“Monkey See-Monkey Do” is a phrase you probably became familiar with as a child.

My mom had her own endearing version that went something like this …

“If so-and-so is going to jump off a bridge, are you going to jump off, too?!”

And the obvious answer, of course, was “No”.

But in the arena of online marketing and small business ownership, “Monkey See-Monkey Do” can be a really good business building strategy.  The goal is Not to become a copy cat but to become aware of what other success minded marketers are doing and put your own fingerprint on those tools, tactics, and techniques.

Here’s how you can start tapping into your inner monkey:

1) Have you seen an opt-in form and offer that’s really attention-grabbing and triggers you to take action?  What are the elements that appeal to you the most?  Is it the shape or colors used that caught your eye?  Or maybe the graphic?  The call to action?  The location on the page?

Scrutinize your own opt-in box and freebie offer and incorporate those elements that you find most effective.

2) Have a favorite blog or two or three that you visit regularly?  What is it about those particular blogs that strike your fancy?  What are the blog owners/authors doing that keep you coming back for more?  Are they great storytellers?  Do they offer fabulous tips related to your niche?  Is it their sense of humor that attracts you?  Maybe the layout of their blogs?

Begin weaving those ”I’ve-got-you-hooked” components into your own blog.

3) Ever come across social media profiles that just knock your socks off? A short bio that causes you to click the person’s link immediately to discover more? What kinds of adjectives or action words have they used?  Do they note only their business expertise or are personal facts included, too?  What is it about their profile that intrigues you?

Read your own profile/bio with discerning eyes.  Then re-vamp it to be as compelling as your favorites.

There are lots of creative ways to tap into your inner monkey.  When you “See” something that’s working for someone else, start “Do”-ing it!

Gee, I hope not.

Now don’t get me wrong here.  People may be thrilled to read your posts, but they don’t have to be thrilling.

Maybe you’re like me.

I spent years studying literature, journalism, and creative writing – my favorite subjects!

Great.  But when I started a business blog, I quickly realized I needed to throw a lot of my cherished language arts skills and rules out the window.

Not so easy to do.  Business blogging is nothing like writing a short story for a magazine, a press release, a thesis, or a newspaper article.

However, it’s okay to add a little vim and vigor and let your personality shine through in your blog posts!

You want a blog with loyal readers – where people want to come back for more.   You want to attract visitors with attention-grabbing headlines and compelling content.

Here’s a cleverly-written post you’ll enjoy about the essential elements of a business blog:

“How to Bake a Blog: Recipe for Business Blogging Success”

And remember that your blog posts do not need to be end-to-end thrills.

Prefer to listen to this post?

There’s a little parrot that sits on my shoulder that criticizes me ALL the time.

Okay, I’ll admit it.  I’m neurotic.  I’m a perfectionist.  So what?  There’s got to be at least ONE other person like me on the planet!

I take my writing (blogging) seriously.  Is there something wrong with that?  I know I’m not writing a novel, an essay, or a resume.  Oh, darn, there goes that pesky parrot sounding off again …

“Maybe you’re just not cut out for this blogging thing.”

Wrong.  You’re dead wringer wrong.  I AM cut out for this blogging thing.

I just happen to think that proofreading, editing, and re-writing makes for a better blog post.  I might add that proper grammar, punctuation, and spelling count in my book, too.

So is THAT a sin?!

Uh-Oh.  I really wish I hadn’t asked that question.  Too late.  Here comes an unwelcomed remark from that blinking bird …

“Oh for the love of God! It’s just a blog post.”

I’ve been listening to this parrot forever and when I sit down to start blogging, I’d like to shove an old dirty sock in its mouth!

Oh, brother.  I knew it.  I could feel it coming.  As always, the parrot’s got to have the last word …

“You can’t be serious.  You’re not going to publish THAT, are you?”

Do you have a parrot sitting on your shoulder?  An inner critic?  Or am I the only one?

Prefer to listen to this post?

I’ll let you decide.

Your brand is NOT your logo, company name, or product.  Your brand is your Online Identity.

It’s your unique selling proposition and what distinguishes you from others in your profession.  Your brand is “You”.

Objectives in achieving a stand-out-from-the-crowd brand include:

• Delivers your marketing message clearly and concisely
• Establishes your credibility through testimonials, awards, and accomplishments
• Emotionally connects to your target market to alleviate their fears, anger, or frustration
• Motivates the buyer or client through the use of stories
• Cements user loyalty through great follow up and customer service

There is nothing more relevant than authenticity and honesty. So, who are you and why should I trust you? THAT’S your brand and THAT’S what you need to brag about.

Here’s what your target audience is thinking:

• If I can identify with you, I’ll listen attentively to your experiences.
• If you’re like me and you know something interesting, I want to hear about it.
• If you’ve mastered something and you tell me how you did it, I find this attractive.

If you cultivate your persona as your brand, you can positively and effectively market your expertise to your target audience.

So how do you cultivate your persona? BRAG about yourself.

Your prospects, clients, and customers WANT you to brag.  They need to be assured that they’re working with a confident, experienced, and reliable professional so they EXPECT you to brag.

So, what have you decided?  Are branding and bragging cousins or twins?

You should know …
There’s a right way and a wrong way to brag! Check out the Bragging 101 Home Study Course to increase your confidence and showcase your talents and skills to grow your business … without sounding like a used car salesperson!

Tomorrow I will be publishing my final post – my last contribution – to the 30-Day Blogging Challenge hosted by Connie Ragen Green.

I want to share my list of all the wonderful takeaways, lessons learned, and unforgettable experiences as a participant in this event.

“C” is for Challenge.  But during this challenge, I came to realize that “C” stands for so much more!  It also stands for …

Commodities – Friendships are the best and most valuable commodities you can acquire.  The friends I made during this challenge are some of the most talented, bright, and creative people imaginable and I cherish every single one of them.

Commitment – Writing 30 posts in 30 days was a huge undertaking for me as well as for some others who participated.  Commitment shows character and builds character.

Capacity – There was no such thing as limited space or limited seats to join this challenge.  Everyone was welcome.

Cooking – I got my hands on some new recipes and learned some culinary secrets during this event!  What a treat to have a couple of food experts on board.

Concentration – The only real way to make it all the way through this challenge was to become like a horse with blinders on and focus, focus, focus!

Collaboration – Bring a variety of personalities, skills, and expertise together.  Combine that with energy, inspiration, and motivation … and lookout!  Joint ventures, interviews, and an upcoming collaborative radio show are just the tip of the iceberg for this group!

Comedy - Laughter is the best medicine.  I had a blast meeting others who value a sense of humor as much as I do!

Cooperation – Everyone did a fabulous job of visiting lots of blogs, posting wonderful comments, following networked blogs on Facebook, staying updated at TweetChat, giving support, and Re-Tweeting posts.

Communication – Some of the best stories I’ve ever read were communicated during this challenge!  People offered advice, a listening ear, business building tips and tools, relaxation techniques, tutorials, book recommendations, and how-to’s.

Compliments – I will forever embrace the words of encouragement and all the positive, uplifting comments I received during this event.  There was rarely a day that I didn’t witness someone paying someone else a confidence-boosting compliment.

Complaints – There were none!!

Another Friday will be rolling around soon and Twitter enthusiasts everywhere will be joining the popular weekly event as an opportunity to recommend their favorite followers to others.

Some people choose to post at #followfriday and some prefer the shorter version, #FF.  If you’re brand new to #’s (hashtags), visit http://hashtags.org or do a search for hashtags on Twitter to learn more.

Follow Friday recommendations are oftentimes referred to as “kudos”, “mentions”, “reco’s”, and “shout outs”.

Here are my Four Best Tips for getting desired results using Follow Friday recommendations:

1) Don’t just “clump” a pile of names (Twitter ID’s) together in the same post.  It’s the standard approach I see all the time and it won’t work to get your favorite followers the attention they deserve. No one wants to take the time to rifle through name after name in order to check out each person’s profile.

2) Don’t create posts like: “Follow so-and-so” or “Follow my friend, so-and-so, he’s great.”  Does that really make you want to check the person out?  No, I didn’t think so.  You may think your Twitter friend is great, but why should I?

3) Give each of your recommended followers their own chunk of the spotlight.  Praise each one individually to share their talents, skills, expertise, and personality!  For example:

Be sure to follow @shoestringgal to tap into the most Powerful Free Marketing Platforms! #followfriday

Look to @ConnieGreen for a 5-pronged approach to online writing success! #followfriday

Check out @CathyGoodwin for copywriting savvy & the best doggone dog blog on the planet! #FF

4) And my all time favorite tip is to place your Follow Friday recommendations in a BLOG POST.  A blogging platform is the perfect venue to make your Twitter followers shine!  You can include a bio, a short story about each person, or a list of products or services they promote.  You might also want to share how you met and why you decided to follow these folks.  Posting your Follow Friday shout outs on your blog gives you total creative freedom and flexibility!

Would you like to follow me on Twitter?

I wavered back and forth for several days and then decided to give myself permission to tell this story.

As much I tried to keep this story on the proverbial back burner, it kept creeping up to the forefront of my mind.  You know, like an itch you just have to scratch.

Writing about negative issues or emotions isn’t really my style.  But I do like to write about topics that can help people so that’s what I’m hoping will happen here.

Some months ago, I got a disturbing and hurtful email message from an extremely successful, well known online marketer – a recognized expert in her niche.

I had been on her subscriber list for quite a while, joined in numerous conversations on her blog, purchased some of her products and programs, and was under the impression that we had a solid and friendly relationship.  At a minimum, I thought we shared a mutual respect for one another as online marketers and professionals.

When I opened her email, it was filled with the most discouraging and depressing words.  I asked her to review something for me that I wanted to use a part of an information product or possibly a “free taste” offer for my target audience.

In a nutshell, she said I probably wouldn’t amount to much of anything in the arena of online marketing.

I didn’t have what it takes.  She didn’t see much hope for me since I was trying to market on a shoestring budget.  It takes money to make money, you know! (Of course, she was wrong about that)

She took credit for the success of hundreds of her students and told me that I didn’t possess the right kind of mindset for achieving online success.

Was the problem really mindset?  Or not a fat enough wallet?

Words are powerful – far more powerful than guns and ammunition.

I’m grateful for the words she wrote.  Just the ammo I needed!  Now I am more driven than ever to have the success I cherish and deserve.

Do you remember that old saying from your younger years?

When I was in elementary school, we used to say, “I’m rubber.  You’re glue.  Whatever bounces off me sticks to you.”

Your version may be a little different, but the meaning still holds true.

As I march along through this 30-day blogging challenge I entered, I’m noticing something interesting taking place.  Everyone is learning from everyone else.  What a concept, huh?

Every member of this challenge has a unique writing style and a unique message to convey.  No two bloggers or blogs are alike.  So many amazing individuals and possibilities for enrichment!

So how does this rubber/glue theory come into play?

As members of this event get better acquainted, we are …

• Bouncing ideas off one another
• Becoming better storytellers
• Establishing joint ventures
• Gathering new business building tips and resources
• Offering encouragement and support
• Sharing talents and expertise
• Honing copywriting skills
• Creating friendships
• Planning future get-togethers
  
• And having tons of fun!

The benefits and rewards of joining this blogging challenge will “stick” with me forever.

The 30-day blogging challenge is sponsored by Connie Ragen Green. If you’ve never had the joy of participating in the challenge, here’s a GREAT place to start and learn more about Connie:  “5 Pronged Approach to Online Writing Success”.

Unless, of course, you’d enjoy spending some worthwhile time being enamored and mesmerized by all the wonderful stories she writes!  Fascinating, provocative, hits-you-in-the-gut, heart-centered kind of stuff.

But I’m giving you fair warning.  So don’t make me say, “I told you so.”

Don’t go over there unless you’ve got a tall mug of coffee or your favorite beverage and a snack at hand.  You’re gonna get stranded, so you better have your rations ready.

Plant yourself firmly in your seat, buckle up, and don’t plan to be departing none too soon.

Remember that old Lays Potato Chip commercial, “Bet you can’t eat just one”?  Well, bet you can’t read just ONE of Jeanne’s posts!

If you choose not to heed my warning, then you better reserve some extra time to meet up with Jeanne’s blogging friends, too.  And she’s got plenty!

Reading all the comments her friends write should keep you from doing at least three loads of laundry or washing your car and mowing the lawn.

Go ahead.  Get on out of here.  I can sense you’re itching to leave and I know exactly where you’re going.

No one ever listens to me.

When I was in high school, I had the chance to take some of the most outstanding elective courses.  Electives were classes you could choose to take and not part of the required academic curriculum.

I joined the orchestra and marched in the band.  Learning halftime choreography was a blast!  Typing class was one I just couldn’t pass up.

I took a public speaking class (which I loved with every fiber of my being!) and I had the joy and the privilege of studying journalism for two years.

But the most memorable elective I ever attended was the Carnegie Mellon Institute’s Course of Literature.

The very first book on the reading list was Dale Carnegie’s “How to Win Friends and Influence People”.  Brilliant as he was, Carnegie forgot to write a chapter on “blogging”!

Okay, I’ll be a little forgiving.  The book was first published in 1937.  Putting pen to paper was en vogue then and I believe some people were still communicating by carrier pigeon.

In forming relationships online, I’m finding blogging to be an ideal platform for showcasing your expertise and building your brand. And the beauty of blogging is that you don’t have to be a journalist.  You can just be YOU.

Blogging is all about telling stories, sharing life experiences, and sometimes bringing human frailties to light.

It’s the perfect medium for having a conversation with people without being physically present or sitting across the table from them.

For marketing a business online, blogging is a great venue for educating, entertaining, and engaging your target audience.  Simultaneously, you’ll be winning friends and influencing people.