For most people, the answer might be both.

As a small business owner, you probably read about the importance of social media networking in Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc. You might even have a Facebook Fan Page for your business.

All these networks are wonderful to generate more contacts, to gain more visibility for your business and expand your contacts. However, many small business owners also realize that once they have all their profiles set up, participating becomes an incredible time-draining activity with no specific or direct or measurable benefit for their business.

Here are 3 key points to help you make the most out of this important social marketing activity. Make sure you:

1. Plan it!
   As with any marketing activity you perform for your business, make a plan that includes not only objectives but also an action plan. Set specific goals to ensure your social networking happens for a reason and will help you get more leads and/or clients.
2. Schedule it!
   Allocate time for your social networking activity. You don’t need to be available all the time. If you participate you must realize social media implies a two-way communications channel. You will have to respond and be active, but organizing this will ensure you make the most out of your time on these social networking sites.
3. Automatize it!
   There are many great online tools to systematize several parts of your social networking communications. Familiarize yourself with the tools available and implement the necessary ones to make your time on these networks a productive one. Better yet–hand this task over to your Virtual Assistant!

Remember the saying: “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.”

RESOURCE: One of my favorite social media guides: Mashable.

Promoting your website can take some effort and money, you don’t want to just anyone to visit your site. Instead, you want a specific audience that is interested in what you have to offer.

It is important to generate high volumes of traffic to a website. However, if it is not your targeted market, what’s the sense of getting people who won’t find what they are looking for to visit your site?

You can build a steady stream of traffic to your website that are targeted and likely to bring you sales. ¿Are you performing these activities to achieve your goals?

1. Know your target customers and make sure that all your advertising campaigns are targeted at these customers. This means that you must use all the necessary keywords which define your potential customers in all your advertising campaigns. If you are using Google Adwords, your advert must specify the targeted customers. If you are writing articles as a way of promoting your website, your articles must contain the keywords for your niche.
2. List your website with top search engines and directories in categories that suit your niche. If your website is about selling products or services that relate to making money online for example, get your website listed under this category on relevant websites. This means that people who are looking for this specific information that relate to your website will easily find your website.
3. Advertise your website in relevant forums and online groups. The more you know about your potential customers, the better you will know where to find them. This means you can go to the relevant forums or online groups where your customers are and you can advertise your website there through having your website URL in your signature when you make posts in these forums. People in forums that related to your niche are targeted customers who have high potential to buy from your website.
4. Write articles that are rich with your keywords. Your articles get picked up and published by many websites, e-zines and directories. You can therefore quickly have thousands of back links pointing to your website. It is therefore important that all your articles have several of your keywords so that when people type these keywords on search engines while looking for information, your website comes up and ranks high on these search engines. This drives targeted traffic to your website.
5. Use your own e-zine and other related e-zines to advertise your website. By publishing your own e-zine, you already have many prospects who are interested in what you have to offer. Make sure that your e-zine has new content and gives away some free report or e-books to your subscribers. Make sure that your website URL is added in all your e-zine publications. Identify other e-zines with a readership that matches your target niche market and advertise your website in these e-zines.
6. Research and look for other web sites where your target customers visit and inquire about advertising your website on these websites.

The six tools outlined above can help you generate targeted traffic to your website. If you want to increase your conversion rate and boost your sales, you need to have targeted visitors on your website.

If you don’t have time to do all these activities, a virtual assistant will be able to help!

Small business owners are always looking for ways to market their business. However, many struggle with the issue of being on a tight budget without realizing that there are several no-cost marketing avenues available.

Identifying those resources will help you focus and develop an action plan to make the most out of your marketing efforts.

1. Referrals: Just ask!
   Even though this source is often neglected, word-of-mouth is probably one of the most productive ways to get new clients. A satisfied client will be happy to recommend you… if you just ask them to do so. (Be sure and let them know who makes a great referral for you–they’ll be more likely to send referrals your way, more often, when they have a specific idea of who you’re looking for.)
2. Articles: Just write!
   Never before has article marketing been an easier way to promote your business. There are tons of article directories in which you can publish your articles. Writing articles will not only increase your exposure, but also present you as an expert in your field.
3. Press Releases: Just submit!
   Gaining brand recognition and communicating your products Read the rest of this entry »

All Small Business Owners are invited to attend the FREE Monthly VACOC Teleseminars! Grab this wonderful opportunity!

How to Write Articles to Market Your Business, Even if You Are Not a Writer

Presented by Jan King, The Publishing Store

DATE: Thursday, July 16, 2009
TIME: 5pm PST / 6pm MST / 7pm CST / 8pm EST
DURATION: 60 minutes (call in 10 min. early to secure your seat)
COST: FREE!

WHO SHOULD ATTEND? This class is open to all Virtual Assistants, small/boutique business owners, solo professionals, solopreneurs and independent professionals. Invite your business buddies! If you know some folks who would like to attend, feel free to copy and paste the contents on this page, and post invitations on the forums, listservs and groups you participate in.

Jan King, The Publishing StoreEvery marketing book and seminar tells you that you should be writing articles to promote your expertise and your business. But if you have never written before, where do you start, and how do you know you have anything to say?

Writing articles is a great way to enhance your reputation as the go-to person who has deep expertise in the work you do every day. You may choose to write several articles at once or simply write them when new ideas come to you. Another great time to write is when a client asks you a question you can’t fully answer. If you need to research a topic, chances are others are asking the same questions and needing answers.

Jan B. King is a book publishing expert and author of numerous articles herself (just Google “Jan B. King” to see them). She says, “When I started to promote my first book, I had to find an interesting and short way of letting people know who I was and what I could do for them. Writing articles was definitely the right answer. Every week I still see that people have used articles I wrote five years ago in their new ezines. If you do it right, you have a way to market yourself for years to come.”

Jan has helped hundreds of people get their expertise out on paper as books and articles and she can help you, too. You don’t have to be a writer to write articles and in this session, Jan will share with us:

• Where to find article ideas in what you do every day.
• How to make your articles stand out and work for years.
• Where to market your articles.
• How to write and format articles, including the all-important title and resource box.
• How to make articles interesting, fun and attractive to potential clients.
• How to find the time and the motivation to write.
• How to maintain ownership of your work.

REGISTER TODAY!

All Small Business Owners are invited to attend the FREE Monthly VACOC Teleseminars! Grab this wonderful opportunity!

Target Marketing
Presented by Jim Logan, Marketing Consultant
DATE: Thursday, July 17, 2008

TIME: 5pm PST/6pm MST/7pm CST/8pm EST
DURATION: 60 minutes
(please call in 10 min. early)

COST: FREE! – REGISTER NOW!

WHO SHOULD ATTEND? This class is open to all Virtual Assistants, small/boutique business owners, solo professionals, solopreneurs and independent professionals. Invite your business buddies! If you know some folks who would like to attend, feel free to copy and paste the contents on this page, and post invitations on the forums, listservs and groups you participate in.

Target marketing is frequently misunderstood, often getting a bad rap from newer business owners who are afraid being too specific will result in lost opportunities. But that’s not how target marketing works. By getting extreme clarity and focus, you actually open your business up to more opportunities than you could ever imagine. One of our favorite consultants, Jim Logan, is back to help shed some light on the topic and answer your questions at our next VACOC Guest Expert Teleseminar on Thursday, July 17, 2008.

REGISTER NOW!

As you probably know, there are tons of interesting, effective and proven marketing techniques and strategies. But for men, there’s an easy one that’s often overlooked: Dare to talk as much as women do.

Why do I say this?

Because women really care about relationships. They are naturally inclined to talk about anything and everything, and readily share knowledge and contacts with their friends, colleagues and clients. They are born networkers, and this natural disposition is definitely a marketing asset.

Once you understand the importance of relationships, of creating true bonds, establishing trust and rapport with your prospective clients will come much more easily. When relationships are established with people who have come to know and like you, more word-of-mouth referrals (often the prime source for new clients) will come your way.

Effective networking is about the relationships you create. There are many ways to network online and offline, but remember–none of the marketing techniques or strategies will be as effective unless you are out there talking to people.

Dare to talk as much as women do!

RESOURCE: LinkedIn Answers is a great place to network. You can ask and answer questions, and recommend links on topics being discussed. You get to know people by their opnions and expertise, and, of course, increase your LinkedIn contacts at the same time.