Tag Archives | social media

How to Avoid Facebook Group Disasters

By on May 8, 2012 in Guest Articles, Melinda Emerson @SmallBizLady, Social Media

With Facebook reaching the 900 million mark, there should be no surprise that it is a terrific tool to use in the quest for business exposure. Joining a Facebook group seems to make sense; it’s a great way to expose your brand and/or find a new business opportunities. With countless groups on the social network giant, you’ll want to use groups to virtually shake hands or exchange business cards with peers and prospects.

How do you join a Facebook group? To join a group, click Ask to Join Group at the upper right side of the group’s page. You can also be added to a group by a friend who is already a member.  Since groups require admin approval for you to join, you may have to wait for an admin to confirm your request.  Certain groups on Facebook are secret and will not appear in search results. You cannot request to join these; only being added by an existing member will give you access to these groups. 

Now once you get into a group, there are certain things you should and should not do.  You do not want to go about things the wrong way. Before you accept another group add-on, (or even launch a group of your very own) make sure you avoid the following Facebook group gaffes:

Don’t forget to read the rules. Well-run groups usually have house rules posted in the document section of groups, and for good reason. Rules help to ensure that the group is serving its intended purposes and prevents chaos. Reading (and adhering to) the group rules is about respecting your fellow group members, the admins and your own brand.

Don’t you dare post an ad. Would you attend a networking event, interrupt conversations and speeches to blurt out one of the following?

 Like my page!

 (Shoe) size 10 no longer available!

 Vote for my neighbor’s baby!

Of course you wouldn’t. Yet, this form of shameless promotion is the norm in many groups. You’re not likely to receive the feedback you’re looking for with random posts like these.

Don’t harass group members.Just because someone “liked” your posted business advice, doesn’t mean you have the green light to post on their profile wall or send them a private message. These methods are considered spam, and as a business owner that’s not where you’d want your brand to be.

Don’t be a group bully. You know the type. The bully wants to do nothing more online than to take over a discussion, start a pointless debate or poke fun at ideas. There is no room for bullying in school and not in social media, either.

Don’t be a lurker.Join Facebook groups for a reason. If you bring nothing to the proverbial table, don’t take advantage of the information shared throughout the group. What is the point of joining a networking group on a “social“ network if you cannot bother typing a ‘hello’ once in a while?

Joining a Facebook group should lead to the right connections and customers. By avoiding these wrong moves, you’ll help to make these gathering places more welcoming for all.

Tyjuana Wilson is a freelance writer and consultant who provides to small business owners: articles, press releases, website/blog content, newsletter copy, and more. More importantly, she is also watching her 14-year-old diva, Tyra, grow before her eyes. Find Tyjuana online at
http://tyjuana-wilson.com and on LinkedIn.

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How to Build a Social Media Brand

By on May 4, 2012 in Branding & Marketing, Melinda Emerson @SmallBizLady, Social Media

Sponsored Post

Social media has leveled the playing field for small business owners in today’s marketing environment. It’s all about two-way communication with customers. Building a social media brand is a major factor in small business success, but the key is being niche focused. Beyond having a website, you need to make sure that you are out there demonstrating your expertise and dominating your niche at every opportunity. No one is calling 411 or looking in the yellow pages for vendors, it’s all about what comes up in the search engines. Don’t forget about LinkedIn, too.  Many experts, consultants and professional service providers are sourced through LinkedIn.  Here are the answers to the top 10 questions on how to build a social media brand.

How important is an online brand to a small business owner? 

Once a month people should Google themselves to see what is out there on the internet about their business. If nothing comes up in the search engines, that is a problem too. Start building online credibility with a LinkedIn profile and a helpful website. I would also add a Twitter account, Google+ profile, and Facebook Fan page as well. Retailers and service businesses should have a Yelp profile too.

What is the biggest mistake small businesses make when building an online brand?

You must consistently talk to the same customer online every time you share content and understand that it takes 7 contacts to make an impression. Many people think it’s going to start raining money in their small business as soon as they start using social media.  Not so! It’s like building any other relationship. It took me 2 years of tweeting, blogging and sharing other people’s information to be recognized nationally.

How does one go about developing a strategy to build a brand online? 

Start with three C’s of social media Content + Community = Commerce. Your content is currency in social media. Once you pick a target audience, you must listen first to find out where they are spending time online. Then you must use your content to become part of the conversation on that social networking site. When you start to engage with people by sharing their content and commenting on blogs, that’s when you starting building community. Once you have established trust within your online community that’s when you can sell to them. If you try to sell too quickly, you will torch the relationship.  Think of social networking as “Give to Get.”

Can you explain what you call “The Triple ROI of Social Media”?

  • Return on Investment: All social media accounts are free. Your investment is your time. A smart social media program returns the time you put in, in terms of engagement with customers and prospects as well as word-of-mouth referrals.
  • Return on Influence: By sharing quality content, small business owners build influence, which they can eventually monetize online and offline.
  • Return on identity:  Everything in social media is about building your brand identity.

What is the HELP mantra?

The HELP mantra is how I think small business owners should approach social media: Help Others, Engage People, Listen Carefully and Promote Yourself With Care. Traditional selling is dead.  Use a 4:1 ratio of sharing other people’s content over your own. Your content will do the selling for you. No one will engage you if you lead with “Buy my stuff, buy my stuff.” They will always respond to great stories about how you can solve their painful business issues.

What is your best advice for a business owner trying to build their brand online?

Before you do anything, clearly identify your niche target customer. Research the keywords people use most to search for your topic, service or product. Then develop your content strategy to stand out amongst your competition. If you are planning to use blogging as your strategy, start working on an archive of blog posts at least 3 months in advance so writing does not feel stressful to you.

How important is it to choose the right social networks? Which ones work best for what, ie. LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Google+, Pinterest, Tumblr etc.? 

Everyone does not have to be doing everything. Twitter is a terrific listening device and is great for driving traffic to a blog. I convene my #Smallbizchat community live each week on Twitter, which has been a major factor in growing my online audience. LinkedIn is the most formal social network. It’s perfect for people who need to network with key decision makers.  Facebook groups and fan pages are great for engaging with retail customers. Google+ is also becoming a major factor in communicating with your entire social rolodex. Don’t forget about Pinterest too. If you have lots of great visuals Pinterest is perfect for target customers with that interest. Tumblr lets you effortlessly share anything. You can post text messages, photos, quotes, links, music and video from email and from any devices. If you use blogging as a key strategy, any of these accounts will help you spread the word.

Should a small business owner stay on message at all times? Is it ever okay to go off message?

It is critical to stay on message in social media. It should be obvious who your customer is by what you share online or what you write on your blog.  If you change your message too often, you will confuse people.  It’s ok to share personal things about yourself, so that people know that you are a real person, but be strategic.

Are there any special tools or apps on any social media sites that you would recommend? why?

I like www.Hootsuite.com to manage all my social media accounts. You can have up to 5 social accounts with the free version, but if someone is helping you with social media you may want to invest in a pro account.

How does one go about earning a community of subscribers, followers, friends, etc?  

Engagement is key. If someone leaves a comment on your blog, respond back quickly. In order to attract subscribers, followers, likes and connections you need to give them what they want – valuable content. Then, engage the people who like your content. Highlight a fan each week on your Facebook fan page, run a contest on Twitter. Be first to answer questions on LinkedIn to highlight your expertise.

On Tuesday May 8th 1-2pm ET I will speak with @FedExOffice during a live Tweet Chat #FedExOffice about how to build a social media brand as part of the Our Office Is Your Office Tweet Chat series.

Do you have any more ideas on how to build a social media brand? Your idea could be worth $50 bucks.

@SmallBizlady will offer two $50 gift cards for two more great ideas about building a social media brand.  To be considered, post your comment on this blog post until 10pm ET Friday, May 11, 2012. Winners will be announced on Twitter on Monday, May 14, 2012. FedEx Office has no involvement in the selection of winners.   This is sponsored by @SmallBizlady.

Disclosure:  FedEx Office compensated me to write this post and participate as a small business expert during the FedEx Office Our Office Is Your Office Tweet Chat series.  FedEx Office also provided the $50 gift cards. The ideas in this blog post are mine and are not ideas or advice from FedEx Office.

About FedEx Office: FedEx Office, an operating company of FedEx Corp., has more than 1,900 stores and locations in the U.S., Canada, Japan, South Korea and the Middle East, providing convenient access to printing and shipping expertise with reliable service. The company’s network features retail stores, centralized production centers, corporate on-site print centers, and on-site business centers at hotels, convention centers and universities. Services include copying and digital printing, professional finishing, document creation, direct mail, signs and graphics, computer rental, free Wi-Fi, corporate print solutions, packing services, FedEx Express and FedEx Ground shipping, Hold at FedEx Location and more. In addition, InformationWeek 500 recognized FedEx Office® Print Online and FedEx Office® Print & Go solutions with the 2011 Most Innovative Products award. Products, services and hours vary by location. For more information, please visit www.fedex.com/office.

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 America’s #1 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 bestselling author of Become Your Own Boss in 12 months; A Month-by-Month Guide to a Business That Works.

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How to Use Facebook to Grow Your Small Business

By on April 19, 2012 in Q & A Interviews, SmallBizChat, Social Media

Every week as SmallBizLady, I conduct interviews with experts on my Twitter talk show #SmallBizChat. The show takes place every Wednesday on Twitter from 8-9pm ET. This is excerpted from my recent interview with AK Stout @akstout18. AK has been working with social media for the past 6 years,  as one of the first group introduced to Facebook.  AK prides herself in finding ways to utilize her knowledge and experiences in conjunction with the ever-expanding mix and advantages of new media tools to help businesses enhance their online footprint. Check out her website http://www.sayingitsocial.com

 

SmallBizLady: Should I use a Facebook Page, Profile, or Group for by business?

AK Stout: Businesses should use Facebook Business Pages in order to be in ompliance with Facebook’s Terms of Service and to reap the best business benefits on Facebook. To create a Facebook Business Page go to: http://www.facebook.com/pages/create.php

 

If you have already set up your business on Facebook and you accidentally set it up on the personal profile platform (if you have to approve ‘Friends’ for your business – you have a personal profile) you can migrate your Profile to a Page while retaining ‘Friends’ and ‘Subscribers’ as ‘Fans’ by going to: https://www.facebook.com/pages/create.php?migrate

If you are using a Group for your business there isn’t a feature for converting to a Page so you will have to set up a new Page and let your group members know how to find the new Page.

 

SmallBizLady:  What are the business benefits of a having a Facebook Page?

AK Stout: In short, exposure. Facebook Pages are indexed by search engines so if you are posting content relevant to your business you have the potential of having your Facebook Page show up in search engine results.

Having a presence on Facebook also helps keep your business top of mind for your audience. Every time you post something, it could potentially be seen by your ‘Fans’ and while a ‘Fan’ may not need your product or service right then and there, if they keep catching your posts, your business is more likely to come to mind when the time does come to make a purchase decision.

Additionally, whenever one of your ‘Fans’ takes action on your page (posts, likes, comments), that action appears in their activity feed and subsequently in the news feed of their personal network for all to see.

 

SmallBizLady: I created a Facebook Page, why doesn’t anyone ‘Like’ it?

AK Stout: As wonderful as it would be to set up a Page and have people automatically flock to it; that is simply not reality. The next step of the process is to actually let people know you have a Page and to make it as easy as possible for it to be found.

The first step is to click on the button within your Admin Panel that says ‘Build Audience’ and then invite your Friends to ‘Like’ your Page.

Next you’ll want to advertise your Faecbook Page EVERYWHERE. Some places to make sure you have a button, link, or display URL to your Facebook Page would be: your website, your email signature, your personal Facebook, your eNewsletters, printmaterial and even in-store signage.

I always recommend thinking about every point of contact you could have with a prospect or customer and make sure that there is an option for them to ‘Like’ your Facebook Page at that time.

 

SmallBizLady: How do I come up with content to post on my Page?

AK Stout: It is best to post a variety of statuses: links to articles, links to your own blog posts and content, pictures, videos, questions, and quotes. Continually posting the same of one type of status becomes boring for your ‘Fans’ and you will begin to lose their interest.

I recommend setting up Google Alerts to keep track of what is going on in your industry and then pulling quality articles that come to your email to post. When you post blog posts and articles, don’t just post the link, ask a thought provoking question about the article to encourage ‘Fan’ participation.

Multimedia posts have shown to attract the most interest so do not neglect these types of posts.

 

SmallBizLady: When is the best time during the week to post on my Page and how often should I post?

AK Stout: The best day and time to post on your Page depends upon your audience. I’ve found the only way to figure this out is with experimenting and analyzing trends. For the first month or so of Facebook marketing post at all different days and times then begin looking at your Facebook Page Insights to see when your posts are receiving the most impressions and interactions.

As a basic rule I recommend posting 1-2 times per day. There are some Pages that can get away with posting more times than that but you run the risk of irritating your audience and getting ‘unliked’. If you have the content and you want to post more than 2 times per day – give it a try and use your Page Insights to see how your impressions and interactions fair and if you are being ‘unliked’ – if your stats are dwindling you will know your audience thinks it’s too much. If your stats aren’t affected – post away! If you can’t post for a day – don’t panic, just make sure you get a few posts in per week so that if someone stumbles upon your Page they won’t think you’ve abandoned the Page.

 

SmallBizLady: What is an appropriate response time for when people post on my Page?

AK Stout: As soon as possible and before you put out another status update. The worst thing to do is have questions and comments posted on your Page and then you post a status update leaving those people feeling ignored.

Make sure you have post notifications enabled to be delivered to your email and respond at your next opportunity – letting no more than 24 hours elapse. To really impress your audience, carry an email and web enabled smartphone and respond on the go. Nothing makes a Fan feel more appreciated and cared for than an immediate response.

 

SmallBizLady: How should I address negative comments on my Page?

AK Stout:: Unless the negative comments are offensive and have vulgar language do not delete them – deleting negative comments will only infuriate the ‘poster’ and encourage them to continue posting unfavorable comments.

Addressing negative comments in the public eye is not necessarily a bad thing because it shows that you care about your business and your customers. If you can address someone’s problem in a timely manner you may just be able to turn their opinion of you around because they appreciate your desire to help.

If you don’t immediately have a response at least comment to let the person know that you have received their question/comment and that you are looking into a solution and will get back to them. Just the acknowledgement can go a long way.

 

SmallBizLady: My Facebook Page URL is really long and ugly, how do I make it short and customized to put on my print material?

AK Stout:: You can create a custom URL in the form of facebook.com/username by going to http://facebook.com/username and choosing what you want to display for “username”. Make the “username” as close to your business name as possible. If you are going to be doing any print advertising you will want to do this so that your URL is short and memorable.  Note: You cannot create a custom URL for your Page until you have 25 ‘Fans’.

 

SmallBizLady: How can I ‘Use Facebook as my Page’ and why should I do this?

AK Stout: Click on the drop down arrow in the upper right hand corner of Facebook to the right of ‘Home’ and select the name of your Page. When you do that – any interaction you have on Facebook will be under the name of your Page.

You should do this to get on the radar of other businesses by ‘liking’ and commenting on their Pages. If you are going to do this make sure are adding value and not posting promotional messages about your own business that could be perceived as spam.

Doing this will not only get your business on the radar of other businesses but also on the radar of their audiences who will see your business name on the posts as well.

 

SmallBizLady: I saw that I can send my tweets on Twitter to my Facebook page, should I do that so I only have to post one time?

AK Stout: I do not recommend this. The format of a tweet can be confusing to Facebook users who do not use Twitter. @replies and hashtags will look like foreign and misplaced characters on Facebook. Also, when you are posting a link to a blog post or article via Twitter you lose the image of the post, post name, and description from showing on Facebook.

Finally if your strategy is to post many times throughout the day on Twitter that will lead to way too many Facebook posts. If you want to only post in one place, you can send your Facebook posts to Twitter by going to http://facebook.com/twitter

 

SmallBizLady:: I’ve heard running a contest is a good way to get more Facebook fans, how should I implement a contest?

AK Stout: Facebook has very strict guidelines about contests. The most important rule to know is that you cannot administer a contest directly on your Page without using a third-party application. To make sure you are in compliance, carefully read Facebook’s Promotion and Contest Guidelines at: http://on.fb.me/fbcontestguidelines

Once you have chosen an application to implement your contest make sure you let everyone know that you are having a contest – talk about it in your blog posts, email newsletters, website, other social sites and even in your email signature.

 

SmallBizLady: Should I add applications to my Facebook Page?

AK Stout: If you have a YouTube channel, adding a YouTube application to your Page can be a great way to tell your audience about your products and services. If you sell products, you can use Facebook applications to sell right from your Page. There are Facebook applications for a variety of different purposes. It’s important to understand that only three applications chosen by you show up prominently on your Page so while you can add more – just know they won’t all be readily visible without your ‘Fans’ taking action to look for more applications which doesn’t always happen.

 

If you found this interview helpful, join us on Wednesdays 8-9pm ET follow @SmallBizChat on Twitter. Here’s how to participate in #SmallBizChat: http://bit.ly/S797e

 

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 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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5 Steps to Take Online Before Launching Your Small Business

By on April 17, 2012 in Branding & Marketing, Guest Articles, Social Media, Technology

The fast-moving flow of information in social media  can be intimidating to even the most computer-savvy among us. To a budding small business owner, it can be daunting. Yet if you want your business to succeed, you can’t afford to ignore that world. Fortunately, there is a way to conquer that world and make it work for you—and the way to do it is to be proactive. That means thinking out your social media marketing strategy before you launch your business and then taking the preliminary steps to make it all work. Here are a few things you can do ahead of time to see to it that your launch will go smoothly.

  1. Stake your claim in the social media frontier.  Don’t be afraid. Hop right in! Getting connected may be new to you but it represents your golden opportunity to show your company’s value to the world. Create accounts on all the major social networking sites— Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, YouTube, Google+, and LinkedIn. Then to make things a little more manageable for yourself, consider signing up for a social media manager such as SproutSocial.com, HootSuite, or CoTweet.
  2. Be visual! A picture is worth a thousand words. So why use words when images are so much more effective? Take time to create an effective logo that communicates you, your business, and its value to your customers. Then follow up with photos, videos, infographics, and other forms of visual imagery that tell the tale of your company. If any of your products require instruction, create video tutorials to explain them. If your products are unique, use visuals to play up their distinctions! People are always looking for ways to be the coolest guys on their block, so make sure you show them how your products can help them become trend setters.
  3. Monitor your industry online. Do searches for mentions of your products or your industry on Facebook, Twitter, and other sites. Become aware of your competition—not only what they are doing but also how they are using social media. There are numerous social media tracking applications available (for example, Trackur and monitter), many of which are free, that can help you keep track of chatter going on around the Web.
  4. Make yourself known. One of the most important things you can do in the social media world is forging relationships. Communication is not very effective if it only goes one way. So it’s of utmost importance to find a legion of fans and followers and begin an ongoing dialogue with them. You can start on Facebook with real friends and family. But then expand your reach. A quick keyword search can help you identify prospective customers who could be ideal fits for your product or service. Seek out key players in your industry and also target local media outlets and city officials. Then be diligent about establishing and maintaining communication with your new contacts. On Facebook, you can share their links on your wall and comment on them. On Twitter, you should always try to reply to as many messages as possible. If one of your contacts has a story, re-tweet it. On LinkedIn, join industry groups and start new group discussions or actively participate in ongoing ones. Most importantly, be careful to nurture these new relationships by avoiding asking for favors or help. Instead, offer your help to your contacts without asking for anything in return. This will build trust and elevate your relationships to the point where your online friends will ultimately be doing favors for you.
  5. Interlink One advantage to having multiple accounts on social media sites is to establish as many sources of user feedback as possible. People are seldom shy about sharing their opinions, and you can begin improving your products and services immediately as a result of their feedback. Another advantage is your ability to interlink within your own online network. One of the first things you will want to do after establishing your accounts is to link your company’s website, your Facebook page, your Twitter account, and your YouTube videos to each other. This is free advertising and is a neat way to showcase as many aspects of your business to as wide an audience as possible.

Today’s marketing climate is more diverse than ever, but there is no component that is as fast-growing or as effective as social networking. Your business can sell itself when you have the mechanisms in place to easily put it on display for the right audience to see. Those mechanisms are abundant in the social media world. So do your homework. Prepare to launch your business by preparing before the launch.

About the author:

Christopher Wallace is Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Amsterdam Printing, a leading provider of personalized pens, promotional pens, and other personalized items such as imprinted apparel and mugs and customized calendars.

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How to Get New Customers Part II

By on April 3, 2012 in Branding & Marketing, Grow Your Business, Melinda Emerson @SmallBizLady, Starting A Small Business

There are numerous ways of getting new customers but not all methods are applicable to all businesses. I also need to remind you that getting repeat business from your existing customers is far easier than attracting new customers, but it is important to have a strategy for getting new customers in the door. In Part 1 of this series, I provided a philosophy and an approach for obtaining more business. Choosing your best customer acquisition strategy will be driven by why your customer is buying, their purchase frequency, and how they collect purchase information. In Part 2, the focus is on specific strategies and tactics to create a stampede in your small business.

Here are 7 strategies for getting new customers:

  • Start advertising: You want customers to know you exist – If you have a storefront business that depends on local customers. Consider investing in local online advertising, direct mail, flyers, or local penny-saver ads. You can also do pay per click ads online too. Use calls to action in each advertising initiative to get prospects to contact you. Do not start any advertising program that you can’t maintain for at least six months.
  • Start building a prospect list. One of the key ingredients in a business is having an active prospect list.  One of the best ways to build your list is through your website.  You should have 3-5 ways to engage web visitors to get them to give you their contact information. Create a coupon or giveaway from your website. It could be a special report, free chapter of a book, or audio interview, a 10% off coupon, a free estimate or a giveaway for the first X number of new customers who download the giveaway.
  • Launch a public relations campaign: Your PR campaign should have a story behind it.  The fact that you open your doors is not compelling enough.  Consider having a PR tie-in a local charity, cause or group. For example, my neighbor got a front-page story in our local community paper as a donor of care packages in support of our troops. The article also highlighted her business and her contact information. You can always donate a portion of net proceeds to charity and get a tax write-off too.
  • Use incentives: Give your current customers referral incentives – everybody likes a deal. If an existing customer gets a special discount, cash, or free stuff for recommending a new customer to your business, it creates a winning situation for everyone. Interestingly enough, when you give a surprise benefit to an existing client, like a free pizza after so many purchased or a “no charge” for a regular dry cleaning customer, or free shipping and a discount on future business, customers tell others about these unexpected bonuses.
  • Develop a social marketing strategy: – Like it or not, we are in a digital age and ignoring free marketing tools, such as social networking sites is just plain foolish. You must be googleable! It used to be that all you had to do was build a website, now you need a blog and to have a social media footprint to go with it. No one uses the yellow pages any more. It is pretty common that if we want to know anything about anything we go to the internet. If your business is not there, it can really impact your visibility. Read, read, read and seek out a professional to get you started with social media marketing. Check out my book “Become Your Own Boss In 12 Months” to get more insights on building an online brand.
  • Use Success By Association – Become a part of your industry trade organization, local Chamber of Commerce, Rotary Club, community service organizations, and other groups both local and national. My active membership in the National Speakers Association led to some outstanding business contacts for me. It is very satisfying to learn from peers and fellow business owners.
  • Create recognizable value – If you are in a business where you can provide informational value through articles or newsletters that provide tangible customer benefit, it can lead to getting a new customer and development of a “following”.  Media is always looking for content to sustain itself and to grow. If you have a message of interest, write an article for your local media outlet, notify your local TV or radio station about your unique business and the benefit it brings. Don’t keep your  better mousetrap a secret.

Getting the word out about you and your business will take planning and hardwork and you will sell your faith in your enterprise. It is not always easy to do, but persistence will get you to success.

Do you have any other tactics to share on getting new customers?

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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 smallMelinda Emerson "SmallBizLady" 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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Getting Ready For Opening Day in Your Small Business

By on March 5, 2012 in How to Start, Social Media

Opening Your Business Now you are just about ready to get  business cards, mail out the flyers, turn on the phones, run those ads on Facebook and use whatever way possible to tell the world you are “Open for Business.” It is a moment of both joy and fear.  The hard work of the planning your business now transitions to the even harder work of running the business.  The opportunity to fail is always present. It is okay to look over your shoulder and pay attention to fundementals.

What do you need to do to have a great opening?  A sales strategy and an a marketing plan to support it!

As you move closer to opening day of your business deciding the best way to let the world know about your new company is critical to your success. One way to decide the best strategy is to take a hard look at your competition.  Examine what they are doing, and how you can top it. Fortunately, there are many options for communicating with your target customers (Some are more expensive than others.) Many effective communications techniques include; social networking, internet advertising, community tabloids, sampling, and local newspapers. Regardless of the target customer selected to focus on, your marketing activities should do three things:

(1) Gain attention and interest,

(2) Inform and/or persuade,

(3) Eventually lead to a purchase or other desired action.

Consider these marketing tactics:

Claim Your Social Media Profiles 

  • Advantages

Mobile advertising is increasing significantly. The rise in geo-specific social networking is increasing in popularity.  You want to make  sure that you protect your brand on the big four social media sites (Google +,  Facebook Fan Page,  Twitter and LinkedIn)and claim all of the relevant geolocation profiles too such as Google Places, Facebook Places, Foursquare, etc.

  • Disadvantages

There are none. Social networking accounts are free. You pay with your time, so be strategic.

Consider internet  advertising  or pay per click ads (PPC).

  • Advantages

Facebook Ads and Google ad words are the most common internet advertising. These ads can be low cost or expensive, but you can give yourself a weekly budget and control what you are spending per click. The customer is typically looking for what you are selling. It can be fairly low cost to start and can be tailored to highly specialized products and services. You can reach people when they are actively looking for information about your products and services online, and send targeted visitors directly to what you are offering. Search engines like Google, BING, Yahoo and others can provide some in depth information on how to set up your ads and even how to open an online store.

  • Disadvantages

Costs can be related directly to the number of people who click on your ad. Competing with more established businesses can be frustrating and costly venture for small business too. With many businesses selling the same products and services, certain key words can be significantly more expensive.  Small business may not have the resources to pay for paid directory inclusion, pay per click ads often have to rely solely on search engine optimization or word of mouth to drive traffic to their sites.

Direct Mail: Direct mail is still an effective way to get more customers.

  • Advantages

If you send a bulky mailer,  an odd-shaped package, you will pique their curiosity and urge them to open it.  You can include a promotional gift in your bulky mailer that ties into your campaign. Be sure that your mail piece is relevant and include basic personalization: Make sure that the information in your contact management system is up to date and that you personalize every mailer.

  • Disadvantages

It’s expensive for postage and the printed materials and you must make sure that you have a quality mailing list.

Publish shopper ads in free tabloids. Many are distributed locally through mailings, or  in shopping malls and other outlets.

  • Advantages

Low cost, targeted geographic distribution.

  • Disadvantages

Ad clutter – because of the size and the number of ads, some of which will be your direct competitors, could make it difficult for your products/services to stand out in this type of publication. It is often discarded because it is free and considered “junk”. It may not be ideal for your target demographic – teenagers for example.

Consider donating your product or service to a community group of potential customers.

  • Advantages

Recently, a neighbor of mine who sells cosmetic products to women in their  homes, was featured in a local publication for donating products to veterans from Iraq. She appeared on the front page and was recognized by the publication for  her outstanding commitment to our troops. As a side benefit, she also got some serious recognition for her business and some new customers!

  • Disadvantages

Virtually, none if you can afford to donate products or services. Nothing prevents a business from earning PR, while doing good and doing well at the same time.

Place classified ads in local community newspapers or newsletters. 

  • Advantages

Its primary advantage is flexibility because advertising can vary from one locale to the next. In a typical location, a single local newspaper can reach up to 50% of all homes and apartments and unlike radio or TV, readers can go back and refer to an ad of interest.  Start your campaign with small test ads and gradually expand as they prove effective. If you have a line of items, feature the one or two that you think will have the most customer interest or show a big per cent off sale or significant dollar reduction off regular price. Just take a look at today’s paper to see what might make sense for your business.

  • Disadvantages

The readership of newspapers is going down. Newspapers have a short life-span, hasty reading, and relatively poor reproduction quality. Newspapers also have to struggle to get through the “clutter” of other advertising media like direct mail, magazines, the internet and others. Costs can also be an issue – shop carefully for the size ad that you need and see if any demographic information is available so that you can target your ad to the audience with the best chance for sales.

Finally, the most effective communication, especially if your business is retail or service based is word-of-mouth referrals. If you are known by reputation, for example, to be an excellent car mechanic and you decide to open your own shop, there is a pretty good chance that you have a “following.” Customers who will want your services just based on the quality of your work. This is something you often see with beauty and barber shops announcing a new operator in the local paper or sometimes a car dealership announcing a new salesperson who used to be at a competitors’ location.

The main focus of this article is to help you create public excitement around your enterprise. Building a better mousetrap is great but unless you tell someone, that mousetrap is available your product or service may lie in obscurity, unsold. Your message must convey the enthusiasm that you bring to the table – if you are fired up, always talking about your business, your enterprise is destined for success!

Do you have any opening day marketing tips to share?

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. 

 

Comments { 4 }

SmallBizLady Q&A How to Build a Powerful Online Brand

By on January 30, 2012 in Branding & Marketing

 

How to become a powerful social media brand is a major factor in small business success these days. Beyond having a website, you need to make sure that you are out there demonstrating your expertise at every opportunity. There are those who believe that if they can’t find you or your business online, you do not exist. That may seem harsh, but think about how we all buy things now. We do not call 411, or look in the yellow pages, we all go look for information in search engines such as google.

As someone who has a powerful brand on the internet, I have recently been interviewed a few times about building an online brand and more specifically how I built the SmallBizLady brand and I thought the information might be helpful to all of you. So here’s the full interview.

1) Why does everyone whether they are in a career or business for themselves need to be aware of their online image? 

Every 30 days people should Google themselves to see what is being said about them on the internet.  If they Google themselves and nothing comes up that is a problem too.  Everyone with a business or a job should at least have a LinkedIn profile, and if you run a business you should have a website.  If you are really trying to build an online brand, I would also add Google profile, and Facebook Fan page to that as well.

 

2) How does one go about developing a strategy to build a brand online? 

 

To build an online brand you must use the HELP mantra: Help Others, Engage People, Listen Carefully and Promote Yourself With Care. Traditional selling is dead.  Your valuable content and helpful sharing will do the selling for you. No one wants to hear or read “Buy my stuff, buy my stuff,” they want to read about how you can solve their most pressing issue.

 

3) What is your advice for one trying to build their brand online?

 

Before you do anything online, you need to identify your niche target customer.  Then you should employ a listening strategy to figure out where your target customer spends time online. Research the keywords people use most to search for your topic, service or product. Then develop your content strategy for how you will stand out in the marketplace.

 

4) How important is it to choose the right social networks? Which ones work best for what, ie. LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr etc.? 

 

In order to build an online brand you must first figure out where your target client spends time online, and become a part of the conversation.  Everyone does not have to be doing everything. LinkedIn is perfect for people who need to network with senior executives and decision makers.  Facebook personal accounts are great of keep in contact with family and friends.  Facebook groups and fan pages are great for engaging with retail customers. Google+ is also becoming a major factor in communicating with your entire social rolodex, particularly if you are blogging.

 

Twitter is terrific for establishing thought-leadership and building community online.  I convene my #Smallbizchat community live each week on Twitter, which has been a major factor in growing my online community. Tumblr lets you effortlessly share anything. You can post text messages, photos, quotes, links, music and video from email and from any devices. I chose Twitter and LinkedIn to build my brand when I got started.  I also used blogging as a key strategy to demonstrate my expertise and keep my website updated.

 

5) How important is messaging in social media? Should one stay on message at all times? When is it OK to go off message and be ‘social’?

 

It is critical to stay on message. It should be obvious who your customer is by what you share online and what you write on your blog.  You can not write a blog about being an expert image consultant and the next day blog about a cat caught in a tree in your backyard.  You will confuse people.  I think it is important share personal things about yourself, so that people know that you are a real person but be strategic. Nobody cares what you had for breakfast.

 

6) Are there any special tools or apps on any social media sites that you would recommend? why?

 

I like www.Hootsuite.com to manage all my social media accounts. You can have up to 5 social accounts. I also have a virtual assistant that helps me manage my blog and some social media updating.

 

7) How does one go about earning a community of subscribers, followers, friends, etc?  

 

Content is currency online.  In order to attract subscribers, followers, likes and connections you need to add value to the conversation, create valuable blog content and engage the people who like your content.

 

8) How important is it to be discreet or cautious online? Any tips on what should be put online and what shouldn’t be? 

 

You should not post anything online that you wouldn’t want to read in the newspaper.  Everything on the internet can be found forever. Watch the loose talk on Facebook especially. 

 

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 businessMelinda Emerson "SmallBizLady" 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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2011 Best of SmallBizLady Blogs

By on December 28, 2011 in 10 Things Lists, My Recommendations

Every week I publish articles on this blog to help small business owners start and grow their entrepreneurial ventures.  My mission is simple: to end small business failure. There are times when I write things based on questions I am frequently asked and then there are other times when I wake up in the middle of the night with an idea I simply must get down on paper. I write this blog for all the people who I never get to meet or mentor.  I want you to succeed as your own boss, and I write faithfully so that you can have a roadmap to achieve your small business goals.  Over the past year, I have grown as a writer and business consultant, and I shared what I have learned with all of you. Happy New Year everybody. Lets make 2012 is year to remember!

Here’s the best 10 articles I have written in 2011 according to all of you.

5 Things Every Entrepreneur Must Do Each Day

http://succeedasyourownboss.com/10/2011/5-things-every-entrepreneur-must-do-each-day/

10 Best How to Start a Small Business Websites

http://succeedasyourownboss.com/10/2011/10-best-how-to-start-a-small-business-websites/

Use 3 C’s of Social Media Marketing: Content, Community, Commerce

http://succeedasyourownboss.com/08/2011/use-the-3-cs-of-social-media-content-community-commerce/

12 Things to Tweet About on Twitter

http://succeedasyourownboss.com/03/2011/12-things-to-tweet-about-on-twitter/

How to Write a Business Plan Part I, II, and III

http://succeedasyourownboss.com/01/2011/how-to-write-a-business-plan-part-iii/ 

6 Business Lessons for Under 30 Entrepreneurs

http://succeedasyourownboss.com/07/2011/6-business-lessons-for-under-30-entrepreneurs/ 

10 Tips to Recession Proof Your Small Business

http://succeedasyourownboss.com/10/2011/10-tips-to-recession-proof-your-small-business/

What Can Twitter Do For Your Small Business

http://succeedasyourownboss.com/12/2011/what-can-twitter-do-for-your-small-business/

11 Great Technology Tools for Small Business

http://succeedasyourownboss.com/04/2011/11-great-technology-tools-for-small-business/

11 Bible Versus Small Business Owners Need in 2011

http://succeedasyourownboss.com/04/2011/11-bible-verses-small-business-owners-need-in-2011/

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, professionalMelinda Emerson "SmallBizLady" 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.comMelinda 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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What Can Twitter Do For Your Small Business?

By on December 5, 2011 in Branding & Marketing, Grow Your Business, How to Start, SmallBizChat, Social Media

I signed up for a Twitter account three years ago, and it truly changed my life. My Twitter anniversary was on December 2nd, and I thought it might be helpful for me to explain what my goals were for the social network. Now is a perfect time to step up your game on Twitter or finally get it going with a social media strategy.

I have never had a nickname in my life, but since my name Melinda Emerson was taken when I tried to sign up for Twitter, my buddy social media strategist, Cathy Larkin @Cathywebsavvypr nicknamed me @SmallBizLady. We now know that was the best branding accident that ever happen to me. We thought it would work, since it would help people know who I was and what my expertise was as a small business start-up and business development expert.  We ultimately knew it would help me raise awareness to my book, Become Your Own Boss in 12 Months.

When you got on Twitter did you have a plan?

When I started out on Twitter I had two goals. First, I wanted to build an author platform to demonstrate my thought leadership on all things small business. Secondly, I wanted to make friends and attract my niche target customer; professional women 30+, who want to start or grow a small business.  However, Twitter provided some unintended benefits as well.

When I first when on twitter I did three things each day. I shared a helpful article on small business, I tweeted out something personal about myself, and I answered someone’s small business question. Being helpful was my intent, and it served me well.  I set up Google alerts on specific business topics so that I would always have fresh things to tweet.  Once I got the hang of it, I made sure that I shared other people’s content more than my own.

I am now, a well-respected social media expert as a result of how well I’ve built my brand. I also am an active member of the Twitter community with over 125K followers. I tell people that I work Twitter like a job Monday thru Friday.

Why Twitter works for me.

Twitter is a micro-blogging platform designed for people who need the bottom-line and not much else. In short, if you can’t say it in 140 characters or less, forget about it. If you do not know who you are trying to talk with or attract forget about it.  You need a content strategy in order to really be successful with Twitter.

In April 2009, I launched #SmallBizChat which is a Tweetchat (or Twitter Talkshow as I like to call it.) My professional background is as a television producer, so I approached my tweetchat like a TV new program.  I developed a formula.  We have an open, close and new question coming out every four minutes.  Every Wednesday on Twitter to help entrepreneurs get answers to their small business questions with #Smallbizchat.  To date, my co-host @TaiGoodwin and I have produced over 130 shows.  By the way, New York Times Small Business Blogger Jay Goltz @JaySmallBiz is my guest this Wednesday.  His topic is how to run a successful small business.  He’s been an entrepreneur over 33 years, with five businesses so I think he knows a little something about it.

Twitter has grown my @SmallBizLady consulting brand. I have gotten several coaching clients and hundred of business contacts. I have also been invited for at least 50 speaking engagements, countless blog talk radio interviews, and thanks to this blog, I have been requested to write for several publications including smallbiztrends.com, secondact.com, black enterprise and essence magazines and quoted in many articles for publications including the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Washington Post, Philadelphia Inquirer and Fortune.  I have also had several TV appearances for NBC, MSNBC, and Fox News. These opportunities came just because of the content, resources and blog posts I tweet out regularly on Twitter.

Twitter is  a great resource for a small business owners, particularly if you sell B2B or are in infopreneur.  Try it you might like it.

Do you have any other suggestions for how Twitter can help a 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 smallbusinessexperts. As a seasoned entrepreneur, professional speaker, and small business coach, she developsMelinda Emerson "SmallBizLady" audio, video and written content to fulfill her mission to end small businessfailure.  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)

Comments { 11 }

How Small Business Owners Can Take Better Advantage of the Internet #SmallBizChat Q&A

By on November 17, 2011 in Q & A Interviews, SmallBizChat

Every week as SmallBizLady, I conduct interviews with experts on my Twitter talk show #SmallBizChat. The show takes place every Wednesday on Twitter from 8-9pm ET. This is excerpted from my recent interview with @MaishaWalker.  Maisha Walker, is an award-winning 13 year Internet industry veteran and the President of message medium, a New York firm that works exclusively with entrepreneurs and growing businesses to maximize their digital footprint and drive revenue and sales through Internet marketing. For guidance right now, download her popular (and free)Web Site Checklist and Internet Marketing Checklist. She is also the author of Web Site Fundamentals for Entrepreneurs and a columnist with Inc. Magazine. 

 

SmallBizLady: How has the internet changed how we all do business?

Maisha Walker: The Internet has opened doors for entrepreneurs like never before. The clients that I work with in my Web site and Internet marketing consulting business as well as the businesses I speak to and who read my Inc. content all benefit tremendously from having access to more customers, to the
information and tools they need to find and reach those customers, and even
to the resources they need to service those customers – all at an ever
decreasing cost.

SmallBizLady: What are the top three things every entrepreneur should do on the internet?

Maisha Walker: 1. Research – make sure you leverage the information available to know your current and past market but also to understand where your industry is going and what the coming opportunities will be.

2. Connect – with your customers.  Make your brand one that has presence and
meaning in their lives.  We help our clients do this through tools like
their Web site, social networks, email marketing.  Entrepreneurs can have
both one way communication as well as two way dialogs with customers and
relevant communities.  It is so much easier to do that now and we encourage
our clients and students to take advantage of these tools.

3. Build a Network – I strongly encourage my clients and students alike to
find the people who will become their next partner, sponsor, employee,
mentor, mentee.  Know that one of the most powerful things you can do to
grow your business is *build relationships.*  Get out of thinking that the
world of business is a “quality of product” meritocracy – business is driven
by human relationships.  The Internet is an excellent way to find the
relationships you need and begin to cultivate them.

SmallBizLady: How can small business owners best use the internet for
revenue-generating activities?

Maisha Walker: How you use the Internet to generate revenue will largely depend on what industry you’re in but definitely do your competitive research. Find out how other businesses in your industry are generating revenue online and do it better.  Also think about how you generate revenue offline and how that
can be translated to the Internet.
SmallBizLady:  What are your favorite apps for small business owners?

Maisha Walker: HootSuite for managing your social accounts, Google Docs for sharing information effectively with your team and some sort of customer relationship management software – ZoHo, SalesForce etc.

SmallBizLady:  Can any business benefit from using social media?

Maisha Walker: Just about any *industry* can benefit from using social media but not necessarily any business.  Especially in the start up or small business
world, which marketing campaigns you will see the best results from is
heavily dependent upon your resources including the skills you have
available.  Do you have anyone on your team who is a good writer and can
transform your every-day world into compelling social content?  Do you have
a strategy to then transform your social success into profit?  Having a
simple social presence is great, but you should not invest a lot of time or
money into social marketing without the right skills and a good
understanding of how to profit from it.


SmallBizLady:  I still see some small business owners using flash websites? Is that a good thing?

Maisha Walker: Generally no – flash has always been problematic in terms of poor ability to
get flash sites ranked on search engines.  It is also generally far more
expensive to build using flash and once built usually impossible for a small
business owner to maintain and update.  Now it has been banned from iPad and
iPhone devices and to make matters worse, in spite of the fact that the
purchase of tablets and smartphones are already outpacing computers and
rapidly becoming the future of computing and Web site interaction, Adobe
just announced that it is completely abandoning further developing Flash for
mobile devices altogether
[http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2011/11/09/steve-jobs-was-right-adobe-halts-
flash-for-mobile-devices/].  We’ve been warning our Web site development
clients and students about the unseen pitfalls of using Flash for years and
now it’s official.  The game is basically over for Flash.


SmallBizLady:  More than 50% of small business owners still do not have a website. How is this a detriment to their businesses?

Maisha Walker: This depends a lot on what industry you are in and what your competition is. In some industries not having a Web site can seriously hurt your credibility and hurt your ability to compete.  If you have a physical location, it also
prevents you from being found when potential customers do a local search.
While there are many other places where you can create an online presence -
Google places and Facebook for example please remember that you do not *own* those spaces, don’t have any control over the interactions, you don’t own
the connections you make there and in theory you can get shut down at Google
or Facebook’s discretion.  We are careful to advise our clients to have a
place where you are in complete control of your online brand.  Build your
own Web site – even if it’s a simple one.  Our pricing is as low as $750 but
even if your budget is almost $0 you can still use a free tool like
Weebly.com or Apple’s iWeb software to build a great starter site.  I’ve
even written a book to help you do it yourself: Web Site Fundamentals for
Entrepreneurs [http://messagemedium.com/recommendedreading.htm].


SmallBizLady:  Should everyone be blogging?

Maisha Walker: Definitely not.  Blogging is an incredibly powerful tool for building a brand, educating people about what your company does and why you do it, and for getting found on search engines and through other sites linking to your blog posts.  However blogging is also incredibly time consuming.  There are
many, many ways that you can build brand and get found, don’t blog unless
you have at least 2-3 years you can sink into it when you spend a lot of
time with little or no return.  I was able to build my blog for Inc. into
the most popular blog on their site in less than a year but note I had a lot
going for me (marketing skills, writing skills, Inc.’s readers, my own
following of clients and students) when I started.  I cover the pros and
cons of blogging in my article “To Blog or Not to Blog”
[http://www.inc.com/maisha-walker/2009/09/to-blog-or-not-to-blog.html] it is
a great way to help figure out if it’s the right tool for you and if so, I
go on in other articles to define the best ways to use it and techniques to
build your following.


SmallBizLady:  Social media is just one more in a long list of chores every small business owner must too, if you want to engage help, how can you best outsource your social media marketing?

Maisha Walker: Please, please don’t depend entirely on inexperienced interns for your entire social media strategy and execution.  Try to find someone who has some demonstrable track record with driving real results through social
media.  Speak to other businesses to find out who they’ve used.  Find
experts like myself who write about it for well-respected publications -
those publications have often done a large portion of the vetting process
for you.  Also if you’re on a tight budget, we’ve made it affordable for
more businesses to work with by having us as the expert create your social
strategy and then working with your own interns or internal staff to execute
that strategy.


SmallBizLady: How can small business owners use google alerts in their business?

Maisha Walker: Google alerts are a great way to keep track of any piece of information you want updates on.  Set up alerts on your name and your companies name so you’ll be alerted when anything is published that mentions you.  Consider setting up an alert on your major competitors, industry key phrases, potential investors, potential partners. Get creative – it’s free!
SmallBizLady:  Other than having a website, what is the once thing every
entrepreneur should have on the internet?

Maisha Walker: Every small business owner should have an email list.  A large email list is much harder to build but it is very inexpensive.  I also find in working with our clients, that email has much higher conversion rates than social media and other forms of online marketing.  That can mean real dollars in your pocket.  I write more in depth about the benefits of email marketing in my article “Online Marketing’s Best Kept Secret”
[http://www.inc.com/maisha-walker/online-marketings-best-kept-secret.html].
It will take you quite some time to build your email list so start now!

 

If you found this interview helpful, join us on Wednesdays 8-9pm ET follow @SmallBizChat on Twitter. Here’s how to participate in #SmallBizChat: http://bit.ly/S797e

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 Use QR Codes in Your Small Business – QA with Matt Mansfield

By on October 6, 2011 in Branding & Marketing, Q & A Interviews, SmallBizChat, Social Media

Every week as SmallBizLady, I conduct interviews with experts on my Twitter talk show #SmallBizChat. The show takes place every Wednesday on Twitter from 8-9pm ET. This is excerpted from my recent interview with @MattSMansfield.  Matt Mansfield is the Head Tour Guide at Matt About Business where he helps entrepreneurs and Fortune 500 companies use the web to manage and market their business by connecting online strategies and tactics with real-world results.

Small Biz Lady:  What is a QR code?

Matt Mansfield: QR (stands for “quick response”) codes look like black (most often) squares with squiggly lines running through them.

The truth is that a QR code is really a type of bar code that was initially used for tracking parts in vehicle manufacturing. They were actually used for quite some time before some clever folks began to realize that QR codes could be used to link the online world with the real world in a way that is unique, fun and very, very useful.

You see, once a customer installs a free app (on their iPhone, Android, Blackberry, etc.), QR codes can be read by their mobile phone. Each code contains a hyperlink that takes them to a spot online, whether a plain web page or a special mobile-web page. QR codes are printed hyperlinks that actually work in the real world.

Small Biz Lady:  What is the key benefit of using QR codes?

Matt Mansfield: The key benefit of QR codes is their ability to drive immediate action. For example, you can use QR codes to bring key information and marketing messages to customers when and where they are ready to take action. You can also enable customers to take action on the spot by making it possible to follow you on Twitter, “Like” you on Facebook and even buy your products and services.

Small Biz Lady:  Are QR codes here to stay?

Matt Mansfield: One of the first questions I get asked about QR codes is if they are a passing fad or here to stay. Honestly, the jury is still out on that question with strong arguments on both sides of the fence. As with all new methods and tools, the approach I recommend is to evaluate whether your own business would benefit from its use.

One good point on the “Using QR codes” side is that it doesn’t cost much in either time or money to take them for a test drive so, if you believe they fit, you should go for it! Continue Reading →

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How to Use Twitter Without Losing Your Mind

By on September 27, 2011 in Branding & Marketing, Social Media

Guest Post by Tai Goodwin

I love Twitter.

Depending on which group I am speaking to, I can’t always say that too loudly. There are some crowds that get it. There are other rooms, many of them filled with small business owners and solopreneurs who don’t get it – yet.

LinkedIn makes sense. Facebook is starting to make more sense. Twitter still feels like a whole other universe to most people -it’s even got its own language (retweet s, tweetups, hashtags, etc…) right? But here’s the truth: Twitter, when used correctly, can be one of the most valuable resources for small business owners looking to expand their network, research their niche and competition, position themselves as a leader in their niche, and grow their influence.

Using Twitter to Expand Your Network

Most small business owners have a system to connect with their customers. And in most cases you know how to reach out to your current vendors. But Twitter can help you find and connect to new strategic partners you may not have known about because they were too new or too far geographically to be on your radar.  Go for quality and not just quantity when it comes to who you follow – and who you follow back. Twitter makes key influencers and connectors accessible and opens the door to connections for those willing to reach out and offer value and not just brag and sell. Remember, who you know (or follow) on Twitter influences what you know and what opportunities come down the stream – literally.

Twitter is Great for Research

Talk about information overload – as of March, 2011 over 140 million tweets are sent every day.  On the bright side, there are a number of search and filtering tools that allow small business owners to sift through those tweets to find articles, tips, tools, coupon codes, offers, incentives, news, and answers. There’s even a tool that will let you send a poll question through twitter and then track and report the results. The key to using Twitter for research effectively relies on two things: knowing what information you are looking for and knowing what tools to use.

Want to Know How to Get “Expert” Status?

These days, with so much information available from everyone and everywhere it seems, it is hard to define an expert as someone who knows everything. In my book – the expert is the one who knows how to find the answers and resources needed and then is wise enough to put that information where others can get to it. Twitter can help you do that. Statistics have shown that just 20% of Twitter users create 80% of the content. If that’s so – creating and sharing more content than your competitors can help you be part of that 20%. And by content, I’m not just talking about tweeting your offers and services three times a day. I’m talking about creating and sharing real valuable content for your followers and prospective clients that answers their questions.  The more information you find and share (to the right audience), the more knowledgeable and valuable you appear.

Get your “SWAY” On

According to Merriam – Webster’s online dictionary, influence is “the power or capacity of causing an effect in indirect or intangible ways: SWAY.” It’s one thing to nudge people into coming to your site because you are giving them something.  It’s a completely different level when you’ve got a crowd of fans that are nudging people for you. Many small business owners understand the value of word of mouth referrals; in fact their business depends on it. Think of Twitter as online word of mouth: one retweet from the right follower or connection can put your brand or business in front of thousands. And what’s better than having someone who’s already got the relationship and credibility spread the word about what you have to offer? Without you having to pay for an endorsement? 

Keep Your Sanity and Keep Using (or get started with) Twitter

So how are savvy business owners leveraging Twitter to grow their business? Here are a few practical ideas that will make your time on Twitter more profitable (or at the very least less frustrating).

  • Follow the right people including prospects, clients, vendors and influencers in your industry.
  • Create and share relevant content that your audience wants and needs to know.
  • Use the right tools to filter, automate, track, and manage conversations
  • Commit to a tactic for  at least a month before saying it doesn’t work (decisions should be made on data not failure to provide immediate gratification)
  • Vary your content with retweets, recommendations, referrals, quotes, images (avoid spamming followers with ads and offers)
  • Start conversations and respond to people’s questions – don’t be a social media wall flower
  • Learn how to participate in TweetChats (like #smallbizchat) and use #hashtags related to your niche and target audience
  • Take the conversation off line when you meet VIP’s (very interested prospects)
  • And always, always, always start with a plan.

Tai Goodwin (www.TaiGoodwin.com) is a social media strategist and editor in chief of Launch While Working.com, an online resource center specifically for the growing population of professionals who are launching a business while working full-time or part-time jobs. She is also co-host of #SmallBizChat.

 

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Use the 3 C’s of Social Media: Content, Community, Commerce

By on August 8, 2011 in Branding & Marketing, Social Media, Technology

5 Great Social Media Tools for Small Business OwnersIf you are running a small business today you better be using social media marketing.   Social media has taken over the internet over the past few years.  The great thing for small businesses is it’s all about the one-on-one connection, larger companies no longer have the upper hand. You must listen, engage and then inform. While social has given people a way to stay connected to friends it has also given small business owners the opportunity and power to network strategically. Once you have identified your niche target customer, it is crucial to utilize the three C’s of social media: content, community, and commerce.

Content

The first C to implement in your social media marketing efforts is content. The currency in social media is value, and that value is created by producing and sharing valuable content. There are lots of ways to create content: You can write blog posts or ebooks, produce audio interviews or podcasts, or offer webinars or short videos, to name a few.

There is no point in using social media to drive traffic to your company’s website if you have nothing new to offer when they get there. Producing fresh content on a regular basis will keep people coming back for more.

Blogging can be a great way to maintain a regular flow of fresh content. If you’re just starting out, here are some useful tips when it comes to launching a blog.

  • Set up an editorial calendar for your blog to help manage your schedule.
  • Get into the habit of writing a few posts per week at least three months before your blog goes live. This will result in an archive of blog content you can use to start off with a bang.
  • Launch your blog with at least 10 articles already posted rather than one lonely post. This will give your readers a taste of your blog’s flavor and what it’s all about.

Community

The next C of social media is community. Social media only thrives because of the people involved. One major benefit of participating in social media is the opportunity to position yourself as key influencer, and a great way to do that is by engaging your audience and building a community.

Put aside the marketing mindset, and be real with people. Your followers and fans want to know and engage with who is behind the content you share in social media. You can’t afford to be one of those people on Twitter or Facebook who is constantly blasting out links to your blog without offering any human interaction. It’s important to instead create a two-way dialogue with your followers and fans and foster social experiences.

For example, I use Twitter to convene small business owners weekly. I host a tweetchat each Wednesday from 8 to 9 PM ET called #Smallbizchat, during which I provide a guest expert and my audience comes to learn and interact with each other. It works because I’m offering valuable content as well as discussion and engagement.

If you want to succeed in social media, you have to get out there and build a network. The more social and interactive you are, the better your chances at building a powerful social media brand will be. Social media is a great way to build relationships on and offline. The biggest form of flattery online is when others share your content. Therefore, I use a 4:1 ratio of sharing others’ content over my own.

Some other ideas for building community with others include:

  • Posting on forums, commenting on blogs, or connecting with new prospects across your social media footprint.
  • Connecting with contacts you have on LinkedIn on other social networks like Facebook and Twitter, too.
  • Guest blogging for other blogs or offering opportunities for others to guest blog for you.

The world is yours to interact with and build community.

Commerce

The final C of the puzzle is commerce, which is a bit trickier than you may think. In a nutshell, people do business with people they like, know, and trust. In person, it takes three interactions before you can make a strong enough impact that will allow you to cultivate a sale. On the internet, it takes seven interactions to build a relationship that will result in commerce.

Obviously, the ultimate goal of social media marketing is to generate web traffic, qualified leads, and sales. But what makes social media so appealing is the fact that it is laid back and “social.”

Be careful about not being too promotional; no one wants to be sold to. In order to succeed as your own boss, first you need to warm up the prospect by attracting them with high quality content. Then you need to engage them through direct interaction.

Ask and answer questions. As soon as you’ve gained their trust and respect, you can approach them about business, but you should only talk about business in terms of the solutions you provide and the results clients have had from working with your business.

Do you have any other tips on social media marketing?

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)

This was originally posted on www.hubspot.com

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10 Things to Grow Your Business This Summer

By 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

growth, summer, 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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