Cathy Goodwin | Solo Mompreneur

Help Me Fill “The Brag Bag”

By Melanie Kissell 34 Comments

Did you know your target audience EXPECTS you to brag?

It’s true!

No one wants to work with a loser, right?

Bragging the right way will help you build relationships while you increase sales and revenue.

Everybody likes to hire professionals or purchase products or services they can brag about.

Your potential customers and clients want to hear about …

Obstacles you’ve overcome
Success stories of clients you’ve worked with
Awards you’ve won
Contests and challenges you’ve entered or sponsored
Your sales volume for the month
Those glowing testimonials from happy customers
Successful collaborations with colleagues
Charities and causes you support and believe in
Products or services you offer that help change people’s lives
Business-building tools and software you love
Coaches and mentors who have helped you succeed
The blog post that earned you 100′s of comments
Your proudest moment as an entrepreneur
Times you’ve been in the spotlight
Your secret sauce for success

So don’t believe it when someone tells you “bragging” is bad.

It’s just the opposite – it’s good for business — and it’s essential to your success.

So …
If you could choose just ONE thing to “brag” about today, what would it be?

Post it in the comment box and let’s see how fast we can fill “The Brag Bag”!

What’s Your Online Persona?

By Melanie Kissell 8 Comments

Your “second life” – the one you live on the internet – requires strategies for basic online reputation management and essentials for creating your online persona.

Persona? What’s that?!

In a nutshell, it’s your fabulous presence online – your Fab Factor.

A little fuzzy on the concept?

Here’s the dictionary version of persona:

The role that one assumes or displays in public or society; one’s public image or personality, as distinguished from one’s inner self; a person’s perceived personality, personal image; public role.

The key word here is “public” and in this case – your online public. So remember …

The information you post and share online has all the confidentiality of a postcard.

Assume anything you post or—are tagged by—is visible to the world‐at‐large. Know what’s out there about you and monitor your digital dirt!

You can influence your own online persona in lots of ways and on a wide variety of platforms – social media venues, blogs, personal website, and social bookmarking sites to name a few.

Following general netiquette rules is a must. And remember that developing an online persona is a process, not a transaction.

Want to know more about how to create a fab persona online? Claim your FREE report from my friend Cathy Goodwin, “3 Easy and Essential Steps to Create Your Fabulous Presence Online”. It’s only 5 pages long and you’ll learn things like why being “intriguing” is much more important than being “memorable”.

You need to know this information since you want to attract more clients and sell more products online, right?

Filed Under: Blogging, Bragging, Building relationships online Tagged With: Blogging, Bragging, Cathy Goodwin, Create an online presence, Online persona

Babies Can Teach Us A Lot About Marketing

By Melanie Kissell 6 Comments

Babies are soft and sweet and gentle, wouldn’t you agree?

But sometimes they can be doggone loud!

Those are the moments they will instantly and effectively grab your attention, awaken you from a sound sleep, call you away from the dinner table, or even cut your shower super short.

What can you learn from babies that will help you market your business online?

Babies are great at taking center stage, tooting their own horns, and getting someone to take action. And that’s exactly what you need to do as an online marketer in order to reach your business goals.

Pardon the pun, but you can’t take “baby steps” and be shy about it. Many solo professionals I’ve met would rather do a root canal on a Rottweiler than promote themselves. They’re afraid of coming across as sales-y and no one likes a pain-in-the-patootie sales person.

I’m not suggesting you annoy your target market by pitching, pouncing, prodding, and pestering (loud and obnoxious never wins any awards). Instead, learn how to become an expert at Bragging — the right way.

Your clients and potential clients want to work with a winner, someone who is skilled at alleviating their pain and solving their problems. They want you to brag and they want to brag about you.

Ask yourself these questions as you put together your marketing messages: “Why would someone want to hire YOU? What are your strongest selling points that set you apart and make you stand out? If someone were to brag about you, what would they say?”

Friend and colleague, Cathy Goodwin of Copy Cat Copywriting, has an mp3 recording and 25-page workbook called Bragging101 for under twenty dollars that is a phenomenal tool that teaches you how to market confidently without sounding like a used car salesman. I use it in my own business and refer back to it often. If you have a fear of bragging, check it out.

If your current marketing strategy and self-promotion resembles that of a sleeping baby, it’s time to wake it up!

{mysig}

Filed Under: Bragging, Build an online empire, Making money on the internet, Online Marketing, Online Promotions Tagged With: Bragging, Cathy Goodwin, Internet business success, Marketing your services online, Online Promotions

10 Ideas For Using Twitter As A Results-Driven Marketing Tool

By Melanie Kissell 14 Comments

Listen to this post if you like!

I’m a big fan of Twitter and I believe Social Media Marketing is essential if you’re trying to build your business online.

You can’t turn a blind eye, ignore the fact, sweep it under the rug, or crawl into a hole of denial. Take a look at television ads these days. Social media venues are here to stay!

The last time I checked, Twitter is growing in popularity by 40% a month! If you’re struggling or confused about out how to utilize Twitter as an effective, results-driven marketing tool, let me share some strategies that will help you to get the most out of Twitter.

Keep these guidelines handy for using Twitter to brand yourself and market your business:

Provide value and share biz tips and tools
Create anticipation
Drive conversation
Showcase your Biz
Announce important events and product launches
Build community
Be helpful and answer questions
Brag a bit! You deserve it. And show a little personality!
Experiment with giveaways, discounts, and contests
Post surveys

In keeping with proper and acceptable etiquette, make sure that less than 10% of your Tweets 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!

Communicate newsworthy items and events and be sure to ask your followers to Re-Tweet messages for you.

Speak in your authentic voice and show why your biz and you are pretty cool!

Send out welcome Tweets to new followers (no selling, please) 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 keep relationship building your highest priority.

Not quite sure how to “brag” the right way on Twitter?

The biggest challenge is getting over the “fear” of bragging. 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) Tiny investment – Big results!

{mysig}

Filed Under: Bragging, Building relationships online, Internet Marketing Tools, Online Marketing, Social Media Marketing, Social Networking Tagged With: Bragging, Cathy Goodwin, Free marketing tools, Marketing your services online, Twitter

10 Ways To Get The Most Out Of Twitter As A Marketing Tool

By Melanie Kissell Leave a Comment

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.

{mysig}