Help Your Business Get the Social Media Engagement It Deserves

The more that I talk with business owners about adding social media marketing into their marketing mix, the more I get the “deer in the headlights” look. Social media marketing is still a mystery for many! They hear about it almost every day. They see others talking about their Facebook Business Page and their Twitter account and LinkedIn contacts. Still they have yet to understand what it means for them to incorporate social media for their business.Recently, I met or spoke to several individuals. Their questions were:
Do I need to use Pinterest?
If I have results from my regular advertising, why do I need social media?
Can you show me “results” from social media?
I have a Facebook Business Page, but I only have 63 LIKES, it has been a year! I spend time on it every night! What am I missing?
How do I get people to respond?
Social media takes up so much time! I can’t give it more time. What must I do to get results?
Understand there are many ways to customize social media marketing to fit you. First, note how you relate to people in real life, as you stand before them chatting. Second, pay attention to the topics they get engaged with, and then note how you got that information from them. What can you learn about your meeting with people and the interaction, and can it be brought into your social media platform? Next, can you align your goals with theirs? And then finally, there needs to be a strategy and the ability to relate to those who connect with you on those platforms. BIG SECRET!! RELATING!When I teach social media engagement to others, I spend a large amount of time explaining the part about making relationships. One customer says “I don’t have time for ‘who made what for supper’ and ‘look at what my grandkids and I did this weekend’. You say then, “I want to educate people about my business! Not waste time being chit-chatty”OK then, think about it. You see your neighbor coming out of the house, do you run over to them grab them by the elbow and say “I have a tonic that tastes great! Buy some!”? Or, every time you drop by your family or relatives and they only talk about — their cat. Every time – it is about their cat! And you know that the next time you see them, they will talk about — their cat. How excited will you be to start another conversation with them? Would you be excited to meet them again in the future? I think not. Their conversation has become “old news” and boring. You’d rather not even go visit them.In social media, whether it is Twitter or Facebook or any other platform, the above happens ALL of the time! No wonder, business owners don’t understand how to use social media and are frustrated. I, myself, has a friend who recently connected with me, has posted non-engaging repetitive information to me. Numerous posts with a phrase like, “I did it in one month”… link. And another “RE: your commissions… link”, and “hey..don’t know internet, but did $600… link”. Now anytime I see his posts I know what he will be doing. Trying to SELL to me and not interact. Guess what I will do? Drop the relationship – remove him from my list – pay no more attention to him – or maybe even call him (that dreaded word!) SPAM!There are many other social media pages or posts that basically are only digital “bulletin boards”! They spout a sale, or the cost of an item they are selling. They post where they are or what they are going! Often times, all that they talk about is — ABOUT THEM! Never anything of value to their audience. Here is a good rule to know — in real life or on social media, it always starts with a conversation ABOUT THEM, NOT YOU!A good conversationalist in any social gathering, knows to be friendly, asks a lot of questions of the person they are talking to, affirms their topics, asks more questions, and relates like experiences. No selling – because if the conversation starts with a selling proposition, the listener often will disengage and leave. Especially, if they had no interest or need. Facebook pages are often the bulletin board of regurgitation of “buy this”, “you have to get one of these”, “my product is awesome, you need it”, “on special, don’t wait, get it now”! They never appeal to our wants, needs, or emotions. All of this, shouted out or broadcasted to any and all who lay their eyes on it!By being friendly, and curious enough to ask the questions that invite responses, you will achieve your desired goal or engagement. Often times, I’ve been very surprised how ready people are willing to share rather seemingly private moments or thoughts. They are on social media for a reason – they wish to be social! When you have your customers there ready to listen, all you need to do is to listen to THEIR stories, ask questions about THEIR story, and affirm, approve, lift up, encourage, give helpful suggestions, and show genuine interest in them. Do this specifically and by name, and you have the recipe for a great relationship. I have been invited numerous times to get together with newly acquainted social media locals, by having done this with them online. They wish to know me better.How will this help your business? Now —
You are seen as caring.
You are available to them.
You become a real person, not a “business entity”.
You become their friend.
You will be given the chance to share YOUR story.
You will be given the chance to introduce them your business/product/or service.
They will trust you, not run away.
They will drop their guard/barriers to you.
They will follow your next suggestion – “go to my website”.
They will come back.
They will tell others about you.
They will ask for your help to solve their problem.
They will LIKE you.
Isn’t that enough? Wouldn’t you like that for your business? I think there is a saying that goes – “To know me is to LIKE me” — social media can help you make this happen!

Web Based Project Management Software Tool From Inventa Technologies

Project Management SoftwareProject Management Software is a web based tool that help to manage projects such as Integrated Calendars, Report Generators, Scheduling, Multiple Projects and Tasks, Files Upload, Tracking, Prioritizing, etc. Project Management System is a simple tool that help managers and the team members successfully plan, manage and execute the different tasks involved in each project.Why Project Management Software and How Does it Work Online Project Management Software Tool which increases the effectiveness of your work and the happiness of your clients by making the workflow fully transparent to them. Web Based Project Management centralizes complete project information on to a single server that tracks all the work being done. As a result every member of the team can access to the requisite info anytime. Task Management Software is designed to make Project Management easier and even more cost-efficient; Task Management Software is interactive and responsive Tool that runs on the computer as either a single user or may be shared by a group of Project Managers.Project Management Tools available that help you to organize your business better collaborate more effectively, plan and track projects comprehensively and IT Project Management capabilities will enable organizations to support their business processes in a Simple, but Effective manner. It is also a great litmus test to gauge what kind of Project Management Software you are looking for and whether the tool you are looking at is a good fit or not.Features/Benefits of Project Management SoftwareWeb Based project management software has several benefits over the conventional style of managing a project.Here are a few benefits of the software that may boost your appreciation for it.1) Cheap to Try:The dollar cost of a pilot or test-drive can run anywhere from cheap to free for this kind of Project Management Software. You don’t have to waste a lot of time with sales pitches or slide shows. You can try it and see if it fits.2) Easy to Use:Project Management Software is User-Friendly Tool and generally can be learned quickly. With Project Management Solution you can create Multiple Projects and Multiple Tasks quickly and intuitively.3) Low Risk to Failure:You don’t have to put your career on the line to try it out. Since it doesn’t take a ton of money or time you don’t have to spend a lot political capital to try out this kind of Project Management Software. If it doesn’t work so be it, at least you tried to solve a problem. If it does work, you’re a hero who solved a problem without betting the farm.4) Work and Collaborate:Team members both collaborate and coordinate by regularly posting the status of their own work, participating in discussions with other project members, and providing feedback on tasks done by other team members.5) Multiple User Management:Since Project Management System can be accessed from any web browser, you may be interested in it to manage collaborators working from remote locations. Whether your collaborators are telecommuters, sub-contractors or working in other branches, you need one unique place where the ongoing activity will be centralized.6) Calendar:The Calendar function allows you to view your schedule month by month or get the detailed daily view. You can also create events and assign them to yourself and/or to your team mates, all tasks can be opened straight from the calendar.7) Security and Access Rights:Since all employees within an organization may have different roles, they may not be allowed to consult certain pieces of information. The CEO might want to be “boss” and get an overview of all projects’ and users’ activity while technicians could only be allowed to view their assigned tasks without being able to view any statistics or reports.8) Online Project Management Software can be implemented as a Web application, accessed through an intranet or extranet using a web browser.9) The foremost and most outstanding feature is saving of time.Conclusion: Project Management System is useful for small-to-medium size businesses who want an uncomplicated and effective IT Project Management Tool.What to Do Next…If you have any queries regarding the above information or looking for a Project Management Software please contact us at [email protected] or visit us on www.inventatech.co.ukInventa Technologies provides valuable information on Project Management Software, Web Based IT Project Management & Task Tracking Software System Tool, and designed to help organizations collaborate and Manage Client Information, Multiple Projects and Multiple Tasks, Files, Contacts and Calendars.http://www.inventatech.co.uk/project-management-software.php

Difficulties “Newbies” Face With Their Online Business

I have been a business owner and CEO of three different companies and have seen many people give up just when they were so close to success. Here are some of my observations as to what may cause new people to resign in their online business within a short space of time. If you are new to owning an online business then you may recognise a few of these traits.Owning your first online business is exciting in the first few weeks of starting out until the hardwork and reality sinks in. The secret is keeping motivated, organised and a calm level head in order to move your business forward.You mentor should be there to aid you and guide you on the initial steps you need to take to get your business up and running from day one. Listen to them, they have gone through this before you and are more than qualified to guide you one your way.Mentoring and Helping YourselfFirst things first, you need to be in a position to help yourself. Although your mentor is there to guide you, they are not there to hold your hands every step of the way. After all you wouldn’t expect your employer to shadow you around the firm for the first few months would you? As long as you know where all the right resources are and these could be company forums, business coaches, handbooks, online tutorials and the like which again your mentor should have guided you through initially. If they do not manage to do this, then either drop them an email, or contact them through their preferred method.Changing your MindsetNow that you have your employer hat on, yes that’s right, you need to have an employer hat, absolutely essential. Owning your own online business is totally different to having a boss to tell you what you must do on a day to day basis. You need to change your current mindset and take your home business seriously, even if you are only working this part time, you need to ensure you have a full time attitude.Business PlanningWith your employer hat on, you need to start looking at your online business development strategy (or business plan). What are your goals and objectives, what is it you are trying to achieve in your online business. How, why and when? You need to understand this clearly before you strike out in any shape or form.· What types of advertising are you going to do to market your online business? Costed versus uncosted advertising. How much money do you realistically have?
· How much advertising and how regularly do you need to do this?
· Who are your target audience for each advertising method you choose?Once you have thought through your business plan you may wish to pass this to your mentor for feedback. You mentor should once they have your business plan, help you to put things in place to meet that plan. But, in all, it is down to you as the business owner to ensure you carry out the required action to move your business forward.Personal Development and TrainingAs a new person you may think you have to read up on every book, course and online forum note before you can actively go out there an promote your business – wrong!Things don’t have to be perfect before you start doing them. In fact, as you are learning and going along is the best way to generate meaningful training notes/videos/blogs.Set aside time for training, this is important if you wish to not only change your mind set but to move ahead in your online business. But, don’t make the mistake of setting aside too much time for self development and training and not enough time for your business. This can cause inertia in any business and ultimately ‘death’… of your online business.InactionSo many recruits can fall into this trap of inaction if they are left to themselves. As I mentioned before it takes a certain type of mentality to work for yourself. You have to develop and grow. A few good books that may help area) Think and Grow Rich – Napoleon Hill
b) The Twelve Pillars – Jim Rohn
c) Who Moved My Cheese – Spencer John MDIf you feel you are not doing anything constructive with your online business, speak to your mentor or your peers around you. Find a way to motivate yourself into action. Too many times, you hear about recruits getting disheartened after a number of months in, but if only they had the guts to stick it out a little longer, their rewards were just around the corner. Remember 97% of new online business start ups are doomed to fail – get into the 3% bracket…Getting into ActionEqually important is setting aside time for your business. Many people will have started their business part time, with a view to making it full time in the not too distant future. If that is the case then make sure you are putting in serious part time hours in a very full time productive way.Putting in 4 – 7 hours a week is an insult to your home business, you may as well treat this as a hobby, with the hope of getting some money now and then. If you want an online business to work you need to put in a lot of hours in the early stages, perhaps 10 – 12 or more hours a week. The early days in any online business are the hardest. People want to see results straight away, and sometimes the results do not happen like this if you do not put enough time, effort or action into your business.In part two of this article I will write about what you can do as a mentor to ensure all of the above gets underway and that your new recruit excels in their new found online business, making you lots of residual income.