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5 Things You Could Do Today to Generate a Sale

By Melinda Emerson on May 1, 2012 in Business Inspiration, Cash Flow & Finance, Grow Your Business, Melinda Emerson @SmallBizLady

It’s May. That means it’s National Small Business Month and it’s time for you to get serious about your business.

Answer these questions about your business: Have you updated your business plan? Are you using your business plan to run your small business? Do you have monthly/weekly sales goals? Do you know by the 15^th of the month how well or poorly your business did last month? Are you doing 5 things before 11am each day to jump-start sales and revenue in your business? If your answer is no or not really try these:

Here are 5 things you could do today to generate a sale:

1) Send an email to a recent customer (within the last two weeks) and ask for a LinkedIn or Yelp recommendation. Be sure to send the link in the email to make it easy for them.

2) Call a contact that you met at a recent networking event to schedule coffee or a lunch appointment.

3) Send a personal note to an old customer to check in on them. Include an article of interest to them, too.

4) Write a 300-500 word blog post for your business blog.

5) Evaluate your accounts receivable to see if anyone is 30 days behind in paying you, and give them a call to find out payment status. While you’re on the phone with them, inquire about another order.

May is the busiest time of the year for me, and I have some great free resources for you from some of my corporate customers that will help you as you run your small business.

May 1: Take a business course for free: I’m the lead instructor for Black Enterprise’s Small Business University: Register for the Small Business University NOW and learn how to build and grow your business! Plus enter for a chance to win more than $50,000 in prizes. It’s not too late to sign up today http://www.blackenterprise.com/sbu/

May 2: 7th annual New York XPO for Business at The Javits Center in NYC. I will be delivering a keynote speech: “Using Social Media to Engage Customers & Drive B2B Success!” My speech is from 4:00 – 5:00 PM. I will teach small business owners how to create a winning online marketing strategy. Register today before it’s sold out. Here’s a BONUS! FREE 1-DAY XPO PASS REGISTER NOW = http://bit.ly/ubMH61 Promo Code = SPEAKER15

May 8: Live Tweetchat on Twitter Learn How to Build a Social Media Brand to Grow Your Small Business. Stay tuned for details.

May is going to be a great month for being in business. Check back at this blog daily for tools and resources to succeed as your own boss.

Melinda F. Emerson, known to many as SmallBizLady www.twitter.com/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 Quintessence Multimedia, Melinda educates entrepreneurs and Fortune 500 companies on subjects including small business start-up, business development and social media marketing. Forbes Magazine named her #1 woman for entrepreneurs to follow on Twitter. She hosts #SmallBizChat Wednesdays on Twitter 8-9pm ET for emerging entrepreneurs. She also publishes a resource blog http://www.succeedasyourownboss.com Melinda is also bestseller author of Become Your Own Boss in 12 months; A Month-by-Month Guide to a Business That Works. http://succeedasyourownboss.com/products/purchase-the-book/

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Smallbizchat Celebrates 3 Years of Helping Thousands of Entrepreneurs

By Melinda Emerson on April 25, 2012 in Business Inspiration, Melinda Emerson @SmallBizLady, SmallBizChat

Today marks the third anniversary of my Twitter talk show #Smallbizchat.

We launched the weekly #Smallbizchat, in April of 2009, as a peer-to-peer mentoring program to help early stage entrepreneurs get answers to their small business questions. The goal was to provide information to help end small business failure. With 82% of small businesses going out of business in five years, we wanted to do something that would really be impactful by giving people information that, in many cases, they had no idea was critical to their business success.

Nearly 150 shows and over 150K followers later, #SmallBizChat has become an institution on Twitter as one of the longest running tweetchats. @SmallBizChat’s third anniversary show is tonight Wednesday April 25, 2012 from 8-9 pm ET, with guest Alexis Maybank, Co-Founder and Chief Strategy Officer of The Gilt Groupe www.gilt.com, one of the top online members-only shopping websites. Maybank is also the co-author of the new book for entrepreneurs “By Invitation Only: How We Built Gilt and Changed the Way Millions Shop.

My inspiration to launch the #Smallbizchat community happened after I wrote my bestselling book “Become Your Own Boss in 12 months; A Month-by-Month Guide to a Business That Works” (now in its third printing). Even before the book came out, I wanted to reduce the learning curve as individuals attempted to start and grow their small businesses. My message now reaches 1.5 million entrepreneurs online weekly and has created an additional career for me as social media marketing expert. In fact, more people know me as @SmallBizLady than my real name.

My blog SucceedAsYourOwnBoss.com, which is syndicated by the Huffington Post, has become a valuable resource to small business owners worldwide and Forbes Magazine named me #1 Woman for Entrepreneurs to Follow on Twitter.

It has also afforded me the opportunity to be featured in The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Fortune, USA Today, and Black Enterprise; a regular contributor to OpenForum.com, SecondAct.com and Entrepreneur.com, BlackEnterprise.com and Essence Magazine. And a featured a speaker for such organizations as the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, INC Magazine, Bloomberg, #140 Conference, New York Expo, National Association of Community College Entrepreneurship and The Pennsylvania Governor’s Conference for Women.

My weekly interactive Twitter talk show #Smallbizchat, has given me the platform to help millions of small business owners. Doing a live show every week is a major commitment, but I love seeing chat participants “get it” – that charges me up every time. Tonight’s third anniversary show #Smallbizchat will feature Alexis Maybank Co-Founder of Gilt.com on the topic: “How to have a million dollar membership site. To celebrate the anniversary, we’ll give away copies of my book, Maybank’s book and limited edition #SmallBizChat t-shirts.

How does the #Smallbizchat work? Every Wednesday, Twitter users log onto tweetchat.com or tweetgrid.com to follow the interviews I conduct with noted small business experts, live at 8 pm ET. The expert guest types answers to questions using the using their Twitter account and the hashtag #Smallbizchat. Expert guests have included best-selling authors and small business experts Michael Gerber, Anita Campbell, Alan Weiss, David Allen and Peter Shankman many others. Each week, hundreds of participants join in to learn from Emerson and the guest, plus share what’s going on in their small businesses as well. Here’s more information on how to participate: http://bit.ly/S797e

About #SmallBizChat @Smallbizchat hosted by Melinda Emerson, @SmallBizLady, is an online community for emerging small business owners whose reach exceeds 1.5 million readers weekly. Committed to creating and sustaining a supportive network where all business owners can find answers and inspiration in their business endeavors. Melinda Emerson is regarded as America’s #1 Small Business Expert, with a fast-growing online brand providing resources for emerging and existing small business owners. Emerson’s corporate clients include Pitney Bowes, Deluxe, FedEx, American Family Insurance, Bloomberg, Walmart.com, Wells Fargo and Xerox. Emerson is a proud graduate of Virginia Tech.

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Are You Doing Your #1 Job as an Entrepreneur

By Melinda Emerson on April 23, 2012 in Business Inspiration, Grow Your Business, Melinda Emerson @SmallBizLady

Your skills as an entrepreneur can make the difference between a booming enterprise and closing your doors far too soon. Your #1 job as a small business owner is to sell. Your job is to motivate, inspire and convince customers, potential investors, and often family that your business idea is worthwhile. It typically requires passion for your project, a coherent message, and most importantly, a confident delivery of that message. This can be a tall order if you don’t have a sales mindset. Do you have discomfort speaking to strangers? Are you unable to convey enthusiasm about your business? If you have a tough time getting into the sales mode, your solution might be to hire or partner with someone and let them do the selling, but then you can get into a mine-field of issues around control of your message.

How do you build your sales confidence? First, you need to understand where you are today. If your venture is a side-hustle in addition to a main job, and your business passion is on “low” and you just want to keep working your flea market stand, or selling cosmetic products to friends, you probably are where you want to be from a sales energy standpoint. The stakes grow considerably, however, if your venture is a full-time effort. The pressure to generate enough revenue to support yourself and your family will make you become laser focused on selling. Not to mention, if you have goals to grow your enterprise, this means a stepped up selling effort, too.

The Flawless Pitch – First you want to create a “flawless pitch”, telling your company’s story in one minute or less – what you do or sell, who you specialize doing it for and what makes your business special. For example “My name is Bob and I own Bob’s garage. We specialize in the repair and maintenance of luxury car transmissions at far less than dealer prices and all work is guaranteed”. You have a story to tell both potential customers and prospective investors which will get them to ask “Tell me more”.

Give it a Test Run – Practice is not just for baseball and dance class. You need to practice your pitch in the mirror, with your family and friends, and with anybody else who will listen. Ask for hard questions and honest feedback. This will keep you from looking foolish later. If you open a dry cleaning store, and a customer asks you about the chemicals you use for cleaning, you should be informative and give that customer good reason to do business with you. In the restaurant business it is about tasty, quality food, well presented in a clean environment. As proprietor, you and your staff will be touting signature dishes, great service, and satisfying portions giving customers great reasons to return by delivering on what you promised. People need and want to be convinced to buy stuff. You must be able to tell them why they should buy from you.

People should be able to feel your passion – Your enthusiasm and positive spirit are absolutely essential to selling. Whether you are selling to customers, selling your business concept to potential investors or trying to borrow money from your local bank, don’t minimize the excitement of your passion for your business and your absolute belief in its success. If you are short on enthusiasm for your enterprise, you need to take a hard look at whether being in that business is for you. Your ability to sell is key. Introspection today should set your expectations for tomorrow. Once you get the hang of power selling, closing a sale will be thrilling and more fun than work.

Do you have more ideas to get over the fear of selling?

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 Quintessence Multimedia, Melinda educates entrepreneurs and Fortune 500 companies on subjects including small business start-up, business development and social media marketing. Forbes Magazine named her #1 woman for entrepreneurs to follow on Twitter. She hosts #SmallBizChat Wednesdays on Twitter 8-9pm ET for emerging entrepreneurs. She also publishes a resource blog http://www.succeedasyourownboss.com Melinda is also bestseller author of Become Your Own Boss in 12 months; A Month-by-Month Guide to a Business That Works.

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How Do I Get New Customers Part 1

By Melinda Emerson on April 2, 2012 in Branding & Marketing, Grow Your Business, Melinda Emerson @SmallBizLady, Starting A Small Business

So often I am asked about how to get new customers that I decided to develop a two part series on the topic.

No customers, no business. A simple and obvious fact, which leads new business owners to ask the question “How do I get customers to see and buy from my business?” The first question to ask yourself is: Who are your customers and how do they like to buy the kind of products you’re selling? You want to be able to see the “face” of your primary customer. Is it a child, teenager, senior citizen, a techie, “do-it-yourself” person, a woman, a man, or some other demographic? If your target customer is Hispanic, it would not make much sense to advertise your product in an Irish magazine or Jewish website. Knowing your target customer lets you tailor your message to who’s buying.

Is your business a “brick and mortar” storefront? Online? Industry specific? Are you selling pizza, hats or doing software consulting? Your approach to creating “buzz” for your enterprise will vary in each case. If I am selling pizzas, I’ll advertise locally via the web and direct mail to announce specials, offer coupons, and give great friendly service. This business is built on the perception of competitive value-pricing, tasty meals, and ease of ordering on-line or by phone. Your likely customer will be within a few miles of your store and wants quick pick-up or available local delivery. Specials will get new customers in the door, but quality, value and taste will bring them back and get them to tell their friends. Having an online presence is important because it makes it easier for customers to order and to see all of your menu items.

If you are selling hats, you have several marketing options. You can offer hats online showing a variety of styles, perhaps with a buy-one get-one 50% off and free shipping. Consider partnering with local women’s organizations on fashion show fundraisers where you offer a discount on the hats shown. Or you can partner with a local boutique to help them accessorize their outfits — with special prices on your hats.

If you are developing a software consulting business you must position your business carefully. How unique are your programming skills? How much demand is there for what you know? Is a business built on reputation, contacts, networking or SEO? You must have a very targeted audience. You might start by creating a website and brochure outlining your skills and experience and distribute it to your network of contacts online and offline. Look through Information Technology magazine want ads to look for good matches to your qualifications. Sometimes a company looking for an employee might be willing to outsource the services to a company instead.

The underlying philosophy in getting new customers is trying to get them to buy when they have a need or are “in market.” We are “in market” for groceries when we run out of food, or for a new washing machine when the old one finally breaks down, or for another car when the cost to fix our current car is just not worth it anymore. The key is the right offer at the right time to increase the chances that customers will call or come in ready to make a purchase. Some offers must have a seasonal flavor, you don’t sell snow shovels in July, some are timed to days of the week – 30% off on Tuesday or after 3pm, restaurant deals for slow mid-week periods geared to seniors for example. It is also true that sometimes a customer being “in market “ is dependent on future plans for example a home renovation, creating a web site, deciding to plant a garden, to join a gym, or take a vacation. All of these activities typically mean that money is going to be spent and not surprisingly, cost-conscious customers still want that great deal. Now that we have covered the framework for getting new customers, Part 2 of this series will get into specifics of attracting new customers. Remember, choosing your best customer acquisition strategy will be driven by why your customer is buying, their purchase frequency, and how they get their purchase information.

Do you have any ideas to share about how to get new customers?

For more tips on how start or grow your small business subscribe to Melinda Emerson’s blog.

Melinda F. Emerson, known 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 Quintessence Multimedia, Melinda educates entrepreneurs and Fortune 500 companies on subjects including small business start-up, business development and social media marketing. Forbes Magazine named her #1 woman for entrepreneurs to follow on Twitter. She hosts #SmallBizChat Wednesdays on Twitter 8-9pm ET for emerging entrepreneurs. She also publishes a resource blog http://www.succeedasyourownboss.com Melinda is also bestseller author of Become Your Own Boss in 12 months; A Month-by-Month Guide to a Business That Works.

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10 Best How to Start a Small Business Websites

By Melinda Emerson on October 3, 2011 in Business Inspiration, Featured Post, How to Start, Melinda Emerson @SmallBizLady, My Recommendations

Let’s face it– starting a small business is hard. There are lots of ways out here to fail in business. The secret weapon that I use for keeping my business strong is being a life-long learner. One of the ways I grow myself and keep my mind sharp is being a veracious reader. I read books, magazine, and a steady diet of business blogs and websites.

I scour the Internet each day, looking for articles, blogs, and actionable tips about small business success for my readers and followers. I thought I would share where I find the information that I often share, so you might build up your own online library of small business resources. There a few online resources out there that I think are the best resources on how to start a small business. Here are my 10 best picks for how to start a small business websites.

Entrepreneur .com. When it comes to educating entrepreneurs the first resource that comes to mind is Entrepreneur magazine. They have vast online resources including their business startup section, http://www.entrepreneur.com/startingabusiness/index.html. I also think they offer the most comprehensive how to start a small business information. They have how-to guides, startup basics, home based businesses, and sections on business ideas, financing and success story profiles. (In the interest of disclosure, I do write a monthly column for their sister website, SecondAct.com, but I was reading Entrepreneur long before that!)

Inc. Magazine has been educating small business owners over 30 years. They have an excellent series of how-to guides that cover everything from start-up to passing the business down to the next generation. One of my favorite sections is http://www.inc.com/tools where you can find templates for how to do just about everything from writing a business plan, to sales forecasting, to developing a job description

SmallBizTrends.com, is an excellent resource for small business owners. If you want to keep your business current. Regularly check out information on this site. Editor Anita Campbell is top notch and makes sure that she says on the cutting edge of the needs of small business owners. (Disclosure: I write blogs for this website on occasion.)

BlackEnterprise.com Black Enterprise magazine is my favorite small business magazine and their online resources for entrepreneurs are invaluable. While their content does not exclusively talk about small business ownership, they have great tips for college age business owners. They also have the Black Enterprise Small Business University which is free video training for small business owners available on their website. (Disclosure: I do write blogs for this website on occasion, and I am one of the instructors for the Black Enterprise Small Business University.)

Bplans.com This is a terrific resource for how to start a small business with a business plan. This free web site offers over 500 sample business plans that you can review for tips and insights. It is published by Tim Berry the creator of Business Plan Pro software, who is the Founder and Chairman of Palo Alto Software. This site also offers terrific blog content from small business experts across the web. (Disclosure: I am an affiliate reseller of business plan pro software.)

SCORE.org is an online mentoring program for start-up businesses and seasoned entrepreneurs. SCORE is a nonprofit association dedicated to helping small businesses start, grow, and succeed nationwide. There are more than 350 SCORE chapters nationwide, and you can get face-to-face coaching for your business as well. SCORE is a resource partner with the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), and has been mentoring small business owners for more than forty years.

New York Times “You’re the Boss” Blog. I love this blog from the New York Times because for the most

part it’s written by small business owners for small business owners. They give it to you straight in this blog and I often find great stuff in the daily posts to start and grow a small business.

TheWorkatHomeWoman.com The Work at Home Woman website is a resource dedicated to helping women and moms fulfill their dreams of working at home and/or becoming self employed, while providing inspiration, motivation and support. I like this website because it offers woman business owners and mompreneurs tips especially for them in business.

Lau nchwhileworking.com One of the key things I preach about starting a business is that people should start a small business as a side hustle while still working their full-time job. This website launch while working is all about how to do just that. This website is dedicated to helping would-be entrepreneurs simplify your life so you can successfully launch and run a business while working full-time.

S ucceedasyourownboss.com This is my blog, and I provide valuable tips to start and grow a profitable and sustainable small business 3-5 times a week. I offer a fresh perspective on small business ownership with how-to articles, audio interviews, and video answers to your small business questions. Every Thursday, I also feature Q&A interviews with small business experts who are me guest on my weekly twitter talkshow #Smallbizchat. I also make the transcripts available weekly on the site. I am the bestselling author of Become Your Own Boss in 12 Months and Forbes magazine named me the #1 woman for entrepreneurs to follow on Twitter.

Businessinsider.com Here’s an honorable mention to this list: The business insider blog is a great blog for entrepreneurs. It’s not always about small business, but they provide great trend information that often affects small business owners.

Do you have any other website that you use for fuel in your small business?

For more tips on how start or grow your small business subscribe to Melinda Emerson’s blog http://www.succeedasyourownboss.com.

Melinda F. Emerson, known to many as SmallBizLady is one of America’s leading small businessexperts. 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 the #1 woman 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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10 Things to Grow Your Business This Summer

By Melinda Emerson on June 22, 2011 in 10 Things Lists, Ask Smallbizlady, Become Your Own Boss Tips, Branding & Marketing, Business Inspiration, Customer Service, Featured Post, Grow Your Business, My Recommendations, Social Media, Technology

Summer is here! Now that the kids are out of school, you might be thinking about how to reduce your work schedule, but that’s the worst thing you could do. It’s time to turn up the heat in your business. Third and fourth quarters are critical times in business. You may have customers who are in budget planning cycles, or have excess budget to spend. Now is the right time reach out to your existing customers and get your house in order to make your revenue goals for the rest of the year.

Here’s 10 Things to grow your business this summer.

1. Take a break. Even if all you can afford to do is a staycation, take a break from work for at least 7 days. You need to recharge your batteries so that you can go hard the rest of the year.

2. Attend a conference. The Summer is a great time to sign up for a course or attend a conference in your industry to learn the latest trends and techniques.

3. Read a great business book. Pick a book that’s you have been meaning to read and learn a few techniques that will help you grow your business. I really like 201 Great Ideas for Your Small Business by Jane Applegate. http://www.amazon.com/Great-Ideas-Small-Business-Bloomberg/dp/0470919663/ref=dp_ob_title_bk

4. Revisit your business plan. In the first few years of a business, you should be updating your business plan every 90 days. When is the last time you reviewed your marketing plan and how well it was working to drive sales. Make sure your budget and revenue projections are up-to-date.

5. Organize a Business Retreat. Take your team offsite treat them to some good food in a lush environment. Brainstorm with them to solve the top three issues in the business. Bring in a trainer.

6. Ask for testimonials. Go back to all of your customers that you worked with over the last six months and ask for testimonials. Get them in writing to update your website and ask them to post recommendations to LinkedIn.

7. Refresh your website and marketing materials. Take a look at your website and marketing collateral including your blog header, business cards, and newsletter template. If something was just thrown together just to get some out or you’ve been using the same template for a whole, take the time to clean up your design elements to make your brand shine.

8. Update your personal bio and profiles across social media. Every small business owner should have a professional biography. Take this time to update yours with any new marquee clients, non-profit board service, and speaking opportunities. Be sure to update your profiles on your social media accounts as well.

9. Do a waste walk in your office. Summer is a great time to chuck the clutter. The shredder is your friend. Get rid of stray paper, conference bags, direct mail, magazines, equipment that doesn’t work, and giveaways you really didn’t want anyway.

10. Develop a special offer. You need a reason to contact your customers. Nothing is better than a discount, coupon or special offer. You use this as your excuse to call, email or snail mail your existing customers. They are the most valuable asset in your business.

Do you have any other tips to keep a small business growing over the summer?

For more tips on how start or grow your small business subscribe to Melinda Emerson’s blog http://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. 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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How to Get Started on Twitter

By Melinda Emerson on June 21, 2011 in Ask Smallbizlady, Branding & Marketing, Customer Service, Featured Post, How to Start, Social Media, Technology

Using Twitter is a great way to start building your online brand. If you can send a text message, you can tweet. You can only communicate using 140 characters on Twitter, but if you want people to Retweet (RT) or share your content, you should cut your tweets down to 125 characters. Here a few quick rules: Listen first, then engage with people directly, then start sharing articles of interest to attract your target audience. Once you establish relationships on Twitter you can then start writing your own blog and tweeting your original content.

Decide what you wish to accomplish before using Twitter. Are you trying to establish your expertise, looking for a new work opportunity or simply want to connect with others who share a special interest or expertise?
Figure out who your target audience is and where these folks hang out online. (You want to be as specific as possible in targeting your efforts.)
Establish your own website. It does not make sense to use social media if you do not have a place to drive traffic, like your own website.
Developing a list of 3-5 blogs or websites. It’s a good idea to develop a daily habit of going out to a few websites and finding content to share on twitter
Remember that social media marketing is a marathon, not a sprint. You will get out of it what you invest in it.

5 steps to Establishing Your Twitter Account:

Set up an account
Enter your profile information & photo
Find your friends
How to follow someone
How to post messages

Step 1: Set up an account

Go to http://twitter.com and click the big green “Get Started – Join!” button.
On the resulting screen, enter the username you want, your desired password, your email address and complete the spam checker
About your username:
- Use your whole name, nickname, name of your business or a description of your service, examples @comcastcares @jenny55 @bizsavvymom @smallbizlady

Step 2: Enter your profile information

Your profile information is important. If you want people to want to connect to you, you’ll need to tell them a little bit about yourself. Try not to write anything scary or silly; or too personal. You need just to explain your expertise and/or interests. And your location should be a larger city nearby.
Log into Twitter, and click on the ‘Settings’ link at the top of your Twitter homepage.
The ‘Account’ tab of the ‘Settings’ section includes a text box that lets you input a 160-character blurb about yourself, along with a link to your website.
The ‘Picture’ tab lets you upload a picture to your profile. It is best to post a smiling picture of yourself

Step 3: Find your friends

There are a few simple ways to find people to follow on Twitter:
Click on the ‘Who To Follow’ to search for people who Twitter suggests you follow.
Invite from other networks will search your email address books (aol, hotmail, gmail etc.) to see if anyone has associated any of those addresses with a Twitter account.
Invite by email is a way to invite your friends to join Twitter through email.
Search tab allows you to search for new people to follow. You can mimic this function by using http://search.twitter.com.
You can search for the city where you live to find other users in your area. Enter your industry to find business peers. Enter your hobbies to find people with shared interests. The potential list is endless.

Step 4: How to follow someone

You can log in twitter from anywhere, you can use desktop applications, or you can connect from your phone.
To follow someone
- Hover over their @username, click link, read their bio & recent tweets. If they seem interesting, hit follow

Step 5: How to post messages

To post a regular message
Just type it into the box that says “What are you doing?” and hit the ‘update’ button below
To send an open message
When sending an open message to someone publicly, type “@” followed by their username, then the message. Here’s an example:
encouragement4u @smallbizlady How did you overcome your biggest business challenges? Check out these stories! http://budurl.com/eqbx

Send a Direct-message

To send a private direct message to someone, type “d” then a space and then their username. So, to send me a direct message you would type “d @smallbizlady That was a great #smallbizchat on Twitter last night!”
Note: you can only send direct messages to people who you follow, and who follow you back.

How to Retweet or RT someone else’s message

If you like what someone says, and want to show your followers that message.
Copy the tweet (not username), then hit grey arrow to reply, add ‘RT’ before the @username Put one space after @username & paste original tweet. If it is too long, You can edit, but only for space. Here’s an example of a Retweet:
Holly_Hanna RT @smallbizlady 32 Tips to make online customers love you –http://tinyurl.com/op9bbk (this is really well done)

Quick Twitter Tips

Remember to click your @username to see messages/tweets folks are sending to you openly.
Remember to Follow your Followers
Under your username & photo click followers to see who followed you and decide to follow back or not. When you have time its nice to send a thanks for the follow note.
Now you are ready to get started. Welcome to Twitterverse!

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. 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 do I follow-up after a business conference?

By Melinda Emerson on June 17, 2011 in Ask Smallbizlady, Become Your Own Boss Tips, Branding & Marketing, Featured Post, Grow Your Business, Social Media, Technology

Every Friday, I answer your small business questions in a video blog segment called Ask Small Biz Lady. This week, I took a question live from the New York Times Small Business Summit.

Here’s the question: How do I make a plan to follow-up after a business conference? Here’s the answer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z3rKLFEkF_I

Immediately reach out to all of your new connections on LinkedIn.

Separate your new contact into piles email follow-up vs. hand-written note.
Wait 5-10 business days to follow-up your initial contact with a personal phone call. I really enjoyed attending this year’s conference.

Here’s some key takeaways: It’s all about being ready to do commerce via mobile devices. All websites need to be mobile ready and google is coming out with some innovate tools to help…stay tuned.

LivingSocial.com CEO Tim O’Shaughnessy, enlightened the audience by explaining how important it is to have a local sales presence for an online business. He also made the audience aware of all the other services his company can provide for small businesses beyond daily deals, which I am intrigued to learn about that more fully.

Susan Sobbott, President of American Express Open, shared sobering statistics on social media use among small businesses. 35% are using Facebook, 14% are using LinkedIn and 10% are on Twitter regularly.

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 www.linkedin.com/in/melindaemerson I’m always here as a resource.

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How to Make the Most of Social Media Marketing

By sss4success on June 14, 2011 in Become Your Own Boss Tips, Branding & Marketing, Customer Service, Grow Your Business, Social Media

Image taken from Google Images

Leveraging the power of social media to market your brand in the Web 2.0 world is imperative to remaining viable as a business owner. Having social media profiles on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn aren’t enough to take advantage of the marketing opportunities that new media environment has created. You need to adopt a comprehensive strategy to deliver the results that you want.

Here are five (5) key strategies to insure that you make the most out of your social media marketing efforts:

Have a Plan and Set Objectives: As an entrepreneur, the temptation might be to just jump in and start using various social media platforms to promote your brand and products, but before doing so, you need a clear understanding of how you’re using social media to augment your core marketing efforts to generate leads and convert them to sales. Social media alone can’t be the “be-all, end-all” of your company’s plan, so having a Social Media Marketing Plan that specifically shows how social media outlets will be used to promote your brand is key.

Know Your Niche: In a world where Facebook has over 500 million registered users and Twitter sees 155,000,000 tweets a day from any of its 200,000,000+ tweeters, your message can be easily lost in the “noise” being created in the social media space. Targeting your market and knowing the best places to reach key members of your audience is the best way to insure better returns for your efforts.

Encourage Conversation and Dialogue: If you run a blog, enable your comments and allow visitors to contribute their opinion and provide a sense of community around the content you’re providing. If you visit other blogs regularly, leave useful comments (i.e. relevant to the topic at hand and not just a standard “Great Post!”) and provide your contact/blog information within your comments profile (if possible). Encouraging conversation and dialogue among the people who already find your content compelling is a great way to learn what makes them tick and ensure that you can keep providing what they need to keep them coming back to you.

Be Easy to Contact: It may seem like a “no-brainer”, but you’d be amazed at how many websites, blogs, and Facebook pages provide absolutely no way to get in touch with the people behind them. If your goal is to facilitate a relationship with your customers using social media, you have to be available to them. This can be done by providing easy ways for your customers and future customers to get in touch with you by providing online forms on your websites and blogs, giving email addresses and phone numbers (if you check them regularly and intend to respond), and even providing your Skype ID (if you use the service). Making it easy for people to contact you will provide one more way that you can hear what your audience wants.

Monitor Your Progress: Any Social Media Marketing effort is dead in the water without assessment. Be sure to manage and tweak Social Media Marketing Plan to determine if you’re meeting the long and short-term objectives you’ve set for your company.

What other strategies have you used to maximize the return on investment

of your social media marketing efforts?

Kindra C. Cotton is a Serial Entrepreneur, Technology & Social Media Specialist who runs a small business consulting practice specializing in brand marketing, market research, and strategic information consultancy. 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 online.

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9 Reasons Why Boomer Businesses Fail

By Melinda Emerson on June 13, 2011 in Ask Smallbizlady, Business Inspiration, Customer Service, Featured Post, Grow Your Business, How to Start, My Recommendations, Starting A Small Business

Baby Boomers Businesses

I know a woman (let’s call her Sarah) who was a vice president at a major Fortune 500 company. She was a sassy 48-year-old single MBA who was very successful climbing the corporate ladder. She worked in marketing, managing a brand at her company and making a handsome six-figure income. Then one day she decided that she wanted to start a business.

She did her research and decided to invest in a food franchise. She learned that franchises are 10 percent more likely to be successful than startups, so she decided to go for it. She hired an attorney to look over her franchise agreement. She spent weeks finding the perfect location and then hired an architect and contractor to develop her space. She gave notice at her job and invited everyone to her grand opening. She was so excited. She had prepared a thorough marketing plan and invested in local advertising through a coupon mailer.

Within two years, Sarah was back working in corporate America, grateful to have a job. I bumped into her and asked her what happened. She said, “I cannot be a slave to anything — especially something that does not fulfill me, and on top of that I hate teenagers and that’s who my employees were. I am grateful to be back at work with a regular paycheck.”

For baby boomers, making the transition from having a job to starting a business can be a tough road, no matter how successful you were in your previous life. Some of the issues that come up may have little to do with how well the business is doing financially.

Here are nine common trouble spots that cause baby boomer businesses to fail. These are the things that can destroy your entrepreneurial dream if they go unaddressed.

1. Not being coachable
To be successful in business, you must be a life-long learner and understand that you can learn something from anyone, even your interns and teenage employees. You also must be able to seek out– and take — advice from mentors and other entrepreneurs. Sometimes when you’ve been successful in the corporate world you might ask yourself “How hard could it be to run a small business?” Don’t be fooled; the hard work is endless!

2. Not developing a life plan
You need a life plan before you ever write a business plan. Take the time to think about what you want out of life, and then build a business around that. You need to know things like “How much money do I need to earn to be happy?” and “Is day-to-day variety important to me?” You do not want to start a business that is NOT a good business for you and your family.

3. Not having the energy
You must be honest about what you are willing to do to make your business a success. One of Sarah’s complaints was that she could not be a slave to anything. But that’s what it takes. In the first few years of running a business, your business owns you: 14- to 16-hour days are common, especially if you open a retail business that has long store hours. Can you physically sustain working seven days a week?

4. Not having a network
As a startup business, your network is your net worth. People do business with people they like, know and trust. You had no problem getting calls returned when you had a big corporate job, but once you are on the outside pounding the payment, it might be another story. Before starting a business, spend at least a year cultivating the market. If you are not good at making friends or are one of those people who never keeps in touch, entrepreneurship might not be for you.

5. Not willing to scale back your lifestyle
When you’ve been working a long time, and making good money, chances are you spend what you make. When you decide to become an entrepreneur, the first thing you should do is end your addiction to your paycheck. You must scale back your lifestyle to the essentials — and you need to cut back at least 12 months before you start your business. If you are someone who regularly enjoys retail therapy, eating out, extensive travel or indulging in the latest electronic gadgets, you might not adjust well to the entrepreneurial lifestyle.

6. Not saving enough money
In my book, Become Your Own Boss in 12 Months, I outline three pools of money that you should ideally have before starting a business. First, make sure you have the money to start your business. Then set aside enough resources so that you can survive for up to two years without a salary. On average it takes 18 to 36 months for a small business to break even, let alone replace your corporate salary. The third pot of money is your emergency savings. Your car may need to be replaced, your air conditioner may die, and your children may need college tuition. Your ability to start a business has everything to do with your ability to save money.

7. Having competing priorities
After age 40, you may have aging parents and perhaps a first grandchild that you’ve welcomed into the family. If you need to stay on top of your mother’s doctors’ visits or help out your daughter and son-in-law with the new baby, it may be really tough to get a new business off the ground because you will not have any spare time.

8. Lack of a niche target market
Too many small-business owners sell to anyone they think has money. Define your niche customer and make sure you know why your customer will buy from you. It is so much easier to develop a marketing strategy when you know who you are trying to reach. You have limited time and limited resources. Customers want to hire businesses that specialize in solving their problem.

9. Lack of personal and fiscal discipline
If you do not run your household on a budget, you likely will struggle to run your business on one. You must make business decisions based on up-to-date financial information. Will you make money decisions without consulting your budget? How will you focus on tasks that generate money? Will you raid the cash register whenever you need money? You should know in advance how much money you are making on each sale; otherwise, you might have an expensive hobby.

If you focus on these nine areas as you are planning your midlife transition, you are far more likely to start a sustainable and profitable small business.

Melinda F. Emerson, known as the SmallBizLady, is an entrepreneur, professional speaker, small business coach and the author ofBecome Your Own Boss in 12 Months. In 2010, Forbes magazine named her as one of the Top 20 Women for Entrepreneurs to Follow on Twitter.

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9 Reasons Why Boomer Businesses Fail

By Melinda Emerson on June 13, 2011 in Ask Smallbizlady, Business Inspiration, Customer Service, Featured Post, Grow Your Business, How to Start, My Recommendations, Starting A Small Business

Baby Boomers Businesses

Here are nine common trouble spots that cause baby boomer businesses to fail. These are the things that can destroy your entrepreneurial dream if they go unaddressed.

If you focus on these nine areas as you are planning your midlife transition, you are far more likely to start a sustainable and profitable small business.

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Ask @SmallBizLady: How can I get my kids to “buy in” to my business?

By Melinda Emerson on June 10, 2011 in Ask Smallbizlady, Business Inspiration, Mompreneurs, Your Small Business

Here’s the answer:

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: How can I get my kids to “buy in” to my business?

If you want to get your family to support your business follow these steps:

Communicate with them and teach them what you do.
Don’t be afraid to put even the little ones to work; Get them a job in the business
Share your ideas and ask for their feedback
Everyone loves to be asked for advice, so you can’t go wrong there.

I’m always here as a resource.

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The Minority Entrepreneur Accelerator Program Could Be Your Answer

By Melinda Emerson on June 8, 2011 in Become Your Own Boss Tips, Branding & Marketing, Business Inspiration, BYOB2011, Cash Flow & Finance, Customer Service, Featured Post, Grow Your Business, My Recommendations, Social Media, Technology, Your Small Business

Comcast Interactive Capital, the venture capital affiliate of Comcast Corporation, one of the world’s leading media, entertainment and communications companies, today announced that is has partnered with DreamIt Ventures (“DreamIt”), the leading technology accelerator for entrepreneurs, to provide seed funding, training, mentoring and other benefits to five minority-led startups through DreamIt’s accelerator program. The partnership with DreamIt, entitled the Minority Entrepreneur Accelerator Program (MEAP), is Comcast Interactive Capital’s first investment initiative from the $20 million fund created by Comcast as part of the NBCUniversal transaction that is committed to expanding opportunities for minority entrepreneurs.

Comcast Interactive Capital and DreamIt are now accepting applications and will select five minority-led startups to participate in DreamIt’s three-month accelerator program taking place in Philadelphia this fall. The deadline for applications is July 8^th and the program will commence on September 9^th.

Kerry Rupp, Managing Director of DreamIt, said, “We are thrilled to have Comcast Interactive Capital as a partner and are looking forward to working with them. DreamIt is proud to provide assistance and opportunities to help entrepreneurs grow, and we know that Comcast will provide invaluable expertise and partnership to this process.”

MEAP will provide minority entrepreneurs with the opportunity to engage in an intensive, company-building experience. Applicants who are accepted into MEAP will be a part of DreamIt’s broader Fall 2011 initiative in Philadelphia and will be offered the opportunity to learn from, and be mentored by, recognized experts in marketing, brand building, business development, financial modeling, business plans, distribution and customer acquisitions. In addition, they will be provided with office space, working alongside the other startups selected and be provided with donated legal, accounting and administrative help. At the end of the three-month period, the startups will have the opportunity to pitch to venture capital and angel investors at a demo day in Philadelphia to secure further funding to create a sustainable business.

For details on how to submit an application for the Comcast Minority Entrepreneur Accelerator Program, please visit the DreamIt website atwww.dreamitventures.com/about/Comcast-MEAP.php.

For more tips on how start or grow your small business subscribe to Melinda Emerson’s blog http://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. 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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Are you Google-able?

By Melinda Emerson on June 6, 2011 in Ask Smallbizlady, Become Your Own Boss Tips, Branding & Marketing, Business Inspiration, Featured Post, Grow Your Business, How to Start, Melinda Emerson @SmallBizLady, Social Media, Technology, Your Small Business

google logo

If you’re ready for a midcareer makeover, you can get new clothes and a new haircut. But even more important, you must make yourself what I call “Google-able.” That means you need to create a smart social media footprint.

By day I work as a small-business coach, and I keep coming across amazing professionals with extraordinary credentials who want to build a consulting practice or establish themselves as thought leaders in their industry.

But here’s the problem: When I put their names in Google, I come up with nothing. No website, no social networking profile — not even a guest blog post. These people may have advanced degrees and impressive titles on their resumes, but there is no electronic evidence of their expertise and accomplishments. Since this has happened several times over the last few weeks, it dawned on me that I needed to help fellow midcareer folks understand this new paradigm.

Gone are the days of calling around to get the 411 on a potential business partner or new hire. These days, people do an internet search before you ever get a call about a new opportunity. Recruiters and corporate executives routinely conduct internet searches when looking for talent and don’t always advertise open positions. Many believe you don’t even exist if you don’t have a social media footprint.

Here are five essential steps to get started online.

1. Smile and click.

One of the key things you need prior to establishing yourself online is to get a professional headshot. Go ahead and spend money to get a good photo. It should be a smiling shot that is friendly. Even though you are communicating over the internet, people still want to see who they are talking to.

If you haven’t established an online presence yet, keep this in mind: You are using the skills you already know — how to communicate with people. Creating an online presence simply helps people find you. Think of it as your virtual business card, which is far more useful in 2011 than the paper variety.

2. Sign up at LinkedIn.

The first step to building your brand online is to stake your territory: One of the best moves you can make is to set up a profile on LinkedIn. Yes, you’ll also want to establish a Google profile and sign up for a Facebook or Twitter account, too. But LinkedIn is the most important.

“If you are looking to do anything in the professional world, LinkedIn is where you need to be. LinkedIn is the ultimate buyers’ market,” says Patrice Rutledge, author of Using LinkedIn.

Here are her top tips to make your profile shine on LinkedIn:

Add your profile and be sure to fill it out 100 percent. Your profile should use the appropriate keywords that your target audience would use to search for your expertise (including job title and certifications).
Use applications to enhance your profile (SlideShare presentations, Google presentations, portfolio display or box.net to add a resume).
A detailed company profile is important for a business owner. Be sure to link it to your personal LinkedIn profile.

3. Create a website.

The next thing you can do is register your name or your business name as a website domain and create a simple one- to five-page website. If you are interested in establishing yourself as a thought leader in your industry, adding a blog to your new website is a great idea.

I realize that this might sound intimidating, but it doesn’t have to be. You can register your own domain name and then hire a virtual assistant who specializes in social media to help you set it up. (By the way, a virtual assistant is an entrepreneur who assists business owners and busy people with time-consuming tasks, allowing them more time to focus on profit-generating activities.) With a few basic lessons, and time with tutorials, you can get going in no time.

4. Sign up for a Facebook account.

Cathy Larkin, founder of Web Savvy PR, conducts hands-on workshops to teach baby boomers how to use Facebook. Her clients often want to know what to talk about on their Facebook Fan Pages and how to create a good profile.

“I show people how to use Facebook rather than telling them how to do it,” Larkin says. “It’s all about figuring out what your intended audience wants to hear, learn or know about.”

She offers the example of a real estate agent who posted information about how to clear two feet of snow from your roof, which is much more creative — and useful — information than simply listing houses for sale.

Here are Larkin’s three tips for using Facebook Fan Pages:

Consider your keywords. Your domain name for your Facebook Fan Page should include keywords that people will use to search for you online.
Set your Info page as your default page. If someone visits you on Facebook, they will quickly get a sense of who you are and what you do (and hopefully fan your page).
Upload photos and online videos. It’s a great way to promote your products or services and add rich content to your Facebook Page.

5. Don’t forget Twitter.

Thomas MacEntee, the 48-year-old founder of High-Definition Genealogy, says its best to think of social media as a garden you have to tend.

Laid off from his tech job in Chicago in late 2008, MacEntee reinvented himself as a family historian — helping people investigate their family trees — and utilizes social media to connect with clients. It took MacEntee about a year to build his business.

He’s been so successful mastering the intricacies of Twitter — the free service that allows users to share information in 140 characters or less — that he now teaches a social media class for baby boomers called “Twitter: It’s not just what I had for breakfast anymore.”

He says the key to Twitter is giving as much as you get, and listening as much as you speak. He says some boomers have a problem with these concepts. “They think they are giving away their work for free, but it’s part of building yourself as a brand and an expert,” says MacEntee.

Here are some action steps to get you started building your online brand.

Decide what you wish to accomplish before using social media. Are you looking for a new work opportunity or simply want to connect with others who share a special interest or expertise?
Figure out who your audience is and where these folks hang out online. (You want to be as specific as possible in targeting your efforts.)
Create your LinkedIn account immediately. Add a great photo, import your contact database from your e-mail and join one group.
Expand to your own website, Facebook and/or Twitter.
Start developing a list of potentials blog topics. It’s a good idea to developed an archive of blog posts at least three months prior to launching your blog.
Remember that social media marketing is a marathon, not a sprint. You will get out of it what you invest in it.

If you follow all of these tips, when someone types your name into the world’s most famous search engine, they will immediately have your virtual business card — and so much more — right at their fingertips.

Melinda F. Emerson, known as the SmallBizLady, is an entrepreneur, professional speaker, small business coach and the author of Become Your Own Boss in 12 Months. In 2010, Forbes magazine named her as one of the Top 20 Women for Entrepreneurs to Follow on Twitter.

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