Learning Across the Globe From Your Comfy Chair

If there’s a subject you’re interested in,  you more than likely do a quick search online to find out details, right? You can apply the same principle to your ongoing business education. With so many social media platforms launching on a regular basis, you can easily stay abreast of hot topics in your industry from your comfy chair. Here’s 4 quick methods you can use to stay current with your industry’s trending topics:

• Virtual trade shows – This concept is gaining in popularity, and it’s a great way to hear industry-related speakers and topics in one place without the travel expense.
• Online events, such as webinars, tweetchats, and facebook chats.  I attend at least a couple of these weekly to keep current on trending topics and stay in touch with colleagues and competitors. Did you know many webinar hosts will provide a recording of their webinar if you pre-register?
• LinkedIn Groups – there is a wealth of industry specific information being shared right now on LinkedIn. Become a member of relevant LinkedIn groups, subscribe to receive updates, and participate in the discussions.
• Read websites/blogs that relate to your field and subscribe to their RSS Feed. It’s like building an online textbook one article at a time.

Making It Work:  Add these events and activities to your calendar the same as you would if they were in person. 

Did you notice there are no physical boundaries with any of the above mentioned methods? One hour I might be chatting with someone in Australia, the next hour I’m watching a presentation in Canada. Don’t limit yourself or your business!  Just because you’re already established or done with school doesn’t mean the learning is over. Join global conversations, stay current, and ensure your piece of the profit. You can literally get an international education from the comfort of your home.

Ciao,
Miss Kemya

Why Aren’t You Tweeting Yet?

Many professionals are still apprehensive regarding social media outlets.  I run into so many business owners that simply don’t know how to join the social media conversation, so they stay behind, falling further and further into the abyss with the dinosaurs. For those of you that don’t know how to join the conversation, I’m here to get rid of all the excuses you’ve been using as to why you can’t “get on” social media.  Read on to learn how I joined one of the major social networks: Twitter.

How To Get Started on Twitter For Business Purposes 

Learn the Basics. Go to http://business.twitter.com/ and learn Twitter basics. Just because you don’t know what you’re doing doesn’t mean you have to look like a novice late to the party  – that’s the beauty of the internet isn’t it?

Complete your profile. When choosing a username, make it something easy to understand, and related to your name or company name. Use a real picture as your avatar (aka the picture that shows up next to your username). People want to converse with humans on Twitter; we know logos and robots don’t tweet! Complete your bio as well, otherwise, we (business people) won’t take you seriously.

What to Tweet? You don’t have to “rush” to join the convo. I started by “lurking” – aka reading other people’s tweets and not commenting or retweeting. Then, once I understood the lay of the land – aka “twitterverse” – I started retweeting others’ professional posts. Then, when I got comfortable, I would add a brief comment to the retweet. Then, again while getting more comfortable, I would find original articles and topics to tweet. Over time, I became confident enough to add my personality and personal tweets in the mix. This is my rebuttal to the “I don’t know what to say” excuse!

Who to follow? Since you’ve already learned about hashtags via the Twitter basics, think of a few keywords that relate to your business and search for them as hashtags.  You can also seek out fellow business owners, prospects, and clients that are already using Twitter and follow them.

Consistency Counts. You have to tweet to be seen and build a following. I always recommend starting out with 5 tweets daily for a few weeks, then 10 daily for a few weeks. I tweet Mon-Fri, and rarely during the weekend. Mon-Fri is pretty acceptable for business purposes. This allows you to get the hang of it.  I  know you can spare 20 minutes 3 times a day to read tweets and find interesting posts to retweet or comment on. This is my rebuttal to the “I don’t have time” excuse!

BONUS: Perform searches at http://search.twitter.com/advanced to find tweets based on a myriad of criteria. This method is still elusive for many, so if you’re reading this post you’re ahead of the game! Thank me by commenting!

This is exactly what I did when I got serious about using Twitter, so I know it works.  This formula is simple enough to prevent any excuses. I understand how overwhelming social media can be, and when you hear tips from “experts” with a huge fan base their advice doesn’t seem practical. Been there, done that, moved on, and so should you! Building your following and your level of comfort will take time, but you will get there if you follow my tips. The longer you wait, the more you sink into the abyss. If you get lost or need help, find me on Twitter @MissKemya, leave a comment, or send me an email at kemya [at] phiscomarketing.com. I’m glad to help.

**For those of you already deep in twitterverse, please send this post to your reluctant colleagues and let me know how it works for them. I’ve had this same conversation numerous times to get people started on Twitter.**

Ciao,
Miss Kemya