Successful Small Biz

An overview of Social Media & why it is...

Sun, 04 Sep 2011 23:18:00 -0400

An overview of Social Media & why it is important:

«Social Media Revolution: Is social media a fad?

Or is it the biggest shift since the Industrial Revolution? This video details out social media facts and figures that are hard to ignore. This video is produced by the author of Socialnomics.»

“Social Media has overtaken porn as the #1 activity on the web.”

Guest Post: Marketing and Social Media Go Hand in Hand.

Wed, 25 Aug 2010 21:43:54 -0400

Marketing and Social Media Marketing are a tight relationship that you absolutely must use in your promotion and branding mix. There are many social media networks. Twitter, Facebook and Linked In are the most popular right now, but new ones are coming on the scene every day. Social media is not an option anymore. It is an absolute must in your marketing mix. It is not going away, it’s the wave of the future and not to be underestimated. You will never regret entering this new arena – all you need to do is shed your inhibitions and jump right in!

Marketing and social media are unique and stand alone when it comes to your online presence. With Social Media Marketing your message goes out to millions and it doesn‘t cost a thing!
All it takes is a little time to build relationships by being authentic along with a little transparency on your part – which is something you will get used to doing. Nothing will happen. The world will not end if you share a personal comment on your social networks regarding your latest idea or product – be yourself and walk it out with confidence and watch it pay off.

Use Twitter for Microblogging – this is the best thing since peanut butter. You post interesting statements, reply to others and you will get followers. On Facebook add friends and friend others. You will get the hang of it. There is nothing to fear. Never wing a comment that has no purpose – it’s to easy to create one that does. All you do is take part in conversations between friends online. Participate in what they talk about – get them engaged and engage with them. This will grow your business.

Social Media Marketing is essential for your business. Remember, it’s about relationship building not blasting you product links. People enjoy hearing from you and if you do a good job of getting the message out they will come back for more. Building a credible and trustworthy online presence and reputation will convert to sales.

Celene Harrelson is the Founder/CEO of The Happypreneur.com. Her passion for helping work at home women over 50 succeed in business has turned into her mission. Celene has discovered through her own journey that baby boomer women have a different set of challenges than younger women who want to build a home business. The Happypreneur’s purpose is to help women find joy and fulfillment working from home. http://thehappypreneur.com

Watch “The Why Movie” and get your Free Report “7 Secrets To Work At Home Success For Women Over 50″ by clicking this link: http://is.gd/bgos2

Help Me Help You

Tue, 24 Aug 2010 15:24:00 -0400

Do you want to run for political office?

Do you want to sell more jewelry or sock monkeys or paintings?

Do you want to boost awareness about your current business or neat idea?

If so, then I want to help you. For free. Especially if you live in the Asheville, NC area.

Help me help you. Leave a comment, send an email, direct message me on Twitter, find me on Facebook.

Why do you want to help me, you may ask?

I love meeting people who are happy with their jobs.

I don’t meet as many of these people as I would like.

If you have an idea you are passionate about, I want to help you make it a reality.

1)Because I love talking about this stuff and 2)because then there will be more people who are happy with their jobs and doing what they love in this world. Woohoo!

This sounds really cheesy and I might be skeptical if I didn’t know me.

I’m pretty intense, and when I get excited about something, I go all out.

I’m really good at making things work. If I put my mind to something, I will make it happen. That’s how I launched my own dog walking business fresh out of college. I only service clients within biking distance of Haywood Road. Do you know how tiny that target market is? If I can make a living off of that, I can help you make a living off of whatever it is you’re passionate about. Try me.

Or, if you’re nervous about contacting me, just read this book.

Crush It the book

Penny for Your Thoughts: Personal Branding & Small Business

Fri, 20 Aug 2010 11:29:00 -0400

If you’ve read the “Welcome” post on this blog, you’re probably already aware that I am now launching my own small business consulting service specializing in advanced internet marketing due to the immense success & great results I’ve received marketing my own pet sitting business online.

Well, my own success is a big part of the reason I’m launching this consulting company.

The other big part: I love Twitter, my iPhone, my MacBook and may or may not be addicted to the internet. I could talk about Twitter apps for hours. I could critique various changes to Facebook for days.

So now, after building up such a buzz about my local pet sitting business, I’m working on building up a buzz about my consulting services.

I’ve been reading the book Crush It, which is absolutely amazing, wonderful and inspiring. It’s completely the perfect book for me to be reading right now, and backs up pretty much every aspect of my own internet marketing strategy that I implemented with my pet sitting biz.

But now I find myself trying to carve out an identity as a small business consultant. To others of you who have done this or who wear multiple hats: how do you do it? How do you separate “pet sitter you” from “consultant” you?

I wonder about this both in real life and online.

Any other folks who run multiple business or have multiple identities they like to represent? How do you do it? What works? What hasn’t worked?

When is it good to keep things separate and how do you do so?

Fave Twitter Apps for iPhone

Thu, 19 Aug 2010 10:43:51 -0400

What’s your favorite Twitter iPhone app and why? I’m a diehard Twitterific fan, but I’ve heard good things about the official Twitter for iPhone app, Echofon, and Tweetdeck.

Any other good ones to try out?

Twitter movie trailer. I want to marry this video.

Thu, 19 Aug 2010 10:12:05 -0400

Twitter movie trailer.

I want to marry this video.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE INANIMATE OBJECT?

Wed, 18 Aug 2010 18:26:21 -0400

My bicycle. Or my iPhone.

Am I allowed to have two favorite inanimate objects?

I vote yes.

Welcome

Wed, 18 Aug 2010 12:05:19 -0400

Welcome to the Successful Small Business Blog!

Please bear with me as I work out the kinks. By “work out the kinks”, I mean: wait for GoDaddy to activate the free hosting plan, figure out if the free website builder will be any good or free at all, develop a logo, register a business name, craft a website and ultimately offer you the finest & spunkiest small business consulting services around.

Yes, I said spunky.

If you’re looking for folks to talk to you about ROI and SEO and throw a bunch of technical jargon at you: you’ve come to the wrong place.

We’re here to help those of you who have already started or developed a clear idea for your business, and maybe you’ve already even created your website. (If so, then Kudos to you as you are off to a fine start.)

Tip #1 from the Successful Small Business Blog: You cannot be a competitive business in the 21st Century without a decent website.

It doesn’t have to be fancy, it doesn’t have to be expensive. To establish yourself as a legitimate business, however, you at the very least need a basic, easy-to-navigate website.

I don’t offer web design because it drives me crazy and it is not something at which I excel.

I excel at coaching small business owners by helping them establish a brand & a reputation for themselves online.

I specialize in advanced internet marketing, but the hitch is just this: you might not even know you need advanced internet marketing.

Internet marketing is one of the most affordable, most intuitive, common-sense, most critical ways of promoting your business and establishing a name for yourself. For me, it is also a great deal of fun.

Are you a small business owner who’s heard of this “Twitter” nonsense, but doesn’t really understand how it’s supposed to work for you?

Or maybe you’re already on Twitter or LinkedIn, but you’re a little curious about this Foursquare business.

Speaking of Foursquare: If you run a local business and are not already curious about Foursquare, then you’re missing out. The first five people to leave a comment on this blog post get a free half hour consulting session with yours truly. Default topic: What the heck is Foursquare and how can you use it to increase sales and, most importantly, customer loyalty.

If you’d rather learn about something else (why it’s critical that you maintain & regularly check your social media accounts once you’ve created them, for example), by all means be my guest! And if I’m not an expert in that particular area, I will refer you to at least two other folks who know more about the topic.

So to repeat: The first five people to leave a comment on this post get a free half-hour consulting session with me!

Let’s hear your small business concerns, woes, headaches, heartaches, frustrations and questions. I’m happy and eager to help!

PS: “Who are you?”, you may ask, and “Why don’t you have a halfway decent website with an ‘about’ page?”

Answer: I am a successful small business owner who blows her competition out of the water in terms of internet presence. I run a local dog walking & pet sitting company, and I absolutely love brainstorming with other local business owners about what they can do to improve get the word out about their business and make more money.