How to Grow Your Social Media Numbers

Questions from Kara at Maids on the Run

Answers from Shara at Mommy Perks

Q:: What is the best way to grow your numbers on Facebook and Twitter?

A:: I have written numerous articles about Facebook and Twitter. Here are some of them:

Helping you succeed

Facebook tips

Twitter tips

How NOT to use Twitter

Q:: What type of info do people want to follow?

A:: This really depends on what you offer, your gifts and talents, your passions, your audience, etc. I would suggest that you not post information based on what you think others will want to read.

Post information based on what you know and love and do – and let the ‘right’ people find you and then keep them engaged. You currently run a business that offers cleaning services and help for those in need. I would certainly be writing about those things, if I were you: cleaning tips and ideas, top ten lists for your favorite cleaning supplies or cleaning methods, home made remedies for green cleaning solutions, fund-raising ideas that involve cleaning homes (a new fund-raising idea for schools, perhaps?), charity news and updates from your business, families you have helped (no names needed), ideas for kids who want to clean the home for their parents or grandparents, “start your own cleaning business” tips, articles that quote some of your employees and what they enjoy most about helping others (the people they clean for who have a sick family member, etc), your favorite cleaning toys for kids who love to clean (my toddler son loves to help us clean!) and so on.

There are so many fun and informative articles at your fingertips. Take advantage of that for SEO!

Q:: Are giveaways a good idea to get numbers?

A:: Are you running lots of giveaways?

Are you considering a giveaway or review for your business?

Q::If you are blogging, what is the best place to connect with other bloggers?

A:: There are many sites available that connect bloggers. Here are a few:

Mom Central

Mom Vantage

The Blog Frog

Reliable Bloggers

Shara Lawrence-Weiss has a background in education, early childhood, special needs, freelance and marketing. She owns various websites including: Mommy Perks, Kids Perks, Personal Child Stories, Early Childhood News and Resources and Pine Media (co owner). Shara is an active member of her town charity group and a Library Board Member. Learn more about her at Mommy Perks.

Making Events Work for Your Business

By Amber Davis

To be successful our businesses must grow! To achieve growth we must find new and innovative ways to market our products and meet new people! Events can be one way to do both!

An event can be as simple as an open house or as elaborate as a Home and Garden Show! I have done both, as well as, other event types that fall in the middle of these spectrums. Most recently I attempted my first large scale event. A home and garden show with over 40,000 attendees. What an amazing opportunity for growth!  In order to determine if an event is worth your time and money you must consider a few things:

1. What is the traffic flow and does it fit with your target market?
2. What is the expense vs. traffic flow and amount of time the event is being held?
3. Do you have the resources to handle the show?

In my case, a Home and Garden show fit my business about 50%. My products consist of three basic lines – a thermal line, a purse line and an organizational line. For this event my target market would be people looking to organize their home or life! Making my display focus on this concept would help draw attention to my products.  I included all my product styles in the display but my core line of organizational products was my main focus.

Secondly, this event was by far, the most expensive I have ever undertaken but with the help of two team members I was able to split the cost and hours needed to work. This was helpful considering the initial investment was so large and having a family of 6 sometimes my hours away need to be carefully considered.  The cost then for me would be 50 % booth rental, all my supplies, my door prize and my time. All in all I was very excited going into the event and worked hard to prepare my literature, recruit packets, hostess packets and products display!

Finally, I felt I did have the resources to handle the large show! My home company provides a ton of training, literature and items needed for the show. Combine that with my 17 years in Direct Sales and I was ready to work the floor!

BRING ON THE SHOW!!!

Once the show hit I was ready! I worked 11-9 day 1 and never ate, drank or sat the entire day. My belief is people won’t feel your approachable if your slouched on a chair in the back of your booth shoving food in your face! I wanted to be ready and approachable for any possible leads! Being from a small farm community I really need to meet new people away from the cornfield I call home! This show was my ticket!

Day one went very well. I had several strong leads for parties, orders and one recruit lead who took home one of my fancy packets!

Day two also went well. I worked 11-6 that day followed by tear down. Needless to say I was exhausted!

I am not an aggressive sales person by nature, nor will I ever be. A wise person once told me “If your friends cross the street when they see you coming your doing something wrong”. I kept that mentality when doing the show. Trying to be approachable but not pushy. Not sure it was my best method as my girls booked 10 firm shows on their days!

I love watching people at events! There are so many different personalities out there! The Type A who barrels into my booth and starts doing her own demonstration for her friends and family! They shy observer who won’t come near me or my booth with a ten foot pole but will look and stare for a long time! To name a few! Knowing how to talk to and approach different personalities is helpful in situations like these! NEVER PRE-JUDGE! You know nothing about this person, their life or the circumstances leading up to this moment! This person could be your next top seller, biggest buyer or strongest hostess leading you to many, many more in home parties! Simply stick to your plan and ASK EVERYONE! “Hi, have you heard of Thirty One? Would you be interested in hosting a show?” Hi, have you heard of our company? Did you know it’s a Christian based company and our name is based on Proverbs 31 and you can be your own boss for $99” Find the conversation starter to fit the situation!

THE FORTUNE IS IN THE FOLLOW UP!
Now the show is over and the key is to follow up with any leads I have.

1. Any phone numbers who marked “Yes” or “maybe” on their slip will be called.  So far, one home show booked in a neighboring community, one catalog show packet mailed, one order and one recruit packet sent! Plus many messages left!
2. Any e-mail addresses will be added to my monthly Thoughts, Talks and Trends letter.  This will share specials and product ideas with them monthly.
3. ALL postal addresses will receive a postcard from me.

The other thing I have done for the month following the show is set up a Home and Garden show party on my site for any attendees to place orders through. This will help me track my income vs. expense from the show.

My experience with the show overall was very successful! Since our company is relatively new in the direct selling industry many people have never heard of it. That itself is very helpful and the fact that we are not even close to our peak in the direct sales lifecycle is amazing! I am still working on the follow up and feel like it will take a month before I can evaluate the true success. My strong lead fell through but LOVED the recruit packet I gave her and plans to duplicate it in her direct selling business! That makes me smile! My favorite part of direct sales is leadership and motivation to my team members! I love watching them grow and achieve their business goals!

My best wishes to you in choosing an event that works for your business!

Amber Davis is a 17 year direct sales associate with The Lonagberger Co. and currently director for at Thirty One Gifts.  Holding a degree in business administration and marketing, she previously worked in the business industry. After the birth of her second child; family took priority over work and she left her full time position. Now a mother of four, she believes firmly in direct Sales and the endless opportunity it provides! "I can't imagine ever returning to a traditional 9-5 job," she said. She firmly believes in doing what works for your family. She helps her husband on the family farm and writes her own blog: Adventures in Farm Life. This, she said, is a work in progress and mostly serves to share family photos. In her free time she loves to travel and enjoys volunteering.

Childcare Suggestions for the WAHM

Question:

Is it better to send kids off to daycare or a nanny while you work on your business, or should you just work around them? Will the business succeed or fail?

– Susan, owner of Splendipity Inc

Reply from Shara Lawrence-Weiss:

This question has no “one right answer.” Each family is different and each situation needs to be assessed within its own boundaries.

For instance: a single mother will have a different situation than a married mother. Those with money to spend on childcare will have a different situation than those on a tight budget. Mothers who have family members nearby to help will have an easier time than those who live hundreds of miles away from family members.

When I first began my book business I had just one child. He was in school full time and I was pregnant with our second child. I was working in a Preschool on Fridays, attending college at night and I would work on my home business Monday-Thursday while my son was in school. I had no childcare and no money for childcare.

Fast forward a few years and I was running two home businesses, my husband was running his web design business, I was attending college part time and was pregnant with our third child. My husband also worked from home and we took shifts with the kids so that we could each work/pay bills. My mother-in-law left us some money and we agreed to use that money to hire a full-time sitter – so our home businesses could flourish and expand. That worked! Our sitter moved on to college about 8 months later and we were left without childcare once again. Our businesses began to make more money and we then hired a live-in nanny to help us expand to new levels. Our nanny is currently here and works 7 hours a day (split shift). My husband and I continue to take turns with the kids, cooking, cleaning, errands, etc.

Our nanny is leaving soon to get married and again… we’ll be asking the question, “What should we do now?” I’m currently pregnant with our fourth child. I may need to cut back on my working hours or work in the early morning, while the kids are at school and after they go to bed, while the new baby is napping and so on. We’ll be looking into hiring a high school student for after-school and weekend help. Both my husband and I enjoy having our kids around and do not want to put them into full-time daycare. We prefer to find alternatives to that choice but of course – there are mothers who prefer daycare and want to utilize the option so they can work in quiet.

When I was a single mom I would trade days with another mother. That way, we each got a day to ourselves every week and no one had to pay for childcare.

Here’s an article I wrote about childcare options for moms who work at home: http://www.mommyperks.com/vip/?p=12613

Each family must assess their own situation and do what’s best for their home, family, children’s needs, etc. This may mean seeking in-home live in childcare or part-time day care or after school help from a teen/college student or co-op trades with another mother. It could mean working in shifts with a spouse or business partner or working early morning hours/evening hours after the kids have gone to bed. It all depends on your business needs, dreams, desires for meeting goals, financial situation, the needs of your kids and more. There’s no “one answer” for every home.

Sit down and write out your family goals along with your business goals. Compare the two and do your best to meet in the middle so everyone in the family feels heard, cared for and taken care of. If you notice that something isn’t working, modify!

Shara Lawrence-Weiss has a background in education, early childhood, special needs, freelance and marketing. She owns various websites including: Mommy Perks, Kids Perks, Personal Child Stories, Early Childhood News and Resources and Pine Media (co owner). Shara is an active member of her town charity group and a Library Board Member. Learn more about her at Mommy Perks.

3 Ways to Maximize Your Online Store's Traffic

If you build it, they will come does not work online. You have to go out there to hustle traffic to your online store and literally be a human sign waver online.

Participating in social media, pay-per-click campaigns, banners advertisement in relevant high traffic websites and blogs, running daily deals and search engine optimizations are all tested and tried ways to bring traffic to your online store.

Here is thing; the traffic in itself does you no good if they are not buying from you. You need the traffic first but the traffic in itself will not keep the lights on. You need some activity in your online cash register. Online marketers use the term conversion to signify a website visitor taking a desired action like signing up for a newsletter, downloading a form or completing a purchase.

While you would hope that everyone that comes across your online store is ready to buy from you, plastic in hand, this is rarely the case. The accepted wisdom is that an individual has to be exposed to a company an average of seven times before making a purchase from them, assuming the individual is within the company’s target market. This is even more apparent online. 

Here are 3 things you should be doing to maximize the traffic you already have to your online store.

1. Have an email sign up on your website.

The offer and the positioning is the key here. I used to have a sign up form in my online store that was waaaay down at the bottom of the page. No offer of any kind. I got a random sign up here and there. Then I had someone with a marketing background look over my site and he advised moving it up above the fold, visible without needing to scroll down and pairing it with an offer like a percentage off for first time customers.

Since making the change in the location of my online store’s sign up form and pairing it with an offer, I have been able to quadruple my mailing list within 6 months with the same amount of traffic. These folks already expressed an interest in what you have to offer and it would not take a lot of convincing to have them buy from you in the future even if they are not ready to do so now.

2. Have a “send to a friend” button on your product pages.

Your website visitors would have the opportunity to send targeted traffic your way. Imagine you are visiting an online store and while browsing, you find the cutest pair of kid’s shoes that will look amazing on your niece but you don’t know her shoe size. You hit the “send to a friend” button and fill out your sister’s email with a note from you. She sees it, likes the shoes and loves that her sister is so thoughtful and wipes out her charge card and buys a pair. These kinds of traffic are more likely to buy from you and sign up for your newsletter since they are finding out about your store from a trusted source.

3. Have a “like button” on your product pages.

If a visitor hits the Facebook like button on a product, it shows in their feeds for their friends and contacts to see. The “like button” is inferior to the “send to a friend” button in the sense that you will not be getting targeted traffic. It does help you build brand awareness.

If you have to pick 2 out of 3, I would say pick 1 and 2. They all help you get the most from the traffic you already get.

Bola Ajumobi is a mom of two young boys with a health care background and owns the online children’s bookstore; SlimyBookworm.com where busy parents or gift shoppers can take advantage of the complimentary gift suggestion service to find just the right books for the kids in their lives.  She loves interacting with other moms-in-business and exchanging insights on running a business.

Has Someone Copied From Your Business?

You may have seen some recent outcry via blogs and Facebook about a mom inventor who basically had her patent-pending invention design stolen out from underneath her. You can read more about it here, but basically, it looks as though a larger company stole Peachy, LLC’s concept, design and even her custom advertising images! That is pretty terrible if you ask me.

But, beware, even if you’re not an inventor, small business theft is common. The above example sheds a bad light on larger businesses, but it isn’t always a larger company taking advantage of a smaller one. Other small, mom-owned businesses who are just starting out can also be the culprit. Sometimes it’s a result of naivety but sometimes it is just blatant theft. This is one more good reason to do your research before launching a business and make sure you’re not infringing on someone else!

Trademarks, copyrights and patents can help us protect what is ours, but sometimes it isn’t enough. And, sometimes protection costs more than new entrepreneurs can afford. However, these things are definitely something that serious entrepreneurs should invest in.

I know first-hand the difficulties that copycats can cause and how expensive it can be to legally fight trademark infringement. Unfortunately, I’m not alone. This is an issue that is more common than you may know and it comes in varying forms.

Kelly Russo, owner of Travel with the Magic, has had several instances of others using her designs and materials. “In the past year I have had around five companies steal the layout, colors, HTML coding from the home page all the keywords there and more from my website,” she said.  “I have also had people steal graphics and buttons made for my website that Travel with the Magic paid for.” Not only have her backgrounds, borders, fonts, frames and navigation bar been reproduced, but Russo also said her entire terms and conditions and privacy policy pages have also been copied. 

Russo’s strategy is to immediately contact the site owner, send them a cease and desist with proof and demand that the copied material is taken down within 24 hours. Everyone that Russo has contacted has then removed the materials. However, some companies have apologized while others have made excuses. “I try to be firm, but when someone apologizes I accept it and move on. I know how hard it is to build your own site but it is better to build relationships with people and then ask for help, rather than just take someone’s hard work.”

Issues like this can have an obvious negative effect on someone’s business. “Once, someone’s site looked so similar to mine I had a client contact me and ask if I had a new agent. She thought that person was a division of Travel with the Magic.” When there are strong similarities between sites or business names, it’s easy for consumers to confuse the two. “If the copycat agency is not offering good customer service or helping clients the right way, it can negatively affect our reputation,” she added.

Russo admits that it is a tough situation and can be intimidating to contact someone you believe is copying you. “However, when you build a website and put the time and effort into it, someone should not steal your hard work.”

You may not always know if someone has copied or stolen from you. But, you should keep an eye out for it. Be active in your niche and monitor competitors. You should also set up Google Alerts for your business name or other keywords so you know when someone else is using them online.

Have you faced issues such as these? What have you done about it? Join the discussion in our Forum!