Certified Social Media Marketing Specialist

Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Plaxo, oh my! During the last 90-Day Planning Session I attended, the popular goal that I kept hearing was to learn all about “Social Media Marketing”. Although I was already using Social Media Marketing, I put it on my goals’ list also. But I wanted to take it a little further and get “Certified”. On May 18th, I received my Social Media Marketing Specialist Certification. This course was so much more than I ever imagined! Wow! Awesome!

I remember during the 90-Day Planning Session so many business owners saying that they knew what to do, but didn’t have the time. It definitely let me know that it was a high demand service that I loved to do for myself so why not learn how to do it better, to do it for others and to consult with others on how to implement Social Media Marketing effectively in their businesses.

Yes, Social Media Marketing is here, and it’s here to stay! As a Social Media Marketing Specialist, I love creating Social Media Marketing plans for my clients, implementing the plan and then watching them come back to say, “It really does work!” after the tracking process. Most people that have been in business and networking for some time are having a hard time wrapping their minds around this whole Social Media Marketing “thing”. I can tell you from experience for my business and my clients’ businesses, it really does work when done effectively and correctly. Some get frustrated just from hearing Twitter, but just like with anything else, the first thing that you need is a plan. A plan, along with some other steps, will definitely help a business owner’s Social Media Marketing experience run much smoother! So create a plan and give it a try!

Great Teams Have Great Coaches!

What does Tiger Woods, the Chicago Bulls, the Pittsburgh Steelers and even Nascar Driver, Jeff Gordon, all have in common? Yeah, they all have major victories. Although their skills, talents and training have played a major role in their victories, they also all had great coaches that have contributed to their major victories.

So why do Business Owners think that they can have these type of victories – consistently – without investing in a Business Coach? Yeah, your business may be running smoothly, be extremely profitable and have an awesome team, but think about how much easier things would have been or would be if you partnered with a Business Coach. Most business owners start their business thinking that they only need the obvious tools – a vision, financial resources, knowledge and skills, but a qualified coach should be added to any entrepreneur’s start-up list. A business coach can prevent you from making the mistakes that others have made. They have vested interest in your success and strive to help you create your roadmap to success.

I have a Virtual Assistant Coach, who is one of the VA Industry’s finest, Jeannine Clontz. Jeannine has coaching calls that are held monthly. You will not be disappointed by Jeannine, her expertise and the expertise of the other Virtual Assistants that she hosts every month. Since January, we’ve discussed, in great detail, What’s Holding Back My Business, Branding, Website, Pricing and Niche – a wealth of information, indeed, that every VA has needed assistance with at one point or another. Jeannine is awesome! Also, this month, I’ll be attending my third 90-day planning session with my business coach, Rich Allen, his team and other local clients, and I have to give credit to these sessions for my business success today. Brainstorming with my business coach and other business owners on our quarterly goals and making each other accountable has kept me focused over the past year. For me, these sessions create momentum and by the end of the session, I have a clear picture of where I want my business to be within 90-days along with a step by step 90-Day Action Plan to get there.

Think about where your business could be if you had a business coach, or for Virtual Assistants, a VA coach. The things that make you go, hmmm??? Remember, great teams have great coaches and mentors!

What Is a Virtual Business Assistant?

A Virtual Business Assistant is an entrepreneur that partners with other entrepreneurs to assist with time-consuming tasks allowing more time to focus on the profit generating areas of their business. Virtual Business Assistants’ skills are not limited to secretarial, but can also include web design and maintenance, project management, bookkeeping, public relations, writing and marketing. Virtual Business Assistants partner with their clients on a contractual basis and work from a remote location. Since Virtual Business Assistants are entrepreneurs themselves, they have a genuine interest in their client’s business success so they handle the day to day tasks while their clients’ do the things that they love!

As a business owner, if you are working IN your business as well as ON your business, a Virtual Business Assistant could be the answer to your problem.  Partnering with a Virtual Business Assistant saves you money because as statistics show, employees cost two to two and a half times their rate of pay.  A Virtual Business Assistant is an independent contractor/entrepreneur who takes care of their own benefits, vacation and sick time.  When you partner with a Virtual Business Assistant, you only incur the expense for the time spent working on your project.

Check out my site and contact me if you are ready to partner with Integrity Virtual Solutions in making your entrepreneurship a more enjoyable ride!

Networking and Connecting

Since starting my business over a year ago, I have attended  many local networking meetings.  Typically, I will attend a meeting twice before making the decision and investment to join.  Local networking was one of the most difficult things that I had to get used, and although I still get butterflies, they are not as bad as what they used to be.  A huge part of this was having the confidence!  Now, I have it!

Some tips that I use when I attend these networking events include:

• Have enough business cards on hand

Fellow networkers really need to be able to connect with you, as well as how to connect you with others who may be interested in your products and services.   Isn’t the entire point of networking?

• Don’t even expect to sell or close any business.  If you do, fantastic!

People like to get to know fellow business owners before signing a contract.  Whether they go home to do a Google search or schedule some additional one on one time with you, it’s not in most people’s nature to just do business with someone they know absolutely nothing about.

• If you decide to join, attend as regularly as possible

Make sure that the day and time of the meetings work with your schedule.  As with number two, people want to build relationships with those that they do business with and want to know that they are reliable.

• Have one-on-one meetings

In a one or two hour networking meeting, it’s impssible to know what every one in the group does and needs for business referrals.  Schedule quality one on one’s in between the normal networking meetings to discuss services and products in detail.

• Be Respectful

Now this is probably my biggest pet peeve, and it’s something that I personally learned as a child.  When you are doing your 30-second or one minute commercial, you want to have everyone’s undivided attention, right?  So why not return the favor by giving everyone else your full attention when they are speaking.

Currently, I am an Assistant Organizer of a local networking group, North Dallas Women in Business, and I have met some of the most professional, success-minded women there.  I am also a member of a local American Business Women Association’s Express Network group.  I can now say that I look forward to networking and meeting other professionals – face to face – despite the occasional butterflies!