LinkedIn – Your LinkedIn profile is only the first step in leveraging this powerful platform that is geared specifically to helping professionals connect with professionals. To expand your reach beyond your connections, look to join groups that will help you connect and share with your peers, purchasers of your products/services, and referral sources. Groups are local, regional, national and international. Many groups provide in person networking opportunities as well, so seek to join those groups to use both on line and off line connections. The groups tab is found in the top navigation on LinkedIn.

Facebook – While you may use Facebook for personal reasons, the groups feature provides an opportunity to either expand your brand reach with Facebook followers or provide you with a forum for more in depth discussion with your clients, prospects and friends. Many Facebook groups also provide in person networking events. Use keywords in the search bar to find groups related to your target market. Click here to learn more about Facebook groups.

Meet Up – A Meetup group is a local community of people that hosts Meetups, which are face to face meetings between members. There are thousands of business related groups for networking opportunities. Go to www.meetup.com and type in your topic or interest and zip code to search for a group near you.

After you have selected 3-5 potential groups online, make sure you introduce yourself to the group. Do Not Sell! Instead, focus on getting to know some of the members and looking for ways to connect.

Bonus to networking on line first. Most groups that hold face to face events ask members to RSVP on line. Before attending the event, review the RSVP list of attendees and look at their profiles to find out more about them. Now create a list of people you want to connect with before you attend the event.

Eventbrite – While some know of this web site as only a place to purchase tickets to an event, it is also a great resource to search events by date, price, location and category. The image below shows a search for business events in New Jersey.

Remember to be strategic in finding the groups and events that will best match your networking goals.

• price or purchase information
• contact information
• calls to action
• references to Facebook features (such as “like” the page)

But, this is Facebook, so there is a new rule that must be applied – Text cannot exceed 20% of the image. Facebook continues to push for appealing images, especially when they appear in the timeline.

So how do you know if you are complying with the 20% text rule?  The Facebook Cover Compliance Tool will help you determine how much text you have on your image.

Here’s an example using the tool with one of my cover images. It shows that I have 12% text on my image.

In this podcast, we discuss discuss methods to leverage your talents to power up your business such as

• How to assess your current business situation (What worked? What can be left behind?)
• Professional development strategies for solopreneurs
• How mastermind groups, mentors, and coaches can work for you.
• How are your habits working for you? Are time management strategies in your mix?
• How will you keep fresh, grounded, and ready to make your best strategic planning decisions for the new year?

7 Steps to Create Your Social Media Strategy

1. List the social media platforms you will use.
   Many businesses start with a Facebook page because someone told them they need to do so, or create profiles on all the platforms but do not engage in any of them.  First, find out where your ideal market “hangs out” in social media. If you are a B2C business, Facebook “might” be the right fit for you. If you’re a B2B business, LinkedIn “might” be the place to start. The important thing is to spend time where you’ll be connecting with your customers, clients and prospects. Second, because there are only so many hours in a day, it makes sense to start with one or two platforms and master using them before expanding to other social networks.
2. What are your business goals for using social media?
   And if you say “increase sales” as your first goal, you are missing the “social” aspect in social media. In addition, the first rule of thumb when using social media for your business is “Don’t Sell!” In fact, only 10% of your information should be related to selling your product or service. The rest of the time should be in engaging, sharing and conversing. Some goals to consider would be to increase awareness, increase customer service, increase leads.
3. What will get in your way to achieving these goals?
   All businesses have competing priorities for their time, and I find that most don’t take into account that they need to consider the obstacles that can get in the way. Do you have the mindset to make this a priority? Do you (or your staff) need to get more training in how to use social media successfully?
4. What are the solutions to overcome these obstacles?
   By identifying the obstacles up front, businesses can anticipate where they may need help. You will increase your success rate if you plan ahead.
5. List the action items you need to get started in implementing your plan.
   Write down where you need to start! You may need to get training to understand how to use the platforms effectively. You may need to delegate responsibility to staff members.
6. What resources will you need?
   Will you need to purchase software? Hire someone internally or externally? Make time available in your day to manage this?
7. How will you measure success?
   Your success measurements must be related to your goals! If your goal is to increase awareness, then monitoring the number of fans and followers may be a success metric. If you are using social media for customer service, the number of testimonials or reviews may be a success metric. Most importantly, determine in the beginning how you will determine if your efforts were successful.

Above everything else, set realistic expectations for your social media initiatives. While many of the tools are free, it can take a substantial investment in time and consistent effort to build up a loyal following on the main social media sites.
There may also be a substantial learning curve of the technology, language, and culture of the various social media sites, ws plan accordingly.  Last, social media is always evolving, so change is inevitable.

Click here for a copy of the social media strategy worksheet.

Need help with your plan? Learn more about my services here.

Wayne Breitbarth, LinkedIn expert and author of “The Power Formula for LinkedIn Success: Kickstart Your Business, Brand and Job Search” was a guest on Blog Talk Radio 30 Minute Business Dig and shared his best tips to getting the most out of this social media platform in just 15 minutes a day!

First, the there are two basic principles you need to follow with LinkedIn: 1) the more connections you have the better it will work for you, and 2) you must include keywords and personal branding stories in your profile.

According to Wayne, a great rule of thumb is “100 and 100,” which means get at least 100 connections and get your profile completed to 100%.

Here are Wayne’s top 6 tips to building your business using LinkedIn in 15 minutes a day.

1. Make sure you respond to the messages in your inbox. Be responsive to people or you will miss opportunities.
2. Be sure to invite the people you’ve met recently. Be proactive by inviting people to connect with you and do not use the standard (default) invitation message in your request. Give the person a reason to connect.  Also do not to do it from your mobile device, since this will only use the default message. Once you connect, see if you can follow up in person.
3. Go through the previous discussions in your groups or post your own discussion. Share your expertise, and people will see you as the key authority in that space. Jump into discussions and help people.
4. Review status updates from the previous day.
5. Be sure to post your own status updates. Best practice – get started with one a day between 11 a.m. -  3 p.m. Always have a link on your status update for more information.
6. Stay on top of your friends and who they are meeting because you might want to meet those people too. Use the “recently connected” feature.

Wayne tips on using LinkedIn in 15 minutes a day can be downloaded on this PDF doc.  Listen to the entire interview below.

I can write a book on the lessons learned and the roller coaster ride it has been. I am amazed every day that I have accomplished so much and have survived when so many do not. I am especially proud of the work I have done for many clients who have hired me and trusted my expertise to help them. Not only is my business in the 51 percent, I am especially proud of two personal achievements in the last six months:

• Having my story featured in the Asbury Park Press
• Receiving an ASTRA Award from NJCAMA for my work

I often say that starting a business is like jumping off a cliff. For me, it was a well thought-out, strategic decision, yet nothing ever truly prepares you for what it will be like until you’ve made the jump. And trust me, the great recession did make it harder.

If you are thinking about starting a business because you have lost your job or are done with corporate bureaucracy, you can do it if you are prepared to make the jump. If you already know your expertise and the type of product/service you want to offer, I can share some key points that were critical to joining the 51 percent. (If you don’t know the type of business you want to start, you’ll need to figure that out first.)

1. Do your research. And don’t just concentrate on marketing. You need to be financially ready for the ups and downs. It’s very different when you do not receive a regular paycheck but the bills still need to be paid.  One of the best pieces of advice I received from another business owner was to make sure I had enough cash available to self-sustain for at least eight months. (I would recommend one year with the uncertainty in the economy.) That was critical in light of what happened in 2008 – 2009.
2. Create a strategic plan. Or plan to fail. It’s that simple. My strategic plan is updated every year and has kept me moving forward. And I used a coach to help me create the first plan. It was extremely valuable to have an objective perspective and be held accountable.
3. Surround yourself with winners and positive people. You will have many people (especially family members) say that you are crazy for doing this and, while their intentions are well-meaning, you do not want to expose yourself to any negativity. It is hard enough to stay positive and forge ahead, so choose who you listen to and spend your time with wisely.
4. Believe in yourself. This is not a time for the poor me, victim mentality. Believe with every part of your being that you can do this. (And see #3).
5. Practice perseverance (steady persistence in a course of action, a purpose, a state, etc., especially in spite of difficulties, obstacles, or discouragement). It will be hard and there will be days you will want to quit. But don’t give up.
6. Create a support group. This is different from the point above because these are the people who have experienced similar issues that you will deal with everyday. Find other business owners that will understand when you are frustrated when clients don’t pay or you wish you had an IT department to solve your computer woes.
7. Have gratitude. One thing is very clear to me – I wouldn’t be where I am without the support, love and unselfish acts of many who believed in my dream. My clients make me want to get up and work for them – everyday! Life is full of possibilities, and I am so grateful that I am allowed to experience, explore and expand in the areas that I love.

Onward to the next year of twists and turns. I raise my glass to my fellow business owners and to those who decide to jump – Salut!

I’d love to hear your thoughts on what has helped you succeed in business.

photo credit: Pensiero via photo pin cc
photo credit: Toni Blay via photo pin cc

Our panel includes the following dynamic solopreneurs who each have a unique perspective to share on their personal journey to success.

Karen Cupp has navigated her career through the challenges and rewards of small business ownership. A highly successful entrepreneur for 14 years with resale stores in several southern Illinois locations, Karen stepped into an advisory/coordinator role at the local university small business incubator, as she helped budding entrepreneurs launch their businesses. Today, Karen has embarked on her fulfilling solopreneur journey in real estate.

Aaron Levine of LG Insurance Group, started his business in 2007 after graduating from the Monmouth University MBA program. As an insurance professional Aaron operates a small office in Long Branch New Jersey, but services clients in New York and FLorida as well as his home state NJ.  His clients always know what they are going to get when it comes to their personal and professional needs and service is of his utmost priorities.  In addition to owning and operating LG Insurance Group, Aaron is a race director, avid triathlete and is on the board of directors for the Long Branch Chamber of Commerce and Long Branch Concordance.

Kerry Stachowski, founder and publisher of Jersey Shore Woman Newspaper, knows the importance of business owners reaching the world’s largest market–women. The primary focus of her publication is to educate and connect women with key resources to improve their lives and well-being. It provides a forum for professionals in various fields to contribute their expertise to the publication. This requires working with business owners on their advertising messaging in creating a holistic approach to the women’s market via print, web and social media. The Jersey Shore Woman is entering its fifth year, making it the longest running publication serving women in the Monmouth and Ocean County area of New Jersey

After nearly 20 years as a News Anchor/Reporter, Angie Wyatt began writing children’s stories, developing a toy and apparel line under the brand name “Timmy the Tractor”. Angie’s company is currently working on a children’s show (television pilot). “Timmy” is available for appearances and he hauls in the crowds!

Here are some of the key take-aways that our guests shared in our interview:

Karen Cupp: What are the key elements for people to make a successful transition into solopreneurship?

• It’s important to work on your business, not just in it.
• Learn from your failures, they will compliment your success.
• Give yourself the self-discipline needed to succeed.

Aaron Levine: Many people see insurance as a commodity and simply shop around for the best price, but you provide much more than insurance to your customers. How do you not be a commodity as an insurance agent – and as a solopreneur – and more importantly, why is this important?

• Always work on your personal brand, it’s important to you and your business.
• Trust is an important commodity in maintaining relationships with your customers.
• Always be available for your customers in order to be successful.

Kerry Stachowski: How does creating, implementing and continually updating your strategic plan help you and your business?

• Strategic planning is important with running your business
• Planning will provide you with the focus to help grow your brand
• Let in professional help to give you the constructive feedback you need to improve.

Angie Wyatt: Your highly acclaimed “Timmy the Tractor” enterprise has not only entertained so many children and families, but “Timmy” and the product line have  also grown to be a highly successful business. Share your insights and how you prepare and plan for success.

• Take the road less traveled, the outcome can be beyond what you expected.
• Keep your eyes wide open to different possibilities.
• Just take action, reach out and brand yourself!

Related articles

• Podcast: How To Soar As a Solopreneur: Start Your Engines (elkayadvisors.com)
• Podcast: How To Soar As a Solopreneur: The Road Less Traveled (elkayadvisors.com)
• Podcast: How to Soar as a Solopreneur: One is the Loneliest Number (elkayadvisors.com)

Here’s how it works.

When posting a new status, in the status update box, there is a clock in the lower left hand corner.  Upon clicking it, the user will be asked to pick a year, followed by the month, date, hour and minute.

Click ‘schedule,’ and the post will be sent to the activity log.

Under your activity log, “schedule posts” now appears. Displaying the date and time of when the future update will be posted.

If admins wish to change the time or cancel the post entirely, they can do so under ‘Scheduled Posts.’

The new scheduling feature is a great resource to manage your time while increasing the number of posts made the best times of the day for engagement. With the new admin roles, page owners should be reminded that only managers and content creator admins have the option of scheduling posts.

For more information, go to the Facebook help center page regarding scheduling, click here – http://ow.ly/buTmJ.

The following five roles are now available for you to assign to your admins.

1. Manager -Manager admins are able to manage other admin roles, edit the page and add apps, and create posts as the p age. As well as respond to and delete comments, send messages as the page, create ads, and view insights.
2. Content Creator -Content creators, can edit the page and add apps, create posts as the page, and respond to and delete comments. They can also send messages as the page, create ads, and view insights.
3. Moderator – Moderators are for controlling users interactions on the page. They can respond to and delete comments, send messages as the page, create ads, and view insights
4. Advertiser – Advertisers can only create ads and view insights.
5. Insights analyst -Insight analysts can only view insights, which are collected anonymous insights about people’s activity on the page.

3 Things You Need to Know

1. Current admins have been brought over as managers by default.  Page owners should review current admins and select appropriate roles.
2. Under the ‘Edit Page’ menu, the new selection ‘Admin Roles’ has been added.
3. When adding new admins, their roles can now be selected.

How to edit/add admins

Click on the new ‘admin roles’ menu option, and your current admins will appear. This will provide you with the opportunity to select to roles for your current admins. Upon adding a new admin, use the drop down menu and select the new role for your admin.

How can this feature help business owners?

This new feature will provide page owners more security on the level of control and access to their page. In the past, page owners and admins alike had equal control. This new feature control can be managed only by the page owner. Page owners will no longer have to worry about other admins misusing their privileges. So long as you remain manager, the one with the utmost control, other admins can do little to harm your page.

For more information, go to Facebook’s help page on admin roles – http://ow.ly/bp2qd

Are you a strategic networker?  Do you use social media to leverage your networking and create opportunities to connect?

The Internet and social media have changed how we do business, communicate and network with clients and prospects. Even more so, businesses are more constrained by time and money to invest in connecting and prospecting for business face-to-face. So how can you use social media to help make networking a better return on your investment?

Strategic networking using social media puts an end to shuffling from one event to another with a stack of business cards. Follow these four steps to get started.

1. Look at your calendar and write down all the networking events you attended in the last year. Be specific and list who attended, why you attended, and what potential business opportunities were available to you.
2. Set your criteria for what you expect from your networking time. Are you getting your name out there to brand yourself and company? Are you specifically looking for leads for business? Are you helping others connect and making referrals? Are you involved with the group in a leadership role?  It’s important that you understand the purpose of your networking time, and what your return will be for that time. You may have different criteria for different types of networking events.
3. Take a hard look at how much of your networking leads to new business. Make a decision as to how much your time is worth and how much of your networking time needs to be dedicated to getting new business.
4. Decide which networking events that you have been attending truly have given you a return on your investment.  Be ruthless. You may want to continue events where you know everyone and have a good time socializing, but is that going to help you grow your business?

Now it’s time to put strategy into your networking scenario.  Who is your target market and where do they “hang out?” Social media will help you find the people who can potentially buy or use your services or connect you with those who can. You want to strategically find the networking events that will help you meet your goals and make good use of your valuable time.

Making Strategic Connections On Line Leading to Off Line

LinkedIn – Your LinkedIn profile is only the first step in leveraging this powerful platform that is geared specifically to helping professionals connect with professionals. Two areas will help you connect strategically within LinkedIn.

1. Join groups – A strategic approach to joining groups will help you connect and share with your peers, purchasers of your products/services, and referral sources. Groups are local, regional, national and international. Many groups provide in person networking opportunities as well, so seek to join those groups to use both on line and off line connections. The groups tab is found in the top navigation on LinkedIn.
2. Search events – LinkedIn also has a searchable events calendar that can help you find events specific to your industry, business and target markets. The events page is found under the “more” in the top navigation on LinkedIn.

Facebook – While you may use Facebook for personal reasons, the groups feature provides an opportunity to either expand your brand reach with Facebook followers or provide you with a forum for more in depth discussion with your clients, prospects and friends. Many Facebook groups also provide in person networking events. Use keywords in the search bar to find groups related to your target market. To find out more about groups, go to www.facebook.com/about/groups

Eventbrite – You may have used this site in the past to purchase tickets to an event, but the web site is also a great resource to search events by date, price, location and category. Search for events at www.eventbrite.com

Meet Up – A Meetup Group is a local community of people that hosts Meetups, which are face to face meetings between members. There are thousands of business related groups for networking opportunities. Go to www.meetup.com and type in your topic or interest and zip code to search for a group near you.

Remember to be strategic in finding the groups and events that will best match your criteria. After you have selected 3-5 potential groups or events, make sure you introduce yourself to the group. Do Not Sell! Instead, focus on getting to know some of the members and looking for ways to connect.

Bonus to networking on line first. Most groups that hold face to face events ask members to RSVP on line. Before attending the event, review the RSVP list of attendees and look at their profiles to find out more about them. Now create a list of people you want to connect with before you attend the event.  After the event, connect with the people you met both directly and through group communication.

So stop wasting time and money by passively attending events that don’t grow your business. By becoming a strategic networker, you can attend events with purpose and outcomes that will impact your bottom line.