Social Media and Baby Boom Business – 3

July 12, 2011 by 8 Comments
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This is part three of the series Social Media and Baby Boom Business. In this post we will take a look at the tool of blogging to build interest in your second career. Enjoy and don’ t forget to comment!

Blogging …. sounds scary to most people. I hear all the excuses: I can’t write; Nobody would read my blog; What would I write about; Nobody sits around all day reading blogs; etc. and so on!

However, if you are like most people, you really do have lots to say about you, your passions, and why those passions turned into your second career! Folks do want to hear stuff like that. They have dreams and passions as well and your stories help them to breath life into theirs.

I truly believe if more people defined themselves and their passions and then lived those passions, told stories of those passions and built their lives/businesses around those passions, the world would be a much better place.

This, my boomer friend, is where blogging comes in!

Once you have determined what your second career is going to be, you need to talk about it to as many people as possible. Blogging affords you that option. Whether you use words written, video presentation, or even podcasts, the place to find these things ought to be your “home base” which is your blog. With so many blogging platforms to choose from and so many easy ways to get started, this is a free (or nearly free) way to make yourself stick out from the crowd. To provide your potential customers with the information they are looking for and to provide access to your new businesses products and services.

Three things you need to understand as you begin the blogging process:

  1. Be yourself! I remember watching the movie Aladdin with my daughter many years ago and hearing the Genie remind Aladdin to “Be Yourself” as he sought to win the heart of the princess. In the end that is what won him the hand of his bride. Be yourself.
  2. Tell your story! In being yourself, tell stories about what has brought you to the place of offering your products/services. Many people become very health conscious after undergoing some major health challenges. Others find a particular hobby that really brings them to life. Some “have always known” that what they are offering now is what they wanted for others. Your story is unique, tell it!
  3. Bring good information to the forefront. Always provide information that has great value to those who will be reading your blog. Don’t just write sales letters or tech manuals. Tell people what you know and how that will help their lives/businesses just like it has yours.

When I first started my blog, I had all the questions that I listed at the top of this post, but what I have discovered is that there are lots of people in this world who are craving real, valuable content that will help them make the right choices in their lives about virtually any and every thing imaginable. All you have to do is commit to the process and you will find a niche looking to hear from you!

 

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Three Steps to Inbound Marketing Success – 2

July 11, 2011 by Leave a Comment
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Have you ever had a great idea and just didn’t understand how to get that great idea out of your mind and into the marketplace? Getting to this place is the second key to inbound marketing success. Just like every brilliant idea in business, you have to have a plan to get that idea out to those for whom it will be valuable.

In our modern internet age, getting the message out is not very difficult. Even if you decide to “self-host” your own blog and sign up for the four best online social media sites, you might spend two-three hours to get up and fully running. It really is that simple!

The problem comes in learning the methods necessary to get what you publish in front of those who will appreciate your expertise and will look for opportunity to either work with you or to purchase your product/service. Making this transition from stranger to business partner/confidant is what inbound marketing success is all about. There are three things that you must understand to make this transition as smoothly and quickly as possible:

  1. Buyers these days are looking for information FIRST. If your outreach is never any more than an online sales letter, you will find it difficult to succeed with inbound marketing. The sophisticated buyers in our society want to know what you know before they are willing to pull the trigger.
  2. Buyers these day are looking for someone that they can trust before they are ready to buy. Unfortunately in this day great customer service is a rare thing. Online buyers want to find someone that they know will take care of them and that they can trust both in their knowledge of the product/service as well as in their treatment and care of the customer/client.  All of your inbound marketing efforts should keep this “trust factor” in mind.
  3. Buyers want to hear from people that you have helped and that have enjoyed working with you. The more they can see and hear the voices of happy customers the more prepared they are to spend their money with you!

In the final post of this series we will talk about the tools that will get this message out. But before you put your message out you need to make sure that it is something that people will want to read, hear, and see when you do. Inbound marketing success is not difficult, but it is something that takes both time and effort.

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Social Media and Baby Boom Business – 2

July 9, 2011 by 4 Comments
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Today I want to talk about the five social media tools necessary to create a powerful online presence for your Baby Boom Business. These tools are ones that I use personally and can make your business “pop” as you set out in your second career.

  1. A blog – it will become the central location for all of the information/answers that you provide your customers.
  2. Facebook – it is like a “back yard barbecue” for your business. A place to invite people to come, talk, and create/establish relationships. (Not a place for direct sales!)
  3. Twitter – this tool acts like your online billboard. You provide short messages, tips, new finds, and “specials” for current and prospective customers.
  4. YouTube – this tool is your own video channel to let people see what you have been talking about. If you can provide people with “tips and tricks” to make better use of your products or training materials about your services, you are more likely to gain/retain a customer.
  5. LinkedIn – while this tool is considered by most a business to business tool, it creates a great platform for keeping your eyes and ears open to the new and exciting things that are going on in your industry. Don’t over-look this great tool.

A word of caution here. While all of these tools can be launched at no cost and with no real difficulties, there are ways to use them the benefit of your business and to its detriment as well. You need to understand these tools and how they all fit together into a successful marketing strategy. Learn them one or two tools at a time and add others as you are comfortable with the ones you are already using. Order is also important, just be careful.

Starting next week we will look briefly at each of these social media tools and how they can bring success to your Baby Boom Business!

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Three Steps to Inbound Marketing Success

July 8, 2011 by Leave a Comment
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Inbound marketing success is something that most companies would love to experience if they only knew what it took to get there. I mean think about it, having people looking forward to reading your blog posts, requesting whitepapers, reports, and other forms of information from your site, and in the end calling you and looking to hire you or buy your products. But, as I said before, the problem for most business owners it that they don’t really know what it takes to create this kind of inbound marketing success.

Over the next three posts, I am going to try to outline the three steps to inbound marketing success. While these posts will not be exhaustive, they will provide the basic platform necessary to begin a strategic inbound marketing program for your business.

Step #1 -  Understand what inbound marketing is designed to accomplish. Inbound marketing is simply a method of marketing that provides information to current and potential clients that cause them to seek you out to purchase your products/services. One very successful business owner said that when he started his inbound marketing program that he thought of himself as a “seller of his product” but after about 18 months of inbound marketing he realized that he was really an “information broker.” The results of his providing great information to his current/potential customers was the sale of several hundred high ticket items that allowed him to become a national leader in his industry.

What this business owner found was two-fold:

  • Customers in the information era want to have their questions answered before they are willing to buy.
  • The company that gives away the information that answers their questions has a better chance to get their business than the one that “holds back” till after the sale.

What this means for you and your inbound marketing success is that you need to seriously consider your marketing strategy. You need to look for ways to provide information and answers to questions your current/potential clients are asking. You need to change your thought process from that of a product/goods salesman to that of an information broker.

When you provide quality information and real answers to pressing questions, those who learn from you will be more willing to buy from you as well as refer you to others who would buy from you as well.

 

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Sorry to be gone!

July 7, 2011 by Leave a Comment
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I am sorry to have been gone for more than a day. WordPress updated its platform on Tuesday and my theme didn’t like the changes. I am back now and you can look for a new post tomorrow!

Again, I am sorry for the problem and thankful for the solution.

See you tomorrow!

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Social Media and Baby Boom Business

July 5, 2011 by 2 Comments
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Did you know that it is has been reported that the largest growing sector of the social media sector are those between 45 and 65. Sounds like we baby boomers have discovered a new toy! But, as we consider the launching of a second career, do we really know how this social technology can be used to benefit that second career?

When considering social media and baby boom business you need to consider three specific thoughts:

1. Social media is like having your own publishing company at work for you. Social media activists and businesses have found that getting their message to the largest audience is best accomplished through this “mostly free” medium. It really doesn’t matter if you have a small “garage based” furniture repair/design business or if you have a full fledged “internet marketing” business, social media has its place. Your ability to get your knowledge in print or on video has never been easier/beneficial and you need to know how to make it work for you!

2. Social media doesn’t just happen it takes both planning and time. Just like any part of a successful business, planning and time are essential ingredients. If you are going to sell your knowledge (business consulting), write a book, create and sell a product, etc. marketing must be part of the plan. And, in this high speed world, social media is a perfect place to get your message out quickly and effectively. So, you must learn this crazy new and ever changing playing field to make the most of your new career!

3. Learning to blend the offline with the online is the key. I get asked all the time, “how do I get people to read what I am writing?” Just to put things “up” on the net is critical, but getting people to the place where you put it is even more important. That’s where the blending of online an offline marketing comes to play. It too is an art that must be learned and planned for. Hitting on just the right mix is very important and so testing is always ongoing. The right blend will produce a steady stream of potential clients and customers coming to you for advice and the purchase of your products/services.

In this new and highly technical world, we boomers need to learn to embrace this wonderful tool. Social media can be the catalyst to an exciting second career for the boomers willing to learn and embrace it!

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July 4, 2011

July 4, 2011 by Leave a Comment
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On this the 235th anniversary of the signing of the declaration of independence, I want to say happy birthday to the country that I love. In my now nearly 56 years, I have had the privilege of citizenship and the opportunities of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

I am not blind to America’s shortcomings, but I am optimistic about its resiliency and ability to come together for the common good. So, as we all enjoy a day of barbecue, picnics and fireworks, I just want to say to my 270,000,000 neighbors, enjoy the day and when the celebration of the day ends, let’s buckle down and get to work. Let’s move this country out of this time of great divide and return it to the founders ideals and above all let freedom ring!

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Remebering a Mutual Pledge

July 1, 2011 by 2 Comments
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On July 4, 1776 a group of men, willing to sacrifice all that they had in life made themselves a promise. The words of the promise were:  “And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor.” It was this mutual pledge that set in motion the events that would end in the formation of the United States; and it is this that we celebrate this weekend.

As we take time from work, from our businesses, and from the rigors of everyday life it may be time again for us to remember that mutual pledge. To be reminded that the founders didn’t all agree with everything the others believed. As a matter of fact they didn’t all like each other all that much. But in the face of the unbearable tyranny that they all faced, they not only set aside their personal differences, but mutually pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honors to create a more perfect union.

With all the struggles and problems that we seem to be facing these days, maybe it is time for we who are celebrating this weekend to choose to not only remember that old pledge, but to make it our pledge for now, for each other, and to restore that more perfect union. Have a great holiday weekend and God bless America!

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