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This is part 2 of a 4 part series where I'm sharing the essential systems entrepreneurs must have in place to support a solid brand.

System #1: Customer engagement

iStock_000007773142Medium-150x150.jpg?width=150Brand support system number one is about the way in which you engage your customers. This is the process by which you create a path of attraction to your business. It's the way that you make it easy for prospects to meet you, to love what you do, to test drive your services. This might look like your current opt-in strategy. Or it may even be the type of events you host that attract people to your business.

Creating an easy path for prospects to engage is critical to building your pool of interested buyers. As a system, this path should be outlined in such a way that you can powerfully reflect your brand with ease. The goal is to create a connection between you as a solution provider and the potential client, or prospect.

What is evident when you view an entrepreneur’s website is whether or not there is an easy way to determine your next step. Successful entrepreneurs are clear in the single action they would like for a viewer to take when visiting their website the first time. But unfortunately too many business owners fail to streamline the instruction for their prospect. There is no opt-in form. There is nothing “sticky" about the page that keeps a person there, so viewers leave after only visiting a few seconds.

One example of a way to engage customers that capitalizes on the way they first interacted with you is to create a social media landing page. This blog post by visibility guru Nancy Marmalejo tells you how to do this: http://vivavisibilityblog.com/social-networking-landing-page/.

There are other ways to engage your customer or prospect. One of the most widely used ways is to develop a strong opt in form. A blog post by marketing diva Ali Brown shares great insight into how to make this work for you: http://www.alibrown.com/blog/?p=722.

The key to customer engagement is to entice prospective buyers within the first few seconds so they can receive your valuable information.



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About the Author: Tanya Smith is a creative business strategist specializing in showing coaches, consultants and freelancers how to spend more time making money with simple, yet profitable marketing systems. Her company Be Promotable provides clients with fresh actionable strategies and virtual resources to promote their small businesses as power players in their market. Claim your instant access to a free 10 part ecourse, 10 Ways To Grow Your List at: www.bepromotable.com.
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I've been studying copy quite a bit lately because I want to improve my own business brand and make sure my stuff gets more eyes on it! What about you? Doesn't that matter to your business? Writing good copy is actually ESSENTIAL to your success, so even if you choose to outsource your writing, you should be familiar with at least the basics.Study and save this simple list of words you can use to attract more views.
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System #2: Customer Relationship Management

The customer relationship management system refers to the way you take care of your current customers. It may be the way that you process their intake into doing new business with you. It's about how you provide here and service once your clients have already paid or invested in your services. Ultimately the goal is for prospects to become clients and eventually to become raving fans for your business. This happens when you treat current clients or fans very well.

How do you deliver on the promises that you make in your brand. Does it require a lot of manual labor? Can you automate delivery of your services? Can you set up systems with the click of a button that will accept payment and deliver on the promise? If you're conducting a coaching group is there self-service function word new clients can go and access their profiles, pay an invoice, create a support case? This is all part of delivering on your brand promises.
When you have easy tools and systems in place it's much easier for your clients to rave about your services and to refer others to them as well. A great service experience can immediately expand your level of influence and authority.

I am a huge fan of Customer Relationship Management systems (CRM). CRMs were like a dream come true because I was tired of manually tracking loose pieces of paper, sticky notes, e-mails that flooded my inbox from people I worked with. A solid CRM can manage projects, automate your billing, and make it easy for you to find essential correspondence between you and the customer. Examples of great CRMs to research for your business include BaseCamp, Salesforce, Capsule CRM, and WorkEtc.

Another part of the relationship management, however, involves your approach to follow-up. Send Out Cards is a simple but highly distinctive way to show your clients you care. I purchased an account with the company years ago but did not realize the power of the program until I used it to mail personalized postcards to members of a course I was teaching online. It really made an impact with my clients to receive a special thank you from the right at their doorstep.

Trust me, in this age of Internet marketing a postcard or greeting card will help you stand out from the crowd. It will also help to solidify the emotional connection with your customer, which has the potential to generate more sales. Besides, sales are really about creating a personal experience for the buyer.

WANT TO RE-POST THIS ARTICLE ON YOUR BLOG OR USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR EZINE, E-NEWSLETTER OR WEB SITE?

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About the Author: Tanya Smith is a creative business strategist specializing in showing coaches, consultants and freelancers how to spend more time making money with simple, yet profitable marketing systems. Her company Be Promotable provides clients with fresh actionable strategies and virtual resources to promote their small businesses as power players in their market. Claim your instant access to a free 10 part ecourse, 10 Ways To Grow Your List at: www.bepromotable.com.
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10744064260?profile=original

 

Register => http://tinyurl.com/complasercoaching
Only 90 phone lines available!

Are you having challenges with starting or growing your business as a new and aspiring Woman Entrepreneur?
This call is for you.

Realizing some level of success but know that you could do so much more?
This call is for you.

You're invited to be part of my FREE laser coaching call for Aspiring ,New and Enterprising Spiritually minded Women Entrepreneurs. This call is to support those who may feel a little overwhelmed and experiencing information overload and simply need to know where to begin, make sense out of all the information out there, grow your business etc.

3 Simple secrets to Online marketing breakthrough and laser focus so you can chart your course, realize results faster than you ever have with unshakable confidence, fear-less, faith-full, more time and more money and manifest your best year ever.

I will share content and answer your question and provide you with laser coaching. Plus I'll be making a special announcement on the call.

You Don't want to miss this opportunity!

Thursday, May 5 at 1:00 pm PST, 4:00 pm EST
Can't make the call? The audio replay will be available to all registrants.

Register now => http://tinyurl.com/complasercoaching

Talk to you soon!

Questions? info@RobinTramble.com

Only 90 phone lines available for this call

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When I first began my journey as a network marketer, I was exposed to many challenges. The most prevalent of those challenges was my own inability to conform from the mindset of an employee into the mindset of a CEO. Although I had the desires to run my own company and build a successful organization, there were still parts of me that were engrained with the employee mentality. 

I half-wittingly did some of the things that I was being taught by the top earners of the company, but I was arrogant enough to think that I could do a lot of it on my own and not follow the map being laid out for me. So, needless to say, I was initially unsuccessful in my business. After watching my up-lines continuously receive large checks, I quickly learned that systems are placed for a very specific reason. S.Y.S.T.E.M = (Save Your Self Time Energy and Money). It’s that simple! Once I was able to grab hold of that concept, there was no stopping me. 

For many people that I have spoken with about network marketing their initial thoughts are that it is a pyramid as to where only the people at the top actually make any money. I then explain to them that although it can be considered a pyramid in some aspect, everything is a pyramid to some degree. The corporate world is actually more of a pyramid than any other organization if you were to really break it down. 

I think that what most people don’t initially realize about network marketing is that once you become a network marketer, you are immediately at the top of that pyramid and have placed yourself in a position of leadership. You then build your organization down. So, it is in your best interest to build a downline of great leaders or at least people with leadership potential, because if you yourself are a great leader, you will definitely be able to train others to lead as well. So for those that are extremely successful in the business, they have built a downline of people who see the big picture and are willing to do what it takes to be a success themselves and those people do the same and so on and so on.

Do you see the big picture? It is possible for everyone to be a great success with good leadership and the ability to see the vision and carry it out. 

In order to be the CEO that you’ve dreamt about being, you must first let go of the employee inside you that is holding you back….

 

10743765665?profile=originalVisit my BLOG at http://www.randajohnson.com for more useful tips.

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How to Write an Effective Press Release

A press release (aka a media release) is a public relations announcement sent out to the media and other targeted publications to let the public know what's going on with you and your business. It's a way to get coverage in newspapers, magazines, websites and blogs.

 

Before sending off your next press release, here's what you should know to make it effective:

 

Have a good reason to write and send one. A few reasons to send a press release: You're starting a new business, celebrating a business anniversary, launching a new product, you've received an award, or you're hosting an event.

 

Watch the length. If you're sending a hard copy of your press release, it should be no longer than two pages. If you're sending it electronically, it should be between 300-500 words.

 

Include contact information. This includes your (or the contact person's) name, phone number, email address and fax number. You want to be sure the person reading can easily figure out who she can contact for more information. If she can't get in touch with someone, your information may lose its appeal, and you may lose the chance of being published. Be sure to include the date as well.

 

Use AP (Associated Press) Style. This is what journalists use; and by using this style, the editor won't have to change anything, which makes his/her job easier (and that's always good).

 

Create an attention-grabbing headline. Although an editor/publisher will likely rewrite it, your press release should have a good headline for two reasons: 1) It helps ensure the press release gets to the right person; and 2) It helps determine the content of the press release.

 

Continue reading... 

 

 

 

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dreamstimefree_1333671-300x199.jpg?width=300Every solo business owner has a set of processes or systems that either promote their business very well or contribute to the business’ demise. There are really 3 essential systems that any successful business owner needs in place in order to automate the things they repetitively do over and over again, while adequately supporting the brand. These systems form the structure of success because they are the ways in which you continuously reinvigorate your business for expansion and growth.

What is a system?

For purposes of this article, we’re going to define a system as follows: a set of integrated, interdependent processes that can be replicated over and over again to produce similar results.

This article is designed to explain the 3 critical brand support systems for real breakthrough in your business. These essential systems are key to ensuring your success and creating a structure on which your brand can thrive.

It all starts with the BRAND

Before we cover these systems, let’s talk about brand first. As a solopreneur in the “entrepreneurial renaissance” age – a coin termed by business coach, Marcia Bench, you will have to compete against many people who claim expertise in the same field as you. Regardless of their level of experience or visibility, the sheer numbers require that you carve out a way to stand apart from the crowd. Your brand must be distinctive, powerful and recognizable.

The brand is the foundation of any effective marketing strategy. It is how people perceive you. The brand is YOU in a single owner business. If your brand is weak, the systems I will describe below will not operate to support your business. An analogy would be like building a new house, installing a beautiful kitchen, hardwood floors, and hiring a dynamic salesman to greet buyers at the door when the house has no walls yet.

The support systems we will talk about in this article will allow you to deliver great service, they will engage your customer base, and they will automate your delivery but only when you have taken the necessary steps to first put in place your brand strategy.

This means getting clear about what you do, the market you serve, and how you provide the service. Brand support is most connected to the latter – the “how”.

We will spend time outlining the 3 systems over the next group of articles in this series.



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About the Author: Tanya Smith is a creative business strategist specializing in showing coaches, consultants and freelancers how to spend more time making money with simple, yet profitable marketing systems. Her company Be Promotable provides clients with fresh actionable strategies and virtual resources to promote their small businesses as power players in their market. Claim your instant access to a free 10 part ecourse, 10 Ways To Grow Your List at: www.bepromotable.com.
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graphorange-300x221.jpg?width=300Sticky notes are not the best way to keep track of a prospect you need to call. There is a better way - thankfully. It's called a CRM.

A CRM is a sales and marketing term for "customer relationship management". It's a system to keep track of important information about your clients, customers, sales prospects and a way to centralize your business communications and resources.

I love technology. You may already know that from some of the resources I share. But I really didn't discover the power of a CRM until I started realizing that I had too much paperwork floating around with my client's notes, names of people I needed to follow up with, and even keeping track of any missing payments to my client accounts.

So here are some benefits of using a CRM:

  • Organizes your business records
  • Creates a safeguard of all your key contacts
  • Automates your appointments
  • Helps you develop a "pipeline", which is the path you work each client or prospect through to work with you
  • Gives you an easier way to pay attention to your customers
  • Makes it easy for people to pay you
These are just a few of the things that I've learned a CRM can do for my business. And when you're a solopreneur, it helps to make your workflow as simple as possible.

Need a few ideas on CRMs to try?

I'm developing a video kit to help you use the simple, slick system I use, but for now here are some recommendations you can look into: www.CapsuleCRM.com, www.HighRiseHQ.com, www.BigContacts.com, www.SalesForce.com.

Try one and let me know what you think in the comments below!

WANT TO RE-POST THIS ARTICLE ON YOUR BLOG OR USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR EZINE, E-NEWSLETTER OR WEB SITE? You may, as long as you include this complete blurb with it:

About the Author: Tanya Smith is a creative business strategist specializing in showing coaches, consultants and freelancers how to spend more time making money with simple, yet profitable marketing systems. Her company Be Promotable provides clients with fresh actionable strategies and virtual resources to promote their businesses as power players in their market. Claim your instant access to a free 10 part ecourse, 10 Ways To Grow Your List at: www.bepromotable.com.
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iStock_000007606415XSmall-150x150.jpg?width=150I had a dream last night. In the dream I invested in some type of postal supplies shop - you know, like the ones you see on every corner now? This guy from an office next door kept coming in to say he was there to help me. Seemed like a nice enough man. At first, he offered to lay a customized floor tile that looked like a stamp for me in front of the counter. He described how it would have my initials, my favorite colors, and it would really light up the place. I was convinced and I said, "sure, that would be nice". Then after he put it in and I realized it wasn't just one tile, it was half the floor. Cha-ching.

Next, he came in and offered to change the locks on my door. I said, "yes, that's probably a good idea". And of course, he upgraded the entire door. Cha-ching...again. After a series of these offers, I realized I'd drawn up quite a bill. That's when I finally sat down to look at the total costs of my initial investment, the add-ons, and the history of success the shop had before me. Guess what? The previous owner sold it because she hadn't made a profit.

It was a pretty dismal outlook. I had the same dream at least once more the same night. It was like I had to go through it all over again, even knowing what the end would be. Then I woke up.

I realized that this was a pretty accurate picture of some decisions I've made before as a business owner. Not researching the so-called investment first, saying yes to everything that looks short-term shiny, looking at the total profit/loss picture only after I've spent all the money...

Notice I didn't say anything about "adding value" or "profit generating" decisions? What investments are you making in yourself and in your business that will add long-term value and generate profit? Got the wake up call yet?

 

WANT TO RE-POST THIS ARTICLE ON YOUR BLOG OR USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR EZINE, E-NEWSLETTER OR WEB SITE? You may, as long as you include this complete blurb with it:

About the Author: Tanya Smith of Be Promotable is a premier personal branding & marketing coach. Her creative genius has unlocked the potential of many women solopreneurs, helping them to reinvent themselves as power players in their startup business. Claim your free instant access to a free video download, 5 Secrets to Developing Your Unique Brand Proposition at: www.bepromotable.com.

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Regularly, I travel to several rural counties in southern Alabama providing business counseling and training to local business owners. In discussing the importance of incorporating social media into their marketing plan, some clients are not sure if it is relevant for their businesses. In fact, a few give me that ‘deer in the headlights’ look when I introduce Twitter as a viable way to increase their client base. By educating them, I help them understand the benefits.

As I explain, Twitter is used by millions of people each day who share, connect, promote and brand their business image. If you, like them are still not convinced, here are 3 reasons why Twitter is important for your business.

Connect
Imagine having a captive audience waiting for your information every minute of the day. By positioning yourself as an industry expert, you can grow a small community of followers who will have a direct connection to you and who recognize your name and business brand! You can also barter, search for independent contractors or find employees. Twitter provides a great platform to connect with the right people to fit your business needs.

In addition, this is great way for existing customers to provide feedback.

By connecting with similar companies will enable the sharing of idea, best practices and opportunity to gain insight on improving your business.

Market
Most small businesses have a very small marketing budget which results in continuously looking for low cost and innovative ways to leverage their products or services. Twitter is a free social network that can be a rewarding marketing tool for your business. A few examples:
  • Your message will appear across the Twitter board over and over by your followers who will retweet your message to their followers. Can we say ‘viral?’
  • Stay abreast of industry trends to market effectively to potential customers.
  • Publish your Twitter handle on all email newsletters, direct mailings, on your Web site and all other marketing channels.
  • Promote your latest blog posts and newsletters
Still having doubts? Well, let’s say you manage an online specialty athletic shop. You can:
Sales
Increasing your sales and profit margins are imperative for success and a matter of survival. By using twitter to announce upcoming sales or events, you will drive potential customers to your website or physical location. For example, I assisted a client who owns a Mexican Restaurant, with setting up her Twitter and Face book Fan page. Every day, she posts daily lunch specials. Last year, she reported a 9% increase in sales from travelers who used social media to find a local restaurant.

The point is, with little effort and signing up for Twitter’s free social network, you can drive prospects to you by sharing relevant information about your business.

Handy Tools to Manage Your Social Media
Every day, 365 days per year at 6:00 am Central Standard Time, my followers from Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin, Blog and Community, receive a daily inspirational quote. Do you really think that I get up every morning, log on to my computer and tweet? Absolutely not! Though I get a chuckle from people that think otherwise! To help manage my various social networks, I use a tool called Hootsuite, which enable me to schedule each message into the future to one or all of my social networks. That’s reaching thousands of my followers in a single message!

As Twitter surges toward an estimated 190 million visitors each month who generate over 65 million tweets per day, there are many tools available to help you manage your time and productivity. Here are a few of my favorites:

Desktop Managers
  • Hoot suite: a web-based tool that allows you to set up a number of social media profiles to manage. The free application offers basic analytics and five social media profiles including LinkedIn, Face book and Twitter. www.hootsuite.com
  • Market Me Suite: allows thousands of small businesses to manage their social media. It allows each of your individual tweets to say, www.yourwebsite.com or via your name. http://marketmesuite.com/
  • Seesmic: a powerful collection of social management tools that provide businesses and individuals with everything they need to build their brand online. With applications on every platform, Seesmic is the most comprehensive solution on the market. http://seesmic.com/
  • Tweet Deck: your personal browser for staying in touch with what’s happening now, connecting you with your contacts across Twitter, Face book, LinkedIn and more. www.tweetdeck.com
List Management
  • MyTweeple: a great way to manage your Twitter people in one place. You can easily see who you are following and who's following you. With a simple click, you can follow, unfollow, or block people, and these changes instantly update Twitter. http://mytweeple.com
  • Tweeter Karma: a flash application that fetches your friends and followers from Twitter when you click the “Whack!” button, then displays them for you, letting you quickly paginate through them. http://dossy.org/twitter/karma/
  • Twit Cleaner: Analyses the profiles & tweets of your followers, looking for certain patterns of behavior, such as overly repetitive, common spam tactics, and posting the same links repeatedly, thus, allowing you to decide who to save & who to unfollow. www.twitcleaner.com
  • Twibs: Give twitter users a place to find businesses on twitter. www.twibs.com
Hash Tags
  • Hash Tags: You can find information pertaining to tags, users, trends and whatever else is available or site if you are lucky.http://hashtags.org/
  • Twitter Search: Twitter Search helps you filter all the real-time information coursing through our service. http://search.twitter.com/
  • We Follow: view popular tags, the most popular people on Twitter by tag usage. http://wefollow.com/
Analytics and Tracking
Applications or ‘Aps’
  • Social Oomph: a service that provides free and paid productivity enhancement services for social media users. A focus on productivity solutions for users of Twitter.com. http://www.socialoomph.com/
  • Twitter Feed: tweet blog posts. http://twitterfeed.com/
  • Twit Dom: The Twitter Applications Directory with over 2000 apps. http://twitdom.com/
  • Klout: A tool used for an individual to measure and leverage their influence on twitter. www.klout.com/
In conclusion, by now you should see the value of using Twitter to help you market your business. Right? So what are you waiting for? Go register for Twitter now! By the way, feel free to follow me @sylviabrowder and retweet this post to your Twitter followers, Facebook Fans and fellow bloggers!

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 founder of National Association Women on the Rise, a virtual community for aspiring and established women entrepreneurs. The association’s mission is to provide professional and personal resources while uplifting and empowering women entrepreneurs through collaboration, education, mentoring, spiritual and peer support, leadership and networking. 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. She can be contacted at info@nawomenrise.com.
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Hi Ladies!

 

I know!I know! Social Media is all the rage and if you're not using it you're wondering should you. It looks time consuming and it can be, Yet it doesn't have to be. I didn't start out doing a lot of things in social media because I'm somewhat technophobic. You start talking to me in techie terms my eyes start glazing over. The surprise is that I've become the SEO Queen, literally by accident. Google and my sell sites love me. I'm in Beta for everything they roll out. I was trying to understand selling online and what was needed to get people to my sites. I've become very good at it. Problem was my back end was raggedy. I like most small businesses (especially Mompreneurs) was time and cash strapped. I couldn't afford to pay for everything I needed.  I had to and needed to know how things worked.

I restarted my business after being a way from it for a good many years. The marketplace looked a whole lot different after a ten year break. I'm a gorilla marketer offline. I could get through the door if I couldn't handle the business once I got in. My saving grace was if I couldn't handle the business I would tell you that. People trusted that I wouldn't leave them hanging in the wind. I did my darnest to live up to that trust. I have couple of rules in business that people know I lived and died by.

First. If I'm doing business with you I return all calls within 48 hours. If its not returned, I didn't get it or I'm unconsicous.


Second. If you're not involved in the deal its NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS. I apologize for the caps, but I need to emphasis this one. Until the deal is completed  it is not to be discussed with anyone not involved. (Did I mention I did international trade for nearly 20 years?). Folks who dealt with me know I'm a neurotic on this one.

 I have never understood people sitting in a Holiday Inn (dating myself here this was the Starbucks of an earlier time.) or restraurant telling all and I mean all the details of a deal. This includes the who,what and where of the transaction. All the info you would need to take the deal away from them. This used to amaze me when I witnessed, therefore the reason for #2.

I've spent the last several years learning this new way of doing business amd understanding how and when to use the components. I will be sharing this journey under my old business name. I'll be revealing that info in the next several weeks. This has been and continues to be an awesome journey, please join me on it.

 

Michelle S. Hawkins

http://wirequeen.blogspot.com

http://facebook.com/michelles.hawkins

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Got Swag? 7 Steps to Social Media SWAG by Pam Perry

 

 

You’ve heard the term swag lately. Someone may say, “I like your swag” or “He’s got swag!” And although you may not find this popular term in Merriam-Webster’s version of the dictionary, it is used worldwide by teens, recording artists, TV critics and most importantly for your sake… social media!

 

I know, I know. Before you tell me how you don’t know how to tweet and have no desire to tweet, twit, or Facebook, for that matter, let me let you in on a secret. Social media can be your business’ ticket to success. Don’t believe me? I’ll prove it to you.

Swag is a term used to describe someone’s style, personality, the way they carry themselves, and their level of confidence. It’s a person’s walk, their talk. It’s their attitude, but in a good way! We’ve all got some level of swag… well, some more than others. But after reading the following, I challenge you to ‘get your swag on’ and make social media work for you.

 



Step 1

Don’t Hate on the Competition Just Yet…

            In any business, the goal is usually to beat the competitor. But in order to beat the competition, you have to know what they are doing and what makes them a competitor. If they are still in the game, they have to be doing something right. So you need to watch, look and listen at what is going on around you. Put your head in the game! Take inventory of where you are right now and where you want to go from here.

            For example, when you read a blog, you are studying your competition. And after you read so many blogs, you’ll not only be motivated to start your own, but you’ll know what to say, how to say it and who is listening. Read the responses to the blogs as well. This lets you know what your target audience is saying, which allows you to tailor your own blog to those respondents.

            Though many like to think so, social media is not a magic lamp where you can rub it, and out comes a genie. It is just another spoke in the wheel for your overall marketing plan. The social media outlet door is wide open for you and the rest of the world to see, free of charge! So no longer do you have to play detective and act like a secret shopper to find out the best strategies of your competitors. Their marketing strategies have just become an open book. Read their tweets. Follow their Facebook posts. Find out who your top three competitors are and simply sit back and watch, look and listen. Then determine your own personal goals you want to achieve through social media.

            Social media is more than an outlet to just post pictures and ‘like’ someone’s status. It’s essentially free advertisement. Let’s say that I have a client who has an article about them written in Essence or Ebony. They can then repost that article into a blog site, or even add a link to the article on their Facebook profile. So this not only allows the readers of these publications to read the article, but all of this person’s ‘friends’ and ‘followers’ also learn of the success. If someone is featured on The View or Oprah, they can obtain a copy of it from the TV station, upload it to YouTube, and then repost to whatever other social media sites they choose. So while your friends or family may not have picked up the latest issue of Essence and didn’t get to watch you on The View, they are sure to see it when you post it on your public social networking profile.

            Watch, look and listen. The competitor didn’t become a competitor by doing something wrong. They have to be doing something right. Find out what it is and make it work for you. While watching the competition, you purposely position yourself to attract your target audience as well.       

 
 


Step 2

Make Digital Footprints in the Sand

          Who are you? What do you do? What do you specialize in? These are all vital questions to ask when it comes to branding yourself in the social media. Make sure that wherever you go, with every digital footprint you make, that your brand is the same. Be consistent. Don’t create a brand for encouragement and inspiration, but post negative, depressing updates on your Facebook and Twitter profiles. This contradicts your ultimate branding of being one who encourages and inspires. Your Twitter and Facebook page should match your professional website. Your website should match your fan page. Your fan page should match your YouTube videos. And so on…

            Don’t confuse people. They need to see your brand and instantly know who you are and what you stand for. Take Coach for example. The Facebook page and website for Coach products should reflect the same brand. And because of the reputation Coach has built, when you see a product, you can immediately tell if it is created by Coach. The same should ring true of your brand.

            In this digital age, people have ADD. You have to capture their attention within a split second or you could lose them forever. However, if you have successfully branded yourself, they will recognize you and feel comfortable with whatever product you are promoting. There’s a certain comfort level people search for in brands. For example, if you visit Paris, but aren’t familiar with the restaurants, and you see the golden arches, you will more than likely eat at McDonald’s. You already know what their food tastes like and you feel comfortable with the brand. The same is true of Starbuck’s. When you visit a Starbuck’s, you expect a certain level of quality and great atmosphere, no matter the location.

            It’s not just the brand; it’s the logo. That logo signifies everything that is behind the brand. The time you’ve invested. The information you’ve shared. The trust you’ve built. The logo is a culmination of everything you’ve done for people to notice you, know you, understand you, and recognize your brand ultimately. It is the promise to your customers.

            Confusion destroys your brand. The equity and time you put into building your brand can be destroyed overnight by you simply doing something different and offbeat. Be known as an expert for whatever it is that you do. If you’re in business, your goal is to provide customers with your area of expertise. But it’s up to you to make sure you are known for just that. Share, don’t sell, information to your customers so that they not only come to know you as an expert, but they trust you. So as you make your digital footprints in the sand, make sure your brand tracks look identical to the ones you have made before!


 

 

Step 3

Content is King (Marketing is Queen)

          People don’t follow a good salesperson. They follow good content. That’s one of the ways people will get to know you, by the content you offer and the value of it. In order to create valuable content, you must research keywords. Search for certain keywords and brand your content so that it contains those keywords. This will allow you to receive numerous hits without a potential customer ever knowing your name.

            For example, if someone is searching for Pam Perry, they may use keywords such as PR coach, PR guru, ministry marketing, and so on. When someone enters any of these keywords, my website, blog or even my Facebook page should come up in the search results page. The ultimate goal is to be the first or second result on the search results page. If you come in any other place below that, you risk the user entering new search keywords, which may not be tagged for your business. Whether it’s a list of things to do (or not to do) or top ten tips, provide good, valuable content so that there is no question that you know what you are talking about.

            A good resource to use when trying to determine keywords is Adwords.google.com. This tool not only allows you to enter keywords, but if you click Get Keyword Ideas, it will provide you with other keywords to use. Use these keywords in your blogs, eblasts, social media profiles and of course, your website. But even with keywords, if you have a similar name, like Jessica Jones, you want to make sure you are posting enough valuable content on the Internet so that you come up first in a person’s search results. Even though the other Jessica Jones in the world may have nothing more than a Facebook page, you don’t want customers to confuse the two. You have to constantly be active online. People love people that provide information for free. For example, author Seth Godin provided his entire book for free as an eBook before he released the hardcover copy. Because so many loved the electronic version of the book, they purchased a hard copy of the book once it was released, making it a New York Times Bestseller.

            You can’t give away too much content. If it genuinely came from you, there is more from where that came from. With every article you write, every video you post, and every status you update, you throw more content out onto the web to brand you all the more. The more content you share, the more people come to recognize you as an expert and will realize the value of your information and ultimately, support your business.


 

 

Step 4

Are You Engaged?

            Now, I’m not talking about the engagement where you get a ring and start planning a wedding for months down the line. I’m referring to interacting with others online. It doesn’t matter that you and I talk; we have to engage with others online. Create a community for isolated conversations to take place. Twitter actually uses hash tags, such as #GrammyAwards2011, which allows you to converse with all users who may be watching the Grammy Awards at the time. It’s all about engaging and establishing relationships. It’s not always about selling and marketing. Sometimes, you have to build up a group of ‘followers’ first.

            Take Facebook for example. That’s great that someone wants to become your ‘friend’. But if you never engage them, and they don’t visit your page on a regular basis, what’s the point? How does this help your business? But also realize that while someone may not visibly engage on your page on a regular basis, they may still be watching you. They may still be taking all of the information you post into account, without ever saying a word to you about it. Personally, 90% of my clientele comes from online. I never know who is watching me. All of a sudden, I get checks for thousands of dollars from people that have been watching me for three or four months and appreciate the information I have shared.

            I love this information age we are in. I’m like a kid in a candy store. While others feel overwhelmed by too much information, I consume myself in it. It’s what I’ve done all of my life. I reported information in high school, college, and even once I was out of school. It comes naturally for me. I’m always sending an eblast, conducting a conference call, tweeting a valuable website for authors, or even posting a video on YouTube of me speaking at a recent conference.

 

            I give away a plethora of information. But it’s up to you to use it. The same should ring true of you and your social media swag. Give away so much information that people say to you, “You give away too much free information.” Then give away some more! You’re putting your best foot forward. You’re creating your own community and at this point, people are simply watching you to decide if they will conduct business with you or not. The benefits in the long run will far outweigh the cost to send out complimentary information. Get engaged!

Step 5

The Swag Tool Belt

          As with any job, you have to make sure you have the essential tools to succeed. People are looking for a solution to a problem. So you must make sure that the content you provide or the service you offer solves a problem for the customer. For example, if you’re a plumber, you can provide content on taking care of pipes in the winter time.

            More importantly, make sure that you not only have a website, but that it works properly. It doesn’t matter if your website comes up first in search engine optimization and you have a steady flow of traffic to your site, but you’re not capturing their email address to communicate with them in the future. As with any other social media, your website homepage should state very clearly the purpose of the business and what it is that you do. Your brand should be the same as it is everywhere else on the web. Make sure you have an opt-in box on your website as well so people can continue to interact with you.

            You definitely want to invest in an AWeber or Constant Contact account. Constant Contact allows you to create and send eblasts in a click of a button. You can even create eblasts to be sent out on a certain date and at a certain time, without being anywhere near the computer when it goes out. Eventually, these eblasts will turn into blogs, which is where a significant amount of your social media will stem from.

            Do you have to have a blog? Absolutely! I say it’s mandatory! It doesn’t make sense to have a Facebook page or a Blog Talk radio show, and not have a blog. Don’t be blog haters; get a blog! You’ll be surprised at the results a blog can bring.

            If you really want to be found, you also need Google Analytics. This free service offered by Google actually tells you where your traffic is coming from and how long a person stays on your website. It will show you, for example, that 50% of your traffic is coming from Facebook and 25% is coming from Twitter, etc.

            In this digital age, you definitely need high speed Internet access. Dial-up won’t cut it. It will limit your capability to interact with others online as fast and efficiently. Also invest in a webcam. A webcam runs approximately $30 to add to your computer if you don’t already have one directly installed. Video tape yourself speaking about your area of expertise and post it on YouTube and Facebook. This counts as content as well. People are visual. Don’t be left behind because you won’t participate in the video content wave.

            As a side note, when using social media, use your real name. People may see your photo but if your Twitter name is GodselectLady, no one knows your real name to connect with you. If you won’t post your real name, at the very least make the name your business name. People trust the real thing, not a nickname.

          Ok, so yes, ultimately your goal is for people to do business with you. But you must first work to establish relationships. If the first time someone hears your name is when you release your first book, they may be hesitant to connect with you because they think you are just trying to sell them. You have to let people know who you are, what you’re about and that you’re not just looking at them as a dollar sign. I would advise using the attraction marketing method. Simply go about life, doing what you do best, and sharing information on a regular basis. Eventually, people will see how much of a goldmine of information you are for them, and ultimately be attracted to connect with you further.

 


 

Step 6

Find Your Social Media Niche

          So you’ve started hanging out online a bit more. You tweet more frequently and may update your Facebook status three times a day now as opposed to the one you were accustomed to doing in the morning before heading out the door. Depending on the audience you are trying to attract, you may need to reconsider which social media outlet you funnel your energy to. If you started a blog but you hate writing, then maybe you need to consider posting more videos of you speaking. If you like to speak, but you may not want your face plastered online just yet, consider starting a Blog Talk Radio show. Find three major outlets and master them.

            Most of the social media outlets allow you to integrate others. While you can integrate Twitter and Facebook, you can also integrate Facebook with your blog. Remember, most times we are mobile. So consider mastering three outlets that you can update and monitor from your cell phone. FourSquare.com is another good one for retail businesses to use. This outlet can be monitored from a cell phone as well. LinkedIn is a more professional network where you can also connect with people worldwide.

            You have to find what works best for you. Once you find your three prominent areas of your social media niche, master them. Become consumed with them. Begin to build relationships, which will ideally turn into clientele. Remember, people look for consistency and a business they can trust. Make sure your daily branding reflects this.


 

Step 7

If It’s Broke, Fix It!

          The final step is to measure your results of your social media efforts. Maybe you got over 1,000 responses on your blog, but didn’t get any responses to your posting on Facebook. Maybe you gained 100,000 new followers from Twitter, but didn’t get any reviews on your YouTube video. This is where you have to decide where your most vital relationships will stem from based on social media efforts thus far.

            Make sure your content is not boring. Add pictures and video, if possible. Make it eye-pleasing. The great thing about social media is that it’s your world! Be as creative as you want to be. The more creative your blogs are, the more people feel a personal connection to you and start to see your true personality. This will build trust early on and cause them to stay connected long term.

            Don’t be discouraged if you don’t get one million ‘followers’ as soon as you create your Twitter profile. Social media takes time and dedication. It may not seem like anyone is paying attention to you; it may seem as though no one is listening. But believe this, someone is watching you. They’re just waiting to see how consistent you will be. Don’t change the message that you send out. If you’re a motivational speaker, your tweets and statuses should motivate, daily! Over time, you will see positive results from people you never even knew were watching.

            The benefits of Facebook are limitless. You can not only create a personal page, but also create a fan page for fans of you or fans of your business. You simply ask your personal ‘friends’ to ‘like’ the fan page. Now you have two pages where you can post content. Your personal page lets a person get to know you from day to day. Your fan page may only contain information pertaining to your business or your area of expertise. Hootsuite.com is another site that allows you to share content with one click of a button to many social media sites.

            As the old saying goes, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. But for the things that are broke when it comes to defining your social media swag, you do need to fix it. And quick! Don’t just hang out. Create an effective brand, build long-term relationships and get your swag on! Your business brand depends on it!

 

Upcoming Book by Pam Perry coming June 2011!


comments at www.facebook.com/pamperryfanpage please!

 

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How to Become a Media Go To Person

Helping reporters and talk show hosts do their jobs will, in turn, help you achieve your goals. If you make them look good, they will be more likely to give you a some quality air or print time and even keep your name on file as a “go to” person for future reference.

By establishing a relationshp with your local media, you are setting yourself up to be their “expert” and that becomes a win-win situation for everybody.

Here are some suggestions on how to strengthen your position with the media:

Let Your Personality Shine Through: Not everyone has an outgoing, bubbly personality but if you come across as warm, genuine and sincere, the media will love you for it.

Know How to Communicate: Understand that interviews consist of more than one or two-word responses. It is also more than a one-sided conversation so don’t try to dominate.

Are You More than an Expert?: Can you speak on a variety of related subjects in your area of expertise or are you a single-minded individua?.

Be available on demand: Unless there’s a major emergency, can you be available at a moment’s notice and still come across as polished and professional—even when you’re not real sure how the interview will go?

I was invited to be a guest on My Carolina Today twice in two weeks because I was available at the 11th hour literally.

Demonstrate your viewer potential: Get your base of folks who admire what you do to send emails to the station on your behalf. That will send a signal to the station that they made a good choice in asking you to be a guest and, more often than not, will invite you back again for a future interview.

After being interviewed the first time on My Carolina Today, I asked members of my group, Boomer Diva Nation, to check out the video online and post a comment. To date, my video is the one that received the most comments.

To receive more valuable media tips as well as a national list of media contacts, I invite you to pick up a copy of my comprehensive BAMedia Contacts Directory, located here:  http://beverlymahone.com/bamedia-directory/

Read more…

 

"I see so many women wanting to learn more about how they can tap into the Social Media phenomena, however, they are presented with the task of balancing their current roles with that of adding yet another item to the list. If I can convince them of the value of Social Media Marketing to their business the investment of time associated with empowering themselves with this skill would be the last thing allowed to hinder their endeavors." says Robin Tramble


Social Media is all the rage and is replacing many of the Marketing strategies in companies. Social Media has changed the way we do business, connect with friends,clients, prospects etc. and it doesn’t look like it’s going anywhere too soon. Social media sites give people the opportunity to connect with old friends, make new ones and expand their professional network with only a few clicks, from the comfort of their own home. Social Media includes Twitter,Facebook,Linkedin,Myspace and more.

Imagine being able to Finally attract 1000's of lucrative relationships online and Quickly EXPLODE your business results using Social Media without wasting time or money so you can increase your bottom line!

So what else could be holding women back from stepping up to empower themselves and thereby empower their business results?

"Some of the problem may stem from fear. Fear of the unknown, fear of failure and more! They must somehow replace that fear with vision for their ideal lifestyle, ideal business and the feeling that would result from finally attracting their ideal clients. Change your focus. Instead of focusing on the negatives, focus on the positives, focus on Faith." Says Robin

“You block your dream when you allow your fear to grow bigger than your faith.”
Mary Manin Morrissey

Robin has designed a brand new program just in time for the new year. "I Rock on Twitter and Facebook Social Media Empowerment Coaching club/program!"



Why should you listen to Robin?

Robin Tramble aka The Empowerment Diva was recently named as 1 of 25 urban entrepreneurs to follow on Twitter by Brand Maker News. With a combined total of over 10,000 followers she is qualified to share with you how you too can rock on twitter "authentically!"

She has a nice following on Facebook and her likes to her fanpage are increasing by the week without much effort. She has plans to increase her efforts to greatly enhance the likes to her Facebook page.

You can learn more about this program by going to http://www.RobinTramble.com/irockontwitterfacebooksocialmedia.html .
Get targeted followers on Twitter without stress and overwhelm. Targeted friends, and likes to your Facebook Page. Set up your Facebook page and more! Plus over $900 in bonuses.

                                                                                                    # # #

Robin Tramble works with savvy women,new,aspiring and enterprising women entrepreneurs who want to discover their authentic self so they can make big changes or achieve some big results but are struggling to make it happen fast enough. She helps them get unstuck, create achieve the results that they want faster than ever before.

Robin is CEO and Founder of Robin Tramble International, President and Founder of The Association of Christian Women Entrepreneurs. She's a Professional "Authentic LIfe" Empowerment Mentor, Trainer, Coach and Public Speaker. Robin is also known as Empowerment Diva because she has carved out a niche in the area of empowerment.
She recently shared her empowerment tips on Good Day Sacramento as "Empowerment Diva" and was named 1 of 25 urban Entrepreneurs to follow on Twitter by Brand maker News.
 
 
Robin is also an accomplished keyboardist, singer and songwriter and plans to incorporate her musical gifts with her resources for women's empowering personal development.

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The Hearsay Corporation, a startup founded by Steve Garrity and Clara Shih in 2009, announced its first comprehensive social media platform. The Hearsay Corporation provides a cloud-hosted comprehensive social media management platform where businesses with multiple branches, franchisees, representatives, agents and advisors can manage and deploy content from within a centralized location.

 

Read the full article: http://digitaljournal.com/article/303455

Read more…
 
Are you using tactics that are relevant to the times? Or are you still using tactics from 1999?

Just a reminder that our coaching program, "I Rock on Twitter and Facebook Social Media Empowerment" starts tomorrow! This is your last official chance to join us for what promises to be an enriching experience.

The coaching program is... your answer to overcoming the fear, anxiety, overwhelm and possible information overload that you've been experiencing where it concerns using Social Media to accelerate your online success. Or maybe you have none of the above and have been looking for the anser to your needs. The coaching program is 6 weeks in length and we'll be meeting on select Tuesdays via live TELESEMINAR.

Check out the program and register here:

http://www.RobinTramble.com/irockontwitterfacebooksocialmedia.html

Remember, tomorrow at 12 noon PST, 2:00 CST, 3:00 ST is the absolute last day that we'll be accepting registrations with the current bonuses. You can register after that time,however, some of the bonuses may not be there for you as they were to be Early Bird bonuses (over $900 in value). Also the investment was to change, however, we may leave that where it is.

This is not a program in a box. You'll be empowered to explode your business and attract 1000's of lucrative relationships online using Twitter and Facebook.

 

I just created the secret group on Facebook today, which will add immensely to the effectiveness of this program. Plus you'll get access to my coaching and over $900 in bonuses including the new linkedin resource added.

Don't worry about missing a session as the calls will be recorded and you get access to them on the password protected page. And it's all from the comfort of your home .

 

POWER up your Social Media Marketing and Networking!!

 

Warmly,

 

Robin

P.S. Don't wait, do it today, right now.

If you're like me your intentions will be to register

only you'll step away and return with regrets because you

missed the time-frame you committed yourself to.

If you're interested you'll do what's convenient.

If you're committed you'll do whatever it takes.  ~John Assaraf

Join the other committed savvy woman entrepreneurs and aspiring

in the I Rock on Twitter and Facebook Social Media Empowerment

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

P.O. Box 13406, Des Moines, WA 98198, USA

To unsubscribe or change subscriber options visit:
http://www.aweber.com/z/r/?ThisIsATestEmail

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You can get my Social Media Empowerment Coaching Program/Club for $9.
 
But hurry, this ends Friday, January 21 at 12 midnight PST or until the quota for this promo is reached.
 
 

Social networking sites revolutionized the way we do business online since initially being introduced in the mid 1990's. 

With instant access to your target audience, and the ability to keep a steady pulse on what our market is currently interested in, it has never been easier to connect with potential buyers and long-term customers.

 

Get targeted followers,friends on facebook,create a facebook page,get targeted likes, learn about facebook ads, learn what to tweet, what to post on facebook, suggested apps,BIG mistakes made and what to do and MORE! Plus over $900 in bonuses.
 
I look forward to working with you and helping you explode your business using Social Media effectively.
Get a taste by requesting access to my no cost Tele-training audio here:
Read more…



Social media is all the rave and growing by the day or maybe even the minute.


Are you successfully using Social Media?


As Christian Women Entrepreneurs it is important for you do everything you can do to get your message out… in a BIG way. I’m going to share 3 tips with you that will enhance your use of Twitter. If you
don’t have a Twitter account you can go to http://www.Twitter.com


When choosing the username opt for your own name even if you’re going to have a business account at least reserve an account with your name.


I’ll share more about setting up and managing your Twitter account in my Social Media Empowerment Coaching program.


For now here are 3 tips that you can use.


1. The word Social is not in Social media just because. Twitter, like any other virtual conversation, is a two-way street. Pay attention to what other members are saying,
Add to the conversation where appropriate. This will also put you in front of their followers.


2. Make your Twitter updates available to busy people who are on the go, and for people who access your page solely on their iphones by utilizing the many tools available which also includes iTunes.


3. Strike up a conversation. One thing that is essential to gaining additional followers which will give you a larger audience to get your message to is to engage. One way to do this is to ask for feedback.
Don’t just tell everyone what you’re doing via Twitter, try to ask
everyone for their opinion or feedback. It’s a good way to start a
dialogue and open up a forum for new suggestions and changes that can
be made.


These are just 3 out of the many tips to maximize your results on Twitter.


Discover the power of successfully using Social Media specifically Twitter and Facebook by securing your seat in my “I Rock on Twitter and Facebook Social Media Empowerment coaching club!” Whew that’s a
mouthful, however, you’ll get a treasure chest full of empowering
insights and strategies as a member of this club.


You’ll also get an opportunity to take advantage of my Holiday Early Bird special plus bonuses.

Click here to secure your seat for Social Media Empowerment


Let’s Rock!!


Robin aka The Empowerment Diva

http://www.Authenticlifeempowerment.com

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Do you have a Facebook account? If not and you want one you can easily sign up for one at www.Facebook.com You’ll be given prompts which will include setting up basic information.

You’ll want to add a photo of yourself. Be careful here because a picture does speak a thousand words. It says a lot about you. If you’re aiming to build the know, like and trust factor then you want a picture that’s going to promote that. This is not the place to show your wares. Ladies you know what I mean unless that’s what you’re there for and still it’s always good to be discreet but that’s your option.

You’ll be given a couple of opportunities to add friends and you can do that now or later.

When you’re ready to add friends you can use this way and also include more intentional ways that will allow you to target the friends that you add. Adding friends is going to be beneficial to your fanpage activities.

Your profile is supposed to be more for personal, however, it’s also the place that some of your business associates will get to know you. Keep this in mind, your friends will end up hiding your posts if you post too many business updates on your profile wall.

So do you need a Facebook page also known as a Facebook fanpage or don’t you?

Read more here

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