“The big secret in life is that there is no big secret. Whatever your goal, you can get there if you’re willing to work.” – Oprah Winfrey

One of the most interesting phenomenas that I often encounter when working with new business owners is the interesting concept that they can “get-rich-quick.” They want something for nothing; a free-lunch. What a strange thought.

Business is not easy. That doesn’t mean that it’s not fun. In fact, I love every minute that I spend on my business. But, I’m the first to tell you that business success doesn’t happen while sitting on the couch, eating Doritos and watching Oprah. (I think that she would wholeheartedly agree!)

You need to work for your success. More than that, you need to work hard for you success. I don’t care what anyone tells you, if you don’t work hard on your business, at least in the initial stages, you won’t succeed. Period.

The sad fact is that people in our society are often looking for that quick-fix, instant gratification. When you look at our nation’s consumer debt, it’s clear that we want our things NOW, not later. When you look at our nation’s obesity problem, it’s clear that we want to enjoy our food NOW and worry about consequences later.

I am certainly guilty of the “instant gratification” life at times. I’m sure most people are. However, I also know that if I play now, I pay later. That’s true whether it comes to diet, exercise, debt and or small business success.

I once worked with a client who started his small business and quit in three-days time. He had a great business concept, a solid marketing plan and definitive goals. The one part that he was missing was that he wasn’t willing to put in the time  to succeed. The crazy part is that I think he could have been a huge success had he stuck with his business.

When you go into business, you’re going to need to work. Whether you work from home or operate your own storefront; whether you own your own business or a franchise; whether you work on the internet or conduct business offline. It doesn’t matter. You need to work hard to succeed.

Business success is no different than every other part of life. We need to pay our dues now, in order to succeed later. Once you realize this, your business will take off like it never has before.

Your Twitter bio gives you exactly 160 characters (no more, no less) to let your prospects know who you are, what your business brand is all about and precisely why they should do business with you and no one else.

So, the million dollar question is, what are you doing to add a little bling to your 160-word Twitter bio?

Well, if you take even five minutes to peruse a varying collection of Twitter bios, you’ll find that most small business owners obviously haven’t given much thought, time or energy to this seemingly simple task. (Let’s face it, 160-words isn’t exactly a doctoral dissertation.)

Interestingly enough, after perusing hundreds of Twitter bios, I found that there were three “Twitter bio themes” that seemed to keep cropping up again and again (and, again).

So, in no particular order:

1) Twitter Theme Bio #1: The “Who Cares” Twitter Bio

ACTUAL TWITTER BIO: “I’m an accountant in the New York area with 15 years of experience. I’m currently taking on new clients.”

Yaaaaawn! (I’m sorry, please excuse the yawn.)

Really, who cares? Believe it or not, Joe’s prospects don’t care about how much experience Joe has or if he’s taking on new clients. At the end of the day, all Joe’s prospects care about is what Joe can do for them and how Joe can improve their life.

2) Twitter Theme Bio #2: The “Annoying” Twitter Bio

ACTUAL TWITTER BIO: “It’s time to change your life. I’ll show you how to make $25,000 in 25 days.”

Ish! (That’s a beloved word from my Scandinavian grandpa…meaning “icky.”) Obviously, I chose an extremely sleazy, spammy example of the “Annoying Twitter” bio. But, the point remains: don’t aggressively flail yourself onto your target market. Forceful, pushy and offensive Twitter bios are not going to pay the rent. Remember, Twitter is a social media tool that is meant to build relationships and, you can’t build relationships through a blitzkrieg assault.

3) Twitter Theme Bio #3: The “Forgot To Fill It In” Twitter Bio

ACTUAL TWITTER BIO: Blank (Nothing has been filled in…) But, the crazy part is that this particular Twitter user had sent out over 10,000 Tweets. That just seems like a lot of fast and furious Tweeting without anyone ever knowing who you are and what business you represent.

It’s true. Every so often I actually come across a blank Twitter bio. Nothing, nada, zilch. Now, I actually don’t know if the Twitter owner forgot to fill out their bio, or simply thought that the bio is an unnecessary luxury. But, come on, if you’re going to take the time to Twitter, fill out the bio…it’s only 160 words.

What are some interesting Twitter profile themes that you have come across?

Most people have heard of public relations, however, they’re not entirely sure what it entails. In fact, ask twenty different small business owners to give you the definition of public relations and you’ll receive twenty different answers.

Here is my definition of public relations:  public relations is the process of building awareness, visibility and positive interactions with your prospective clients and customers through a variety of communication channels and tools.

Thus, in a nutshell, public relations involves your overall planning and execution strategy with the media in general. Not only is public relations about bringing you visibility and exposure through TV, radio and newspapers, it’s also about how you present yourself and your company to the world in general.

That being said, public relations still remains elusive to most small business. Even though it’s incredibly simple and accessible to the small business owner, PR is one of the most under-utilized marketing tools.

So, why in the world does your small business need to tap into public relations?  You are soon going to discover that public relations remains a marketing tool that entails very little risk, is incredible effective and 100% free.

As a small business owner, one of the most accessible marketing strategies available to you is creating a comprehensive public relations campaign.

Here are six important reasons why your small business must engage in public relations:

1. You Are a Small Business. When you engage in public relations you position your small business as a much larger entity.  As your business receives coverage through radio, blogs and other print publications, your audience assumes that you are a large, established organization. There is no better tool for a little fish in a big sea than some good PR coverage.

2. No One Knows About Your Small Business. One of the most frustrating components for the small business owner is the constant problem of trying to establish visibility for yourself and your company.  Public relations brings you that needed exposure quickly and efficiently. As you execute your PR plan, you create a “massive visibility campaign” for your small business.

3. Getting The “Word Out” Is the Most Important Factor. Unfortunately, in today’s world, the quality of your product or service isn’t the most important factor in attaining new customers and clients. (Although quality is an incredibly important factor in keeping existing customers and clients.) If your prospects and customers are going to do business with you, they must be able to find you. Therefore, divide your time between tweaking and perfecting your products and services and “getting the word” out to your prospects.

4. Traditional Marketing Isn’t As Effective. Direct advertising methods such as TV and radio commercials aren’t as effective as they were several years ago. Today’s prospects just don’t trust traditional forms of advertising and are much more willing to do business with companies that they know and trust. A good PR campaign can create hundreds of positive stories about you and your company.

5. You Have Competitors. Virtually every small business owner has dozens, if not hundreds of competitors. One of the best ways to outshine your competition is to seize PR opportunities such as radio, print and online coverage. Chances are that your competitors haven’t put together a comprehensive PR campaign, so you might as well use this to your advantage.

6. It’s Free. Obviously, one of the most attractive parts of public relations is that it’s a free marketing tool for the small business owner on a shoestring marketing budget. And, as a all savvy shoestring business owners know, there’s no better marketing tool than a free marketing tool.

Therefore, make sure to include a public relations campaign as part of your overall marketing strategy. Your business will thank you.

With the onset of social media, prospective customers and clients understand that they can peruse online reviews about a particular product or service that they are considering to purchase. This includes everything from a graphic designer to a doctor, dentist or lawyer.

Obviously, you want to be listed favorably when your prospects begin this online search. That’s where the “social search engines” come into play. A social search engine lists local small businesses and rates, ranks and reviews them.

Sites such as Yelp and Insider Pages are becoming more popular by the day…and for good reason!  A listing in a social site is free publicity for your small business. (And, obviously, in my shoestring marketing mind, there’s nothing better than free!)

In addition, you begin the important process of managing and promoting your online reputation. (Don’t worry too much about that dreaded “negative review”; most of the sites have tools in place to fight obvious spam or undocumented rage.)

Here’s a 5-step process for getting involved in social search sites:

1) Sign Up With Major Social Search Engines:

Yelp.com
InsiderPages.com
Judy’s Book
Smalltown.com

2) Fill Out Your Pertinent Small Business Information. In addition to your business name, location and picture, include an enticing marketing message that allows your prospects to ascertain exactly how you will solve their problems.

3) Ask Your Current Customers and Clients For Reviews. Many small business owners are noticing that a positive reviews on the social search sites often gives them better rankings and more visibility.

4) Publish Your Positive Reviews. As the love (in the form of positive reviews) begins to flow in, you can place these reviews on your website, blog, ezine or newsletter. The point is to let the world know what your customers and clients are saying about you. You can talk about yourself until you’re blue in the face, but your bragging won’t make much of an impact in the minds of your prospects. It’s what OTHERS say about you that’s worth its weight in gold!

5) Add Your Own Reviews. Obviously, these social sites are just another form of social media marketing…and it’s important for you to be involved in the process as well!

So, go ahead and get involved in a few social search sites for added visibility, increased trust and hopefully, more leads and sales.

If you’re looking for a way to launch a public relations campaign, look no further than the Online Media Kit.

Creating an online media kit allows both prospects and the media a chance to discover “behind-the-scenes” information about you and your small business.

In addition, media kits make it virtually painless for journalists, event hosts, radio show producers and bloggers to contact you in order to highlight you and your small business. Plus, it showcases the fact that you are media-friendly, and even more importantly, media-savvy.

Your media kit should be kept on its own separate page on your website. Many small business owners call the page Media, Press or Media Kit. In addition, choose file formats that work on multiple platforms, browsers and computers (i.e. PDF files).

There are generally six main components of a well-crafted media kit:

1. Company Overview. Provide important information about your company including when your company was founded, a concise description of your company, your mission statement, guiding principles and contact information.

2. Overview of Your Products/Services. Supply a short overview of your products and/or services. Include clickable links to sales pages for additional information.

3. Current Press Releases. Publish current press releases so that visitors can track the growth of your company over time.

4. Personal Fact-Sheet. Include your title, personal bio (including a long and short bio) and sample photos (optimized for both the internet and print).

5. List of Suggested Questions. Supply journalists, radio show hosts, writers and publishers a list of suggested questions that they can ask you related to your small business. It’s always a good idea to help make a prospective interview as painless as possible.

6. Links to Media Mentions and/or Appearances. As your small business begins to receive media coverage, publish these mentions and/or appearances to provide additional credibility for your small business.

Remember that all components of your media kit should be brief, interesting and compelling making it simple for the media to showcase your small business.

This brings us to our 3rd of 3 articles this week. I’d like to thank Jessica again for having me as a guest blogger on her site. It has been a pleasure being here this week.

I’m very excited to share that my first full length book will soon be available on Amazon and at bookstores near you. The following is an excerpt from my book, Connect, Communicate and Profit, by D’vorah Lansky. Enjoy and please share your comments!

A key ingredient to growing your online presence is to develop an online branding strategy.  As you begin to brand yourself on the Internet, give thought to why it is you want to market your business online and what image you want to convey. Next, determine who your target or niche market is. This will provide you with focus and the ability to brand yourself as an expert in this field.

Here is an analogy between your storefront business and your online business. Your store’s name is analogous to the name of your online business, product, or program offering. Your domain name is comparable to your store’s street address. If someone wants to come to your store, they need to have your store name and your address so that they can find you. Your domain serves as your street address. This is the URL that people will type in the address bar of their Web browser to find your Web site. It is important for people to have an idea as to what your site is about based on your domain name; this will also help with search engine optimization and better ranking in Google.

The foundation of your Internet empire is your Web site. This is your online storefront or office building. Your Web site is where you can house your content, build community, make sales, and grow your business. It is crucial that your Web site reflect your branded image and that you provide ways for people to get to know you.

• Have a welcome audio or video message that your visitors can click on

• Display written, audio, or video testimonials from your customers, clients, and students

• Make sure your Web site is a warm and inviting place where people will want to frequent

• Post fresh and informative written content

Continuing the analogy, let’s talk about advertising. Perhaps you advertise your business on the radio or in your local newspaper. Online you can advertise on Google, Facebook, or by purchasing ad space on someone’s Web site. There are also numerous ways that you can advertise your business for free. You can place your signature, business name, tagline and Web address in your signature on the social networks or forums. You can write articles and in the bio box at the end of the article you can invite people to visit your Web site. You can also advertise via a YouTube video, linking viewers to your products. This will be discussed later.

Networking and interacting with others is a vital component of relationship marketing. Regarding networking, in your community you can go to the chamber of commerce or business networking groups, whereas online, we have social networks and forums. Social networks and forums are to your online business what offline business groups are to more traditional brick and mortar businesses. So, as you can see, setting up an online business is much like setting up and promoting an offline business.

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If you enjoyed this article, I invite you to receive a free chapter of my book at www.ConnectCommunicateProfit.com

I’d love to hear your comments and questions and look forward to getting to know you.

All the best,

D’vorah Lansky
Relationship Marketing Wizard   |   Author   |   Speaker   |   Educator
www.BlogWorldTour.com/blog

Continuing with our guest blogging series, I’d like to share with you today two of my favorite WordPress plugins. Plugins not only enhance your site’s functionality, they can also enhance your ability to build relationships online. There are thousands upon thousands of plugins to choose from in the WordPress directory. Take care as you don’t want to use too many plugins as they will slow down your site and in some cases even interfere with your blog being displayed properly.

If you ask avid bloggers to list their top five most favorite plugins, you’ll get a wide variety of answers. There response will be influenced by what they are wanting to accomplish on their blog.

Some bloggers favor plugins that help them with their SEO (Search Engine Optimization). Video bloggers will favor plugins that allow them to easily post videos on their site and create a light box effect for their videos.

Today we are going to talk about two WordPress plugins favored by bloggers who rely on building their businesses by building relationships.

Comment Luv

The first WordPress plugin that I’d like to share with you is called, Comment Luv. Comment Luv adds an icon below your posts with a checkbox next to it. When this box is checked and people leave a comment on one of your blog posts, it will automatically pull in a link to the most recent blog posts from their blog!

This is a fantastic way to add value added content to your site while building relationships with your readers and making it more enticing for people to want to leave comments on your posts.

Comment Luv rewards your readers, encourages more comments and can build community spirit. You can download the plugin from the WordPress directory. You also have the option of registering, for free, on the CommentLuv site if you’d like to be able to share links to numerous blog feeds.

WP-Polls

The second plugin I’d like to share with you today is called WP-Polls. This plugin allows you to create polls so that you can engage your readers and get their input on key topics. For example, you can set up the WP-Polls widget in your member’s area and poll your students to find out:

• What they are enjoying most about the course
• What topic they’d like to learn more on
• Or even whether they have a WordPress blog or not.

WP-Polls is extremely customizable and there are many options for you to choose from. If you could ask your readers anything, what would you ask them?

Powerful Plugins

Being that I am such a raving fan of WordPress and of WordPress plugins, I put up a site dedicated to sharing what I love most about my favorite 50 or so plugins (see link below). This is a hobby site and there is nothing to purchase at this time. It is also a work in progress and I’m having a blast reviewing and sharing these plugins.

Do you have a favorite WordPress plugin that you use and highly recommend? Are you looking for a WordPress plugin to accomplish a specific task? Share your comments below and let’s learn from one another.

Please note that as part of the Blog Tour, there is a Commenting and Tweeting contest. You get points for each comment and each tweet about this post or Jessica’s posts on my site – using the hashtag – #blogworldtour . Visit the Blog Tour site for full contest details.

Thanks again Jessica for having me as a Guest Blogger on your site!

All the best,

D’vorah Lansky
Relationship Marketing Wizard   |   Author   |   Speaker   |   Educator
www.BlogWorldTour.com/blog

I’d like to thank Jessica for having me as a Guest Blogger on her site. Jessica and I met as a result of networking on Facebook.  We began corresponding and became friends. Jessica was a guest speaker on my online radio show, in fact you can listen in to the interview by visiting here.

Jessica and I are participating in a Blog World Tour and thus my readers will have the privilege of reading Jessica’s articles the same week that I will be sharing my thoughts here on your site. Thank you Jessica for this opportunity and for sharing your wisdom with my readers.

My name is D’vorah Lansky and I’ve been marketing online since 1994. My area of focus is in Relationship Marketing and working with professionals to help them build their businesses both online and offline.

Today I’d like to share with you a few thoughts about relationship marketing. From a business point of view, relationship marketing is doing business with people whom we’ve built a relationship with or with people who are highly recommended by people whom we have a relationship.

To put this in perspective  in your own life, think of a time that you have needed, say, the services of a plumber or painter. Did you flip through the phone book and make a random phone call, or did you call someone you know and ask for a referral to someone that they could highly recommend, someone they have a relationship with?

By building relationships, you are building friendships and your network.  By helping people in your network, by referring them to others, and, when appropriate, being available to brainstorm ideas with them, you will ensure that they’re going to want to know you, they’re going to want to refer you, and they’re going to potentially want to do business with you. Relationship marketing is the type of marketing that will not only bring more value to your business but will bring a sense of purpose to what you do.

Let’s take this concept online. Jessica is a perfect example of relationship marketing in action. One reason why she is so successful is not just because she is an exceptional teacher and marketer, but because it is very clear to her students and clients that she deeply cares about them and their success.

Interacting on the social networks provides many opportunities for building relationships and thus potential business partnerships or clients. When you participate in conversations online, are you the person who is always interjecting about what a great product or service you offer, or are you spending time answering questions and interacting, thus getting to know people?

Have you ever met people that you’ve come to admire and trust and, truth be told, it didn’t matter what they were selling, you wanted to do business with them?  Relationship marketing is about reaching out and touching your potential client. As a small business owner or entrepreneur, you truly are the heart of your business and when your potential client comes to know you on a personal level they will consider you an ally and want to buy from you.

If you enjoyed this article, I invite you to receive a free chapter of my book at www.ConnectCommunicateProfit.com

I’d love to hear your comments and questions and look forward to getting to know you.

All the best,

D’vorah Lansky
Relationship Marketing Wizard   |   Author   |   Speaker   |   Educator
www.BlogWorldTour.com/blog

When you write a press release it’s important that you submit a factual, professional and newsworthy story.  If you decide to “bend the rules,” press release distribution services have the right to refuse to accept and run your press release.
Here are ten common reasons why your press release won’t be accepted and distributed:

1) SHOUTING AT YOUR READERS. Avoid using ALL CAPS or exclamation points anywhere in your press release (including the headline)!!!  Capitalizing all of your letters or using exclamation points is unprofessional and literally shouts at your reader. (And, by the way, no one likes to be shouted at.)

2) Blatant Advertisements. Press releases are intended to deliver newsworthy stories to their audiences in an objective and non-biased manner. If you’re begging your readers to buy your products or services because they are “the best in the world,” you need to throw your release into the recycle bin and start again.

3) Hype and Exaggeration. Avoid language that makes extravagant claims or is filled with hype.  Certain words such as “free,” “unbelievable” and “best” are huge red flags that what you’re saying is just “too good to be true.”  Stick to the facts, Jack.

4) Lack of Content. Obviously, in order for a press release to be effective, it must be filled to the brim with important, relevant and newsworthy content. If, however, you insist on filling your release with fluff and “who the xxxx cares?” material, your mom may end up being the only reader.

5) Personal Opinions. Avoid writing press releases based around your personal opinions. Believe it or not, your readers aren’t interested in your opinions and beliefs. They want reliable, fact-based news.

6) Link Overload. Don’t overload your press release with links that point back to your website. Overusing links is a sure sign that you’re advertising yourself and your small business. (Look back at point #2: No one likes to be sold!) Make sure to limit your links to 1 per 100 words.

7) Reprints or Plagiarism. It’s illegal to reprint any copywrited materials from other websites or publications.  Hopefully, that’s an obvious one.

Fiction. Remember that your press release needs to be a factual piece of news. If you’re interested in exercising your creative juices, save it for your short-story class.

9) Duplicate Press Releases. You should only submit your press release once. The search engines and other targeted audiences do not want to see the same release over and over again. Yawn!

10) Grammatical Errors. One of the main reasons press releases are rejected is because they are filled with obvious grammatical errors. Spell-check, spell-check and then spell-check again.

Press releases are a wonderful way to gain visibility for your small business. However, make sure that you avoid these common mistakes to ensure that your press release is accepted for the world to see.

Every so often, email marketing gets a bad rap; perhaps it’s small business owners getting all whipped about social media marketing as the “next great marketing platform” and thinking that email marketing is dead.

But, one thing is certain. Email marketing works. However, like any marketing platform, it has rules and regulations that must be followed for optimal success.

One of the most basic premises underlying a successful email campaign is a strategy dubbed by marketing extraordinaire, Seth Godin, called “Permission Marketing.”  In a nutshell, you can ONLY email folks who have given you absolute permission to email them. Basically, if your prospects haven’t opted into a form on your website, you shouldn’t be emailing them.

So, in today’s strict email environment, how can you entice prospects to sign up for you list?

Here are a few ways to find new subscribers and build a powerful list of hot prospects:

1. Ask your current customers, family and friends to sign up for your newsletter. That’s right; you never know where your next customer will come from.

2. Insert a “Sign Up For Our Ezine” box on your homepage and a link to your ezine archives.

3. Promote your ezine on social networks such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and your blog.

4. Include a “teaser” to sign up for your ezine on your business card. (Never forget to use your business card as a 24-7 marketing tool.)

5. Hold a contest for your employees, customers and clients to see who can bring in the most sign-ups. (There’s nothing like a contest to bring on a healthy and hearty competition.)

6. Offer a free report, downloadable ebook, audio, webinar or other valuable offer in exchange for your prospect’s name and email address.

7. Allow your prospects, customers and clients to select their preferences in order to receive laser-targeted emails from you.

Obviously, an email list filled with prospects that have given you explicit permission to contact them is the only way to exist in today’s competitive small business environment. So, make a point to entice your prospects  to give you that coveted permission.