Deborah Hanchey over at My WP Works recently completed the Virtual Event Specialist program through the VA Classroom and offered to try out her new skills for me. I, of course, chose to talk about my favorite subject: social media.

We cover a lot of ground in 17 minutes, from statistics, to why you need social media, to how to plan your social media activity.

It’s all valuable information, so please take a look. I’d love your feedback!

This week is so exciting for me – in a stepping outside my comfort zone kind of way. My new 2010 series of free monthly teleseminars starts on Thursday, and I am so thrilled with the prospect of doing this that I’ve kind of got butterflies already! I am meeting a number of great people during this process, and I’ve gotten tons of welcome advice and assistance in putting it all together. Each month I’ll be sharing a lot of information about marketing your business, and often the topic will be related to social media. This link has all the details about the first call.

If you have questions about why you should be marketing with Facebook, I’d love to hear from you! Leave me a comment and I’ll address that on my call this week. Or if you have other marketing questions, let me know those, too.  That might wind up being a great idea for another month’s free call.

Now, back to the Olympics…

It’s Sunday night, a great dinner behind me, and here I am back at my desk. A Battlestar Gallactica prequel is on and I am looking at the week ahead of me. There’s a lot on the calendar page. A whole lot. And there’s more to do that isn’t on the calendar yet. Need to write it all down or something will get dropped along the way. Do you ever have weeks like that?

My current system is using the calendar that is built into Outlook. For years I carried a Day Timer (corporate hold over) and then a slim Day at a Glance notebook. When that quit working for me I started putting everything into Outlook. I print the week out each Sunday night and then write in additions or changes as the week progresses. The back is usually filled with notes from a phone call or brainstorm session I had, and gets filed appropriately. What do you use for a calendar?

Funny thing I just noticed. Facebook time doesn’t show up anywhere on my calendar, yet I seem to find myself there way more than I should be. I’ve taken to communicating with some clients and business colleagues via Facebook now instead of email. Do you wonder if Facebook is going to replace email?

I’ve asked lots of questions tonight. I’d love to hear your answers!

This morning I taught a group of two dozen local contractors about social media. The class met their CEU requirements for the year, so it was a mixed bag of interest levels. Many did not even have websites, and some didn’t have an email address. Since I knew that going in, I was happy to entertain them with lots of examples of why and how they should consider social media as a marketing component. While preparing for the half-day class I found lots of good examples of how contractors around the country are using videos, blogs, Facebook, and Twitter. I am so thankful for how social media has changed the face of my own business, how I market, how I learn, and how I can help my clients. My Twitter and Facebook connections have proved to be the major source of information for me and I am grateful for how willing people are to share what they know. Social media also provides the socialization I crave while working from home. It’s the tool I didn’t know I needed until I found it!

Last week was one of the highlights of my business life. Two big things happened. First, I taped my first radio show interview with Gary Calligas and “The Best of Times Radio Show.” It aired on Saturday morning. (This is a local AM radio station, not internet radio.) Of course the subject was social networking and related internet topics. I had a great time answering questions and seeing how Gary does his magic. He has broadcast over 700 shows, and I was thrilled to be part of it. I’m hoping to get an MP3 before long so that I can share parts of the show with you.

The second big thing was my first trip to Los Angeles, and my first conference as a business owner. I’ve been working with Kelly O’Neil and one of her coaches for about 4 months now. Her program is how to market to the affluent. Thus, her retreat was called Marketing to Millionaires. I was there with 50 amazing business owners, including some big names like Beth Schneider, Melanie Benson Strick, and Kevin Nations. Kelly has a gift with marketing positioning and strategy, and totally “gets” the affluent marketplace. I absorbed the information like a sponge. Day Four was all Beth Schneider. I have been following her for about a year on Facebook, Twitter, and her ezine, so it was a big thrill to see her in action as she stepped us through creating systems for every aspect of our businesses. We will definitely have to have a post or two on systems. Muy importante!

Needless to say, I am on cloud nine after meeting so many powerful entrepreneurs. The others at the retreat will support me as I go forward in my own business, and I am happy to be back in my home office with a renewed confidence and plan for the coming year.  If you want to take a peek at what the retreat was all about, check out Kelly’s newly announced University products. They are making a difference for me. Maybe for you, too. There is a 25% discount code if you are interested. M2MK09
Marketing to Millionaires Mastery University Homestudy Courses

2009 has been the year I really invested in myself and my business. On January 2, I started looking for a business coach to help me. For a number of months I worked with AssistU founder and Virtual Assistant coach- Stacy Brice.  Not long after that began, I won a three month small business coaching program scholarship with the amazing small business coach Allison Babb. We met originally when she was looking to hire a VA. Between these two coaches I got really clear on my strengths and target market. Investing the time and money was a very smart decision.

Like many small business owners I listen to lots of teleseminars and read a ton of information by successful internet marketers. At the beginning of the summer someone new came onto my radar- Kelly O’Neil. It was at a time when I was determined to take a significant leap forward with my marketing efforts. I jumped at the offer for a new 6 month coaching program. The many coaching sessions, mastermind groups and calls each month have solidified some great ideas for other side businesses, and I am enjoying the support as I create new offerings.  One of the things I have added to my business is speaking and teaching small business owners who are stuck in the 20th Century with technology. I have, therefore, developed solutions that teach them about current internet and social media marketing techniques. This works really well with my current VA clients, too.

Last week I decided to go to my first coaching retreat. While it was not on my list for 2009, the event very quickly was decided upon, and travel plans were made. It was explained to me this way: do you want to take baby steps in your business, or do you want to leap up the ladder of success? The answer was obvious to me, and I know the retreat will be an amazing opportunity to connect with other small business owners who are growing their businesses, too.

So, what are you doing to leap up the ladder of success? How have you invested in yourself this year?

A couple weeks ago I conducted a social media presentation to a large group of business owners from my area. Shortly thereafter one of the attendees became my client. She wanted some help boosting her internet presence. We started with a great strategy session and brainstormed a lot of ideas. Well, earlier this week I received an email from her bragging about the videos she had made showing multiple applications for her product.  After viewing them, one of my friends said, “She could be the new Billy Mays.” I think she’s right!

Here is the link for one of the videos.  NokOut There are several additional videos already listed on You Tube, and she is adding more in the next week. I was so proud of her and the videos that I wanted to share them with you. They are only 1 minute long, but definitely get the message across. Each video shows a different application for using this product.

If you have a product to sell, why don’t you make some videos. Create a free You Tube account, upload the videos, and then start spreading the word on your blog, Facebook, Twitter, and put it on your website.  Ask your clients and customers to send in videos they have made using your product, too. Be creative – have a video contest perhaps. Videos can be used for teaching, giving a look at your restaurant or store, or explaining something new.  All you need is an inexpensive video camera ($150-$175). If you want to do some simple editing, there are a variety of software tools that you can use. My favorite is Camtasia Studio. You can use it for editing both video and audio, and at $299, it’s been a nice tool to add to my business.

Good luck with your own video marketing. Just be careful what you create: You Tube is forever.

I hope y’all have had as fulfilling a week as I have. It’s been so busy – in a good way – that I haven’t slowed down enough to post until now. Yesterday was my Lunch & Learn at the Small Business Development Center here in town. They are housed on the LSU-Shreveport campus, and since I have a growing relationship with both the University and the SBDC, they asked me to offer a class to their business contacts. The topic was my signature speech, “Three Reasons Your Business Should Use Social Media.”

After talking to over 30 eager business owners I drew two names (from their business cards) to receive a free 30 minute consultation with me. There were lots of good comments and participation from the group and that really gets me fired up. Being out of my home office is a very welcome change.  Working from home is great, but I miss the interaction with real people. All of you work-at-home people know what I am talking about!

If you have a business or are thinking of starting one, then by all means contact your friendly, neighborhood SBDC. They have lots of free classes, some for a small fee, and they offer excellent information and resources on a variety of important topics. I took a couple of classes when I first started my business, and took advantage of free counseling with their business consultants. Here’s a link to the Louisiana SBDC page, or google to find your own state’s website.

Thank you, SBDC!  Have you taken advantage of their offerings yet?