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4 Tips for Listening to Your Audience Online

By on May 24, 2011 in Grow Your Business, Social Media, Your Small Business

One of the first pieces of advice you’ll find about using social media for your small business is to “listen to your audience“.  By creating a listening strategy you’ll find out what conversations are happening among your customers (or potential customers), before you dive in and try to become part of the conversation and ultimately sell your wares.

A good Social Media Marketing Strategy starts with an active monitoring and listening plan that helps you learn what’s going on in your industry, as well as what people have to say about your brand.  It allows you to plan exactly how you’ll enter the conversation and what valuable content you’ll use to make yourself a valued asset and not just another person shouting about their brand in the already overcrowded social media space.

The following 4 tips will help you formulate a listening strategy to hear what your audience is saying and find out what you can bring to the conversation:

1.    Use Google Alerts:  Google Alerts lets you get email updates of the latest relevant Google results (web, news, etc.) based on the topics of your choice, where you can choose your topic and have the results delivered via email or RSS feed at the time you specify.  The great thing about Google Alerts is that you can set up multiple alerts for your name, company name, competitors’ names, and relevant keywords or search terms for your industry to keep up with the information that you need.  This intelligence will be delivered to you regularly, instead of heading to a search engine and running queries yourself.

2.    Try Social Mention:  Social Mention is a social media search engine that searches user-generated content such as blogs, comments, bookmarks, events, news, videos, and microblogging services.  It’s like Google Alerts, but for social media platforms.  It works similar to Google Alerts, where you can set it up and monitor your brand and competition in the social media space.

3.    Search Twitter:  With over 200,000,000 million users, tweeting 155,000,000 tweets a day, Twitter has become a real-time information network that connects you to the latest information about topics you’re interested in.  Searching Twitter is a great way to find out what people are talking about NOW, and using a Saved Twitter Search is the best way to monitor topics relevant to your brand and industry.

4.    Create Surveys:  Regularly polling your customers and prospects is a great way to find out what topics are of interest to them, and what kinds of products and services will meet their needs.  Services like Survey Monkey make it easy to gather information from your customers first hand by asking them what you want to know.  For the cash-strapped entrepreneur, Survey Monkey offers a basic plan that lets you have up to 100 responses on a 10-question survey, thus providing an excellent tool to learn more about your stakeholders.

 

Have you tried any other listening strategies that have brought you success in the online realm?

 

Kindra CottonKindra C. Cotton, Serial Entrepreneur, Technology & Social Media Specialist, and Jill of All Trades (and a Master of Two), channels her energies into her small business consulting enterprises specializing in brand marketing, market research, and strategic information consultancy.  A transplanted Nashvillian with years of expertise with the Internet and web-based technologies, she channels her passion for entrepreneurship, information technology, and social media into being an excellent resource for online marketers and people looking to promote their brand on the web as Examiner.com’s National Online Marketing Examiner.  Her flagship brand “SSS for Success (Small Business Survival Specialists)” specializes in preparing small and medium-sized organizations to take advantage of the free and low-cost marketing avenues that exist in the online arena.

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Do You Have a Social Media Plan?

By on April 12, 2011 in Guest Articles, Social Media, Technology

“Social Media” is the latest hot button topic.  It’s the buzz word on everyone’s lips, and now that there are several verified stories of how it’s being used to grow businesses and forge new era of engagement among organizations and their stakeholders, it’s now at the top of everyone’s list as they seek to improve their bottom lines.

Many small business owners turn their heads in the direction of Social Media, not just because it’s useful marketing tool, but because the term “FREE” is often juxtaposed to it, thereby helping it fit perfectly on a tight budget.  One of the first things that entrepreneurs do when they want to capitalize on the “Social Media Wave” is set up a Twitter or Facebook account (or Fan Page) and then they feel that they now are a part of “the party”.  But I contend that in order for a Social Media Marketing Campaign to truly be effective, you have to plan how social media outlets will be used within your overall marketing plan to promote your products and services.

To that end, I like to help my clients navigate the Web 2.0 environment and integrate Social Media into their business by mapping out a Social Media Marketing Plan that fits squarely within the overall marketing plan of a company.  Specifically, I create a Social Media Marketing Plan that highlights how social media outlets will be utilized to:

1)    Drive traffic to a company’s website or blog,

2)    Generate interest in the site’s content,

3)    Generate sales or leads for new customers, and

4)    Provide ways of keeping existing customers actively engaged in the company’s brand through its website, blog, or other social media outlets. Continue Reading →

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Ask SmallBizLady: Is Social Media Really Worth Pursuing?

By on April 1, 2011 in Ask Smallbizlady, Social Media, Technology

Every Friday, I answer your small business questions in a video blog segment called Ask Small Biz Lady.

This week, we are taking on the question: Is Social Media Really Worth Pursuing?

Here’s the answer:

Yes, and here’s what you need to have in place to make social media work well for your business.

1.    Create some goals for what you want to accomplish with social media.

2.    Figure out where your customers spend time online.

3.    Make sure your website is user friendly and highlights your solutions fast.

4.    Create a personal LinkedIn profile.

If you have a question for Melinda Emerson, Small Biz Lady, leave a comment on this blog using the contact us page or send me a note on Twitter @SmallBizLady, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/smallbizlady or you can hit me up on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/melindaemerson

I’m always here as a resource.

P.S.  Want the t-shirt? It’s available! for $20.00 plus s/h sizes M-L-XL-2X



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12 Things to Tweet About on Twitter

By on March 28, 2011 in Social Media

Twitter is a very powerful way to build a social media brand and one of the most common questions I get is, “So what should I tweet about?”  Here are four basic tips: find news articles helpful to your target audience, tweet other people’s stuff at a 4:1 ratio of your own, tweet your own helpful content, and send personal tweets so that people can get to know you on Twitter.  140 characters is a short and sweet way to communicate with your target market, network and get instant feedback.  You can develop relationships and promote your events or your business, but keep in mind it takes 7 contacts in social media to build trust, so go slowly. It’s important to avoid being seen as someone who just self promotes. Keep in mind that every tweet counts; no one cares what you had for breakfast, so don’t just tweet useless stuff

Twitter is all about Give to Get.  Most of your tweets should be helpful. Be sure to inject some personality, so that people can feel like they know you.

Here are 12 ideas for what to tweet:

1. Teach something – Highlight your area of expertise by teaching how to do something.

2. Ask for advice: The Twitterverse is great for quick responses.  You can also ask questions that encourage responses.

3. Become a Twitter news source: Announce news from your industry and local news from the city where you do business.

4. Share good information: Develop a list of 10 sites or blogs that your followers would be interested in and share links regularly. Be sure to comment on the articles before retweeting them to get the link back to you.

5. Offer free advice: Use Twitter Search www.search.twitter.com to find potential customers asking for advice in your area of expertise and then offer them help. This is a great way to build followers.

6. Create a Twitter lists:  Highlight awesome contributors in your industry.   My post on 25 Business Women To Follow On Twitter is still a major link 9 months after it was originally posted. http://succeedasyourownboss.com/07/2010/25-business-women-to-follow-on-twitter/

7. Book and product reviews: Tweet any reviews for books/products relevant to your target audience.

8. Give Thanks: Be sure to thank anyone for mentioning you on Twitter or RT’ing your posts.

9. Quotes:  Everyone loves to read a quick inspirational quote that makes them think or say me, too.

10. Market your latest offers:  Market yourself but be careful about not to be saying “Buy my stuff” too much.

11. Give Twitter luv:  ReTweet other people’s stuff. It’s a great way to widen your network, and build relationships with other professionals.

12. Be Personal- Post at least one personal Tweet every day. It will allow people to see that you are not just all about business.  I have a 5 year old and he gives me great material to tweet about.

My bottom line with Twitter:  Be real, useful and helpful. Make sure you have a good picture and sharp Twitter bio that explains how someone can hire you.  Remember, the give to get principal. It’s not all about you.  Your followers need to understand your thought leadership as well as whose stuff you like to read.   Follow everyone who follows you, unless they have no photo, no description or have locked their Twitter account.  It’s ok to repeat your tweets. I typically repeat new blog posts four times the first day of a new post.

Do you have any more secrets of using Twitter to share?

Become Your Own Boss in 12 Months Books By Melinda EmersonMelinda F. Emerson, known to many as SmallBizLady is one of America’s leading small business experts. As a seasoned entrepreneur, professional speaker, and small business coach, she develops audio, video and written content to fulfill her mission to end small business failure.  As CEO of MFE Consulting LLC, Melinda educates entrepreneurs and Fortune 500 companies on subjects including small business start-up, business development and social media marketing. Forbes Magazine recently named her one of the Top 20 women for entrepreneurs to follow on Twitter. She hosts #SmallBizChat Wednesdays on Twitter 8-9pm ET for emerging entrepreneurs. She also publishes a resource blog www.succeedasyourownboss.com  Melinda is also the author of the national bestseller Become Your Own Boss in 12 months; A Month-by-Month Guide to a Business That Works. (Adams Media 2010) 

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Ask SmallBizLady: How Can I Get More Followers on Twitter to Promote My Small Business

By on February 18, 2011 in Ask Smallbizlady, Social Media

On Fridays, I answer questions on my blog in a segment called Ask Small Biz Lady, where I will post video answers to frequent questions about small business.  This week, we are taking on the question How Can I Get More Followers on Twitter to Promote My Small Business?  Click here to see my video response.

The answer is:   Follow other people, search for people who are asking questions using your keywords, Retweet (RT) other people’s content at a 4:1 ratio to your own, and participate in Twitterchats like such as #Smallbizchat every Wednesday 8-9pm ET.  By answering questions you’ll demonstrate your expertise and get noticed.  Remember the currency used in social media is value.  If you provide value consistently you will earn lots of followers.

If you have a question for Melinda Emerson, Small Biz Lady, I’m always here as a resource.

Leave a comment on this article, send a message using the contact us page, tweet me – @smallbizlady, on Facebook or you can hit me up on LinkedIn.

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Social Media Customer Service: Don’t Fake It

By on February 8, 2011 in Customer Service, Guest Articles, Social Media

In recent years, social media has effectively taken everything that we know about customer service, and turned it upside-down. Online, there is no place for your company to hide. If you leave your customers unsatisfied, you are pretty much guaranteed to see a rant or rave about it on a social media network somewhere. Consumers are quick to embrace this power that they have received- the power of mass exposure. And this can leave you and your company feeling, well, massively exposed.

One of the most valuable things that you can do as a business owner today is to develop a specific and detailed social media customer relationship management program in order to foster a positive rapport with your customers. There are plenty of small business owners out there who stumble across negative threads about their business, and do not know how to conduct themselves in response, nor do they have a plan for how to handle this type of negative exposure. If nothing is said, the problem is guaranteed to escalate. If the business owner poses as a “fake” customer to post a contradicting positive comment, the falsehood almost always shines through. However, with a plan in place, you can quickly change a customer’s negative experience into a positive one without taking on a false identity.

Oftentimes, what fuels a customer’s discontent in the first place is a company’s lack of response. For example, if a customer writes to a shoe company that he bought a pair of leather shoes that disintegrated the first day he wore them, and receives no response, it is likely that he will post a negative thread about the company on a public forum. Noteworthy is the fact that the likely focus of his thread will be the simple lack of response and lack of customer care from the shoe company, not the lack of quality in the shoes. The relationship that your company establishes with a customer is equally as important, if not more, than the product itself.

When your social media team responds to a customer service issue, such as a negative comment posted on your Facebook page, you must have a specific plan in place. First, ensure that your company has access to each customer’s contact information. A designated customer service representative should contact this customer personally in order to assist him or her. A social media customer service representative should always leave the customer with his or her own email address and personal phone extension. While social media allows your company to be available and accessible to consumers, you should never doubt the power of personal one-on-one contact.

When aligning your social media customer relationship management plan, insure that your customer service representative will follow through appropriately with the customer. For example, if a replacement pair of leather shoes has been sent to the customer, the representative should call the customer back in 2 weeks to make sure this pair has not disintegrated. Insuring that the same CSR checks back with the customer is necessary. We have all had the experience of being transferred to 4 different reps on a customer service line before, and it’s an experience that leaves you steamy under the collar, isn’t it? Insuring that a customer is able to correspond with one dedicated representative allows him or her to establish a comfortable, trusted relationship with your company. Enable your customer to provide a satisfied testimonial once you have corrected the problem, and you will see that the level of attentiveness you have provided is reflected in the customer’s new feedback.

As you continue developing and refining your social media customer service methods, make sure that your plan evolves as social media evolves. For example, if you use Twitter as a forum for customer’s to post feedback to your company, how do you handle the fact that Twitter is always on? Will you designate customer response hours in your bio? Will you designate a CSR to Tweet when the CSRs will be offline for the day? Allow your methods to evolve and develop over time in order to provide the best customer service possible.

Debra Leitl is the Mentor in Residence at eMentormarketing.com.  You can find her on twitter @MentorMarketing. Her specialty is interactive marketing with a focus on ecommerce and online marketing strategy.

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Ask Smallbizlady: When is it Time to Quit Your Job to Pursue Your Small Business

By on January 28, 2011 in Ask Smallbizlady, How to Start, Social Media, Your Small Business

Every Friday, I’m creating a new segment called Ask Small Biz Lady.

I’m posting video answers to your frequent small business questions.  This week, we are taking on the question when do you know it’s time to leave you job to operate your small business full-time.

Here’s the answer:  Work both the job and the business as a side hustle as long as you can. Check out this video for more….. http://www.youtube.com/user/producerpa#p/u/0/yWse0A8Xo_4

If you have a question for Melinda Emerson, SmallBizLady, leave a comment on this blog using the contact us page or send a Tweet or direct message on Twitter, give me a shout out on Facebook on the SmallBizLady fan page or hit me up on Linkedin.

I’m always here as a resource.

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Where will Social Media Lead You in 2011?

By on January 18, 2011 in Guest Articles, Social Media

Where will Social Media Lead You in 2011?  By Barbara Pender

Mobile marketing will be among the hottest trends.  Are you ready?  Here is a checklist of the basic items you need to have and to hold as you begin to marry into this next rampant stage of Social Media.  I promise to leave you with processes and go-to links for further bookmarking.

While preparing for this article, a friend of mine reminded me that knowledge goes beyond learning; it is action that completes its cycle.  So I’m passing that on to you - read and react; because mobile marketing will leave you behind wondering “why wasn’t I part of that movement?”

What is Mobile Marketing, (MM)?  It was once referenced or defined as “horizontal telecommunication convergence”….uh yeah.  That’s how the geeks start out when honing a new feature or tool; give it an acronym or multi syllable name to scare everyone while we figure out what it is.  Now that we know, we can simplify it and let everyone in, so are you ready?  Great!  Mobile Marketing is marketing with a mobile device, yes – like your cell phone.  Here is a link to increase your knowledge via definitions in the MM industry, http://bit.ly/getyoursocialacttogether.

Now that we’ve covered the basics let’s move on to why mobile marketing is the trend.  Ask yourself; do you know anyone who does not have a mobile phone?  The industry has made it easy to get and the features quite easy to use – hence the phrase “there’s an app for that”.   I’m going to focus on one of the definition terms from the link above and that is LBS. 

Location based services is what a cell phone network offers, this vehicle is used to send custom advertising to you, the cell phone subscriber; and it is all GPS based.  Meaning that you’re not going to receive an ad from a small business in Ohio if you live in Iowa.  How does this happen?  There is a GPS chip built into your existing phone.

Foursquare, YELP, Facebook Places, just to name a few, utilize LBS technology.  How should you use them to leverage your business?  There are so many ways to explore and it can be overwhelming to decide which ones to use; yes more than one.  The reason is that your clientele will not all be using Foursquare, so it is important to know about more than one and decide which one or ones you will utilize when you put together your mobile marketing strategy.  Their concept is to connect with your friends at brick and mortar locations; where you will earn passports, rewards, points, badges and status labels.

As a business owner, you can embrace those titles and accolades by offering a discount to those who are the Duchess of your establishments (Yelp), or the Mayor of the town in your area (Foursquare).  The LBS is doing all of the work for you, it will be displayed on your social media tool and you should be running your marketing on that same platform. 

Remember that mobile marketing will allow you to send out exclusive and targeted promos, rewarding those who patronize your business and make others wonder why they are not and therefore will envy the deals.  Get on board with the mobile marketing trend!! 

  • Start with locating a good Social Media Strategist
  • Know your customer base
  • Know your audience
  • Arm your business with the right mobile marketing tools

Take a deeper look at the benefits of using some of these tools, expanding the search to practices that will actually benefit your small business.  Sharing location updates, geo-tagging, commenting with customers; becoming part of their mobile address book, online social networks, communities and blogs. 

Barbara Pender is a Social Media coach, providing training and speaking opportunities covering this fast paced industry.  Connect with her on Facebook — and follow her on Twitter.

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How to Have Balance in Your Life as a Small Business Owner

By on January 6, 2011 in Business Inspiration, Mompreneurs, My Recommendations, SmallBizChat, Social Media, Women in Business, Your Small Business

Tune in to Smallbizchat with Smallbizlady on TwitterEach week as Smallbizlady, I conduct interviews with small business experts on my weekly Twitter talk show #SmallBizChat. This is excerpted from my #SmallBizChat interview with Debi Silber @themojocoach.  Debi is a Registered Dietitian with a Master’s in Nutrition, a Personal Trainer, Whole Health Coach, author, speaker and founder of www.TheMojoCoach.com . Debi’s branded The Mojo Coach® because she’s personally led hundreds of clients to achieve their ultimate body, mind, image and lifestyle; inspiring them to “get their mojo back.” She’s also the author of A Pocket Full of Mojo: 365 Proven Strategies To Create Your Ultimate Body, Mind, Image and Lifestyle. http://www.themojocoach.com/book_pocketfull.php

SmallBizLady: What are some of the common health issues you often see with small business owners?

Debi Silber: The most common health issues I see are stress related illnesses, chronic disease (which is largely caused by stress and bad habits/conditioning), unmanaged stress, frustration and overwhelm.

SmallBizLady: Why are stress related issues so common?

Debi Silber: It’s a combination of many things but with the small business owner, it’s usually due to where we place our priorities. Many of us put our work at the top of the list. This usually means that our health and wellness gets pushed to the bottom of the list and we take care of ourselves if we have any time, energy and motivation left after all of our other priorities are taken care of. Unfortunately, by the time we’re finished with everything else, we’re usually too tired to do anything different, especially if it involves change. For many people, we’ll live this way until a health crisis or illness forces us to make changes.

SmallBizLady: What can a small business owner do to find more balance?

Debi Silber: There’s really no such thing as balance because your attention is given to whatever you deem important at the time. The key is to make the decision to view health and wellness as important too because really, the better you feel and live, the better your business will be. You’ll have more energy, confidence, be more productive and positive. You’ll exude a sense of confidence and personal power that makes people want to work with you. Can you wake up earlier and get your exercise in? Make lunch plans with a friend each week? Cook healthier meals on the weekend when you have more time? Journal, meditate, or find another way to de-stress? Take away from any unproductive time during your day and allot it to time spent on making yourself healthier and happier.

SmallBizLady: What are a few tips to eat healthier during a busy day?

Debi Silber: Always start with a healthy breakfast. It kick-starts your metabolism and is a great place to fuel up on fresh fruit, whole grains, lean protein and high fiber. Also, pre-plan your day. If you’ll be out, make sure you have some healthy snacks/meals and plenty of water to keep you nourished and hydrated. It’s also best to eat well-balanced meals (healthy carbs/protein/fruit or veg/little bit of fat) every 3-4 hours to keep your blood sugar and mood stable. This will prevent an energy surge and crash as well as prevent a binge because you got overly hungry or ate too much sugar.

SmallBizLady: What are some unhealthy habits you often see with your small business clients?

Debi Silber: We think we can only have a dysfunctional relationship with people but we often have it with food too. Binge, mindless, social and emotional eating behaviors can have us struggling with food, weight and health for years, and often decades. Some are just bad habits and something like emotional eating for example, is a way to soothe, calm, numb and relax us. It’s a way of self-medicating. We stuff ourselves to “check out” or “stuff” the pain from an uncomfortable emotion we don’t want to deal with. It’s an easy way of meeting an unmet need like anger, frustration, loneliness, boredom, feeling unfulfilled and even fatigue.

SmallBizLady: Exercise is important but we’re either too busy or we just don’t want to do it. What are a few tips to make sure we exercise?

Debi Silber: The first step is to understand our “fitness personality” so we can create a program we like based on our needs, health, preferences and lifestyle. Next, it’s usually best to get it in before the day starts because as the day progresses, things come up and exercise is one of the first things to go if you have a lot to do. If that’s not an option, keep your gym bag packed and ready to go, exercise on a lunch break, hit the gym before you come home, find a fitness buddy for accountability, TiVo your favorite shows and treat yourself to them while you exercise, create a reward system for getting your workout in, etc. The key is to find a way to get exercise in and stay motivated while bringing results.

SmallBizLady: When running your own business, especially from home, it’s difficult for many of us to “leave the office.” Any suggestions?

Debi Silber: Having my business from home, I find it helpful to physically leave the office and shut the door behind me once my kids come home. Shutting the door subconsciously reminds me that that part of the day is over and it’s time to move back into my role as wife and mom. I try not to go into the office much once the kids are home but when you love what you do, it’s especially hard to leave because it doesn’t feel like work! It’s also important to realize that there will ALWAYS be more to do so learn how to pace yourself for the sake of your health, your wellness, your sanity while keeping your priorities and values in check.

SmallBizLady: How does stress affect our health?

Debi Silber: When we’re stressed, we’re not interested in making healthy choices, reading labels, etc. We want comfort foods (which are loaded in fat, sugar and calories) because we’re looking for that feeling we felt when they were served to us long ago. Under stress, we’re also secreting more stress hormones, which encourage us to eat more. Stress also suppresses the immune system. A weakened or compromised immune system puts us at risk for many illnesses and diseases. Stress also affects our ability to heal, affects our nervous system, digestive system, reproductive system, hair, skin, organs, cells…just about everything.

SmallBizLady: What are some of the dangers of stress?

Debi Silber: Stress creates physical, mental, emotional wear and tear. It’s hard to imagine though because we think a physical cause causes a physical pain (ex: stub your toe, it hurts) but think about it. You hear something and your face reddens with anger, you’re embarrassed and you flush, you’re nervous and you feel butterflies, you’re upset and your stomach hurts. These are physical reactions to emotions/feelings. These emotions release stress hormones and chemicals and over time, these chemicals cause huge wear and tear.

SmallBizLady: Sometimes our lifestyles (spouse, family, running a business, etc.) can affect our sleep. What’s the link between a lack of sleep and our health?

Debi Silber: When stressed, we’re not sleeping well and will look for more energy through sugar and caffeine. The empty calories coming from sugar is one of the easiest ways to gain weight. A lack of sleep also leaves us groggy which makes us less productive during our day. It also makes us irritable, less patient, etc.

SmallBizLady: What’s the best way to start living a healthier lifestyle and making changes that last?

Debi Silber: Start small, making changes that work for you. Make 1 change in each of these areas-nutrition, fitness, relationships, emotional health, stress, and spirituality.

Here’s some examples: Nutrition-can you leave over a few bites of food at dinner, drink more water, make a healthy substitution? Fitness-can you commit to walking 1 day this week, bumping up the intensity of your jog, joining a class, working out with a fitness DVD or taking the dog for a run every day? Relationships-can you go out on a “date” with your partner, make plans with a friend, play more with your kids, call an old friend or make a new friend? Emotional-can you talk back to your “inner bully” (that voice that tells you that you can’t, you’re too old, not smart enough, not ready, etc.), change your perspective, lighten up? Stress-can you take 10 minutes to read a magazine, get more sleep, journal, meditate, relax in nature, listen to soothing music, laugh more, exercise to de-stress, knit, do yoga, etc.? Spirituality-can you find a way to feel more connected to something bigger-be more appreciative, donate your time or money to a cause you find meaningful, pray daily.

How to participate in #SmallBizChat: http://bit.ly/S797e

For more tips on starting or growing your small business subscribe to Melinda Emerson’s blog at www.succeedasyourownboss.com

Melinda F. Emerson, known to many as SmallBizLady is one of America’s leading small business experts. As a seasoned entrepreneur, professional speaker, and small business coach, she develops audio, video and written content to fulfill her mission to end small business failure. As CEO of MFE Consulting LLC, Melinda educates entrepreneurs and Fortune 500 companies on subjects including small business start-up, business development and social media marketing. She has been featured on NBC Nightly News, the Tavis Smiley Radio Show, in the Wall Street Journal, Entrepreneur and Black Enterprise Magazine. She hosts #SmallBizChat weekly on Twitter for emerging entrepreneurs and publishes a resource blog www.succeedasyourownboss.com Melinda is also the author of the national bestseller Become Your Own Boss in 12 months; A Month-by-Month Guide to a Business That Works. (Adams Media 2010)

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How To Build a Social Media Brand

By on October 18, 2010 in Branding & Marketing, Social Media

One of the topics I regularly speak about as I tour the country helping small business owners is how to build a social media brand. I am often inspired by questions I’m asked to write blog posts to further answer business questions. In this case, I realized that I have already written many articles on virtues of social media and how to get started. I decided to use today’s blog post to recap my favorite posts for getting started with building an online brand. The first step in building a social media brand is starting with a marketing plan. Then you need to figure out where your customers spend time online. From there, start slowly and figure out if LinkedIn, Twitter or Facebook are the right social media network to launch your online footprint.  Plus, if you think blogging should be a part of your strategy, I threw in a three part series on blogging for business. 

How to Develop a Marketing Plan

http://succeedasyourownboss.com/09/2010/how-develop-a-marketing-plan-for-your-small-business/

Getting Started With LinkedIn

http://succeedasyourownboss.com/06/2010/getting-started-on-linkedin/

Getting Started With Twitter

http://succeedasyourownboss.com/06/2009/getting-started-on-twitter/

Using Facebook to Promote Your Small Business

http://succeedasyourownboss.com/10/2010/using-facebook-to-promote-your-small-business/

Blogging for Business Three Part Series

http://succeedasyourownboss.com/09/2009/how-to-build-a-small-business-blog/

http://succeedasyourownboss.com/09/2009/strategy-developing-a-blog-vs-website/

http://succeedasyourownboss.com/10/2009/10-ways-to-get-your-blog-to-shine/

I want to know — what’s your formula to build social media brand?

Become Your Own Boss in 12 Months Books By Melinda EmersonMelinda F. Emerson, known to many as Small Biz Lady (or on Twitter as @SmallBizLady) is one of America’s leading small business experts. As a seasoned entrepreneur, professional speaker, and small business coach, she develops audio, video and written content to fulfill her mission to end small business failure. As CEO of MFE Consulting LLC, Melinda educates entrepreneurs and Fortune 500 companies on subjects including small business start-up, business development and social media marketing. Forbes Magazine recently named her one of the Top 20 women for entrepreneurs to follow on Twitter. She hosts #SmallBizChat Wednesdays on Twitter 8-9pm ET for emerging entrepreneurs. She also publishes a resource blog www.succeedasyourownboss.com. Melinda is also the author of the national bestseller Become Your Own Boss in 12 months; A Month-by-Month Guide to a Business That Works. (Adams Media 2010)

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Resources to Use Twitter to Grow Your Small Business

By on August 30, 2010 in Branding & Marketing, Grow Your Business, Social Media

I regularly get emails and direct messages asking me if I tweet myself or if use a team of people help me maintain my Twitter accounts.  I have two @smallbizlady and @smallbizchat.   Well, the answer is that I do it myself, and here’s some of the tools that I use to manage my online brand on Twitter.  Hopefully you’ll be able to build your business using some of these great tools—some of them will work with Facebook and LinkedIn, too.

Twitter Monitoring & Automation Tools

Backing Up Your Tweets

Website link Shorteners:

Finding New Friend Suggestions

Finding Conversations on Twitter

Participate on Twitter Chats 
such as #Smallbizchat (Wed-8-9pm ET)

Are there any other Twitter tools that you use for your small business? I am always looking for new resources.

For more tips on starting or growing your small business subscribe to Melinda Emerson’s blog at www.succeedasyourownboss.com

Melinda F. Emerson, known to many as SmallBizLady is one of America’s leading small business experts. As CEO of MFE Consulting LLC, Melinda educates entrepreneurs and Fortune 500 companies on small business start-up, business development and social media marketing. She hosts #SmallBizChat weekly on Twitter for emerging entrepreneurs and publishes a resource blog www.succeedasyourownboss.com.  Melinda is also the author of the national bestseller Become Your Own Boss in 12 months; A Month-by-Month Guide to a Business That Works. (Adams Media 2010) For more information http://www.becomeyourownbossbook.com

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4 Social Media Books Every Entrepreneur Should Read

By on August 16, 2010 in Become Your Own Boss Tips, Grow Your Business, Social Media, Your Small Business

The New Rules of Marketing and PR: How to Use Social Media, Blogs, News Releases, Online Video, and Viral Marketing to Reach Buyers Directly, 2nd Edition by David Meerman Scott ( J. Wiley & Sons, 2010)  In 2007, when it originally published, a friend suggested I read The New Rules of Marketing and PR and it changed my business. Now that David Meerman Scott has updated the book, it’s an even a better resource for integrating new school and old school marketing techniques with social media.  By embracing the strategies in this book, you will transform your small business. David shows you a multitude of ways to propel yourself into becoming “THE” thought leader in your market and driving sales revenue – all without a huge budget. 

Trust Agents:  Using the Web to Build Influence, Improve Reputation, and Earn Trust by Chris Brogan and Julien Smith ( J. Wiley & Sons, 2009)  What I like about this book is that the authors Chris Brogan and Julien Smith help readers understand that today’s social media environment is driven by trust. They emphasize the importance of being present in social media.  Chris and Julien also suggest that we need to inject some humanity and intimacy into our online relationships, which I could not agree with more. Once you earn trust from your core audience they will carry your message organically.  Once you are a trust agent, you can spread your influence faster, wider, and deeper. 

Social Media:  Strategies for Engaging in Facebook, Twitter and Other Social Media by Liana “Li” Evans  (Que Publishing, 2010)  I love how-to books that are plain and easy to absorb.  Social Media by Li Evans is just that kind of book.  This book helps you understand how all the most popular sites of the moment work and she helps you with the strategy behind what you might want to use for a certain social media platform.  I especially like that she drills home the need to have your messaging consistent across your entire social media footprint.  Best of all Li gives you guidance to integrate your traditional and social media marketing tactics — which is perfect, as social media alone should never be a small business owner’s sole marketing strategy.  

Using LinkedIn by Patrice-Anne Rutledge (Que Publishing, 2010)  This book is for any small business owner who wants to tap into the power of LinkedIn.  What I like about this book is that you walk away with real technology skills.  Using LinkedIn by Patrice-Ann Rutledge tells me what I need to know about leveraging LinkedIn to the max.  This is also one of the first books I’ve seen that has step-by-step video tutorials, web links and audio sidebar interviews with experts that you can download to create a customized learning experience.  My favorite chapters for entrepreneurs are:  Communicating with Your LinkedIn Network, Saving Time with LinkedIn Tools, Advertising on LinkedIn.

For more tips on starting or growing your small business subscribe to Melinda Emerson’s blog at www.succeedasyourownboss.com

Melinda F. Emerson, known to many as SmallBizLady is one of America’s leading small business experts. As a seasoned entrepreneur, professional speaker, and small business coach, she develops audio, video and written content to fulfill her mission to end small business failure.  As CEO of MFE Consulting LLC, Melinda educates entrepreneurs and Fortune 500 companies on subjects including small business start-up, business development and social media marketing. She has been featured on NBC Nightly News, the Tavis Smiley Radio Show, in the Wall Street Journal, Entrepreneur and Black Enterprise Magazine. She hosts #SmallBizChat weekly on Twitter for emerging entrepreneurs and publishes a resource blog www.succeedasyourownboss.com  Melinda is also the author of the national bestseller Become Your Own Boss in 12 months; A Month-by-Month Guide to a Business That Works. (Adams Media 2010) 

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Who’s Coming Up on #SmallBizChat in August 2010?

By on July 30, 2010 in SmallBizChat, Social Media, Your Small Business

Hot topics and great guests for August #SmallBizChat:

  • August 4 @ramonray Ramon Ray Topic:  How to Improve Your Small Business Website
  • August 11th @ElenaVerlee Elena Verlee Topic: PR for Newbie Small Business Owners
  • August 18th @CorpNet Philip Aklap CEO  Topic:  How to Select a Small Business Lawyer
  • August 25th @DarnyelleJervey Darnyelle Jervey Topic:  How to Make Sure Your Passion has a Profit Center

SmallBizChat is the Wednesday weekly Twitter chat – focused on everything that small business owners need to know about running and sustaining their business. Hosted by Melinda Emerson, The Small Biz Lady; follow @smallbizchat for updates via Twitter.  How to participate in #SmallBizChat: http://bit.ly/S797e

Melinda F. Emerson, known to many as SmallBizLady is one of America’s leading small business experts. As a seasoned entrepreneur, professional speaker, and small business coach, she develops audio, video and written content to fulfill her mission to end small business failure.  As CEO of MFE Consulting LLC, Melinda educates entrepreneurs and Fortune 500 companies on subjects including small business start-up, business development and social media marketing. She has been featured on NBC Nightly News, the Tavis Smiley Radio Show, in the Wall Street Journal, Entrepreneur and Black Enterprise Magazine. She hosts #SmallBizChat weekly on Twitter for emerging entrepreneurs and publishes a resource blog www.succeedasyourownboss.com.  Melinda is also the author of the national bestseller Become Your Own Boss in 12 months; A Month-by-Month Guide to a Business That Works. (Adams Media 2010)

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How to Use LinkedIn to Grow Your Small Business

By on July 29, 2010 in Q & A Interview, SmallBizChat, Social Media

Each week as @Smallbizlady, I conduct interviews with small business experts on my weekly Twitter talk show #SmallBizChat. This is excerpted from my #SmallBizChat interview with @PatriceRutledge.  Patrice is a bestselling author of 30 books on business technology who has been interviewed by CNN, Inc., Fox News, MSN, AOL, and other media outlets around the world. Her latest book is Using LinkedIn, a complete training program for LinkedIn users that includes a print book, audio podcasts, and video tutorials. Patrice also offers business technology coaching for busy entrepreneurs who want to tap the power of technology to increase profits, promote their business, and save time and money. You can reach Patrice at her website: http://www.patricerutledge.com.

Smallbizlady: How can small business owners use LinkedIn to promote their businesses?

Patrice Rutledge: One common misconception about LinkedIn is that it’s primarily for jobseekers. LinkedIn is also a great tool for small business owners. You can use LinkedIn to create an online profile easily found by search engines such as Google or Bing, promote your products and services, find clients and customers, network with your peers, establish credibility as an expert in your field, do market research, find partners and sponsors, and much more.

Smallbizlady: What’s the first thing a new LinkedIn user should do?

Patrice Rutledge: The very first thing you should do is to create a quality profile. That’s the basic foundation for success on LinkedIn. When creating your profile, you need to really think about who you want to reach and what profile content will attract your audience and encourage them to do business with you. That said, you should never write your profile like an advertisement. LinkedIn is for networking, not direct selling, even if your goal is to increase sales and find clients.

Smallbizlady: What is the best way to approach LinkedIn as a business development tool?

Patrice Rutledge: With LinkedIn, as with other social sites, it’s important to engage with your target audience rather than broadcast to them. In other words, don’t just post sales messages to group discussion boards, engage your audience in conversation. Using features such as LinkedIn Answers and LinkedIn Groups can help you showcase your expertise, which encourages people to do business with you.

Smallbizlady: This is your second book on LinkedIn, and your third on social networking. Why do you think LinkedIn is such a great tool?

Patrice Rutledge: I’ve used LinkedIn since its early days, both as a recruitment tool when I was in the corporate world and as a business development tool now that I have my own business. I’ve found social networking—especially LinkedIn—to be one of the best ways to connect with a worldwide audience of potential customers and clients. Hopefully my LinkedIn books help people learn how to generate positive results with minimal impact on their time.

Smallbizlady: What’s your take on the ongoing debate about quantity vs. quality when it comes to the number of connections a LinkedIn member has?

Patrice Rutledge: This is definitely a hot topic right now with many varied opinions on the matter. There are basically three trains of thought when it comes to a connection strategy. There’s the more the merrier crowd who connects with anyone and everyone. This group tends to go out of their way to amass as many connections, followers, friends, as they possibly can and tout these numbers on their profiles. They’re the people who are upset with sites like LinkedIn and Facebook for imposing connection limits. At the other extreme are people who connect only with people they know and no one else. In a sense, they’re kind of missing the point of networking. I prefer a middle ground approach. Obviously, connect with all the people you know and then selectively connect with new people who share common interests to grow your network. The difference here is quality vs. quantity. I think you can generate much better results from a targeted network than you can from amassing tens of thousands of connections who don’t really care about who you are and what you have to offer.

Smallbizlady: How can a company profile help you promote your business?

Patrice Rutledge: If you have a small business—even a solo business—you should create a LinkedIn company profile. They’re definitely not just for large companies. It’s important to understand that a company profile isn’t the same as a personal profile, though. On a company profile, you can enter a company description, describe your specialties, and list job openings, company news, and blog posts. When LinkedIn members view your personal profile, they can access your company profile as well—which provides you another opportunity to showcase what you have to offer.

Smallbizlady: Can you explain how to become a LinkedIn service provider and the benefits of doing so?

Patrice Rutledge: If you provide any kind of professional service, you’ll want your profile information available in the LinkedIn service provider directory. To gain visibility here, one of your clients needs to create a LinkedIn recommendation for you as a service provider. You can’t enter yourself in the LinkedIn service providers directory, but you can send a request to your clients asking them to recommend you. They need to select “service provider” when filling out their  recommendation.

Smallbizlady: What are the biggest mistake small business owners make when trying to promote their business on LinkedIn?

Patrice Rutledge: I see three common mistakes. The first is having a weak or incomplete profile. Another common mistake is using LinkedIn as a direct sales tool rather than a business connection tool. And finally, a third mistake is that many people never really move beyond the basic profile, even if they do complete it. There’s so much more to LinkedIn than just creating a profile and adding connections. Check out LinkedIn’s other features—answers, groups, polls, events, and applications. Post your status regularly. Become an active participant, not a quiet bystander.

Read an excerpt from “Using LinkedIn” at http://patricerutledge.com/linkedin-excerpt/

If you found this interview helpful, join us on Wednesdays 8-9pm ET follow @SmallBizChat on Twitter.

How to participate in #SmallBizChat: http://bit.ly/S797e

For more tips on starting or growing your small business subscribe to Melinda Emerson’s blog at www.succeedasyourownboss.com

Melinda F. Emerson, known to many as SmallBizLady is one of America’s leading small business experts. As a seasoned entrepreneur, professional speaker, and small business coach, she develops audio, video and written content to fulfill her mission to end small business failure.  As CEO of MFE Consulting LLC, Melinda educates entrepreneurs and Fortune 500 companies on subjects including small business start-up, business development and social media marketing. She has been featured on NBC Nightly News, the Tavis Smiley Radio Show, in the Wall Street Journal, Entrepreneur and Black Enterprise Magazine. She hosts #SmallBizChat weekly on Twitter for emerging entrepreneurs and publishes a resource blog www.succeedasyourownboss.com.  Melinda is also the author of the national bestseller Become Your Own Boss in 12 months; A Month-by-Month Guide to a Business That Works. (Adams Media 2010)

Read an excerpt from “Using LinkedIn” at http://patricerutledge.com/linkedin-excerpt/ #SmallBizChat

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