Having been an online entrepreneur for many years, I have often wished I had a simple way to learn more about the current and potential clients that contact me by email.  What social networks do they hang out on? How can I connect with them, if I don’t already know their screen name for a particular network?

There was a time when a business owner knew almost every customer or client, because they walked through the door, chatted with the owner, and got to be friends or at the very least acquainted.

As business owners doing business online, we have come to accept a lack of information as the nature of the beast. We have accepted that we will need to do business by email, but that it will not necessarily help us build rapport with our clients. Well, now all that is changing… Read more »

It’s a brand new year, and hopes and plans are at their peak for business owners everywhere. Is your plan to create a new business this year? Or perhaps you want to build an existing business to new heights? Maybe you’ve been struggling to get your business going at all? Then again, it may be that you have an existing business and would like to take it in a new direction?

Whatever your situation, now is a great time to really get clear about your plans and aspirations for your business. For myself, I have done a great deal of soul searching around my existing business, knowing that I have another business in the wings that I am very anxious to build and grow.

So, let’s talk about some of the things I’ve been pondering and discoveries I’ve made recently. Perhaps they may help you in planning your future for your business. Read more »

I have to admit, I’ve never been a great fan of Facebook groups. They were pretty one sided. Oh, you could have a “discussion” tab, but of all the groups I’ve ever participated in I rarely saw any kind of discussion going on.  It just seemed more like a one sided conversation coming from the group owner.  It seemed that “Fan Pages” did the same job, only better.

Well, all that has changed because Facebook recently rolled out the new and improved groups function.  So, do I love the new Facebook Groups?

Yes, No, Maybe….. Read more »

We’ve been talking about using Twitter and how to effectively manage your account for the past several posts. But, even with all the tips and tricks we’ve discussed, managing your Twitter account manually can start to feel as though you’re riding a donkey (and a lazy one at that) down the Grand Canyon.

Wouldn’t it be much better for your sanity and your business growth to leave the donkey behind (he probably needs a nap anyway) and jump aboard a bullet train. Okay, there isn’t really a bullet train of Twitter, but you can make your time spent managing your account much shorter by automating…

JUDICIOUSLY! Read more »

This is the third part in my Twitter series. If you are just joining the series now and would like to read the previous posts, you will find them at “Are You Lost in the Twitterverse?” and “The New Twitter – Love It or Hate It?”

If you are ready to forge ahead, then lets talk about “Lists”. This is the one function of Twitter that I get the most questions about.

A list is basically similar to a group on Facebook. You can create as many lists on Twitter as you like.  The purpose of a list is to be able to see all the tweets from a specific group or “list” of Twitter users. Read more »

In my most recent post I started a series on using Twitter as a part of your social media plan.  I have delayed this new post somewhat because I wanted to talk about the new Twitter platform, but needed to give time for a good portion of users to have an opportunity to experience it.

Even now, not everyone has been offered the opportunity by Twitter.  They are rolling this new release out in stages.  There seems to be no rhyme nor reason to who gets the chance at a particular time.  I have some accounts that are new and small that have the new platform, as well as some very established accounts.  I also have very established, high interaction, high follower count accounts that do not yet have the new platform.

In any case, let’s take a look at what’s different and what remains the same. Already opinions are rolling in from clients and other contacts on the internet. The new twitter… Do people love it or hate it?

Read more »

So, you signed up for a Twitter account… Now what?  While Twitter seems so simple, the ins and outs of good tweeting (posting) seem almost endless.  I have clients that run the entire spectrum of “Twitter is the best, most useful marketing tool I ever came across” to the opposite viewpoint of “Twitter is the biggest time waster to ever be hyped to marketers.”

So, which viewpoint is accurate? If you’ve been following my posts for a while you’ll probably know that my answer will be… Read more »

You hear it over and over… You have to use video to be successful in your online marketing. My clients will ask me, “do I really have to use video?” My answer to them, and to you, is: Yes, No, Maybe…

While I agree that video, done right, can be a great benefit to your marketing efforts, video gone to the dark side can turn potential clients away faster than meeting an ugly thug in a dark alley.

So, what makes a good video, and what makes a video turn to the dark side? I’ll sum it up in one word… Read more »

With the relative ease and cost effectiveness of the internet, I see people going into business who would have never considered doing so 10 years ago. This is fabulous and many people do very, very well. Unfortunately, many of the people jumping into business ownership will not be so successful… unless they learn the basics.

At one time, business basics were an absolute must before a person considered spending the money and time to open up shop. Those basics include such things as marketing, record keeping, management skills, sales skills, etc. People also spent a significant amount of time doing demographic and market research, to see if the business was even viable. Today I hear clients say things like, “but I spent 45 minutes looking for the right keywords!  So why isn’t everything working?” Read more »

How many times have you sat at your computer, knowing that you are getting great things accomplished, knowing that you have plenty of time to finish your tasks, knowing that you are only 4(ish) hours into your day, when suddenly you realize that 7 hours have gone by and you have no idea what you did with all that time?  Sometimes it can feel like your business got sucked into a time warp and spit out the other side.

As independent business owners, it is often difficult to manage all the tasks and work that needs to be accomplished.  We tend to wear so many different hats and it seems that everything is a priority. Read more »