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5 Ways Twitter Makes You a Better Person

September 17, 2010 By

Guest post by San Sharma

If you work alone or from home, there’s no denying that Twitter is an invaluable tool, both professionally and personally. As part of a marketing strategy, Twitter can help spread the word about your business. And when you’re feeling disconnected, Twitter can make you feel a part of the world around you.

But in some circles, Twitter, Facebook and social media, in general, is considered a bad thing. “We’re all getting self-obsessed,” some complain. To them I say, Twitter can actually make you a better person.

Here’s some ‘Twitterquette’ to demonstrate how:

  1. Be more open
    Contrary to popular belief, Twitter’s not all about what you had for lunch. But its 140-character limit and the ways in which you can tweet – from your desk or from your mobile phone – make Twitter an ideal platform to share a little more about yourself. Being transparent with your [Read more...]
Filed Under: Balancing home/office Life, Home office technology, Improving your web site, Internet marketing, Making money from home, Working at home, Working with clients Tagged With: , , , ,

Martha Stewart Whips up a Batch of Social Media Tips

June 17, 2010 By

When I think of social media, Chris Brogan and Brian Solis come to mind, not Martha Stewart. So what does this culinary queen and media mogul know about social media? Apparently a lot. In a recent blog post, Jesse Stanchak of SmartBlog On Social Media highlights a few of the social media tips Stewart shared during a recent speech. With almost 2 million Twitter followers and 72,000 Facebook fans, Stewart’s tips are worth following.

  1. Don’t let anyone tell you what to do. At its core, Stewart said, social marketing is about finding your own voice and communicating your brand’s personality. It’s easy to do what everyone else is doing and hope for a good response.  Mix it up, break the rules and be willing to let others see the real you.
  2. Find yourself a good co-pilot. Throughout her keynote, Martha Stewart tossed questions and remind-me-later asides at Eliad Laskin, her all-purpose technical guru. At some point you’ll realize that you can’t do everything and actually, you shouldn’t.  Find someone who has strengths in areas you don’t.
  3. Go where your customers are — and remember that everyone’s a customer. Instead of picking one platform, Stewart advises finding ways to adjust your pitch to reach the different communities that form online. My Twitter and LinkedIn accounts are all business while my Facebook account combines aspects of both my business and personal life.
Filed Under: Improving your web site, Internet marketing, Marketing/Public Relations, Time mgmt./Productivity, Working with clients Tagged With: , , ,

Hooking Up With LinkedIn

November 10, 2009 By

I use Twitter and FaceBook to stay in contact with clients and associates.  LinkedIn is another tool in my social media toolbox, but honestly I don’t use it much.  The Small Business Trends post “6 Ways To Create Opportunities on LinkedIn“ changed my mind. From now on I’m going to embrace LinkedIn or at least give it more of a try.  The post offers a few good tips.#204-Linkedinlogo

Filed Under: Home office technology, Working at home Tagged With: , , ,

Are You Overlooking Twitter and Facebook?

October 12, 2009 By

The last few times I searched for the latest information on a product, news story or business issue, I struck out on Google. Instead I found what I needed on Twitter. It’s like having a private group of reporters waiting to break a news story.

Considering how easy it is to find current information on the Internet and knowing the power of social media sites, I was surprised by the results of a new Citibank/GfK Roper survey. Of the 500 small business owners surveyed, 86% of said that they aren’t using FaceBook or Twitter to get advice or information. Instead, 61% said that they’re using Google and Yahoo.

Twitter and FaceBook aren’t the only social media options out there but they’re a good place to start.

Filed Under: Working at home Tagged With: , , , ,

Working Naked Using Facebook

October 6, 2009 By

Facebook + WordPress = traffic
There aren’t enough hours in the day to learn everything there is to know about growing a blog, but with the help of articles that keep popping up on the Web, you can reduce your learning curve a bit. Start with the article, “Excellent Tutorials to Utilize the Power of WordPress and Facebook.” It’s packed with step-by-step tips for bringing WordPress and Facebook together to increase your blog traffic.

What's on your Facebook page?

What's on your Facebook page?

Are you exposing yourself?
Facebook can bring you exposure and eventually more business but are you literally exposing yourself too much? Are your personal photos accessible to your clients? Do you have friends who don’t think before they write and post inappropriate comments on your wall? Read the article “10 Privacy Settings Every Facebook User Should Know” to help you protect your privacy on Facebook. There’s nothing wrong with friends and clients getting to know you, but sometimes it’s better to leave some things to the imagination.

Filed Under: Working at home Tagged With: , ,

Getting the Word Out

May 22, 2009 By

Getting publicity seems easy, doesn’t it? You send out an electronic news release, make follow-up calls and then writers and producers call you immediately. Those of us who’ve tried that approach know that it doesn’t work that way. There are very few guarantees in life and getting publicity is one of them. That’s why there are Public relations dynamos like Liz Bradford, president of Bradford Public Relations, Inc., to help those of us working naked as well as major corporations, get exposure.

Liz Bradford

Liz Bradford

Liz was an anchor anchor/producer/reporter for 12 years before she started her PR firm. Her clients include Ford Motor Company and Krispy Kreme Donuts (yum!) among others. She shares a home office with her account coordinator and this year she decided to rent an outside office for 16 hours a month. Her outside office gives her a place to host potential clients or her consultants (most of them work from home too) for team meetings. Liz, knowing the value of PR, was happy to answer a few questions for all of us working naked:

Lisa: What are the top three PR mistakes small business owners make?

Liz: 1) They don’t budget enough for marketing and PR and can lose momentum once they do start getting media attention. 2) They’re afraid to toot their own horn and don’t do any PR. 3) They get frustrated when they see their competitor getting publicity.

Lisa: What are three things a small business owner can do to get publicity?

Liz: 1) Always be thinking about “story ideas” that would interest newspaper reporters, trade writers, radio station hosts, influential bloggers, TV reporters. 2) Be original and be creative. This is about ways to set yourself apart from your competitors. Blog, Tweet and get a Facebook and/or MySpace page. Social media is very important in today’s media environment where some of the traditional media is losing its audience. 3) Look for small charities in your neighborhood to support and let the local media know about it. Philanthropy goes a long way, especially in this economy where charities are losing donations and need help. I don’t recommend picking a large charity because your news of making a donation will get lost.

Great advice. Time to update my media list.

Filed Under: Balancing home/office Life Tagged With: , , , , , ,
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