11
SHAWENON COMMUNICATIONS   
Effective Messaging
No. 65
August, 2011 
Greetings!

Hope you're lapping up these last days of summer and have exciting plans for "back to school" in the fall. By this time of year, I'm usually ready to wrap summer up, but not this year. I'm having too much fun.

So far I've had no luck stirring up some excitement on the Shawenon business page. The whole topic of managing email created a big yawn. Maybe everyone else really has solved the problem, and I didn't get the memo.

Moving on to new territory, I've chosen Facebook itself and the hot issue of creating a Facebook business or "fan" page. I have a great idea for how to handle this. It's the subject of the first article and, hopefully, of a continuing discussion online.

The second article provides some information about a great idea that goes all the way back to Napoleon Hill's Think and Grow Rich published in 1937. I share the story of creating a Mastermind Group myself and encourage you to find or create your own team of advisors.

I'm on Facebook and Twitter. Follow me.
Twitter Bird
 
Facebook Logo 
 
In This Issue
Facebook or No?
Mastermind Group
Web Tips
Help Me Out
Facebook or No?

Questions postit Key question: Should you set up a Facebook business page? Answer: Yes. Next key question: What should you do with it? That's the toughie.

First, the easy part. You should set up a Facebook page for your business for the same reason you should secure any URL's you might want for present (or future) businesses--to stake your claim. Besides, it's really easy to do.

I set up the Shawenon page in March. Yesterday, I worked with my husband Will Ryan to set up a page for the Joyful Diabetic. (Please stop by and give him a "like.") In five months, Facebook has made the set-up process a lot easier. In fact, all you have to do is scroll down to the bottom of your personal Facebook page and click on "Create a Page." Then just step your way through the process.

You'll get the option to invite your personal Facebook friends to "like" your business page. It's easy to select people and invite them. But it doesn't always work. For example, I didn't get Will's invitation. Neither did several others I checked with. So you might do better to ignore this part and follow the instructions here.

The Hard Part

Now you've set up your page, what do you do with it? And, even more importantly, is it worth the effort?  I'm hoping it will be for the Joyful Diabetic, who is seeking to build a following by connecting with other diabetics online. But for most solopreneurs and providers of consulting and professional services, I'd say not. At least not now.

Peter Coombs of FRONTLINE Training & Consulting is highly active in social media. So far he's not gotten the traction on Facebook that he has on LinkedIn groups. "Facebook has been a tough slog. I'm pushing content out there and hoping someone reads it. On LinkedIn groups, I frequently get active discussions on my posts."

Marketing strategist Robin Weintraub sees it this way, "I've not seen a business case for social media as a customer acquisition channel.  However, I think there is a case to be made for social media as an engagement mechanism. For example, Facebook provides a very easy platform to have conversations with people who are already familiar with your brand."

Take a Stand    

There are only so many hours in a day and hopefully you're spending some of them on real client work. So invest your online marketing resources in things that provide an ROI, if not by generating leads then at least by adding knowledge. And then, give yourself a break. If you set up a Facebook page and don't do much with it, that, too, can be a strategic choice.

Think I'm all wet about this? Talk me down at the Shawenon Facebook page. At least that will cause some activity. It's been pretty quiet over there so far.  

Mastermind Group
Mastermind

Ever wish you had a trusted team of business advisors who were wise, caring and had your best interests at heart? They would be people you like who would give you a clear, candid appraisal of what's going on? You can. Just form a Mastermind Group.   

As the myriad of articles online will tell you, a Mastermind Group is "A small group of like-minded advanced talents who meet periodically for mutual brainstorming/accountability sessions."  I had been interested in the concept for decades, but I never took action.

Then last winter I won a door prize at a networking event. It was a catered lunch for five from Panera. The locations were in Albany and, fortunately for me, it had a time limit. I couldn't figure out a way to use it for clients, and I didn't want to waste a free lunch, so I decided to explore the Mastermind concept. Since I was just inviting people to lunch and not really forming a group, I didn't obsess over my choices. I just considered if I were to have a Mastermind Group, who would I include?

It Worked

Somewhat to my surprise and very much to my delight, the group bonded, and we've been meeting regularly since March. We moved to morning, in-person sessions after one conference call that was more convenient, but less satisfying.

Thanks to Berkshire Bank, we have a lovely, private, convenient conference room for our discussions. Albany-area Berkshire Banks offer Community Rooms for local groups at no charge. Though some of these rooms are very well outfitted, we've opted for a simple conference room in one of the smaller branches.

Benefits

Friends and spouses all mean well when discussing your business challenges, but a Mastermind Group holds your feet to the fire. They ask the tough questions and don't let you slither out with indirect answers. And everyone is a full participant without any personal agenda. At our last meeting, three of us went home with ambitious homework assignments. I can't wait for the next meeting to get and give feedback on our critical issues.

There's lots of information online about Mastermind groups, some of which is promotional. I found this article helpful, but take a look around on your own for more information. Then form one. Just do it. If you get the right group of people, you're in for a unique experience.
Web Tips

Tips2Once in a while it's worth sitting back, taking a deep breath and appreciating the marvelous information resources at our fingertips on the Web. A really good place to do that is TED.com where over 900 talks are available for free.

TED (which stands for Technology, Entertainment and Design) started out as a conference in 1984. The Web site, launched in 2007, now has talks on every subject imaginable. Most are shorter than 20 minutes.

You can choose by topic. But you can also select your talks by category e.g., most viewed like Elizabeth Gilbert on creativity or Steve Jobs on "How to live before you die." Or you can choose by quality such as courageous, beautiful or funny.

It's all licensed through Creative Commons, so the TED motto--"ideas worth spreading"--can occur easily. 

And Finally . . .

Shawenon Communications collaborates with small businesses, solopreneurs, professionals and not-for-profits to get their messages across in the written word.


We specialize in electronic communications, including e-zines and other forms of email marketing, Web sites and social media.  We also ghostwrite articles and other business communications. As a solution provider, we resell Constant Contact's email marketing service.

 

Thanks for reading. If you liked this issue, please click on the Forward email button below to share this newsletter with others.

 



You're also welcome to reprint material in this newsletter as long as it is unaltered and credited to the author. Be sure to send us a copy, too. If being reproduced electronically, the following link must also be included:

www.shawenon.com



Sincerely,
First name
Susanna Opper
Shawenon Communications
413-528-6494


Help Me Out  
Mauve SO headshot
When this wonderful summer comes to a close, I'll be making a big push to grow my Constant Contact business.

Before this effort gets formal with surveys and other strategies, I'd love to chat with you about email marketing. If you are doing it, how can I help you improve your results? If you're not yet on board, how can I help you take the plunge?

Just give a call at 413-528-6494 or email me to set up a convenient time. Thanks in advance.
   

Be in touch to talk about how you can use Constant Contact to boost your business with very little effort.

 


All Start Award

 

 

 

Quick Links
Join Our Mailing List