For busy brands and business people, maintaining a social media presence can be a drain on time and motivation. From the thousands of replies that come in every morning to the endless pitches, requests and questions, keeping up with your audience can seem more like a task than a worthwhile activity. Social media is all about communication, but when you’re forced to communicate with thousands of people at once the entire point can seem lost and difficult to cope with.

That’s why the top social media users optimize their online presence. While it’s essential to know your audience for a good online career, it’s much more important to live a life that doesn’t revolve around serving their every need. If you want to minimize your social media commitment while maximizing the results, these simple optimization techniques can help you decrease the amount of time required to respond to messages, limit your incoming email, and allow you to focus on your projects rather than your audience.

#1: Be clear about your communication limits.
Half of the reason that major bloggers and social media experts receive so many emails and requests is that they don’t specifically and explicitly ask not to receive them. Your audience is going to respond how you let it respond, and without setting limits on emails and personal contact it’s easy for that communications channel to spiral out of control. Focus on what you want from your contact, and make it clear to your audience that some types of contact might not get a response.

#2: Limit your distractions.
Wasting time on distractions and non-essential activities can cost you a lot of valuable time and lost potential income. We’ve all had days that end up wasted in front of the computer, and they’re never the ideal outcome. By limiting your social media distractions you can avoid these productivity nightmares and focus on projects that are more important to you.

#3: Don’t follow everyone that follows you.
When you listen to everyone, it’s impossible to focus on what matters. Sure, they’re your audience and your followers, but two-way contact will always end in missed opportunities and wasted time. To make your audience more controllable, focus on following only the people that you truly want to hear from. If someone out there has a message that’s absolutely essential for you to hear, rest assured that it will find its way to you – those things always do.

#4: If you have to, selectively outsource parts of your social media presence.
Tim Ferriss took outsourcing to new levels in his book ‘The Four Hour Workweek,’ and while it drew controversy, it drew many more adopters. Outsourcing isn’t particularly difficult, and when managed properly it can save you a lot of time. If you’re not a fan of hiring outside help, there are hundreds of programs and plugins that could save you valuable time. Want to alert incoming email that you might not be able to respond immediately? Set up an auto-responder and program it to let people know you’ll get back to messages as soon as possible. Hire a virtual assistant to help manage many of your social media marketing tasks that don’t involve pretending to be you or communicating as you. Small automations and outsourced tasks can end up saving you hundreds of hours of time every year, so be sure to experiment with them.

Written by Andrea Kalli
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Andrea Kalli is the owner of Andrea Kalli Virtual Trainer and Assistant, LLC, the Outlook, SharePoint, and Business Technology Podcast, and the Small Business Podcast Directory.

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I stole borrowed my son’s Mino to talk about it… did I think it lived up to the hype? Hmmm….

Resources:
Jamie’s Blog – Blog Jamie Blog
Flip Mino – on Amazon
Flip Ultra – on Amazon

Written by Candy Beauchamp
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Candy Beauchamp is the owner of OffAssist Virtual Bookkeeping, and chief question answerer at 2 Minutes With A VA.

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Did that title give you pause?  Many people struggle to answer this question.  Sometimes referred to as your elevator speech, or infomercial, having a smooth and easy to understand response will really go far in helping people to know who you are and what you have to offer.

Here are five things to consider in crafting your 60-second infomercial:

1. Who is your target market?  While I can open my informercial by saying, “although I have clients in almost every industry…” – you still want to focus on your niche or target market to help people think of who they know that could benefit from your services.  If you’re still not sure, analyze your current client list and see if there is a particular industry, or type of client that seems most logical to your offerings.
2. What problems does your target market have that you can solve?  Keep it simple.  Come up with one or two things – don’t overdo it – less is more!
3. How do you solve these problems?  Again, don’t come up with a laundry list of products/services, just enough to whet the appetite so they’ll want to find out more.
4. Mention something specific that speaks to results, like: ‘many of my clients say their sales increased at least 20% as a result of working with us’.
5. End with either a memorable tagline, or a question – like – ‘is that something that might be of interest to you or someone you know?’

Once you have it setup, print it out and practice it (and time yourself) several times until you have it pretty well memorized.  You don’t want to come off sounding too scripted, but you will need to get comfortable with all the aspects so that you’re sure to hit all the points you need to in your time allotment.

Once you have this mastered, you will want to cut the content even more, for a true elevator speech – which is usually only 30-seconds in length.

Finally, especially if you attend networking events regularly, you will want to have several different versions for answering the questions numbered two, three, and four above.  This gives people the opportunity to hear more about the additional services/products you provide.  If you only talk about one specific product or service, they’ll believe that’s all you offer and you could be leaving potential sales on the table.

With a little bit of work, and practice, you’ll have the perfect 60-second infomercial that helps people immediately recognize what it is you do, and who they need to refer to you.  Word of mouth marketing is the most cost-effective way to market your business.  The infomercial is the best tool to close the sale!

Jeannine Clontz, IVAA CVA, MVA,  EthicsChecked™, owner of Accurate Business Services is a Virtual Assistant (VA).  ABS provides ‘as needed’ marketing support and consulting to busy entrepreneurs.  Clontz is a writer, author, VA Coach, and speaker on business topics including business ethics. For her free 10-Step Guide to Finding the Right VA, or her FREE Report, Social Media Marketing Benefits, visit:  http://www.accbizsvcs.com, www.VAbizcoach.com or her book website http://www.entrepreneurialfreedom.com

Written by Jeannine Clontz
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Jeannine Clontz, owner of Accurate Business Services, co-author of the book Entreneurial Freedom, a coach at VABizcoach and blogs over at VAbizbriefs.

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I had my third baby a couple of months ago…so I am in the midst of all-baby-all-the-time mode. And, of course, being a geek transfers to parenthood, too.

All of my kids are close in age (3, 2 and the baby), so the infant stage was still pretty fresh in my mind. But, it still took us some time to get used to the tracking and transfer of knowledge that comes with having more than one person taking care of him.

For example, I have to make notes so I can keep my husband in the loop about when the baby ate, slept, and had his diaper changed. Plus, because of some special needs, we need to closely track other things like when he took his meds, how often he spits up, contact with allergens (he’s allergic to latex) and any unusual behaviors.

I did pen and paper, and tried emailing the notes from my BlackBerry, but it’s just annoying and time consuming to keep track like this. Not to mention on the days we’ve had the grandparents help out…I swear, I had to write pages of notes to make sure they knew everything they needed to know.

So I found this site — Baby-connect.com — which seems to have solved my problems. It’s a free site that lets you track and share vital information about your baby. Here are some features of the site from their website:

• Easily track feedings, diapers, sleep, activities, mood, temperature
• Easy to use! Log entries with just a click
• Easily view entries from current and prior days
• Email reports to spouses, doctors and nannies/sitters
• Upload photos
• Enter free-form notes
• Indicate and modify the time of an entry
• Upload child photo, indicate birthday, blood type and allergies
• Bottle size Unit: oz or ml, Time Format: am/pm or 24
• Track as many babies as you like
• Setup as many parents and caregivers as you like
• Send entries to twitter
• 60 built-in activities descriptions
• Display real time log of activities during the day

And here’s a screenshot:

I signed up and have been playing around…I’m really impressed with the functionality. I’m especially intrigued with the iPhone app since I may be making the move from BlackBerry to iPhone soon. But more on that in my next post.

Anyway, pass this site on to new parents or even those who have multiple caregivers for their older children. It’s a time and sanity saver!

Written by Alyssa Gregory
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Owner of avertua, LLC, author of VA Secrets Revealed, founder of the Virtual Assistant Hub, blogger at the Small Business Idea Generator, and a whole bunch of other stuff!

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I’ll show you mine if you show me yours

Written by Candy Beauchamp
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Candy Beauchamp is the owner of OffAssist Virtual Bookkeeping, and chief question answerer at 2 Minutes With A VA.

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Happy 2010!  It’s still amazing to me that we’ve finished the first decade of the 21st century.

So, if you’re like millions of people around the world you resolved as the new year came in to get healthier.  And, if you’re trying to get moving and watch what you eat what better way to help you with that then some apps for your BlackBerry to help you along.

Most weight loss experts will tell you (and most people who have successfully taken off weight will agree) that keeping a food journal is a great help in watching your food intake.  Being the geek that I am I have a few requirements for my food journal:  1.  It needs to be “techy cool” 2.  It needs to have a web and blackberry sync 3.  It needs to be easy to use.  I’ve tried some computer based applications, I’ve tried BlackBerry only applications but I want something with both options.  Well, I found one and it’s FREE:  Calorie Counter by FatSecret.  FatSecret has an iGoogle add-on or you can use the website.  It also has apps for the iPhone, BlackBerry, Android, and iPod Touch.  I love this app (and website) for helping me track my food.  Calorie Counter is available for free at the BlackBerry App World.

FatSecret also keeps track of your exercise and calories burned but to help me track my walking, cycling, and running I use Bones in Motion.  It has a website to track your cumulative mileage, etc.  But, the BlackBerry app (also free) uses the GPS capabilities to track your average speed, distance, time spent walking, and the amount of calories it estimates you’ve burned.  It can also give you audible warnings at certain mile markers if you desire.  One cool feature (if you like to go on long excursions) is a tracker online that you can give your family.  It’s password protected so it’s not like anyone can see where you are but if you have the app running your family can track where you are on your walk/run/ride (I will admit that I haven’t used this because I haven’t had a need to have someone know where I am — but it is a cool feature — I wouldn’t mind if my friends who do the Ironman triathlon had this so we could figure out where they are).   Bones in Motion is free and available at BlackBerry App World as BiM Active.

So, here’s to a healthier, happier, and thinner 2010!

Written by Lanel Taylor
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Lanel is the lead bookkeeper at Taylored Office Solutions, Inc., a virtual freelance bookkeeping company she launched in 2002.

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As we get ready to dive into 2010, we’re making our resolutions, identifying our goals and getting ready to make the year a great one. One common resolution small business owners make is to find a way to spend more quality time with their family. This is a big challenge, especially for those of us who work from home and constantly fight the work/life balance issue.

But there is a way to merge the two facets of your life — family and work — to create a harmonious solution. Depending on their age, your children may have some understanding about what you do, at least from an observer’s perspective. By opening the door to them and giving them an opportunity to get involved in your work, you are sharing an important part of your life and letting them see a whole new side of you.

Here are some of the biggest reasons to let your kids have a hand in your work:

• It lets them see how you work.
• It teaches them responsibility.
• It lets them experience the pride that comes with completing a project.
• It gives them an opportunity to learn about business.
• It helps them appreciate what you do every day.
• It allows them to spend some quality time with you.

A toddler can…

• Put paper in the recycling container
• Carry files to your desk
• Help you open and close file cabinet drawers
• Stack books in piles

A school-age child can…

• Fill your pencil holder with new pens and pencils
• Alphabetize your files
• Collate and staple reports
• Stamp letters and seal envelopes
• Count pages and inserts

A teenager can…

• Shred documents
• Type letters and memos
• Mail packages
• Enter data in a spreadsheet
• Purchase supplies
• Complete online research
• Scan photos and documents

• Paying them for their time
• Letting them pick what they would like to do in the office
• Creating “work hours” especially for them, once or twice a week
• Telling them what a great job they are doing

You can even set up an area in your office where they can do their own homework while you work. And don’t forget to turn off the business mentality and remember it’s not about getting as much done as possible; it’s about learning more about your kids and sharing a special time…just between you and them.

Written by Alyssa Gregory
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Owner of avertua, LLC, author of VA Secrets Revealed, founder of the Virtual Assistant Hub, blogger at the Small Business Idea Generator, and a whole bunch of other stuff!

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For the past year, we have seen the Twitter phenomenon sweep the world in quite an impressive way. In just a very short time, this social networking site that also doubles as a micro-blog has become one of the most popular sites on the Internet. One of the reasons for Twitter’s appeal is its simple and straightforward approach. For starters, account registration is free completely hassle-free. Once you are registered, you can start searching for other Twitter users to follow and invite them to follow you as well.

Most people who use Twitter do so in order to keep in touch with friends and family. They send updates, called tweets, to let people know what they are up to, as well as receive tweets from users they have chosen to follow. However, many people are also using Twitter for more than personal purposes. For business owners, Twitter has become an essential tool for promoting their products and services online.

Although the basic processes of sending tweets and following users are the same, there are a few things you have to do differently if you are planning to use your Twitter account for business purposes. For one thing, you want to be visible to a wider group of followers and not be restricted to people you already know personally. A great way to do this is with the use of @replies.

An @reply simply means affixing the “@” sign before a user’s name and inserting that before your reply. In order to make the most of @replies on Twitter, you have to use Twitter’s search feature regularly. Find tweets related to products or services you are offering and respond to users who posted related tweets by using @replies.

For example, let’s say you are running a party-planning business. Search for tweets of people posting questions on how to prepare for upcoming birthdays or special events. You can respond to a user who posted by sending her an @reply containing a link to your business website or blog. Your response can be something along the lines of, “@busymom for birthday or party planning tips and professional advice, check out <your url here>” Since the user asked a question, you will essentially be just answering her and your post won’t be considered as unsolicited advice.

This is why @replies are very useful. Instead of simply advertising your products or services to strangers out of the blue, which a lot of people don’t really appreciate, you will actually be providing them a solution to a problem they do have. With the @replies, you will also be addressing the user who posted the question directly, making it less of an advertisement and more of a helpful gesture.Another advantage of using @replies is you don’t necessarily have to be someone’s follower in order to send her @replies. On the contrary, you can even use these @replies to further expand your contact list on Twitter. The more @replies you post, the more people will be able to see you. If they find your @replies or tweets to be quite interesting or relevant to their issues, they may even choose to follow you on Twitter.

Since Twitter is a rapidly growing website with more than two million users, the opportunities of reaching potential clients is limitless. If you use the features of the site properly, you can expand your business tremendously in no time at all.

Written by Andrea Kalli
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Andrea Kalli is the owner of Andrea Kalli Virtual Trainer and Assistant, LLC, the Outlook, SharePoint, and Business Technology Podcast, and the Small Business Podcast Directory.

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Just a little opinion (and rambling) post from me today…

Resources:
Flip Video Camera: http://www.theflip.com
Jamie’s Blog: http://www.blogjamieblog.com
Zoobuh Kids Email: http://www.zoobuh.com

Written by Candy Beauchamp
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Candy Beauchamp is the owner of OffAssist Virtual Bookkeeping, and chief question answerer at 2 Minutes With A VA.

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Using an eZine (Electronic Newsletter) as a part of your overall Internet Marketing plan can be a powerful way to achieve your marketing goals. Less experienced marketers commit a number of common mistakes that may cause your targeted list to opt-out.  Here are several common mistakes to avoid in your eZine campaign.

1) Sending Out Promotions Rather than News

All Internet marketing, including your eZine, should focus on building long-lasting relationships with your subscribers over time. If your eZine message is consistently aimed at prompting an immediate sale, you’ll find a steady stream of subscribers opting out.

To build a loyal following, design your eZine campaign to provide content and resources that will help spark interest in your product or service by subtly providing them with topics that show the benefits of your offerings.  For example, if you’re a business coach, sharing information that your target market could benefit from, will quickly show them you are an expert in this field. This will eventually lead to a positive action on their part, i.e. contacting you for professional business coaching.

2) Not Focusing on Subscribers

When organizing your eZine campaign, provide relevant and up-to-date content written in a way that speaks to your subscriber’s needs, never on your business offerings. People don’t care much about what your business can do for them, but what they can gain by building a relationship with you, that may ultimately lead to working together.  Using our coaching example above, sending valuable resources and information about challenges your ideal client may face would be better than just an announcement about your next program. By providing relevant content in a timely manner, subscribers are more likely to be loyal to your eZine campaign.

3) Making it Difficult to Opt Out

Your eZine success is not driven by the number of subscribers on your list.  The quality, not the quantity of your subscribers is far more important.  Making it difficult for people to unsubscribe can potentially lead to disaster.  Beyond annoying and alienating potential prospects, it will be more difficult to track your eZine results.  Allowing people to easily unsubscribe keeps your reputation intact and allows you to achieve optimum response rates.

It is perfectly understandable for you to want to make the most out of your eZine campaign as quickly as possible, but don’t let that allow you to defeat its entire purpose. Realize that it takes some time for eZine marketing to produce optimum results by making sure it’s implemented correctly. To keep you focused on the desired result, avoid these mistakes that eZine marketers often commit when running their Internet campaign.

Jeannine Clontz, IVAA CVA, MVA, EthicsChecked™, owner of Accurate Business Services is a Virtual Assistant (VA).  ABS provides ‘as needed’ marketing and social media support, training and consulting to busy entrepreneurs.  Clontz is a writer, author, VA Coach, and speaker on business topics including business ethics. For her free 10-Step Guide to Finding the Right VA, or her FREE Report, Social Media Marketing Benefits, send a request to:  service@accbizsvcs.com or visit:  http://www.accbizsvcs.com, www.VAbizcoach.com or her book website http://www.entrepreneurialfreedom.com

Written by Jeannine Clontz
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View her complete profile here.

Jeannine Clontz, owner of Accurate Business Services, co-author of the book Entreneurial Freedom, a coach at VABizcoach and blogs over at VAbizbriefs.

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