Top 3 benefits of blogging for your business

If you want to reap the benefits of a blog, you need to know that they take time and consistent engagement.  You can't just build it and walk away from it.

What are the benefits of blogging for your business?

1. Voice - Blogging gives your business a voice, your voice. Your customers want to do business with a person, not a price list or product profile. Unless you're a household name or a major corporation, most people will not buy from you online unless they know you. Adding your voice to your online business presence gives people the opportunity to get to know YOU, like you and trust you.

2.  Content - Blogging gives you your very own content for all of your other social media networks. You need something of value to share with your friends and followers on Facebook and Twitter.  Your blog is fresh, valuable content for your networks.

3.  Google Love - search engines love fresh content.  Google rewards websites that post regularly with fresh and relevant content and punishes sites that post syndicated or copied content or even worse, nothing at all.  Blogging is the best way to provide the fresh, relevant content that Google (and other search engines) loves and rewards.

These 3 things are just the foundation of what can come from your blog.  There are so many more benefits, but these alone should intrigue you enough to seriously consider starting your own blog.

I'm starting a bi-weekly newsletter where I will be sharing how-to videos and free resources for building and managing your social media networks, including blogging.  Do us both a favor and sign up for it today:

Subscribe to my newsletter (its free):

Email Address *

First Name *

Last Name *

I'm also interested in

• FFN Simply Social Session
• Small Business Marketing
• Social Media for personal use only
• Corporate Marketing
• Affiliate Marketing
• Business Opportunities

Email Format

• html
• text
• mobile

* indicates required

Blogging - What is it?

I recently spoke to a group of weight loss and wellness coaches who had a lot of questions about blogging. This week I'm going to focus on teaching you how to start your own blog using FREE resources. But first...

What is Blogging?

This is a great 2 minute explanation, watch it now!  Come back tomorrow to learn WHY your business needs a Blog.

Why is Social Media important?

How to Register Your Own Domain Name

As soon as you start your business or even start thinking about opening a business, you should register your domain name.

First, why do you need your own domain name?

• It increases your name recognition
• It makes it easy for your customers to remember your address
• It indicates you are a serious business owner
• It helps brand your image
• Many search engines refuse to list pages from free sites
• Some search engines will only index the first page of a domain site

Where is your store on the Information Super Highway? 

So, what is a domain name?
Your domain name is basically your address on the internet.  Here's a simplified illustration: Imagine the busiest highway you've ever traveled, perhaps the Los Angeles metro area, now multiply that by a bazillion, envision that this is the internet aka the "information super highway".  Now, imagine that your business is on the side of this highway.  Your domain name is like your physical address telling your customers where to find you.
For example, the domain name here is savvybutterfly.com.


Now, how do you register your own domain name?
When you set up your domain name, there are many options and vendors to choose from.  I personally have used Network Solutions and GoDaddy.com, both offer great introductory rates and a simple registration process.  You can search around to see what works best for you and your needs, but here are the basic steps:

1. Confirm that the name you want is available.  The name registrar you choose will have a search site. When choosing a domain name, you should keep it simple so that your customers can remember it. If the name is available, you will have the option to register is with many different extensions, .com, .biz, .org, .net, .us, etc.  If your first pick is not available in a .com, I recommend trying another name where the .com extension is available.  This is what is most commonly associated with businesses and will be easiest for customers to remember.  Millions of domains are already registered, so finding an available name can be tricky, but don't give up!

Network Solutions Domain Search

2. After selecting your domain name, you will be asked to select how long you would like to secure it for, how many years you want to keep it.  You can buy domain names in year-long increments, up to 10 years maximum.  

Select Service Term 1-10 years

3.  Once you have selected your name, and the amount of time you want to keep the rights to the name, you will pay the registrar to register the name for you.

4. Congratulations!  You now own your domain name!

BUT WAIT, there's more...

Now that your domain is registered, you must specify where computers looking for your domain should go by updating your site's nameservers (the Internet's equivalent to phone books).  This is where the process is going to be different depending on whether you have an existing personally owned website or blog or if you are a direct sales consultant with a company-hosted replicated website.  

For personally owned websites or blogs, you can refer to your hosting providers and\or registrars forwarding  instructions, just search their support site or contact their customer service department.

For company-hosted replicated sites, you will need to subscribe to a forwarding service.  This is usually available from the domain registrar (GoDaddy.com, Network Solutions, etc).

Now, you're ready to roll!  Use your new domain name on your social media profiles, your business cards and all other marketing materials AND please share it with me below along with questions you may have about domain name registration or forwarding!

4 step Social Media game plan for direct sales

So, you're a new consultant or maybe you're just realizing the value of social media marketing, how do you start promoting your business using Social Media?  


Here's my simple 4 step game plan to get you started:

1.   Company website - Setup your company provided website.  Most any direct sales company offers a personal website for their distributors, sometimes for free, sometimes for a monthly fee.  Either way, you must have it to play in the online ballgame.

2. Facebook - If you're not already on Facebook, open an account.  It's free and a great way to socialize with friends and family and network with prospective clients. 

• If you're one of the millions of folks already actively engaged daily on Facebook, enhance your existing profile to showcase your business.  
• Next, create a Facebook Page for your business. This is where you will distribute the content of your blog and your YouTube videos.  Of course you may not have a blog or YouTube Channel yet, but you can start by sharing information from your company, from other informative sites that your friends or family may be interested in relative to your products or services.

In my opinion, you could stop right here and be a big hitter in this game. If you want to hit it out of the park, consider taking the following steps:

3. Blog - Once you have a handle on Facebook, start thinking about your blog. You can create a simple blog like this one for free using Blogger or WordPress. You'll want to create relative content of interest to your target market.  

• Plan to post at least once a week.  
• You're blog should not be your product information copied and pasted from your company website. It should reflect your personality and provide good information that people are interested in reading. Your posts should be easy to read and not contain a lot of industry jargon. 
• Use bullet points or numbered lists when possible. It's been proven that people read less and less and are most likely just going to scan your articles for the specific information they want.

4. YouTube -  Because people are less and less interested in reading, you need to create video content to convey your message. 

• YouTube is one of the best cross-platform tools. You can share your videos on your Facebook Page your blog, etc.
• With YouTube, you get your very own "channel" where you can share your own videos, your company's videos or any other videos that you think your target market will find relative.  
• You'll eventually want to create multiple "playlists" of different types of things, like one for more formal type "commercials" for individual products (like those from your company), one for events you attend or host, one for "how to" videos, etc. 
• Start recording testimonies from your clients, team members and maybe even post a weekly update, etc.  

Now, don't be intimidated by this.  You can do it. Tackle it one step at a time and don't try to do it all in one day or even one week.  Decide how much time you can devote to this and get started.  

What other social media platforms are you interested in?  Twitter? Pinterest? LinkedIn? StumbleUpon?

Facebook for low-cost and no-cost promotions

I was recently invited to speak to a group of Direct Sales professionals in a Business Bootcamp series and make some recommendations on low-cost and no-cost promotions, specifically, using Facebook and other social media for promotions.


I've decided to touch on using Facebook for networking not selling, as well as how to effectively use Pages and Groups. I'm also going to introduce them to Pinterest as a promotional tool. 

I'll be writing individual posts for each topic over the next couple of days, so stay tuned!

If you're looking for something to chew on in the meantime, here are some links I suggested for this audience consisting of social media users at varying skill levels.

FREE Facebook 101 tutorial

Forbes Magazine, Facebook 101 for Busy Business Owners

Enhancing your Personal Profile for Business Purposes

Top 10 MIstakes Direct Sellers Make in Social Media 

If you have specific questions about how to use Facebook or other Social Media tools to promote your business or organization, please post them in the comments below or on my Simply Social FB Fan Page. 

Creating a Facebook Page for your business

So, you're in business and you absolutely love it! It's your passion and you want to tell the world about it!  You've been telling everyone on Facebook about it but all of a sudden you notice you're being "un-friended".  What is happening?  Could it be that not everyone wants to hear all about your product or your opportunity?  While that may be unfathomable to you, it is a good possibility. Don't worry, it happened to me in the beginning too.

What you need is a Facebook Business Page.  This is going to be the foundation of your Facebook marketing.  It's going to allow you to draw in more of your target audience by sharing your knowledge and enthusiasm and still keep your friends. 

Here's a great video that will give you basic instruction.



For direct sales professionals or consultants, I recommend using your own branding and not your company name. For example, if your name is John and you sell widgets for Tommy's Tools and Widgets, do not name your page Tommy's Tools and Widgets. Instead, consider something like John's Handy Household Tips or John's Toolbox, something relevant to the business you are in, but uniquely identifying you.

Once you have your business page set up, you should share tips, tricks and other information that your target audience will find interesting.  Make a few posts there and then invite your friends.  Those who like what they see, will click Like to join and continue getting your business updates.  Be sure to check out my Facebook Business Page and click Like if you like what you see!

I'll go further into what to share and how to do it without spamming in an upcoming post.  Be sure to subscribe to this blog to get all the newest updates as soon as they are available.

How to Create a Facebook Profile

I recently conducted a Social Media Marketing session for a 22 year old, well established company that has many seasoned distributors who are brand new to social media. I recommended that they get started by utilizing Facebook. I started this post with the intention of creating a tutorial on how to create your personal Facebook profile, but found that there was "no need to re-invent the wheel". There is a great tutorial and video already available from AllFacebook.com.

Take a look at the link and video below and let me know if you have any questions.  I'm here to help and glad to do it!

Facebook Tutorial: How to Create a Facebook Profile




Remember, you can also connect with me on Facebook for daily Social Media tips and tricks and subscribe to this blog to get the latest news first!

Enhancing your personal profile for business purposes

The Queen and First Lady

I have a confession to make. I judge businesses (and/or professionals) by their Facebook profile. Be honest, don't you?

In social media, this is where you make your first impression. I want you to think of your profile just like you would your business card. When you meet someone on the street, you introduce yourself, shake their hand, chat with them and hand them your business card. When you connect with someone online, it's really the same. Today, I want to give you some quick tips for keeping your personal profile professional.

1. Use your real name. You wouldn't introduce yourself to someone new by saying, "Hi, I'm Tommy's Tools and Widgets", would you?
   
2. Use a picture of yourself. People on social media sites want to connect with YOU, not your dog, not your kids, not your Christmas tree. We want to do business with people we can trust. In real life we connect and build trust by looking people in the eyes. We need to do the same thing with our profile pictures. If you don't currently have a photo like this, take one. Make it a head shot, just your shoulders and head, look into the camera just like you would look into the eyes of a person you've just met on the street as you introduce yourself.
   
3. Link to your website. If you own your business or are a direct sales professional, you most likely have a website. As long as you are conducting yourself professionally and representing your company in a professional manner, link to it. People who are interested in you, want to know what you do. Your website gives them that information without you having to tell them all about it. Check for typos and make sure the link works. Nothing looks more unprofessional than a dead link (ok, well maybe there are somethings that do).
   
4. Check for spelling and grammar. I know we live in a world where texting and Twitter have created some "acceptable" abbreviations and lingo, but poor grammar and spelling are still recognized as unprofessional. Take the few extra seconds and make sure it says what you want it to say. This is a big deal, please take it seriously.
   
5. Skip the copy and paste statuses. If you've been on Facebook for any amount of time, you know what I'm talking about. "Copy and paste this if you love Jesus, hate taxes, think FB needs a dislike button" etc. These statuses are unprofessional and may cause others to question your credibility. When you really believe in something that strongly, take real action towards it, not a Facebook status.
   
6. Hide the game and app sharing. That means your Farmville requests, your daily horoscope, quizzes, etc. Do not allow these things to post to your wall. It looks unprofessional, clutters up the news feeds of all of your friends and may prevent your business contacts from taking you seriously. If you absolutely must have these things, you can control who sees the updates in your privacy settings under "Apps and websites".

These are just a few suggestions.  There will be more in the very near future. Subscribe to this blog to get the latest information as it becomes available.

Why Social Media? Why Now?

If you're still asking yourself why you need to get involved with Social Media Marketing, here is a wonderful demonstration of the impact Social Media is having on today's culture.



Click here if you can't see the video above: http://youtu.be/3SuNx0UrnEo

Compare the data from the video above with this one to see the growth in just two years!



Click here is you can't see it: http://youtu.be/NhPgUcjGQAw

5 Simple Rules

While Social Media can be an excellent networking and business marketing tool, there a few basic rules that everyone should follow, whether promoting themselves or their business.

Rule One: Think Before You Post.
Know that anybody can and will GOOGLE you. Many posts show up openly in Google searches and anything can be copied, pasted, shared, re-tweeted, etc. Don't post anything that you don't want your mom, your friends, your employer, your clients, your professor or a recruiter to see. It's that simple.

Rule Two: It's not all about me!
If all you do is post about what you had for lunch and complain, you will not get much benefit from these tools. The best way to be successful with social media sites in general is to be engaged. It's a two-way conversation. So, actively go out and "engage" with people who have similar interests to you. You never know where that online conversation may take you.

Rule Three: Don't Drink and Post!
This is pretty self-explanatory. The same goes for positing and driving. Posting and drinking and posting and driving are downright stupid and can be dangerous. If you're not sure about this one, refer to Rule #1.


Rule Four: Use Good Grammar.
I know it's often hard to express everything due to the limited characters allowed. That's why certain symbols and abbreviations have become common shortcuts. But that being said, there's no reason to have ugly grammar errors.

Rule Five: Don't Be A Debby Downer!
Be positive! There's enough doom and gloom in the world, so don't add to it with a whole bunch of negative posts and complaints.

Getting started: There's No Need to Re-invent the Wheel

Image

Sometimes when we start something new, we think we have to start from the ground up.  I've been trying to determine where to start with this blog.  What basic information should come first?  I've decided that there is already a LOT of information out there, so there's really no need to duplicate it exactly.  I'm going to share some great links here about getting started with Social Media Marketing, focusing on Facebook since 51% of Americans already have Facebook accounts.  Since my goal is to keep it simple, I want to provide the most basic information first.  My concern is that with my technical background, my simple may not equal your simple.  So here are some great resources to get you started.  What I want you to do is note any questions that you have in the comment section below so that I can gauge if these links contain truly "simple" direction, okay?  Let's get started:

How to Create your Personal Facebook Profile
If you are part of the 49% NOT on Facebook yet, it's simple, start here.

To Build a Facebook Page, you need a Facebook Profile
This will help you understand the difference between a Facebook Page (for your business) and a Facebook Profile (all about you).

Facebook 101 for Business: Your Complete Guide
There is a lot of info here. It may seem complicated if you don't have a full understanding of the links above.

Now, review these links and let me know what you think.  I'm here to help and glad to do it! Post your questions below and we'll figure it out!