If you have yet to convert your Facebook Profile to the new Facebook Timeline, it will be a matter of days before you are forced to switch by Facebook, so you might as well just jump in the water now! LOL

What is so significant about this new change? I’m still trying to figure it out myself. But as I uploaded my new Cover to my profile, I could not help feel a sense that I was returning back to a more fun and personal side. I keep my Facebook personal profile separate from my business page and lately, I’ve spent more time trying to build up that business page and less on “socializing” with my family and friends.

Some cool features:

Create a Cover

(created by PreachItGyrl Management and Graphic Design)

Creating a Cover is a fun way to show visitors to your profile something you love or is unique to you. I decided to do a collage that reflects the various roles I play. I have seen Covers that showcase a favorite saying, quote, pet, etc. You can do pretty much anything. Well, not anything…you cannot use your cover to advertise or promote a business. Facebook would like you to keep all of your marketing and advertising efforts streamlined to your Facebook Business Page.

Tell Your Story

You always had the ability to post a status update and filter who could see what. But with the Timeline, you can also hide present and past post on your wall. You can also highlight something important by using the “Feature” function and that post will become larger-serving as a focus point on your timeline.

You and others can also scroll through your timeline by using the timeline bar on the right side of your page.

Cool Apps

A ton of new social apps have been added to help you further express your individuality, likes in music, movies, news, etc. Your family and friends can get a better sense of who you are and what you are interested in by just what you add to your profile.

So far I like the Facebook Timeline. It allows me to use Facebook for what it was originally intended to do before marketing our businesses came into play. Of course I am not naïve to the fact that these changes are somehow putting money into the pockets of Facebook and other third parties. But for a few minutes a day, I can smile, laugh and share inspiration with those I cherish the most in a different and personal way.

So, you have decided that you want to use social media to promote your brand, products and services. Looking around it seems like many of your competitors and peers have jumped in and are doing pretty good. But you don’t want to be just good; you want your time and effort to yield GREAT results. What makes the difference in doing good or great? – A well thought out strategy and action plan.

To help you put your plan together, here are 5 key areas you need to address:

Describe your Brand, Product or Service

What is it that you are trying to sell? Can you explain to someone in 1 sentence what you are offering? Write it down so that you are clear and can recite it without hesitation.

Create a Purpose Statement

What is your purpose in using social media? Do you want to drive traffic to your website? Build your subscriber list? Increase brand visibility? Raise awareness for a cause or fundraising effort?

Know Your Target Audience

Based on the description and purpose statement, who would benefit from what you are offering? This is very important to consider because this can help you zone in on which social media networks will be the most effective. For example, you may find the type of people you are trying to attract may hang out on Linkedin more than Twitter or Facebook. You do not have to be on every social outlet if it does not make sense for your target audience. Knowing this information will allow you to see where you can concentrate most of your marketing efforts.

Establish measurable goals and objectives

Once you have determined your purpose and target audience, it is time to set some goals that can be measured. For example, instead of just saying, “Our goal is to increase website traffic”, it should be “Our goal is to increase website traffic resulting in 100 new leads within the next 3 months.” See the difference? By stating something that can be measured, you are now able to track your progress based on the specific number of leads and time frame given. Numbers can always be adjusted, but at least you have a starting point.

The next step to this would be the action plan…how will you increase website traffic to capture those leads? Maybe you will put a sign up form on your Facebook page and offer a giveaway for signing up!

Track and Monitor Your Efforts

If you want to know how much traffic you have coming to your site, you can add something like Google Analytics and other web-based tools to help you track the traffic. If you are trying to increase subscribers, check your log periodically and see when and where you seem to attract the most sign ups.

Taking the time to consider, review and write down the answers to these key areas, can save you a lot of time and energy. It also allows you to get focus on what your objectives are and sets the stage for success!

Unless you have been under a rock for the past several years, you know that social media has taken over almost every aspect of our daily lives. It started out as a way to communicate with our friends and families. But now businesses have placed a high priority on adding social media to their marketing plans.

Here are 7 reasons social media should be a part of your marketing plan as well:

Drive traffic to your blog and website.
Use social networks to link back to your sites. Email marketing announcing new products or upcoming events and proportionals is also a great way to drive traffic to your site.

Generate new business leads, sales and referrals.
Having a Facebook page, Twitter account or business blog, allows you to reach a much larger audience. This is great for virtual and local businesses.

Collaborate and share new ideas and insights.

Distribute your relevant content to a target audience.
Social networks are set up so that you can strategically market to your target audience. They also offer various tools for you to track and monitor audience activity.

Promote your events and relevant company news, discounts etc…

Build visibility, credibility and positive recognition for your brand.

Seven great reasons to start using social media today!

If you would like more tips or need help getting started, contact me for a FREE 30 minute consultation.

A few years ago, I adopted the practice of creating a vision board at the start of a new year. A vision board helps me keep a positive view of where I would like to be with my goals by the end of that year. Normally, I have a collage of words and images that reflect goals I have written down on paper for my family and business.

A vision board is also a great way to surround yourself with images of who you want to become, what you want to have, where you want to live, take a vacation and any other changes you desire for your life. The idea is that if you surround yourself with these images, your life will change to match those images and those desires. I believe it stimulates a shift in mindset. I heard someone say that it does not matter if it is a new year if you still operate with the same old mindset.

I would then suggest that you find a quite space and consider this question, “What do I want for my life, my business, my family?” You will find yourself flooded with images, words, memories, etc that will set the stage for what you would like to see on your board. Once you get an idea of what direction you would like to go with your vision board, follow these steps to bringing it to life.

4 Simple Steps to Creating a Vision Board:

Step 1: Go through your magazines and tear or cut out images, pictures or words that stand out or trigger something. Make a big pile of images and phrases and words.

Step 2: Look through the images and place your favorites on the board. Eliminate any images that no longer feel right. This step is where your intuition comes in. As you lay the pictures on the board, you’ll get a sense how the board should be laid out.

Step 3: Glue everything onto the board. Make it fun by adding the stickers, glitter or title words with markers.

Step 4: Hang your vision board in a place where you will see it often.

Pretty simple…but very powerful.

I would love to hear your thoughts around your vision boards. I hope you will share!

I had set high hopes and had great expectations for my business in 2011. Like many, I created a vision board, posted it on my office wall so that it was the first thing I would see as I sat at my desk every morning. My goals were set and my vision was clear.

I tried to keep my business objectives in tact while trying to accommodate my quickly changing family circumstances. But I soon found myself burnt out and just doing the minimum to stay a float.

What happened? Well, instead of really revising my business objectives and adjusting to my changing life needs, I tried to stay the course and keep a load that was virtually impossible for that moment.

2011 was a year of lessons for me. Sometimes those lessons left me discouraged but ultimately put me in a better mindset and position for what I would like to accomplish in 2012.

So as I work on another vision board, here the top 5 things I will do to make my 2012 the best year for my business:

1) Establish and create the Vision
2) Strategy is Key…how do I see myself accomplishing this Vision
3) Align myself with those that support my vision
4) Adjust strategy when necessary
5)Celebrate the little things

If I can stay focused on these 5 things, I believe I will see great results and have less regrets. What are some things you took away from 2011? What do you plan to implement in your business goals for 2012?

On New Years Eve night, I was riding home from dinner with my husband and two kids. My husband asked my 2 year old son what he wanted to accomplish in the new year. Now, I know that may sound strange to ask a young child, but my son is no ordinary two year old. We also want to encourage our children early to have goals.

In fact, what he said was the reason for this post. My son said, “Dad-I am going to be Bold and Brave.”. You can imagine the shock on our faces. When he said this, I knew that it was based mostly on his love for Batman and the bold and brave series. But for some reason, it hit my husband and I as an Aha moment. We got home and decided that this would be our theme for 2012. Whatever we wanted to accomplish for our family, careers and our businesses, we would be bold and brave as we pursued it.

So, as we move into another year, I would like to encourage you to also be bold and brave. The possibilities are endless for you in 2012!

Part 2 of this Facebook Blog Series is all about Facebook Pages.

Facebook Pages, (which are now being referred to as Facebook Public Profiles), are commonly used to allow a Facebook user to connect with a vast majority of people outside of their current networks. It is mostly used by public figures, businesses, organizations, sports teams, artist and anyone else trying to build a brand or increase visibility to their products or services. It is free to set up a public profile and also offers a free or low cost way to advertise, which is great for a small business owner and entrepreneur with a tight marketing budget.

There is a lot you can do on a Facebook public profile page that you cannot do with a regular or personal Facebook profile or group page. For example, you can add many different types of applications to your public profile to enhance the page such as custom tabs, polls, surveys, ecommerce applications, etc. A Facebook public profile can oftentimes serve as a one stop shop for some businesses by using it to promote and sometimes sell products and services right from their Facebook public profile. I would not advocate for using this as your only marketing platform, but as an added bonus to what you are already doing.

Over the past few months, there have been a lot of changes to the design and how you can interact with your page followers. I will not highlight those changes in this blog because they may be different by the time I post this. J However, I will talk about a few key questions you should ask yourself before you begin putting together your Facebook public profile:

1)      Who is your target audience?

2)      What is the objective of the Facebook public page? Is it to just build an online presence? Direct traffic to your main website?  Generate awareness for a campaign? Or a combination of things?

3)      What methods will you use to attract people to want to join your page? (Custom tabs, giveaways, polls, ads, etc.)

4)      How will you measure if your efforts are successful?

5)      Is this a long term or short term investment on your part?

One other important thing to consider is how you will brand your Facebook public profile. If you are the brand, than having a professional profile picture of yourself may be appropriate. If you are branding your services, than you may decide to create a custom banner that displays your logo, service and contact information and use that as your profile picture. This is just one example of how you will shape your public page into a well put together marketing tool.

Taking the time up front to figure out how you will use and layout your profile page will save you a lot of time that you can’t afford to waste. With over 500 million active users on Facebook every week and sometimes every day, you want to spend that time engaging that audience.

There is so much to say about a Facebook public profile. If you have a specific question, post it in the comment section below and let’s discuss.

Spring has sprung! This is normally known as the time for spring cleaning, putting away the things you needed for the winter months and bringing out what is more appropriate for THIS season.

It is amazing to me how the changes in weather can also mirror where you are in various stages of your life. There are always times of adjustment or change. Due to some changes that are currently going on within my family, I find myself having to make some decisions on how to run my businesses in order to meet those new family needs. While I am very excited with the new opportunities, I find myself a little anxious in trying to figure out how this will play out in my business. Have you ever found yourself in a similar situation? You finally feel that you are in a great place or at least a comfortable place in your business and then something happens and you have to adjust-again.

What did I come up with? Well, I will be rolling out some new services soon-so stay tuned for that! But here are some things I did and you can do to help see the silver lining about the changes and the future of your business.

Seek Counsel (Spouse/Business Coach/Mentor)
I am fortunate enough to have great family support and a business network. Both can give input and help you strategize. It especially helps to have a coach or mentor who may have gone through similar situations as you. Look within your industry, online and offline networks for that needed support.

Revisit Business Plan
Once you get an idea on what changes you need to make, go back to your business plan or goals and adjust it accordingly. It really helps to write out your goals/plan to allow you to see the big picture. Don’t just write it down, but post it where you can see it on a daily basis.

Look for New Opportunities
Do these new changes afford you the opportunity to try something new? Do some research to see what may be new in your industry that you would enjoy doing and could be a benefit to your current and future clientele.

Relax and Take a Day at a Time
Change brings adjustments that just will not take overnight. If you purpose to stick to the plan you have put into place and take one day at a time, you will find yourself again in a flow of growth and success.

As more and more entrepreneurs and  business owners understand the benefits of having a social media presence-especially on Facebook, I thought it would be helpful to take a look at the different ways you can interact on Facebook to see which ones fit your business needs and objectives.

Let’s begin with Facebook Profiles.

Common Questions/Concerns: What if I have a Facebook Profile that I use for personal use and I do not want to mix it with business contacts? How can I use my Facebook Profile for business only without hurting my friends or family? What if I do not want my business contacts to see my personal photos?

I get these questions all the time, so here are some suggestions:
1) Create list such as ‘Family’, ‘Friends’, ‘Business Contacts’, ‘Clients’, etc. To create lists, go to the ‘Account’ tab, at the top right of your profile page. Go to Edit Friends—> At the top of that page you will see it says ‘Create List’. Once your lists have been created, go back to ‘Edit Friends’ and you can just go down the line of your Friends’ List and drop each person in the list you have chosen for them.

When you have created your Lists, you are able to decide who can see what on your profile. For example, if I wanted to share a status update with Friends and Family only about a funny thing my son did, I would type the message in the status box, then hit the arrow next to the ‘Share’ button and customize who sees that particular post. You can hide it from certain individuals or a group of people. You can also set your selections as a default for all your posts.

2) If you want to keep your Profile just for personal use-then do not accept business contacts. If you get a request, you can send them a note and say, “Thank you for wanting to connect with me on Facebook! Let’s connect on my Facebook Business Page.”, and give them the link to your FB Page-assuming you have one.

3) If you want to keep your Profile strictly for networking with business contacts, you can either explain to your friends and family that you are on Facebook for business purposes OR just do not accept the Friend Request!

Sharing Photos
The same way you can decide who can see your status updates, something similar can be done with your ‘Albums’ on Facebook.

To customize who can see your photo albums, once again, go to the ‘Account’ Tab and go to ‘Privacy Settings’. Once there, you will see options on how you can control what you share. Select ‘Custom settings’. Once you select ‘Custom settings’ you will be able to customize, ‘Things I Share’, ‘Things Others Share’ and ‘Contact Information’. Once you have made your selections, hit save and you are good to go!

Let me know if this was helpful. Next up…Facebook Pages!

Mid-morning on Superbowl Sunday, a group of adults were asked this question, “Who do you think will win the Superbowl, the Packers or the Steelers?” Well, my 22 month old son was sitting amongst the adults, so I guess he thought they wanted his answer too and he said, “Pack-ers.” Obviously his response garnered a few laughs and chuckles because he is not even 2 years old AND he was sitting amongst a crowd of Steelers fans.

But as the day went on, whether he was directly asked or just walking around, he continued to confirm that the “Pack-ers!” would win. My husband and I are not married to either team, so we thought this was quite interesting and because he was so confident in his answer, it increased our anticipation of the outcome to this game.

We watched the Packers score a couple of touchdowns in the first half and shook our heads in amazement. Did this kid have an inside scoop? But then the Steelers looked as if they were going to come back! Again, my son was asked who would win and his answer still remained “Pack-ers”. As the night went on, Mr. Sandman made his appearance and the little guy fell into a peaceful sleep before the game was over.

The Packers won.

There are several lessons I have gained from this story. But the one that stuck out the most was that he had in his mind who he thought would win and stuck to his guns. This got me thinking about how I run my business. If you want others to believe in me and what I am selling, then I have to be confident in my skills and be my own best cheerleader!

The same is true for you. There may be many that do not believe what you are offering is good or necessary. But no one knows your business better than you. If you are passionate about what you do, others will be able to see and hear it when they connect with you. That excitement alone will peak someone’s interest to hear more, learn more and possibly become your next customer or client!

I know this post is a bit different. But as a business owner, I know how I like to be encouraged by other business owners and I wanted to share this story in hopes that it encourages you.

Sometimes you just need to know that someone is cheering you on!