Many companies celebrate something every once in a while, such as the business’s anniversary, a huge sale, etc.  But those celebrations are few and far between.

What would happen if you celebrated something weekly?  What if you found something to be positive about every 7 days that was related to business but wasn’t necessarily something over-the-top? 

If you were to celebrate the small successes (or just something important) on a weekly basis, it would enable you to:

♦ Have something to tell the world about on Twitter or Facebook.  (”We hit 45 comments on our latest blog post this week!  It’s a new record… and we want you to help us do better next week!”)

♦ Boost morale around the office, especially if the weekly “celebration” is something funny or light-hearted.  (”Joan is the winner of this week’s ‘Salesperson to Receive the Nastiest Customer Phone Call’ award.”)

♦ Keep you focused on the positive.  (”Sure, it was a tough week… but the good news is that we got more hits on Facebook than we’ve had in three months and we started a new PR campaign, so things are looking up!”)

So… what will you and your team celebrate this week?

I don’t tend to send out newsletters every single day. That isn’t just because it takes a lot of work to put a newsletter together; it’s mainly because I know that I don’t need to inundate my audience with information.

In my line of work, I can wait to blog every few days and send a newsletter every week or two. Unlike a news outlet, my information doesn’t change hourly. I realize that and so I use social media to stay connected, but not to inundate my readers with STUFF.

Unfortunately, there are many companies that haven’t gotten that message yet. Those places practically spam their customers and prospects with daily “news” that isn’t really news at all.

In order to avoid becoming a pest, you need to use social media to your advantage. And that means you have to keep a few factoids in mind:

1. Social media success happens over time. Be patient. You can’t send out 100 tweets today and expect to be a success by tomorrow.

2. You want to build real relationships with your social media contacts. Don’t just “collect names”. You can have 1,000 fans on Facebook and not one of them may be really reading what you write. Develop true partnerships and make sure you reciprocate.

3. Spam is hated. It really is. So stop spamming. Always ask yourself, “Would I want to receive this information?” If the answer is “no”, you might want to rethink your strategy.

4. Oh, and that brings us to the point that you NEED a social media strategy. If you’re just blogging, sending out newsletters, and doing Facebook updates “when you feel like it”, you’re not taking advantage of these powerful marketing tools.

There’s nothing wrong with hopping on the social media bandwagon. Just make sure you pay your dues or you’ll be seen as a hobo just riding the rails!

It’s a fact of life — every one of us has 24 hours in a day.  That’s it.  No more, no less.

So why do some people seem like they’re able to do TONS during 24 hours while others can’t?

Really, it’s not a secret.  It’s that they have developed the ability to prioritize, delegate and maximize.  Let’s look at each of these key factors:

PRIORITIZING

When you are able to prioritize, you can clearly say that one item on your “to do” list is more important than another.  Thus, you do that priority first.  It seems so simple, right?  But a lot of people become distracted by non-priority goals (is checking Facebook for 15 minutes every hour or two REALLY a necessity?)  Don’t fall into that trap — start structuring your day and you’ll be amazed at the results! 

DELEGATING

Delegating is the key to making your 24 hours stretch farther and farther.  However, you have to be willing to give up control of the reins, which can be tough, especially for entrepreneurs.  Start with something small and build your way up.  Outsource your marketing, your writing, your sales planning… whatever it takes.  Once you realize the freedom that delegation can bring, you’ll be hooked.

MAXIMIZING

Do you find that you’re making too many trips to the same place in a week or a day?  For instance, are you headed to the post office every day?  Do you spend too much time traveling for short meetings?  If so, you’re not maximizing your hours.  It’s time to evaluate how you’re spending your time and maximize each task you do.  Double-up if possible, such as visiting two clients who are close to one another in a single trip rather than making two trips.  It sounds like such a little thing, but it can seriously increase your productivity!

So… what will your next 24 hours look like?  Will they be fruitful or wasted?  It’s up to you!

Two years ago, I sent out a press release to traditional media outlets.  It was well-written and pointed.  It was clever and creative.  So I distributed it widely and waited.

And waited.

And waited. 

In the end, I received very little in return for my efforts.  It quickly dawned on me that I needed to change the way I advertised my message.  Today, I consistently use the Internet as my main public relations tool and I regularly see incredible results.  (I’ve been able to work with some amazing individuals, too!)

Though mine is just one person’s experience, I believe it indicates what many of us know to be true — traditional marketing methods have a place, but are usually not as effective as online mediums.  In an age of article submission directories, Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, YouTube, affiliate marketing and blogs, a press release in a printed newspaper seems almost quaint.

If you’re still clinging to traditional marketing methods to get the word out about your business or boost sales, it’s time to make a change.  To help you get started on a profitable path, I’m offering anyone from America or Canada a free (yes, you heard me correctly — FREE!) 30-minute consultation via telephone.  Just leave a comment on this blog and I’ll get back to you via email to set up your appointment.

I truly feel that most businesses don’t even scratch the surface when it comes to online opportunities.  In fact, I’ve had plenty of entrepreneurs and executives tell me that point-blank.  They know they aren’t maximizing their public relations dollars with a solid strategy, but they just aren’t sure where to begin. 

Make sure you aren’t left behind.  Leave a comment right now and we’ll set up our FREE 30-minute discussion today!

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In the last post, I discussed some of the things entrepreneurs can learn from Facebook.  In this post, we’ll do the same analysis with Twitter.

So without further ado, I bring you “Five Lessons Entrepreneurs and Marketers Can Learn from Twitter”:

1.  Be Succinct

Twitter gives you a whopping 140 characters in which to say a message to the Twitter universe.  That’s not a whole heck of a lot.  Consequently, most Tweets are short and sweet, kind of like what you’d read on those slips of papers in fortune cookies.

Why this is important for you:  Chances are good that you don’t need to say as much as you think you do most of the time.  Boil down your thoughts to their essence.

2.  Be Creative

This goes along with #1, above.  Since a Tweet is incredibly limited size-wize, you may have to come up with some ways of including acronyms.  Thus, “U” for “you”, “RT” for “retweet” and so forth.  Some crafty Twitterers even eliminate vowels completely.

Why this is important for you:  It probably doesn’t come as any surprise to you to hear that you should always be innovating.  Use your imagination and embrace change.

3.  Be Dramatic

Let’s face it — with thousands of tweets occurring each minute, only the most gripping ones will get your audience’s attention.  They’re usually the ones that contain drama and magic.  They jump off the computer screen, encouraging you to respond.

Why this is important for you:  You have literally seconds to get — and keep — a customer’s attention.  Make the most of those seconds!

4.  Be Pleasant

Who wants to read tweets that are filled to the brim with profanity or negativity?  (You’d be surprised how many tweets are, though — and it’s a definite turn-off.)  Be nice; you never know who’s reading your messages.

Why this is important for you:  I think you can figure this one out!

5.  Be Savvy

Ever notice how the Twitterers with the most loyal followings are truly savvy about how they market to their constituents?  They feed them regular information, ideas and thoughts.  They also respond.  Plus, their homepages are filled with ways for visitors to connect with them (e.g., a website, an email, a phone number.)

Why this is important for you:  Entrepreneurs must make the most of every opportunity they have to form relationships with customers and potential clientele.  This equates to being savvy 100% of the time and never giving up an opportunity to make a great impression.

As I asked with the Facebook post… what am I missing?

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Do you use Facebook or other similar social networking sites? 

If not, I highly recommend that you get on them, if only to familiarize yourself with the way they work.  Even if you personally cannot stand to reveal information about you and your family, you owe it to your business to know why Facebook is so doggone hot.

There’s a lot to learn from Facebook, especially for entrepreneurs looking to break out of their shells and do something exciting, interesting and different.  For instance, consider the following attributes that Facebook possesses and how you can use them to increase your profit margins and visibility…

Connectivity - Humans have a desire to connect with each other.  Facebook allows that in real time, operating as a virtual “kitchen table”.  It’s a place where people can kvetch, share and celebrate.

→ How “Connectivity” can help your business: 

Give your customers opportunities to connect with you and your colleagues on a regular business.  Don’t hide from clients or shirk from responsibilities!  The faster you respond to their queries, the more reliable you’ll appear.

Fun - Let’s be honest here — a lot of folks love Facebook because it’s kind of fun.  You can take a wacky quiz, post a kooky photo from 1982, tell a great story… the list of possibilities goes on.  People like knowing that Facebook isn’t some stodgy land of virtual suits and ties; it’s a place where you can take your shoes off and lounge on the couch in your comfy jeans and sweats!

→ How “Fun” can help your business: 

Be honest.  Are you fun to work with?  You don’t have to come to work in a clown suit nor should you take your commitments lightly, but you should have a sense of humor about life, business and everything in between.  If you’re dull as a piece of bark, your clients may be reluctant to call on you.  (Caveat: “Fun” doesn’t mean getting blotto with clients.  That’s a big no-no.)

Technology - Facebook is a land built from the latest technology.  It also makes the Internet seem less intimidating to those who didn’t grow up with laptops and text messaging.  Consequently, it really levels the playing field and allows techno-savviness to spread.

→ How “Technology” can help your business: 

Not that this is any surprise, but if you’re not technologically in-the-know, you need to become so.  If you don’t have a website, get one.  If you don’t understand how to text someone, find out asap.  Embrace technology and those who are using it will be more likely to see you as a professional with whom they want to work.

Truly, there’s tons to be gained from Facebook… what did I forget?

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I meet so many people who don’t market through online social networks that it boggles my mind.  Their excuses?  Typically, they site a) inconvenience; b) uneasiness; c) time constraints; and a whole host of other easily-overcome justifications.

I’m going to say this as clearly as I can:  If you’re not marketing your business through online social networks, you’re missing out on loads of opportunities.

Just the other day, Facebook hit 250 million users.  Back in March, Twitter reported it had over 8 million users.  LinkedIn has around 40 million users.  MySpace has millions of users, too.  And there’s no telling exactly how many millions of blogs are floating around the cyberuniverse, as new ones are created daily.

Truly, there’s no dearth of online social networking opportunities… and there’s no reason not to take advantage of their power.  If you’re worried about finding moments in your day to post a blog, tweet about your product/service, post a message on your Facebook wall or update your LinkedIn status, call a marketing consultant who is well-versed in handling social networking sites for clientele.

The online social networking revolution is here.  Get your train ticket today or risk being left behind in the station.

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