Social Media: Our VOICE Speaks Volumes

When it comes to Social Media, we seem to talk a lot of about a humanistic approach; the process of humanizing every customer touch point when communicating with others. There are many ways to bring a “human touch” to the process of every day networking in social media.

Below are just 5 areas where we can pay attention to hear what is being said even if we are not meeting face-to-face with those we communicate with daily. Subtle cues are important, and when we are aware of them, we can learn so much. My last post talked about the important of “listening.” Today I talk about what’s not being said and note – it really does speak volumes.

There is a VOICE behind the following if we take the time to pay attention to…

1) the choice of our words
2) the tone of the words
3) the pace (speed) of the conversation
4) the frequency of the conversation
5) the emotions behind the words

CHOICE of words: Are we choosing words in social media networks that reflect out brands? Are we choosing words that engage others? Are we really sharing and learning, or are we pushing and selling? Keeping these questions in mind as we create and uphold our VOICE online (and off) will help us shape our words more attractively so others can gravitate towards us. Like moths to a bright light, this is how communities are formed. Target the sentiment that you want your audience to experience. This can be done by choosing words that represent our audience. As Brian Solis, Principal of FutureWorks says, “Sincerity extends beyond the mere act of creating a profile on Twitter or forming a fan page on Facebook or a group on LinkedIn. Relationships are measured in the value, action, and sentiment that others take away from each conversation.”

TONE of words: In literature, the tone of our words is the mood. What is the tone we are setting? How is it effective or ineffective? If we remain flexible in our tone, and are consistent in social media networks, there will come a time when we really hit our mark (our true vocal tone). Arthur Samuel Joseph, Vocal Expert to the Stars, says, “… you have the right, without requesting the permission from another, to be yourself.” I believe this to be incredibly true in our social media networks. Being in our best “self” and communicating often can bring out our best tone. It doesn’t mean we are going to be perfect all the time. Sometimes social media can be trial and error, even with our best efforts. If we happen to make a mistake in the tone on a live webinar or the written word in our communications, we can openly admit it. The act of this admission itself gives honor to our social network connections and can keep them around (building trust), rather than jumping ship. Do you know what tone delivers the best results to your key audience? If not, listen to your target market more and check out your media monitoring platforms like Radian6 and Vocus to see which posts give you better results.

PACE of words: Is there a positive synergy in your exchange with others in social media? In other words, is there a nice exchange of giving, listening and learning about each other? If so, that’s a connection – and depending on the point of interest of the connection, that connection could be a customer. Being pleasantly persistent, sharing information, asking questions says you truly want to get to know the other person. Obviously, we don’t want to do this all up front. Would you ask someone to spend the rest of your life with you at the first introduction. Maybe? Maybe not? There is a strong probability the majority of us may not. Many of us would like to get to know a person before any long term commitments are made. I believe the “pacing” of our social media conversations are similar. Additionally, I believe that “pacing” conversations in social media inch by inch builds layers in our connections over time, and with enough history, we will eventually build the trust that earns conversations over and over again. That my friends, builds a relationship.

FREQUENCY of words: How frequent are you in using social media once a day, once a week, once a month. Content may be considered king to only some; however, our frequent social media updates help to create a foundation of stability that brings dignity and dedication of our work. Others will take notice. Frequency builds community and helps us be proactive in against any crisis that can take place. Conversely, when we enter into a conversation online and drop the ball, others will notice of that as well. So after first doing much listening in social media, don’t forget to talk frequently, listen again, and then talk some more, then repeat it all over again. It’s working.

EMOTIONS behind our words : It was Maya Angelou who said, “Words mean more than what is set down on paper. It takes the human VOICE to infuse them with deeper meaning.” Our emotions in any given moment can come through in our words through our VOICE in social media. Throughout our blog updates, Twitter updates, comments and any other information we share, there can be times where a meaning of a phrase can be misinterpreted. It may be wise to check in with our own “self” before a comment slips from our lips or before the “send” key is hit – our reputation, our company’s reputation, or our client’s reputation can be affected.

We have one VOICE. Who says we cannot make a difference? Indeed we can. May our VOICE continue to make an impact in today’s consumer generate media (CGM). Let’s turn up the volume on our conversations as we continue to share and learn more from one another.

Picture of the Conversation Prism are compliments of Brian Solis and Jesse Thomas

Communications: Are We Listening?

The sound of our own VOICE may be music to our ears, but only by listening to others can we broaden our experiences and expand our perceptions way beyond our usual boundaries. Can we be open to the possibilities?

I was thinking the other day how Social Media is really like an online PR system. The difference today is that PR is more public – we are talking more with the public, not to the public. For the most part, we all seeking to engage with others and we certainly can appreciate others who listen, people who are real and not misleading. People do business with other people when mind share and listening are reciprocated and sincere – authentic human beings connecting to other authentic human beings. The first step is deciding to BE that active listener. Second, know that using our valuable humanistic qualities and showing our personality in our communications can lead to better connections, more often than not. This is especially true in social media.

As beings who communicate with others, now (more than ever), we’re invited to conduct our business with more transparency, tied-in to the essence of who we really are. In social media, talking to others, finding similar interests and maybe after a while saying, “By the way, check this out when you have a minute; it’s pretty neat.” That’s how social networks work best. We listen first, talk to others, learn about others interests, discover what interest us, and then earn the permission to say, “Hey, this is what I do to help others, how about you?”

In my field of public relations, I really try to listen and not apply any twists or turns to the authentic “story” about a particular client. I prefer to meet with clients, talk with clients, and create communications strategies and creative events that brand clients better, whether a new product release, an entertainment event, or publicity for a social cause. I believe social media invites communication professionals to become even more human and create less “storytelling” and more “story sharing.” We know social media is a landscape where it only takes one person to make or break a brand. It can be a bit frightening if you think about it. However, it can be pretty exciting too. In fact, one person saying something positive or negative in the social media sphere, can create a new opportunity to for us to share who we are, what we stand for, and how we treat customers … it gives us a choice to be real and communicate with others, letting our truth shine through. It’s very similar to the “human artist” that Chris Brogan suggests.

I have always approached my work with a slant on the arts, as I believe that there is an artist in us all, waiting to paint our own picture on and offline as we become congruent in both areas. When this congruence is achieved on and offline, we are one with our “self” and that is true authenticity.

Here are just a few reminders that can help us be “mindful-in-the-moment” as we navigate our social media networks to effectively connect with others.

• Listen to what others are saying
• Listen to what others are not saying
• Listen to what others mean
• Listen to what’s bothering others
• Listen to what makes others happy

For more information in effective listening, I like the Morton C. Orman M.D., who wrote a special report on the 7 keys of Listening.

A new VOICE is born for communication professionals. As we embrace consumer generated media, let us look forward to learning how social networks (and the technology behind them) can help us enhance our businesses and relationships with others. What are your thoughts?

Entertainment: An Emerging Band and Social Media

I thought to share with you how I’ve been following a band in my social media sphere for about a year and a half now. What’s exciting about this band is their progressive success, and that it has much to do with social media.

The band I am speaking of is Before Nine, an emerging band of five guys from the Southeast… Alabama and Mississippi to be exact. I love these guys and I am not even working for them! I simply love them as real people and an emerging pop-rock band. I still can’t believe they are not signed by a major label… not yet that is.

For one, the band is incredibly talented. Before Nine just doesn’t go on the My Space, Facebook, Reverbnation, Twitter or Tagged and broadcast the heck out of themselves for the sake of getting their voice heard. They have the solid talent to really back it up, and more importantly, an engaging voice that builds relationships. You can tell by the way they converse that David Merriam, lead vocalist, comes from a good place, with a good heart – showing the love he has for the music and fans. You get the impression that you are really someone they appreciate, a true fan.

After I heard one song titled, “Everyone Else,” I was hooked and wanted to hear more. As I followed Before Nine, every comment I made received a response. The bands lead vocalist, David Merriam, is the committed man behind the bands social media. When connecting with them online, I felt as if I was right down the street and just picked up the phone to say, “Hey!” My email responses were always considerate and truly authentic – but you could tell that they were a rock band by the cool, smooth, confident tone. When speaking and following them online, you can sense a dedicated passion to do their work in music, all to make their dreams come alive. They respond in a quiet, yet very contagious energy that wraps you into their world. I also started to notice they were really making some strides, getting more gigs, sending out more bulletins in their networks, etc. I later learned that the result of this was due to the band finding a manager on their social media network.

Second, they bumped into a record label music executive who actually scouts top musical talent. It wasn’t long thereafter that a music executive from another record label contacted them to take a look at their work.

Lastly, there are some very confidential talks regarding partnerships that will surely create some more great buzz. I’m thrilled for them. I guess you can say that I’m like a virtual groupie – it’s as if part of me is a part of them due to our unified passion for music and genuine artistry behind their work.

Before Nine has been compared to the likes of Daughtry and Nickelback. This past week, lead vocalist David Merriam told me that they are writing more songs. In fact, everyone in the band writes; it’s a real collaborative, and synergistic mix that just plain works. When I asked David how he would describe his band in three words he said, “Relatable, if that is a word,” David laughed. The other two words? “Melodic and thought-provoking.”

David said there was a point where he knew he wanted to be a rock star. It was when his mother took both David and his brother, Mark to a KISS concert, after she painted their faces like that of the famous rock band. Following this concert, David was hooked on rock stardom. With fans in his social media sites pushing 10,000, this band is on its way in the success department. Their vocals are truly rock solid. Listen for yourself and tell me what you think?

It wasn’t too long ago when a very young David was standing tall on a boxed crate box singing,“No Sanctuary” by Queensryche while friends were secretly watching, and thereafter, they surprisingly commented, “Hey, that was pretty good!

A emerging band making major ground from the gulf of Mississippi, Before Nine found much of their success was due to their involvement in social media. Like @Collective_Soul via Twitter, Before Nine responds and appreciates their fans. They post a lot of bulletins. If the band is not performing, writing, eating or sleeping, David Merriam will usually respond.

I found that many musicians, bands, and other creative artists have used social media long before the rest of us. After all, creative artists are the people who work hard and organically fill their seats at a concert, gallery showing, etc. Before Nine is really setting a raving precedent in modern rock; they have a major songwriting ability that creates powerful marketability to a wide range of listeners, and that attracts new fans and keeps older fans coming back for more.

For more information about Before Nine or to view their concert schedule click here: http://www.myspace.com/before9 or www.reverbnation.com/beforenine
For Before Nine (New Music is Online)’s playlists click here: http://bit.ly/kvrbI
Tweet Before Nine here:www.twitter.com/beforenine
Pictures courtesy of Al Graham photography and Michael Mastro.

Social Media: Create An Unforgettable Presence (Part 3 of 3)

Did you know that our VOICE is as unique as our thumbprint? It’s true. Not one of us has the same VOICE. Having said that, the tables have turned in terms of the effectiveness of our VOICE. The common VOICE is making a stronger statement and a greater impact in our world. Now is the best time to start using our VOICE to create an intriguing presence. A presence that keeps our our audience coming back for more. This brings me to my next topic, part three of “How To Create An Unforgettable Presence.”

How To Create An Unforgettable Presence: Part (3 of 3)…

Your VOICE: Managing Relationships

We have a unique opportunity to be able to use our VOICE, now more than ever. With the growth of social media via blogs, message boards, Wikis, Facebook, Linked-In, etc., many corporations have stumbled and loss the trust of many Americans. We are now moving into a landscape of opportunity. Social Media offers a different approach and alternative experience to force fed communication from the executives at the top of many corporate companies today. Corporations are now looking for other ways to communicate and create fans out of their employees, on and off the clock. How to do they do this? This is the big question that communication professionals are pondering across the board and it includes the use of social media. For right now, we have another question to answer. How do we create an unforgettable presence with our VOICE to manage relationships AND create a unique brand in social networking? Here are just a few suggestions:

V- Visualize – Visualize the feeling that you are looking to convey to your audience BEFORE you write. If we can visualize from the perspective of our ideal customer, we have a greater chance of our message registering in the minds and hearts of our customers. As humans, we desire connectedness. We can use our VOICE through words, through audio, even creative the art of our VOICE through video or film. We can visually use our senses as we write to artistically color our words in a language that resonates with our customers. Think about how your customer may want to hear from you, and then get writing.

O – Open – Open your heart and your mind, and let the words flow. If the words flow through our mind, then through our hearts, we are in a better position of not offending others with our point of view. We’re being considerate as well! People want authentic engagement in facilitating relationships. This is our time to lead and there are many ways to open our mind. Try looking at a situation from a different point of view. Try doing something you would not have considered in the past. Studies show that experiencing new stimuli can make us more intelligent, more energetic, more creative, and even more sociable. Within our changing economic climate, there is a fertile ground to plant new seeds. If we reach outside the comfort zone of our mind, we can open portals that can generate ideas and create some sweet success in business and life. Click here for some ideas: http://bit.ly/2Wipu.

I- Identify – Identify who is your target audience. Who is it that you are speaking to? What are related characteristics of your top customers? If you are finding it hard to answer these questions, you may want to do more research and learn more about your customers. A survey can help. Click here for more information: http://bit.ly/xuGwD. The goal here is to raise our awareness as to who your audience is and learn about them.

C- Create - Create stories or ideas that captivate. There are many ways to do this such as tying your story in to what is happening in the world today, while anchoring it with some familiarity. Common ground with a customer creates bonding. This helps create interest and perhaps add a bit of credibility, knowing that you keep up with worldly events. Being creative will keep your audience coming back for more. Lee Iacocca stated, “In times of great stress or adversity, it’s always best to keep busy, to plow your anger and your energy into something positive.” Find the artist in you and start becoming more creative. Maybe you will find another market to prospect, add a new product, or create a new service to add to your business.

E – Experience - Bring your audience (i.e., fan, follower or friend) into your world, and swiftly wrap them with an exciting, sensory experience so they want to become part of your buying process. It’s all about your choice of words, how you put them together to attract a particular target market online. Include the senses in your writing to create a subconscious thumbprint of who you are and what your represent. Sensory words provide details and more examples to better relate to our target audience. It also helps create an experience for your audience to remember – long term. That’s a good thing! Click here for some sensory examples: http://bit.ly/UOUQh

Let’s keep getting better, stronger and more resilent. Let’s strive to create an unforgettable presence.

Social Media: Create An Unforgettable Presence (Part 2 of 3)

In my previous post, we talked about creating a unforgettable presence. This included taking action and participating in social media, be it Twitter, Facebook, or Linked In for example. Hopefully you got your feet wet and are engaging with others online and offline in your social media networks. Today, we focus on part two of Creating An Unforgettable Presence.

How to Create An Unforgettable Presence: Part 2 …

Engage – Be Proactive  
Assuming we are now taking action by participating in social media and beginning the engagement process. I thought to talk a bit about engagement itself. Engagement means taking risks, and risks can result in failure.  In other words, if you are not failing, you are not really engaging. We can surely decide to avoid failure, but in doing so we avoid engagement. Remember the highly publicized incident when a Ketchum employee? Prior to his presentation at his client’s (FEDX) headquarters, he actively with Twitter and tweeted this, “I would die if I had to live here!” The only challenge with this comment is that others, such as his client, FEDX, saw this tweet and didn’t think it was so funny at the time. You can read more about it here from Mr. Peter Shankman: http://bit.ly/11S17R. The point being, watch how we engage with others. Perhaps giving a bit more thought into how our message may be perceived by others before hitting the send button can save a lot of time, not to mention our reputation as well. We are human, and there will be times we have a few mis-takes, as long as we are careful not to repeat the same ones over and over. I read somewhere it you think your mother would disapprove of saying something that you consider borderline, we are better off, not saying it at all.  We never know what eyes are reading and ears that are listening, especially in social media. It’s SOCIAL. Diplomacy is paramount when it comes to our clients.  

Another area to consider when being proactive in social media engagement is to determine the degree of quality you are looking for in a relationship with friend, fan or follower, etc.  Are you looking for numbers, or are you looking for true engagement-a contact who is interested in what you are talking about and would like to exchange ideas and maybe figure out ways to work together. So be proactive and create a workable plan around what you want to happen. Anything that we speak or write is publicized. If we can remind ourselves to filter our words through our customer’s eyes and ears, then I believe we are being proactive, and that places us in a better position for true engagement and personal connection with our audience.

Coming from a background in publicity, human capital management, and radio and television broadcasting, I have found that an unforgettable presence on and off line takes a well thought out plan and action for success.

For starters it may help to consider the following questions in building a powerful presence:

1) What would I like to accomplish from my relationships? 
2) Where am I right now?
3) Where would I like to be?
4) How do I get there?
5) What are my steps to accomplish this? 
6) How will I know when I am making progress?

Reaching out to others, taking well thought out risks, sharing a few comments on blogs, and being open to listen to other viewpoints can help to shape our knowledge and energize our own passions or mission. Engaging proactively adds to our wisdom, which in turn fuels our internal power of confidence, resulting in an unforgettable presence.

Social Media: Create An Unforgettable Presence (Part 1 of 3)

Remember the saying, “You never get a second chance to make a good impression?” These words have never been more important, especially in Social Media. In my last post, I closed with a final thought about stretching our mind to create an unforgettable presence. Today I share with you one way to make that happen.

After many years of running a personal development school, a human capital recruitment and consulting firm, and working in television and radio broadcasting, I observed many areas that created success for individuals. I found that those who were most successful had specific ingredients that when put to use, could purposefully create an impact on an audience. In my next three posts, including this one here, I will reveal three areas (of many) that help create an unforgettable presence.

How to create an unforgettable presence: #1 …

Take Action – Participate: Creating an unforgettable presence in social media is really not any different than doing it in person. It’s really about showing up authentically manifesting all of your unique potential and using your best social behavior and communications skills. When trying to create an unforgettable social presence online, first register. Half that battle is deciding to participate by signing up for a social media forum, and later understanding the potential opportunities involved for you or your company. Remember, out of sight can be out of mind. In social media, if we do not participate, we may be missing some powerful information about our company and ways to reach our market, promote our events and connect with others.

Next, decide to become a student of learning. Get rid of any expectations you may have and make some time to observe and listen to others. A good exercise to do is to get a few Facebook friends, Twitter followers, or Linked-in contacts that interest you. Look for those who are at the top of your field and see if they are involved with social media by using the search boxes to find them. Determine what interests you about your followers, friends, or contacts – and observe how they write, what they write, how often they write, and how they go about touting their business, etc.

Perhaps you are looking to expand your product or service and want some feedback, maybe you are looking for a job, or at the very least want to increase you inner circle of business contacts. Social media platforms like Linked-in can help. For example, Linked-in offers the opportunity meet many business professionals that you may not meet at an event or trade show. Linked-in offers niche groups for participation, job listings, and even introduction requests if you have a connection who knows someone you want to meet. This information alone can be of tremendous value for any company or professional looking to expand globally.

When we participate, engage and relate on a social media platform, I found the most important thing to keep in mind is patience. “Social media is a gradual, progressive, connection-building and branding process.” It’s by no means a silver bullet or replacement of traditional media, it actually enhances it in an inexpensive, authentic way. If we want to understand our target market better, social media can offer valuable information by sheer participation. In Twitter, we can plug in our key word in TweetScan and receive an email if our company name is mentioned. How valuable is that to you and your brand? Zappos, a shoe and lifestyle company, does a good job in social media by using Twitter as their customer relationship management (CRM) tool. You can read more here: http://bit.ly/11HngK. They exemplify complete transparency and create trust with their customers, especially in a time where many of have lost trust in companies and leaders. One of Zappos Twitter policies states: “Be real and use your best judgment.” This is may be great advice for new participants diving into social media and a reminder for those who have been working the social media runways for quite some time.

Social Media: The Music of Your Individual VOICE

Today when I speak of the VOICE, I’m talking about the uniqueness of each client I serve. I try to find what is original and truly different in every client, then publicize it to the appropriate target market for real results. Now, there’s much more to it than that of course; however, this is pretty much the bottom line, results.

I wanted to share the orginality of an individual VOICE with you. Pete Codella, a wonderful communications consultant, has created an original song about the Web and Social Media. I’ve attached the link to Pete’s song in my post today. It’s titled,“Crazy Little thing, the Web.” It’s an upbeat little ditty that will leave you with a funny-looking grin on your face. The song’s beat is similar to that of the familiar song by the English rock band, Queen, “Crazy Little Thing Called Love.” Click here to follow the lyrics and listen to the song: Crazy Little Thing, the Web. I want to let you know that there is a short introduction to the song… don’t worry, it’s short!

I hope this makes your smile, and more importantly, helps to expand your mind and think of creative ways to establish an unforgettable presence.

Ask yourself…

 Have I reached a dead-end in sales productivity?
 Am I looking to bring a NEW product or service to market?
 Is my specialty becoming more of a trend?
 Am I looking to re-invent myself and/or brand?

If this sounds like you, I can help get you on track and increase your bottom line profits. I;m gyour partner in success.

Photo by Kevin Winter/American Idol 2009/Getty Images featuring Queen and Kris Allen

Social Media: HARD ROCK HOTEL & THE ART INSTITUTE of CA

Those who know me know I love to use my VOICE to promote the Arts and Entertainment.

Recently, I wrote an article for the San Diego Art Journal
about an exciting show: the LIQUID RUNWAY event held at the HARD ROCK HOTEL in San Diego.

It was definitely San Diego’s “IT” fashion show event for 2009. Talented fashion graduates showed no fear when putting their designs out there for the audience to see.

The event success had a bit to do with Social Media. The Art Institute of California, San Diego did a great job in their integrated marketing approach by incorporating the use of Social Media. I thought to share five (5) highlights.

The Art Institute of CA- San Diego did the following for their recent Hard Rock Hotel Fashion Show Event, LIQUID RUNWAY:

Established their unique presence by… creating an event specific website for the event, LIQUID RUNWAY.

As you can see, it ’s very detailed, appropriate for their audience, leaving no guess work for the website visitor. Bulletins were also placed on their MySpace and Facebook pages.

Expanded their presence by… adding social media to their traditional marketing mix, knowing that only traditional media or social media was not the silver bullet to fill audience seats. There is a strategy for hitting their target audience. Today, it’s about congregating with your customer, talking to them as if you were at a social event, getting to know them, sharing with them, and getting their feedback. By conversing on their Twitter account, the art institute created new lookers and turned them into audience participants for the event; it’s a viral effect.

Expanded their reach by… targeting industry specific sponsors who shared the same customer profile. By doing this, it expanded the customer reach for the institute, including participation for the event. The art institute was now marketing to another warm audience. Partnering with the great organization such as the City of Hope’s Walk for Hope to cure breast cancer and the EDMC Cancer Foundation promoted excellent good will. Twenty-percent of the proceeds for the event went to this organization.

Also, by layering advertising appropriately with radio and television, the art institute created a stronger branding experience, hitting more senses of the target audience. For instance, using television to satisfy the (visual target market) and using radio to satisfy the vocal (those that learn by listening and hearing). The Art Institute of CA, San Diego targeted the number one stations in radio and television for their respective market in their campaign.

Nurtured their relationships by… sending out special invitations composed of local media, student, general public and industry professionals, etc. This reinforced company credibility and helped them retain clients. We all know that more time and money is involved in solicit a new customer than to keep you “current” customers happy. Additionally, the art institute used their NEW Twitter account to create pre-event buzz, linking tweets to website, and post event wrap up to include event photos! Lastly, creating monthly webisodes to promote the annual event on their MySpace, Facebook and blog nurtured their relationships even further with existing target audience. This is an example of feeding your market to make it healthy and supportive of you (your business). You can do this by producing outputs that your audience wants to experience see, feel, taste, or touch. It’s all about providing your target market with the goods and services that help them to feel good about being around you. If you can provide your audience with what you offer and have them experience you in as many creative ways possible, you have an engagement. (wink)

Maintained their presence by… placing banner ads and direct linkages on sponsor and other partner sites. The art institute also launched email campaigns to hit those who are already expecting to hear from them; therefore, maintaining their presence actively. Lastly the institute used search engine marketing (SEM). Search engine marketing (which is another article itself), is a form of internet marketing that promotes websites by increasing visibility in search engine result pages. The online presence for the art institute equated to approximately 749,755 impressions.

RESULTS: A sold out event. In fact, I even found Craigslist postings from people looking for more tickets to the event. Being proactive in social media was also important with the Art Institute of CA, San Diego, they didn’t wait until the last minute; it was a well thought out plan in their public relations strategy. Social Media accounted for an approximately 50,000 ADDITIONAL impressions (their direct mail campaign produced approximately 10,000 less impressions).

What if the art institute did not use social media? Paying for those 50,000 more views for this fashion show event would have been a lot more expensive to incorporate into the public relations plan. That a reduction of marketing expenses. I’m pretty much a firm believer of combining both forms of traditional and new media combinations.

Ask yourself, can you still afford to ignore social media involvement?

Memorial Day Weekend: Affirm Your Vision of Success

In observation of Memorial Day weekend, I would like to send out a word of thanks and prayer to all the U.S. Veterans who fought (and died) for the very freedoms we have today.

Truly we have the freedom to be who we want and to choose what profession best resonates with our core being. Don’t let fear keep you from doing what you want to do to stretch and grow. If you find yourself thinking…

 I would like to start my own business.
 I want to add a NEW service to my business.
 I want to take my business to the next level.
 I want to start a NEW health regimen.
 I have always wanted to do: ____________ . (fill in the blank)

Make the change today! Don’t let fear stand in the way; approach it head on and ask for help with others around you. If it’s a NEW business you want to start, know that there is equal chance for success as there is for defeat, especially in our ever-changing economic landscape. In fact, is defeat really a defeat if you learn something from it and apply the learning in the future? I don’t think so. In my work in television, we sometimes call it a “mis-take” rather than a mistake. When Hollywood directors are ready to shoot a scene, they may say,” Take one or “Take two,” etc., in each take hoping to have the best performance possible. It’s really no different than being on the set of your own movie; at every “take” you apply your learning and/or techniques of the past to get better and better, striving for that “one” take where you perform your very best.

If you want success in your life, a good little way to move toward success is to create at least five (5) affirmations that center around your success vision. Make your affirmations in the present tense. For instance, rather than say, “I am going to get a new job,” which says that you do something in the future, say, “ I accept a wonderful new job,” instead, which is present tense, making the change now. See the difference? Talking in the future tense keep things from happening now in the consciousness and keeps successful change at arm’s-length away.

Lastly, it is best to smile and say your affirmations out loud in front of a mirror, as well as writing them down on paper. Now I know it sounds a bit odd. That’s what I thought too, at first. Then, somehow doing this exercise three (3) or more times a day, changed my outlook and put me back on my success path whenever I got sidetracked. After all, I couldn’t authentically smile in front of a mirror at myself and say anything negative. It doesn’t feel right. Try it and see if you experience the same thing!

I found that if we can reflect and infuse our “success vision” with great courage, we can jump start our way to what we desire today. Think about the amazing courage displayed by our honorable veterans of war this Memorial Day weekend. If we can take even a fraction of that courage our veterans displayed, and use it to re-energize each of us to make a better, successful life, just imagine what could happen. What if everyone did this?

See and feel your “success vision,” then let go and trust the process of achieving it. Let us be thankful for the success we have now. It will bring more success in!

Have a memorable 2009 Memorial Day weekend!

Email Marketing Campaigns: 5 Helpful Insights

It’s Not About Perfection: Many of us believe that it’s better to have 100 or more emails before starting an email campaign. I’m here to tell you it’s not true; don’t wait! The number of emails on your list can grow later; the key is to start an email campaign now. Think of how many friends, family and customers you currently have and start there. You can always add a box to your email campaign where your receipients can click, “forward to a friend.” That’s how you can add more emails to your campaign list. As your list gets larger, you can segment your customers into the different services you offer. The bottom line is that you do one thing; take action by hitting the send button!

Follow the Rules: When gathering your email contacts for your campaign, make sure you get the permission, explicit permission. If there is no relationship with an email address on your list, work to develop one, but do not include that person in your current email campaign. This is called “spamming.”

Now you may be thinking, what about that business card you received from someone you just met, but forgot to ask if you could add them to your email list? Should you include them in your current campaign? I’m not a lawyer; however, normal protocol is that you can add them to your list. Why? Simply because when someone hands you their business card, his/her email address is published in the act of your exchange (note: the email address must be listed on the business card). So technically you can; however, it doesn’t mean the person who gave you their business card will be happy about getting your email. That’s important. Be smart, unless there is a stronger relationship and you actually asked for permission, do not add them to your email campaign. You will have a better response if your email list includes contacts who gave you “explicit” permission, meaning that person has agreed to receive information from you and expects to; you have their permission. If you are not sure whether to email a contact or not, ask yourself two questions:

1) Does this person know you?
2) Does this person really care about my product or service?

If the answer to the questions above are no, then get that email address off your campaign list. It’s best to “court” that contact a bit longer to determine any further interest in your product or service. (Click here for more information on the law with the Federal Trade Commission: http://bit.ly/sxFJR)

Make a Connection: In your email campaign, specifically the email itself, a good rule of thumb is to talk about what the customers want to hear, not what you want to tell them. If you know your customers, then jump in their shoes, and offer the most compelling offer that is of value to you from that perspective. That will be your answer. If your do not know your customers, get a survey done as soon as possible, and get to know them a little better. Constant Contact (www.constantcontact.com) offers a 60-day FREE trial to develop a survey and send one out to your customer base to become more acquainted with them. I don’t get paid for saying this; I simply believe they have a great service.

Timing is Important: After making a connection, know the best time to reach your customer before you send out your campaign email. You want your customers to be at their computers, not at lunch, and not when they are home sleeping. For business people, a good time to send your email is Tuesday to Thursday from 10 a.m.–12:00 and 1:30-3:30 p.m. It’s not in the morning rush when your customer or prospect gets to his/her computer, and it’s not at lunch time.

Keep It Simple: I believe in brevity here. It’s a good idea to keep your message and service offering easy to understand, not too wordy, very precise. Have your email answer the following: who, what, where, when, and why? Make your VOICE consistent and familiar to your customers. Don’t be afraid to add a little punch to your words, and make sure that your words are not too flowery that the message or offer is lost. For the most part, it’s not about how beautiful your words are here, it’s about how clear your language is for your customer to comprehend, easily and effortlessly. Your goal is to make it easy for your customers to stand by you for years to come.

I hope this sheds a bit of light on a few areas that I found helpful myself.

Remember, don’t forget to ask for permission the next time your handed a business card!