What is accountability?  It’s the rails that keep your train on track. 

Don’t believe me?  Picture this:

You’re an engine, chugging along.  The ride is nice and smooth… but suddenly the rails disappear.  The ride becomes bumpier and bumpier.  Instead of moving toward your destination, you begin to veer and swerve.  You concentrate on just keeping yourself in motion, but not on where you’re headed. 

Recognize the engine?  It’s you – without accountability.

If you’re ready to make a commitment to accomplish great things in 2011 – start a business, grow your current business, meet your goals, reach the next level of sales, etc. – I invite you to learn more about A.4.U.  It’s a unique program I’ve designed to bring accountability to your professional and personal life and I welcome helping you get back on track!

Learn more about A.4.U. at http://www.jadcc.com/teleclasses.html

Below is part I of my three-part series:

FACEBOOK – What it is, what it isn’t

Once the realm of teens and young people to catch up with each other, Facebook has taken off beyond anyone’s expectations… except perhaps the founder of FB, Mark Zuckerberg.  Once businesses and professionals realized the power of the social media marketing networking tool, it really caught fire.

Today, there are 600+ million users on Facebook, some much more active than others.  And that makes it an attractive social media marketing locale for companies of all sizes.

The inherent problem, of course, is that like all social media marketing platforms, Facebook isn’t necessarily the end-all, be-all.  Sure, there are 600+ million people out there using it, but that doesn’t mean they’ll ever cross your path.  Nor does it mean that you will get them to “like” your business.

Facebook users are highly selective about which organizations’ pages they will “like”.  After all, by “liking” something, they’re essentially telling their FB friends, “Hey, I support this company and what it offers.”  This is the reason that, for many companies, it can be tough to get even 100 followers.

Another issue with FB as a social media marketing tool is that you have to have uber-creative, compelling content.  It’s not enough to talk about yourself or your business all the time; you have to give FB users a reason to keep coming back.  And that takes some serious marketing savvy  

So how do you overcome these problems?  Try the following ways as starting points:

1.  Have a plan.

Using Facebook for your social media marketing in a vacuum or “once in a while” just won’t work.  So you have to develop a plan for how you’re going to use it.

2.  Write Awesome Content

If that’s not your forte, find someone who CAN write for FB.  Yes, you’ll pay to outsource this task, but if you choose well, your investment will pay for itself. 

3.  Spread the Love

Don’t make your FB page too self-congratulatory or self-absorbed.  If you’re only talking about you, you, you (or your business), it won’t be enough to get people to “like” your page.

On Wednesday, we’ll take a look at Twitter in part II of our series on the realties of social media marketing…

1.  Books - Go to the business or non-fiction section of your favorite local bookstore and check out the array of books on topics such as social media marketing, website development, sales strategies and anything else that suits your fancy!

2.  Gift Cards - Every entrepreneur can use gift cards to places that sell products like office supplies.  Additionally, gift cards to local eateries and coffeehouses can help a budding entrepreneur pay for out-of-the-office meetings with prospects and clients!

3.  Electronic Gadgets - Has your fave entrepreneur been dying for a Kindle?  Maybe she’s hinted about wanting an iPad.  Or perhaps he just wants a new iPod.  Whatever electronic device he or she has been craving, you have the ability to make dreams come true!

Regardless of what you decide to give your entrepreneur, I hope you all have a wonderful, blessed weekend!

1.  Obtain Material from Guest Bloggers

I’ve had the opportunity to showcase items written by guest bloggers before and it’s always interesting!  Not only does it keep the blog fresh, but it also gives readers something to think about.

2.  Hire Someone to Write Some Posts for You

Crunched for time?  That’s why they have freelance ghostwriters out there!  They’ll provide you with content (either in part or full) to minimize your time investment if it’s “one of those weeks”.

3.  Grab Some “Free Copy”

There are plenty of sites that offer free articles as long as you don’t change the text and you properly attribute the copy to its source.

4.  Refer Your Readers to Your Favorite Blog Posts by Other Writers

Find a really awesome blog post during your daily Internet surf?  Direct your readers to it!  You can even publish it in part, making certain that you give the original writer credit.

5.  Set up a Google Alert for Keywords

You know you have industry keywords and items about which you blog on a regular basis.  So set up a Google alert (or dozens of them if you wish).  That way, you can find out what’s hot and share the links with blog visitors.

6.  Keep It Short!

Unlike this post (which is about 370 words long, as an FYI), your blog articles don’t have to be the length of a Tolstoy novel.  Sometimes, just a few sentences is all you need.

7.  Add a Video for Pizazz

Every now and then, it’s nice to all a video to your blog posts.  And it doesn’t have to be of you or one of your colleagues.  Even a viral one from YouTube that seems like something your visitors will appreciate is fair game.

8.  Try Putting Up a Poll

Most people have an opinion on just about everything… so if you want to keep your visitors engaged but don’t have time to write a 300-word post, you can always put up a quick poll.  It keeps your blog interesting and doesn’t require you to sit at your computer for an hour.

How will you make sure that 2011 is “your year” to shine, to profit, to enjoy?

In all seriousness, yes and no.  While there are certainly specific techniques to help you obtain good positioning on the major search engines, what works beyond the ordinary for your company might not work for another.

Like social media, SEO has to be customized to fit your needs.  That’s why I’ve been working with so many businesses on very specific SEO plans for 2011.  Not only will this help them get noticed, but it’ll help them get noticed in the RIGHT way!

I’m curious — have you focused on SEO in the past?  Will you in 2011?  Let me know in the comments section!

So why don’t we regularly consider how our businesses change?

Even if your business model has only shifted a small amount since you first opened your doors (virtual or brick-and-mortar), you are losing opportunities left and right if you haven’t simultaneously and deliberately changed your focus and plans. 

You don’t have to do anything too radical, necessarily.  Perhaps you need to move from spending your dollars on certain print advertisements and do a postcard campaign instead.  Maybe you’ve been trying to “push” the wrong service or product for your clients’ and prospects’ current needs. 

It’s all part of being an entrepreneur.  As a great philosopher once said:  “You can’t step in the same stream twice”.  (I’m paraphrasing a bit…)  Just like a body of water, your business is always morphing into something excitingly new.  Make sure you shift your gears accordingly.

Marketing Mistake #6:  Getting stuck in a rut

If your website hasn’t had an ounce of redesign since 2002, it’s high time to get to work on it.  Same with your brochures, business cards, signage, etc.  The world has changed in the past 8 years… you’ll want to come along for the ride or risk being left behind.

Marketing Mistake #7:  Hating all new marketing tools

I’ve seen this before and I’m sure you have, too – the business person who abhors anything new.  Rather than even trying something, he or she will berate it.  This is why some companies still have no web presences… and why many companies who had great products or services are no longer in existence.

Marketing Mistake #8:  Marketing materials that operate in bubbles and don’t cross-promote

Many businesses have a website that looks NOTHING like their business cards that look NOTHING like their brochures that look NOTHING like their billboard that…  Well, you get the point.  The problem?  There’s no cohesiveness in the organization’s marketing materials.  Everything is done in a “bubble” and no one bothers to talk.  This just makes for a scatter-shot approach… and an ineffective one at that.

Marketing Mistake #9:  Wanting results lickity-split

“Why isn’t our marketing working?”  I hear it over and over… and it’s usually during the first few weeks of a marketing campaign.  The truth is that marketing doesn’t work overnight.  It takes a while.  So sit back and relax; if you’ve done your homework, you’ll reap the rewards!

Marketing Mistake #10:  Not learning from your own mistakes

And the final marketing mistake?  Not learning from your own mistakes, of course!  We all make them… and if we don’t use them as learning experiences, we’ll never see success!

JADCC:  Give your ideas LIFE!

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Marketing Mistake #1:  Not having a plan

This is a huge problem and one I see all the time.  Not having a marketing plan is like not having a map to a destination you’ve never seen before.  You know where you’re going but have no clue how to get there.  Think you’ll get lost?  I do.

Marketing Mistake #2:  Spending money on the wrong things

It’s easy to get caught up in all the excitement when someone tells you that you HAVE to get involved in one type of marketing or another.  But if you’re just constantly throwing money at marketing schemes that never seem to work… you basically are burning your cash.

Marketing Mistake #3:  Not spending enough money on the right things

Just as some businesses spend too much money on things they don’t need, there are many businesses that will not spend enough on the marketing things that could help them.  If you’re a cheapskate, you may just find yourself looking for a job in the future instead of hiring others.

Marketing Mistake #4:  Trying to do it all

You may not need a Twitter account.  You might not see a dime from a billboard campaign.  And radio?  Perhaps it’s not the best marketing tool for your company’s needs.  If you try to do it all, you’ll probably realize all-too-late that there were elements that could – and should – have been avoided.

Marketing Mistake #5:  Not listening to your audience

If your customer base hates your marketing methods, it’s not their fault that they “just don’t get it”… it’s your fault for not listening to them.  You really need to make sure that you are always keeping your clients in mind when determining what kinds of marketing to use.

Tomorrow, we’ll look at Marketing Mistakes #6-10…

JADCC:  Give your ideas LIFE!

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What are affiliates?  In terms of your business, they are sources of quality referrals and if you seek out the best ones and treat them well, you might just wind up getting a whole lot of moolah in return!

So how can your business use affiliates for financial success in the coming year?  Try these steps:

1.  Set up an Online Affiliate System

Get in touch with a marketer who can help you set up an online affiliate system.  Through the system, other websites will market your products and/or services.  They’ll get a “chit” for every source they send you.  And you’ll get a new customer! 

2.  Set up a Person-to-Person Affiliate System

Do you have a good friend who is in a business where he or she could be a great source of referrals for you?  You might want to set up a formal affiliate system that can help you both.  Whenever he or she passes a potential customer your way, you can track that customer and give your friend a financial reward.

3.  Trade Affiliate Systems

Between the right entities, an affiliate system “trade” (“you scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours”) is not only appropriate – it’s the making of a financial success.  Just be wary and trade affiliations only after doing some major investigations.  It isn’t an undertaking to take lightly.

One final note:  Check with your financial advisor, CFO and/or accountant to determine the best way to budget your online and brick-and-mortar affiliate networks.  You may also want to run any ideas past your legal advisor as well, just in case.

JADCC:  Give your ideas LIFE!

 Join JADCC on Twitter today!