What do you think, would you like this holiday gift?

Well you can have it too. I just can’t record it for you with MY flipcam. Take a minute right now, get out your video camera or web cam and record your 1 minute business intro and post it as a response to this post on YouTube.

Wondering what I’m up to?????? Well here’s a video with a bit more info

I’m creating my plan now and will be implementing steps this month to ensure that once the New Year comes that I’ve prepared myself for success not failure.

How about you, are you already anticipating the New Year and the changes you’ll be implementing? Have you already started preparing your plan?

And that is when I met

I already mentioned above how I felt when Ann spoke that day. The points she gave us in that 30 minutes pretty much went against 50 – 75% of what I’d already put in place, but yet it all made sense to me. SO why do you think I kept following her online…why did I join her Blogger Monday community? Because she connected with me. That connection (one of MANY I made that day) came through and I (eventually) signed up for Ann’s Social Networking Coaching Club but under Ann’s first certified/licensed coach Louise Edington .. you see Louise was also at that conference, in that room when Ann spoke and at that bar after the conference. And we connected as well. She is the one who lead me, who guided me, through the free portions of the SNCC system. Why did she do that .. well I can only guess, but my guess is that I also made a connection with her. She knew there was more to Ann’s SoMe system and that I’d not only love the community that I’d find inside but I’d give back to it as well.

And I have fond just that … a great community of women that I look forward to seeing every time I am online — even if we don’t interact at the same space of time, we support each others posts, we comment on each others blogs we engage with each other … not because we are told to do so but because we have made a connection with each other. I’ve formed the beginnings of a collaboration with Rita Freay on a passion project, I always know my fellow night owl Jen Duchene is there with me online after the kids go to sleep, I’ve been nominated as fan of the week by Susan Berland … and yes I’ve gained so many tips and tricks from the system as well as more business already by using it … but more importantly I’ve gained SO MUCH MORE! And exactly what I needed. And I’m not even through the entire program yet! There are still so many more things for me to learn!

If you are looking for more to your Social Media presence than what you have now, check out Louise Edington’s SNCC spring specials with amazing deals on her trainings until the end of May. And connect with me there too! I’d love to add you to my list of online community contacts.

Have you ever found yourself in a community that made you wonder, “How have I gone without this til now?”

What I’m talking about is me. WHO I AM. Do you know who you are? Several times now I’ve played Ann Evanston’s WHO AM I game. She asks you to take a few minutes and write down a list of words of who you are. Then she sets a timer and waits. Well the first time I completed this game was at the BLP conference in September of 2010. Interesting outcome and ended up with me really starting to take a look within myself. Months later I finally signed up with my friend Louise Edington to learn Ann’s social networking system and in that 30 day intensive again I was asked, WHO I AM. Well, I thought … I’ve got this!!!! Done it before, got it now. right???? But after writing my list (for the 3rd time now) what I realized is that although I had looked inward and identified some issues I hadn’t made any changes. I was still stuck in my roles! What can I say, some people have thick skulls;)

So this weekend, amid the tornado of things that typically go on in my life every day, I made the change. My thoughts are not limited to what I do, to my biz or to being a mom. I am not my roles in life I am Yvonne Elm Hall and I matter! And I welcome you to MY blog!

Hope you enjoy my change and all that will come here in the future.

Are you stuck in your roles or have you too made the change?

Here are the questions and answers from the live Q&A.  I have consolidated some answers a bit so they read better as an article (vs. many short comments on the Facebook wall).  To see the entire Facebook Q&A go to the WIC Facebook page and look for the event that took place on March 17^th from 10-11am.

Q: I own a travel and e-commerce website. On my blog I post about everything from our broken education system to “do kids need recess and exercise?” I also blog about travel  - travel tips, my favorite places, etc. Is this OK or will people who visit my blog be unsure about what I actually “DO”? Is there some point in the future where my blog posts should only be about what I do or should I continue blogging about things I am passionate about?

A: Honestly it isn’t what you write about that’s the problem on your blog, it’s all the clutter that detracts from what you do. Write about what you are passionate about, but clean up the clutter and make it EASY for people to see your portals.

Q: If one knows nothing about SEO, how can they make sure they have keywords in their blogs to help them with page ranking?

A: Make this your best friend: https://adwords.google.com/select/KeywordToolExternal  First make a list of words you THINK are key – then look them up and see. Use keywords in titles, categories and anchor text on every post.

Q: Mine is not a question, but a blogging concern. My concern is with having enough content to post a lot because I know you’re supposed to post a lot to get up there in the rankings. And also, where do I get content that fits my niche?

A: I find when I really work with clients they have TONS to write about.  So a few things to think about: Post 3 times a week until viral, then less because blogging comments keep you in search engine rankings.  Consider the length of your posts, most are TOO long, aim for 250-400 words. Better to do more posts on the same subject matter than one long post to keep them coming back.  Your blog should also be about more than what you do – it should also be about who you are.

Q: I am in the process of converting my personal blog to a .com site. My business blog has the .wordpress.com tail on it. I can’t change that to a .com site unless I rename it which then kind of messes with branding. Do you see it as a problem in the future to have the business blog as a WordPress site?

A: If you go buy your URL hosting takes care of naming it, so why not buy the URL for what comes before the WordPress? I only recommend WordPress blogs to my business clients – it’s the best.  I 100% own warrior-preneur and it’s all on WordPress.

Q: Is there a best day of week/time of day to post new blog articles?

A: Tues-Weds-Thurs, and the SAME time of DAY, EVERYDAY, every TIME you post. It doesn’t matter the time of day, morning is relevant in a global economy, just consistency on when you post – readers come to expect it. As an fyi, Wednesday afternoon is the busiest on Facebook, Tuesday morning on Twitter.

Q: Is there a “perfect blog” that we can go look at to get an idea of what ours should look like for optimization?

A: No, no such thing really. It is best to know your brand and your target market and design for them. A 20 year old student is attracted to different things than a 45 year old mother of two small children.

Q: Whom do you recommend for hosting a blog?

A: Host monster.  I have been using them for a year.  It is reliable, has great customer service and affordable.

Q: What is the best way to attract people to reading my blog?

A: Things that impact readers on your blog: 1 – you moderate, 2 – no call to action. You should allow comments to post without moderation.  Also I find that engaging in the blogging community is the FASTEST way to get readers and a consistent following of fans.

Q: What are the advantages of doing video blogging? Do you have any “best practices”?

A: Video allows you to “double dip” into the LARGEST website – YouTube – another social media site. Same rules apply – keep videos short (2-3 minutes) and packed full of great information. I had a client that did one that was 4 minutes long.  We surveyed it and found most people did not finish it because they thought it was too long. Let’s face it – the social space is about great information in “sound bites”.

Q: Everyone I know who is an expert on building your own website says to buy the domain name from GoDaddy and then “marry it” to your hosting account. But host monster hosting comes with a free domain – should I still buy it from GoDaddy, and what are the advantages?

A: Well they are going to go buy it for you basically, which means they own the URL. I tell all my clients to buy and OWN their URLs. Don’t let anyone else own them. So buy from Go Daddy, then route to blog or website.

Q: Do you recommend creating some sort of content/editorial calendar for your blog?

A: I do! HUGE time saver actually, and it helps you prep your mind about “what” to write about. Mine is done for the year!

Q: What’s a good bounce rate? And what should you do if you have a high bounce rate?

A: This is a REALLY complicated issue.  But typically a high bounce rate means what you have set up for SEO which leads to clicks, is not what those people are looking for, so they leave immediately. But many other factors can play a part, design, flash, clutter, etc…

If you have other blogging suggestions, feel free to share!

*This article was originally posted on the Women In Consulting blog and has been modified to run here.

I want to share a few of the things I learned from some of the amazing speakers at Spark & Hustle.  So much of what I learned was entirely relevant to my life a business owner.

* Jessica Herrin, founder and CEO of Stella & Dot, spoke about “the upside of hope.”  She had a choice to take a stable, high-income position or go with an offer from a start-up.  She ended up choosing the start-up because of the  ”unknown hope”  that came along with a start-up that had no history, no stable and comfortable path.

*Jess Weiner, writer and Global Ambassador for the Dove Self-Esteem Fund.    Have you ever walked into a room and felt that you weren’t pretty enough, skinny enough, good enough to be there?  I have.  Frequently.  Jess writes about you, me and all of us.  She focuses on self-esteem & body image issues.  She works to motivate women and girls around the globe to develop tools for living a more confident life.  Jess said, “There is a grace in being imperfect and accepting that.”  One of my favorite quotes from the entire weekend came from Jess – “Fear is a downpayment on a debt you may not owe.”  Savor that one.  About succeeding in business and choosing the path that is right for you, she said, “You will have to disappoint someone else to make yourself happy.”  How true is that?  As women, we are all people pleasers.  We can say yes so easily, can’t we?  Even when yes is not the best answer for us.  I had the pleasure of meeting Jess after she spoke.  I told her that I owned five pizza places in SoCal and she got very excited.  She said her boyfriend and daughter are pizza fanatics.  And then I mentioned that we have a gluten-free menu and it turns out that she eats gluten-free!  I hope someday that I can hook up with Jess and feed her and her family.  That would be an honor!!!

* Nell Merlino, creator of “Take Our Daughters to Work Day,” which moved 71 million Americans to participate in a day dedicated to giving girls the opportunity to dream bigger about their future.  Nell is a powerful and engaging speaker.  I loved her from the second she opened her mouth.  She is a quintessential New Yorker – she tells it like it is.  A big point she shared was that most of us really only need a one-page business plan. Sure, the 30 page plan is great for those who will be dealing with venture capitalists and such, but for the average Jane, one page is just fine.

* Vivian Tenorio, owner of Signature Flan.  I didn’t write down any specific quotes by Vivian, but I can’t stop thinking about her.  Vivian was a young teenage mother who married her high school sweetheart.  Vivian never finished high school and she has no formal degree.  Fearing that her job as a software installer was in jeopardy due to the economy, Vivian decided to take control and start her own business.  She took her family’s flan recipe and turned it into a multi-million dollar business.

And, finally, Ann Evanston.  My social media mentor.

Ann rocked the room when she spoke.  She was funny, meaningful and insightful.  I have followed Ann since September, when I saw her speak at an event hosted by Bag Lady Promotions.  I cyber-stalked her for a while, watching her interactions with clients via Facebook and Twitter.  Every time Ann posted something about social media,  I found it relevant and important to me.  I made it official in January, when I joined Ann’s Social Networking Coaching Club.  Seeing her speak live again was energizing.  I am excited to dig into my work with SNCC.

When I think back on my weekend, I feel thankful.  Thankful to have the opportunity to be in that room and to hear all those incredible people speak.  Thankful to have found inspiration.  Thankful these women choose to share their knowledge and experiences with all of us at Spark & Hustle.  I look forward to taking all that I’ve learned and putting it into action with some Spark & Hustle!

Spark & Hustle is an ongoing event at several locations throughout the country.  This weekend, they will be in Tulsa.  To find an event near you, click here!

I did attend the conference hosted by BagLady Productions last September. It was an incredible day. I met people like:

Ann Evanston, who has become my social media mentor.

Justin Krane, a financial planning genius.

Louise Eddington, a blogger and great lady.

I learned a lot that day. I collected a lot of business cards. I made new friends. I stretched my wings a little further than usual and I liked it.

I recently had someone ask me this: Do you really want to call yourself a “mompreneur?” I was a little thrown off by the question. I wondered if “mompreneur” somehow has a negative connotation. I don’t walk around calling myself a “mompreneur.” This person also attended the BLP event in September. She was someone who could have picked up a lot of clients at that event; but somehow the word “mompreneur” turned her off and she felt that she didn’t connect with the group. Her loss.

About the word “momprenuer”…I like it! I used to be a tv producer. I was really good at my job. Really good. I loved everything about my job, except the fact that I had to exist in a world where tv production was perceived to be as important as brain surgery. It just isn’t. I survived (and mostly thrived) working for one of the craziest (albeit brilliant) executives EVER. After being laid off from the company that I had worked with for 8 years when I was pregnant with my twins, I knew I needed to do something better with my life. And then the twins arrived…and every category that I ever put myself into – tv producer, writer, etc. disappeared. I was mom. I was Adam’s wife. I am, still, both of those things – wife, mom. And frankly, marrying Adam and creating our little family was the best thing I’ve ever done in my life. They are my cake. Everything else is icing.

Icing: I was honored when Baglady’s Laura asked me to be on the BLP for 2011. I accepted, and have joined great company on the board: Stacy Butler,
Ann Evanston, Kim Tracy Prince, Alexandra J. Rembac, Dayna Landry, Lisa Vitale, Devon Leigh Smith, Andrea McKinnon, Andrea Fellman, Renata Abraham, Carmen Linder, Cynthia Miller & Kara Frans.

I hope you’ll check out BLP’s website. If you own a business in LA, you need to be a part of this club!

January – Complete the 30 Day Challenge on the Social Networking Coaching Club with Ann Evanston, welcome our new puppy, Lucy and see the world in a whole new way with contact lenses.

Our new puppy Lucy taken in 2010

February - Be fully in the moment to enjoy and embrace family time during school vacation week.  Celebrate my au pair’s birthday.

March – Celebrate my son’s birthday. Support a great cause and join in the fun with the Vermont Adaptive Ski Challenge.

April -Visit the 2nd largest state in the United States, Texas, for the first time with my company, Cultural Care Au Pair.  Celebrate my daughter’s birthday.

May – Commit to writing 1 personal letter each week to a friend or family member and reconnect with them the old fashioned way!

June – Run the 20th Anniversary Covered Bridges Half Marathon with my husband and friends. Turn 40!

July – Sail to the Islands of Massachusetts for a vacation on the high seas with my family. Enjoy the ocean breeze and living a simple life for a week.  Welcome our 10th au pair.

August – Read two classics and write a blog review!

September – Run a fun run race with the whole family.  Celebrate my husband’s birthday!  Pick one cultural and educational activity for the whole family.

October – Continue my healthy living commitment – exercise 4 days per week and eat (1) additional fruit and vegetable per day. 

November - Be thankful for all that we have and give back to others. Identify a local food pantry where my family can contribute our time and resources to helping over the holidays.

December - Write a family newsletter chronicling the year in review. Reflect back on all that was experienced and accomplished. Rest up for another great year ahead!

Put your goals to paper this year too and let me know what you hope to accomplish in 2011.

Now its on to Step 2!  How often do we need to update?  I’ve read we should update our blogs every day, several times a week, every day!   The thing is, the more the merrier.   The more often you update the more familiar people will get with you.

We have short attention spans and the more often you post the quicker folks will get to know you and find out what makes you tick.

Shoot for 5 days a week!  If you get three thats great.  Don’t let more that a week go by, we have short attention spans!  The more often you post the more folks will learn about you.

Post often but don’t post garbage, just to get something posted. Make it something that you’d want to read, if you didn’t know you!

Most of the reading and studying I’m doing about building my online presence is with these two very powerful, very smart ladies who will show you how to get where your dreams are taking you! Ann Evanston ]]> http://treatemright.wordpress.com/2010/10/05/how-to-begin-building-an-online-presence-step-one/ Tue, 05 Oct 2010 23:00:17 +0000 Jean Bentley http://treatemright.wordpress.com/2010/10/05/how-to-begin-building-an-online-presence-step-one/ I’m very interested in learning from Ann Evanston of Warrior-Preneur  and have been honored to be able to do some work for her.  What a blessing to be able to learn while I earn.

I’m just getting started building my online presence and I know I’m not alone on this one. The first things I’ve learned reminds me of Nike’s slogan JUST DO IT! No excuses, just put yourself out there! You can’t wait until your hair is perfect, your back drop is perfect and all the planets are aligned, you just have to get started. Folks want to get to know you! They want to hear your voice! It’s alright if you get tongue-tied, it just shows that your human, just like they are.

This week I was honored to be named   Lou Loves Learning’s  fan of the week! You just have to love Facebook. Louise and I “met” via a mutual Facebook friend, Ann Evanston of  http://www.warrior-preneur.com/  who is also hosts     Blogger Monday http://www.facebook.com/BloggerMondaywithAnnEvanston on Facebook . It’s easy to be  Louise’s  fan of week, once you read her blogs and status updates you want to comment or at least ‘like’ the comment or post.
Check out Louise’s websites and fan page, her links are below:

http://louiseedington.com/
http://ledington.aupairnews.com/
http://www.facebook.com/louise.edington 
http://twitter.com/LouiseEdington
http://www.youtube.com/LouiseEdington

Take a few minutes and check her sites out!

‘I’d also love for you to do another post on the connection between culture shock and ‘the ugly American’ syndrome. When I came back from a year of traveling all over South America, I experienced cultural shock just being in the airplane with all the tourists returning from S. America and all they were doing was complaining about the problems they had on their trips because it was so different than the US.’

I have been mulling this post over as I have grown to like my adopted country and I, as an outsider, don’t want to offend my new found friends. However, I do have to agree that the ‘ugly american’ does exist and can be quite a shock. Though  have to say that you see this phenomenon more when the ugly American is traveling outside of the US..

There is no doubt that some Americans are loud, boorish and nationalistic and that some Americans abroad remain ignorant of local culture and judge everything by American standards. Such people can be very unpleasant and give Americans a bad rap but now, having lived here for two years, this post is going to be a defense of my adopted country.

Have you ever heard of lager louts and chavs? Not exactly the best of British.

And how about the stereotypical German tourist. Pushy, rude and arrogant with a habit of putting their towels on pool chairs before dawn at holiday resorts.

According to an Expedia survey French travelers are the biggest skinflints, the worst tippers and the least able or inclined to speak foreign languages. They also finished next to last in terms of their politeness and behavior.

My point is that there are ugly people the world over and their worst traits seem to come out whilst traveling or living amongst a culture that is not their own. Sure, I think some Americans are very loud but I have made friends with many perfectly nice Americans who are most definitely not loud and obnoxious.

What has been your experience of ugly tourists/travelers? Are you embarrassed by some traits of people from your country? Do you think all these stereotypes exist for a reason or that they are wrong?

So with apologies for the delay….  the Winner of the $10 Starbucks gift card is Darcie Newton.

Darcie is a new Social media Friend, something that is occurring more  often  lately since Participating in the Social media Training “c4 by Ann Evanston” for my job as a local childcare coordinator with Cultural care Au pair.

Ann Evanston’s training has taught me many great things about the social media world. Not only did Ann  encourage my blogging but also has encouraged my interaction on social media sites.

So thanks to Ann and louise another Social media BFF  I meet Darcie and thanks to Darcie I found my new blog name.

Darcie is also a fellow Blogger and in fact when reading her bio on her Facebook page it became obvious why she won the competition.

Here is snip-it from here Bio

I am an idea gal. I love to put ideas and businesses together. I am a big thinker. I believe in the value and power of team. Recently someone I admire and respect used the words “tenacious” and “creative” to describe me…got to love that.

I realized after that these qualities have created many interesting opportunities for me…I’ve never doubted my ability to get the job done as long as I don’t have to do every last detail.

Through her blog My Wealth Spa : She  educates women (and sometimes men) on how to take charge of their money so they can relax and retire. We do this by showing them how to self direct their Retirement Accounts and how to fill their accounts with all types of assets from the traditional (stocks, bonds, mutual funds) to the non-traditional (real estate, notes, land, gold, etc.).

Darcie is also a member of Ann’s social media coaching club and I am sure Darcie would also agree that Ann has truly taken our  businesses to the next level.

If you are interested in taking your business to the next level then click here to find out more  about Ann Evanston’s 2 year anniversary special and how you can join the social media coaching club.

http://www.warrior-preneur.com/social-networking-coaching-club/

Darcie please send me your address so I can send you your prize

I talked in my last vlog, Social Networking Coaching Club about how Ann Evanston’s bootcamp has changed everything for me including getting me blogging. I am very honored this week to have been asked to be a contributor/writer/reviewer for a blogger friend of mine. She has a Book Review Website called Katie’s Bookcase and I am very excited that, on that blog, I get to talk about one of my greatest passions – reading. I hope you’ll all have a listen, a look at Katie’s Bookcase and also leave comments. You can also follow my blogger friend at her other blog Sluiter Nation or on twitter @ksluiter or you might just spot both of us at #wineparty on Twitter at 7pm EST as we both like to drink wine

• Answer and delete emails whilst chatting to my program director on Skype
• Check Facebook updates
• Check Twitter
• Post recently prepared blog post
• Start to prepare next blog post
• Brainstorm other blog post ideas
• listening to audio book of ‘Trust Agents‘ by Chris Brogan and Julian Smith while doing other things
• kids wake up -
• friends kid arrives so my 10 yr old can watch her for an hour
• friends kid leaves – play date arrives for youngest
• Update Facebook Business page
• Put load in washer
• talk to guy building fence about gate hinges
• Wait! Realise haven’t had breakfast!
• Post transition AuPair onto my website and onto Craigslist
• Got distracted from breakfast so have early lunch
• Empty dishwasher while making kids and me lunch
• Load dishwasher and clean up kitchen after lunch
• Put clothes in dryer
• Update my business website some more
• Youngest going to pool with friend, get all her stuff together and sunscreen her
• Take eldest to music lesson
• Run home and start doing some work on Social Networking Coaching Club with Ann Evanston stuff
• Pick eldest up from music lesson
• Dryer finished – fold clothes quick so I don’t have to iron
• Put clothes away
• Youngest phones and asks if friend can come for sleepover
• Quick rethink on dinner for 5 not 4
• Start dinner
• Hubby arrives – needs to talk a lot about his day in his new role
• Try to be as attentive as possible while feeding 3 kids and getting them helping lay table etc
• After dinner do some more work on blog post ideas (and yes this is part of my work!) whilst watching So You Think You can Dance
• Watch news a little
• Forgot about fielding all the ‘can we have’s’ etc between all this.
• Fall into bed and read latest book Olive Kitteridge for 1/2 an hour
• Sleep!

And this was on a day that I didn’t do any cleaning or meet friends or go to the gym!!!!

What’s you day like? Is it as hectic as mine? Tell me about your life.

Things are really happening for me right now. I have been a Childcare Coordinator for Cultural Care Au Pair for a year finding new host families and nurturing their relationship with their Au Pair. However, it’s really only since March when I took over the area where I live that this business ‘clicked’ for me. The next piece of the puzzle was my company giving me the awesome chance to take a Social Networking Coaching Course with Ann Evanston. Well I am just loving it – I was fairly (well very) active on social media already but was just messing around really. Now the course is giving me a focus – to build my business.

The problem right now for me is that I am so excited by all that’s happening; sales are coming in, I may get a trip to Stockholm, Sweden, I’m meeting some amazing people through online networking; that I’m starting to get ‘scattered’ and losing focus.

I find it hard to know which job to do first, second etc. It doesn’t help that the kids are on summer vacation too and that I have the guilt of not ‘entertaining’ them all the time because all I want to do right now is build this business.

So, how am I handling this? On a good day (and the lovely Jess’s post has reminded me to do this again) I have learned to do the the following

1. Take ACTION as per Jess’s blog post. Just do – don’t think about it.
2. Make lists – I have lists for everything now – lists of must do’s and lists of little extras that need fitting in whenever.
3. I’m finally using google calender to schedule everything – I’ve never been good at this but realized I needed to have a master diary when I forgot my eldest was being picked up by a friends mum and we weren’t here when they turned up – oh dear! Luckily they forgave me.

Life has got scarily and excitingly busy for me right now and I want to reap the rewards and reach my goals – I just have to remember to do all the above to help me cope and do it all.

What tactics do you use to get focused and ‘get the job done?’ Do you have any other hints and tips?

Growing your business online makes smart business sense these days. Learning how to do it right the first time is critical. There are many people out there who claim to be “Social Media Experts.” And they charge some pretty nice fees to “coach” people to improve their online marketability. I also think there are many people out there trying to be “helpful,” but have no clue of how to extend strategic help! At this time “Social Media Expert” has yet to be defined or certified (It’s coming, I am sure, just like it did with coaching). I also think about how quickly the Internet moves today and how sensible it is to get help if you are not comfortable with something. If you are going to select someone to help you, do your homework and watch out for the red flags. These tips will help you in selecting the right person.

1 – You cannot Google and find the person by NAME. The Internet is a very powerful tool and online presence is very important for social networking, even more for a “Social Media Expert.” I am a social psychologist who has applied social networking sales strategies online and has gotten great results. I consider myself a great “end-user” and even I am Google-able! Would you really hire someone to help whose name does not appear in searches?

2 – The person has very few Google-able searches. If you go to www.google.com and type anything you are searching for in the main search box (not a Google toolbar search box), it will tell you how many times the keyword you’ve used has been searched for. Go there and type the name of the person. As you type, a number will appear telling you how many times the person has been searched for. Again, if you claim to be an expert who tells me that you are searchable and are searched for on the Internet, as an expert, I would hope that the number is large!

3 – The person does not have a YouTube channel. “Social Media Expert” means that the person is an expert in all forms of social media, and video is one of the biggest media opportunities out there. Using video to market is an important media strategy. Ask for their YouTube channel and check it out. Better yet, hopefully there is a link to their YouTube channel on their marketing!

4 – The person is not on the BIG THREE. LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter are considered the big three networking sites, so do they show up? Are they actively involved in dialogue discussions and groups on at least one of the three? Are they branded on the sites?

5 – The person does not have articles posted on e-zinearticles.com or other social media article sites. Social media is about creating education-based marketing. Does the expert use the tools as they teach others?

6 – The person does not have a blog. Blogging is one of the most powerful tools for increasing your online presence and is taught as a key tool to all business people. Look at their blog and especially find out which blogs they read and comment on. It will tell you about their online presence!

These six smart tips will alert you on who you choose to learn from. Do your homework and make sure your time and money is invested in great support that will get you on the right track to growing your business or developing your expertise online!

***********************************************************

Ann Evanston, MA has developed clients worldwide for over a decade. Teaching techniques of the warrior, clients learn to create “pull” to attract customer loyalty, channel intrinsic motivators, create buy-in and ultimately, obtain results. Ann is certified Development Dimensions International, Behavioral Technology Interviewing, Leadership Pipeline and a faculty of the American Management Association. To learn more about her innovative warrior programs that turn survivors into thrivers send her a message on the Contact page.

Ann M. Evanston, M.A., has over 20 years speaking, and consulting experience.  With an extensive background in developing new leaders from corporate America to those starting their own business, she has developed programs and presented seminars to diverse populations and workforces.

To contact Ann and read more about all aspects of Social Media , please visit her website at www.WarriorPreneur.com.

I’m not going to give away all her secrets – you’ll have to sign up for the Social Networking Group Bootcamp for that – but you will learn how it has benefited me – in so many ways I hadn’t expected.  And it’s helping me grow my printable greeting cards online business, which really in the end, was the point!

Date: Tuesday, October 06, 2009 from 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM (PT)

Location:
Domain Hotel
1085 E. El Camino Real
Sunnyvale, CA 94087

For more information click here: Social Media BootCamp Round 2: Tips, Tactics, Systems

Enter REPEAT code to get a discount

Tips, Tactics, & Systems Oct. 6th at the Domain Hotel from 10 – 5pm.

(Sunnyvale, Domain Hotel)

$51 Includes lite breakfast/coffee, very casual sandwich lunch & cookie/coffee break

(Parking is FREE and there are 125 parking spaces under the hotel.)

Round 2:  Agenda: (We are starting promptly at 10:00 a.m.)

9:30 Check In/Set Up so we can start promptly at 10 (coffee/lite snacks)

10:00 – 11:30 Twitter / Ann Evanston – http://www.warrior-preneur.com/ @AnnEvanston

11:45 – 12:45 You Tube/ Leveraging Rich Media – Patrick Schwertdfeger/ http://www.webifybook.com/

12:45 – 1:15 LUNCH ( very casual sandwich/salad/fruit/soda break)

1:30  – 2:45 Building Engaging Facebook Pages – Tyler Willis, http://www.Involver.com

2:45 (Cookie/Coffee/Soda/Fruit Break – self serve)

3:00 – 5:00 Linked In, Communicate with Precision & Develop a ROCKSTAR Online Presence using Patrick’s 2 Week Execution Plan  – Patrick Schwertdfeger/  http://www.WebifyBook.com

Bringing the best of the bay to teach you all you need to know to be a powerhouse on the internet!

LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and WordPress! Social Networking is not a fad it’s the next level of internet marketing. BUT is it getting you results? Do you have the right online presence to attract opportunity for your business?  Or do you feel like you’re wasting time? Have you learned to implement strategies that WILL achieve results? And are you driving traffic in the smartest ways possible?

These sites can REALLY work to get more business! And if you are overwhelmed by every invite you receive, and all you can participate in online then join us! Learn how to take your business online get results with a clear plan that moves and measures your success!

This is a multi speaker, multi session event! You will not have to pick, you will attend each session! And Lunch will be provided!

10:00-10:45 Opening Session: Understanding a Strategy for Success: Not ALL Social Networking is Right for EVERY Business! CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP!!!

11:00-Noon Session One : Make Your WordPress Site A Search Engine Supermagnet

Lee Rodrigues has been working with computers since DOS was cool.  He ran his own IT consulting business for three years, and joined the Web 2.0 revolution when he began “co-working” at Citizen Space in San Francisco. Lee recently combined his technical skills, love of martial arts, and training in communications to found the Technology Dojo, where as a Technology Coach he helps successful entrepreneurs use computers and the Internet to increase productivity and profits. Lee has a BA in Communications and a MA in Education, and is a graduate of the San Francisco Comedy College.

Your perfect customers are looking for you on the Internet – can they find you? Join us to learn how a WordPress web site and blog – together with essential formatting and commenting habits — will make your web site fly to the top of a Google search page.

In this presentation you will discover how to:

-          pack your pages with your customers’ favorite words

-          make your titles and subheads work for you

-          practice “link love” to improve your search engine ranking

12-1:00: Luncheon Session (lunch will be provided)- networking strategies – learning how to connect to grow your buisness, opportunities to network

1:15-2:15 Session Two :Now that I have a blog, weblog or website, Now What? Easy Ways to Attract Targeted Website Visitors for Free

Patrick Schwerdtfeger is the author of “Webify Your Business: Internet Marketing Secrets for the Self-Employed” and “Make Yourself Useful, Marketing in the 21^st Century”. His podcasts have been downloaded over 50,000 times and his articles have been published on thousands of websites and blogs. With a diverse background in marketing and finance, Patrick has a gift for explaining complicated subjects in simple language, making his presentations insightful and empowering. Patrick is the founder of Tactical Execution; where he leverages cutting-edge internet marketing strategies to build credibility and exposure for his clients. He is also the organizer of the Entrepreneur & Small Business Academy, one of the nation’s 50 largest entrepreneur clubs.    CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP!!!

Over 98% of websites get fewer than 5 visitors each day. Attracting high-quality website visitors doesn’t have to cost a fortune. With a little direction, you can accumulate strategic one-way inbound links and watch the targeted traffic pour in! In this workshop, you’ll learn 3 simple strategies you can use immediately … and they won’t cost you a penny.

2:30- 3:30 Session Three: Facebook: There IS a Business Plan that Works!

Rick Rochon is dedicated to educating and training small business owners to market smarter.  Rick was born with an entrepreneurial spirit and intimately understands the challenges small business owners face.  Planning, placing and perfecting marketing plans and strategies are essential to all small businesses and Rick’s hands-on approach empowers the small business to make immediate and measurable changes to their marketing plan.  While Rick is submerged in new media, he also brings to the table an in-depth knowledge of traditional marketing and understands how to leverage both avenues to grow your business, save money and improve the bottom line. Visit http://www.adsymetrix.com

Learn to leverage the power of Facebook for your small business, 175 million people can’t be wrong.  Take your first steps to growing your business with social marketing and engagement.

1. Create your social marketing plan or add to your existing plan
2. Get an intro to Facebook that will get you connecting with fans and doing more business

3:45-4:45 Session Four: Twitter: Creating an opt-in list faster than before!

Ann Evanston, MA is a social psychologist who has taken her networking strategies and tactics and applied them in person and online with great success. Over the last year she has received a book deal (released April 2009), 6 speaking engagements, and over $30,000 in closed business through social networking. She is ranked #2 of top influencers in the SF bay area on Twitter and has over one million Google-able hits. Ann is a faculty for the American Management Association, and certified Development Dimensions International. She has traveled the globe teaching her strategies. As a true “twitter-ologist” she will teach you how to get more people opted-in to your lists than ever before using twitter! Visit http://www.Warrior-Preneur.com

CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP!!!