Hannah was given a big solo to start off this rendition of Ave Maria.
I’ll be attending the Stompernet convention this coming March in Atlanta, a gathering of several hundred members of the world’s largest Internet marketing membership site.
“Some of the brightest minds in online marketing will be attending and presenting. For three full days, I’ll be learning what’s new in social networking, video, seach engine optimization, product creation, and dozens of other topics that will help me help you. I’ll look forward to sharing with you what I’ve learned and applying the knowledge to your upcoming projects.”
I don’t like to travel much by air, but for this I was ready to go. When one of my clients, Joan Stewart, a.k.a, The Publicity Hound invited be to attend as her guest, how could I say “no”. Couldn’t do it, no way, no how.
So although, I do have to get on a plane, it will be worth it.
Last evening my husband and I went to a concert in Santa Monica, CA. It was a small venue, actually it was a restaurant with a small stage, quite nice though.
The restaurant was packed so we sat at the bar overlooking the chefs at work. It was entertaining in itself.
Prior to the concert, we met up with Mitch Chang of Kala Koa Entertainment. I have been assisting him with creating a stronger online presence. It has been great fun getting to know him. You can also find him on YouTube.
To be honest, I had been feeling pretty cocky about my VA services and how I was so helpful to him. Again, to be honest, I was not.
Mitch pointed out some things to me that I hadn’t even thought of. He put this question to me:
“How can I be of more assistance if I know so little about Slack Key and it’s origins?” That stopped me in my tracks. He was absolutely correct.
It’s all well and good to get caught up in your own “stuff”, but the bottom line is as a VA we need to constantly be learning what our client’s needs are. We can’t know their needs, if we don’t understand just exactly it is that will help them to achieve their goals.
I’m so excited I can’t stand it. I’m going to the Stompernet Live 7 event in March!
One of my client’s Joan Stewart, aka, The Publicity Hound has invited to go as her guest. I was astounded when she first asked me. She even said I could say “no” if I wanted. Does she think I’m nuts? Doesn’t she know me?
Stompernet is the world’s largest membership site for internet marketers and this is such a golden opportunity. Not only will I be hob-knobbing with the biggest internet marketers, it will also be an opportunity for me to learn.
The Stompernet faculty members and other speakers are among the most successful and creative Internet marketers in the business.
So, I am already sharpening my pencils and making sure I have enough note pads. Look out Atanta, here I come!
I just had the most amazing weekend. My husband and I went to the 2nd Annual SoCal Slack Key Festival in Redondo Beach. This concert featured artists such as Grammy winners Jeff Peterson,John KeaweThe Pahinui Hawaiian Band with the legendary Philip Gabby,Makana-Guitar Player National Finalist and Maunalua (who will be performing at the inauguration of President Obama). Of course, this is not the full list, but you can tell just by this that it was a talent-packed event.
I bring this up because, number one, it was an awesome experience and number two, I assisted both Maris Somerville of Somerville Associates and Mitch Chang the organizer of this event in promoting the festival.
Mitch Chang worked so hard at organizing this event. My hat is off to you!
Now, you ask, why would I mention this is a blog regarding virtual assistant services? Because I can and because I used the services that I provide to assist in promoting this event.
I have blogged before in regards to using social networking sites such as Facebook, MySpace, Twitter and YouTube to promote your products or services. This is a great example of it working! You should see the SoCal Slack Key Festival’s wall postings today on Facebook. It is amazing how many people attended from Facebook. My part in all this in regards to Facebook, was creating an event posting and then sending it to all my friends in which I then asked them to pass it on to their friends.
Another part I played in the promotion of this festival, was posting it to online calendars. The one I use the most is FullCalendar.com
By using this tool to promote the festival, it hit almost 500 media outlets for a measly $19.95. How can you beat that. It would take hours to do this otherwise. Here is a full list of where they post just in the Los Angeles area.
So Mitch, I hope you are taking a break today. You deserve it. After you get some rest, let’s get going on the Falsetto Festival and next year’s Slack Key! We have work to do!
I’ve been blogging for quite some time and by far the best use of my marketing time and energy has been writing blog posts.
Before I started blogging, I was trying to get my messages out by email. But when only 20-30 percent of email messages get opened and read, you know you’ve got to find a better tool for communicating.
I don’t sell widgets. I can’t hire someone to write marketing copy about how good my widgets work. I am a service provider and I have to sell myself. I must make my core values stand out. My brand is myself.
I have found that a business blog is the best way to share my thoughts, my perspectives, and my experiences. This is how I can show readers how I work with clients and how I get results for them. It’s called relationship marketing or content marketing.
It works if you have the right platform and are consistent about posting at least 3 times a week. But there are a lot of details that go into making a business blog work.
That’s why I just didn’t jump in and start blogging willy-nilly. I took some time to learn to do it right, the smart way.
There are no better experts on business blogging for the small business professional than my colleagues Patsi and Denise, aka The Blog Squad™.
This week they’re launching the 3rd edition of their best selling manual Build a Better Blog. I highly recommend you make the investment and learn Better Business Blogging.
If you’re just starting out with a blog, then I recommend their Build a Better Blog ebook (Plan A).
If already have a blog and you’re struggling with getting results for your blogging efforts, stop right now and read about the Better Business Blogging program (Plan B).
And if you’re like many of us, you want to save your time and energy and have a blog set up for you and then get trained on what to do to make it work right, read about Plan C:
Don’t make blogging harder than it really is. It’s easy once you know the key strategies and tactics. Trust me. Trust The Blog Squad. I do and you can.
I’ll close with The Blog Squad’s traditional cry, “Blog on!”
Dr. Debra Condren offers tips on how to give prospective clients what they want
I was having a conference call with one of my client’s today and we discussed the importance of personal involvement in your social networking sites.
I maintain the pages of several of my client’s social networking sites, but there comes a point where, as a VA, I can only do so much. That is where the client has to be an active participant.
I have many clients that travel quite a bit and just don’t have time to check every day or even every other day. That is where I come in. I can check their pages, send out postings, answer generic emails, but that is where it ends.
There are times when someone is asking a very specific question or sometimes it is personal. From that point, I will contact my client and let them know of these things.
LinkedIn is a perfect example of that. There is a Q & A section that is extremely useful in establishing yourself as an expert and increasing your exposure to potential connections. That is where the client has to be active. I can’t do that on their behalf.
When I hear that time is an issue with all the traveling, the perfect time to address these things is when you are sitting in an airport, have a moment or two between conferences. Perhaps, stay in for the night rather than go out with the group.
It is the client’s responsibility to manage this aspect of their social networking pages.
I participated in a 2 day Webinar this week that was given my Nancy Marmolejo of VIVA Visibility. She actually listed a weekly planner on maintaining your pages without becoming overwhelmed.
There were other VA’s on the call and I know from listening to them, that they have the same concerns.