Oct 09

The Importance of Certainty in your Business

Focus on completion

I talk to business owners all the time.

And there’s one factor that separates successful business owners from others.

It is certainty.

Successful business owners are certain about their success.

They believe in themselves and the decisions they make.

They are optimistic and focused on taking actions to move their business forward.

On the other hand, other business owners spend much of their time questioning themselves.

They wonder if they are making the right decisions.

They stop and start rather than continuing to take action consistently.

They work on a 10 hour project and then stop at the 8th hour and put it in hold.

So, instead of working another 2 hours to complete the project and implementing it, they just stop. Thus, they are not able to reap the rewards of a completed project.

Finishing a project 99% is not finishing a project.

Whether you are writing an email message to send out, creating a free offer for a lead capture page or creating an Information Product, you need to take the project to completion to finish it.

I am a firm believer in focusing on completion not perfection, but you still need to finish.

Check in with yourself right now. How certain are you? On a daily basis, are you calm and confident in the actions you are taking? Do you complete what you start?

Or, do you tend to stop and start? Do you pause to evaluate whether you are taking the right actions?

STOP doing that!

If you want to build a successful business, then you need to get into action. In fact, you need to get into massive action.

Make a commitment to make every action count. Make sure that what you start you actually finish. Get the result of your efforts. Experience the rewards.

Certainty is a mindset. Obviously, getting results whether it is generating leads or earning sales will increase your belief in yourself. But, remember that results take as long as they take.

You might be underestimating how much work it actually takes to get your message out there, to communicate with prospects and create awareness.

Here are 3 quick tips to help you improve your results:

1) Focus your efforts

Pick 3 key projects to work on right now.

Select a free offer, lead capture page or Information Product.

Realize that it takes time to implement.

Block time and take action consistently to complete the project.

2) Make a plan and take action

When you have a project that will take more than a few hours to complete, make a list of tasks and track your activity as you work to complete the project.

Use the plan to guide your efforts.

3) Create accountability

Most business owners would benefit from greater accountability.

When you have a chance to talk to someone and make a commitment about what you plan to work on, it will increase the odds you will actually take action.

Finally, start having more confidence in yourself. Rely on your intuition to help guide your efforts.

Seek counsel for advice.

And when you commit to work on something, work it through to completion. Even if it takes multiple attempts to come back and finish it, develop the habit of completion.

This will increase your ability to monetize your efforts.

Rick Cooper
Online Marketing and Social Media Trainer

Oct 01

Tips to Develop Personal Relationships through Social Media

Social Media RelationshipsIs it harder to develop relationships online than offline?

Yes it is.

When you meet someone in person, you can look into their eyes and talk to them. You can really get a sense of the person.

When you meet someone online, you are limited to seeing just what they have posted online.

So, if you want to develop relationships online, then you need to do something more.

Here are a few quick tips to help you get started:

1) Develop relationships one at a time

How do you develop relationships? One at a time!

One of the most effective ways to communicate with people on Facebook and other social media sites is to send them a private message.

Keep your messages short and end with a question.

I get too many messages from people who just spew details about their business in the first message. Keep it brief and focus on making a connection.

When you ask a question, it starts a dialogue. You want to have a series of short messages back and forth. This allows you to develop trust and rapport.

2) Have a system for contacting people

You need a simple system that will help you keep track of who to contact and who you have contacted.

I love spreadsheets for their simplicity.

Make a top ten list of people to contact and get started.

Add to your list over time.

Make a note after you have made contact.

Depending on the results, follow up in 60 to 90 days.

3) Move conversations offline over the phone

You can only accomplish so much online.

At a certain point, it makes sense to take the conversation offline.

Suggest that you talk by phone.

This is a great way to develop the relationship and accomplish more.

Rick Cooper
Online Marketing and Social Media Trainer

Sep 13

Build Trust and Rapport Online Automatically

Many small business owners lack a way to consistently build trust and rapport online.

It starts with having a way to communicate with potential clients on an ongoing basis.

Learn how you can begin reaching clients and prospects more consistently with your message.

Watch my Video Now…

Get my FREE Report on 7 Steps to Create a Lead Capture Page.

Click here to download the report

Rick Cooper
Online Marketing and Social Media Trainer

Sep 09

Simple Yet Powerful Strategy to Maximize your Results on Social Media

What are you doing to get results on social media?

One of the best ways to build your presence online is by communicating on social media sites like Facebook.

Learn a great technique to improve your results on social media to prospect for customers.

Click PLAY below to watch this video on Social Media:

Aug 20

3 Blogging Tips to Attract More Clients

Blogging TipsA blog is simply one of the best content marketing platforms available to you.

Content marketing allows you to attract people searching for information.

And not only that, it will attract your ideal clients.

A blog can help to establish your authority.

By posting to a blog, you will become known in your space (your industry). People will share your blog. That’s a form of viral marketing, which allows you to reach more and more people over time.

Here are 3 blogging tips that will help you to start blogging more consistently:

1) Use a Blogging Calendar to plan posts

How committed are you to writing a blog?

The challenge for a lot of small business owners is that they are not committed enough.

In order to increase your level of commitment, you need to decide on a blogging schedule. When do you want to publish your post each week. Pick a date (Tuesday, Wednesday, etc.)

Create a spreadsheet and list out the publishing dates for the next month. Then, enter the name of the topic you want to write about. (Don’t worry, you can always change it later.)

Add a column for the date published. This will create the accountability to stay on track each week.

If you want to publish a blog post on Wednesday, you should probably start writing it on Saturday.

2) Write your blog posts over time

One of the reasons people don’t blog is that they think they have to write a brilliant blog post the first time.

That’s just not true.

Take time to write your blog posts. I come back to my blog posts 2-3 times before I finish them.

If you allow yourself time to write your blog posts, they will be better.

A blog post like a pot of coffee needs time to percolate.

You need to ruminate on the ideas.

Your blog post will become better as you come back to review and edit it.

3) Know your audience

Who are your ideal clients? Who do you enjoy working with most? Who are your most profitable clients? Who can you best serve with your skills and talents?

If you don’t know who you audience is, then you are going to write a “blah” or boring post. If you know you are writing for, then you can write a riveting blog post.

If you speak to your ideal clients, you will also not be speaking to others. You may turn other people away, and that’s okay.

Study other blogs. Look at their style of writing. Borrow ideas, but don’t plagiarize.

Don’t worry about giving away your content for free. If you share quality information, it will attract people to you.

You see, blogging is all about creating information that is valuable for your audience.

When you seek to enlighten your audience about topics they care about, you will cultivate a network of followers and fans. And social media can help you stay connected to that network.

I encourage you to blog weekly. Create one high quality blog post every week.

If you are interested in doing that, then make a commitment now to blog weekly.

As time goes on, you will become the go to expert in your space. And that’s pretty exciting!

And that will attract clients to you like a magnet!

Rick Cooper
Online Marketing and Social Media Trainer

Aug 12

Facebook Marketing Tip to Selectively Share Information

Have you ever been concerned that what you are posting on Facebook might be seen by the wrong people?

Use this technique and maintain control over your right to privacy.

Click here to watch the video:

Rick Cooper
Online Marketing and Social Media Trainer

Nov 22

Increase your Profits Using this Business Strategy

I learned about particular business strategy after a year after I started my company in 2003. It has served me well over the years. I keep coming back to this idea to look for ways to optimize my business to increase profits.

I encourage you to watch this video now…

Nov 01

Tips to Create a Banner Ad to Sell a Product Online

banner ad iconThere are many strategies that will help you generate leads and earn sales online. An often overlooked technique can help to steer traffic in your direction.

You can create a banner ad and link out to a lead capture page or sales page. A banner ad gets attention because it is visual. People are accustomed to clicking on ads. If they connect with the message, they may be motivated to take action. By the way, it’s a good idea to include branding elements and your value proposition in the ad. There is a value to your audience seeing the ad whether they take action or not.

By being bombarded with advertising banners and other messages for so long many people no longer see ads and so you need to do your research and apply a few basic principles to get their attention and to stand out from the crowd. Colors, patterns, fonts, and word choices all play a huge role in engaging visitors and getting them to click through to your offer.

Examine competitors who are doing well to see which colors, shapes, sizes, and placements they are using and learn from their ads. Keep your banner design simple and make the call to action very clear. Every element you add to the ad is a potential distraction.

Also, be aware of how your color choice and word choice coupled with the ad placement can have an impact on a visitor’s opinion of your site. By applying these principles, you will increase the likelihood people will click on your banner ad.

Sep 16

Networking Secrets to Prospect for Customers at Events

Happy people talking and networking.Event marketing is one of the most effective ways to develop rapid relationships with potential customers and clients. And this is especially true for 2-3 day events.

For some business owners, this is one of their primary marketing strategies. They are professional event attenders. They find that they can reach a lot of their ideal clients by attending events.

Todd Lay is a bookkeeper. He attends 8 or more events a month and regularly travels out of town to attend events where he can meet business owners. He is also a connector and looks for opportunities to introduce people to possible clients and referral partners.

So, what are some strategies to use events to reach new customers?

Here are several proven strategies to leverage events to build your business:

1) Make a list of upcoming events

What events can you attend where you will find your ideal customers? Look for local networking events, seminars, workshops, boot camp events, conferences and retreats. Each event offers a possible opportunity for networking and learning.

Plan ahead. Check event calendars months in advance. If possible, plan several trips a year to other cities. This will give you an opportunity to develop your network in other geographic areas. Think to yourself where do you want to be doing business one year from now.

2) Contact people prior to event through social media

Your work begins not once you arrive at an event. It starts prior to even going to event. I attended a meeting of the Sacramento Speakers Network recently. I met Tayce Vogel. We were friends on Facebook, but we hadn’t met in person yet. She said, “you’re on my list to meet tonight.” She did her homework.

Who do want to meet? Would you benefit from spending some time reviewing who will be attending the event? Social media makes it easy.

3) Develop relationships and follow up

I love 2 day boot camp events. This is one of the best opportunities to develop lasting relationships. Be sure to network with people in the evenings. Great relationships are developed when you have a chance to sit down and break bread with people.

What events can you attend that will improve your skills and connect with amazing people?

Take some time to register for upcoming events and get out and network!

Sep 09

10 Tips to Attain Expert Status

TipsYou are an expert!

Does that ring true for you?

For many people, they are clear about what their expertise is and it’s easy for them to communicate information to their audience that positions them as an expert and attracts customers.

For others, it may not be so clear.

If you know you’re an expert, then how do you go about getting others to recognize you as an expert?

Here are 10 timely tips to achieve recognition as an expert:

1) Write a book

2) Create an ebook

3) Record a video and post it on YouTube

4) Start a blog

5) Create a Facebook Page and post tips

6) Write an article and post it on EzineArticles.com

7) Send out an email newsletter and feature your own article

8) Start an internet radio show

9) Record an audio program

10) Create an Information Product

Every step you take to position yourself as an expert will lay the foundation for the next step.

It doesn’t matter where you start. Just get started.

By the way, do you know what your expertise is?

Send me an email message at rick (at) socialmediaoutcomes.com and let me know. I have a few extra ideas to share with you to get more visibility online!

Rick Cooper
Online Marketing and Social Media Trainer