Business

The 5 Step Social Media Process

June 30, 2010 By Devon Zimny Leave a Comment

Implementing a social media plan for your business has many benefits, from expanding your reach online, to building credibility to drawing new clients and customers. The social media tools available make connecting and sharing your expertise that much easier! It is important to remember when implementing a social media plan that it is a process. To make it simpler to understand, I have broken it down into 5 steps:

Step One – Strategy – This is an important one. You need to think about who you want to reach and what your goals are before you start to implement anything. This will help you narrow your focus and use your time wisely.

Step Two – Set-Up – Before you can engage with anyone, you need to have your profiles and accounts created and maximized. After completing step one, you should know what communities to participate in, and now is the technical job of setting everything up, making sure it is easy for people to find and connect with you – and do business with you.

Step Three – Listening – Now that your accounts are created, it is time to start listening. Pay close attention to how the community works. And spend some time searching and observing it all. You will learn a lot about the community, and by listening first you can create content that is specifically for that community. Again saving you time in the long run.

Step Four – Reaching Out – You need to make a conscious effort to reach out. People will not always come to you – you need to find them. This is where your strategy and listening come in handy. Find targeted people on your networks and begin to connect and engage with them.

Step Five – Continued Maintenance – you can’t just set up a social media presence and forget it. It has to be consistently nurtured and grown to benefit you. So, you must update your accounts and continue to connect with others. Also continue to search for new connections and build those relationships.

As you can see, social media is an on going process. So try not to expect results overnight. But, if you are consistent and continue to work on your social media presence, you will see some incredible results. And if you need help implementing any of the steps listed above, contact me

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Filed Under: Business, Social Media Tagged With: Social Media, social media implementation, social media plan

Creating Online Content: Where to Start?

March 26, 2010 By Devon Zimny Leave a Comment

When marketing your business online, there seems to be a never ending need for fresh content. Especially when you add social media to the mix! Content is such a key component to internet marketing. But, it can also be very intimidating and overwhelming. You have blog posts, Twitter updates, Facebook posts, LinkedIn, forum discussions, free downloads, e-books and information products, email newsletters…and the list goes on! Ahh! Where in the world are you going to get all of this content? It is enough to make you never want to start, right?

The good news is you know your industry, your customers, and your target market. So you already have tons of information that is useful and helpful in your head! You may already have some marketing materials that can be repurposed for online content. It doesn’t have to be scary! And you don’t have to write a novel (although, you can if you want to). You just need to translate your experience into bite sized bits of information that your market can use.

Start by setting aside some time to really think about your target market. Ask yourself:

What are their questions?
What are their problems?
How does my product or service solve them?
What are they interested in?
How can I help them get the most out of my product or service?
How can I make their life easier?

This should give you many topic ideas that you can then turn into blog posts, social networking updates, and more. Your current and potential customers are turning to the internet to find answers. They want solutions to a specific problem. So you want to create content that provides those solutions. It is as simple as that.

Creating online content really does not have to be intimidating. Taking some time to brainstorm ideas and look at your business through the eyes of a customer is a great place to start. You will find you have a nice list of ideas. Then, as you write more blogs and spend more time using social media, you will start to notice what experiences will make great content! And you will find yourself thinking – this will make a great blog post!

Photo credit:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/nirak/ / CC BY 2.0

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Filed Under: Business, Internet Marketing Tagged With: Blogs, Business, content, Internet Marketing

What the Olympics Taught Me About Small Business

March 2, 2010 By Devon Zimny Leave a Comment

Like many of you, I watched quite a bit of the Olympics. I loved watching all of these amazing athletes at the top of their game, doing what they love, and achieving their goals. Throughout the Olympic games, I kept thinking about the similarities between business success and success as an athlete. Many of the same core principals apply. And with so many “get rich quick” or “make money fast online” schemes out there, it is nice to be reminded of what it truly takes to be successful:

The fact that hard work is essential. Success does not come easy. It is the result of lots of hard work. The athletes train for years for the Olympics. They train day in and day out to reach their goals. To be the best, you have to put in the effort. That is the bottom line. The same goes for running a business. You have to be willing to put in a lot of time and effort. You have to constantly learn and improve your services and products to stay on top.
Discipline is Key – Not only do you have to work hard, you have to be consistent. The athletes can’t work really hard for a month, and then take a month off. They have to work hard, consistently, building up momentum, to achieve their goals. When it comes to your business, you can’t just work really hard in the beginning and then just sail through the rest. You must be continually marketing yourself, as well as looking for ways to improve and get better.
Take Advantage of Opportunities - When you have the chance to do something great you must take advantage of it. You never know when the next opportunity is coming along. Be open to opportunity, and take the chances when you get them.
Set Goals – the Olympic athletes have a big goal – win the gold medal. They are always working towards that goal. Everything they do for the 4 years before the Olympics, and probably many years before that, is working towards acheiving that goal. The athletes know what they are working for, and everything they do is to achieve that goal. Have you thought of your goals for your business? What are you working towards? Setting goals helps you decide what action you should be taking. What projects you should be working on, and what opportunities are right for you. You can cut through the distractions because you know exactly what you are working towards. Goals are a vital part of any business.

I think it is helpful to look at people who are successful in other areas of life or business. Especially when it feels like things aren’t moving as quickly as you would like in your business. For me, watching the Olympic athletes has reminded me that starting and running a business is a journey. And to keep pushing forward, looking for opportunities, and working hard and I will be able to achieve my goals. What has the Olympics taught you?

Photo credit - http://www.flickr.com/photos/junksnowgirl/ / CC BY-NC 2.0

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Filed Under: Business

Are you Suffering from Social Media Writer’s Block?

February 24, 2010 By Devon Zimny 1 Comment

Do you stare at your blank Twitter profile wondering what to write about? Have your profiles sat under-appreciated and unused because you just don’t know what to say. It is understandable. When you first start using social media it can be a bit overwhelming. In the beginning it is hard to know what is the “right” content to share. Not to mention that you have only a few followers, so who is really listening anyway?

Well, for social media to be effective for your business, you have to get over this hump. You have to start contributing and adding content. Simply having a profile isn’t going to do much good for your business. It must be updated regularly. Here are a few ways for you to start coming up with that all important content:

Read More. Start to follow other blogs in your industry or that are of interest to you. Look for good articles that your target market will also enjoy. Then post links to the blog posts and articles that have good information to share. You can add a little comment or just post the title and link. Most websites and blogs make this very easy to do. Just search for the “Re-Tweet” this or Share This button on the page and with a few clicks you have posted the link to your account.
Share your Own Content – If you have a blog, be sure to post the link of your new blog post on your social media accounts. (There are wordpress plugins available to make this very simple to do) If you have written articles, post those. Got an event coming up? Mention it. One side note – make sure you aren’t only posting links to your stuff. This gets old fast. Mix it in with other content and interaction.
Comment or reply to someone elses post. This is one of my favorites. It doesn’t take long to reply to another tweet or comment on a facebook posting, and you are starting to build the ever important relationship this way.
Spend 1 hour a week brainstorming content ideas. Schedule this time in your calendar and keep it an easy to access file (I use Evernote). Think of 10 valuable bits of information you can share. It is much easier to do when you have set aside the time to focus on it. Now, when you do get onto your social media sites, you already have some great content to post . You can now spend your time responding and commenting to others. Instead of spending all your time trying to decide what to say.

It doesn’t have to be scary. And the only way you will really learn what works for your business is to try. Stop staring at the blank screen and make it a priority to start talking. Jump in!

Photo Credit:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/incessantflux/ / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

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Filed Under: Business, Social Media Tagged With: content, Social Media

No Time for Social Media? Make time!

February 8, 2010 By Devon Zimny Leave a Comment

One of the most common reasons I hear for not using social media is lack of time. I absolutely understand this. Especially as a small business owner! You are super busy, doing just about everything, and the thought of figuring out one more thing is just too overwhelming! But, I also think you can’t ignore what social media can do for your business. And the fact that social media is completely changing the way we do business online! The tools may change, but being social online isn’t going anywhere. So, what are you to do – I say make time for social media.

Start by choosing one social network to begin using. Whether it is Twitter, Facebook, Linked In, YouTube, a niche site, a forum, a blog – just pick one.

Commit to using that one social network. Fit time into your day to spend time on the site – listening, learning, interacting. Schedule in the time everyday! Whether it is in the morning with your coffee, during your lunch, in the afternoon. Find the time and commit to it every day!

Listen and Learn from others. Pay attention to how others use the site. Read what they are talking about. Comment, connect, interact with people there. Create your own content and share. Don’t just jump in and start bombarding people. Take it slow, and use it as a learning process.

Once you have spent some time getting up to speed with your first social network, join others. The same general rules apply to every tool – be real, be authentic, be helpful, be caring, and build relationships. So once you have gotten the hang of one of the sites, you can take that knowledge and apply it to the others. Although, each social network or group has their own set of rules, so don’t forget to listen first whenever you join a new network.

Then, once you have spent some time on a few of the sites, you can determine what social networking tools will be most beneficial for your business. And focus your efforts there. But, you have to start somewhere, and waiting until you have the time means you never will. Just take it slow and work social media into your current marketing – see where it takes you!

Photo Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/robbie73/ / CC BY-SA 2.0

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Filed Under: Business, Social Media Tagged With: Business, Social Media

My Want To: Why I Became an Entrepreneur

October 14, 2009 By Devon Zimny Leave a Comment

A few months ago, myself, and a few other VA’s got together to go through the Get Clients Now book by C.J. Hayden. (Great book, by the way) We all read through the book and participated in weekly Skype calls to discuss our progress and the book itself. Once we concluded the 6 week Get Clients Now program, we decided that we enjoyed talking with each other, being able to discuss our industry and individual businesses, and just sharing about our lives. So, we decided to continue the calls on a monthly basis, and to choose a new book to read. Alas, the VA Book Club began.

Our first VA Book Club selection is . We have only read through chapter one, “Lie #1: I Just Need to Know How to Do This.” This chapter discusses how many business owners spend all their time working on how to run their business, and forget about the want to. The want to is your reason for starting your business and for wanting it to succeed. So this post is about my want to. Why I started my business and why I want it to succeed.

There are a few reasons why I decided to go into business for myself. The main reason is for my family. In 2008, I was working for a homebuilder, managing the design center. I loved my job, although things were pretty depressing as the housing market crashed. But, my job was challenging, I worked with wonderful people, it was fast paced, and I was constantly learning. I worked my way up from a receptionist with no experience in homebuilding, to managing the design center. I had made it through round after round of layoffs. Oh, and I was pregnant with my first baby. And then boom, I get laid off. So, here I am 7 months pregnant with no job. That was a crazy experience. But, as is often the case in life, things happen for a reason. I was able to stay home my last 2 months of pregnancy because of my severance package, and then was able to stay home longer with my daughter than I ever would have had I still been employed. Having my daughter completely changed my outlook on life, and also what I wanted out of my life. Now, my number one goal was to find a way to work and challenge myself (I really need the constant growth in my professional life) and be there for my daughter. I racked my brain and researched business ideas. This lead me to the virtual assistant industry and I just knew it was a perfect fit for me. I could have my own business, and be flexible and in control of my time and life. So I went for it! My family is the absolute biggest and most important reason I have for jumping into this whole entrepreneur thing.

What I have found, as I have worked to build my business, is that I really love it! My want to is evolving as my business grows. The more I learn, the more I love the direction I am headed! The internet is an amazing world of opportunity. And I have just fallen in love with the possibilities. And, I really, truly, enjoy helping others expand their business online. As I said earlier, everything happens for a reason and I know I am exactly where I should be.

Without really understanding why you want your business to succeed, you may never succeed. Starting and growing your business takes a lot of work, and so you must be really clear on what you want and where you are going. If you don’t have the passion and drive, then you won’t make it through the bumps in the road. You will just give up. So stop and think about your want to. Why did you start your business and why do you want it to succeed?

Our first VA Book Club selection is 9 Lies That Are Holding Your Business Back: And the Truth That Will Set It Free (amazon link). We have only read through chapter one, “Lie #1: I Just Need to Know How to Do This.” This chapter discusses how many business owners spend all their time working on how to run their business, and forget about the want to. The want to is your reason for starting your business and for wanting it to succeed. So this post is about my want to. Why I started my business and why I want it to succeed.

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Filed Under: Business Tagged With: Business

My New Productivity Plan

October 6, 2009 By Devon Zimny Leave a Comment

I have been having a hard time lately keeping on task without getting distracted. Between Twitter, email, scheduled webinars and calls, and being a WAHM, the distractions are endless. I have no problem prioritizing client work – that all gets done first. But, when it comes to my business, I find myself not being productive. My new system is to plan each day out on my calendar (I use Outlook). I have everything color coded – specific colors for clients, my business, errands, housework, meetings and seminars, and networking events. I decide what I want to accomplish each day and schedule it out, down to my laundry! It is helping tremendously to have goals set each day. I know exactly what I need to do, and I do not get lost in email or Twitter. I love Twitter, but I can definitely get sucked in! So far this system is working great for me and I plan to continue to use it to keep my business moving forward.

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Filed Under: Business Tagged With: Business, productivity

Jump Start your Business

September 30, 2009 By Devon Zimny Leave a Comment

Recently I have noticed many businesses amping up. There seems to be a lot of focus and action occurring between summer and the holidays. So what are you focusing on? Do you want to grow your business? Well, stop thinking status quo and start brainstorming. Here are some ideas to get you started:

1.   Expand your Services. Go through your current list of offerings. What do you love to do? Are there ways you can expand on those services that you love? What about some natural extensions of the services you already offer?
2.   Jump into Social Media – Really get your social media working for your business. Maximize your profile and make a commitment to participate!! Research your target market’s industry forums and groups and get involved! Spend more time on Twitter. Make it a priority!
3.   Group together some of your popular services into an easy to purchase package. Determine what services fit together well and can be grouped, come up with a price and you are set!
4.   Create an e-book – You have a ton of knowledge and experience. Take some of that knowledge and create a useful, informative e-book.
5.   Put together a webinar – Put together a presentation, and share more of your expertise with the web.

Take the time to brainstorm and think outside of the box for your business, and you will come up with some great new ideas! Sometimes, as business owners, we get so involved in the day to day actions of running a business that we forget to evolve our business. Take a walk, get out of your office, and open your mind to new possibilities for your business!

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Filed Under: Business Tagged With: Business

Taking Online Networking Offline

September 24, 2009 By Devon Zimny Leave a Comment

Last week, I attended 2 offline networking events that were related to online social networking. The first was the monthly meeting of the Sacramento Social Media Club. The SMC holds monthly meetings that include speakers on various topics related to social media. This month, the topic was education and social media. The topic of education was very interesting and the ways to use social media and Web 2.0 to enhance education are limitless! I hope that our education system can embrace all of the positives that technology brings without being too scared of the negatives that accompany it. What is really great about the Social Media Club is how they explore the uses of social media in so many different industries. The meetings show the possibilities of social media, as well as how flexible it can be. There are so many uses of social media as a tool, and industries are coming up with new uses every day.

The second event was the Sac Tweetup. This was a chance for Sacramento area Twitter users to meet face to face. The event was great! Every person I met was genuinely nice. The idea of Twitter being a relationship tool, and not a sales tool, was extended to the face to face meet up. I loved being able to meet in person so many of the people I follow and interact with on Twitter. For someone who is not very comfortable in situations where I don’t know anyone, the fact that I already interacted with many of the people on Twitter, made the experience much easier.

It is well worth it to attend offline networking and learning opportunities. It just strengthens the relationships you have made online. As well as allowing you to meet some completely new people! Search out the tweetups happening in your community – or create one yourself!! Continue building your relationships!

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Filed Under: Business, Social Media, Uncategorized Tagged With: Business, Sacramento, Social Media, twitter

Vintage VA Services

Creating Online Content: Where to Start?

What the Olympics Taught Me About Small Business

My Want To: Why I Became an Entrepreneur

My New Productivity Plan

Jump Start your Business

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