NAWBO-IE Affiliate CREW-IE Hosts Event February 1

Register at www.crew-ie.org

Attention Subcontractors...Event in Victorville 1/12/12

Social Media Sensation: Creating Buzz for Your Bottom Line

Social media is becoming a key ingredient in the marketing recipe for your business. There are opportunities and measurable results for businesses of all sizes, and companies are taking notice. According to current research, social media marketing is set to increase at an annual rate of 34% over the next five years, outpacing all other forms of online marketing. In fact, the expected growth rate for social media marketing is nearly double the average growth rate for all online mediums. There's a reason so many companies are increasing their social media budgets - it's proven to be a very effective tool for reaching customers on a new level. Having an active social media presence can help your bottom line, and there are a host of other benefits:

• Interact with your customers directly: Social media gives you a chance not only to engage your customers one-on-one, but you can also hear what they say about your company online. Make sure you take advantage of that opportunity, but don't react harshly to criticism you may see. Every action you take online will be seen and remembered. A great reputation can be spoiled with one misguided post made in the heat of the moment. Build trust for yourself and your brand by consistently adding valuable content, and handle your following with a PR-friendly voice.

• Own your company's social presence: If you don’t already have your own Twitter and Facebook accounts, get them before someone else does. If people make their first contact with your brand online, be sure that you have control over the message. 

• Look like you're "with it": On Facebook alone, there are over 400 million users spending over 500 billion minutes per month on the site, and those numbers are consistently growing. Your target audience is becoming more and more likely to have social media use as an integral part of their daily lives. Customers are twice as likely to do business with someone they identify with. If you're not on Facebook, your customers might wonder if you really "get it".

• Get great feedback on your business: Better than the results of any survey you could send out to your clients is listening to their reactions online following the release of a new product. With social media, you don't have to solicit for responses - something that can often result in misleading data. If you're engaged in social media forums, you'll have your fingers on the pulse of what is really going on with your business, and how people are reacting to it.

• Establish yourself as an expert in your field: Your company profile is a fantastic opportunity to post about your company's activities, as well as relevant news and trends occurring within your industry. By gaining lots of followers and displaying your expertise, people will begin to identify you as a "guru" in your field. This will ultimately lead to people being more likely to trust you (and therefore do business with you!).

Christine McDannell is Co-Founder and President at Social Starfish. Find out more at www.socialstarfish.com  Christine will be presenting at NAWBO-IE's January 19, 2012 meeting.

NAWBO-IE Hosts Holiday Mixer December 6

Be sure to register at: http://nawboie2011holidaymix.eventbrite.com

Proven Strategies to Build Powerful Business Relationships

Building strong business relationships is an important aspect of any successful business. Yet, it is usually an area that is overlooked or doesn’t receive a lot of attention due to busy schedules. But business relationships can make or break your business, especially in a down or “different” economy. One of my business colleagues recently pointed out that those businesses that survived the recession tended to have deep and committed relationships with their clients and colleagues.

When I think about my business today, I am grateful for the business relationships that I have, and many of them have grown into friendships. When I was working in the corporate world, we were taught to keep a high-level “professional relationship” with clients and colleagues. We didn’t talk about being authentic or really connecting with our clients, we were just taught to close the sale. When I started my own business, I quickly realized that the corporate attitude wasn’t going to sustain me. Plus, being in business can be lonely, so I quickly reached out to others and started to build long-term business relationships.

Recently a business colleague reached out to me through LinkedIn. LinkedIn is a social networking tool that allows you to build your network of business relationships online. I’ve been building my LinkedIn account for years and have just recently passed 500 connections. When this new colleague reached out to me, he pointed out that he was impressed with my 500 connections. While the number was great, I was even more excited about the fact that those 500 connections represent business connections with individuals that I value at a deep level. Unlike Facebook where I have some contacts that I barely know, LinkedIn holds my treasured group of business relationships that have helped me grow my business to where it is today.

Those relationships have lead to incredible synchronicities and opportunities that I only dreamed of when I first started my business. Your relationships are like an invaluable asset that just keeps growing as you invest your time and energy. I have found that there are five key strategies to easily and effortlessly build strong business relationships-with intention.

• One: Connect with Intention. Connecting with intention requires active listening skills and being present in the moment. It is easy to be preoccupied with other things that are going on in our lives, but if you are always thinking about the past or the future, then it is impossible to be present. Others can feel whether or not you are present , and if they feel that you are disconnected, they pull back, stopping a relationship in its tracks. Be present, ask great questions and take the time to get to know someone.
• Two: Be Authentic. Mike Robbins once said, “Be yourself, everyone else is already taken.” In business, there is a lot of pressure to “act a certain way” or model other’s behavior. However, I was listening to a speaker recently and she said that the more authentic she is on stage, the more her sales increase. I have found the same to be true. The more authentic I am, the more “me” that I allow to show up, the more clients and speaking engagements I receive. People sense when we are “faking it” and over time those relationships will fizzle away.
• Three: Deepen the Relationship. Once you have connected with intention and started to get to know someone, what should you do next? Unfortunately, we have short memories, and we can quickly forget about that “great person” we met at our last networking event. The truth is, they probably won’t follow up with you, even if they want to. Why? Because they are really busy and have been swept back into their business the next day. It’s your job to follow up and build the relationship, don’t rely on them to do it. Lead the way and set the next time you will meet. My guess is they will be really grateful that you took the lead. The more that you take the lead to cultivate your business relationships, the faster you will build your network.
• Four: Go Beyond Expectations. These days it’s not enough to just keep your word; that’s a given. The key to building long and lasting business relationships is to go above and beyond expectations. For example, you could invite someone to be a guest at your table for your favorite charity’s annual event. Or, you could offer to assist them with a challenge they are having in their business. There are many ways that you can go beyond expectations, just choose one and deliver!
• Five: Be Committed and Available. In a sea of emails and voice-mails, it can be difficult to stay in touch with new business colleagues. However, the beginning of the relationship is when you really need to stay in touch. If they reach out to you, respond immediately or at least within twenty-four hours (this is a great rule, anyway). Make sure that they know they are a priority to you. The more committed and available you are, the more they will trust you and you will be building a long-term, fruitful business relationship.

Action Item: Reach out to five new business contacts this week and schedule a time to meet with them. Determine who you would like to have long-term business relationships with. Then, take the lead and schedule the next time to meet!

As you are meeting new people, it’s important to recognize and filter those individuals to build a business relationship with. Not everyone is a good fit for you, but you will recognize those individuals who are willing to receive support from you and also willing to give as well. Excellent business relationships are built over time. Invest in them just like you would a 401K – knowing that they take time to build and you might not reap any rewards for a long time. However, there will be those people who will really surprise you. They will invest a lot in you and the growth of your business. And, you might just become great friends!

Sales Expert Ursula Mentjes will transform the way you think about selling so you can reach your goals with less anxiety and less effort! The Founder of Sales Coach Now, Co-Founder of Top Sales Call, as well as an inspirational speaker, bestselling author of Selling with Intention and One Great Goal and a Certified Sales Coach – Ursula specializes in Neuro-Linguistic Programming to help clients double and triple their sales FAST. Ursula also serves as President Elect of NAWBO-CA

Bidding Opportunity for Small Businesses

This information is shared by NAWBO-IE Corporate Sponsor Metropolitan Water District:

4 Tips for Marketing “Write” on Social Media

Let’s face it: we’re living in a society of likes, links, friends, fans, followers and tweets. If you have no idea what I’m talking about, then clearly there’s no wi-fi connection in the cave where you are living. And you’re certainly not running a successful business from there, so come out and get social.

According to Nielsen’s Social Media Report Q3 2011, nearly four in five active internet users visit social networks and blogs.

A study done by AOL and Nielsen found 27 million pieces of online content are shared daily in the U.S. The key to using social media effectively for your business is providing content of value. Your clients and potential customers want information they can use and share with others. Being the provider of the information, your credibility gets a huge boost and could ultimately lead to new sales or repeat business. That being said, your ability to write well is tied directly to your social media marketing success.

Here are four tips to help you write to win on social media.

1.     Write a hot headline. So you’ve got great information to share, but if you don’t get the reader’s attention, who cares? A compelling headline is your chance to hook ‘em, so pique their interest with keywords they are interested in and power words that get them motivated. Be careful not to be misleading, though. Make sure your content delivers what your headline says. Jazzy tip: Need inspiration? Check out the tabloids. Hate them or love them, they have the best headlines.

2.     Write in a conversational tone. As tempted as you may be to post pages from a technical report full of jargon (yawn) or that perfectly scripted corporate sales presentation, don’t do it. Social media is about being social, being a part of the conversation. Jazzy tip: Read your writing out loud before you hit the share or tweet button.

3.     Write information that is “scannable.” People do not read at length on social media. More often than not, they scan. So write in a way that readers can easily skim your content. Rather than a long article, present your information in chunks of text that are more manageable to read and easy for readers to digest quickly. Try writing short sentences and paragraphs, and use bulleted lists and subheads to help identify key information. Jazzy tip: Include links to more detailed information and articles, such as a link to your blog.

4.     Write and then Edit! Edit! Edit! Just because it’s online content doesn’t mean you can forego the all-important step of editing. If you don’t take the time to check spelling and punctuation, prospects may not take the time to get to know your company. On Twitter you only get 140 characters to get your message across, so eliminate delete unnecessary words. Jazzy tip: When crafting your tweet, edit down to 120 characters, leaving enough room to be re-tweeted.

Bonus tip: Add images or video. On Facebook in particular, image posts receive 54% more engagement than text-only posts.

For more tips on writing for social media and to learn the dos and don’ts, register for Writing Your Way to Results” a half-day workshop presented by Joan Burke Stanford of Jazzy Pen Communications and Carolyn Ortman of CKO Marketing Group. This exciting, info packed workshop delves deep into writing content that takes your marketing efforts to the next level. Visit www.writingforresults.ezregister.com

Joan Burke Stanford, founder of Jazzy Pen Communications, is more than a professional writer/editor. She’s a communications stylist who ensures that business owners rock the marketing runway with their best words forward. She writes the content they need to get the results they want. For a jazzy article, blog post, newsletter, tagline or other communications project, visit www.jazzypen.com