Jan 12

Tips to Retweet Content on Twitter

tips-to-retweet-content-on-twitter
Twitter is easy to use.

There is a simplicity in a tweet.

Being limited to 140 characters makes it easy for you to create a concise message and share it in the form of a tweet.

Why You Should Retweet

It’s also easy to retweet content.

A retweet is simply sharing someone else’s tweet.

Retweeting creates a viral effect and can cause some tweets to quickly take off and reach thousands of people or more.

So, there is a value in getting other people to retweet your content.

One thing to keep in mind is that you should consider how many of your tweets should be retweets.

There are two ways to retweet. The first way is to click on the retweet button. The second way is to copy and paste someone’s tweet into a new tweet. There are pros and cons to each strategy and limitations based on the tools you use to tweet and retweet content.

The Risk in Retweeting Too Much

Because retweeting is easy to do, sometimes that’s all some people do. They never create their own tweets. That is not a good strategy for small business owners.

Why? If you never post any of your own content in tweets, then you don’t offer anything for anyone else to retweet.

If you retweet someone and then a third person retweets your retweet, then they are actually retweeting the original tweet and therefore it doesn’t really provide you any benefit at all.

One reason to have other people retweet you is that it will attract new followers to you.

You need to develop a voice on Twitter. You need to develop a style in how you tweet.

You need to be consistent in how you communicate if you expect to build an enthusiastic following on Twitter.

How often should you retweet? I would encourage you to retweet daily. But don’t cluster all of your retweets in a short time period. Space them out.

You can use social media automation tools to schedule future retweets. So, you can discover content to retweet and then schedule it to post later in the day or on another day.

Last 10 Tweets

One of the concepts I teach clients is to look at their last 10 tweets. Analyze them to see if there is a variety and a pattern in what you are posting. Do this exercise several times per week.

If you look at your last 10 tweets and discover that all of them are retweets, then you know you have failed. You need to ensure that there is a variety in the messages you are tweeting.

Here is an example of a good mix of last 10 tweets (new to old):

  • Quote
  • Someone’s blog post
  • Replying to a mention
  • Retweet of a quote
  • Promotional offer with a link to a lead capture page
  • Quote graphic
  • Retweet of a blog post
  • Thanking someone for a retweet
  • Sharing your own YouTube video
  • Content-focused tip

You can apply the 80/20 rule to your tweets.

Notice out of that mix there are 2 retweets. 20% is a good percentage for retweets. The other 80% should includes your own tweets as well as public tweets to other twitter users.

Experiment with your Tweets

Hopefully, this gives you a good sense of how to retweet and why you should be retweeting.

I would encourage you to experiment. And see what you can do to get other people to retweet you. And then tweet them to thank them for retweeting you.

Rick Cooper
Online Marketing and Social Media Trainer

Jan 06

3 Questions to Plan an Information Product

3-questions-to-plan-an-information-product
Planning is thought before action.

Consider how things would be different if you created an Information Product.

Are you interested in positioning yourself as an expert?

Launching an Information Product has enormous benefits.

Let’s look at a few ideas that will help you get into action to create an Information Product.

3 questions to ask yourself when creating an Information Product:

1. What do your ideal clients want and need?

Always start by thinking about your ideal clients. If you haven’t taken time to clearly define your audience, then do that now.

Think about the demographics of your ideal clients. Who are they? What do they struggle with?

Once you understand the needs of your audience, it will be easy to create a product for them.

Or at least it will be clear what you can create that they will want.

Niche marketing is a great strategy for allowing you to appeal to a specific audience.

2. What topic are you passionate about?

Passion is a powerful force when it comes to manifesting a product.

Creating an Information Product is a project. And it’s a project that will take a lot of time, energy and effort.

So, if you select something that taps into your passion, you will be energized to work on it day after day.

3. What will generate revenue?

If you’re going to invest 10-20 hours or more into creating an Information Product, it would be good if you could actually make money with it.

Money is a good motivator but it’s not the only motivator. You need to think about what else will get you up and into action to create, complete and launch an Information Product.

So, why not write an ebook, record an audio program or a video series? Launch something and see what results you get.

So, what Information Product would you like to create?

Why not take time now to create a short one page plan to describe it.

And then take one action toward creating your Information Product.

And be sure to let me know when that happens. I’m interested to hear about it.

Rick Cooper
Online Marketing and Social Media Trainer

Dec 30

Why You Fail to Achieve your Goals and How to Improve your Return on Investment

how-to-improve-your-return-on-investmentHave you set some big goals for yourself?

Do you feel motivated to accomplish your goals?

Let’s set aside the motivation to accomplish your goals and instead focus on the aspect of getting things done.

The Problem

Anyone can set a big goal. Few people will actually follow through and complete it.

Instead, they whine about it. They procrastinate. They allow themselves to be distracted. And they ultimately fail in accomplishing their goal.

How disappointing is that?

Failing to Achieve your Goals

Check in with yourself.

How many goals did you set in the last year that you didn’t achieve?

How many projects did you start that are sitting there 50% complete, 80% complete or worse only 20% complete?

This is all too common and it’s not good for your business.

Consider your ROI

How often do you think about your ROI?

I’m talking about your Return on Investment.

Whether you invest your time, your money or both, you should strive to improve your ROI.

For example, let’s say you set a goal to create an Information Product. You invest 20 hours to work on the product and reach 80% completion. Until you complete that last 20%, you will not earn any ROI.

You invested the time, but you will not receive a Return on your Investment because you didn’t complete the project. You didn’t achieve your goal.

And that’s a big goal. Consider all of the small goals you failed to achieve.

Some people will delay completion for a few months or even a few years. Until they reach 100% completion, the time and money they invested is wasted. And some will never complete the project. It will sit on the shelf indefinitely.

Maybe your goal was to send one email to your list each week. But week after week, you fail to follow through. You don’t send the email.

Again, another disappointment.

It starts to stack up over time.

What Causes You to Fail

There are many causes for failure:

-Picking the wrong goals
-Not feeling motivated
-No accountability
-Health crisis
-Lack of focus
-Feeling overwhelmed
-Easily distracted
-Procrastination
-Solving other people’s problems
-Death in the family
-Too many competing priorities
-Not sure what to do next

The reality of the situation is that success is difficult.

You may feel like you need to make huge progress in a day to be successful. More often, you simply need to complete a few important tasks every day consistently over time to create the life of your dreams.

In every moment, you have an opportunity to make the right choice. You have an opportunity to do the right thing. And that is usually to work on your most important goals.

Success requires discipline.

It requires tenacity.

It requires focus

Your Desire to Succeed

When it comes down to it, many small business owners just don’t have what it takes to be successful.

They are not willing to endure the pain required to accomplish their goals.

Day after day, they fail to take action.

Day after day, they fail to plan.

Day after day, they fail to focus on their top priorities.

And day after day, they are disappointed with their results.

It’s one thing to do the right things and not get the result you expect. It’s another thing to not take the right actions and wonder what happened.

How much do you want to achieve your goals?

How much do you want to be successful?

What will that success bring you?

Are you willing to do the work?

If so, then get to it!

Rick Cooper
Online Marketing and Social Media Trainer

Dec 21

7 Reasons You Didn’t Achieve Your Goals

7-reasons-you-did-not-achieve-your-goalsYear-end is a time of reflection. And it’s also a good idea to evaluate your progress at the end of each week and month.

The process of reflection can be enlightening. Taking time to review your goals and your results helps you to understand how intentional you were.

What is the point of setting goals if you don’t achieve them?

The challenge for many people is that once they set their goals, they tend to just do whatever they want. And that often means avoiding their goals.

If you want to achieve your goals, you need to review them every day and identify positive actions you can take to achieve your goals.

It begs the question of why more people don’t take action toward their goals.

There are many reasons why this might be the case.

Here are 7 reasons you don’t achieve your goals:

1. You don’t take your goals seriously

Sometimes you might come up with a goal just for the sake of writing a goal down. Maybe the goal is too big. Maybe it’s someone else’s goal for you.

It’s OK to have goals you don’t plan to achieve anytime soon. It might be a placemarker for your future self.

Put those goals on the back burner so they don’t distract you.

2. You don’t believe you can achieve your goals

Sometimes you have a goal you really want to achieve but you just can’t see a path toward achieving that goal.

You don’t really believe it’s possible to achieve that goal.

And so you remain stuck in second gear. You just can’t get any traction. You can’t move forward on it.

You need to address your mindset when it comes to achieving goals.

You may have some negative self-talk or head trash that is preventing you from believing in yourself.

Maybe someone told you a long ago that you wouldn’t amount to much and that thought now haunts you.

Create some positive affirmations that will enable you to achieve your goals.

3. You are overwhelmed

Do you have too much on your plate?

It’s easy to feel paralyzed if you take on too much. In today’s age, people often attempt to do too much.

Ambition can lead you to set too many goals and get derailed in the process of trying to achieve them all.

You may find it beneficial to simplify and reduce your goals to make it easier to focus and take action.

4. You have a mental block against working on a goal

Sometimes you are held back because you are resistant. You might feel resistance to taking a certain action.

For example, you may have set a goal to enroll 3 new clients for the month. You identified that you need to make 100 calls, and schedule 6 appointments in order to enroll your 3 new clients.

The only problem is that you have a mental block against making calls. This is an affliction that faces many small business owners.

Let me just point out that if you are not willing to take the actions you need to build a profitable business, then what’s the point. You might as well just close up shop and go out and get a job.

If you find that you continually fail to take the actions needed to build your business, that does not bode well.

If you can at least get outside your comfort zone and make progress, then there is hope.

5. You are easily distracted

How effective are you when it comes time to sit down and work?

Do you stick to your plan and take the actions you intended? Or do you too easily let distractions disrupt your productivity?

Distraction is everywhere. It takes a disciplined person to stay on task and make progress.

If you want to achieve big goals, you have to do the work.

6. You tend to procrastinate

There is a relationship between distraction and procrastination.

Procrastination often leads to distraction.

Creative people are often overwhelmed by the sheer volume of ideas they have.

There is a value to simplifying and being very focused about making progress.

Chasing Bright and Shiny Objects often leads to not getting anything done. When you don’t have any priorities, then procrastination sets in and prevents the completion of any work.

Another factor that can lead to procrastination is a lack of concentration. Brain work requires a high level of focus and concentration. If you are tired, you will procrastinate and find something easier or more enjoyable to do.

Know the best time of day for you to do creative work. Plan time on your calendar for creative work.

7. You don’t have an effective process for achieving goals

What is your process for achieving goals?

If you don’t have a process, then your job is more difficult.

Big goals require a strategy to break them down into smaller steps. That will make it easier to accomplish them.

Take time to review your goal achievement process and make improvements as needed.

Which of the above reasons explain why you don’t achieve your goals?

Did you select more than one reason?

The Power of Intention

I want to encourage you to become intentional about achieving your goals.

Keep your goals in front of you.

Review your goals daily.

Work on your goal achievement system.

Hold yourself accountable. Or find a coach who will hold you accountable to your goals.

What is possible for you if you got better at achieving your goals?

The sky is the limit!

Rick Cooper
Online Marketing and Social Media Trainer

Dec 12

3 Simple Tips to Create a Video Script

3-simple-tips-to-create-a-video-scriptWhat’s holding you back from creating more videos?

Maybe you just don’t know what to say.

I have 3 amazing Video Scripting Power Tips to share with you:

1. Write it as a blog post

When it comes to scripting a video, pretend like you are writing a blog post.

In fact, write a blog post and publish it. Then, adapt it for a video script.

One thing about videos, you need to raise your excitement level when communicating on video. So, you may find it helpful to tap into your passion about the topic. Find a way to communicate that in words and that will translate into your presence on video.

2. Use a formula

First, I recommend you keep your videos short. Strive for about 2-3 minutes. Any longer, and first time viewers are likely to tune out.

There is an exception to every rule. Feel free to make super short videos and much longer videos. Variety is good.

When creating your video, follow this simple formula: Intro, Content, Offer.

Start with a brief introduction. Share content. Then, close with an offer. In most cases, that should be a free offer.

3. Tell a story

Stories add value. Stories are memorable. Stories hypnotize your audience. Stories keep people watching.

Use stories in your videos.

The Power of Video

Videos are powerful and influential.

I encourage you to step up your game when it comes to creating videos.

Rick Cooper
Online Marketing and Social Media Trainer

Dec 05

Overcome your Limiting Beliefs to Create a Breakthrough in your Business

overcome-your-limiting-beliefsDo you ever feel like you are capable of so much more?

Embrace your Destiny

It’s very possible that you are destined to accomplish so much more than you are today.

So, what’s holding you back?

Here are some reasons:

  • You are bogged down in minutiae
  • Your goals don’t motivate you
  • You don’t have any written goals
  • You don’t have the right team to help you
  • You don’t have the right systems
  • You have a lack of capital
  • Your limiting beliefs are holding you back

Wow! That’s a lot of reasons you may be falling short of your full potential.

Let’s focus in on your limiting beliefs.

Your Attitude Determines your Altitude

If you don’t have the right attitude and the right mindset, you will probably face resistance to taking the actions you need to.

What is a limiting belief?

It’s a belief you hold that prevents you from even believing something is possible for you.

I find this happens all the time for people in the online space. Online marketers often hold back from blogging, writing articles and recording videos because of a belief that they don’t have anything valuable to share.

It also happens for people who don’t follow their passion to create an Information Product, like writing a book or creating a multi-audio CD set.

Denis Waitley said, “If you believe you can, you probably can. If you believe you won’t, you most assuredly won’t. Belief is the ignition switch that gets you off the launching pad.”

Creating a Breakthrough

You have to believe that you have something valuable to share that other people will appreciate.

You have to believe that people will opt in, register or purchase your offering.

It’s that level of confidence that comes when you shift your beliefs.

To overcome your limiting beliefs, you have to shift your beliefs.

There is an attitude and a position of strength that comes when you gain confidence.

And that attitude will thrust you forward. You will take the actions that previously you were fearful to take.

The question is what are your limiting beliefs?

And what beliefs do you need to change right now?

I would encourage you to pick one limiting belief you want to change in the next 30 days.

Get started on shifting that belief.

One simple shift can create a breakthrough.

Go for it!

Rick Cooper
Online Marketing and Social Media Trainer

Nov 30

The World Is Out to Help You

the-world-is-out-to-help-youWhat is your mindset about the way the world works?

For some people, they believe that the world is out to get them. They look at the world as if it is a “zero sum game.” In other words, for them to win, they feel like someone else has to lose.

That attitude in turn drives their behavior. And it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.

There is another way to look at the world.

In his book The Success Principles, Jack Canfield said, “I’ve always been the opposite of a paranoid. I operate as if everyone is part of a plot to enhance my well-being.”

Change your Attitude

Think about that. What a difference in attitude. Imagine how much more successful you would be if you believed that other people were out to help you.

It’s a very empowering mindset.

Are you willing to embrace this paradigm?

If so, then I would encourage you to start looking at the people you meet as resources that can help you on your way to achieve your goals.

Now that doesn’t mean you have to expect that everyone you meet is at your beck and call.

Another way to look at this is to look at things from the other person’s perspective.

Be Proactive

Remember that under this paradigm, you have a role in enhancing the well-being of others. So, for everyone you meet, think to yourself, how can I help this person.

If you start by being proactive and helping others first, you will see an increased response from others helping you.

Success is a team sport. Look for others who are willing and able to help you.

Serve Others

Zig Ziglar said, “You can have everything in life you want, if you will just help other people get what they want.”

I think Zig was right and it starts with thinking about how you can help the people you already know. And then to help the people you meet.

Who is one person you know that you can help by being a friend, solving a problem, offering to lend a hand or sharing your wisdom?

Why not reach out to them in the next week and touch base.

Who knows what will come from that one act.

Over time, you will begin to see the world as lining up to help you.

Show Gratitude

Be thankful and grateful for any support you receive. Gratitude is a much better attitude than taking something for granted. If you are humble and thankful, people will help you time and time again.

If you are a spiritual person, take time to meditate and pray. Ask how you can best serve God, and then the world.

Now, get out there and help people.

Rick Cooper
Online Marketing and Social Media Trainer

Nov 11

10 Props to Spice Up Your Online Videos

10-props-to-spice-up-your-online-videos
How many videos have you recorded and published on YouTube in the last 90 days?

If the answer is zero, then you need to step up your game.

Small businesses are increasingly turning to video, both live stream and recorded, to reach their ideal clients online.

If you want more clients, then you need a video strategy.

Let’s consider one technique to make your videos more visually interesting.

You can use props in your videos.

What is a Prop?

It refers to the term, “theatrical property”, used in theater productions and by the movie industry.

According to Wikipedia, “a prop is considered to be anything movable or portable on a stage or a set, distinct from the actors, scenery, costumes, and electrical equipment.”

And the good news is that you can use props in your online videos and live stream broadcasts.

There are literally thousands of props that can be used.

Let’s start simple.

light-bulb-prop

Here are 10 Props You Can Use in your Videos:

  • Index card
  • Book
  • Magazine
  • Rubik’s cube
  • Keys
  • Light bulb
  • Kitchen timer
  • Smartphone and other electronic devices
  • Vegetable or fruit
  • Microphone

What other props can you think of?

Post a comment below with any ideas you have.

How to Use a Prop

Once you decide what prop to use, think about how to use it in your video. At some point in your video, you will probably want to hold up the prop. Some props like books or magazines may have a shiny surface. Watch your video to see how your prop looks. You may have to adjust your lighting or hold the prop in such a way that it doesn’t shine light back on the camera like a mirror.

Props help to grab attention and create visual interest.

You can even use a prop as a basis for a video.

Here is a video I recorded that was simply a book recommendation. In the video, I share feedback on The System, written by my friend and Master Sales Trainer Eric Lofholm.

Online Video Example: Book Recommendation

So, what is one prop you can use to create a video? For a creative exercise, pick a prop and then select a topic to create a video. Post your idea in the comments below.

Rick Cooper
Online Marketing and Social Media Trainer

Nov 02

4 Tips for Posting LinkedIn Updates

4-tips-for-posting-linkedin-updatesDid you realize that LinkedIn has a newsfeed just like Facebook? You can post updates and people can like, comment and share. Surprisingly, very few people actually make use of this valuable feature. Not only that, some of your activity on LinkedIn will also appear in the newsfeed.

So, what should you post on LinkedIn?

Here are 4 simple tips to start posting more updates on LinkedIn:

1. Share quotes

One of the simplest forms of content to share on social media is quotes. They are simple to find and share. While Twitter limits you to 140 characters, LinkedIn, Facebook and Google+ allow you to share more content.

So, look for some longer quotes to share and post them as updates on LinkedIn.

2. Share blog posts

Do you have a blog? If so, then first make sure you are publishing new content on a regular basis. I recommend one new blog post per week. If you can’t do that, try once per month.

Remember that you can share your own blog posts and you can share other people’s blog posts.

Write a short message about the blog post and then paste a link to the blog post.

3. Share videos

YouTube is still a great place to publish online videos. I encourage you to create and publish more videos on YouTube.

You can not only share your YouTube videos in the LinkedIn newsfeed, you can also add videos to your LinkedIn profile. This is a great way to spice up your profile and add a little more pizzazz.

4. Share images

We are living in the digital age. And while videos are hot, images still gather lots of attention. An image can grab someone’s attention quickly and cause them to like, comment or share the image.

Do you create images to share online? If not, why not? It’s time to step up your game!

How to Post Updates on LinkedIn

Where should you share your updates? Facebook allows you to post updates on both your personal page and on the Home Page where the newsfeed is located. On the other hand, LinkedIn only allows you to post updates on the Home Page.

I encourage you to set a goal for how many updates to share on LinkedIn every day. For example, you might set a goal to share 3 updates every day.

How consistent are you in posting on social media? Maybe it’s time to step up your game!

Rick Cooper
Online Marketing and Social Media Trainer

Oct 26

Save Time and Effort on Social Media Using This Powerful Technique

save-time-and-effort-on-social-media-using-this-powerful-technique

“You can be professional while also ‘keeping it real’ with your customers. By interacting with customers in a less formal way, you’ll build a strong human connection that helps build brand loyalty.” ~David Hauser

One of the challenges business owners have with social media is that they feel the need to respond to everything people post. This is just not possible.

Your newsfeed is full of posts. Whether on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn, new content is always being shared. You don’t have to respond to everything. Be selective.

Let go of the need to respond to everything happening online.

Here are 3 areas to ignore on Facebook:

1. The newsfeed

Depending on how many friends you have on Facebook will determine how many posts you see in your Facebook newsfeed.

There is no way to keep up with all of the posts in your newsfeed. And remember that not everything your friends share shows up in your newsfeed.

You need to be selective in identifying which posts to read and respond to. And that also means being proactive in visiting the pages of people you want to develop a relationship with.

Now, I’m not suggesting you ignore the newsfeed all of the time. The newsfeed allows you to quickly see what people are posting and respond to them. However, I am suggesting that only checking the newsfeed guarantees you will miss some important conversations you could be having online.

2. Your Facebook Groups

Facebook allows you to join an unlimited number of Facebook Groups, although I wouldn’t recommend joining any more than 100 groups. And frankly, you will probably be overwhelmed with even 50 groups.

Here’s a simple tip for using Facebook Groups. Pick one group to visit per day. Take 15 minutes to read and respond to other people’s posts. And if you have something valuable to share, post it in the group. Just be careful not to spam the group because the moderator may block you from the group.

There is no need to try to participate in all of your Facebook Groups every day. That is just not a good use of time. Instead, devote time and attention to sending private messages to develop relationships one at a time.

3. Filtered Messages

It’s a good idea to check your private messages on Facebook daily. In fact, make sure you do that every morning. You never know who may be trying to reach you, including your clients.

By the way, your personal Facebook account has 2 main message folders. The main inbox and the Filtered Messages folder (previously called Other Messages).

For the most part, you can ignore the Filtered Messages because they are probably spam. But, occasionally, you might find a good message there, so check it every few weeks.

It’s very easy to get overwhelmed by Social Media. But If you prioritize and focus on the most important activities, then you will find it’s easy to manage.

You can apply the same approach to other social media sites including Twitter, LinkedIn and Google+.

Good luck in your online networking.

Rick Cooper
Online Marketing and Social Media Trainer