The Social Media Sandbox

by Tracey
April 25th, 2013

Are you playing in the right sandbox for your business??

It is easy to get caught up in the joy of finding new friends and connections on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+ and a variety of forums and associations.  But, are these new connections really adding to your business reach, and potentially increasing your bottom-line?

An important action to take to be sure you are playing in the same social media sandbox as your desired audience is to research where your audience is hanging out online. They may not be on all social media platforms, and so you don’t need to be either.  Some of this research should include finding and following the movers and shakers of your industry.  Your desired audience is likely already a part of that community, and will be easier to reach.

Social Media Sandbox

Take the time to listen to what your audience is saying.  Are they sharing their struggles?  What questions do they have for the big names in your industry?  Watch what information both your audience and the movers and shakers are sharing, retweeting.  If you can provide some assistance, then reach out, and provide the support.  As you become more and more known in the social media sandbox that your audience plays in, your reach and bottom-line will begin to grow, and your connections will become solid.

Categories Social Media
Comments (0)

The Shotgun Approach to all Things Marketing

by Tracey
March 17th, 2013

Shotgun_Approach_to_MarketingWhen businesses are scrambling to gain more clients, meet new prospects and grow company awareness, many resort to the “shotgun approach to marketing.”

This is usually characterized with last minute advertising, a deluge of information that is dumped, unwittingly, on the general public through social media, and knee jerk reactions and immediate changes to all marketing.

Why doesn’t the “shotgun approach to marketing work?”

Ultimately, if there is no plan in place, no strategy for what each marketing piece should result in, as well as measurements, the marketing is limited to today – not the future.

To successfully grow your business you need to be marketing 90 days in advance. You need to understand that the marketing you do now will fill the sales funnel in the future.

Are you making these mistakes with your business?  Contact me to arrange an Online Presence Strategy session.

Categories Achieving Goals, Clients and Partners, Online Presence, Social Media, Virtual Assistant
Comments (0)

It Will Only Take 5 Minutes

by Tracey
March 16th, 2013

How many times have you heard this line?Outsourcing - Only 5 mnutes

If you contract your services out, I am betting that you have heard it often.

When people or companies decide that they are ready to ask for help, they are not always ready to relinquish control. They know what they want to have happen, but just don’t know the best way to make it reality. Which is why they have asked for help and reached out to a virtual assistant, social media analyst, or any number of individuals who they believe can assist them.

If it really took just 5 minutes then I imagine that they would have the time to implement it themselves and they would be less likely to ask for help.  It is my job to either assist or complete the project, or job for them, after understanding exactly what they are looking for… and sometimes helping them to become aware of what it is really needed.  It takes time to do a job well.

I find that my more successful partnerships are ones that start with a Strategy Session.  This not only allows us to connect, and get a really good understanding of the business, but also gives me the time to explain the steps involved with helping the business reach their goals.  After our strategy session is over, I do some further strategy and provide a report, that gives them the information they need to move forward on their own, or at the very least, to know what needs to be done, and what to ask for when they contract me or my team, or even decide to connect with someone else.

Partnering in your success.

Tracey

 

Categories Achieving Goals, Clients and Partners, Virtual Assistant
Comments (0)

Fast Forward Through 2012

by Tracey
January 14th, 2013

I notice as I get older, time moves by more quickly.  I know that time itself doesn’t move any faster in actuality, but I know that life get much busier.

2012 was a whirlwind for me.  It was an incredible year of growth, connections, and stepping outside of the box.  I was asked to be a guest speaker on the importance of online presence to building a business after completing schooling at the Institute of Holistic Nutrition in the Spring.  I was invited back to do a full day session in the summer and again the fall.  I thoroughly enjoyed the great conversations and the chance to provide insight that resulted in some big “ah-ha’s” the students.

I also was, and continue to be, immersed in the Women Speakers Association.  This WSA, as we fondly call it, is an incredible melting pot of amazing women worldwide whose mission is to help women get their voice heard.  Women have so much to offer, share and contribute and this forum is being welcomed by many.

At the same time, I have continued to partner with eXtra Contact, and so value my relationship with Gail, Dave & Crystal.  Truly success is about collaboration.  Being a part of a team enables me to be better; provides me with more insight, and more skills to provide to my clients.

Every year I make sure to continue to educate myself and 2012 was no exception.  Keeping on top of the latest trends is important in the level of service I can provide my clients.  Things change so quickly, so this is a continuous effort, but well worth it.

The one thing I regret is not posting on my blog as frequently as I had planned, but I will be adding to it more frequently this year.  Please feel free to email me with any questions you may have.

Here’s to a successful 2013!

 

 

 

 

Categories Clients and Partners
Comments (0)

Rev Up Your Word of Mouth Reach with Social Media

by Tracey
July 12th, 2012

Have you built your business through “word of mouth?”

Many businesses are built on referrals from happy clients – little or no traditional advertising is needed… “they tell two friends and they tell two friends and so on….”  At some point though, “word of mouth” tends not to be enough for most people when they are ready to expand.

Social Media can quickly increase the amount of referrals you can receive.  “Word of mouth” is no longer kept to direct conversations between friends or colleagues – it can now be shared with thousands upon thousands of individuals that are seeking your services.  When your clients or colleagues talk about you in their social media, they are sharing with all of their friends and acquaintances as well.

Social media provides an easy way to share recommendations, introductions and expertise with everyone who connects, follows, friends or fans you.  If you have recently dealt with someone that has provided optimum service be sure to let your contacts know, and they may return the favour.

Remember it is important to cultivate these social media relationships as you never know who will be contacting you or where an introduction will come from.

Categories Social Media
Comments (0)

Business Success Through Organization

by Tracey
June 14th, 2012

Keeping it Organized for Business SuccessKeep Organized for Business Success

When I started as virtual assistant who on average had 7 – 10 clients at any one time, I realized that it was incredibly important to keep organized.

Now that I have increased my business, and special more in supporting businesses specifically with their website design, website updates, social media and newsletter, it is even more important!

While my tasks have changed from when I initially started by virtual assistant business, my methods of keeping organized remain very similar.

Time Tracking

There are a number of great systems out there, some that require a fee to join and some that are currently free. Because many of my clients hire me on a retainer basis, it is especially important to keep track of time spent on each client and each clients’ task. The program I use is called MyHours. It enables me to set up individual projects (clients) and tasks (specific client actions), which I can allocate my time to each month. It also provides reporting capabilities that help with invoicing, and overall time tracking for my business. While this may not be the program for you, it is imperative that you have a program or system in place that will help you keep track of your clients’ time, and keep you on track.

Calendar

Another thing I rely heavily on is my calendar. I have found my Outlook to be very useful in keeping track of what is coming up for my business (networking events, invoicing, and training), as well as for my clients (deadlines, reminders, and strategy sessions), and even for personal time (sports, kids, even scheduling in exercise). By making use of the Categorize button, I have color-coded my clients, so that a quick glance I can see whose tasks I will be working on that day/week, and what deadlines are looming. I highly recommend taking advantage of the variety of different project management software programs out there to find the right fit for you, but in the meantime, Outlook is likely right at your fingertips already.

Schedule Time for Your Own Business

Finally, it is important, when you are scheduling time, to include time to work on your own business. Whether your business is built on supporting others, like a virtual assistant business is, or in providing design, or materials, or educating your target market, you need to make time to plan your next step. A quote I once read has always stuck in my mind “if you aren’t growing, you’re dying.” This is true in business too.

What are you going to do for your business this month? Please share in the comments as I would love to hear from you!

Categories Organization, Virtual Assistant
Comments (0)

Six Degrees of Separation? I Think Not!

by Tracey
May 4th, 2012

I have been finding lately – probably over the last few years- that the whole notion of Six Degrees of Separation has been replaced with a Less Than Two Degrees of Separation. It is incredible with so much of the population on social media, that the world feels as if it is getting smaller and smaller.

No longer is our physical space determining our social reach, connectivity and friendships.  The virtual space has made it so easy for us to connect, grow relationships (both personal and business), and expand our businesses across all borders, continents and oceans.

It is important for all businesses to utilize social media in some manner, to make those connections that they may not have access to otherwise.

I would love to hear your stories on Degree of Separations and how connecting with that one person, brought you closer to someone that could help you achieve your dreams.

Building Relatiohships

Categories Online Presence
Comments (0)

How to make sure your LinkedIn profile is working for you

by Tracey
February 22nd, 2012

One of my favorite social networking platforms is LinkedIn.

Have you recently been scrambling to get all your profiles up on a variety of online networking platforms?  If not, it might be a good time to start.

Most of us start with very basic information on our profiles, which is fine, especially when just starting out.  It gives you a chance to secure your personal or business name before someone else does, and you can always go back and edit it later on.

One social media platform that has been working well for me is LinkedIn.  This is the case because my business is really about serving other businesses.  Since LinkedIn is a Professional Network, where businesses go to connect, it has proven to be a really good place to be.

As you probably already know, keywords are important to your success in showing up online.   Keywords are important when you are optimizing your website, but they are equally, if not more important, when updating your profiles.

Here are three places to consider adding your keywords in your LinkedIn profile:

  1. Your Professional Headline – be more specific than “Owner of XYZ company”
  2. Summary – Professional Experience and Goals – include keywords when describing the skills  and services, you and/or your company have provided in the past and your goals moving forward.
  3. Summary – Specialties  – this is a good place make sure you use your keywords when describing the different services that you specialize in.

If you use the tips about you should see an increase in the number of people who have viewed your profile.

Be sure to come back and share your success!

Happy networking,

 

Tracey Ehman

Your Virtual Marketing Director

Categories Online Presence
Comments (0)

Giving Back – Speaking Can Be Transformational

by Tracey
January 31st, 2012

I have had the opportunity over the last six months to speak at a variety of events, from classrooms and workshops, to association dinners, and entrepreneurial women groups.  When I began, I was definitely stepping a long way “out of the box.”  I was completely out of my comfort zone, and really wondering if I was going to be sharing something that these groups already knew.

On Saturday I had the pleasure of facilitating a workshop at the Kwantlen Polytechnic University’s Leadership Conference. I realized while you may hear the same information from several individuals, one person might explain it in a way that you just “get.”  Walking away from any workshop or seminar with even just one piece of information that you didn’t know before,  or was presented to you in a different way, is well worth the price of admission (whether paid, or just in time spent).

Looking forward to my next speaking engagement.

Good luck to all the incredible students that attended the workshop ” Networking & Your Online Presence!”

Categories Achieving Goals
Comments (0)

Don’t Have Time to Send A Card This Holiday? Think Again

by Tracey
November 22nd, 2011

Here is an convenient option to get your holiday greeting cards out this year!   Check out this great little video which will explain how easy it can be to get your holiday cards out this year, and never step foot in the post office.  You can even include gifts to be sent, if you would like.

I’ve already got most of mine scheduled to go out on November 30th…

After you watch the video, if you are interested in giving this a try, I would love to gift you with a Free Card.  Click on my link and Just Click To Send.  (Make sure to have the speakers down, as another video will start automatically when you go to the page).  Once you are the site, click on the Send a Free Card.

If you would like to get a Greeting Card System, contact me directly.

Happy Holidays!

Categories Resources & Tools
Comments (0)
Next Page »

Come Join US!

Get Your FREE Report & Monthly Success Tips

The 5 Things You Must Ask Your Webmaster
Get The 5 Things You Must Ask Your Webmaster Report

 

Connect online

View Tracey Ehman's profile on LinkedIn

Getting Started