Social Networking | Solo Mompreneur

“Tug of War” For Entrepreneurs

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.

Filed Under: Blogging, Brand yourself online, Building relationships online, Internet Marketing Tools, Social Media Marketing, Social Networking Tagged With: Facebook, LinkedIn, Online Communities, Online Visibility, Quora, Social Networking, Tug of war, Twitter, website design

I Don’t Care if Your Only Talent is Loading up the Perfect Pencil Holder with Pencils

By Melanie Kissell 37 Comments

The title of this post is a quote from my friend, Lisbeth Tanz, of Your Words Your Voice. She’s a one-of-a-kind amazing lady. Check her out and be sure to follow Lis on Twitter.

Have you ever heard entrepreneurs saying things like the following?

“I don’t know fancy stuff like FTP.”

“I could never create videos. That’s too hard.”

“I’m not good at writing.”

“I don’t understand social media. It’s complicated.”

“I’m a small fish in a big pond. No one will ever notice me.”

“I can’t do anything technical.”

“I know I need to craft an irresistible freebie. But I don’t have anything special to offer.”

“I can’t compete with the gurus. They know everything.”

“I’m just a mom. I don’t have any profitable skills.”

Yikes!!

Allow me to jump right up on my soapbox and set the record straight!

Every one of us knows how to do SOMETHING.

Just start THERE.

Rome wasn’t built in a day and neither was a website, a blog, or a business!

Being an entrepreneur means being willing to learn as you go and learn as you grow.

What advice would you give a newbie entrepreneur who thinks he or she is lacking in skills or talents?

Filed Under: Blogging, Brand yourself online, Following Your Passion, Improving writing skills, Making money on the internet, Moms in Business, Online Marketing, Small business owners, Social Media Marketing Tagged With: Business, entrepreneurs, newbies online, small business start ups, Social Networking, Twitter

It’s Viral – for Better or for Worse

By Melanie Kissell 5 Comments

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.