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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

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

Solo professionals are like big businesses when it comes to the need for a solid marketing strategy. The distinctive thing about solopreneurs, however, is that you get to be the head decision maker for every part of the business. That means it is all the more important to take your strategies from complex to simple whenever possible.

Now is a great time to develop your branding and marketing plan. While you definitely need to consider mapping out a strategy that is more comprehensive to cover you for at least the next twelve months, here are four simple questions you can answer in order to set a basic foundation for promoting your distinctive brand and services you provide:

How will I generate leads?

This is one of the most critical steps to developing a solid branding and marketing strategy. Assuming you have already identified who your ideal clients are, you must now figure out where to find them. Immerse yourself in studying your target market - find out what they read, where they frequent, and what they buy - and put yourself in front of them.

How will prospects get to do a "taste test" with me?

Before a potential client will buy BIG from you, they will want to know what your services are like. Depending on the business you're in, you will need to decide what is most effective and most practical to give away. For example, you might offer a free strategy session, or a free audio, or even an e-book. What can you offer that will be of interest and take little effort or investment on your part?

How will I direct them from one point to the next?

Now that your prospect has had a taste of what you do and they want more, make it simple for them to know what is next. This involves some thinking on your part of what your marketing funnel looks like. Whenever you engage a client in your product or service, be prepared to promote the next thing and make it easy. At the end of your teleseminar, share the next program or info product. This is the time where you can extend even greater value to your new customer - at the point that you have already made good on your initial promise!

How will I follow up?

The client engagement process usually follows a certain path - suspect --> prospect --> client --> advocate/evangelist. In order to move people through these stages, you need some idea of how to continuously follow up and stay in touch. Whether this looks like a series of autoresponder emails, a regular ezine, postcards, etc. consider how you will stay in front of your leads. The key is to add value to their inbox, not being pesky.

I now invite you to claim instant access to a free video and audio download, 5 Secrets to Successfully
Starting a Solo Business While Working Full Time at: http://www.bepromotable.com to learn even more about great solo professional business branding tips. - Tanya Smith, The Solo Business Brand Coach at Be Promotable.

I've been social networking now for a few years and consider myself pretty "hard core." I check FB daily as well as share pics and/or videos, and on a regular basis I add  comments to the crazy things that my friends post. Some are true classics! In recent days, I've become more and more concerned about what I read about social networking sites selling the information that they compile about me as I use their site. Evidently, the 500,000,000 of us sharing our likes/dislikes, talking about where we go and what we do-is really big business-and by that I mean-big MONEY business. SNS sell our personal information as well as our content to third parties-who are clamoring to find potential sales. I mean I know they have to make money, but at what price to us-the users. And it seems so easy for private information shared on these sites to become available to everyone. Have you ever Googled your name or searched Google Images?  You read terrible stories about things that happen as a result of private information made public from these sites. A friend mentioned to me that she was using crazygood.com - a subscription-based social networking site that doesn't sell users' info or even allow ads. I still FB often but use it more as a search for friends now, and to make business connections because it's so massive. For sharing info, photos, etc., I'll be usingCrazygood. It just makes me feel more protected, and I'm back in control of my own information. If you're concerned about your cyber safety and want to be SURE your private information remains just that-PRIVATE. In addition, Crazygood allows you to earn some extra money just by referring your friends. When's the last time FB paid you for anything? I'm not downing Facebook...  I can't even say I have a REAL problem with the third party ads. I only question some of their ethics in regards to using our information, and believe that if my life, my pictures, and , my stories are going to be sold, then I should get something in return. If they do go public, shouldn't we all get a share... or maybe even half a share... a quarter... SOMETHING????  *sigh* I digress...  

We all know that social media is here to stay. If nothing else Crazygood is just another place for you to post content and connect with others. Check it out

Wishing you growth and prosperity!

This post was originally published on Tanya Smith's blog. Click here to see the original post.

Goal setting always gets to be pretty popular this time of year. You hear a lot of techniques about how to do it and one of the most common ways is the SMART technique. I'm not writing about that here, because it's so overused now, I don't think you'll care.

No matter what you use, the new year always kicks us off with a great start, right? But then somehow you lose interest. There is this cycle that we seem to get into and it goes a little something like this:

• Day 1: Whoo hoo, yeah, I'm on it this time. I'm going to [your goal here] -->
• Day 3: This is great. I can't believe how this is changing [enter positive results] for me! I will definitely keep this up. -- >
• Day 5: You know what, I'm just going to take a little bitty break...I'll come back to it, I promise! -- >
• Day 10: What was that thing I was trying to do again?
• Day 20: Start over again or drop it completely..

Positive

Level

Evident

Appropriate

Self-initiated & Maintained

Self-initiated and maintained. Your goal must be something that you can initiate and maintain. It must not be something dependent on other people. Make sure that your goal reflects things that you can directly affect.

If your goal, or outcome is set each time with these criteria in mind, you will have crystal-clear vision that you can hang on to and it will get you past those tough times when you're ready to let go. OR it will bring you back to what you wanted in the first place...SUCCESS!

Share one of your clear outcomes in the comments below.

About the Author: Tanya Smith of Be Promotable is the "no guesswork" 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 multimedia downloads including 10 Branding Mistakes Made by Solopreneurs and 5 Secrets to Successfully Starting a Solo Business While Working Full Time at: www.bepromotable.com

Every year, my kids and I create a vision board to capture goal highlights for the year using posters, magazine clippings, crayons, glitter, glue sticks -- you name it, it's on the floor on 12/31. We have the music going, candles lit, and complete focus on what we're doing. Here is our process laid out in 5 steps for you. I hope you then enjoy the short video version of my board that was designed using Animoto.com. Head over to Life Vision Boards and get another take on the "how to". They use Animoto as well and you certainly can too - it's a free tool for creating video using images and music. Use theirs or add your own.

5 Steps To Creating Your Vision Board

1. Get yourself to a quiet place
2. Imagine that it is now the end of 2011 and you are reflecting back on your accomplishments for the year
3. Write down a list -- brainstorm freely at first
4. Now highlight the top 3-5 things you really want to focus on for the year
5. Cut, draw, and paste images that represent your goals onto a poster board (you can even make a miniature version on an index card to carry with you)

That's it! Now set a date to get the board finished. ;)

Okay, yes the title may tell you I know a little something about martial arts...but no, I don't. Only as much as the last Karate Kid movie
(which is one of my kids' favorites) and the line from Kung Fu Panda
which says that Kung Fu stands for "excellence of self".

I was thinking about that today after having watched the main character, a Panda named Po, one of 50 jillion times. I think personal brand work is like working out your Kung Fu - it truly stands for mining
and understanding how to portray your self excellence.

I thought I'd share how you can strategically do some kung fu kicks with identifying your personal brand strategy below. One approach is using the SWOT analysis.

SWOT Analysis is a well-known method of identifying your Strengths and Weaknesses, while also examining the Opportunities and Threats you face. All four areas can help you clarify your personal brand and your
distinctive and unique value.

Often carrying out an analysis using the SWOT framework will be enough to reveal changes that need to be made in your plan.

Try to work through the following questions and think about what insights you have from this focused work:

Strengths -

• What do you do well?
• What can you do better than anyone else?
• What comes naturally for you?

Weaknesses -

• What could be improved?
• What might you do poorly?
• What comes with more difficulty for you?

Opportunities -

• In what areas do you see possibilities?
• What resources or circumstances can you leverage?
• What trends might you use to your advantage?

Threats -

• What obstacles are in your way?
• Who is your competition and what are they doing well?
• Are you financially challenged?
• What else do you find yourself up against?

About the Author: Tanya Smith, Career & Personal Brand Coach, offers women professionals, with dual roles in a corporate career & solo side business, access to cutting-edge strategies to help them thrive
and promote themselves as experts in a progressively competitive work and
marketplace. Claim your free instant access to two fill-in-the-blank brand templates and a special report, The Beginner’s Guide to A Successful Career
Brand at: http://www.bepromotable.com.

Are you interested in joining a select group of writers for an ongoing writing assignment? We need writers for neighborhood profiles in cities across the U.S. in states such as Texas, Arizona, Florida, Washington, North Carolina, Kansas, Missouri, California, Minnesota, Georgia and New York. There are hundreds of assignments, each paying $10 per 300-word write up of a neighborhood.

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1. Develop a Visibility Strategy. Be seen and be heard. It used to said that– “it’s who you know”, but in this new economy, it’s “who knows you” that matters. To accomplish this strategy, create a blog for your business, use social media such as Twitter and Facebook but don’t forget about affinity groups like LinkedIn and Ning. Create a profile and get active on these sites.
   
2. Be Known for Something. Become a thought leader. Define your strengths. What comes natural to you? What are you good at? What makes you think “I can’t wait to do that again?” Determine whatever it is and become a known leader in that area.
3. Decide Your Style. Just because everyone else is doing it doesn’t mean it’s right for you. When it comes to marketing your business online, there are so many ways to do this. There’s social media, article-writing, press releases, blogs, etc. and so on. Don’t try to do it all. Test them out, then decide what’s right for you and go with that.
4. Manage Your Time. Outsource what you don’t have time to do yourself. A tool like HootSuite is a real time-saver when it comes to posting to your social media accounts. Another way to save time is to hire a virtual assistant or outsource company to handle administrative or marketing tasks you don’t have time to do yourself.
5. Monitor Your Brand. You can measure how well your brand ranks online by using sites like Klout.com and OnlineCalculator.com. These sites will let you know how strong your online brand is currently and give you some tips to leverage your online clout.

I have really begun to mentally process how the discipline of marketing a business and many of the principles that come with it are just as critical for personal success.

There is great value in developing a personal brand marketing strategy that helps you stand out, and that makes you more credible in the eyes of your select audience. Unfortunately, it is way too easy to ignore because of competing priorities for our time.

• Do you have a personal brand marketing plan or do you personally market yourself unintentionally?
• If you have a brand marketing plan, does it include specific promotional activities and are these tied to events?
• Have you taken the time to identify a target customer, or employer? What desired characteristics have you named?
• Does your personal brand strategy identify ways to sell to and maintain your current clients while attracting new ones?
• What are the demographics of your key prospects? What makes you distinctly different, or unique as compared to your competitors?
• What is your personal brand marketing budget? How will you distribute these funds?

About the Author: Expert-ize your personal brand. As a Personal Brand & Marketing Coach, Tanya Smith offers female professionals with dual career & entrepreneurial roles access to cutting-edge strategies to help them thrive and promote themselves as experts in a progressively competitive work and marketplace. Claim
your free instant access to a special report at: http://www.bepromotable.com.

“You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.” C.S. Lewis

What an empowering quote!

Another one of my favorite quotes in this category is by Sharon Williams “It’s never too late to redeem your dreams!!

What is it that you dreamed about when you were a child? What stopped you from moving forward?

This was one of the questions asked of the participants in my Dream Launch Mentoring and Coaching program.

Quite often we allow time to influence what we do in life and once we get past a certain age you may figure that it’s too late so yousettle for what life presents to you. Why is this? Are you influencedby others? Or maybe what society dictates as the normal age to startthinking more sensible and slow down your ambitious endeavors?

There are many who started late in life and then who is to say what the definition for starting late is. Is there a magic number?

I’m sure you’ve heard of Kernel Sanders of Kentucky Fried Chicken and others. Some probably thought he was a little on the crazy side toembark on a dream at his age and yet he did and this franchise is athriving business even now.

What does it take to continue to dream and not just dream but take targeted action?
What about setting another goal and dreaming a new dream?

Well one essential key is to have confidence. Yes, you must have unshakable confidence in your abilities and your gift. There are goingto be naysayers and those who feel you need to do like the rest of themand settle. In order to stay motivated to continue you need confidence.

Faith
In the bible it reads “Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”

Here’s another quote; Take the first step in faith. You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step. Martin LutherKing, Jr.

The right mindset
If you have the mindset that you’re not good enough or that you’re not worth it you’re going to definitely reach animpasse as you move forward to not only dream but take targeted action.

Crystal clear vision
Not being crystal clear on your vision is a definite way to sabotage your success and cause you to give up on yourdream or even worse never set a new goal. Your vision will provide youwith a healthy navigation system.

Not only will it provide guidance when setting your goals but will greatly enhance your activity ofwriting your goals and adding action steps.

These are a few things you need to continue to dream and take targeted action.
I’m sure you can add a few yourself and I invite you to do so. Here’s onemore “tenacity.” When it’s all said and done you must have a mindset tocontinue in the face of tests and discouragement regardless of whatother’s think or the opposition presented to you with a resolve of noretreat.

Go ahead Dream again, set new goals and take targeted action!

If you’re looking to connect with an accountability partner , clear the clutter inside/out, get crystal clear on your vision, set 1Audacious goal, get laser focused so you can be positioned to manifestthat goal then I invite you to join me for “30 days of Empowerment”mentoring program. This Empowering experience will begin when I returnfrom Ali Brown’s “Shine” Event. I’ll be fired up to help you move to anew dimension in your life and business plus provide an experience ofspiritual renewal. Go here http://budurl.com/kwe30days to secure your seat now while there’s still availability.