Please join me for a terrific program coming up from May 7-18!

Click here to SIGNUP for the FREE Webinar Series

Ten Guest Experts who will share their best tips on how to make sure you are getting the best results from all of your marketing efforts. You’ll learn the hottest tips for:

• Facebook
• Twitter
• Linked In
• In-person networking
• Public speaking
• Google +
• Blogging
• SEO
• Email Marketing
• And how to put it all together and measure your success!

Don’t want to wait to start learning, check out some of MY favorite tips:

Each day has offered a quick, powerful 30-minute webinar from a pro along with ten actionable tips to put to work right away. No travel, no cost, yours to watch at a convenient time.  And that’s not even mentioning the $500 plus worth of bonuses that are available for you.  But only for a limited time!

This great series includes one new topic every day for ten days with a webinar and a handout with actionable tips.  Plus each expert is offering a special bonus of their own—like my Pinterest eBook—a total value of over $500 if you grab them all.

Click here to SIGNUP for the FREE Webinar Series

Thursday, April 19, 2012

10:30am – 12:30pm
with networking afterwards

Tysons-Pimmit Library
7584 Leesburg Pike
Falls Church, VA 22043

REGISTER HERE

I’ll be visiting the next meeting of the Chesapeake Life Planning Network to give you a fresh perspective on how you can simplify your social media strategy and build on your existing network! In this dynamic presentation, you’ll learn:

• How to work less and reach more people – your IDEAL CUSTOMERS
• Why you are MISSING OUT on getting referrals 24/7 & how to quickly fix it
• The 3 ESSENTIALS you need to get more ROI by using social media

In addition, I’ll do an on-the-spot social media makeover! Be sure to register early to get the details on how your business can apply to have your social media plan transformed!

The Life Planning Network (LPN, www.lifeplanningnetwork.org) is a community of professionals from diverse disciplines dedicated to helping people navigate the Second Half of Life. We are the leading association supporting professionals who assist people in this life phase.

The Chesapeake Life Planning Network (CLPN) is the local, emerging LPN Chapter covering the MD/DC/VA metropolitan area. We are a vibrant group of professionals from the diverse fields of Financial Planning, Psychotherapy, Care Giving, Organizational Development,Real Estate/Relocation services, Elder Law, Executive/Career/Life Coaching,Spiritual Care, Encore Careers, Education, Human Services, Positive Aging, Volunteering, Long Term Care Insurance, and Communications.

REGISTER HERE

Or contact CHESAPEAKE LIFE PLANNING NETWORK,
Candy Spitz, 703-534-1128, candy@boomerslifecoach.com

Our program is free but Advanced Registration is REQUIRED by April 18th.

Don’t get caught in the trap of rushing into creating your online presence without giving thought to your WHO, WHAT, WHERE, WHY & HOW.

Every minute or dollar you spent trying to FIX mistakes is wasted.

I’ve been working with Entrepreneurs to build websites since 1997. Many people have asked me to build a social media profiles or websites for them, but within a few minutes it’s clear that this isn’t the next best step for them. It’s a common misconception that the FIRST thing your business needs is to get online as quickly as possible.

Why is this? Well, if you have a new idea for a product or service, nothing would make that idea seem tangible and real like a website. So it might seem like PROGRESS FORWARD to quickly get online. However, many people in this situation are working with limited resources—time, money & energy—so this actually is a big waste and will put your idea even farther out of reach.

How is your business going to be making money?

Every marketing decision you make needs to be strategic and consider key questions:

• What are your business goals?
• Do you have multiple products and services (with a market that wants to purchase them)?
• Who is your target audience? Why should they buy from you?
• What are your calls to action?
• Will you be using photographs or video?
• Will your site include a blog? How often will it be updated?

Treat your idea LIKE A REAL BUSINESS and not JUST A HOBBY and give it the careful thought that it deserves.

I help Business Networkers & Entrepreneurs create successful strategies and make smart choices when building their business online to use their limited resources wisely.

Let’s schedule a call to discuss how your business can grow!

Don’t miss learning the 3 essential Facebook tips that every business networker needs to know!

We will discuss using Facebook as a tool to streamline your marketing efforts and build relationships that lead to more referrals. Facebook can market ONE-to-MANY, which multiplies into LESS TIME AND EFFORT FOR GREATER RESULTS. You will learn SIMPLE ways that you can boost your networking efforts.

Includes open Q&A time!

Where: Sheraton Annapolis Hotel
Beginning at 6 p.m.
Networking session, Dinner, followed by a program and brief business meeting.

Members: $30 each
Guests: $35 each
Walk-ins: charged $35

Register for the MARCH 21st Meeting of the Maryland Capital Chapter of the ABWA

The MD Capital Chapter of the American Business Women’s Association (ABWA) provides women with a venue to hone their professional skills in order to help maximize their professional and personal growth. They do this by providing relevant guest speakers, educational materials, and the opportunity to serve in leadership roles. They do not judge or grade but instead provide a safe environment for women to develop, grow and achieve the confidence that comes with accomplishing goals individually and as a group.
LEARN MORE »

Start the year off right with insights from this HIGH ENERGY panel.

Thursday, January 26th, 2012

• 8:00 AM Registration
• 8:30-9:30 AM Continental Breakfast Program

Four Seasons Hotel
Baltimore, 200 International Drive, Baltimore, MD 21202

The panel will share fresh ideas and help you sharpen your knowledge through creative cutting edge strategies in Brand and Online Marketing, Business Development for the “New Age” and Enhanced Media Exposure. These experienced panelists engage and inspire with their knowledge, motivation and humor. Panel hosted by the Maryland Chapter of HSMAI. Don’t miss this opportunity to learn how to reposition your product and gain market share in 2012’s competitive marketplace.

Moderator

Monyka Berrocosa, Principal/Outsourced CMO (Chief Marketing Officer) of M. Consulting since 1998. Founder & CCO MyCity4Her.com, a National business focused media company based in Baltimore, MD since 2007. Highlights – Providing forward thinking and ROI focused Media, Marketing and Communications solutions to companies and individuals seeking to secure leader level market share and growth.

Panelists

Laura Pasternak, Principal and Chief Brand Strategist of MarketPoint, LLC. Highlights – Delivering honest, insightful and effective brand and marketing strategies that empower clients to achieve success.

Linda Schenk, Founder and Social Media Strategist and Web Designer at Virtuallinda Media LLC & Byte Sized Learning. Highlights – Expertly teaching technology to EXCEED business goals and build relationships using social media.

Bari Anderson, Vice President of Business Development for Eagles View Consulting which provides outsourced Sales Management and Business Development services. Highlights - Cutting edge prospect strategies, leveraging existing contacts and connections and developing strategic relationships in today’s competitive business world.

Join your Hospitality, Travel, Tourism, and Marketing Industry Colleagues for the best in cutting-edge industry programs! Don’t miss this opportunity to learn how to reposition your product and gain market share in 2012′s challenging marketplace.

LIMITED SEATING

Pre-registration:

HSMAI Member $35.00 January 23rd Last Day to Pre-Register
Non-member $50.00

On site:

HSMAI Member $45.00
Non-member $60.00

Click Here To Register

I’ve lost count of how many conversations have gotten completely off-track with me explaining minor details about a new social media trick.

And guess what… that trick probably won’t bring your business any new revenue. There, I’ve said it.

Instead, let’s have the conversation that I wish we could have, free of shiny objects.

It will be about what your business is trying to accomplish. It will be about what your resources are (time, money & energy) to invest in social media. It will be about identifying your target audience and why they should buy from you. It will be about creating a solid foundation for your business. It will be about all the things that should be in your business plan but aren’t if you are trying to quickly act on idea as fast as you can.

But, that’s all PLANNING and it’s really boring and not exciting. Social media is exciting. It seems like it’s a solution but if you don’t know what problem you are trying to solve it IS JUST A WASTE OF TIME.

So now, let’s get back to your business.

What are you trying to accomplish… then let’s find the best fit for how social media can help you achieve your goals.

Did you make an immediate decision to buy? Probably not…so don’t think social media will lead to immediate sales.

Social media is about building long-term relationships with people in your network. Let me say that again… LONG-TERM relationships. It’s not a quick, overnight fix. This requires focus OVER TIME in order to best succeed. It’s not just one conversation you are having… it’s an on-going dialog.

Social media is an excellent way to give people a chance to get to KNOW, LIKE & TRUST you. It opens up communication channels that you can use to promote products or services. But just like that pushy sales person, it will actually REPEL people if your expectation is to have the first thing you say lead to income in your pocket. Instead, focus on adding contacts (which can be done strategically, planning for your later sales) and being SOCIAL.

Now, this might seem like common sense to you, but sometimes when businesses are struggling, they start REACTING and not ACTING. This is the worst time to try and start using social media. You’ll be rushed and skip critical steps that are needed for long-term success. People in your network will sense your desperation and steer clear. You won’t be able to connect to thousands of people overnight (a request I’ve had from business owners!)

The best time to start setting up social media is when you don’t have an immediate need for it. This will give you time to think clearly and pay attention to each contact you are adding. You will have time to build those quality relationships. Get to know others and they will be there when you need help sharing your important messages.

Create a PLAN for your BRAND to reach out and connect with people and COMMUNICATE your message to them.

Use my easy, repeatable process to setup your business for social media success!

Your business needs a strategic plan in order to succeed.

Sounds, so simple, right? Then WHY aren’t you doing it?

Well, if you are like many Entrepreneurs you have the gift (and curse) of having way too many ideas bouncing around in your brain. This can manifest itself in the positive way of allowing your business to quickly change to adapt to market conditions.

The negative impact is the bright shiny object syndrome. That’s really just the nice way of saying that you are busy, not productive. Your business isn’t making money but you are running around networking and connecting like crazy. In the social media world that means randomly using Facebook when you have time, but without any sort of cohesive strategy that is building your brand. Is this how you want to spend 2012?

Now, I’ll assume your business also has limited resources—time, money & energy. Let’s think of those resources as a pie. Every time you add another element to your to-do list, it’s taking up a piece of pie. In order for you to reach each business goal, you need to have the IDEA and take each step with your customer to create a SALE. That’s multiple steps for EVERY SINGLE GOAL.

If your business is struggling and you are going in million directions, you are spread too thin. You will run out of hours in the day to work on every goal. You will run out of time during an 30-second elevator pitch to even TELL SOMEONE about all of the ways you can make money. Your social media efforts are going to be diluted or just neglected completely.

Instead, make a shift and just focus in on ONE BUSINESS GOAL. But wait… what if your business is actually 10 different ideas (yes, I’ve actually heard that, and it was exhausting just listening to them all)…how do you determine which is the best goal to focus on?  

That’s simple… focus on your FASTEST ROUTE TO INCOME.

This is the starting point of my PLAN, BRAND & COMMUNICATE System. You’ll start with this ONE GOAL and the create a strategy (just like those experts advised) and take byte sized steps to reach it using social media.

Yes, it’s that simple. Then WHY aren’t you doing it?

Learn how to create a simple social media strategy for your business

MISTAKE #1: Working on your website without consulting an expert.

So many mistakes can be made here… getting the wrong domain name (or not getting them), choosing the wrong hosting company, purchasing a website theme (design) that doesn’t meet your business goals, trying to set up a WordPress site yourself and making critical mistakes or just wasting time… the list goes on.

It can be just ask big of a mistake NOT TO HAVE ANY WEBSITE. If your budget is limited, schedule a coaching call with meand I’ll work out a plan that will get you started—inexpensively and smartly.

MISTAKE #2: Setting up a Facebook Page too soon.

Being on Facebook is very important to networking, but you can start by building your network by using your Personal Profile. After your Page is really ready to promote—reflecting your business goals, quality content and calls to action—then you can promote it to Facebook Friends. Promoting your Page up too soon,without clearly showing people a reason they should LIKE you (and return) isn’t going to build your brand.  My Facebook training will teach you how this can be done.

When people rush to get their Page setup, they often choose a long username such as “www.facebook.com/ThisIsTheNameOfMyNewProduct“. MISTAKE: That won’t fit on your business card and it can’t be changed after 100 LIKES. Or you ask everyone in your network to “LIKE” your new page that is almost blank and does nothing to sell your product or service. MISTAKE: You have one chance to make a first impression and you just blew it.

MISTAKE #3: Getting a logo made first.

A business NEEDS a logo, right? So it seems like the next best step to hire just anyone to create one for you. WRONG! All graphic design is about PROBLEM SOLVING… this includes knowing exactly where the logo will be used (on a website header, on a Facebook sidebar, on a product, small on a business card, etc.)

I’ve seen countless logos that might look great at first glance but are not very usable. You’ll wind up with something that all of your important marketing must work around OR you will need to pay to redo it. Another secret is that you might not really NEED a fancy logo…work with your entire team (print designer, web designer and marketing expert) to PRIORITIZE your budget.

Treat your idea LIKE A REAL BUSINESS and not JUST A HOBBY and give it the careful thought that it deserves.

I help Business Networkers & Entrepreneurs create successful strategies and make smart choices when building their business online to use their limited resources wisely.

Let’s schedule a call to discuss how your business can grow!

However, they can be a great way to find more time in a busy schedule.

Use social profiles to prioritize your contacts and focus on your target audiences.

It’s simply impossible to develop deep relationships with EVERYONE that you meet. So instead of scheduling an initial introductory coffee or phone meeting with EVERYONE, use a social profile to see if the person is a good match and whom you are looking to connect with.

Develop both broad networks and deeper relationships with key contacts.

Think of this as your COMMUNITY and your TARGET AUDIENCES. Every day you can be in touch with the areas of interest that matter the most to your business. Get to know specific people better if they are in your target audience and you want to move the relationship along. This process will allow you to decide if a longer meeting with them will be a good investment of time (for both of you), based on common interests and business goals.

Read profiles and updates of your contacts before your next phone call, email or meeting.

We are all much more than our business card or even our website. What we choose to share on social networks on a regular basis reflects our personality and values. Use the information you learn from what your contact has shared to spark conversation in real life to build better relationships. This practice will give you a broader, more up-to-date picture of a business and the personality of your connections.

Update your own profiles and share regularly.

If every week just ONE of your contacts learned more about you and your business through your profiles, at the end of the year that’s 52 relationships that have been enhanced. Your profiles are online 24/7 and are easily sharable as free advertising. Your sales conversations become warm leads. Each update remains online and builds over time, so it’s truly an investment in building future relationships.

Do you see social networking as a waste or an investment of your limited time?