… and Developing a Loyal Following by Heidi Richards Mooney

Virtual social networking is a great way to meet people around the corner or around the world.  What better way to reach out and touch someone in the 21st Century than the Internet? Heidi Richards Mooney
 

The Internet has brought about and continues to provide many opportunities for us to network without leaving our office or our home. In fact, almost any form of Internet presence can offer opportunities to network. And the goal of Virtual Networking is to “get noticed,” to meet people and to develop relationships on your own time and in your own space.

Look for groups where people you want to get to know “hang out.” You can start by searching in your favorite search engine (such as Google or Yahoo) for your professional affiliation or business expertise and you may find more resources than you will ever be able to review.  They can include associations, schools teaching your topic, online communities, competitors and colleagues, resource sites, job posting sites and publications. Here are a few other ideas for virtual networking sure to get you noticed:

a.     Blogging – the ultimate networking tool. It is a great way to expand your social and business universe. You begin to establish yourself as an expert or a highly credible advocate of a subject matter you have knowledge of and/or experience with. Others begin to gravitate within your blog-o-sphere and you within theirs. And bloggers love to interact with their readers. Just read the comments of some of the popular blogs such as LipSticking with Yvonne DiVita or Problogger with Darren Rouse.  Check out the latest list of Women Bloggers 2 Watch to get some great ideas and make great connections.   I have interviewed several of them and many have in turn started following my blogs. It’s like a mutual admiration society made of people who love to share information and other blogger friends with the world.

b.    Forums and bulletin boards– Finding the right forums and sticking with them, “hanging out,” and participating in the discussions, with the same people will, over time help you increase your sphere of influence. Be careful not to be too self-promotional when posting – in most cases it is not allowed and you will find yourself banned from participating.  However, you can have a brief signature line with your name and company affiliation (and maybe a URL).  I recently found a forum called SAM (Starting a Magazine)  a forum created by Magazine Launch.   Since I publish WE Magazine for Women – Business & Lifestyle Magazine for Busy Women on the Move, it made sense to join a professional forum of peers ~ professionals who also publish magazines.

c.     Chats – Many online communities offer chats on specific topics.  Participating in membership-driven chats offer the best opportunities for good exchanges and forming professional relationships.  Bryan Person just started the Twitter Community Chat which is a weekly online chat that takes place on Twitter and focuses on the Business of Online Communities. My friend Carol Deckert has an open business networking and relationship building chat “room” on Skype at http://www.runlancaster.com/skype-room/networking . There is also the Unofficial directory of Public Chats which may help you find a chat topic of interest in Skype. And then there’s Biz Wiz which offers a variety of business related topics at http://www.bizwiz.com/cgi-bin/chat.cgi

d.    Speaking of Twitter ~ Twitter is the hottest social networking site today! It seems that everyone is getting on the Twitter Bus! Including Me.  According to their site:  “In countries all around the world, people follow the sources most relevant to them and access information via Twitter as it happens—from breaking world news to updates from friends.”     I joined Twitter a year+ ago and in January of 2009 became an active Twitter user.  Read my story: The Twitter Phenomenon and see why I am a Twitter fanatic. BTW, If you are not on Twitter, or you are confused about what it can do for you, check out my Tuesday Twitter Tutorials.  I offer a one hour hands-on workshop on how to set up your Twitter account, how to find and follow people and how to create a following that will become loyal fans, prospects and customers.

e.    Join online business or social networking communities such as RYZE, LinkedIn , Xing, Facebook, ecademy  and more.  Many of these sites also have subgroups made up of people with a specific focus and similar interests.  Or you can join a non-specific group to gain more knowledge, exposure and contacts.

f.    Give something of value away, online – The Idea Virus by Seth Godin sold more than a million copies because he gave the ebook away online, and allowed others to do the same by sending it to their own sphere of influence. He sold so many hard copies because people simply had to have their own.  He has used this same strategy with subsequent books, with similar results. Seth has met thousands (perhaps millions) of people this way.  I know, cause I have contacted him and had a couple of great conversations. Free Works!

g.       Find people to interview – The Women’s ECommerce Association, International hosts 3-4 monthly teleconfernces and webinars and interviews women from around the world.  Members of the association are invited to attend and bring along friends to the events.  They are highly interactive and many a good business deal has been created.

h.    Host a radio program (or be a guest) - Very similar to the idea above except that the event is transmitted online either live or in an archived file to be heard later. Blog Talk Radio is a perfect venue for being a host or a guest.  I have several friends who host regular radio shows.  Beverly Mahone hosts her weekly Passions Show,  Lorraine Cohen hosts Powerfull Living. And Pat Lynch, who I consider the trailblazer in online radio has hosted an Internet Radio show for years called Women’s Radio show.  You can look at the archives for a list of more than 1,000 radio shows. In addition to these listed above, I have also been a guest on Webmasters Radio, By For and About Women, Women’s Avenue, Product Sellers Radio and dozens of others.  It’s a great way to meet the media gain traffic to your website and establish yourself as an expert in your field. 

Here are a few other tips for virtual networking success:

• Be careful when posting the same message to several groups. Ask the moderator of each group for permission first otherwise you will be considered a “spammer,” and be banned.

• Keep your cool. If you become angered over a post, take a deep breath and consider your reputation before responding.  If you must respond to a post in a negative manner, it might be wise to send an email directly to the source instead of for the “whole world” to read.  I have seen moderators quit and reputations ruined because people lost their cool.

• Don’t lurk. Lurking is hanging out, reading posts and never participating.  It is okay to lurk when you first join so you can get a feel for the content and the people. However, in order to make any kind of impact, you have to get involved because people do business with people, not names on a list.

• Be brief - keep your messages short and to the point. I have seen many a long post that could have been edited down to a short paragraph or a few sentences.  Some people just like to see “see themselves speak.”

•Practice common courtesy, be polite and friendly. Be generous.  If you have knowledge that could benefit the group, share it. Givers get more than takers.

“Virtual” social networking is a great way to extend your reach beyond your local community. The Internet offers all of us the opportunity to go international if we so desire.  You can meet people around the corner or around the world.  What better way to reach out and touch someone in the 21st Century than the Internet?

Feel free to follow me on the following social networking sites:

Facebook
LinkedIn
Xing
Twitter 
RYZE 
ecademy 
MySpace   

It would be an honor to connect with you! Feel free to share your social networking links in the comments section below.

BTW, if you have not yet read the book Twitter Success Stories, I highly recommend it. You will find out how 17 entrepreneurs (myself included) have used Twitter to Promote Business.

When I began my networking journey, I attended any and all networking events as time permitted.  Every event was fair game!  Today I am much more strategic in my networking endeavors.  I discovered which events and organizations gave me the best return on my investment of time as well as how to be an effective, caring networker.

In order to know where to begin you must first understand what networking is and why it is important to grow your business.  Networking in its purest form is simply talking to people, making connections and developing rapport to grow our circle of influence. Business networking is essentially the same except that our primary objective in business networking is to help us grow our businesses. For most of us, building a network means meeting people we can do business with or who will do business with us, or refer people who will do business with us; our ultimate goals.

There are many different types of networks.  They can include learning networks, education and research organizations, trade associations, local, regional and national organizations, chambers of commerce, community organizations, business groups, focus groups, religious affiliations, hobby groups, collectors societies and many more. In fact, some of the best networks are those created by people who own and run their own businesses. When you create valuable networking relationships, you build them on a foundation of mutual trust, sharing knowledge, experiences and resources to help one another grow your businesses by either referring one another or doing business directly with one another.

It works like this:  If you do a good job, one customer might tell three to five of her colleagues, family and friends about you. Whereas, when you build a network of say 10 to 20 strong advocates, they may each tell only one person about your, whereby your “exposure”  is now more than doubled. Growing the right network, the ultimate in “word of mouth” marketing takes place. You promote your network, and your network promotes you.  

Have you ever attended a BNI or Le Tip or other form of structured networking groups?  Perhaps you are already a member of a similar group.  If not, you might consider becoming involved in one to these tried and true business networking groups. These groups invite business professionals to join on an exclusive basis.  That means, that if you are a chiropractor and become a member no other chiropractor will be invited or allowed to join.

These groups have regularly scheduled meetings (anywhere from monthly to weekly) with a list of rules and objectives to which you must abide.  In some cases, a minimum number of referrals is required to participate.  In others, simply doing business with one or more in the network is all that is asked of he members.  However, keep in mind that for this type of networking to be worthwhile for all parties, each must make every effort to do business with other members of the group.

If this form of structured networking isn’t for you, there are other options for finding potential networking venues and partners.

Here are TEN ideas to help you on your way to networking success.

1.    Develop a joiners mentality. By that I mean, don’t just sign up to get our name on a roster.  REALLY JOIN.  Get involved. Participate in discussions, events and BE VISIBLE.  The saying “out of sight, is out of mind,”  holds true when it comes to networking.  I have been involved in groups and decided to take a hiatus from attending for 2 to 3 months (and sometimes more) only to have people come up to me and tell me they forgot the name of my business so they had to find someone else either through a friend or through the local phone book.  BUMMER!

2.    Attend networking functions.  These can include Chambers of Commerce meetings, after hours socials, ad hoc committees and special events task forces. 

3.     Get involved in a community service group such as Kiwanis, Lions, Jaycees, etc.

4.     Volunteer with a non-profit organization, whose mission you are passionate about and believe in.  People who have similar passions will want to do business with you.

5.     Host events – I started an event called Goddess Gatherings more than 2 years ago in my home.  It is an intimate gathering of women (8 max.) who share a common interest and/or wish to expand their own circles. I invite women who do not yet know one another although they may be familiar with their names.  These women are women in my circle of influence either directly or indirectly (they are either members of the 22 groups I belong to and attend regularly or they are part of a circle within these groups).  I might invite a “surprise” guest who can entertain the women  - such as a masseuse or tarot card reader-  or feature a business such as a jeweler or make-up artist. This helps make for a memorable evening and the women either start their own Gathering or look forward to being invited to another gathering hosted by either myself of one of the women in attendance. 

6.      Look for ways to cross-promote with businesses that complement yours.  For instance, a spa might join with a health food store or restaurant and promote their products and services for staying healthy. A salon might join a florist to promote weddings or proms and a realtor might join with a mortgage broker to promote a “one-stop” experience for home buyers.

7.     Interview others.  A great way for me to network is to interview women for projects I am working on.  Since most people are flattered when you ask their opinion about something or experiences in life, this has been a great means of increasing my own circle for various reasons. I might interview a woman (or even a man) about an article or book I am writing, or a seminar I am developing.  People love to share their stories. I tape the interview (with their permission, of course) and give them a copy afterwards.  It helps to have a list of questions ready prior to the interview, however, unless they insist, I don’t give them the questions ahead of time. I have done these interviews via phone, email as well as in person. Many of the women have since. You can read and print out my Checklist for Planning a Worry-free Interview here.

8.    Be a resource - let people know you are a person who “gets things done.”  Share your knowledge, your resources and your own network. Doing so will ensure that your network will increase in both quality and quantity.

9.    Join online business or social networking communities like Facebook, LinkedIn , Xing, Twitter , RYZE , ecademy , MySpace  to name a few. Many of these groups have niche or topic specific subgroups made up of people with a special focus and similar interests.  Or you can join a non-specific group to gain more knowledge, exposure and contacts. For more information on virtual networking, read my article: Virtual Networking - 7 Ideas for Making Connections Online and Building a Loyal Following.

10. Make a point of attending one new networking event a month just to “check it out.” Make a list of the people you know, the organizations you have heard and read about and the companies who currently do business with you.  These are all great resources to tap into to find new venues to network.  Get the local newspaper and look at the organizations and businesses hosting events to which the public is invited.  Attend them.

The best networking begins with planning and taking action. Being strategic in your planning is important to your ultimate success as an effective, caring networker. 

©Heidi Richards Mooney - is a Professional Speaker, Business Coach and the Author of 8 books including: “Quirky Marketing ~ 365 Ways to Promote Your Business Using Zany and Non-traditional Holidays” at www.QuirkyOffer.com.  She is also the Publisher of WE Magazine for Women a Business and Lifestyle Magazine for Women on the Go. WE Magazine regularly showcases women in business, women on a mission and women on the move working and doing good for their communities, their business and the world.

If you have spent any time on Twitter recently you know how addictive it can be. Because its free and the very nature of Twitter provides instant gratification, Twitter can downright disrupt any plans you have to get REAL WORK done.  Or not. 

In fact, if you get really involved in conversations or reading what others are posting, searching for new people to follow or finding new apps you know that the time seems to fly by.  May be why they use the little birdie as their logo???) *SMILE

I know I have.  I go on Twitter to post one or two things, maybe reply to people who have sent me a DM (Direct Message) or see what the top ten topics of the day are.  And then it happens! I get all caught up in the moments (or hours) and pretty soon its time to get dressed or put my jammies on or eat dinner (or breakfast) and viola’. Ten hours later….. Well maybe not ten hours, but more than one.

This has been happening all too frequently lately and I knew that I had to do something about it.  I must say here that I absolutely love Twitter and have received MANY benefits since really diving into the conversations and becoming familiar with the terrain. But (and this is a BIG BUT), sometimes I spend so much time on Twitter that I don’t finish the things I need to do for me and once or twice for clients.  I can use the excuse that I am learning, which is true. And yet, it has been interfering with other important things in my life.  So I decided to come up with a system to help me manage my Twitter time online.  

So I came up with a twelve step program for maximizing my time both on Twitter and when I’m not. Each step has the 140 characters or less (BOLD) lead in and then the explanation following.

Step 1 ~ Know what you can and cannot change on Twitter. You can change your posts (before you post) and even trash them when you don’t like them. But you cannot change what others say about you. You can, however CONTROL what they say, by being considerate, kind and brief. That’s why 140 characters work so well. People have to be really succinct in their posts and replies. I think Twitter has made me a better writer. You can read My Twitter Story here: http://speakingwithspirit.com/the-twitter-phenomenon/

Step 2 ~ Manage your twinterruptions. Interruptions include things that come into your inbox related to Twitter and not. Did you just read a great article about how someone has used Twitter to gain new clients, find new followers or some other tips that could help YOU too?  Instead of reading it right then and there, put the email into a folder or somewhere in your email management system to refer to later at a scheduled time.

Step 3 ~ Make Twitter Time Your Time. Create a schedule and stick with it. We all have 24 hours in a day and hopefully sleep for a few of those. We need to schedule our Twitter time just as we schedule our work and play time.  Even if Twitter is part of your work day, you will find yourself being much more effective when you put Twitter time on your schedule. This allows ideas to germinate and form that you can then share with your followers or implement once you do get on Twitter.  The other thing it does is gives you more energy and focus so you don’t have distractions from the “outside world.”

Step 4 ~ Get up and move around.  That’s right! Get out of your seat before you tweet! Sometimes I can look at my computer screen and cannot think of the next thing to say. Other than what I had for lunch (that’s a topic for another time). Walking around helps the creative juices flow freely and when you sit your butt back down, you are much more likely to come up with just the perfect phrase or content to write about next. 

Step 5 ~ If you have notifications on auto pilot (such as Tweetdeck) dramatically reduce the notifications you receive. Or turn them off all together. There is a time and place to review your notifications and it’s probably not when you are having lunch with one of your best clients.

Step 6 ~Focus on the things you really NEED or WANT to know about. If you are following hundreds or thousands of people who don’t offer value or help you expand your mind and resources, you can do a couple of things. You can unfollow them (which will cut down on the type of conversations you would rather have in your spare time) or use a system like TweetDeck which allows you to multiple topics and people at one time. For more information on Tweetdeck read “All Your TweedDeck Questions Answered by Richard Barley at http://www.richardbarley.com/2009/02/22/all-your-tweetdeck-questions-answered/

Step 7 ~ Make a List before you login to Twitter for the day.  Write down or at least think about what you want to accomplish before you login to Twitter. This will help you focus better and spend more quality time online.  I write a daily list of articles to posts, people I want to connect with and topics I’d like to learn more about and share with my followers. This is also a great way to increase your followers because they become familiar with what you are all about and look forward to what you say. I have a folder in my outlook where I save everything I want to share on Twitter. Its also a great way to build content to share.

Step 8 ~ Use #Hastags to easily locate topics you are interested in following.  An easy way to follow your favorite hashtags is to go to search.twitter.com, and enter your tag into the search box.

Step 9 ~ Set the Alarm when you Twitter.  Because of Twitter’s addictive nature, if you set the alarm and decide how much time you want to spend on Twitter you are more likely to pay attention when it goes off. Unless you do what I do and Ignore it!

Step 10 ~ As with any 12 step program, we need “sponsors” others we look up to that are achieving what we want to achieve. Help others help themselves. My philosophy is to live, learn and pass it on.

Step 11 ~ Stick with your plan.  If you know what you want to get out of Twitter, it is much easier to do this.  It’s also easier said than done. We are human and we love conversing with others.  But if you want to really make Twitter work for you, don’t allow your involvement to stray from your bigger goals.

12 ~ Share these 12 Steps to Managing Twitter Addiction with others. Like this:  A 12 Step Plan to Manage Your Time and Effectiveness on Twitter ~ http://tinyurl.com/dm49e9  When you find a good resource and share it with your followers you become a hero – or at least quotable (retweeted). So pls RT!

Is it time to find a Twitter Anonymous Meeting?

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

What do Nametags, Old Rocks and FM Radio Have in Common?

Fort Lauderdale, FL (Monday, February 23, 2009). They are all actual recognized holidays and events around the globe. In honor of Quirky Marketing Month (March), Heidi Richards Mooney has announced the launch of her latest ebook, Quirky Marketing: 365 Ways to Promote Your Business Using Zany and Non-Traditional Holidays. Quirky Marketing is not about your run-of-the-mill everyday marketing tactic.  It is more than that.  It is a combination of the creative, zany and off-the-wall.  It’s the ordinary marketing tactics taken to a new level - to create a more inspired, fun and interesting process for marketing products and services.  In the 2009 edition of Quirky Marketing you will read about 12 months of quirky, zany and creative marketing ideas from around the globe.

Here’s an excerpt from Quirky Marketing: Did you know that March 5^th is Nametag Day? Want some media attention? Do what Joe Porcelli from Neighbors for Neighbors  did.  Joe wore a nametag every day for the entire year of 2007 and got coverage which sparked other companies to jump on the Nametag bandwagon.  Wyndham Price Agency and the Norwich Bulletin of Massachusetts provided free nametags during the week leading up to Nametag Day. People dropped by Wyndham to collect their name tags and the Norwich Bulletin put a nametag ready to use right on their front page! There was a complimentary edition of the Norwich Bulletin delivered to all non-subscribers in Colchester. And the local Parks & Recreation hosted a wrap up Nametag Day event on Tuesday, January 23rd. at the Colchester Youth and invited people to share their unique experiences of wearing the nametag for a day and meet new people too.

Other “Events” in March that marketers could capitalize on and promote their business include: March 3^rd is Unique Names Day - Have customers call in about their names (their origin, why they were named that name, etc.) or have them post them online and have a contest for the most unusual name. March 4th is OLD ROCKS Day So what can you do on Old Rock Day? In this day of WEB 2.0 and new media and social marketing, we often loose site of some of the classic, time-tested marketing techniques we used effectively in the past. March 25^th is Kick-Butts Day – on this day you can join the “non-smoking revolution” and March 26^th is Make up Your Own Holiday Day!

In addition to 365 Ideas to promote your business, inside the 2009 Edition of Quirky Marketing is an outline of how to use the calendar, how to work with the media, monthly action plan templates, a blank monthly calendar and more. At the end of each chapter is a comprehensive listing of additional holidays the reader can explore and use to promote his or her business. And more than 100 media and marketing resources are included in the Resource Section.

Quirky Marketing is published by WUN Publications, a company that publishes books, by, for and/or about women. To contact the author/publisher, write Heidi Richards Mooney at P.O. Box 550856, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33355-0856 or call her at 1-877-WISDOM7 (947-3667) or visit: www.QuirkyOffer.com.

# # #

Yesterday I had the privilege to speak to the National Association of Women Business Owners about Using Social Networking to Grow Your Business. What was interesting was how excited everyone was about the topic and in particular TWITTER.

So I thought I’d post My Twitter Story Here:

Everyone is all atwitter about Twitter now. It’s the THING. Twitter and other social networking tools are changing the way companies and individuals do business, get information, and communicate.
What I’m trying to say is that if you’re not currently on Twitter, now is the perfect time to check it out.
In February 2008 my good friend Roy Montero (known as the Twitter Guy) said, run, don’t walk to Twitter and get your name. I did and then pretty much did nothing. That was at the same time as Twitter hit the Tipping point with 1 million users. I got my name, posted a few resources and continued to do so about once or twice a month until January of this year. And then something Amazing happened. I had just completed my latest book ~ Quirky Marketing, 365 Ways to Promote Your Business Using Zany and Non-traditional Holidays and was busy promoting it.

I asked of few of my online friends if they would put in a good word to their own networks. Some sent emails, some posted a review to their blogs and others Tweeted about it. On February 5th just under a month ago, I had a little over 400 followers and when the book launched on February 6th my followers started taking off. Today I have more than 1,800 followers. When I noticed that my follower list was growing I decided to give each of them a gift and gave away Chapter 1 of Quirky Marketing (grab your copy here).

Followers started Tweeting about Quirky Marketing. And buying it! In fact, I can directly link 60% of my sales to Twitter. Another thing I did was almost every day I post a “Today is” and tell what’s historically special about the date on my blog Redhead Marketing listing the zany holiday and a marketing strategy to go along with it. The post auto-magically appears in my timeline on twitter and my followers read about it. That has really helped to drive traffic to the sales page and to the blog. For instance, Friday March 7th is National Be Heard Day! - Shannon Cherry, a Media expert and Co-author of GET MEDIA SAVVY! has created a special day to help YOU get the word out about your business, your products and services. It is National Be Heard Day. And it is being celebrated on Friday, March 7th. Here’s what Shannon has to say about it: “What is it that makes you remember one business and not another? Regardless of what they did, they somehow created excitement.”

They somehow got to your emotions and created a buzz inside of you. They got heard! How can you create excitement for your business? Well, for one, you must avoid herd (as opposed to heard) mentality. Just because something works for one, does not mean it will necessarily work for another. … National Be Heard Day is one of the holidays that appears in Chase’s Calendar of Events, has been recognized in New York State, and has gotten amazing media coverage including being featured by the Associated Press.” In 2008 in celebration of National Be Heard Day, Shannon gave away more than $3,500 worth of marketing tips and tactics for free. That’s right! FREE! Check out her site on March 7th (Startup Spark) to learn more, and to bookmark her blog.

Yesterday, just as I was finalizing my notes for today’s presentation, a TWEET came through from Buzz Marketing Daily – it was a list of 25 Innovative Ways Companies are Using Twitter (That You May NOT Have Heard of Yet). Here are a couple of examples from that list: @MarquetteTurner is a realtor in Australia who uses Twitter for listings AND to rebroadcast local news. @ScienceChannel solicits content for its weekly segment, “Geek Out,” on its traditional TV show, Brink and @NWWeddingPlace includes a “Daily Love Tweet” to promote its wedding planning business.

If you own a business of any size and you’re still not Twittering, you’re missing out on what amounts to a global virtual chamber of commerce networking event you can access anytime, day or night. Only on Twitter, you don’t shake hands or swap business cards — you exchange links to your Web site, blog, e-books and other digital products and more.

As a business tool, Twitter can help you: Find new clients, Make new contacts with other business and thought leaders like Tim Ferris or Only2Clicks or Peter Shankman of Help a Reporter Out, stay on top of breaking news events and other news in your industry.

And if you have a question about something all you have to do it post it and someone will answer. With Twitter you can generate story ideas if you need fodder to write about. With Twitter you can definitely build your brand. Companies like Intuit, Wachovia, Southwest Airlines and Comcast all have a huge presence on Twitter. Twitter helps Drive traffic to your Web site, Improve your writing and my personal favorite, learn about new tools such as Utterli (share text, posts, video from your mobile phone), roboform and Twitter Feed.

With Twitter you develop relationships 140 characters at a time. So, if you are on Twitter (and I hope you are) feel free to follow me - http://twitter.com/heidirichards and http://twitter.com/WECAI. 

Happy Tweetin’!

Heidi

ps. Just last week Only2clicks added me to their list of Women on Twitter to Follow! AMAZING women and I am among them. Whoohoo!

“Cross promoting with other businesses can give you a significant advantage over the competition, with many benefits and cost savings.”  ~ Heidi Richards Mooney

More and more competition in the marketplace is making it necessary for companies to find creative ways to connect with customers and prospects, to enhance brand identity and attract top-notch employees.  In order to enhance competitiveness in today’s marketplace, more and more companies are forming strategic alliances. Strategic alliances can maximize your position in the marketplace.  When you learn how to leverage partnerships you increase your market share.  It is also a very smart way to grow a small business.  Cross promoting with other businesses can give you a significant advantage over the competition with many benefits and cost savings.
 
A strategic alliance is based on an arrangement between two companies to combine resource that will help both gain a greater share of the market.  They are often formed when one business alone is unable to fill the gap in serving the needs of the marketplace.  Forming strategic alliances can save time and boost productivity.  It enables companies to be more efficient and concentrate on the core strengths in developing their products and services.  These alliances can be formal (partnership agreement is put in writing) or informal (a handshake is all that is necessary to “seal the deal”). 

There are several ways you can collaborate with another business or individual to increase revenue, traffic, and even expertise to your business which ultimately will increase the value to the end-user (customer). 

Find the Right Partners

Collaborate with a well-known company - Most small businesses benefit from partnerships that add value, prestige and greater credibility to their own endeavors.  Associating with a well-known business can give your company instant credibility and exposure.  It’s not always about the bottom line.

Collaborate with Your Best Customers – Look at the company or companies who do the most business with yours.  Work with them to solidify the relationship by offering them more than just good products and service.  Make it nearly impossible for them to consider going anywhere else.  Continually asking them why they do business with you and why they stay are the best ways to keep them. 

Collaborate with the Nonprofit Community – Joining forces with nonprofits can increase your circle of influence and your visibility in the community.  For more ideas on cause-related marketing, send a message to Heidi@self-marketingnews.com with “cause-related marketing in the subject line.

Collaborate with a Former Employer – You offer a product or service the former employer needs and provide it to them.  You become a subcontractor or vendor to them.  One of my dear friends worked for a fast-food company as their corporate trainer.  When she decided to go into business for herself, they hired her to continue to provide training to their employees for several years.  As her first major contract, the collaboration they created started her company on the road to success, and she still travels and does work for them.

Collaborate with a Competitor – Believe it or not, competitors can be very good partners.  For instance, they may offer a service or product you don’t or don’t wish to and vice-versa.  They may also have the ability to handle a larger “job” than your company.  Joining forces with another business on a project makes you look good to the customer.  You become the hero.  In 1999, I had the opportunity to provide all the decorations for a HUGE Floral Fair in Miami, Florida.  I knew my small company alone could not handle all the business.  So I called several other florists in the community whom I admired and who did similar work.  I subcontracted them to do portions of the project and get a piece of the action.  Because these were floral importers we were serving, the other florists had the opportunity to network with and find new suppliers of product.  It was easy to convince them to participate.  It was such a success, that it has been an ongoing project for several of the shops over the years. 

Think about the many businesses that are natural partners.  In the real estate field, realtors partner with one another when selling a house.  Florists partner with caterers, photographers and others in the event industry. Automobile insurance companies often partner with auto repair companies to insure their customers get the best service at a fair price.

In an issue of Entrepreneur Magazine, I read about a coffee company in New Jersey who became the ultimate collaborator.  The coffeehouse carries works from a local art gallery, has a reciprocal agreement with a local community theatre to offer significant discounts to their patrons, cross promotes with a local music store, book store, cigar shop, as well as many local nonprofits.

My flower shop has partnered with masseuses, welcome-to-the-neighborhood companies, travel agents, professional organizers, beauty salons, and realtors, and several nonprofits, to name a few.  We have collaborated on networking events such as business after hours and open houses.  We have promoted one another through door hanger campaigns.  We have given each other our coupons to distribute to other companies.  We have carried one another’s business cards and brochures to distribute to our respective clients and customers.  We have given away one another’s products to our customers.  We offer hyperlinks on one another’s websites to further promote each other.  The possibilities are endless.  Look for opportunities in your community that would be mutually beneficial to your partnership.

The real key to success in cross-promotion, is to collaborate with non-competing businesses that are going after the same client or customer base.  Choose businesses and people you trust.  The promotion should make sense to both partners.  It should be a true win-win for everyone involved. Plan the promotion and evaluate the Alliance on a regular basis.  Look for ways to expand your reach without increasing your overhead or debt.

©Heidi Richards Mooney - is a Professional Speaker, Business Coach and the Author of 7 books including: “Rose Marketing on a Daisy Budget ~ How to Grow Your Business Without Spending a Fortune.”  She is also the Publisher of WE Magazine for Women. Stop by http://www.speakingwithspirit.com to get a FREE copy of YOUR Marketing Calendar today!

Do you want to become a better communicator? Did you know that public speaking can be good for business? In fact, a few local groups have asked you to do a presentation. .. and you’re scarred to death! Your not alone. You have what is referred to as presentation anxiety. Larina Kase, PsyD, MBA, psychologist and business coach specializing in anxiety, says “I’ve learned (and research has shown) that people tend to overcompensate for anxiety which leads to more problems.” And we don’t need more problems, we need more business and our customers and clients need solutions. So how can you overcome presentation anxiety?

The number one thing you can do for yourself and for your audience is to be prepared! If you are prepared, you will have confidence knowing that you have done all you can to be successful in your presentation.

Here are some suggestions for being prepared:

#1 Join Toastmasters! In 1992 I was elected to become president of our local chamber of commerce. I have to tell you, I was terrified. Not of being president, of residing over the general monthly meetings. Up to that point I had chaired several committees and was quite comfortable leading small groups of 10 or less people, but 200! No way… my dear friend and mentor suggested I check out Toastmasters. So I decided to start a TM Club … and it was life altering. If there is a club in your area, run don’t walk to it and check it out. Nothing will help you gain more confidence than learning all the skills required to give a good speech, one you can be proud of.

Have something important to say. Something that will interest the audience and you are passionate about. When you speak you leave a piece of yourself within the hearts and minds of others - make it a piece worth keeping.

Practice, practice practice. I suggest you start practicing in front of a mirror. Watch yourself, the way you move, how you carry yourself. If you can video tape yourself, that is even better. Once you see the little habits you have, you can work to correct them.

After the mirror, I started with my dogs - dogs are great as they are not critical and they love everything we do. They make us realize it really is only a speech.

Give your speech in front of 1 or 2 friends or a family member. Set criteria. Tell them you only want them to listen and not critique. If you can take critique then ask them each for one suggestion for improvement and then work on that.

A speech coach can help you discover your style and then offer some specific advice on how to address the crowd, what your particular problems might be, and more.

Now comes “The BIG DAY.” Here are some suggestions for making your speech:

Don’t talk too fast. I find that newer speakers tend to talk fast … to get it over with. Practice speaking at a moderate pace.

Make eye contact with a few friendly faces in the crowd and talk directly to them.

Remember to pause. The pause is one of the most powerful parts of a speech. It makes people think you are thinking. Whenever I begin a speech, I look around at the entire crowd before I begin talking. This helps to find the friendly faces and it helps the audience connect with me.

Other tips to help you prepare.

Drink lots of water – dehydration will make you week at the knees, lightheaded and other physical challenges could result. Be careful not to drink too much not right before the program. You don’t want to have to deal with . another type of anxiety during your presentation
Get a good night’s sleep.
If you are speaking at a conference, or where other speakers are present, hang out with them and ask their advice and questions.

Some people find it helpful to eat a good meal at least one hour before your speech. For others an empty stomach works best.

Remember to breathe. I once gave a speech before a group of Trainers at the National Leadership Conference in Washington DC. I was so worried about doing well (after all these were people who always spoke in public) I forgot to breathe. After that speech I almost fainted from lack of oxygen. I had to lay down on a couch with a cold compress for more than an hour.

Visualize yourself doing well - and getting applause. The power of visualization is incredible. When asked, most athletes will tell you that when they achieve their goals, win the game, reach a milestone it is because they visualize themselves doing so.

Best of luck with your speech. You will be FANTASTIC!

Stay tuned for part two about Preparing your Presentation.

So I started doing reasearch around the idea of GETTING OUT OF THE DOGHOUSE. The first thing I did was look to see of there was already a similar holiday that would help us promote our retail florist. There didn’t seem to be anything closely resembling “Get Out of the Doghouse DAY.” So I decided to create the holiday.

My immediate goal was to raise awareness of this little known observance. To do that I had to think of a way to create a “buzz” among as many people as I could without costing tons of money in advertising.  It did that and so much more. Read on…
 
Around that same time I read an article while on a flight to Columbus, Ohio , entitled “Easy Criers.” It said that men who ride motorcycles are 5 times more likely to cry during a romantic movie than men who do not. That was according to Progressive Insurance who surveyed 1,000 men. I thought that if Progressive could survey 1,000 men then so could my staff and I! And we did! We interviewed more than 1000 people over the course of 3 months conducting about 85% of the surveys in person and 15% online.
 
The first two years of “National Get Out of the Doghouse Day®” we hosted contests to promote the holiday asking customers to send us their best dog tale. The contest was somewhat successful but didn’t create the “buzz” I was looking for. So in 2002, together with my team at Eden Florist & Gift Baskets, we created a survey. We quickly learned that surveys can be an excellent way to create buzz! We asked anyone and everyone to participate in answering the questions.
 
Most of the questions in the survey are of a demographic nature.  Except two. Have you ever been in the Doghouse and what do you do to get out of the doghouse?  That’s when the real FUN begins because some of the responses are hilarious. In fact, some people are shameless when answering, even providing “graphic” answers that would make a nun blush.
 
So, how DO you survey 1,000 people? Here’s what we did:

We interviewed  customers who ordered flowers, people who attended chamber meetings and trade shows, as well as business colleagues. I even interviewed people while standing in line at the grocery store, at restaurants, also in the waiting room of a hospital while visiting a family member (shameless, I know), and even on the airplane ride to and from Columbus, Ohio. Carrying and conducting this survey was a great conversation starter and succeeded in “creating the buzz” I was hoping for. We have made people laugh, reflect, and yes, even gotten some new customers which of course, was our original intent.

To see the results of the survey read our survey results at http://www.edenflorist.com/doghousesurveyresults.asp and the article I wrote based on the results: http://www.edenflorist.com/doghousearticle.asp

Here are TEN Tips to ensure a successful outcome for your survey:

1. Think about what it is you want to accomplish when composing the questions. As Stephen Coney says, “Begin with the end in mind.”

2. Make the questions easy to understand and brief. I re-worded the first survey after a customer didn’t understand one of the questions.

3. Keep it brief. I believe no more than 10 questions (multiple choice with one or two open-ended) will elicit the greatest response.

4. Ask demographic questions such as gender, age, and whatever else necessary to segment your market.

5. Catch their attention! Use something that stands out, such as colored paper when mailing the survey or handing it out. During the Miami Beach Chamber of Commerce Business Expo, my team and I walked around eliciting respondents, carrying hot pink clipboards with smiley faces and daisies all over them!

6. Give them something (a reward) for participating. We gave a coupon for free flowers; a rose during the trade show and those who participated online had the choice of several special reports.

7. Follow up! Phone calls, waiting for the responses, interviewing respondents in person, all ensure greater participation.

8. Discard those surveys that are incomplete or appear greatly inflated as they may throw off the results.

9. Conduct the survey in person, via fax, on line, and in mailings to get the greatest response. I asked folks to ask their friends and business associates. In return, I gave them something extra for the trouble (even though most people were glad to do it). This really worked to create a buzz among many offices.

10. Make it FUN! Ask at least one interesting question, instead of the usual boring survey questions. The question, “What would you do to get out of the doghouse? prompted a lot of responses.” Even though this question was the whole purpose of the survey, most people still responded with a smile or a chuckle.

The results of the mass media distribution were unbelievable! Since the inception of “National Get Out of the Doghouse Day®” (and month) we have received attention from a variety of media across the nation. Among them are “The Intelligencer” (New Jersey), “The Herald” (Miami), “The Sun Sentinel” (Fort Lauderdale), every year I have been interviewed on several radio stations and most important – we have experienced a definite impact on our bottom line!

If you would like to participate in our survey or see a copy of it, visit our website http://www.edenflorist.com/doghousesurvey.asp.  The survey takes less than 5 minutes to complete.

This report includes the How to’s for constructing your media release, as well as how to stress the benefits. Is it easy to read? Does it answer the 5 “w’s” (and 1 “h”)? Does it have a release date and contact information? Do you know what constitutes the news or what to do when the media covers your story? This report tells you.

Also included in this report:

*Tips for dealing with the media
*Tips for sending e-mail to the media
*The Marketing & Public Relations checklist
*A Media Release template and
*10 Tips to Insure Your Media Release Makes the NEWS

If you want to become the expert in writing media releases that have a greater chance of getting read and published, get your free copy of this 17-page report today! 

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Get rid of dust!  The computer itself can gather dust over time, which will make it slow down and even break down  - and it usually happens at the worst possible time.  The fan (which keeps the computer from overheating) can be a dust magnet.  Time to get out the canned air - sut down your computer, open up the case, and blow the dust off.  BTW, there are vacuums made specifically for this task, but i have found the canned air works best.  Of course you could also hire someone to do this for you.

Delete unwanted files!  If you have not done so in a while it might be time to check your temporary folder for files.  If there are any, time to delete them.  At one time I had over 500 temp files on my PC. When I deleted them, my computer started running faster.  To delete temp files you go to your Desktop, and open My Computer, right-click your C: drive, select Properties and click the Disk Cleanup button.  Make sure you only check the box marked “Temporary Files” before deleting.

Empty your Recycle Bin!  Your computer may be set to empty the bin at certain intervals however, when you delete a file, it doesn’t disappear right away.  It goes to the Recycle Bin to be retrieved for whatever period of time you set it to.  Items stored in the bin can take up space until you are prompted by Windows to permanently delete thes files.  You can change the settings so the recycle bin takes up less space on your computer (the default is set at 10%) and you can also manueally empty the bin.

While you are at it, clean up Internet Explorer’s history and cache.  You can do this from the start Menu - go to Settings, Controls Panel, Internet Options, and delete those Temporary Internet Files and Clear History. 

Toss your cookies!  If you are frequent browser, you can eliminate unwanted cookies from your cookie folder on your hard drive by deleting the cookies from sites you don’t visit on a regular basis. Here are some tools you can use for Automatic Cleanups (in case you don’t want to do them manually). 

CleanIt version 2.0 from Skylark Industries is an easy-to-use utility that locates and deletes files in your temporary folder.  Here’s the link: 
http://www.skylarkutilities.com/clean-it/home.html.

CCleaner is a freeware system optimization and privacy tool.  It removes unused files from your system - allowing Windows to run faster and freeing up valuable hard disk space.  It also cleans traces of our online activities such as your Internet history.  But the best part is that it’s fast (normally taking less than a second to run) and contains NO Spyware or Adware! :)  Get it at: http://www.ccleaner.com/.

If you prefer a commercial product that does more than some of the shareware applications, I recommend Spring Cleaning for Windows.  From deleting duplicates to archiving programs, Spring Cleaning puts a suite of easy-to-use tools and one-click solutions at your fingertips.  With Spring Cleaning for Windows you can find and toss duplicates and other unneeded files, remove internet files that expose your online activities, Monitor program installatiohns automatically, transfer programs preferences, settings and all, to a new PC, Backup and Restore any program.  Check it out at: http://www.allume.com/win/springcleaning/.

And finally, if you don’t want to do all this yourself you can hire an expert to do this for you.  The main thing is to plan to D & C your PC and increase your productivity immediately.