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Google Plus is the newest social networking site to hit the Internet. Being as its from Google, it's no surprise that this is going to turn out pretty big. While the network is still in its infancy, anyone who has a Gmail account has access to the network. Due to the huge number of users of Gmail, the number of uses in Google Plus skyrocketed as soon as the network was made available. However, since it still has not officially launched, there are many things lacking in Google Plus that Facebook has. For example, businesses are not allowed on Google Plus yet, making the avenue inadequate for advanced marketing. There are many things that make Google Plus quite unique, and it will take some time for Facebook to catch up.
Many people theorize that Facebook has been slacking on updating its features, because until now it did not have any major competitors. MySpace unofficially died long ago, and frankly I have always hated the extremely cluttered look of the site. Facebook will always have a place in the social networking world, as it will be forced to innovate, but for now Google Plus has some very interesting features.
Google Plus's two most innovative features are Circles and Hangout. Circles is what all the high school and college users of Facebook are really excited about. It allows you to exclude certain categories of people from certain postings, and is much more efficient than the Facebook system of categorizing posts. You can create as many circles as you want and name it whatever you want, and your friends cannot see the name of your circles. For your work supervisor, you could friend him and put him in the circle of "Dumb boss", and he/she would not be any the wiser. It truly is an innovative system!
Then there is Hangout, which is a really awesome feature. It allows you to video chat with multiple people at once. You can get all your friends together and chat in the same place, which is an unparalleled social networking feature. The future is finally here, and it is only a matter of time before we are speaking to each other using holographic representations of ourselves. It might sound crazy, but such technology already exists, and at the rate technology is changing we will probably see that in the next couple years. It is going to be pretty incredible! Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6455881
At Taylor Made Small Bizwe can help you create a online business strategy that incorporates all social media platforms to help you gain an ROI quicker.
It's a Three Legged Stool Thing
Patrice Barber - Wednesday, July 13, 2011
How many of you started your business because you love to sell? Or because you love to do the bookkeeping and accounting for your company? Or create processes or manage employees? My guess is: not many!
But all of these "other" responsibilities are vital to a successful small business and, if you are like most small business owners, these vital tasks get back-burnered while tending to the day to day obligations of your business.
1. DOING. 2. MANAGING. 3. BUILDING.
These are the three legs of the proverbial three legged stool that must be tackled to grow and sustain a viable business.
DOING
For most of us, it is easy to address the DOING leg. Usually, this is the most enjoyable part of our businesses. It's what you would do all day long if you could. It is the day to day work of the business. It's your core skills and probably why you started your business in the first place.
If you are a cabinet maker, it is working with the wood. If you are a therapist, it is being with your client delivering the services that will benefit him or her. If you own a retail shop, it is selecting lines and interacting with shoppers. If you're a web developer, it is creating the web site. In short, whatever you started your business to do, is what you spend the most of your time actually DOING. That makes sense. But it often comes at the expense of not addressing the other two legs which are equally important.
MANAGING
The idea of MANAGING your business is more than managing employees. It is the effort you invest to develop or improve the processes within your company to create greater efficiency. It is getting invoices sent on time. It is following up on past due invoices. It is researching and developing new products or services. It is tending to administrative issues such as your lease or verifying you have a good interest rate with your merchant service provider. These duties are part of managing your business. They often do not require daily attention, but should be addressed on a regular basis to ensure you are running your business efficiently and profitably. Even though you have good intentions and these tasks get added to your To Do List, they often get skipped over because you need to do "more pressing things". This can wait until tomorrow. The tomorrows to weeks and then months and you miss the opportunity to MANAGE your business for maximum profit, effective employees and efficient operations.
The penalty for not managing your business is a poorly run organization that does not improve with age. You'll have bored and weak employees, ineffectual processes and log jams, lousy cash flow and poor profit and will find yourself stuck - unable to move forward in growing your business.
BUILDING
As a business owner you must engage in BUILDING your business so it is sustainable. Building your business entails the ever-present need to expose your products and services to potential buyers. It is actively marketing your business to create a pipeline of leads. It is a vigil of listening to customer needs and reacting to them. It is staying on top of industry and business situation trends. It is seeking out people who can use your products or services. In short, it is sales and marketing.
This leg is the most elusive of all. There are no deadlines to force you to react. Building your business is entirely up to you and you must be accountable to yourself to regularly build you business. Most entrepreneurs struggle the building leg because it's hard! How do you know how to reach your potential clients? How are you supposed to make time to build your business when all your time is spent doing your business? How do you make that first call? How can we afford to do marketing?
If you don't BUILD your business, it will fail.
So, if you're thinking that you don't spend enough time on managing and building your business, what can you do?
- Admit to yourself that your business will fail if you do not spend adequate time managing and building your business. Fear is a good motivator.
- You, as the business leader, will have to direct these activities, but you do not have to do all of them. Allow employees to take on some of the responsibilities.
- Outsource what you can't do or don't want to do. Hire a part time bookkeeper or a professional telesales rep to make calls.
- Create a comprehensive marketing plan with reasonable due dates that give you adequate time to execute the tasks you need to accomplish. Stick to it.
- Find an accountability partner to challenge you to keep to your commitments.
- Make appointments with yourself to dedicate to managing or building tasks. Do nothing else during that time except those tasks.
- If having the money to build your business is an issue, choose lower cost, yet effective, strategies such as social networking, in-person networking or working the telephone to contact leads. These take time, but are relatively inexpensive.
- If you are reticent about an aspect that you know you must do, take a training class on the subject to give you the tools and confidence to tackle them.
- Set aside one day a month when you do not schedule any other business responsibilities and work on managing and building responsibilities. Don't allow for interruptions.
- Contact some of the many organizations that offer professional counseling such as the SBDC, SCORE, SBA, etc.
Remember, it's a three legged stool thing. If one leg is weak or broken, the whole thing will crash. And that hurts.
Thank you for letting us use this article Mo
Maureen (Mo) Kanwischer
Momentum Business Consulting
21 Point Check-Up for Your Business
Patrice Barber - Thursday, June 02, 2011
Our strategies are industry best practice and
they work!
We have worked with large and small business owners, just like you, for over 15 years.
Our proprietary online marketing systems for entrepreneurs , monthly education, and private consulting, gives you just the edge you need to stream line your, marketing, sales and cash management.
Take your business from "offline to online"
- Not sure about marketing on the internet?
- Want more clients without going to lots of networking events?
- Worried about maxxing out the credit line?
- Struggling to manage paper invoices, checks, spreadsheets and manual work?
Discover how to Get More Customers Online
Patrice Barber - Thursday, May 12, 2011
Fellow Entrepreneurs, Marketing Directors, & Business Owners;
Maybe you have a website, a Facebook fan page or LinkedIN profile,
but are you seeing results - people connecting and buying from you online?
http://taylormadesmallbiz.isd-genesis.com/rapidachievement/rapid-achievement-vip.html
I have to admit, when I started shifting our business to bringing in leads from online sources, early on in the change, I had a few successes but a lot more failures.
With the help of my team we now have more than 50% of our leads coming from online sources.
More than half our clients using this system have doubled ( 100% increase) their sales within 90 days.
We have taken all those lessons we learned and developed the
Just Results - Rapid Achievement Program and the Get More Customers Online Bootcamp.
- If you are not getting the results from your current marketing
- If you want to expand your marketing reach to attract more customers
- If you are tired of networking and want faster results, more clients, more money
In this course:
- Find out how to go from 10 steps to just 2 steps to have prospects calling you
- Get the 3 keys to creating your online sales funnel
- Craft your online marketing message that gets heard and gets response
- Discover 5 ways to get your Facebook fans to interact with you
- How to use video marketing to drive traffic to your site
- Learn how to structure your irresistable offer (hint its different than your face-to-face offer)
- Discover where to find LEADS online at the lowest cost and highest return
- Learn how mobile phones are bringing in fast cash at 10X over other marketing strategies
- Know exactly what to do each month with our easy to use marketing calendar
Customize the system to your business and hit the "GO" button.
Get the tools we use and strategies we recommend for our private consulting clients who pay $2500- $4500 + for their custom system. Includes: 30 day free access to GENESIS our online marketing platformGET THE LIVE COURSE & PRIVATE CONSULTING
"Systems are the elevator to the top floor of success"
~ Patrice Barber begin_of_the_skype_highlighting end_of_the_skype_highlighting
Join us and learn the system we use and how to super charge your marketing by attracting business online, converting contacts to cash online, and staying in touch all online. Lots of online courses give you materials and then leave you without any help ...."high and dry."This is different and here is why
Instead of just telling you what to do, we will SHOW you what to do and how to do it for the lowest costs and maximum results. Each week we provide the education you need. Our strategists review and give you feedback and recommendations. Finally, we include 3 months consulting to make sure you have your system running smoothly.Join us from the comfort of your computer.
- Six weeks of LIVE interactive webinar training (similar courses priced at $1500-$2800)
- All modules recorded for you to watch and listen to as often as you like
- Each module comes with Guides, pre-done Templates and recommended Tools
- Life time updates- as long as you are a member of the Rapid Achievement Program
- Just Results - Rapid Achievement Program - Gold Level
Module 1 - Fundamentals of Online and Mobile Marketing
- Top 5 marketing strategies to attract online visitors
- How to find 3 Keywords that drive traffic to your site
- The shortest path to list building
- Month by month marketing success plan
- The Online and Mobile Marketing success formula
Module 2 - Crafting Your Irresistible Offer
- When and why to have a free offer
- Five steps from free prospect to paying customer
- Building your warm welcome and what to avoid at all costs
- What makes a successful Sales Funnel
- When to ask for money online and when not to
Module 3 - Monetizing Social Media Channels
- What 84 percent of people want from you online
- Five ways Social Media brings in massive leads
- What 3 things never to do on your social media channels
- How to use the power of video marketing to build your brand
Module 4 - Getting Free Publicity Online
- The number one key to FREE publicity from the media
- What makes a press release get noticed
- Two words never to use with the media
- Three Parts to your Media Kit
Module 5 - Converting Contacts to Cash
- Ten steps to a sales page that converts to cash
- How to have prospects you never met call YOU
- Online Communications plan
- Three ways to give your clients what they want with Mobile
- Get started with text message campaigns
- The Must-Haves for content on your mobile website
Module 6 - Replacing Multi-System Chaos with growth and success
- Managing your clients contacts, email, followup,e-commerce with ease
- Best ways to track results from social media
- What it takes to keep loyal repeat clients
- The fastest way to put your client follow-up on auto pilot
- What to track to get results and grow your revenue each month
Just Results - Rapid Achievement Program - Gold Level
(3 months at locked in rate)
- Monthly workshops and Q&A sessions Stay on top of changing trends and technology Workshops are recorded and stored in the members area During the first 6 weeks you can start attending these technology workshops
- VIP access to the Members area which contains
- Get More Customers Online - Boot camp materials
- Power point, video and audio of step by step instructions to use the Guides, Templates and Tools.
- Put Your Year In Gear - home study course materials, audio and video training,
- Prior workshops and resources - (archived periodically) Use these resources as often as you like 24/7
- Monthly email access Got a specific question? Get a specific answer!
- Monthly Break Through call Feeling stuck? Use the fast paced Break Through call and stay on track
- Monthly Private One-on-one consulting Together we review your goals, action plan, and give you the answers you need for success
During the boot camp you get everything you need to complete
- Your Marketing Plan & Calendar by month
- Your Sales funnel Offline and Online
- Your Irresistible Offer ready to put on your new sales page or home page
- Your Follow up email campaign
- Your Social Media channels setup
- Your Media Kit
- Your Sales Page ready for your offer
- Your Text Message campaign
- Instructions on tracking contacts, emails, web visitors,e-commerce, all using your Online Dashboard
It's exactly what you need to launch your successful online marketing campaign (use GENESIS our integrated online platform or your own tools)
How To Use Foursquare For Businesses
Patrice Barber - Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Foursquare is a new location-based app that lets customers check-in to locations and access free rewards or deals. This presents a substantial mobile marketing opportunity for owners and social media markets to use Foursquare for business. How can you use Foursquare for business?
Foursquare is a cornerstone of any location based marketing strategy. As the market leader in location-based services and the platform with the widest user base Foursquare should be the focus of any mobile marketing or social media marketing campaign for small businesses.
Crunchbase describes Foursquare as: "Foursquare is a location based social network that incorporates gaming elements. Users share their location with friends by "checking in" via a smartphone app or by text message. Points are awarded for checking in at various venues... In addition, users who have checked in the most times at a certain venue will be crowned "Mayor" until someone surpasses their number. Various venues have embraced Foursquare, and offer special deals to users who are "mayors"."
Here is a quick guide for using Foursquare for businesses as part of your location based marketing strategy:
Set up your Foursquare campaign - go to http://www.Foursquare.com and set your campaign up. You need to register, find your venue, and register. Once you are registered you can get your campaign rolling.
Start running specials - start running specials and deals to reward your mayor and your loyal customers - use Foursquare to acquire customers and get them into your store.
Get more customers involved - get your customers on board - tell them about your deals and get them on Foursquare - the more customers you have on board, the more you can use the platform in the future to market your deals.
Track your results - use Foursquare's built-in functionality to track your results and see what's working, learn from your mistakes, and build a better campaign.
This simple strategy can make Foursquare a cornerstone of your marketing strategy. The best part about using Foursquare is that the only cost you incur is the cost of the deal itself - the software and functionality are free to use for small businesses - this is a tremendous marketing opportunity.
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Matt Bodnar is a restaurant entrepreneur with a passion for social media. Matt offers tips and strategies for using location based marketing to grow your business with a free how-to guide you can download right now at: http://www.locationbasedmarketing.biz
(C) Copyright - Matt Bodnar. All Rights Reserved Worldwide.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Matt_Bodnar |
Six steps to attracting perfect clients
Patrice Barber - Wednesday, March 30, 2011
When you want to attract the most perfect clients, consider who you have already worked with and how to highlight your favorites, the ones who are on time, pay promptly, are actively engaged. The best way to show others what you are looking for in a perfect client is with the testimonial of your perfect clients. Like attracts like.
Did you know that most people only read 10% of the text on your website or a landing page? That means that every bit of copy should be essential and high impact. It’s even more important of testimonials as well.
Without specific guidance, your clients will usually write a testimonial that praises you highly but does a poor job describing the measurable results of working with you. Help your clients craft a brief but power packed prospect-winning testimonial.
Example of a low impact, high praise testimonial:
I hired Patrice Barber because I needed help growing my coaching business and to help me get beyond my self-imposed limits. I had no idea she would be instrumental in helping me get such clarity about what I really wanted. Because of her commitment in me, I am now living the life I always dreamed.. She really listens, asks some hard questions, and built a vision of my business I had no idea I could accomplish. She showed me how to use my skills to make a difference with my own clients, which is what is fulfilling to me. She has a gift seeing what you are capable of and getting you there. Every time a session ends, I hang up the phone amazed at what has transpired in me in less than an hour. She is honest, caring and generous. I couldn’t have found a more valuable coach.
This is what we call a little sugary . It’s flattering to receive a testimonial like this one, but it isn’t useable for three reasons:
- It’s not likely to be read because it’s too long.
- The language is flowery and soft with too many prepositional phrases and low impact language.
- It doesn’t contain any measurable value of the experience as an investment.
- It’s a quick read at 57 words.
- Every phrase is word-smithed for impact.
- It clearly shows three concrete benefits that will encourage prospects to invest.
Six steps to attracting perfect clients
Make testimonial gathering a part of your standard business process. Start this about midway through the time you will spend with your client. Be sure to finalize it by the end of your time with a client. Keep it easy for your client to give you a high impact testimonial.- Listen for the words from your clients that are the gold nuggets of their joy. When you hear them, ask if you can use it in your marketing copy. Write out the copy, send it to the client and get their approval.
- Match up the goals you set with your clients to the results they are getting. Track your successes with your clients and ask them what they feel are the biggest accomplishment each week or at each meeting.
- If you haven’t heard any gold nuggets, ask your client if they’d be willing to recommend you to others and why. This is vitally important to ask every client because there may be issues they are not telling you that would be best resolved before your complete your time with your client or their project.
- When you do hear those gold nuggets, immediately follow up your request with an email including your bullet points about their successes. Also include your draft of their testimonial inviting them to either accept it as is, tweak it, or write their own from scratch using the points you’ve provided. You’ll be surprised how often your clients will say: “I think you really hit the high points”
- Be sure to request their picture and when at all possible meet with them to get a video. Video is even higher impact. Ask how they want their name and company name listed as well as their web address so they benefit from having their site linked to yours.
- When you receive their testimonial, thank them personally.
- Three to five short sentences, 75 words or less.
- Use “I” language.
- Vary sentence structure. Read aloud to check for proper syntax. Proof it!
- Include at least 3 specific measurable achievements or breakthroughs.
- Audio versions of a testimonial can be very powerful in addition to the written version. Use a service like audio acrobat
The "Give Before You Get" Principle
Patrice Barber - Friday, March 18, 2011
The "Give Before You Get" Principle
Do you know what the most frequently used word is that people type in a search box on the internet? Knowing what this word is and using it to it's fullest extent can literally EXPLODE your sales online. Let me explain.
The word is...
Searched on the internet more than any other, the word is FREE. Everyone loves something for nothing. No one wants to pay for something if they can get it for free.
The benefit of giving something for free.
As an online business, if you offer a product, service or some information for free, it can have great returns. It can boost your search engine rankings. As the word is typed into a search more than any other, having it optimized on your website could have amazing dividends.
Once a customer has found you in their search results, further use of the word free will draw them in even more. Giving them something for nothing if they visit your site is a big attraction. I can't emphasize how important it is.
How giving something for free can make you money.
When someone visits your site to claim their freebie, several things can happen.
In order to get their free product, they have to give you their name and email address. This is the #1 reason for offering it to them in the first place.
It is highly unlikely that someone will buy something on their first visit to a website. And unless there is an excellent reason for them to return, they may never visit again.
By having their email address, you can contact them and remind them to revisit your site. You can offer them 'special offers' and affiliate sales through your correspondence emails.
It is a well known fact that there needs to be an average of 7 contacts (sales pitches, remind revisits, offers, etc.) with a customer before they will actually buy something. ( The reasons for this are quite lengthy and could easily comprise a whole other article, so that will come later.)
By being able to have the important contact with your customers, your chances of them buying from you have increased significantly. They learn to 'trust you', you become familiar to them (they know and like you) and that's what often clinches the deal.
The quality of free.
The item you offer, whether it's a subscription to an ezine, ebook, report or software, MUST be of good quality. If the customer receives a poor quality freebie, they won't come back to your website to buy anything.
On the other hand, if they're impressed by their free gift, they're more than likely to visit your website again and again. High quality, useful products are an essential if you want your 'freebie offer' to work for you.
When deciding on what to give way, there's one piece of advice that is vital. Make the free item appropriate to your audience. Whatever niche you operate in, stick with the theme.
Now that you have this little golden nugget of valuable information, get to work. After all 'the money is in the list', but again, that's another article.
By Deb Augur
http://fastcashcoaching.com/members/
For March there are 2 F*REE ways you can get in on this revolutionary way to market
Patrice Barber - Tuesday, March 08, 2011
For March there are 2 F*REE ways you can get in on this revolutionary way to market.
Did you know there are people visiting your website right now, via their cell phone ?
More importantly, did you know that if you don't have a mobile version of your website that you could be loosing potential customers?
See for yourself - check your google analytics to see what I mean.
If you aren't taking advantage of Mobile Marketing, your competition is.
Regardless what you think you know, you will learn even more. And its free.
Informed, experienced speakers bring you the latest used by successful marketers to grow their business.
First on March 17 , Taylor Made Small Biz has our free webinar (45 minutes).
If you can't attend it is recorded so register now.
When texting and driving is great - how to drive foot traffic to your door
Here is what you learn
- What mobile marketing is and how to start this in your business
- Setting up your first text message campaign
- Getting more leads and buyers from your current website with SMS
- 3 ways to get in front of cell phone users with your offers
- How to set up your first text message campaign ( a bit like an email marketing campaign)
- Why it's important for you to have a mobile website,
- Fastest way to turn your smart phone into a credit card processing machine so YOU can take payment anywhere
- And hear first hand the real live Return on Investment that other business owners have experienced
More about Facebook Ads-14% isn't enough
Patrice Barber - Saturday, March 05, 2011
Lets dig into the controversy about using Facebook to grow your business.
Most business owners still think it is a pretty silly social networking site
that doesn't really have much to do with attracting "real" clients who will buy from you.
Guess what ...they are RIGHT.
Social Media is a place to build trust , its not about buying. At least its not about buying right now.
Once a business owner understands the purpose they can also learn
how Facebook DOES provide return on the investment of time and
the very small financial investment in things like ads.
A recent study found that 78% of consumers trust peer reviews
and only 14% trust advertisements.
Can you see KA_CHING in those numbers
It is crucial to be involved in your community.
Ready to put the KA-CHING into your Facebook fan page?
Client Response: My decision not to use Facebook has nothing to do with it being a social networking site. I won't use it because the owners will not guarantee privacy of personal information. In fact, they have stated publically that they believe all info should be available to everyone in this social networking age. As a woman who has been stalked in the past (a very frightening experience) and who is concerned about abused women trying to hide from abusers, I am absolutely opposed to this stance. I find it naive and arrogant. I welcome your comments.
Reply: I completely agree with you and love the approach you are verbalizing about Facebook. AND I think there is an alternate to consider. First I too have been stalked in college and ended up putting the guy in jail , so I understand about the need for privacy, having escape plans from ones home and other settings and completely agree with your stance.
I have also had the experience of living in the Middle East – seven countries in fact and as a white girl - very much the minority, I am keenly aware of the need to be cautious and keep my ears and eyes open as well as not to lead others directly to me and my home.
If I were consulting with an abused woman I would advise they use a pseudo nym on facebook and every other marketing medium if they need to be marketing on facebook at all.
If your business doesn’t require marketing then don’t put your name out there as your real name.
On Facebook , remember you don’t have to use your real name or have a real picture so it is pretty easy to be anonymous when necessary.
In advising individuals with that type of concern I would agree with you that I would not even be on facebook or any other social medium.
Further I would advise people who are concerned about being stalked in the future, that they had best get a Po box or alternate address – in the US this is pretty easy and can look like a regular street address.
The much greater concern in the US is that if I google my maiden name, the TOP response on a goolge search is my full address for over 20 years history ( 7 addresses) , my children’s full names, my husband and my families addresses – all from the department of motor vehicles. TALK about scary! I am very glad that my name I use now is not my legal name so is not contained in the government databases as is my maiden name. So its back to being a pseudo name EVERYWHERE.
Why social networking is Failing
Patrice Barber - Friday, January 21, 2011
I could scream from the roof tops on this one!
At our recent Put Your Year in Gear event held in Golden Colorado, we had great discussions on social media and getting it started the RIGHT way.
Our attendees came away understanding what it really takes to be successful online , BUT so many of the new business owners I have spoken with lately seriously don’t “get it”.
Online Marketing is still a foreign concept. Having a website, a twitter account and making posts on facebook does NOT a strategy make.
Thankfully our attendees went away, knowing how to make their online marketing work for their specific business.
Want to know the secret?
It starts with a game plan, end results, a financially driven goal. For any specific campaign how much money do you want to make and how will they (your new found friends and well built relationships) be shown what value you bring beyond the pleasant conversation so they WANT to buy your stuff ( and you can make that money)?
No you are not in business just to be nice, you are in business to be richly rewarded for the information you have worked hard to acquire, products you have built and wisdom you can share.
What is most often missing is the path – the step by step of how to get from that first contact email or social media post into the relationship and onto the clarity of sharing your value and getting paid for it.
If you’re going into social media without an end goal in mind, why are you even going in? Where’s the benefit? Is it because you see everyone else has a Twitter profile and Facebook page and they look like they’re having fun while they talk with people?
Excellent observation – but are you looking into the details….what is actually being said , what direction and options are given, where does it lead to next? Is there an end goal? OR Is it simply building relations online like going to a networking event to collect cards or having a ribbon cutting so you get known in your community?
Whatever it is, if you’re not getting any results, it’s because you didn’t really plan to get results. Now that’s cleared up - what to do about it? What are the possible results you could get?
How do you use social media so that you have a system that leads to results?
Start with key questions
- How many connected conversations will it take to create a sale.
- How many products will you need to give away so your audience knows likes and trusts you enough to take action.
- How many people will you need to address the incoming posts, questions, comments in the social arenas you are building relations in.
- Set an End date – this is when you STOP track and tweak