It’s not because I don’t like you and it has nothing to do with your ethnicity, color, creed, political party, or gender.

When I get a new follower notification from Twitter, here are the factors I consider in making my decision to follow you back … or NOT.

PHOTO: Right out of the gate, if you don’t have a picture on your profile, I’m gone!  And I don’t mean a company logo or some silly avatar or cartoon.  And please don’t use an off-in-the-distance snapshot of yourself.  In order to build a relationship, I need to see your face.  You don’t have to hire a professional photographer to take a pricey  head shot.  Just use a digital camera or upload a photo you have on file.

BIO: Tell me “why” I would want to follow you.  What is your expertise?  Who do you serve?  What words describe you best? I need you to zero right in and grab my attention. If your profile is missing a bio or your bio is bland and boring, I’m gone!

REPLIES: Are you interacting with your followers?  Are you Re-Tweeting interesting and valuable information posted by others?  Or is your home page filled with one-way conversations?  If all your Tweets are “me, me, me” focused, I’m gone!

Twitter is a great platform to showcase your expertise, build community, drive conversation, be helpful, and provide value.

So if you want me to follow you back, please let me see your face, tell me about yourself, and show me that you’re interested in building relationships by interacting with others.

Or are you getting served bland and tasteless cafeteria food?

If you’re like me, you subscribe to about a gazillion blogs, ecourses, podcasts, white papers, reports, and newsletters. And I bet every time you sign up, you’re expecting some meat and potatoes to land in your inbox – something hearty, palatable, and filling.  Doesn’t always turn out that way, does it?

I’ve been in the “unsubscribe” mode lately and for good reason.  There’s only so much any one of us can digest in one sitting. I’ve been trying to weed through so many email subscriptions every day that I’m starting to develop heartburn and indigestion!

So today I’m starting with a newsletter purge.  I’m going to plow through my entire list of subscriptions, take one final quick peek at the contents and focus of each one, and narrow it down to five.  That’s it.  And trust me, the ezines I hang on to will be ones that serve me best – the ones with all the scrumptious meat and potatoes.

Without question, one ezine a team of wild horses couldn’t get me to say goodbye to is Online Success News by Dr. Jeanette Cates. It’s like a staple in my kitchen cupboard – can’t do without it.  Not only does it provide meat and potatoes, it comes with lots of gravy, too.  The articles really draw me in and I’ve never failed to read every issue, cover to cover.

Okay, that leaves me to find just four other newsletters to keep. In a future post, I’ll let you know my final  “meaty” choices.

Do  you have an all time favorite newsletter you’d never part with? Post it in the comment box and share why it’s so valuable to you.

LinkedIn is a great marketing platform for building your business and for making b2b connections.

William Bernbach said, “An idea can turn to dust or magic depending on the talent that rubs against it.”

Here are 6 ways to give your inner being a makeover and increase your visibility and credibility:

1.)  Become an expert at “stating” your expertise – Step up and Claim it!

What problems do you solve?  Who do you help?  What real world training or life experience do you have?  What awards have you won or books have you written?  Have a sense of self-worth. Experts with sizzle share information “memorably”.  Draw upon your creativity, sense of humor, and energy.

2.)  Understand where your target market gets information

Start a “wish list”.  Identify three venues where you want to be known.  Become the Go-To person.  Don’t be ORDINARY.  Set yourself apart from others in your field.  Personally brand YOU.  Your personality and unique FLAIR are as special as your fingerprints.

3.)  Create an ROI (Return On Investment) Plan

Figure out what you want in return.  More web traffic?  Increased opt-in rate?  Increased credibility?  Publicity?  Fame leads to fortune.

4.)  Be a trend watcher

Open yourself to new venues, formats, and opportunities.  Follow the top ten bloggers in your niche.  What are they talking about?  Subscribe to a weekly ezine that will keep you updated on the latest trends in your industry. Utilize social media to stay informed – what are the  latest hop topics of discussion on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc.?  Awareness is powerful.

5.)  Toot your own horn

Create some Buzz!  Create some Fans!  Exude confidence.  Find your passion and work with your strengths.  Share your accomplishments.  Get powerful testimonials to serve as social proof and increase your perceived value.  Accept invitations to do presentations, teleclasses, or seminars. Become a sought after, recognized expert.

6.)  Publish or Perish

Get seen by more people.  Publish articles in online article directories.  Blog, blog, and blog some more.  Take a look at the VALUE of the information you supply.  Through writing, you can bottle and sell your expertise.  Imagine your ideal visibility level and focus on CREDIBILITY- the quality of being believable, trustworthy, transparent, and authentic.

Travel Off the Beaten Path, Stand Out and Sizzle!

I love Max.  He’s a real sweetheart.  We’ve been together for eight glorious years.  He wears a perpetual smile on his face and he’s never in a bad mood.  I don’t know how he does it!  I wish I knew his secret.  He shows appreciation for the littlest things in life and he’s as pleasant as the day is long.  He’s handsome, too.

When I walk in the door from work, Max greets me with kiss after kiss.  He acts as if he hasn’t seen me in a hundred years.  I cherish his playfulness.  And believe me, I stop and count my blessings and my lucky stars! Whenever I’ve had a particularly trying day, he has a special talent for lifting my spirits.  I’ll attribute this talent to his sweet  and very gentle nature.

Max adds warmth and joy and companionship to my life every day.  He’s the kind of partner I wish everyone could have. I treasure every moment with him and I pray he’ll be around for a long time.  Oh, by the way, Max is my dog.

HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY!

You can choose to bury your head in the sand or sweep the fact under the rug, but …

Social Media sites are here to stay.

Online visibility and credibility expert, Nancy Marmolejo, answers “Why Social Networking?” in her Free Action Guide. It’s a great read!

Take a minute to share your thoughts:

How are you incorporating social networking into your marketing strategy?  Which social media site do you use most?  Why? Post your comments below.

Growing really tired of attending rubber chicken luncheons, paying for ineffective classified ads, mailing out postcards that bring no results, and spending countless hours doing cold calling? Then you’ll want to learn about the important benefits of marketing your business online.

The internet provides you with a slam dunk opportunity for massive visibility. Handing someone a business card is fine, but creating your big “electronic” business card through online marketing will get you and your services in front of hundreds of thousands of eyes.  I’d say that beats the heck out of walking around parking lots putting flyers on windshields, wouldn’t you?

As a service professional, marketing your business online will allow you to:

1) Showcase Your Expertise – Put yourself in the spotlight and toot your own horn. Authentically tell your story and reassure your prospects that you work with people just like them.  People don’t want processes, they want solutions. Add results-oriented testimonials to your marketing strategy and allow your current clients to sell for you.

2) Stand Out From The Crowd – As strange as it sounds, you really have no competition when you promote yourself and your business online.  After all, there is only one YOU in this world. Take this prime time opportunity to demonstrate your unique juicy benefits and what differentiates you from everyone else.  Each of us has our very own special character, style, and persona. Let it shine! Be yourself, be creative, and have fun.

3) Save Lots Of Money – There are so many different internet marketing platforms to choose from and the majority of them are FREE. You can build your business online very cost-effectively through blogging, video, podcasting, article marketing, social media, teleseminars, and webinars. You can even host your own internet radio show or T.V. show.  Cost?  Zero dollars.

Give potential clients the chance to know, like, and trust you. Whether you are most comfortable using your voice, writing, or being in front of a camera, marketing your business online will help you build visibility and credibility and establish you as the go-to expert in your field.

Do you Tweet? I’d like to invite you to Follow me on Twitter.

Social media marketing is absolutely necessary if you’re trying to build your business online.  You can’t ignore the fact, sweep it under the rug, or crawl into a hole of denial. Just take a look at television ads these days.  Social media sites are here to stay.

The last I heard, Twitter is growing in popularity by 40% a month!  If you haven’t figured out how to utilize Twitter as a marketing tool, let me help you get on board in the most effective ways possible.

Keep these guidelines handy for using Twitter as a marketing tool:

1.)  Provide Value

2.)  Create anticipation

3.)  Drive conversation

4.)  Showcase your biz

5.)  Announce something important

6.)  Build community

7.)  Be helpful

8.)  Brag a bit! You deserve it

9.)  Show a little personality

10.) Experiment with giveaways, discounts, and contests

As a general rule, less than 10% of your Tweets should involve any kind of selling or promoting.  So what should you be Tweeting about?

Re-Tweet information from your followers that you find useful, funny, or relevant. Share Twitpics – the most opened links on Twitter!  Communitcate newsworthy items and events and be sure to ask your followers to Re-Tweet the messages for you. Speak in your authentic voice and show why your biz and you are cool.  Send out welcome Tweets to new followers (no selling) and become the go-to person in your niche by providing helpful tips and resources and answering questions from your target market.  Promote what you want to promote, but make building relationships your highest priority.

Not quite sure how to “brag” the right way on Twitter? The biggest challenge is getting over the “fear” of bragging. After all, you don’t want to sound like a used car salesman. My friend and colleague, Cathy Goodwin, can help.  Just get her mp3 recording and 25-page workbook by going to:
BRAGGING 101 (This is my affiliate link and I give it my highest recommendation) Teeny-Tiny investment and Big results.

The bottom line is that if you aren’t utilizing Facebook as one of your main marketing platforms, you NEED to jump on board. Service professionals, authors, consultants, and other small business owners are realizing revolutionary results on Facebook.  So why shouldn’t YOU?

I know I’m looking forward to making a big splash on Facebook and I hope you’ll join me and my friend and colleague, Jessica Swanson, the “Shoestring Marketer”, for a Free Profitable Facebook Marketing Webinar this Thursday, February 11th.

As an extra special bonus, you’ll receive a link to the video recording, a downloadable PDF workbook, and a step-by-step action plan.

Seats are limited so I suggest you RUN, not walk to register for this complementary event!

If you answered “YES” to the question in my title, you’d be right!