Baby Boom Entrepreneurs – Saturday Update 3

September 10, 2011 by 4 Comments

This week’s Saturday Update I want to look at two things. First I want to take time to remember the tragic events of 9/11/2001. I want to thank everyone who responded to help and let the families of those who perished to know that my family and I will be praying for them all tomorrow.

Second, I want to ask my Boomer friends to help me find some ways to help fellow Boomers who are without work find ways to make their skills, talents, and values known to employers looking to hire.

As we consider these things, I am interested in continuing the conversation that has started this week and am looking for your thoughts. Please comment here and/or email me with your thoughts. This is important and we need to rise up again like we always have before!

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Baby Boom Entrepreneurs – Saturday Update – 1

August 27, 2011 by Leave a Comment

This post is the first “Saturday Update” for Baby Boom Entrepreneurs. What I hope to accomplish with these updates is to inform you all about the comments and suggestions that I receive throughout the week.

This week’s update is concerning an article entitled, “The Boomers the Economy Forgot.” The stories, comments, and suggestions about this article have been amazing and have seemed to touch a nerve among Boomers all over the world. Watch the video and then leave your comment, suggestion, or story as a way of helping our fellow Boomers trapped by this tough global economy.

 

Please help by leaving your comments, suggestions, and stories!

Thanks,

Dave

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Hey Boomers – How Can I Help?

August 6, 2011 by 6 Comments

I have been amazed at the level of success I have had in the first couple months of the re-launch of Baby Boom Entrepreneurs. I wanted to take time to thank all of you who are reading! But because word are so often just words, I decided I would tell you in person (or at least in a video).

At the end of the video I ask for your help. I need for you to help me by telling me what I can do for you. How can the blog get better? What questions do you want answered? What kind of career transition training can I produce for you? What do you need?

Let me hear from you? How can I help?

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Social Media and Baby Boom Business – 7

July 26, 2011 by 2 Comments
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This is number 7 in our series: Social Media and Baby Boom Business. I hope you have enjoyed these short tutorials on the different tools Baby Boomers need to learn to promote their businesses in this tech savvy/social media world.

Today we are going to talk about LinkedIn. This platform is a great B2B social media tool. It allows you to be in contact with other business people and provides you ways to communicate direct with, learn from, and teach others in your industry or from any industry on the planet.

With the opportunities that are available to join groups (communities) of like-minded people, the ability to connect with businesses literally around the world, and the ability to exchange meaningful information with those businesses and entrepreneurs, LinkedIn is a great source for expanding your business knowledge and skill set.

There are really only three primary keys to being successful with LinkedIn:

  1. Join – LinkedIn, like all the social media platforms I have brought you in this series have a “free option.” You can receive an amazing amount of insight, education, and can give back to your industry all at no cost!
  2. Participate – Look for ways to engage the LinkedIn community. Join (and actively participate in) groups that you click with. Ask and answer questions in the “Answer” section. Accept connection requests as people become aware of you. Comment regularly and do so constructively.
  3. Share – Share the value of LinkedIn with other businesses and entrepreneurs that you know. By bringing new people on to the platform, you make it more valuable to the whole community.

That’s it! Consistently use these social media tools and your baby boom business will create an online presence that cannot be ignored. Combine your online presence with a great customer retention program and you will not only gain and retain clients, but will also establish a powerful referral program. All of this adds up to a successful second career for you!

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Social Media and Baby Boom Business – 6

July 22, 2011 by 2 Comments
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Well so far in this series, “Social Media and Baby Boom Business” we have looked at three of the five most important aspects of building a strong and sustainable social media strategy for your business. We have looked at the importance of your base camp (blog) and the two most prevalent outposts (Twitter and Facebook). Today we want to look at another outpost that can bring you significant credibility, traffic, and in the end sales to your business.

This outpost for your business is YouTube. Adding video to your arsenal of marketing tools will mark you as one of the most innovative people in your niche. To put yourself into this arena is neither costly or difficult to do, but statistics reveal it to be one of the best options on the net.

That said, videos probably need the most planning and thought for them to produce the kind of results that will bring you the power results that they are capable of. Think about these five things:

  1. You need to be sure of what you are going to say, before you get “on camera.” Very few people can just turn on a camera and begin speaking. You may not want to write a script, but you need to at least know the direction of the video from the opening remarks through the story/body of the video to the conclusion and call to action.
  2. You need to understand about how to produce the best sound possible for your videos. There is nothing worse than to try to listen to a video with such bad sound quality that you become incomprehensible. Find the right equipment and learn how to use it!
  3. You need to have fun while producing your videos. No one wants to watch a video of you being “scared out of your mind” in front of the camera. You will get better at it the more videos you make, but remember to be yourself.
  4. You need to talk to the person watching the video. Don’t lecture, don’t condescend, just talk. More people will watch your videos and respond to you the more you talk to them rather than at them!
  5. You need to be creative with your videos. While there are benefits to having a studio set up, don’t get stuck in the studio all the time. Get outside, video from your car, make those watching believe that your life is just like theirs.  They will pay more attention to you if you do.

In the end, video is a really powerful content tool. Use it wisely and you will gain extra strength in your marketing strategy!

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Social Media and Baby Boom Business – 5

July 19, 2011 by 2 Comments
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This is article number 5 in the series Social Media and Baby Boom Business. In this article, I am going to look at how Facebook works in your business social media strategy.

One of the most difficult things for businesses to understand about Facebook is that it is not a “sales site/page.” The best description I have heard about your business page is that it should resemble a backyard barbecue. Folks are invited to come, food is available throughout the event, and people just spend time talking.

The subjects of those conversations vary greatly and they are free forming and each have a life of their own. Everyone at the barbecue has access to each conversation and can join any conversation at any time. When business questions do rise, answers are given directly but a forced sales presentation is a no-no!

In preparation for writing this article, I looked at several “big name” Facebook fan pages. My favorite from the group I studied was Pepsi’s page. It provides great thoughts/conversation along with information that identifies them as a company, and provides actions that their “likers” can take to promote them and their causes.

I know that baby boom businesses will, for the most part, be smaller and have less budgeted for social media marketing, but lessons learned from Pepsi (as well as other major companies) will help us all as we make choices for our business. Observation is often the first step to Facebook success!

When people “like” your Facebook fan page, they will do so for lots of different reasons. They know you, they received a request to like your page, they want you to like their page, they responded to a contest or offer, or (usually the smallest number) they really do want to engage with you, your company, and your other followers. Whatever the reason, once they “like” your page it is up to you to get them back.

Pass me a Pepsi and let the barbecue begin!

 

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Social Media and Baby Boom Business – 4

July 16, 2011 by Leave a Comment
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Remember the old saying, “A little bird told me?” Well, in the world of social media and baby boom business, this saying is more true than it has been for some time. The little bird is from Twitter and what he says comes from you!

Twitter is one of the “big four” in social media (facebook, twitter, youtube, linkedin). While there are those who use flikr, slidshare, and even do podcasting, the big four account for the overwhelming majority of social media for business. Today we are going to talk about Twitter.

As of March 21, 2011, Twitter has been around the net for five years. This 140 “micro-blogging” program has gain in popularity in the past few years as celebrities, sports figures, political candidates, and even the President have active twitter accounts.

So, what can you do with this 140 character platform to both engage the social media world while building your business? Let’s consider five things:

  1. Twitter gives you a real-time look into your business niche. By setting up simple searches, you can “check in” on your niche and see what the social media world is thinking about your industry.
  2. Twitter gives you a real-time look into what people might be saying about your business. Good comments as well as bad fly across this medium at speeds that would make you head spin. Keeping up with what people are saying is especially important if you need to deal with something negative.
  3. Twitter gives you a real-time look into what people are saying about your competition. Just like your business, you can watch the twittersphere for things said about your competition. Good things help you see where you may need to improve your own business, bad things may give you an advantage over your competition.
  4. Twitter gives you the opportunity to communicate directly with customers/potential customers. Engaging your niche with valuable content always brings more eyes to your blog and more sales to your business. In this engagement you can ask questions, do surveys, and provide your community information valuable to them.
  5. Twitter gives you an opportunity to put your products and services “on sale” to those who follow you regularly. Twitter coupons and sales are a great way to judge your social media reach.

The only thing that limits your use of Twitter is your creativity (and the terms and conditions of course!) The only thing you need to do is to start. Sign up, follow some people tweeting about your niche, engage them in conversation and you are on your way. Remember, don’t sell … talk. Ask questions … then listen. Answer questions that highlight your personality and skill set. Be patient, people need to get to know you before they will “buy what you’re selling!”

Next post – Facebook

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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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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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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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