The Business Side of Twitter

Twitter may be beneficial to grow your ideas while in isolation A few days ago, when I talked about three social marketing tools, I mentioned that I’ve not yet started using Twitter.

I’ve set up an account but have not recognized or appreciated the tool’s business aspect.

Thankfully, Web 2.0 expert Des Walsh documents five ways Twitter helps him in business. I met Des last year at BlogWorld Expo after a long-time exchange of ideas with him by Email and through Skype.

Des is a solo marketer just like us, and I bet that after you read how he puts Twitter into action you’ll also start believing in its power or, if already using Twitter, will incorporate the methods Des mentions.

No. 1 and 5 on Des’s list make the grade for me, with the rest following in order. I’m going to take this lead and give it a try as well.

Technorati Tags: small business marketing, Twitter, solo business marketing, Des Walsh, solo entrepreneur, Thinking Home Business

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March 31, 2008 | Filed Under Networking, Social Media | Leave a Comment

Meetings that Combine Business with Lunch Boost Business

Invite some clients to lunch this spring Two years ago I cited a newspaper interview that suggested meeting clients for lunch in order to set the tone for three outcomes:

1. A stronger business relationship

2. Relaxation in a casual atmosphere in order to learn more about the client

3. Referral requests to expand your business potential

Will the upcoming warmer season put more of these conversational lunches on your calendar?

Start searching through your ACT! file, Rolodex, or Palm to determine who you’ll invite to lunch.

I explain this business-building tactic in my book along with examples of popular meeting places.

The blog post mentioned above provides tips to make sure you pick up more than the check.

Start lining up lunch meetings now before your competitors get there first.

Technorati Tags: small business marketing, lunch meetings, solo business marketing, business lunch, solo entrepreneur

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March 27, 2008 | Filed Under Customer Connections, Marketing News | Leave a Comment

Make a Monthly Habit of Writing News Releases

Getting media attention is easy than you think The group shown in this photograph were protesting a long-standing battle in Israel. I snapped the photo last year while walking past New York’s Madison Square Garden.

They received lots of publicity, but you might want to take a different route for media attention. Here’s what I did.

Yesterday, it took me 20 minutes to write a news release, 10 minutes to edit it, and 20 more minutes to distribute the news to 10 trade magazine editors specifically targeted for one market.

This is a task that, for me, cannot be put into someone else’s hands, and it will become an easy, in-house project if you set up the steps to launch your news once a month without fail. If you’re ready and willing, what I’ve created as a habit is easily transferred into your own schedule.

Choose a news topic by: 1) piggybacking off a current event, 2) launching a Web site or blog, 3) speaking/discussing any subject (verbally on in print or the Web), 4) whatever you believe is newsworthy for that month if none of the above applies.

I save my releases in one folder on my computer so that the basic boilerplate is ready for copying and pasting. At the end of each release, I include the names and Email addresses of who received it. That makes it easy to send next month’s news to the same contacts.

The release I Emailed yesterday was added to one of the trade magazine’s Web sites on the same day. How’s that for results?

You’ll achieve the same or even better marketing results by making a habit of contacting your media sources on a regular basis.

Review this section of Solo Business Marketing for more on elevating your relationship with the press.

Technorati Tags: small business marketing, write a news release, solo business marketing, how to contact the media, solo entrepreneur

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March 26, 2008 | Filed Under Email Marketing, Online Ideas | Leave a Comment

Five Ways to Know You’re a Teleseminar Junkie Instead of a Successful Marketer

Teleseminars are beneficial; too many waste time During my first ten years of marketing presentations, I’d see some of the same people in the audience. And guess what? Those people asked me the same questions after every event.

I thought I was in a time warp until some friends, also in the audience to support me, noticed the same behavior from these attendees.

The next time I spoke, I offered the group new advice.

Don’t become a professional seminar attendee. Take parts of what you learn here to create a more-successful business in the coming year.

These events occurred before the Internet became popular, and now that many experts make their messages available by telephone, you may find yourself in a similar, yet virtual, situation.

Have you noticed how much teleseminars (seminars delivered by telephone) have grown in quantity? I seem to receive an invitation to one by Email every day. How about you?

In January I promised myself to only attend teleseminars that elevated my knowledge about an area of business I knew nothing or little about but required for growth. To date I’m on track.

I’m sure the same is true for you, but in case you’re in need of a detox, I’ve created a list of five ways to tell if you’ve become a teleseminar junkie and easy solutions to get back on track. Read more

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March 25, 2008 | Filed Under Conferences, Offline Ideas, Problems & Solutions | Leave a Comment