A recent article in the Dutch business magazine Sprout said Twitter is expected to be the first internet medium that will reach one billion users.  

At PICNIC 2009 Maurice Beerthuyzen reported media futurist Gerd Leonhard as saying, “In two years you’re in social business or in no business.”

So, if you’re not yet on Twitter, sign up.  If you’re already using Twitter, why not make the effort to learn additional ways you can use it to grow your business.

I know, I can hear you saying that you barely have time to do all of the marketing activities you’re already doing!  But please consider the impact this new strategy can have on your business. 

Here are some basic facts.  Twitter is a free service where you can post messages (called tweets) of up to 140 characters.  This is also known as micro-blogging.  You can follow people’s tweets and share your tweets with people who follow you.

This isn’t going to be about ‘how to’ get set up on Twitter. There is a ton of marvelous information out there for free out on how to do that.  Here are two resources to get you started: Twitter for Business report and http://twitterwatchdog.com/ (scroll down to the bottom of the page and sign up for a free Twitter success report).

I want to focus on WHY you should get on board and how using Twitter can help you grow your business and be more profitable.

I’m not an expert on Twitter and I continue to learn more all the time.  I just started my account in March of this year.  As with any new service, you can actually learn by doing and watching what others do.

BENEFITS FOR YOUR BUSINESS:

1. Meet potential new clients you would otherwise probably never encounter
2. Discover new business opportunities
3. Connect with strategic alliance partners
4. Position yourself as an expert and attract media attention
5. Promote your events
6. A place to share your knowledge if you don’t have an ezine or blog (If you do have an ezine and blog, Twitter will complement them fabulously).

And yes, I have met some amazing people on Twitter and have discovered new opportunities for marketing my business.

WHAT TO TWEET ABOUT:

It’s true, some people do tweet about what they are eating or that they are going to walk the dog.  As a business owner you can make the majority of your tweets about your area of expertise, information that adds value.  For example, you can share:

- Fresh ideas and insights

- Practical tips

- Helpful resources (blogs, articles, quotes, etc.)

If you want to see what I tweet about you can follow me at: http://twitter.com/fireflycoaching.

As a time saver you can connect your Twitter account to your Facebook and LinkedIn accounts so that when you post something on Twitter it automatically shows up on Facebook and LinkedIn (for tips on these two services read my ‘Why Facebook and LinkedIn are Good for Your Business’ here. 

Are you starting to see how Twitter can help you expand your network and grow your business?  Make the decision to get an account and start using it today.  Invest the time to learning how it works so you can take advantage of this amazing marketing strategy and rock your business.

© Stephanie Ward, 2009

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR NEWSLETTER OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this information with it: Stephanie Ward is the Marketing Coach for Entrepreneurs who want to set their profits on fire!  Grab your FREE copy of the special report ’7 Steps to Attract More Clients in Less Time’ plus business building tips, at: http://www.fireflycoaching.com/.

Here is a question I want you to answer right now.  Ready, who are the specific group of people your business serves and what main solution does your business offer them?

How did you do?  Was your response immediate and clear?  If you’re struggling to answer these two questions don’t panic.  I’m going to give you the information you need to get started but first, why should you even bother having a niche.

Here’s why you need a niche.  You will attract clients faster with less effort.  You will position yourself as an expert.  You will make it easier for other people to give you referrals.  You will feel extremely confident.  Now who doesn’t want all of that?

There are two parts of your business you can niche. One is ‘your people’ the other is ‘their problem/your solution.’  Niching both parts is the most effective but niching one is better than none.

And the more specific your niche is, the more your business will be seen as the one and only solution for your clients.

First we’ll look at your people, then your solution, and finally how to put it all together.  You don’t have to start with your people.  You can start with defining your solution or you can work on both at the same time.   

So, who are your people?  They can be any combination of the attributes below (this is not an exhaustive list, just to get you started).  Grab a piece of paper and write down all of the descriptions that apply to your people.

YOUR PEOPLE

- Gender: Male, Female, or Both

- Age Group: Teenagers, Recent University Graduates, People in their 30’s, Mid-Lifers, Retirees

- Life Situation: Divorced, Married, Single, Retired, Recently Relocated, Dealing with Illness

- Location: City, State, Country Specific, Worldwide

- Affiliation: MBA graduate, Member of Professional Organization or Association, Church Member, Speaker of a Particular Language, Specific Nationality

- Interests/Hobbies: Travel, Animals, Running, Cooking, Drawing, Writing, Photography

- Educational Background: Undergraduate University Degree, Masters Degree, PhD

- Industry: Banking, Medical, IT, Oil & Gas, Professional Services, Consulting

- Position: CEO, Project Manager, HR Professional, Small Business Owner, Accountant

Here are a couple of examples:

* Female small business owners who work from home and have kids

* Retiring male bank executives who live in New York and love to travel

It is important that the niche of people you choose fit three critical criteria.

1. There are enough of them to sustain your business

2. You can easily locate and reach them

3. They are willing, and able, to invest in your products and services

OK, now you know who your people are.  So what does your business do for them?

THEIR PROBLEM, YOUR SOLUTION

Most problems are directly tied to some general wants/needs: to save money, make more money, save time, reduce stress, feel more healthy, attractive, and happy.  Here are some possible problems that your people may have. 

> Need more clients (want to make more money)

> No time or energy to exercise (want to feel better)

> Managing a team that is not getting along (want to save money & reduce stress)

> Not enough time to get everything done (want to make money & reduce stress)

> Stuck in a style rut and need a new look (want to feel more attractive)

> Can’t find the right romantic relationship (want to be happier)

> Don’t know where to invest their money (want to make more money)

Now put the two parts together, your people and the problem they have that your business solves. Here are two examples:

1. Female small business owners who work from home and have kids who don’t have enough time to get everything done.  You help them by offering your services of virtual assistance which are tailored for busy working moms.

2. Retiring male bank executives who live in New York and love to travel but can’t find the right romantic relationship.  You help them by offering them your matchmaking services that are designed just for them and the kind of partners they are looking for.

Are you starting to see why niching works?  Make the decision today to commit to creating a super defined niche for your business and experience the many benefits. 

© Stephanie Ward, 2008

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR NEWSLETTER OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this information with it: Stephanie Ward is the Marketing Coach for Entrepreneurs who want to set their profits on fire!  Grab your FREE copy of the special report ’7 Steps to Attract More Clients in Less Time’ plus business building tips, at: http://www.fireflycoaching.com.

Blogging is really hot and yet many people still have no idea what it is or what it’s for.  I usually get one of two responses when I tell people that I recently launched a blog: ‘A what?’ or ‘Great, where can I find it?’ 

It seems people are either completely aware and involved with blogging or unaware of its existence.  Don’t be left behind and miss out on a fabulous opportunity to connect with more potential clients and partners.

Some people have heard about blogs and have a negative impression of them.  Yes, there are people who have blogs that consist of nothing more than an on-line diary that documents their ordinary, daily life activities.  This is NOT what I am talking about.  I want you to use blogging to promote your business!

Highly respected business leaders and writers like Debbie Weil, Tom Peters, Seth Godin, and Malcolm Gladwell as well as large corporations have blogs, so why not you? 

How blogging benefits your business:

* Gain additional exposure to prospective clients and the media

* Drive traffic to your website

* Positions you as an expert and your business as the solution

There are several ways to get involved with blogging.  Start where you feel comfortable and choose any, or all, of these options:

1. Start reading interesting blogs

2. Comment on others’ blogs

3. Begin your own blog

READING BLOGS

Think about authors of books you like and see if they have a blog.  What about your industry, who are the leaders?  Do they have a blog?  You can search technorati.com which is a search engine similar to Google which is  specifically for blogs. 

So how do you know when the blogs you like have new information for you to read?  You can download software to your computer although I recommend two other options.  One is a web based ‘reader’ which simply entails going to a website, for example like Bloglines, and signing up and then selecting blogs you are interested in.

The other option is to receive notification of your favorite blogs via e-mail by signing up at each blog you like.  You can always do a combination of both.

COMMENTING ON BLOGS

After each entry on a blog there is usually a link at the end that says, you guessed it, ‘comments’ and if you click on it you can type in your thoughts on the topic.  Some blogs allow you to post your comments immediately and others preview your comments before posting.

When you write interesting comments to blogs, you gain exposure because you ‘sign’ your comment by adding a link to your website, your e-mail address, or to your own blog.

START YOUR OWN BLOG

There is a ton of free information on the internet about how to start a blog so I won’t go into the details here.  Trust me, I’m no technical wizard so if I can do it, you can too.  You don’t have to design anything, most blog hosts provide a wide selection of templates you can choose from.

You can choose a free blog host like blogger.com or wordpress.com.  I chose an inexpensive paid blog host, Typepad.com, because it is important for me to have access to technical support. 

It is critical to decide on the focus of your blog and stick to it.  I love Typepad.com’s tag line, “Inform. Influence. Inspire.”  What could the purpose of your blog be?

Ideas for the focus of your blog:

- Specific aspects of your business that are not covered on your website

- Case studies, tips, or articles

- Trends in your industry

With a blog, it is super easy to add new entries whenever you want.  For a blog to be effective it is important to post frequently, at least once a week.

Think about it, how often do you update or change the information on your website?  Probably not often even if you are able to make changes yourself.  Many business owners rely on a webmaster to make changes which makes the process even more complicated. 

When your blog is ready, be sure to tell people about it and add it to the blog search engines which are easy to find on the internet.  You can also add a link to your blog on your website, e-mail signature, and business cards!

Are you starting to catch the blog fever?  Don’t delay, get out there and start reading blogs, adding comments to others’ blogs, and hopefully launching a value packed blog for your business in the very near future!

(c) 2006 Stephanie Ward

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR NEWSLETTER OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this information with it: Stephanie Ward is the Marketing Coach for Entrepreneurs who want to set their profits on fire!  Grab your FREE copy of the special report ’7 Steps to Attract More Clients in Less Time’ plus business building tips, at: http://www.fireflycoaching.com.

All the experts kept saying it was a great way to give value, gain free publicity, and position yourself as an expert.  It was something I had planned to do for years and I finally did it for the first time in May, 2005 and I’ve been doing it ever since.  What is it?  Writing articles.  Don’t be like me and wait, get started today!

OK, I can hear the moans of protest from here, so let me explain what writing articles can mean for your business and perhaps you will be willing to give it a shot?  For those of you who love to write this is your big chance to get started or to write even more.

You don’t need to have a weekly or monthly newsletter in order to consistently write articles although this is a good way to make sure that you produce at least one article per month (it sure keeps me on schedule).

Pick a topic you are passionate about, one that allows you to provide insightful information that will help your clients, and start writing.  An average length for an article is 500-800 words.

Once you have completed your article ask a friend or colleague to review it for you and give you feedback.  If you’re going to take the time to writing something, make sure it’s the best it can be!

There isn’t room in this article to go into all of the details of how to write, there are plenty of resources out there if you need help in this area.

The point is that you, as the owner of your business, know a lot about the problems your clients face and how you can help solve them.  You have valuable information that people want and need, so why not give it to them? 

Writing is like any other skill, it takes practice and over time you will improve and find your own unique voice.

So what’s the big deal, what can you do with an article?  I’ll mention a few here, be creative and don’t limit yourself:

1. When you meet people who fit your ideal client profile offer to send them an article.  No sale, no pitch, just sharing something that will support them.

2. Offer your articles to strategic alliance partners for them to give to their clients.

3. Place your articles on your own website so visitors can see the value you offer. 

4. Once you have several articles you can package them together and voila, an instant e-book you can give away or sell.

5. Finally, a highly leveraged action to take is to place your articles on the internet where publishers go to find content for their publications.  This is really simple and it will cost you nothing.

There are different places to submit your articles on the internet depending on your focus and content.  Here are just some of the websites where I place my articles: Ezine Articles, Go Articles, Article City, Amazines, Idea Marketers,  and Business Know How.

To find more places where can publish your articles, search the keywords ‘article submission sites’ and any other keywords related to your business.   

Be sure to include a brief ‘author bio’ with each article you write and publish (see mine at the end of this article).  This way, when people read your article they know how to connect with you in case they want to know more.

Include a “call to action” in your author bio that invites the reader to take an action like: sign up for your newsletter, get a free report, or receive a sample of your product or service.   

Because you can allow your article to be re-published without permission you may not actually know how much exposure you have received.  To find out where you have been published simply type the name of your article into Google.

In some cases you will be contacted for permission even though it isn’t necessary.  You may also hear from people who want to thank you for allowing your article to be reprinted.

What will sharing your articles do for you?

- Giving people valuable information they can use makes you a resource and increases the possibility that people will think of you, and your business, when they have a need.  This is a way to let people get to know you and start building a relationship with you.

- You will increase your exposure by publishing your articles in many places.  Increasing your exposure increases your reach to potential clients. Think leverage! 

- You position yourself as an expert in your field by writing about the kinds of problems you solve for your clients.  Everyone wants to work with an expert.

These things will all contribute toward the growth of your business.  Don’t look for results overnight and stay focused on serving your clients by producing articles that will help them be successful.

Writing is just one of many marketing strategies you can use to grow your business.  Remember, the most important aspect of any successful marketing strategy is consistent implementation.  So please don’t write one article and then decide it doesn’t work and give up.  If you choose writing as one of your strategies, stick with it and leverage everything you create!

(c) 2005 Stephanie Ward

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR NEWSLETTER OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this information with it: Stephanie Ward is the Marketing Coach for Entrepreneurs who want to set their profits on fire!  Grab your FREE copy of the special report ’7 Steps to Attract More Clients in Less Time’ plus business building tips, at: http://www.fireflycoaching.com.

How do you answer the seemingly easy question, “What do you do?”  Do you talk about YOU?  Do you talk about your products/services?  Do you talk about your industry?  Do you explain the process of how your products/services work?

 If you answered yes to any of these questions you are missing an enormous opportunity.

Every time someone asks you “What do you do?” and every time someone reads your marketing materials you have the opportunity to:

* Interest potential clients

* Increase the potential for referrals

* Find out about potential strategic alliances

* Create recognition for yourself and your business

* Position yourself as an expert

Stop right now and take the time to discover how to answer the question, “What do you do?” in a profitable way. 

The bottom line is that in general, people are not really that interested in you and what you do (you may have heard this before, start believing it!).

What they really want to know is what you can do for them.  All of the communication about what you do must focus on the benefits of your products/services, not the features.

Focus on how your products/services benefit the people who use them and the results they can expect. 

Think about the last time you met someone and they told you what they do.  Do you remember what they told you?  If so, would you be able to clearly explain it to someone else?  Your goal is that the people who hear or read your marketing messages remember what you do AND are able to tell someone else.

The first step to answering the question, ‘What do you do’ is to define your ideal client.  The more specific you are, the more success you will have in building your business quickly and positioning yourself as an expert.

The next step is to define what do you do for your clients.  How you benefit them.  When you are clear about these two things, and you can easily communicate what you do, you will feel more confident talking about your business.  People you talk with will easily see exactly how you can help them and hopefully remember what you do!

Here are some examples to get you started (as you can see, you don’t necessarily need to mention your profession!).

- “I work with professional women who want high returns on their investments” (Financial Planner)

- “I create delicious, healthy meals for busy executives that have no time to cook.” (Personal Chef)

- “I help busy doctors find more time to spend with their families” (Life Coach)

- “I rescue stressed out business owners when their computers crash” (Computer Technician)

- “I help stay-at-home moms feel pampered and relaxed” (Massage Therapist)

Try out this formula: I work with (your niche or ideal clients) who are having trouble with (problems your ideal clients face) and who want (what they want to see happen, the result).

Another way to explain what you do is to relate it to a known situation, a common experience. 

So when someone asks you what you do you can say, “Well you probably know how busy doctors are, what I do is I help them spend more time with their families.”

Or, “You know how stay-at-home moms are always taking care of everyone else, well what I do is make THEM feel taken care of.”

You will know you are on the right track when the next question you are asked after you say what you do is: “How do you do that?” 

Don’t wait another minute.  Get started now, grab a piece of paper and write down what you do and then practice saying it.  You can test it out on friends and colleagues to refine and improve it.

Then start using it everywhere (with people, on your website, on your business card) and you will see and feel the difference this makes in attracting more clients!

(c) 2005 Stephanie Ward

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR NEWSLETTER OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this information with it: Stephanie Ward is the Marketing Coach for Entrepreneurs who want to set their profits on fire!  Grab your FREE copy of the special report ’7 Steps to Attract More Clients in Less Time’ plus business building tips, at: http://www.fireflycoaching.com.