Own Your Power,

Simone

Make Your Website a Lead Generating Machine

by
Clate Mask
Everybody knows one-sided relationships never work. The same is true with websites. If a website is focused entirely upon you, you will lose any visitors that may stumble across it. On the other hand, a website done correctly (one that focuses on the visitor) can easily become a lead generation machine!

When designing your website, think about these four ideas:

* People are egocentric. Subconsciously they’re viewing your website and thinking, “There’s tons of companies just like you. What are you going to do for me?”
* People love being entertained. If they believe your website is providing interesting information, you’ll have them hooked.
* People want their opinions valued. This is why most companies have incorporated a blog or forums-so their customers can put in their two cents.
* And this is the ticket for generating leads for your business: visitors want to do something.

Give your visitors something to do. Give them something free to download. Offer a free report or whitepaper. Ask for their opinion on a blog entry.

Do something, anything, and once the person responds, you “Require” the following information: name, address, phone number, and email. Guess what you just got? A qualified lead. Qualified because they stayed on your site long enough to take action.

Sincerely,

Clate Mask
CEO, Infusionsoft

FOR MORE: | www.infusionsoft.com

I just received this and it was so good I had to share. Michael thanks so much for keeping us informed and smiling!  Excellent, excellent read!

Simone

 A couple of weeks ago I attended the Inbound Marketing Summit (#IMS09) at Gillette Stadium in nearby Foxboro, Massachusetts. It was essentially a social media conference, and I figured it would be a good way for me to immerse myself in the topic. Plus it came with lunch.

There were a number of things about the event which I really liked…

I liked how they held it at a football stadium instead of a boring hotel. I liked how they had tables – not just chairs – so you could comfortably open a computer or take notes. I liked how they limited most speakers to just 15 minutes (some to just 10).

One of the keynoters – a guy named Gary Vaynerchuk – began his talk in what I have to say, was a very unusual way. His first words were something along the lines of, “I’m going to apologize up front, because when I get excited about a topic, I tend to use a lot of profanity.”

In this regard, Gary did not disappoint. Nothing too over the top, but certainly a bit odd to hear the headliner at a business event repeatedly drop the f-bomb.

Interestingly, among the half dozen or so people from the audience who came up to the mic to ask Gary a follow-up question, two of them also used profanity. It was as if Gary had discovered a secret door, and once opened, others couldn’t help but walk through.

That’s when I realized something very important about the impact of social media. Not so much the profanity part (necessarily), but the idea that the line between who we are as business people and who we are in our personal lives is blurring.

And whether you think this kind of loosening up is a refreshing change or a sign of the apocalypse, I assure you, it’s coming.

Your Facebook “friends” consist of both business colleagues and high school buddies. Your Twitter “followers” are defined as anyone who feels like watching what you have to say (whether you like it or not). A Google search on your name is just as likely to bring up your running time in a local 5K race as it is your bio on the company web site.

Your ability to separate the business you from the personal you is going away.

That’s huge. And when the dust settles on the social media hype (just as it eventually did on the dot com hype), there are going to be some significant changes in the way business gets done.

One of these will be an expectation by your clients and customers that the disembodied voices behind the company walls come forward and reveal themselves as real, accessible, three-dimensional people. (Wow, that was kind of a good sentence, huh?)

With every passing day, there is less tolerance for company-speak, less interest in being sold to, and a rising expectation that you and your colleagues make yourselves available to the outside world for immediate and easy interaction.

Three recommendations for thriving in the new order:

Find your real voice. For my money, companies (of all sizes) are too focused on branding and not focused enough on “revealing.” Crafting a perfect tagline or benefit statement is less and less important in a world where human connection is what people hunger for.

Take a look at every brochure, every web page, every on hold message, every invoice – every point of contact your company has with the outside world – and make sure it feels authentic. Not shiny and perfect… authentic.
Showcase your real people.

Here’s my web site rule: No pictures of people who don’t actually work at your company. I don’t care if your staff isn’t beautiful; if I can thrive with my face on my web site, believe me, you can too. (I mean your face, you can’t use mine.)

Likewise, if you’re concerned that your senior staff is looking a little too male and a little too pale to “make the right impression,” the solution isn’t to throw up a race- and gender-balanced stock photo on your web site. It’s to start hiring people who actually represent the groups you claim to serve.
Throw open your doors. I’m still amazed at the number of people who are just plain hard to reach. They don’t return your e-mails, they don’t return your voicemails, they don’t pick up the phone. And when you do reach them, they don’t want to talk to you unless you’re ready to buy something right now.

I think that’s insane. Every interaction you have – whether you’re sitting in your office or sitting at your kid’s basketball game – is a marketing opportunity. And the ones that come inbound (i.e., the people who seek you out) are free.
Here’s the bottom line: Social media is going to finish the job that the Internet started 15 years ago. Pretty soon, there will be no place left to hide.

Start changing the way your company speaks, looks and behaves now. Because before you know it, what’s just a hope about your organization will become an expectation.

Blue Penguin Development makes the phone ring for its professional service clients,
by showing them how to communicate authentically with the people they already know.
There are three ways I work with companies/solo professionals:

Creating/Managing/Improving e-mail newsletters
Turning “blah, blah, blah” writing into something worth reading
Coaching companies in the “Blue Penguin Approach”

Read an overview of my services

Call me: 508-497-0900
Email me: ContactUs@BluePenguinDevelopment.com
Web me: www.BluePenguinDevelopment.com
Send me a tie: One Ash Street, Hopkinton MA 01748

Internet Marketing changes every other quarter and if you are not on top of the game your competition silently leaps frogs ahead of you till you catch up or sometimes you never do. I have seen so many times a company dominating a market and two years later they wondered how a new company from nowhere became big. Number one most often the new company understands the competition via the Internet, technology and new Internet strategies. But more important the newer companies are not afraid to embrace all three.

Is SEO and PPC good enough for marketing online? Hell No! Social Media Marketing is in and you better be on top of it. Stop the Presses Social Media is now in Stage 3. If you do not have a Twitter account, with minimum of 3000 followers, a Facebook, YouTube, MySpace, FriendFeed, Blogger, LinkedIn, StumbleUpon or Digg account then you are in Stage 1 and ya need to catch up ASAP. 97% of the companies I work with are on Stage 4 with 40 Social websites and daily aggregation. Stages 5 and 6 are another story.

People today (97%) expect companies to be on a social website, blog or micro blog. The reality is companies need to be like the old school computer game Space Invaders. They need to invade user’s web space. Smart companies are doing this already. But shhhhh they are not letting you know.

I have been creating web space for customers for years. It’s really a simple principle almost the same mentality when you are advertising on Internet AD Networks. You know the Ad buying option termed Run of Network (RON) your ad runs on many networks with millions of eyes viewing, over running on one network. That is exactly the same principle of Stage 4 Social Media Marketing. Why just be on Facebook when there are millions on YouTube, Twitter and MySpace. Companies need to create web space all over the net not just on 5 to 6 websites. Low and high income web users expect companies to be on their web space and expect interaction.

The bottom line is the more you are involved in Social Media Marketing the more marketing, branding, online identity and Internet visibility is being created.

This is 2009 the days of people just being on Google, Yahoo and MSN are over. You better be in as many spaces as possible because if you’re not your competition will be there soon.

Trent Partridge is an Internet Marketer, Social Media Marketer, Video Internet Marketer and certified Search
Engine Optimizer. He recently authored the book ‘Internet Marketing For Music Artist, Models and Entertainers,
The MyPropFolio Internet Marketing Workbook’ and is contributing writer for ‘Be a Real Estate Heavyweight.’
He is also an expert at Online Identity Management, Search Engine Reputation Management and Internet
Crisis Management.

Trent Partridge, Internet Expert

10 Reasons Why Every Real Estate Company Needs Social Media Marketing

by Trent Partridge author of ‘Internet Marketing for Music Artist Models and Entertainers, Real Estate Internet Marketing Workbook’ and contributing writer in ‘Be a Real Estate Heavyweight’ Social Media Marketing, Internet Marketing, Search Engine Optimization

1. Great for Search Engine Optimization (SEO). Great in boosting your SEO than Social Media. With strong Social Network Aggregation and strategic keyworded messaging ranking can be boosted.

2. Video Internet Marketing (VIM) – Yes VIM is part of Social Media and it is huge. Searches on video websites are expanding faster than any other segment of search. Smart strategic optimized VIM is crucial to immediate and long term success. Video SEO is paramount and smart companies are now basing their whole marketing model on viral video marketing
a. 80% of U.S. online users have watched an advertisement via video. Of those people, 52% took action after watching that video; 28% looked for more information; 19% clicked a banner ad that accompanied the video; and 16% bought something as a result of the ad.
b. 56% prefer that the advertisement is related to the video content.

3. Social Network Aggregation – Being on two Social websites for marketing is great for brand, views, exposure etc…but what if your message is on up to 20 websites with 3 or 4 messages a day. Does this type of strategic marketing benefit you? It might win you the Presidency of the United States.

4. Social Media Wealthiest Households
a. The wealthiest households (household income of $75K+) believe that companies should seek to reach them via social media.
b. Two-thirds of the wealthiest households and the largest households (those with three or more members) feel stronger connections to brands they interact with online.
c. Companies should develop new ways for consumers to interact with their brand (37%) through social media.
d. Companies should market to consumers (25%) using social media.

5. Americans Want it! – 93% Americans say companies should have a social-media presence, Cone

6. Micro Blogging (MB) – With techniques in messaging changing from blogs and forums to micro blogging, Social Media blogging is a must approach that every company needs to grasp. The minimalist approach and integration of micro blogging on individuals, consumers and top tier companies has surpassed almost every other form of communication to customers. With popular micro blog websites like Twitter (fasts growing website on the internet), Plurk, Tumblr, Brightkite and Friendfeed you must have an impact and be able to reach not only consumers but B2B bloggers.
7. Internet Visibility – is crucial in the new online marketing world. No longer is just being in the top search engines Google, Yahoo and MSN the ultimate goal. With Social Media Marketing Strategies you can help increase your Internet Visibility and build your Internet Marketing Legacy.

8. Customers Rule – You can no longer expect your potential customer to come to your website. You have to follow where your customer is and not wait for them to come to you. Your customers are spread all over the Internet and either you or your competition will find them and get involved in their web space.

9. Link Management – For increasing Search Engine ranking you must have a very strong link strategy. Link Management is very time consuming and often requires additional management outside of the work place. With Social Media you can create a sound link strategy that can enhance search rankings and increase Internet Legacy.

10. Internet Company Brand Management (Hottest Buzz Words for Top Companies) – Why not control your local or national brand? With Social Media Marketing you can have a huge impact. With consumers, bloggers, journalist, media and competitors having the ability to create online content about you and distribute them fast and efficient you must be in control of your brand, reputation and identity.
a. Online Identity Management (OIM) –Create a distinguished presence of a person or company on the Internet. Must use aggressive proactive strategies, unique tools and campaigns combining Web 1.0 and Web 2.0.
b. Search Engine Reputation Management (SERM) – Shield brands or reputations from damaging content brought to light through search engine queries. Skills in Search Engine Optimization and Online Content Management can keep your consumers thinking positive about your brand.
c. Online Reputation Management (ORM) – You must be conscious of the unpredictable nature of both professional journalistic and user-generated content aimed at your company. Create logistic online strategies to manage and monitor your ORM
d. Internet Search Crisis Management (ISCM) – In emergencies situations where inflammatory negative information can spread virally overnight on the Internet from websites, consumers and some times competitors. Immediately minimize damage with stealth proprietary crisis management methodology that helps thwart the inflicting crisis.

What Can Happen
• Real World Word of Mouth
• Reaching a global audience
• Creating trust and credibility
• Virtually instantaneous responses
• A collective group of web properties created
• Building multiple ways for consumers or B2B contacts to reach you
• Promoting on multiple online social media venues
• Virally marketing through wikis, podcast, video, mp3’s,vlogs etc…

Trent Partridge author of ‘Internet Marketing for Music Artist Models and Entertainers, Real Estate Internet Marketing Workbook’ and contributing writer in ‘Be a Real Estate Heavyweight’ Social Media Marketing, Internet Marketing, Search Engine Optimization.

Check out his blog….http://internetmarketermusicartistmodels.blogspot.com/

Trent Patridge said this and many more tips in our latest show, called Become a Social Media Superstar! Need tips on ebooks, search engine optimization, becoming an online personality and much more? This is the show to tune into...and it’s just part one.

Featuring Internet marketing experts, Trent Partridge and Heidi Richards-Mooney.

Chime in your two cents in the Own Your Power Community!
www.ownyourpower.ning.com (Join our Radio Fan Club)

As a start-up or small business trying to cut costs, I don’t advise that you skimp on design too much. That’s a big no-no! Let’s face it, your brand is your badge of honor, it’s your corporate identity, it’s how you want to be remembered. Who wants to be remembered as the person at that networking event with the blurry cards and hideous logo? I know, I know … you tried to do it yourself in Microsoft Word and uploaded it to VistaPrint. Hey, I’ll give it to you, your effort was great, but if you want to be taken seriously, you should definitely hire an experienced designer or at least someone more experienced than you! LOL! No offense to VistaPrint, because you can do some cool and very affordable things with them *ahem* that is, if you have design help.

How To Get a Good Design Deal!

Just Ask Around:

I know it sounds easy, but sometimes, it just is.

Call and e-mail all of your friends and colleagues and ask for a design referral. You might be surprised by how many people you already have access to who might not charge you too much. Try your friends here in the Own Your Power Community. Send out a message saying you’re looking for design quotes. Make sure you are specific, because not all graphic designers are web designers, for example. Join me in the forums and ask around. Go to the members area and type DESIGNER in the search. We have a few in the family. Someone can refer you to some designers that they like.
Try Outsourcing Sites:
There are many sites where you can find low cost designers from all over the world. Here are just a few, but Google for many more!

http://www.elance.com
http://www.getafreelancer.com/
http://www.guru.com/
http://www.getafreelancer.com/

Here’s a tip: I highly recommend this book, The Four-Hour Work Week. It mentions a lot of low-cost outsourcing that you can do to save you time and money! Check it out!

Barter:
Found your favorite designers? Before you make your final choice, find out if there is anything they need that you can offer them. Is it your service/product on barter, promotion to your lists, or referrals? Whatever it is, see if there is a way for you to get your price down or create a full barter. Of course, what you are bringing to the table must be of equal value to make it work!

Get a Design Intern:
Someone might be close to graduation or in grad school majoring in design. Your project could be a part of their portfolio. Look for design schools in your neighborhood and reach out to their career centers to find your intern! Most internships are short-term, about three months, but sometimes it can work out to be longer. Free help is great, right? I love sweet deals like this!

Not So Fast!

• Before you hire them … PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE … get examples of their work.
• Ask to see their portfolio.
• Speak to at least two references.
• Talk with them (even though you might not meet them in person, due to location) speaking with them on the phone helps. Get a judge of their personality. Do you both click? Do they understand the direction you’re going in?

Get a Contract:
Definitely make sure you have your agreement in writing and work out specifics. You should have their deliverables, deadlines, and value just to name a few in the contract. If you have a lawyer or pre-paid legal, use them!

Remember, your image truly does make an impact on your bottom line, so when you’re working with designers, choose wisely and realize you don’t have to break the bank to stand out. Have your company be remembered for its clean and chic design, not the smudged font with the blurry logo you tried to do yourself.

Good luck on your quest! Remember to use the Own Your Power Family. We all have loads contacts.

Keep Livin’ Good!

Simone

I’m getting old. I only moderated one panel and I feel pooped. ~sigh as I sip a hot chocolate at the crack house that’s Starbucks for the uninformed about my habit~ Well, now that I think about it, I moderated a panel and then sold some books (Jack of All Trades, Master of None) and talked, and talked, and talked, with a lot of new friends at my display table. Ah..that might be why I’m tired. For those who know me, you know I love to talk. LOL I love meeting new and interesting people and I must say it was a nice mix of interesting folks today. From fashion, film, and music. I love meeting artists!

Today was the The Florida Entertainment Summit and if felt good being in that energy of up and coming artists. I used to be in the music industry a good decade ago working for RCA Records, so I haven’t been around that crowd as much. You can see the eagerness, the excitement, and yes..the hustle was strong. Everyone had a CD, DVD or press kit, ready to give it out to even for little old me. I can’t get you a record deal, but I love free music. LOL

I hosted the Marketing and Social Networking panel and learned so much today. The panelist included Trent Partridge, Internet Marketer who is one of my newest friends. (He was one of the people I was talking with for a long time. He has a lot to say too. LOL) I’ll definitely be showcasing here and on radio show. He’s a walking encyclopedia on Internet Marketing and has loads of ebooks for sale so check him out!

Jeffery Sass, VP of Business Development of myxer.com was full of good tips on mobil marketing and podcasting. Fence, CEO from Fifth Lane Music Publishing and Rick Edwards, Dir of Marketing for Makaveli Branded (Tupac’s Clothing line) brought to the table record label and artists expertise. It was good to hear more about what goes on behind the scenes to build up an artist’s brand online.

I learned a lot from all of these guys, as I’m sure the audience did as well. My favorite tips that I learned were..

Twitter isn’t as stupid as I thought: Okay I’ll admit it. I was not really “getting” the big excitement over twitter. Also most social networking sites with that annoying, ‘WHAT ARE YOU DOING RIGHT NOW’ FILL IN. Yes, I do it sometimes and yes, I have seen it work. But, I usually keep it strickly business. For instance, I’ve had some new members join my online community, because I twittered about it. However..folks, please spare me the details of how many times you’ve changed your kid’s diaper, when you’re doing laundry, watching Hero’s, or if you just got your nails done. I’m shocked when I read some of those things…Do people really care? I don’t. LOL ~evil laugh~

Oh well, there is light at the end of the tunnel. Jeff shared that it’s great to let your audience/fans know a little bit about what your up to. It helps them feel connected to you, etc. However, you can be more strategic in what you tweet. (I love how there a verb for this. LOL I feel hip getting the lingo.)

Anyhooooo…Jeff shared that a you can tweet about a project your working on, a cool event, a blog post, or even ask for help on something. He gave a cool example about the search feature which ~shame on me~ didn’t even know existed. You have to scroll down on twitter.com and find it. He’s in the web mobile industry and said once he went to the search feature to see who was posting about mobile marketing. A list of people came up and he was able to help one person and gain a new client as well. WHO KNEW? Try it out…search your company name or your name as well.

Another key tip that Rick and Trent shared was how Myspace is great, however we all know you can’t get emails via myspace.com and the bulletin feature isn’t getting as much attention as it did maybe say…two years ago. So, the key is to make friends and ask for email addresses. Or better yet, have a contest or incentive (free downloads: mp3, ebook or report) and invite people over to your NING.com community. In order to win or participate in anything related to artist they need to join that community.

Now the beauty of Ning is that as the administrator YOU have total control. You can access ALL of the emails of your members. Sweet eh? As I always say, your LIST IS GOLD. Once you build your online audience, get to know them with the questions you ask on their profile pages, have surveys, highlight them in member profiles, have contests, and ignite the spirit of community and get them connecting! <shameless plug> Of course, if you haven’t joined the Own Your Power community, you don’t know what your missing, connect with our power network of ambitious small business owners</shameless plug>

Thanks again for Elora Mason and Mason and Associates for inviting me to be apart of this dynamic panel. I’m fired up and ready to improve some of my own online marketing and social networking..and yes, even start tweetin’ a bit more. (did I say that right?) LOL

Well, go ahead and ADD ME!

Own Your Power!

Simone

Or are you stuck in the “Jetson’s Age” forever?

The other day my car had to be serviced due to a leaky part. While seated in the waiting room, I was told that the computers were down and it would be a little longer wait than they expected. The mechanics had to check on my part in their intranet, but of course, they couldn’t find out what parts were available, since the system was down.

The waiting room was peaceful with an imaginary aquarium full of colorful fish, floating high above our heads on the 60 inch screen TV. The soothing sounds of classical music playing in the background relaxed me. Who needs real fish? LOL (Gotta love technology eh?)

Which brings me to my point. The only other person in the room with me flipped through a magazine and looked up to say, “Isn’t it a shame how much we rely on technology? How we can’t do much without it?”

Joseph (I’d soon find out) was waiting for the computers to come back on so he could resume his work in the finance department of the Acura Dealership. We discussed how far we’ve come as a society with technology, yet thought about how much better off we might be without it. It’s one of those Catch 22 situations. Even though technology has made life quicker and easier for us, in many ways it hinders quality communication and building solid relationships from forming.

“We probably would not have even met if weren’t for the computers shutting off”, Joseph joked.

We thought back to the days way before the early 90’s when we were probably just a tad smarter as a society. Well, dare say a lot smarter.

Ponder this for a moment…

• How many people’s phone numbers do you actually know by heart as compared to before cell phones invaded our lives? (Or for those born before the 80’s…back to when we had to use payphones. ~Yuck, shivers at the thought.~ LOL)

• Or how about when spell check was something you did with a real live dictionary. Yes, the ones with pages.
I remember saying, “Mom, how do you spell…”
Even if she knew the answer, “Get the dictionary, Simone!,” she’d yell back.

I’d say, “Awh Ma, how can I look it up if I don’t know how to spell it?” …And that my friends made us smarter. We learned a lot from searching didn’t we? ☺

Come on, we must have used just a bit more brain power back then. Have we become lazy, because of technology? Today we’re living the push-button-and-go lifestyle. Are we the JETSONS OR WHAT? Aside from the flying cars, we pretty much have almost all the bells and whistles the cartoonists dreamed about when they created that cartoon from microwaves to video phones.

I Remember When…

• Remember when people took the time to write a heart-felt letter instead of a forwarded chain letter to tell you they loved you as a true friend?
• Or when you could drive on the road and the person next to you would be doing just that..DRIVING. Not obsessed multitasking mania: text messaging, putting on mascara, looking at their GPS or yapping on the phone!

• Remember when you would call around to a few friends to find a long lost buddy, instead of going to facebook or myspace. (Okay, okay… this one I gotta admit is a keeper. Found some college and elementary school friends this way! BTW…Add me as a friend! lol)

• Or get this, when you actually KNEW the people that lived next to you. I mean not just a wave, a head nod, but they might even come over for dinner once in a while.

Sorry to say, that gone are the days of quality connections…unless maybe you live in a small town that is. However, there’s still hope. There are a few folks out there holding on and trying to keep real communication going. Folks trying to inspire community in all that they do.

My hats off to you all who take the time to send a hand-written thank you card, who stop and talk to a neighbor for even five minutes. Those who actually call someone back when they call you instead of replying with a rushed text message. To those who call up family members to check up on them instead of waiting until they are on their death bed to pay a visit. ~Ouch! Yes, I went there!~ Hey..you know it’s true!

Sooooo, Mr. Buzzin’ BlackBerry and Ms. I’msoDarnBusy…I got a little test for you. Are you up for The Flintstone Challenge?

Try to take it back to the past. You might feel like you’re in the stone ages, but so what. It’s time to connect on a deeper level with your fellow man.
~ Sappy violin music starts.~ Awh man, somebody get me a Kleenex!

TRY FLINTSTONE CHALLENGE!

PICK AT LEAST ONE THING TO DO IN THE NEXT WEEK AND SEE HOW YOU FEEL!

1. Write a REAL letter (with a pen). Remember the ones that have stamps and envelopes? Let an old friend or significant other know how much you miss them. Give them an update on what’s need and exciting in your life. If you really want to take it back, throw in an old photo of you two together.
2. Be alone with yourself and really enjoy Numero Uno. Spend quiet time on a park bench, in the library, a museum, etc. Journal, read a good book, meditate. Enjoy being in the moment with your thoughts. (No cell phones or T.V. aloud)
3. Try a Mind Cleanse…No TV at ALL. See how long you can do. If you don’t have the shakes after day one, be a big shot and shoot for three. Lol In exchange…write more and read more. See how much you can actually learn without the boob tube on.
4. Here’s a big one…stop by and visit a neighbor or if you don’t know the neighbor’s name….say, “It’s a shame, we haven’t formally introduced ourselves. My name is Mr. BlackBerry, so good to meet you!”
5. Oh boy, I Iied,THIS is the big one especially for BlackBerry addicts. DON’T CHECK YOUR EMAIL FOR ……………………wait for it…………..
an ENTIRE DAY! I know, devastating for some of you guys. I actually feel like I’m on vacation when I don’t check my email. LOL It’s great, try it!
6. Be a Goodie Two Shoes and help save the world! Volunteer to teach a class at a local community, help out at an animal shelter, assist the homeless, work in a domestic violence shelter, or help out at a church after school program.

Can you do it? Try and slow down for a few and reconnect with what’s truly important. ~Sappy violin music ends~

Come back here and post your results or your thoughts. I’d love to hear from you!

Own Your Power! Yabba Dabba Doooooo!!!!

(Okay that was a bit much, but I couldn’t help myself!)
Simone

I used to think it was related to age, but I find there are many folks that are under 30 who still haven’t seen a myspace.com page or still scared of purchasing anything online.Then you have 80 yr. olds running things on Match.com! You never know these days.This issue is going to dive into technology and how to make the most of it to improve your visibility and increase your productivity. We have loads of experts featured in this one offering some very cool time saving sites and tools, so take notes!

Lastly, in honor of Women’s Month I’m highlighting one of my favorite women-owned businesses and technology guru, Lena West of Xynomedia. Check out her interview below!

Social Networking, Not Just for Kids Anymore!

By Simone Kelly-Brown

“It’s the latest fad.”
“I’ve earned thousands in sponsorship dollars.”
“It’s where whackos, child predators, and stalkers hang out.”
“I reunited with many high school and grammar school friends.”
“It’s apart of my marketing strategy.”
“I’ve sold my books there.”
“I’ve received very nice testimonials and met some amazing people I would have NEVER met at a party.”
“Only teenagers have spare time to do that nonsense.”
“I’ve showcased my events on video.”
“I’ve gained new contacts and listeners for my radio show.”
If you haven’t figured out the irony in all of those comments, one person said them all: ME!

I’ve had so many experiences with the internet and social networking over the years. The funny part is that my background started in entertainment marketing and running online communities for companies such as BMG/Sony and HBO. So, I’m not the typical person who had a fear of technology or talking to ‘strangers’ online. During those years, I had a blast meeting new people online from all over the world, but yes, I have seen my share of lets just say “unique characters” that grace the many profile pages of social networks. Thankfully, technology has stepped it up a bit since the early 90′s and the advanced privacy blocks, pre-approval features, and abuse buttons are much easier to find to create a force field from those individuals ~shivers from flash backs~.

Well, I digress; I’ve been very happy to see that the circles I’m hanging out in online are like-minded people who are about business. Don’t worry, if you’re new to online networking, please just give it a shot. You have the choice of how much information you want to share. Hopefully, you’ll receive some tips from this newsletter to give you a jump start on what’s out there and how to take advantage of them. Of course, if you’re a woman in business, tapping into the Give ‘n Take Network is the best place to start since we’re all members with like-minds. If you see me out there in cyberspace, feel free to add me as a friend I’m on Facebook, Myspace, and Linkedin.

Love or Hate Technology?
Here’s what some members of The Give ‘n Take Network said…

“I love technology it makes things so much easier. I do every thing online.
- I buy books (amazon.com)
- Pay my bills, I rarely write checks
- Schedule oil changes and repairs for my car
- Look at the weekly supermarket circular and make my list before I
get to the store (Pathmark.com or Stopandshop.com)
- I do a lot of searches on products and learn all I can then go to
the store to physically view it. If I like what I see then I order
it online because, they can usually beat store prices. (I also look
for free shipping deals)
- I order movie tickets online so, I don’t have to wait on line and
have the movie sell out before I get to the counter (Fandango.com
or moviefone.com)
- I’ve started using text messages a lot more also.

So, technology has helped me over all. The one thing that I refuse to do is pay for the internet on my Treo. If I were to do that I would never get off.

What are your favorite social networks and how have they helped you
personally or professionally? I like myspace.com, it can be very time consuming in the beginning because you have so many creative things you can do. I recentlyjoined meetup.com there’s so many ways to meet people in your areas of interest. Anything from movie night to finance groups. Oh and of course The Give ‘n Take Network is a valuable social/business network also.

Favorite time saving web tool? mapquest.com, hopstop.com, m-w.com(dictionary)

You must never leave home without it gadget? My Treo (has my whole world in it!)”
Cathy Philbert

PROFILE: Lena West of Xynomedia.com

1. Tell me a little about yourself?
I am a serial entrepreneur, a journalist, an author, a technologist and a strategist.

2. How did you discover your passion?
I discovered that I had a knack for technology while working at a law firm.

I was the only one who could remember the DOS prompts and code strings. It was just second nature to me. After months of finding lost files for people and setting up directory file structures for people, it dawned on me that I might be able to make money with this skill.

3. What are some of the newest technologies that are helping advance the small business owner?
Of course, I would have to say social computing – blogs, online communities, social networking, etc. Business owners are starting to understand that no one cares what Company A has to say about their own products and services. What people do care about is what others have to say about Company A. That’s the basic premise of social computing…like-minded groups of people shar ing information that is relevant to them about brands they care about.

4. There are many folks out there who are still terrified of technology. They do things that might take them triple the time, because they aren’t willing to learn. What advice can you offer to these technophobes?
If they’re in business, I would say that they’re probably not very successful at it. Right now, all they’ve got is an expensive hobby. Successful business people don’t allow fear of the unknown to stop them – at least not for long. So, if they’ve been stuck for awhile, I’d tell them to get over it – that’s why there are qualified technology consultants.

5. Can you share the benefits of social networking? Can you recommend a few good sites?
Social networking allows businesses the opportunity to increase mind share about their products and services. And, who doesn’t want to do that? It’s a way for companies to be part of the collective conversation about their brand – without trying to control that conversation.
I rarely recommend social sites for businesses without knowing what their needs are. There are social networking sites for everything from real estate investing to eco-friendly business practices. The best thing they can do is go to an online community network – like Ning or Gather – and do a search to see if there’s a community dedicated to that topic – usually there is a thriving community just waiting to be discovered.

6. To work at a fast pace and juggle so many things, an entrepreneur really needs to have things in order. Do you have any time saving tools that we can use online?
I’m a big fan of structure. I’m highly structured…sometimes I’m better than others, but for the most part, I use time chunking and my schedule to make sure things get done and don’t fall through the cracks. I’m a big fan of David Allen’s Getting Things Done and I try to clear my email inbox daily and not let things pile up. Again, I’m not always excellent at that, so some weekends, I schedule work days with my friends and we just get things done together.

I am also very stingy with my time. There are some people who can call me and I’ll return their call right away any time, night or day because I value my relationships with those people – others are put on the ‘later’ list.
And, the first time I feel like someone wastes my time, they get dumped. Maya Angelou says, “When people show you who they are, believe them, the first time.” I live my life by that statement. How you do anything is how you do everything.
Stop trying to be all things to all people and you’ll have time to work on growing your business, losing those last 10 pounds, making steps toward meeting your annual goals, etc.

7. What do your find most rewarding about your career?
That I have built a business that can be run from anywhere. Lately, I’ve been spending a lot of time in Miami – and thanks to technology, no one knows when I’m there versus in New York.
I am absolutely enamored with the fact that I can do what I want, when I want, and I don’t have to ask anyone about sick, personal or vacation days. I’ve paid the cost to be the boss and I love it.

8. What have been your major obstacles and how did you overcome them and OWN YOUR POWER?
I would have to say that managing finances was the one major obstacle in my business and my life. It just kept cropping up. I would band-aid it and it would rear it s head again. I finally gave in and realized that I needed to work on changing my relationship with money. I changed how much I thought I was supposed to earn and how much I thought I could earn. I had a lot of “stuff” to process when it came to money and that was no easy feat.
I read books and financial blogs, attended teleclasses and seminars, meditated, practiced yoga, worked on my spirituality and rela tionship to the Universe. I also worked with coaches. You name it. I did whatever it took to make sure that I shifted away from the scarcity mindset, permanently. No more band-aids.

To contact Lena, visit her website at xynomedia.com.

Techie Gurus Give Us Their Two Cents…
What trends do you see taking place with technology and the online marketing arena?
You know, technology is more often about automation than almost anything else. So, I see technology already starting to automate the social aspects of marketing. Websites are now “talking” to users in a PERSONAL way, such as actually speaking visitors names to begin building that relationship. Videos are becoming much more common, and are an excellent way to let your customers get to know you and your personality. They find some comfort in knowing that you are a real person, and not just a product seller, or fancy website owner.

What are some of your favorite time-saving websites to help a small business owner?
Google now offers a great set of tools called Google Apps. They say they are still in BETA testing, but the tools are pretty well polished. If you register a domain name, you can pretty easily set it up so that Google (Gmail) will handle the email for your domain name, host web pages, set up users and shared calendars, and now even shared documents. That’s a huge benefit for a small company, and they save a good chunk of change on hosting fees.

What’s your recommended tech gadget to help you through your days?
Smartphones and Blackberries are essential for the business owner on the go. With immediate and direct access to emails, calendar, to-do lists, and the Internet for web browsing, you have everything you need to stay in touch with vendors, customers, and employees and co-workers while you are out winning and keeping business. Oh yeah, and you can actually CALL people on
it, too!

Jim Dickerson, Tech Expert and CEO of i-SupportDesk.com we can help coach you on using your technology in your business marketing. We can help set up your website, provide hosting services, configuration, and ongoing support.

What is a Virtual Assistant?
Virtual Assistants (VA) are the non-traditional personal/administrative assistance that is taking business communities by storm. Virtual Assistants are independent contractors who provide administrative assistance, office management and a variety of other services that feed the need of hungry clients all through e-technology capabilities. As far as personal assistants go, it’s out with the stationary and in with the virtual. The Virtual Assistance world is being recognized across the United States and beyond thanks to Janet Jordan (Virtual Assistance U), who pioneered the industry.
Virtual Assistants are especially helpful to entrepreneurs who, at times, find it difficult to generate work for a secretary due to meetings and other interruptions. Businesses can find themselves paying for idle time spent by secretaries who have no work.

What are the benefits of having a virtual assistant?
1. Virtual Assistants can increase your business’ bottom line by more than 25% by reducing operating costs
2. No need to share space in home-office, or find additional office space for an employee
3. No need to deal with the administrative details associated with payroll
4. No need to pay associated payroll taxes, insurance, bonuses, and benefits
5. Delegating tasks gives you the time and focus to grow your business, spend more time with family and friend

Trenell A. McCauley, Give ‘N Take Member
President/CEO
Handy Business Solutions

http://handybusinesssolutions.com/

What are the biggest fears your clients have about technology?
I would say that I have several clients who are afraid of using 1shoppingcart.com. They’ve been told by others that it’s difficult to use and as a result they are missing out on a shopping cart that can serve multiple purposes. All it takes is a little practice and patience and you can master the cart in no time.
Key Tip for Website Owners:
The key to boosting your online sales is leads. You must have leads in order to have sales so it’s important that you build your list of subscribers. One of the things you can do to build your list is to have an opt-in box preferably in your masthead on your website. You may also want to do some article marketing by posting your articles on several free article sites. To benefit from the free article sites you will want to be sure you include a link back to you site within your article. You may also want to try using Google AdWords too. These are just a few things that you can do to build your list and boost your sales.

Chantal Lashon, Info marketing web design expert
www.webtoolsdiva.com

Social Networking, The New Frontier?

by Pittershawn Palmer

Social networking isn’t a new concept. In fact, it is a very ancient idea. For thousands of years, cultures have lived productively by recognizing that it is only in utilizing the village that the village can survive. That’s right, social networking is nothing more than the belief that it takes a village.

When we look to others to help support our needs, we are exercising a very old tradition that served to build some of the greatest cultures on earth. America is only recently, within the last 20-30 years or so, realizing the power of the village as practiced by cultures in Asia, Africa and India.

This wave of realization has given rise to organizations that focus strictly on teaching others how to use each other to build better lives for all involved. My personal blast from the past came when I joined Give ‘N Take, founded by Simone Kelly-Brown. This organization, centered around the idea of bartering, brings together women from all walks of life. It is through Give ‘N Take that the most powerful form of social networking, or using the village, is born. Networking is fostered in an atmosphere that allows for efficient and effective reciprocation—an idea that was all but lost until recent times. It is in reciprocal giving that we are most productive as people. And Give ‘N Take provides a comfortable atmosphere for this old idea to re-bloom.

Other social networking organizations that provide a corridor to connections, reconnections and information can be found all over the web. At the top of the list in recent times is MySpace.com, a website that allows for the free exchange of ideas as well as a haven for meeting someone to love, someone to work with, or someone to help you find a job. If nothing else, it is a place to just kick back and socialize, no strings attached.

Next in line is the ever popular Facebook.com. This networking site is like MySpace.com, with a slightly different focus. Although it provides some of the features of MySpace.com, it was founded on the idea of connecting with old classmates from High School and College. Through Facebook.com, one can find long lost friends and potential clients. Again, simple fun and chit chat are a huge draw for this site that has taken sites such as Classmates.com and Reunions.com to another level.

There are also networking sites for writers, such as Gather.com, which gives writers a forum to not only post their writings, but interact with other writers casually. For those who want to stay away from socializing and stick strictly to networking for business purposes, LinkedIn.com is a great spot that gives the professional a place to comfortably seek out potential connections, without the hassle of personal social invitations. You’ll get no “baby what’s your number?” on this networking site. And it is ultra private. No one can get into your networking without an explicit invitation.

All written, social networking is having a huge impact on modern society. As it continues to develop, I believe people will begin to realize that it really does take a village, especially in these trying times.
Network toward a better life for yourself and your community.

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