I just wrote about time management on another blog, because it is SUCH a big issue, today. One of the biggest challenges around time is in trying to ‘market’ your business via the current social networking venues.

I hear it all the time: “I need to market, but then I don’t have time for anything else!”

Seriously?

Let’s FIRST look at the term “marketing” and then let’s look at your social networking habits to see if we can get you back to work.

Marketing

Marketing is the strategy you will use to grow your business.

Marketing does not ONLY mean Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn. Marketing is a bigger picture of how you will accomplish the goals you’ve set up to accomplish with your business. Marketing is the tool for success. This also means newsletters, business cards, networking, phone calls, etc, just to name a few. Social networking should only be a PART of your marketing.

Literally, the definition of marketing by the American Marketing Association is “Marketing is the activity, set of institutions, and processes for creating, communicating, delivering, and exchanging offerings that have value for customers, clients, partners, and society at large. (Approved October 2007)”

Got it?

Ok, that’s the first step.

Social networking

Next, let’s look at your social networking habits. Looking at your current social networking habits, are you able to quantify your results? How many visitors are you driving to your website as a result of your postings? And, of those visitors, how many are signing up for anything you have to offer? First item should be your newsletter/eblast.  Second would be your main service or product you have to offer.

Do NOT tell me you don’t know!

If you find yourself spending hours on these sites and you do not KNOW the results you’re producing, then really, you’re not working, you’re playing!

Consider how much all that ‘playing’ is costing you! Where is your return on investment? If it is not driving business to you, how else could you otherwise spend your time and actually MAKE money? Afterall, that IS why you’re in business, right?

The best piece of advice my Social Media VA gave me was this: Spend no more than 5 minutes a day on these sites. She suggested pick one to visit 3 days a week, another 2 days, and another 2 days. It was like she lifted this huge weight of pressure off my shoulders! Oh, I CAN create a presence AND work at the same time!

The funny thing is I’m starting to see other business coaches/consultants suggest the same thing. Why? Because it works!

So, now you know what marketing is and what place social networking plays in the BIG picture. And you have a suggested guide for controlling your social networking time.

So now, SERIOUSLY, stop reading and get to work!

Margie

I had my first book signing event in Arizona for JUST JUMP at the Next Chapter Bookstore in Prescott Valley, AZ last weekend. I had a great time, but the outcome was totally different than I had anticipated!

We had very few visitors to the store. But there were four of us at the event to sign books. And we created what I believe will be an incredible synergy of authors who will support, encourage and motivate each of the others. We are already discussing setting up our first meeting.

We’ll have a second book signing event at New Chapter, but although I put the word out about the event, I realize I didn’t quite do the push I know I should have.

What does it mean to to “Go for it 100%” and what holds us back from doing so? Let’s take a look at this and how YOU can JUST JUMP in and go 100%:

First, why do you hesitate to really GO FOR IT 100%?? Usually it’s one simple thing: Lack of confidence or self-doubt. Sure, it may not be HUGE, but it tends to linger in the fringes of what we could make possible. We all suffer from it at one level or another. We can SAY it’s lack of time, but we all find time for the things we most want to spend time on. We can also say we don’t know what to DO. Again, this is just another excuse. So, if you took away all of these excuses, THEN what do you do?

• Put your marketing plan together. I realized it’s time for an updated marketing plan for my book. Yes, I created one when it was in the production stage, and I have an updated (2010) plan for my business, but not for my book!

• Implement your plan. I could go into all the strategies to use to GO FOR IT 100%, but they are in your plan! Who must you contact, how will you contact them? How will you use social media? How will you manage your time around each of these activities? All of this must be included in your planning.

• Ask yourself, what is the worst that can happen? It’s all well-and-good to tell you to make the plan and then implement it, but then the limiting conversations come up that we mentioned above! So, how do you move past those voices of doubt? If you knock on a door or make a phone call, what is the worst thing that can happen? Seriously, usually it’s just that they say no! The worst is your ego is bruised, but you move on.

• Ask yourself, who must you be to make this happen? If someone told you they wanted to climb Mt. Everest, you would encourage them to do what’s necessary to make this happen, right? Why are you different? There is a part of you that might be holding back.  So, if you were to pretend you were someone ELSE, who would that person be? How can you step into those shoes, even for an afternoon or few minutes?

I totally believe that with the planning and vision, we can make anything happen. My goal is to enjoy the fact that I’m now in a new state/location and can spread the word about my book, JUST JUMP,  and how it can help people. I’m ready to GO FOR IT 100%!

Are you?

I challenge YOU to come on and post what you are willing to GO FOR IT 100%! Putting it out there means you WILL make it happen! You DO have a choice! It all depends on you and how willing you are to GO FOR IT 100%.

Margie

I just returned from two amazing conferences and was fortunate to speak at both.

The speaking experiences were, as always, tons of fun, and the two different people I presented with offered wonderful experiences that can never be duplicated.

But what I gained most from this year’s experience was the rich networking! Before joining the Board of NE (Nutrition Entrepreneur’s Dietetic Practice Group of ADA), I would quietly attend conferences, going to sessions and then disappearing into my room for rest and workouts.

As with most of us, networking was work!

Why is networking important and what can you do to benefit from it?

First, often people shy away from ‘networking’ because they suddenly think they have nothing to share. “What WILL I say?” Here is the first mistake; thinking it’s about you! Stop thinking about YOU and start thinking about who you would like to meet: There may be particular people, or maybe you just want to ‘get out there’. You’re not going to like everyone you meet, but you may also meet someone who you totally click with and suddenly start talking about exciting collaborative opportunities with. This is what happened to me this trip.

So, step into a networking event/opportunity with the sole purpose of learning about the people who are there. Period. Make SURE you have cards with you, but when you ask someone what they do, if you’re interested, ask them for a card, and when you’re done talking, make a note on their card, so you can remember what you were interested in about them. This helps you add a personal touch when you contact them afterwards.

Second, be very clear what YOU would like to accomplish from the experience. Be focused on what YOU have to offer. Do you have a new book out? Or maybe you are writing a book? Maybe you are expanding your nutrition or fitness business and need clients. Never expect to come away with new clients; you’re just putting the word out, but again, be very clear what you hope to accomplish for yourself, too. Do you have your audio logo (elevator speech) perfected? If not, work on it, now! (for help, buy my book). People should know what problems you solve, who you work with, and what makes you different, in just 30 seconds.

Finally, if you are clear what you want, when you meet people who you want to get to know more, the way the universe provides you with what you want is by asking. So, tell people what you are looking for! You will be amazed by the willingness of people to help, if you’re open and honest, AND you also care about what THEY want.

Now what?

You’re now home and you have all these cards. Who do you want to stay in touch with? Just about everyone, today, has an email address on their card, so, within a week, be sure to contact those you enjoyed meeting and want to stay in touch with. You’ll be amazed when, one day you look back and realize that the partner you have for your wildly successful venture was once that last person you almost did NOT say hi to at that networking event.

Here’s my challenge to you:

Pick one way you can push outside your own comfort zone in order to network. Share it with me. I’d also love to hear networking success stories. This will help inspire others to know that they are not alone when it comes to the fear of networking.

Margie

http://www.meg-enterprises.com

If you are like me, you have 16 million things going on at once. I know many people are in this situation, because they tell me!

Then, just to add more pressure, at every turn, we read the importance of ‘showing up’, or participating in blogs, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc, etc, etc.

Oh, and I hear more and more from people who are feeling way too overwhelmed with their email! In fact, chances are those people will never even see this blog!

How can you get control and STILL ‘show up’? Here are four steps you can take now.

#1 – Get control of your email! My favorite resource for this comes from David Allen in his book, Getting Things Done.  I believe he’s right when he says we all clean out our voice mail to zero. Why is that, yet we allow our email to grow and grow and grow? Great; so how DO you get control? First, as I tell members of my Just Jump into Business membership program, create folders and filters, and then set up instructions. If you are like me, you belong to multiple listservs and several newsletters. Filter each one into its own folder. I literally have over 50 folders. I couldn’t survive without them! I can then just spend time on listserv email or read newsletters when I have the time, rather than have to sort through it all to find the important things. What’s important? Clients, family and friends. Reading what each person has to say about lipids is NOT important….

#2 – Set a timer for reading email. It’s all well-and-good to stay on top of your inbox, but if you’re using up your precious morning reading them all, this is unlikely the best use of your most limited resource; your time. I have clients seriously look at their schedule and determine when they have time for email. This is where the timer comes in – when it goes off after the designated amount of time, go onto what’s next! Imagine actually ACCOMPLISHING your goals for the day!

#3 – While you’re evaluating your schedule, this is where you must also decide if participating in social media is effective for reaching your potential clients. Let’s assume it is effective for you. Now you have to decide which sites these people hang out in and what it is they want to hear from you. Then add spending time there to your schedule! But, again, your time will be limited; you do not want to spend the day telling people, ‘I am now making lunch’…. Again, what do they want to hear from you and how can you make the best use out of the limited time you have? And… set the timer…

#4 – Show up IN PERSON! Sure, the major bulk of my business is online, but it is still important to develop in-person relationships. This includes going to networking and social events. This provides you with the experience of learning who else is out there and what they need.  Not to mention developing friends and colleagues you can spend time with and have fun with! It also gives you the opportunity to learn from others in ways you just don’t learn long-distance.

These are simple steps. Just working on ONE can make a huge difference in not only helping you become more productive, but also help you get out there and feel you are SHOWING UP. When we feel bogged down, we tend to back off and try to escape.

See you out there!

Margie

P. S. If you are interested in how you can get control of your life and business, contact me for a complementary, 30-minute coaching call.