner was not updating my blog’s feed
  • Comment Luv was displaying OLD posts
  • Aweber was not generating scheduled Blog Broadcasts to my list
  • Kindle could not publish my blog
  • Subscribers to my blog were not receiving updates

Those were 23 VERY LONG and frustrating days. To add fuel to the fire, being in the midst of a month-long blogging challenge, the timing of this pain-in-the-patootie issue couldn’t have been any worse.

Through Michelle’s expert knowledge of the web and websites and her “creative Google searching” talent, she discovered what was happening with my feed and fixed the problem for me.

So what are the biggest takeaways from this miserable RSS/blog feed fiasco?

  • The people you connect with online can be more precious than any gemstones in the world.
  • Value those in your center of influence.
  • Offer help to people when they need it.  If you can’t help, direct them to someone who can.
  • Don’t ever underestimate the power of online connections.
  • True and lasting friendships are priceless.

By the way, this isn’t the first time Michelle has come to my rescue.

And I want to proclaim, publicly, something magical and magnificent would be missing from my life without her in it.

You can follow Michelle on Twitter and become her Fan on Facebook.

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Filed Under: 30-day Blogging Challenge, Blogging, Building relationships online, List Building, RSS, Social Networking Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Adam Urbanski Asked, Denise Wakeman Asked, and You Should Ask, Too!

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If you haven’t been spending much time on your Facebook home page, I’d get over there – Pronto!

Some of the foremost experts in online marketing, visibility, and social media are hanging out on Facebook. The benefits of connecting and interacting with these folks are too numerous to count and they can teach you a lot about how to “engage” your community.

So what are the quintessential business-building professionals up to these days?

In addition to generously giving you the opportunity to strut your stuff, they’re looking for ideas and asking questions.

Adam Urbanski had yet another spark of genius this week and started “Marketing Monday” on Facebook.  Every Monday he’s giving you the opportunity to post a link (okay, a shameless plug) to one of your offers.

And on Tuesdays, he’s calling his Facebook thread, “Cool Tool Tuesday” where people can post their favorite free or low-cost biz tool.

Ya can’t beat that deal!

Adam also comes up with some awesome (and thought-provoking) questions like the one he asked today: “What excites you the most about your business?”

If you want to engage your social media community, your group members, your fans, your blog readers, and your target audience, start asking questions.

Interaction is the key. We humans LOVE to answer questions and LOVE to share our knowledge and expertise.

Denise Wakeman posed a great question on Facebook today asking people how they’ve been using their Facebook business page to engage their fans.  Denise is one savvy and smart cookie.

What happened next? [Read more...]

Filed Under: Blogging, Building relationships online, Buzz, Creativity, Internet Marketing Tools, Online Marketing, Social Media Marketing, Social Networking Tagged With: , , , , , ,

A Confused Audience Won’t Take Action and You Won’t Make Sales

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Today’s post is a sequel to “Twitter update – What Are You Cooking for Dinner Tonight?”

Consistent and Clear messaging across social media venues is what you want to aim for in your communications with your target audience.

Nothing breaks down trust and destroys credibility faster than being all over the map with messages that confuse your target market.  And once they get confused, they disappear!

To keep your prospects, clients, and customers from doing the disappearing act, you need to strike a “balance” of sharing relationship-building messages and messages that are promotional in nature.

Be a savvy social media marketer and use the 80/20 rule (or even the 90/10 rule!) when posting your messages.  The majority of what you share should be focused on relationship-building.

Thanks to my awesome mentor and colleague, Jessica Swanson, I’ve learned buckets full of tips and strategies to build lasting relationships with mompreneurs and moms who want to ditch the 9-5 and work from home.

Now it’s my turn to share them with you.

The best way to begin building a relationship with your target audience is to offer them your tantalizing freebie!

Here are 50 “free offer” ideas from my mentor to me to YOU: [Read more...]

Filed Under: Brand yourself online, Building relationships online, List Building, Online Marketing, Small business owners, Social Media Marketing, Social Networking Tagged With: , , , ,

Twitter Update – What Are You Cooking For Dinner Tonight?

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If your small business is in a culinary niche, then posting a Tweet like “What’s for dinner tonight?” is totally appropriate.  It’s directly related to your business and what you have to offer.

But if you’re NOT in a food-related industry, then what?

Most likely you’ll just “confuse” your audience and we all know what happens when they get confused, right?

They don’t take action.

As online marketers, we sometimes get mixed messages about the most effective ways to use social media to build our businesses.

I’m sure you’ve heard, by now, it’s never socially acceptable to send out a boatload of sales pitches on social media sites.

So if we’re trying to build a business and make sales and we’re not supposed to try to sell anybody anything, then what in the world are we supposed to be sharing with our target audience on Twitter, Facebook, and other social media venues?!

Certainly not what we’re cooking for dinner – once again, unless the information is related to your niche.

Your social media updates need to be a delicate balance of messages in these two categories:

1.)   Relationship-building messages

2.)   Promotional messages

My next post will go into detail and give some specific examples.  Stay tuned.

In the meantime, please give me some of your ideas of what a “relationship-building message” would look like and one that is “promotional” in nature.

Are you sending out both?

Thanks and I’m looking forward to reading your comments.

Filed Under: Blogging, Brand yourself online, Building relationships online, Online Marketing, Social Media Marketing, Social Networking Tagged With: , , , ,

It’s Viral – for Better or for Worse

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There is nothing new about networking as a savvy strategy to grow your business.

This is precisely why people attend meet-ups and join the Chamber of Commerce.

But the fact the practice is becoming so popular on the web is why it’s important you take the leap into social networking online so you can take advantage of this shift.

Because social media venues are easy to use and understand, even for people who are not technically talented, people are joining social networks in super large numbers – a trend that isn’t going away and gaining momentum!

Great.

Nice to know but …

Have you overcome the big challenge of developing a tactical plan of action for using social media effectively?

Took me a while to figure this out so let me see if I can help to shorten your learning curve.

Guiding principles for social media marketing – A tactical plan

It’s transparent – be who you are: No pseudonyms allowed and write in your own words.  Don’t be afraid to show a bit of your personal self and let your uniqueness shine through.  Being totally genuine will greatly increase your believability and earn you mounds of credibility.

It’s a conversation – join it: Only by joining in conversations can you hope to be influential in the hearts and minds of your prospects, customers, and clients.  Your brand is what “they” say it is, NOT what you say it is.

It’s personal – focus on the individual: Participation in social media venues, blogging communities, and other social sites is for the individual, by the individual.  Build your brand but don’t author your posts in the name of “Your Company”.  Social media is not the place for mass communications.

It’s viral – for better or for worse: One of the most attractive and effective elements of social media for online marketing is the viral effect.  Everyone is creating social campaigns hoping they will go “viral”.  But this can also work against you – just ask the executive caught bad-mouthing his company on a YouTube video!

Ouch.



Filed Under: Blogging, Brand yourself online, Online Marketing, Social Media Marketing, Social Networking Tagged With: , , ,

Marketing Strengths of Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn

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Even though volumes of information has been published and shared about social media marketing, are you still wondering “why” you should have a presence on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn?

And more importantly …

Are you still a bit fuzzy about the core marketing strengths of the Big 3?

Today’s post is going to be concise (My thought is that you already have a PLENTIFUL collection of tips, reports, e-courses, and e-books about social media).

Who doesn’t?! Unless you’ve been residing under a cabbage leaf, your inbox and your hard drive is over-stuffed with social media basics and marketing strategies.

Maybe I should hold a contest to see who’s storing up the MOST social media stuff! Would you be the winner? :-)

Marketing Strengths

Facebook:

  • One of the fastest growing social networks
  • Find people from every industry, age group, and demographic area
  • Great way to brand yourself and your products and/or services
  • Allows you to further relationships with prospects, customers, and potential customers or clients
  • Ideal place to start if you are new to social media

Twitter:

  • Fast and easy to use
  • Search feature allows you to find, not only people, but you can also search by subject to find your target audience
  • Can be used to drive traffic to your blog or website
  • Twitter profile is the easiest to create

LinkedIn:

  • Known for its use by professionals (business-to-business networking)
  • Great place to demonstrate your expertise
  • Join groups formed around specific ideas or industries (you can join up to 50 groups)
  • Allows you to connect with people in your niche both in your geographical location and from all over the world
  • Excellent venue for building your community and finding potential customers

Which list of strengths would best serve you and your online marketing business?


Filed Under: Brand yourself online, Building relationships online, Online Marketing, Small business owners, Social Media Marketing, Social Networking Tagged With: , , , , ,
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