There is a lot of noise out there in the world, so if you want your brand to get noticed you will need to stand out. How are you going to do this? Do you want to cause a stir? Make a splash? Or just be THAT good that people can’t help but notice? Good luck with that last one. Sure, being loud, different or amazing are all great ways to get noticed… but it depends what kind of commotion you generate.

If you are looking to have a lasting impact, you will need to design the experience with thought and intention.

Should you be careful not to cause waves when you make your splash? How careful you are with your messaging depends on your brand. This is why it is incredibly important to know your brand message and values and what your ultimate goals are before you embark on a quest to get noticed.

You want to get noticed for the “right” things. Right?

When you have a deep understanding of the value that you bring to your audience and the message that you want to deliver, you will have a better understanding of the type of “splash” that will get you noticed.

Step One: Start with what the ultimate goal is and work backward from there. Visualize what you want to achieve and spend some time exploring all aspects of the potential outcome. You may be surprised to find that the potential negative backlash outweighs the possibility for massive exposure. Or you may find that your business isn’t ready yet to handle a sudden influx of orders or media attention.

Step Two: Look at all of the systems in your business to ensure that they can handle sudden growth or expansion. There are businesses that grow to fast and in the end, they fail. Just like a growing family, there are things that need to be in place to support growth. Make sure that your business systems are set up to scale. Check in with your team and know where you can find new team members as you expand. Talk to your banker, your accountant and your other financial team members to make sure you are ready to go.

Step Three: Do some homework. Ask around. Test the waters. Resist the temptation to do “big” things on a whim and step back for a moment to take in the big picture. See if you can get a glimpse into the reaction before you jump off the diving board and do a big fat cannon ball that results in a tidal wave of potential dissatisfaction that could wipe out your progress so far. How will you prepare for possible damage control if you need to rebuild your reputation?

Step Four: Map it out and go for it. Once you have designed your big reveal, build a team of supporters around you who will help you to get the word out. Pay it forward. Make sure that every participant is someone who you have supported in the past and who can gain from helping you now. Then, make sure to express sincere gratitude and appreciation for everyone who helps you to achieve the results you are striving for.

We are humans and within human nature, you will always have people who rock the boat (wow, these puns just keep coming today…but, bare with me. It’s Friday ) However, if your goal is to have a reputation that precedes you IN A GOOD WAY, you will want to be smart about how you approach the splash.

Have fun with it. Enjoy the process and know that with every goal, you have something to learn.

Have you ever embarked on making a big splash? What was your experience? What was your lesson? Please share your thoughts and stories in the comments. Thank you!

As a business owner, your brand messaging is shared with your audience through many aspects of public relations including social media. While public relations involves managing the information that is shared by and about your brand with the public, a powerful social media strategy involves not only engaging in meaningful conversations with your audience on platforms like Twitter, Facebook and Google+, but sharing useful content while efficiently guiding your audience to perform specific actions that ultimately propel your brand and business forward.

Public Relations and the social revolution.

Along with digital press releases that can be sent free of charge on the internet, the process of sharing information about your brand has gone through dramatic change and evolution. Ten years ago, brands announced a new product line by sending out a press release to targeted journalists and news outlets through a service such as PR Newswire (for a single transaction cost of around $1000). Once the press release was sent out, business owners would cross their fingers and toes in the hopes that a reporter (or several) would pick up the story or mention the brand in a mass market publication.

Public relations is not just about the press release. It is about shaking hands too.

Today, public relations involves interacting directly with the public to not only share company news, but to connect with existing and potential customers. This direct connect between the brand and the consumer has sped up the process of client attraction while also increasing the need for public relations expertise that can manage everything from customer service and client engagement to vendor relations and brand visibility.

Without a clearly defined social strategy, your public relations efforts may end up doing more damage than good.

Due to the instantaneous nature of social media and the internet, the potential for a misstep is almost unavoidable. This makes it essential for brands to be proactive about developing a social strategy that encompasses all aspects of brand messaging from increasing brand visibility and sharing offerings to how to approach a PR nightmare. The need for clearly defined best practices in this area is especially important if your business is growing and you, as the business owner have now handed off the responsibilities of social media engagement to your team.

In order to measure the effectiveness of your social media and public relations efforts, you will need to set guidelines for interacting on social media platforms while maintaining brand values and messaging. You will need to incorporate relationship building efforts not just with your audience, but also with journalists, reporters, bloggers and other social influencers who will be more likely to share your story if you share theirs first. Your social media editorial calendar will outline how each social media platform is used (btw, sharing the same content across all platforms is not an effective social media strategy) and how often each platform is updated and engaged in. In other words, your public relations strategy will envelope your social strategy as you look for innovative ways to increase brand visibility.

The shift in public relations over the past decade involves the transfer of power from the media to the brand.

As a brand, you are no longer beholden to the journalist who may happen to stumble upon your press release as the needle in the hay stack. With the popularity of social media (including blogs) you are now the media that has the power to share a message with the audience that is following you. With an intelligent and well-crafted public relations social strategy, you now have the ability to not only create an amazing product or service that generates revenue while building your business, you can write the story that gets shared across multiple platforms and news outlets.

Remember that good public relations is not only about getting your message out there, it is about being social and paying it forward by sharing not just your own content but content that fits within your social strategy.

A few years ago, when I was pitching my business to a group of investors, I was asked if my business had a triple bottom line model. At the time, I had no idea what that meant. What I came to find out was that these investors were looking for businesses that offer economic, ecologic and social benefits. While my business didn’t receive funding from those investors, I did learn a lot and the experience changed the way I looked at business…

Business does not have to be just about making money. It can be about helping people, helping the world AND making money.

In 2007, when I began using social media as a way to connect with potential clients and business contacts, I realized that the social part of the triple bottom line business model could be expanded in new ways. The idea of creating a business that helps people, makes money and helps the world is the full package, but with social media, success in these areas is more easily achievable.

With Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and other social networking platforms, we can now help spread awareness about special causes and groups that are aligned with our brand values and that need help gaining visibility. As social media has grown in popularity over the past few years, it has become easier and more cost effective to market your business, generate revenue and help people access the information they need to make the best decisions for their families, their businesses, their health and the planet.

Social good is here to stay.

Due to the increased accessibility of social media, lifestyle business owners now have the chance to make giving back in meaningful ways an essential part of doing good business. While not every lifestyle business owner has the financial resources or the time to go out and volunteer in the community on a consistent basis, sending a tweet or social media update to spread awareness about important social issues can do just as much as good as donating money to the cause. In other words, integrating social good into your business model can be as simple as sharing a message to build awareness about a cause with your followers on a regular basis or once a year committing to help the community directly at local events.

The beauty of running your own business is that you get to make the choice about what form of social good works best for you.

One example  of an industry that is taking this triple bottom line idea to heart is the dairy industry. In June 2013, dairy producers and companies will “give good with dairy.” Dairy is one of the top five food items requested by food bank patrons, but it only comprises 5.3 percent of total pounds allocated in the Feeding America food bank network. The Give Good with Dairy program will boost local food banks’ access to nutrient-rich foods, including dairy, through local donation programs based on community needs. As an industry, this is a wonderful example of social good.

Now, I’d like to ask you…

As a business owner, have you made strides to incorporate the triple bottom line into your business model? What simple actions can you place into your client attraction systems that allow you to attract clients, help people and help the world? I look forward to hearing your thoughts in the comments and please share this post if you found it to be inspiring.  Thank you!

To further illustrate this point as it relates to my own business and the inspiration behind this post, I am working with (and being paid by) the Dairy Council along with other content creators to help spread awareness about dairy and the dairy industry as I believe it is a great way to engage in the triple bottom line model of economic, ecologic and social impact.

“I’m waiting for the right time to do (insert thing here) because (insert excuse here).”

We’ve all heard it a million times before. The waiting game.

Waiting for… someday.

The problem with waiting for the right time is that there is no right time.

One of the biggest mistakes business owners make is waiting until everything is perfect to release a product. If you are in business and want to launch a product, of course you will need to put in some time into researching and developing the offering, but if you want to move quickly, you will have deadlines or bench marks and a launch date when the product will be released into the world.

Research and development are essential to creating a product or service, but the most important part of launching a product or service is getting it out there for customers to buy.

Technology and software companies are infamous for releasing products that have bugs and glitches, which is why so many updates are necessary with their products. A good indication of whether or not a software program is in it’s infancy is whether it is in the “beta” phase or if it is version one dot anything. These companies may be on the opposite end of the spectrum in terms of “going for it”, but you have to hand it to them… they are getting product out there to drive sales and then making sure customers are happy by updating, fixing glitches and providing support.

The number one reason that business owners fail to go for it is fear. Fear of failure. Fear of competitors making a better version. Fear of back lash.  Whatever it is, the reason is fear.

How do you move passed the fear that is holding you back and just go for it?

• Stop waiting for the perfect time and commit to getting the job done, NOW
• Surround yourself with people in your personal and professional relationships that are DOERS
• Focus on solutions rather than problems
• Get support from others on social media and in person who are pursuing their dreams and passions
• Remember that regret will linger much longer than making a mistake

Do you have any ideas to add to the list to get you going for it? Leave your thoughts in the comments and LET’S DO THIS!

“How do I boost online traffic and follower numbers on my blogs, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Google+, LinkedIn and other social profiles?”

Lately, I have been having this conversation a lot, which is always indicative of a good blog post topic. However, it is a long and detailed answer and something that I am paid by companies to help them with because it can literally make such a huge difference in your ability to generate revenue. So, I have boiled it down to a few key concepts that will help you to super charge your online presence and increase your numbers. If you have any questions or find results with the tips that I outline for you here, I would love to hear from you in the comments.

Whether you are looking to build an audience to push your own products and services or to bring on sponsors and advertisers for your online real estate, the one key element that is often missing is a cohesive brand strategy.

The foundation of your online brand starts with a thoroughly outlined business plan, which lays out your vision, mission statement, values, team, revenue model, marketing plan and short and long term goals (including exit strategy). Without a strong foundation for your brand, your online presence won’t have the impact that it can have with a solid brand message and vision. If this is a weak link in your business, it is never too late to fix it. In fact, there are people like Tim Berry who specialize in helping you to write social media specific business plans.

Once your business plan is designed to reflect your vision, goals and purpose, it’s time to focus on your brand story and messaging. What kind of imagery, colors and words will not only reflect your company values, but also attract your core audience? While personal branding can be very important for the lifestyle entrepreneur, if there is a chance that you might sell your company at some point, you will want to consider whether or not to use your image and name on all of your products and online offerings. Whatever you choose, the style and feel of your online brand should be cohesive across all platforms including your blogs, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Google+, Pinterest and even on products like book covers.

It is never too late to evaluate and update your branding, but if you are thinking of re-branding an existing business, social media provides a wonderful opportunity to ask your audience (no matter how big or small) for their feedback. The more you can involve your audience, the more they will want to see you succeed.

Aside from having a blog with specific design aesthetics (graphics and imagery), a few simple tips that will boost your traffic numbers:

• Consistency: Develop an editorial calendar that ensures that your blog is updated with useful content at least once a week, if not 2 or times
• Quality + SEO: Content should be 300+ words and include researched keyword rich titles and subtitles
• Visual SEO: Upload images with alt descriptions and keywords for SEO
• Design the Experience: Use line breaks and white space to give the readers room on the page so that they are not overwhelmed
• Uplift: Deliver content that helps the audience to reach goals, live a happier life and feel good about themselves
• Engage: Invite readers to share their thoughts in the comments and/or to share your posts on social media and respond to them when they do!
• Expand: Use services like Triberr to get the word out about your posts to people who have similar audiences

When you create quality content that people respond to on social media, you will quickly see a rise in both your blog traffic and your social following.

It takes time to build an audience and connect with them in a way that increases your following. Be patient, but consistent.

No matter who your audience is, the key to increasing your following is to consistently provide value. The key to getting others to share your content is to make sure that your content helps your audience to achieve desired results. Make sharing good content that others create a part of your social media editorial calendar.

The more you can help others get what they want in business and life, the more they will help you to do the same.  Did I miss anything? Please leave your thoughts in the comments!

Fake followers.

The big debate…

In recent news, Big brands and celebrities have been outed as having bought followers on Twitter and other platforms. The unspoken truth is that it is very common practice for big social influencers to pad their numbers with bought followers.

The result of buying followers on Twitter is the appearance of hundreds of thousands, if not millions of followers. However, a big following only matters if you are actively engaging in meaningful conversations with people who know, like and trust you.

During an in person exchange at a recent conference, one social innovator went so far as to say, “There are 2 kinds of social media influencers, those who buy followers and those who lie.” That’s a pretty powerful statement coming from a thought leader who has over a million followers. It is also the truth.

Very rarely do you see any of these high profile accounts admit to having bought followers, partly because it is against Twitter’s terms of use and partly because it has such a negative social stigma.

Why would someone want to buy followers?

Quite simply, people buy followers because they want to look like they have a bigger audience. They also might buy followers because they are looking to bring on licensing and endorsement or sponsorship deals that require a larger following than the competition. They also may buy followers because they are social media “gurus” who feel that higher numbers will give them more credibility. As unethical as it sounds, there are even people who buy followers for other people’s accounts so that they can point the finger and call them out as a “fake”. (The good news is that there are ways to get rid of these unwanted fake followers. Stay tuned for a future post…)

People buy followers for all kinds of reasons.

I liken buying followers to plastic surgery. If someone wants to get their nose or their chin fixed so that they feel better about themselves, I don’t judge them. That’s their business, not mine.

Whether it is a magazine that is leaving issues in public places to boost circulation numbers or a restaurant giving out free samples to increase the number of people who have eaten at their establishment, businesses have been inflating their numbers for years. In fact, if you think about it, while Twitter might not want people to buy fake followers because it takes away from their promoted account and promoted tweet offerings, these fake accounts also give them a bigger number of “users” to show to their board of directors, investors and the media.

Does buying followers for your account really give you more credibility? Not really. What matters is the type of engagement that your account offers. What matters is the difference you are making in people’s lives online and off. What matters (if you are a business owner) is that you have paying clients or customers that are happy with the investment they have made in your products or services.

Without consistent revenue and a message that leads to positive change for your audience, you can have all of the followers in the world and nothing to show for it at the end of the day but a number.

If that’s what you choose, then that’s your choice and not something that I personally would choose at this point in time, but who am I to judge you?

When I was a little girl, I remember learning about constructive and destructive criticism. I just couldn’t understand how someone telling me or anyone else that we were doing something wrong could actually help a situation. I felt that telling a person what they were doing wrong was just plain mean…
Then, when I was in college, an entire day each week was devoted to critiquing our classmates’ work. This was when I learned about another term, peer review.  Peer review is the evaluation of work by other people in the same field (of equal or higher ranking) in order to maintain or enhance the quality of the work in that field.

I began to understand that sometimes we can’t see our own limitations, so feedback from those in our field can help us to see where we can make improvements.

Unfortunately, sometimes even in business this criticism does come in destructive forms, which immediately cause many of us to put our defenses up in order to shield ourselves from the pain of words that may be hard to swallow. The truth is, many of us are not taught to give or receive criticism in constructive ways, so when we are delivered the truth in a form that is hard to digest, we simply devalue the message and discard it as mean. When we do this, we are missing the lesson.

Criticism is actually a gift, but how you respond to it can determine whether or not you receive the blessings that could help you to improve your work. Inevitably, not all criticism will be handed to you with kindness and many times, it is layered in judgement. However, if you can take the time to discern the message in the criticism, that is where the learning opportunity lies.

Fact: Criticism is a part of life.  Fact: Not all of us are taught to accept and learn from criticism, especially when it is delivered in a hurtful form. When children are taught to receive criticism, they are more confident, more resilient and more adept at handling tough situations. As entrepreneurs, and more specifically as solo-preneurs who work autonomously, we lack the peer review that can be an instrument for growth in our work. Social media allows business owners to step outside the vacuum of our business and to connect with our peers and target audience.

The criticism that can arise from our clients and peers on social media is necessary in order for us to spot our weaknesses and make corrections. Have you ever noticed that the conversations that occur on social media are very similar to the “water cooler” conversations that take place in an office? These conversations can be an excellent way for you to see exactly how others perceive you, which gives you the ability to make adjustments to your reputation. If you want to leverage social media to better your business, use these conversations as a spring board to propel you forward.

There are people on social media who have made it a habit to “call out” business owners who are behaving inappropriately online or who are off track in some way. Branding the “bitch slap” as a means to help people get unstuck, Erica Napoletano aka @RedheadWriting intelligently delivers her thoughts with humor. Not everyone is as skillful at delivering criticism without coming off as a jerk and there are certainly times when the “block” feature comes in handy, but the ability to take criticism as a vehicle for advancement is essential if you want to succeed in business.

When the fire of criticism comes your way… it may be difficult to face head on, but if you can take a step back from your ego, shut off your defenses and remove your emotions for a moment, you may just learn exactly what you needed to hear in order to take your business to the next level.

**Special thanks to Steve Campbell for the excellent input for this post! See photo above. He’s a smart cookie. Make sure to follow him on Twitter.**

In 2009, I transitioned my business from a product based model to a service based one. The service that I offered was coaching. When I launched my coaching practice, I had just finished working with 2 excellent and inspiring coaches who had been very successful generating revenue and building online brands. I had my Masters degree in Marriage and Family Therapy and Art Therapy and I had been in business for three years as a child safety expert. I wondered if I needed additional credentials (like a coaching certification) on top of the Masters degrees that I already had and ultimately decided that I was ready to move forward, confident that I could help my clients achieve significant results and that I did.

The reason I switched my business model was because I wanted to work directly with moms (like me) who wanted to spend time with their children while pursuing their entrepreneurial dreams. I developed a clearly outlined process to help my clients get clear on their goals and a system that allowed us to track progress. Within three months of transitioning to “lifestyle business coach” I doubled my income.

Hillary Rubin

Coaching is a growing field that according to the International Coaching Federation is generating almost 2 billion dollars annually in revenue.

A popular choice among mom business owners who are looking for flexible schedules and fulfilling work, it is estimated that over 50,000 business owners have integrated coaching into their business model. Have you thought about adding coaching to the list of offerings in your business? Are you thinking about starting a business that brings in revenue from a coaching practice?

There are many different forms of coaching, from health and fitness coaches to business and financial coaches… how do you know if this is the right business for you?  According to coach Hillary Rubin, it takes a lot of self awareness and the willingness to be flexible as you begin your practice. According to Rubin, it also takes a “deep understanding of your skills, gifts and experiences to develop a practice that not only gets your clients results, but allows you to feel connected to your work on a soul level.”

If you have ever considered coaching as part of your business model, you will enjoy this video above where Hillary and I discuss the intricacies of coaching and you will also enjoy the checklist that Hillary has created for you to figure out if coaching truly is the right business for you.

Please leave any questions or thoughts in the comments below and feel free to share this post on social media with friends who may enjoy this information.  Thank you and enjoy!

Ten years ago, Pixar Animation Studios released one of the most memorable family films of all time, Finding Nemo. After winning an Oscar for Best Animated Feature film and generating over a billion dollars in global sales, the sequel to the Nemo franchise, Finding Dory has been announced.

Some say that Pixar waited too long to come out with a follow up to the original film, however I think the move is pure business genius. Here’s why…

The same year that Finding Nemo was released, another audience magnet was born… the Ellen Show. Over the past 10 years, audiences have embraced Ellen DeGeneres not only as the lovable voice of Nemo’s best friend Dory in Finding Nemo, but as the host of the Ellen Show.  Since the Ellen Show debuted, Ellen has collected the People’s Choice Award for Best Daytime TV Host and the show has won 32 Daytime Emmy Awards. Bottom line… audiences LOVE Ellen (myself included)!

Now merge the success of the original Finding Nemo with the fan base that Ellen DeGeneres has grown over the past 10 years and you have a recipe made in box office heaven.

How does this relate to your business?

Success is all about variables. Some variables you can control, some you can’t and others are random.

If you have a product or service that was successful in the past and that attracted a significant amount of attention from your audience or that helped establish you as a leader in your industry, this is your golden ticket. Have you updated the content in this offering or somehow expanded on this flagship offering? If not, now is the time to develop a strategy that boosts relevance and curiosity in your audience.

If you look at the release date for the Finding Dory movie, the film isn’t going to be released for a few years but the buzz is just get started.

One convenience of a well thought out social media strategy for business owners is that it doesn’t take more than a few minutes to get feedback from our audience or to start generating buzz. Use this to your advantage by leveraging your network to give you input about what they want from you.

Is there a specific topic that you have been asked repeatedly about and not yet covered? Have any of your clients requested a more advanced level of a product or service from you that you have yet to create? This is an indication that they are ready for your follow up offering. It may not be necessary to wait 10 years to announce your follow up offer, but simply telling your audience when you begin the development process and keeping them in the loop along the way can help build the anticipation for the final reveal.

We live in the age of sequels. Whether you are an entertainer or a brand, audiences expect you to constantly reinvent your message and take them on a journey of discovery. They are willing to pay for this ride as long as you make it worth their while. Pixar and Ellen DeGeneres have shown that they deliver the goods time and time again, which is why audiences pay attention to them. While you don’t have to be a daytime talk show host or a major film studio to make a splash, when you look at your business, are you truly following up to the best of your ability in your business?

My husband and I have the money conversation often.

He is a “bottom line” kind of guy, which has served him well in business.

So, when we talk about money, it goes something like this…

Me: Honey, I met a real dynamo today. His/her business model is insane… bringing in $200,000 a year in revenue with minimal overhead and more clients than he/she knows what to do with.

Him: Ya, but how much is he/she taking home after expenses, payroll and taxes?

Me: We haven’t gotten there yet…

Him: Profit is a lot different from revenue. You can be running a seven figure business and still be losing money if you don’t have the right model.

Me: I know. I know…

And there you have it.

Revenue and profit in business are two different animals.

If you want to create a business that is profitable, you have to know how much money is coming in every month and how much money is going out every day. You may be generating six or seven figures in revenue every year, but if your expenses are on the high side, you may not be as profitable as you need to be to sustain the business that you are building.

At the end of the day, how much money are you bringing home?

It is very important to dissect the money situation in your business often so you can stay on top of profitability. It doesn’t matter whether you are a newly founded company or an established business, looking at the financial forecast of your business is essential to growing a business that makes money.In addition, if you ever intend to sell your company, having a handle on the numbers is the only way that you will be able to show a potential buyer the value in your business.

The good news is that it doesn’t take a degree in finance to understand the numbers in your business (although at some point, you may want to hire a financial adviser, CFO or trusted accountant to keep an eye on them). At it’s most basic level, you are looking to make sure you are making money and not losing it. Do you have a clearly thought out business plan that outlines your revenue model, marketing plan, team management, financial systems, growth plan and exit strategy? If not, now is a great time to put that together. If you do have an extensive business plan with all of these factors outlined, good for you!

Now, let’s take a moment to look at your revenue streams. Here is a simple checklist that will allow you to capture a glimpse at the revenue and profit sides of your business.

Revenue Generation Checklist:

• How many product or service offerings do you have in your business?
• What price point is each offering?
• Which products or services are your top sellers?
• How much time and money does it cost you to generate each product?
• Is there a way to decrease your cost of goods or services while still giving the same quality?
• How much does it cost you to make each sale? (marketing, sales, financial, support etc)
• Once you have made a sale, is there a follow up product, service or program that you offer to keep customers coming back for more?
• Do your marketing tactics support your client retention system?
• How many team members do you need to develop, produce and distribute your offerings? Is there a way to automate this process so that you can spend less?
• How much money does the average customer spend on your products and services over their lifetime?
• What outside vendors, contractors or services do you use in your business to provide products or services to your customers every month? (list your monthly expenses)
• Are there any products or services that you are currently paying for every month, but not using? (ie: are you paying for a phone line that you don’t use or a file sharing service that you haven’t used in months?)
• Do you offer packages, continuity programs or online services that could increase your revenue?
• Is there a time of year that you generate more sales?
• What is the difference between your monthly, quarterly and annual profit and loss?

These are just a few questions to help you assess the financial picture of your business. Every business owner must ask and answer these questions (and more) to consistently sustain, manage and grow a business. If you haven’t already done so, create a system that makes this process a part of your daily operations. If you are a creative person like myself and looking at the numbers is something that can feel overwhelming, hire a bookkeeper that can go over these numbers consistently with you. Set a reminder in your calendar to review your revenue streams so you have an accurate read on where your business is financially at every step along the way.

The goal of any business is to make money, but more importantly it is to generate a profit. 

Do you have any questions that you would add to this checklist? Please share your thoughts in the comments and have a wonderful day!