Instead of creating a new Twitter account, head over to the Account tab on Twitter.com. There, you can change your username, as well as your e-mail address and security settings.
You'll also want to visit the Profile tab to update your picture and bio. In the bio section, it's wise to let your followers know—for the next few weeks, at least—that you've changed your account username, and that you'll continue to receive all of their @replies and direct messages at your new username.
With the success of my book, I wanted to shift my branding to "Do You Stand Out Enough?" but thought I was stuck with the Twitter handle I came up with before I knew what I was doing :~) Nice to know you are now free to align your Twitter name with the rest of your branding without losing all your followers. From now on you'll be seeing me as "DoYouStandOut?" on Twitter!
Branding is a way to boost your visibility and help your small business marketing efforts produce more results. As a small business marketing consultant I've noticed that entrepreneurs often hurt themselves by going too big or too small in their efforts to create a strong brand. Branding is not an action -- it's a process. It's not a big transformation you budget time and money for "when business picks up next year" but strength that builds gradually. Regular and consistent steps that build credibility, appreciation and trust for your company, your products, your services is what builds a strong brand. This article from David Brier at Fast Company has some insights about branding that are thought provoking. I picked a few favorites -- find all nine by following the link below. Looking for new marketing strategies for a small business or professional practise? Pick one of these and use it as a lens to look at your brand -- what is one step you can take next week to strengthen it?_________________________
Every business owner and CEO has the right to a superior brand. One that's meaningful. Powerful. Long-lasting. Inspiring. And effective. Here is our 9-step program to building a brand that cuts through the noise:
- We know there are thousands of ways to solve any problem and that the only valuable solutions are the effective ones. Doing something ineffective in half the time--or "more efficiently" or “more economically”--isn't progress, but is instead bad business.
- Social media isn't a brand strategy. Social media is a channel. While it’s important for a brand to develop something to say, it’s more important to create something that will be heard.
- Consumers and clients have a first moment when they discover a brand. It’s this defining moment that establishes expectation and perceived value. Delivering on that value will determine whether your company thrives or merely stumbles along.
- Brands that use clichés to promote their brand end up promoting their category, not their brand.
- Growth and brand dominance is created by having the highest brand value, not the lowest price tag. One can always sell something by offering the lowest price. But this does not create loyalty to your brand. Never did and never will. It only creates "loyalty" to that price point. As soon as your customer is offered a better price, he or she will jump ship, leaving you like a scorned lover in the middle of the night.
About Maggie Anderson Words That Work
We are small business marketing consultants with hands-on experience. Maggie formed Words That Work after 20 years founding and operating her own communications business. A registered corporate coach with the Worldwide Association of Business Coaches, Maggie and her team now help professionals and business owners discover strengths that make their company unique; claim a lucrative niche in the market and attract their ideal prospects. Her book Do You Stand Out Enough? is a compact, step-by-step branding and marketing guide for consultants, coaches, professionals and entrepreneurs who want to spend more time doing what they are good at and less on marketing. Discover the marketing guide for experts here.
I saw the amazing violinist Joshua Bell perform with the Symphony on Sunday, and was reminded how moving unself-conscious excellence can be. Bell glides about the stage seemingly pulled and played by his violin rather than the other way around! Fully wrapped in music creation, he seems to give himself over to focus on the music with little on himself. The result is a unique and moving sound. How does this help your small business marketing efforts? Stay with me and I promise a very short marketing course that I hope will spark some innovative ideas for you. There has never been a time when entrepreneurs had so many new media marketing solutions available, but as many of my clients complain, they do require work and constant creativity and innovation from us.
Joshua Bell's kind of deep, creative focus is satisfying for the player and for the audience who experiences his uplifting, regenerative performance. As I work with entrepreneurs on how to stand out, I help them differentiate their company by defining a niche based on their strengths and work they are passionate about. If they achieve that kind of full satisfaction for themselves they can more easily delight and engage their ideal prospects. This analogy may seem like a stretch if you are putting out fires and racing to catch up all day at your desk. I admit it is -- but wait a minute. Joshua Bell was playing full force -- if you follow your passion it's not that the the work is easy, but it is fully satisfying. Look at these comments about the role of play, creativity and innovation at work from a world reknown American design firm, IDEO:
To me, play is what you're passionate about doing. You want to do it because it's enjoyable and you want to keep doing it because it brings you joy. But play is a ton of effort. ... The core difference we're trying to incorporate at IDEO is that play is part of the innovation process not just something you do when you roll out the ping pong tables ... it's about pushing the boundaries and discovering something. (From Brendan Boyle and Joe Wilcox of the award-winning global design consultancy, IDEO)
Recently I spent a weekend writing poetry with John Fox. He would read us a few poems, then pick a few lines as starters and give us the loosest of boundaries: Where can you go with that? What does that move in you? And our group of would-be poets went off with trepidation and no ideas, but came back with bits of experience made into sometimes amazingly graceful lines of poetry. The day went by disappointingly fast.
One of the perks of being an entrepreneur is the freedom to innovate, create. Please share some of your favorite ways to spark your own creativity. How do you push your boundaries, add play or a deep creative focus to your day to innovate and improve performance? Let us hear from you!
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If you are ready to take your business vision to the next level, let us help you look at all the new media marketing solutions for small business today and help you create more visibility and credibility as a leader in your industry. Maggie Anderson is a communications coach and marketing expert and provides simple, step-by-step programs for small business executives and professionals, coaches and consultants. She helps you find effective communication strategies to develop your personal or company brand, stand out and attract more opportunities using social media, blogs, Internet, speechwriting and presentations, white papers and other effective communication tools.
Or DIY with the Marketing Kit for Experts that shows you how:
Yesterday I tried out a game with an audience that was a stark wake-up call. There were about 25 attendees, most had been together multiple times before, and each person in the group stood up to do a 30-second introduction. Then I asked them to write in one sentence on a card the one thing they wanted everyone in the room to remember about them and their company when they left. At the end of my presentation about 30 minutes later I read out the "memorable" sentences from the cards and invited people to guess which person it belonged to -- to keep things exciting I tossed a candy bar to anyone who got it right! Of the half dozen or so cards I read, the audience got only one right. If we'd had time to read all of them it would have been even more painful. I didn't intend to be mean, but it was a stark reminder how difficult it is to distill a clear, compelling message that tells others quickly what you do, what differentiates you and makes you stand out. And getting it right may be the most important thing you do for your business!
Think about it: if all 24 of the other people in a room understand exactly what you do, and how it could benefit someone, what possibilities does that open up?
You X 24 =
Questions. When people you meet are confident they have a basic grasp of what you do, they are more likely to explore further by asking questions. A 30 or 60-second introduction is not likely to make a sale, but questions that let you explain more about how you can meet their specific needs do!
Referrals. When others are clear what you do and have simple, memorable words to express it they can confidently connect you with their networks. It's easy to see how connecting with the networks of 24 other people in the room could geometrically expand your market!
Opportunities. You know your business well, but I'm sure there are opportunities for growth you are simply unaware of. One woman told me afterwards she got a great lead from the meeting because something she said in her introduction made someone else think of someone who should be doing business with her.
Your Soundbite Introduction
A clear, concise and compelling introduction is one of your most important business assets today and there are three basic elements it needs to include:
We entrepreneurs are a creative bunch, and we have a hard time repeating the same message over and over. You'll hear it dismissed as "rehearsed" or an "elevator speech" but don't be fooled. What you say in the first few minutes of introducing yourself to someone can have a very big impact on future business. Finding words that work to concisely, precisely communicate to your ideal prospects is an art worth spending precious time and effort on.
Wishing you and your business great networking and growing prosperity... Maggie
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If you are ready for the right words or a bigger presence in your market, let us help you look at all the options today for creating more visibility and credibility as a leader in your industry. Maggie Anderson is a communications coach and marketing expert and provides simple, step-by-step programs for small business executives and professionals. She helps you find effective communication strategies to develop your personal or company brand, stand out and attract more opportunities using social media, blogs, Internet, speechwriting and presentations, white papers and other effective communication tools.
Or DIY with the Marketing Kit for Experts that shows you how:
Maybe it's because I came up in the theater. There's a strict rule for actors -- if the audience is restless, not engaged, not applauding, it's not a bad audience, it's bad acting! The same applies to business, and if you've been whining about working hard and getting little response this summer it's all up to you to change that.
That's why I loved this comment from one of my social media mentors who really gets it, Kathy Colaiacovo at Time on Task VA Services. Many of Kathy's clients and mine just don't see the point of Twitter for their small businesses. I just did a VIP One-day with an Atlanta Executive Homes advisor who is amazingly savvy on the internet -- he gets 200,000 hits to his Website every month! But in our session he was totally opposed to using Twitter. Here's what Kathy C. says about that:
One of the top social sharing tools you should include on your website is a Twitter Retweet button. Some small business owners laugh when I say this, and they laugh because they are not using Twitter and see no reason for having anything to do with it on their website. My answer is always: “What about your website visitors? They probably are using Twitter, or at least a good number of them.”
And then the light bulb moment comes… “Ohhhh, right.. “
Having a ReTweet button means visitors can share your website and links with their contacts and followers on twitter. You do not need to be a part of this, but you need to provide the tool for them to do so. There are many options for adding this to your site: Directly via code created by Twitter or if you have a WordPress self hosted website there are many plugins you can add that include a Retweet button for your site, in fact there are some that let you pick and choose from some of the top ones: Twitter, Facebook Like and Share buttons, Google plus and many more.
So take a quick peek at your website… have you made certain that your site is a social place for visitors??
Companies used to be able to Push marketing messages out to their target market but this Outbound Marketing methodology no longer works the way it did. One of the primary shifts that works really well in the new Pull or Inbound Marketing paradigm is giving others the tools to market your business for you. Satisfied clients, colleagues, family and friends are willing referral resources. Give them an easy way to pass on your expertise and great content. ReTweet!
If you are ready for a bigger presence in your market, let us help you look at all the options today for creating more visibility and credibility as a leader in your industry. Maggie Anderson is a communications coach and marketing expert and provides simple, step-by-step programs for small business executives and professionals. She helps you find effective communication strategies to develop your personal or company brand, stand out and attract more opportunities using social media, blogs, Internet, speechwriting and presentations, white papers and other effective communication tools.
Or DIY with the Marketing Kit for Experts that shows you how:
If you are actively using LinkedIn, you are right in line with the trend. LinkedIn is the most favored Social Media Marketing tool for BtoB firms, who are finding it effective for lead generation. If you want to stay current with your BtoB competitors you need to consider which other Social Media you can incorporate without stretching yourself too thin. According to a recent study by BtoB Magazine, 93% of all B2B marketers are engaged in some form of social media marketing, with most putting their focus on the most popular channels (LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter).
The Big Three
B2B marketers overwhelmingly favor “the big 3″ social media channels, with LinkedIn being the most-used channel (72%). Facebook (71%) and Twitter (67%) are close behind, with those three channels forming the core of most B2B social media marketing efforts. Other channels used by B2B marketers include YouTube (48%), blogging (44%) and online communities (22%).
When asked to cite their single most important channel, LinkedIn again rose to the top with 26% favoring it. Most respondents identified lead-generation as the most valuable result of LinkedIn marketing. Facebook was the most important channel for 20%, while blogging (19%), online communities (14%) and Twitter (13%) rounded out the top tools. Facebook was cited as being a channel where users “pay attention”, while blogs and communities were cited for their customer feedback and engagement.
If you are ready for a bigger presence in your market, let us help you look at all the options today for creating a more visible presence in your market. Maggie Anderson Words That Work is a communications coach and marketing expert and provides simple, step-by-step programs for small business executives and professionals. She helps you find effective communication strategies to develop your personal brand, stand out as a leader in your industry and attract more opportunities using social media, blogs, Internet, speechwriting and presentations, white papers and other effective communication tools.
Or get the Marketing Kit for Experts that shows you how:
Good for you! You’ve gotten into Social Media, and you are figuring out how to make it work for your business, consulting or coaching practice. Now make it easy for people to follow or connect with you! You send emails every day, I'll bet. If you do not already leverage every email with a powerful signature that connects prospects, colleagues and clients with you, your products and services, you are missing a great opportunity.
Your signature is a way to let people easily connect with you
It reinforces your brand, reminds about your credentials, provides quick links to your products and services, increases your list and simplifies a colleague’s ability to refer business to you. That’s a lot –- and once you set it up you never have to do it again!!
Every email you send
… should have a signature that promotes you as an industry leader and makes it easy for the recipient to connect with you -- or connect you to someone else they think would be beneficial. Take a minute to review your own signature to see if you are taking full advantage of this powerful tool!
You may sign your email something like Warm regards… Bob But underneath that you want to add your
Never created an email signature before? It is not hard and well worth setting aside an hour to complete.
Step 1: gather what you need
Step 2: Put it to Work
Go to your email program and click on Preferences. Look for the menu item for Signatures and click on that. Either click on a signature you already use, or add a new one. Now:
One More Step Before You Are Finished
Close the preferences screen and send yourself an email to test and make sure all your new stuff works. All email programs are slightly different, so yours may have somewhat different menus or procedure, but it is worth noodling around until you figure it out. Once you do you'll have a powerful assistant to boost your visibility with every email you send.
Send an email to ma@maggieanderson.com when you finish – I’d love to see your results!! Or leave a comment below and share a tip or let me know how it went for you.
If you are ready for a bigger presence in your market, let us help you develop a strategy and improve your branding, your blog, or revise your Web content to make it work harder for you. Maggie Anderson Words That Work is a communications coach and marketing expert and provides simple, step-by-step programs for small business executives and professionals. She helps you find effective communication strategies to develop your personal brand, stand out as a leader in your industry and attract more opportunities using social media, blogs, Internet, speechwriting and presentations, white papers and other effective communication tools.
Or get the Marketing Kit for Experts that shows you how:
Identifying keywords is the first step in creating a great small business marketing strategy. Search engines are matchmakers. When a person searching the internet for something they need types words in the search bar, the search engine trolls through cyberspace looking for the Websites that will be the most useful to them. What will make Google, Ask or Yahoo put a link to your Website on page one?
Key Words for small business marketing
There's a lot of mystery to the ever-changing algorithms used, but one thing all the experts point to is the use of keywords in the copy on your Website, blog, articles and Tweets. When search engines identify your site as a suitable match for content, your page ranking will be much higher. But as an industry insider, the words you use to search for your products or services might be different than what your prospect would put in the search bar.
As you choose Keywords you are looking for two things:
- which words and phrases would your target market use to search for what you offer?
- which ones are the most used on a regular basis, and which are used the least?
Start Your Keyword Search
Step one: make a list of all your products and services. Beside each one list some words and phrases that might be used to search for them.
Step two: use Google's Keyword Tool (www.googlekeywordtool.com), or another similar one (ie. www.wordstream.com/keywords or http://www.keyworddiscovery.com/search.html#).
The tool will provide additional words and phrases to consider. What I like about Google's free tool is that it tells you which keywords are the most searched, and also which are least used by other businesses. Create a long list of your potential keywords with a mix of some that are heavily searched, and some that are rarely used, but also have less competition. You should end up with a list of words and phrases you can use in your copy to attract prospects to your site.
Step three: Group your keywords around topics so you are concentrating on one primary keyword or phrase on any page, blog post, or marketing article you write. Experts say you can sprinkle similar phrases through the copy, but not competing keywords. Example: my primary keyword phrase is "small business marketing." I might use "marketing ideas for small business" and "small home business marketing" in the same blog post, but I wouldn't use "brand marketing" or "strategic marketing plan" even though those are good keywords for me.
Caroline Melberg, President and CEO of Small Business Mavericks, outlines these key ways to enhance search engine optimization for small business marketing:
- Identify the keywords for your small business marketing
- Determine page rank on Google and look for more keywords that can be used
- Place keywords strategically on each page
Placement of Keywords for Search Engine Optimization
Placement of those keywords is also essential to a small business marketing strategy. Where keywords appear helps search engines determine how valuable and relevant your site is for a specific subject. Place your keywords in headings, bullet points, and subheadings with bolded text and links -- it's one of the best ways to attract the attention of a major search engine.
My colleague, Becky Barnett, owner and founder of Dot-to-Dot.com, is the most adept SEO master I know. Look for a future blog where I ask her to share some of her more sophisticated tips for using metatags and other tricks to enhance your chances of getting to that magical page one on Google!
If you are ready for a bigger presence in your market, let us help you develop your blog, revise your Web content to make it work harder for you, or create a new Web site. Maggie Anderson Words That Work is a communications coach and marketing expert and provides simple, step-by-step programs for small business executives. We help you find effective communication strategies to develop your personal brand, stand out as a leader in your industry and attract more opportunities using social media strategies, blogs, Web content, speechwriting and presentations, white papers and other effective communication tools.
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