Empowerment Diva Launches New Facebook Marketing Training for Christian Women In Business

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Every aspiring, emerging and established writer should attend at least one writer’s conference a year for not only the need to market your ideas/works, but to stay on top of the changes in the publishing world and, even more importantly, to establish best practices for your business as a writer. That’s right! In today’s world, writers –artists – need to be entrepreneurial in the sense that you need to create and establish methods/skills that will help you to achieve whatever goals and outcomes you have set for your works (your business). I had the pleasure of attending the James River Writer’s annual Writer’s Conference (http://www.jamesriverwriters.org/) October 19-20, 2013 in Richmond, Virginia. Although I was a moderator for a panel on small to mid-sized publishers, I also was there as an author and playwright. And I was there to LEARN. As such, here are 5 takeaways I wish to share with you that I hope will help you navigate not only this difficult terrain of publishing, but to get you thinking strategically and critically about what it takes to be  a successful 21^st Century author.

The Publishing World is Ever-Changing

• First, know the intentions for your work. What do you want to do with it? Sell it to the highest bidder? Get in on the bookshelves? Build credibility?
• Research which aspects of publishing you wish to delve into that will help you build upon your intentions
• There 5 significant areas of publishing today:  Traditional, Small Press, DIY (Do-it-Yourself), Partner Publishing, or Assisted Publishing. Take the time to see which one is the best fit for your reality at this moment in time (i.e., your budget, your work/family schedule, etc)
• Advances are going the way of the dinosaur and yet, you are expected to put in even more work, time and energy to market your book…after you’ve nearly killed yourself writing the book J

Build Your Brand

• Create a platform – Who are you and what do you write about? Who are your readers and where can they be found?
• Be consistent in your message  (i.e., the verbage, design, marketing, etc)
• Put together a team of experts to help you do this (check out freelancing sites or pull from your network)

Social Media Presence is a MUST (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, Pinterest, etc)

• It’s part of your brand identity
• It’s a way to reach your intended audience
• It’s a way to stay connected/available to your audience
• But know your strengths/weaknesses with this skill set because working social media is a skill. (see bullet 3 in Build Your Brand above)

Create a Pitch for Your Work

• This is for both conferences and any other social interaction opportunity
• A pitch is a 30 second to 1 minute blurb which contains 5 essential elements: who you are, what other books your book is similar to, 250 mini-synopsis of the storyline, and the market the book is targeted for
• Practice, practice, practice delivering your pitch in a mirror
• Remember, you never know where you’ll meet an agent or publisher. So be prepared!!

Create a Logline for Your Work

• A logline is 1 sentence descriptor of your storyline.
• For example, here’s mine for my novel, Murder on Second Street: The Jackson Ward Murders: “It’s October 1929, and WWI veteran and securities specialist Sy Sanford has been hired to find and stop the killer of Negro working class women in the affluent Negro neighborhood of Jackson Ward, but Sy has two big problems: he’s a drunk in the age of Prohibition and the killer has now targeted the love of his life.” It’s a little wordy, but it’s one sentence and it tells the meat of the story as well as the time period of the work: 1929. So you know that this is a work of historical fiction.
• Commit to memory the logline
• Remember, you not only never know where you’ll meet an agent or publisher, but a reader! Once you say you have written a book, they will ask the million dollar question: “So what is your book about?” BE PREPARED!!

No one knows your story better than you, so give it the best chance to reach its intended audience and be successful (whatever that means for you). No longer can writers afford to sit behind the computer screen or notepad in anonymity hoping that their agent or publisher will push the work for them. You have to get out there and do the work yourself today. We live in a technologically driven world with many different routes of communication that we expect everyone to use. You simply cannot realistically avoid Facebook or Twitter, I am sad to say. Just learn how to use it strategically – know its place in the marketing of your work.

Surround yourself with hard-working, driven people who believe in your product and get to work. And spend the money to attend a great writer’s conference. It will not only help save your sanity, but thousands of dollars in avoidable mistakes from lack of information/knowledge. Writing is a business.

Rebekah

Go to http://www.sharvette.com/authors

In my latest Black Success audio, I share tips I learned from millionaire business expert Richelle Shaw on how to grow your customer base. 

Click here to listen to this short audio. 

Plus click here for more Black Success audios.

What question would you like to ask about business success, growing your business, any aspect of business success?  What one burning issue is on your mind?  Click here to post your question on the Success Strategies FB page. 

Here's to your success!

It may come as a surprise to know that PowerPoint is still a powerful tool AND it offers another easy way to create social media images!

As you may be aware, Facebook, Twitter and other social media sites don't allow you to upload a PowerPoint slide/presentation however ANY PowerPoint slide can be saved as a JPEG or PNG. Just click on Save As, and then select JPEG or PNG from the Save as Type drop-down menu.

PowerPoint then asks if you want to export every slide or just the current slide. Select Current Slide Only, and you have an image file of your PowerPoint slide. If you’re comfortable using PowerPoint, take advantage of this capability to create social media images, images for your blog or website.

Thanks for the tip: Jill Celeste

Sharvette Mitchell

http://mitchell-productions.com/blog/view/507/make_any_powerpoint_slide_a_social_media_graphic_

Hello Community, Juniques Media Services

 http://www.mybusinessaz.com

I am actively networking with many organizations. I get informed of a lot of online and offline business developments. Some companies are ready to command  market share in their industry.

I have searched for a long time for a company that would provide me this service. Directing people to a 800# and get paid.

Years ago, directing people to 800# and 900# was very lucrative.

That market still exist, however, very expensive to be part of those companies.

Thanks to 123MGroup, that is not the case. 

You may want to check this out and recommend. 

This service definitely is a great "fit" for people who mean it when they say "I do not like to sell", " I prefer not to be involved with MLM companies", " I have limited funds", " I do not have monies to purchases products I do not need or use".

I am sure you can add to this list of "why I do not get started in business".

Advertising is here to stay.  Companies are going to advertise.  Successful companies will seek new customers. Successful companies, will control their personnel cost, as they, acquire new customers.

This is a great benefit for vendors. They can reach more people and keep their acquisition cost low.

As promoters of 800#, we can a great income.

We urgently need advertising agents around the country. We provide you with a your own 800# acct to promote. No fees to join. WE will train you and we provide customer support for English and Spanish speaking persons.

We have many clients ready for their business to be advertised. You can promote online and offline Just have qualified people call your 800 number  and you can get paid!!! http://www.mybusinessaz.com

The "Shout Out Line" is now OPEN for the Sharvette Mitchell Radio Show! Call and record your 10 second shout out for your business, event, special or etc. It will be aired on an upcoming show... Courtesy of www.Sharvette.com

Do you have a product or service you can sell to Walmart?

Walmart has just survived a class action lawsuit by the skin of their teeth. To get ahead of potential smaller lawsuits they are announcing the above initiative. So jump in and take advantage of this golden opportunity. Use guilt to your advantage.

Contact your regional manager of Walmart to offer your goods and services to take advantage of  this window of opportunity.

For the full press story see the link below.

ttp://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-09-14/wal-mart-to-announce-multibillion-dollar-women-s-initiative.html

Michelle S. Hawkins

Celebrating my 500th post with a giveaway.

http://wirequeen.blogspot.com/2012/10/celebrating-my-500th-post-with-giveway.html

Pursue Peace –that you may discover your Purpose. Allow your Purpose to become your Passion And your Passion will give you Power, that will Propel you to your Place in destiny And Prosperity will meet you there.

So, What inspires you? How can we help?

Hear this show from today where I was interviewed about the new Branding Superstar University that we are launching in 2013, click to listen, Motown Writers Network

Fire Up Your Client Attraction now via Social Media - Surefire Keys to Get Clients, Visibility and Profit Using Social Media

I think you’re doing it right. I wouldn’t mix your Rep and RTA businesses. Those are separate opportunities that need to be marketed separately. The key is going to be content. Keep posting content that will engage people, ask questions, and post content that people will want to share. Particularly in travel, several of our vendors have Facebook pages with videos and photos you can reshare on your page. With non-profit fundraising in particular, Carnival has a great fundraising program that I doubt many people know about. How about putting together a group to raise funds for the church youth group? Maybe a marriage encounter with the pastor? Then, ask them to share photos of their trip and recap how much money was raised for the youth group. Get testimonialsand post them on your page letting everyone know you are their travel professional of choice. Another way to help grow your page, make sure that you’re telling your clients about it. When you meet newly engaged couples, tell them to connect on your Facebook page. (If you have some current clients with honeymoon registries, ask them for an engagement picture to announce on your page and tell people about their registry.) There are so many things that you can do. Get creative. Don’t be afraid to start conversations. One more, if you know any area RTAswho have pages, ask them to help you get the conversation going by responding on your page, and then you do the same for them. Sometimes if you can just get a few of your friends talking, the conversation will follow from potential customers. I hope this helps you Gordon! Just remember to have fun!”

Click here and get started today.
http://products.ytb.com/travel/default.htm?wa=rushing&rta=2288966

It is my pleasure to introduce to you our PeopleWhoProsper Feature Entrepreneur, Janét Aizenstros. Her story speaks for itself but in a nutshell let me say, WOW. This woman has had some hard times yet has triumphed to become a successful founder, CEO and executive producer of her own radio talk shows. She is the founder of JAOM (Janét Aizenstros Omni Media). Her motto is "helping women be the change, they want to see." JAOM offers several programs which include coaching and wealth management services and radio talk shows, among many others.  Being a licensed life coach, Janét explains, "My primary focus is to teach the fundamental principles of mind, health and wealth from a holistic perspective. She shares more in her interview with me about how she has PROSPERED. Enjoy!

1.Tell me your story. What were you doing before you started your own business?

I am the founder and CEO of JAOM (Janét Aizenstros  Omni Media), which is dedicated to the empowerment and advancement of women worldwide. As an award-winning entrepreneur, internationally recognized writer and radio host, I enjoy teaching women how to achieve the level of success they aspire to attain. My dedication to changing lives has truly motivated other women to capture their visions and dream beyond their current circumstance.

The vision of JAOM is "helping women be the change, they want to see." Well, I am definitely a living testament to self-healing and transformation. After, drastically changing my mind, health and wealth in 2010, I have made it my life's mission to seeing other women achieve the level of success they so aspire to attain.

Through my business savvy and charismatic personality, I've taken my extensive  corporate credentials and are lending those same principles to building my online empire. JAOMONLINE.com is an online platform for women who are "the first to acquire the best" and residence to Editorial  M.O.M, Life Masters Now Success Coaching, Masters Now Wealth Management Group, Masters Now Wealth Mastermind, I am...Janét, Women's Movement Radio Network,  and additional services to further the empowerment of women.  The primary focus of all these program is to instill the importance of three vital components to having a successful business; by creating a solid mindset while achieving great health and secure wealth creation.

I am a licensed practitioner of the Law Of Attraction.  I received my certification under Dr. Joe Vitale (featured in the film The Secret). My primary focus is to  teach the fundamental principles of mind, health and wealth from a holistic perspective.

I've  partnered with many leading international companies to offer women the opportunity to learn how to achieve the Positive Feeling Frequency™, which I  describe in detail in my upcoming book Live Free.

"I want women to know how to master their mind, time and finances.  My desire is to see women succeeding in every aspect of their lives, so they will know what it really feels like to live free and on their own terms."

2. What made you want to start a business and what is your mission?

In September 2010, I had a miscarriage, a close family friend the same age as me died -- leaving behind a 9 month old child and my ex-husband's best-friend, his daughter (age 5) was diagnosed with a rare form of leukemia.  All of these events happened on the same day.  I decided I could no longer go on living unhappy.  I didn't start my business right away but I began working on myself, my spirit.  I remember a few weeks later sitting in my kids playroom by myself asking G-d how does He take a heart of stone and make it a heart of flesh again."  Later, that year I was introduced to a network marketing business that gave me the start-up capital to start my business. However, I didn't want to build a network marketing business.  I started reading books and taking courses.

Then I had an Aha moment! In the midst of it all I started a small blog talk radio program called Mommypreneur. I started marketing it to other women network groups overseas because my network marketing business [helped me] capture [an] international audience. I began trying to launch Mommypreneur here in North America but it didn't capture an audience the way I thought.  While, doing the program, women began inquiring if there was an online outlet they could contact me.  I had a blog but I really didn't use it consistently.  I started writing business articles and I became bored because it reminded me of when I worked in corporate.  One night, I started going through my emails and noticed all the emails were relationship based from moms around the world.  Now, I couldn't understand why they would be asking me about relationships because I never spoke about relationships in my program and especially my own. If I did, many would have known I was separated and going through a divorce.  I woke up in the middle of the night and it came to me.  RELATIONSHIPS!!  I spoke to my coach about my apprehension about talking about relationships and she shared that I could relate to women [in] all walks of a relationship.  She showed me how I had been single, married, mother, separated and eventually divorced. I never thought about it that way. I decided I wasn't just going to create another relationship blog, it would have to be reflective of me.  I am honest about who I am with my audience which is why I feel so many women have contacted me. I use my intellectualism mixed with my love of pop culture to convey my message. JAOM is to be an online lifestyle site.  I talk about everything that is me...life, love and lifestyle.  All I did was blend who I am with my existing businesses.  I ended the Mommypreneur program but I have rebranded it under Moms Movement Radio.  My blog gave me a diversified audience that I am happy to receive fan mail from daily.  Also, I've heard claims that it's followed by certain celebrity moms, whether it's true or not I embrace it all.  I make my living at being me, there is no greater feeling than that.

3. What inspires you? What keeps you motivated daily to keep growing your business?

No sleep! LOL  Seriously, I have alway had exceptional time management + great organization skills + diligent consistency with lots of meditation. lol  This is my remedy for success.

4. Do you have a mentor? Who is it and why? Do you believe it's important to have one?

With the vast amount of social media networks for businesses to select from, how do you narrow it down to the ones that are perfect for your needs? Having thousands at your fingertip to sift thru can become a daunting task!

To streamline the process, ask yourself the Who? What? Where? How?

1. Who are your customers?
2. What are their needs and desires?
3. Where do they live?
4. How much time do you commit to managing social media?
5. How do you search for a ’niche’ network?
6. How do you monitor and protect your online image?

There are literally thousands of social media networks. To decide which will work for your business, it is important to know your customer. Let’s get it straight… EVERYONE is NOT your customer. Though it would be nice to claim them all, it is impossible to be all things to all people. So, it is best to know and understand your target market.

What are their needs and desires?

Do you know why customers buy your product or service? If not, you should make it your business to find out. Ultimately, you want to increase sales and grow your business, right? Well, to do that, you must get inside their heads to learn their needs and desires?

In essence, understanding their needs is extremely important. Ask questions and concentrate on what the customer is really saying. Always paraphrase at the appropriate time to make sure you understand. Check out their body language. Are they at ease or in a defense mode? You should avoid making assumptions as it will only ignite the situation.

Did you know that it costs five to six times as much to get a new customer as it does to keep a current one? Make sure your customer’s needs are taken care of and that you have follow up procedures in place.

Where do they live?

Have you figured out which networks are most frequented by potential and existing customers, vendors or partners? If not, do the research! Developing a strategy begins with targeting the right people. Find the networks that work best. Doing so, you will eventually see a ROI (return on investment).

How much time do you commit to managing social media?

To manage time when using social media can be a juggling act. It is important to allocate a certain amount of time daily or weekly. Monitor what your top distractions are and eliminate them. Find tools that can help you manage multiple platforms.

4 MUST Have Social Tools:

• Hootsuite: a social media management system for businesses to collaboratively execute campaigns across multiple social networks from one secure, web-based dashboard.
• NutshellMail: takes copies of all your latest updates in your social networking accounts and places them in a snapshot email; updates are sent to your primary email address on your schedule.
• Crowdbooster: offers social media analytics with suggestions and tools to help you improve your online presence.
• Zite: a free personalized magazine that automatically learns what you like and gets smarter every time you use it; tracks your data to help personalize your magazine and the magazines of others.

While it’s beneficial to be on major social media networks such as Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn, it is equally important to connect to industry related networks. To find those related to your industry, simply search using key words such as ‘social networks for ‘…’

An Example of 4 ‘Niche’ Networks:

• Business and Technology Experts: http://www.focus.com/
• Event Planners: http://www.weddingsocialnetworking.com/
• Legal: http://www.lawyrs.net/ or http://www.legalplayground.com/
• Real Estate/Construction: http://www.upworld.com/welcome.html

Do you know what people are saying about you or your brand? Negative comments can destroy your credibility. Google alerts will monitor you and your business name. Once you sign up, you will receive alerts when your name or brand is mentioned.

• Google Alerts: http://www.google.com/alerts

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this complete blurb with it: Sylvia Browder is a small business consultant, trainer and author. She is founder of National Association Women on the Rise, a virtual community for aspiring and established women entrepreneurs. She has served as an online volunteer SCORE counselor since 2004. For FREE weekly articles go to Sylvia Browder’s Blog for Women Entrepreneurs, www.sylviabrowder.com.

Ready to UPLEVEL your business and life? Learn more about our new membershipprogram.

Register TODAY for our weekly ezine, http://sylviabrowder.com/free-weekly-e-zine.html

There are many ways to get followers on Twitter. There are

authentic ways and there are gimmicky ways. You want to make sure that you don’t
do the latter if you want to have any level of  sustained success using Twitter effectively.

So what is one quick and easy way to attract more Twitter
followers?

Retweeting. Yes you read it right. Retweeting.

With this method, you take the original twitter message
someone else has posted, and rebroadcast that same message to your followers. When broadcasting the message, you should
definitely give credit to the original poster.  I know at first it may sound like this will only be good for the original tweeter, but
retweeting can actually benefit you just as much if not more because;

1.  It provides added value to your followers.

 And you do want to provide added value correct? This will
definitely increase the know, like and trust factor. You are also more likely to attract followers. Providing quality content is always a great way to build your business no
matter what platform you use.

2. It will enhance your brand.

 If you point a reader to a source of good information that is truly relevant and beneficial to them, the amount of trust that they have in you will increase.

3. You build relationships with the original tweeter.

 Of course you shouldn’t retweet simply because you want
someone to retweet yours, however, giving will enhance your chances of
receiving reciprocation.

It’s all about providing value to your followers so don’t just retweet any and everything.

The bottom line is retweeting is a great way to add quality
and value to your Twitter page. If done right, retweeting can help
you educate your followers, build your personal brand, increase
future traffic, and connect you to other great people in your
niche.

On the flip side you want to be careful that you don’t use
this incorrectly, retweeting can actually hurt your personal brand and future
traffic. Keep your focus on treating your followers like gold. Don’t ever send
them to inappropriate websites or spam them with one sales pitch after another. I
share more about the proper ratio in my WWV Ultimate Twitter Challenge.

Always keep in mind that you want them to trust what you
have to say and the way you do this is to tweet added value content. Content
that will support them in finding solutions for their problems. You want to
stay top of mind as the go to person for what they’re looking for when they
need it and want it. Do this and you will increase your chances of getting the
results you desire.

How will you use this information? Learning is good, however, application is key.

I invite you to join other savvy business owners and aspiring as they turn their Twitter Frustration into World Wide visibility and explode their business success online! Take the Challenge. I will help you set the foundation to extend your reach 1000s and explode your business success online without the stress. Go to the WWV Ultimate Twitter Challenge enrollment page here.

Talk soon!

__________________________________________________________

Want to use this in your newsletter,Ezine, on your blog or
website? You can as long as you include the following blurb.

Robin Tramble CEO and Visionary of Robin Tramble
International Empowers Savvy Women, Aspiring, New and Enterprising
Entrepreneurial women to manifest their bold, brilliant, confident, empowered
self, get laser focused and unstuck so they can get out there in a big way while
prospering and make a difference in the world “authentically!” Robin was named
1 of 25 urban entrepreneurs to follow on Twitter and is an Empowerment and
Certified Social Media Marketing Campaign Specialist. Robin invites you to
apply for her World Wide Visibility Social Media Strategy Session by going towww.wwvsocialmedia.info

As a parent, you have probably already had the “sex talk” with your teenage son or daughter, but have you had the “sexting” talk? ‘Sexting’ is the practice of sending sexually explicit messages or images electronically, primarily via mobile phone. These messages and images can spread like wildfire through schools or even across the country and can even get posted on public websites—turning what may have seemed like a harmless act into one with severe consequences.

If you don’t think this is a problem with teens, think again. According to CommonSenseMedia.org, 22% of teen girls and 20% of teen boys have sent nude or semi-nude photos of themselves and 38% of all teens believe that exchanging such sexy content makes dating or hooking up with others more likely. Wow, those are sobering statistics.

As a security expert, I want to help parents deal with this growing problem and keep their children (and themselves) out of harm’s way. Here are some tips from my new ebook, Safe Text: Protecting Your Teens from the Dangers of Texting:

• Give your teen clear rules on what they can and can’t do with their mobile phone.
• Learn how to use and monitor your teen’s mobile phones.

• Talk about pressures to send revealing photos. Let teens know that you understand that they can be pushed or dared into sending something. Tell them that no matter how big the social pressure is, the potential social humiliation will be hundreds of times worse.

• Remind them that once an image is sent, it can never be retrieved – and they will lose control of it.

• The buck stops with them. If someone sends them a photo, have them delete it immediately

Don’t forget to enter the contest on Facebook to win a Kindle Fire @ www.protectyourteens.com

Contact us at: diane@protectyourteens.com

www.protectyourteens.com   or www.securityfirstassociates.com

When it comes to the internet and social media activity, nothing can beat the flaming blaze of social buzz  that social media sites have created. In fact, social media networking and interaction have become an integral part of our lifestyles, especially in business.

Many social media sites are among the "What's Happening Now" and the "Who's Who" of which anyone can make themselves seen and heard, without much effort.

As business owners, we have the ability to mold, create and build Fame and credible reputations rather quickly. In face, there are many businesses today that are dependent upon the activity of social media sites to drive traffic, user interests, and new connections. Therefore, if not careful, the pinnacle of the social media claim to fame can also be dangerous if not handled correctly.

Read more: http://wattspublishinggroup.com/social-media-activity-and-you/

Every speaker and author is told they must have a    “PLATFORM.”

What exactly does that mean????

A platform is just your key message. It is the position and influence you have on a subject that is informative, interesting, inspiring and thought-provoking.

Your platform is the message that you STAND ON that reaches your core audience. It is your calling, your charge.

Your platform is the message you STAND FOR that gets people to move, take action, rally behind and/or solve a problem. It’s BIGGER than YOU!

A platform is like a “movement.” It is like a mission – and you feel you’ve been assigned to promote it.

What does an established platform look like?
1. You generate excitement/energy to an audience

2. You have attracted national media attention, have star
power or the “celebrity factor”  – ready for the Red Carpet.

3.  You are often quoted and looked upon as an expert by peers

4. You are sought-out to deliver keynote presentations or workshops or consult with “A” list clients / corporations

5.  You have created a fan-base that promotes your message to others that gives you referrals

6.  You have a large database, social media following and strong brand presence in the marketplace
WHEW!

Now that we know what a “Platform” is and what a successful platform looks like, let’s look at how to build your platform for your book or your speaking career.
Here’s how to establish a platform:

1. Brand. Look like where you want to go.  Have the look of “celebrity.” Have a professional photo shoot. Hire an image consultant. Let’s be real: lose weight if you have to – image is everything.
2. Have a spectacular biography. List your awards, activities, media hits, add testimonials and your photo to the bio sheet. This is called a “one sheet.” (see Candace’s above) I have launched many speakers careers by writing bios that became their “ticket” to where they needed to go – even before their book was published.  I crafted their “speaking topics” and secured  “A -list” endorsements. This was the foundation of their careers and they still use it to this day.
3. Speak, give workshops, seminars. Volunteer your times at churches, schools or hospitals. No one is calling to PAY you to speak YET, so speak for free! Just get shots of you in action and video.
4. Write. Yes, you hear that you need a platform to publish a book – but in reality a book can establish your platform. It’s easy to self-publish these days. Go to www.essence-publishing.com and get a free publishing kit. And if you need help, hire a ghost writer or a book coach.
5. Pitch yourself to the media as an expert. Contact radio, TV, newspapers or magazines and offer your expertise. A quick way to get exposure is to regularly call-in to talk shows and join the conversation.  You can get to know the producers of the shows that way.  If you are afraid to “sell” yourself  – get a PR coach to help bolster your confidence and tell you what to say.
6. Write Op/Ed (opinion editorials) or columns for your local newspaper or regional magazine. Make sure your byline includes your “spectacular bio,” links and contact information.
7. Host your own conference, community outreach event or mini-seminar series.  Invite other expert speakers that will help “validate” your platform.  Make the event FREE so you pack in as many people as possible to showcase your skill. Make sure you alert the media. Because the event is free, pitch a public service announcement (PSA) to broadcast stations. Get listings in the daily newspapers.
8. Secure a leadership position in a non-profit. Offer your expertise to the organization pro-bono and ask for letters of reference, testimonials and referrals.
9. Blog! Grow your social media following. Become a thought-leader by sharing your thoughts online. Dive into Facebook (set up a ‘fan’ page) and Twitter and connect them to your blog. Make sure you are delivering value and offering solutions to problems. Search out other blogs to guest blog too.
10. People have to hear you and see you. Set up a Youtube channel and post up videos of yourself in action. Post up videos of those who have heard your presentations too. Promote your videos via your social media channels such as Twitter, Facebook and Linkedin.
11. Podcast. Become a radio show host on Blogtalkradio. Interview other experts in your field and promote the podcast on your blog and syndicate it for free iTunes. Get an account at Cincast deliver messages anytime, anywhere across the internet.
12. Build a database. This is hub of your platform. Make sure you build an email database and regularly communicate with them via an email newsletter. Drive traffic to your website/blogsite from your social media sites and capture their email addresses by offering a “free” gift that is representative of your brand. This should be a free gift that is so convincing of your expertise that they will stay connected to you over time and eventually become a “raving fan.”
13. Joint venture and partner with others. Do teleseminars or webinars with other speakers/authors that compliment your platform. This is a good way to get exposure to a new audience. You promote them to your audience and they promote you to theirs.  Win-win synergy

Bottom line: in order to have an established platform – you need numbers and influence. The more exposure you have, the greater opportunity for others to really know, like and trust you.  Once  you have their trust, they will spread the message of your platform to others.  And word of mouth is still the best form of advertising.

It’s all about people and how you are positioned to make difference to make an impact in people’s lives. It’s ministry really. See www.LaunchLikeaSuperstar.com

See www.PamPerryPRCoach.com too for free MP3 and www.ChocolatePagesNetwork.com! (FREE social network for  authors)

Pam Perry, is a PR coach, social media strategist, co-founder Perry + Williams and chief visionary at Ministry Marketing Solutions Inc. in Farmington, Mich.

Visit her at www.MinistryMarketingSolutions.com and get her podcasts on Blogtalkradio too!

Facebook has become the new battleground for parents and teens –a place where teens are trying to gain more independence and parents are trying to keep them safe.  When it comes to ‘Friending’ your parents, not all teens are ready to click the “accept” button and feel having their parents become part of their online community is similar to having their parents read their diary.

Some parents are opting to not step foot onto this virtual battleground and are choosing to not even attempt to become Facebook ‘Friends’ with their children.  As a security expert, this is a move I do not endorse—in fact, I sit firmly in the camp that becoming your child’s Facebook ‘Friend’ is one of the key ways to keep them safe during their teen years.

Why?  Here are 3 reasons why it is important for parents to become Facebook ‘Friends’ with their teens:

It allows you to monitor your child’s online activity and conversations in a very real and honest way.  They know you are there, they invited you in—it is not as if you are sneaking into their room and looking through their drawers.

It helps deter the posting of inappropriate messages and photos.  Before a teen posts a message or photo they will be thinking ‘is this something I would want my mom or dad to see?’  If the answer is no, they won’t post it—keeping them from making what could be a very big mistake.  In addition, if you do see inappropriate messages or photos being posted, this is a great way to begin those somewhat hard conversations with your children.

You get valuable insight into what is happening in their offline world.  Not that you need (or want) to know how many times Susie broke up with Billy, but just seeing what your child is posting and/or is having posted to their page, gives you a glimpse into what is happening IRT (In Real Time).  This may explain changes in behavior and help encourage offline discussions.

Let's Protect our Teens

www.proectyourteens.com

www.securityfirstassociates.com