Do you know how to prequalify leads and potential customers through social media?

Everyone seems to be talking about how to make more money, collect leads, and generate more revenue through social media, but who is really DOING it? So many online entrepreneurs think that attracting business through social media should be done by selling, spamming, annoying and downright irritating people in social networks, by posting interesting headlines then leading the reader through a lengthy series of clicks only to land on a page that is nothing like what the headline promised, or sales letters that attempt to scare the reader into buying whatever product or service the site owner is trying to sell. A very few intelligent entrepreneurs know that if they publish quality content, develop personal relationship through social networking, and position themselves as an expert in their field, that they are able to attract the ideal customer or strategic partner. In this way, ideal customers are prequalified before even contacting you to inquire about your products/services. It is this ingenious strategy that allows the intelligent entrepreneur to be chased by business rather than chasing down business.

How do you generate quality content online in just a few minutes a day?

Start where you are. A lot can be accomplished in just a few minutes a day if you have a plan. By establishing a social media marketing plan, it is easier to focus your time and energy towards your ultimate goal. When you identify who your ideal customer is, where they hang out, what their needs are, and how you can uniquely meet those needs, you are able to in just a few minutes a day seek out those potential customers and deliver to them information that helps to meet their needs.

Many people are worried that giving away this information will somehow cost them in the long run, that by giving something for free, the client will walk away, implement what you have given them, never to be seen or heard from again. In very rare instances this may be true, but in far more instances, that client will return satisfied with the quality info that you gave them, asking for more. If they are truly your ideal customer they will not only have a need that your products/services can meet, they will value it and be prepared to pay for it.

What about the lingo? How can you sift through the symbol soup (#tweet @tweet) and anagrams (LOL, OMG)?

It’s true that thanks to online media, language is evolving. A sort of shorthand has been created to allow networkers to communicate more information faster. Twitter, due to its roots as a telephone based texting program, especially seems to be full of strange symbols and anagrams. If you don’t understand most of what people are saying, chances are that people won’t understand you either. If you spend a few minutes each day in your social networks, you will begin to learn the lingo and what the various symbols mean. Twitter also offers a pretty extensive help section and when in doubt, just type your problem into Google and you will find forums and blogs full of helpful advice.

Here are a few tips especially for Twitter:

@username- this is called an “@reply” or mention and allows you to reply directly to another person but is not private (for private replies use the direct message feature). People use @replies to mention their favorite followers or people that they follow. In this way they help your list of followers to grow.

#keyword- the hashtag or pound sign is used to track conversations. You can search for just about any keyword and see what people are tweeting about. The hashtag allows easier trending. Twitter publishes the most popular conversations in the right hand column of your home page. This is a great tool if you want your tweets to be seen by the maximum amount of people.

RT- or retweet is a way to share what someone else has said with your followers. This also helps the person that you RT so that they can get some additional exposure. Retweeting is a great way to get content that you think is valuable and redistribute it to your followers.

Maggie Ruch of Advanced Virtual Assistant Services helps her clients to expand their client base through social networking. She works closely with clients to develop custom social media campaigns built around their type of business and target market. She will be interviewed on Attracting Better Clients with Social Media on April 6, 2010 at 8pm EST. Registration is free. Sign up at http://forwardvirginia.com/socialmedia

Attract Better Clients with Social Media

Presented by: FORWARD-Adelante
Hosted by: 57interest
Location: Anywhere by phone
Date: Tuesday April 6th, 2010

Register For Call-in Details at http://forwardvirginia.com/socialmedia

Why Join The Call?

* Too busy running your business to start a Social Media campaign?
* Confused or dismayed with too many Social Media options?
* Need to enhance a product launch using a successful promotion?
* Because you know you have at least 1 hour to spare, no excuses.

About Maggie Ruch: Maggie Ruch is recognized as an industry leader and an expert Virtual Assistant in support of speakers, coaches, and consultants. She is the Founder and Owner of Advanced Virtual Assistant Services firm, located in Norfolk, VA. Maggie has helped her clients expand their business with social networking for over two years!

Callers Receive Special Giveaways:

* Free white paper loaded with practical tips & techniques.
* A one-time, exclusive discount on Social Media services.
* Plus plenty of other giveaways and discounts coming.

LG has developed a new smartphone with a projector attached. Perfect for public speakers, consultants and coaches. Take  a look at the review here.

More info here and here.

This video is just too funny! had to share. It’s a little slow to start, but keep watching, it’s good!

I thought this was a wonderful message shared with me by a coach that I have been working with Laura Cardone. She is so wonderful on so many levels and will be releasing a video soon- more info to come!

“…Universal Laws are Truths of Nature that bring order to the Universe. These Laws bring planets and people into being. These Laws allow everything to interact harmoniously without the need to consciously monitor, regulate or control the moving parts.

The natural order of life is to grow and expand. So, the first Law is…

1) the Law of Absolute Dimension, which means we are living in a universe of infinite expansion. It ensures that you will always grow and evolve, just as all life will.

2) The next law is the Law of One Consciousness, which means that there is One Creative Life Force that is all knowing, all loving, and everywhere present. It unifies us in a vast ocean of peace, which penetrates everything. It is unconditional.

3) The Law of Creative Belief is next. Again, “it is done unto you as you believe”. This you know, for it is self-evident.

4) The Law of Attraction brings resources together within and without. In other words, your thoughts emote, or create your state of consciousness in which joy or sorrow, hope or fear, for example are cultivated and experienced. This acts as a mental magnet bringing together those people, places and things that resonate at the same frequency.

5) There is also the Law of Integrity which says that you can not get it wrong. This is another way of saying that nothing matters. That being said, everything matters is also true, because we are each born for a deep and joyful purpose, to experience life fully, and to learn more about Self, as individualized spirits on a human journey!

So it does matter that you make the effort to embrace life, but not so that it burdens you. For your Soul Desire is to enjoy the journey, down to the last drop. Your intention was never to punish yourself with “have-tos” and “shoulds”!”

By Laura Cardone of Profits with Purpose Inc.
Please visit her web site at http://profitswithpurpose.com/tools.htm for more empowering tools and resources.”

Thank you Laura!

A great article by Mashable about the top ways that social networking has changed our society.

When you think about it, most of us are affected in some way by the social networking trend. We spend more time tweeting and posting on walls and less time picking up the phone to call someone or, heaven forbid, writing a letter to let someone know we care. When was the last time that you sent someone a birthday card that you had to put in an envelope and mail? Or spontaneously sent a letter to your mother or grandmother?

What about our business practices? Do we rely more and more on what we hear about on social networking sites for business decisions and ideas? How much weight are we investing in these sources?

Take a look at this article– I hope it provides some food for thought.

A great article by Brick Marketing about whether Google page ranking really matters to your website.

Take a look at what Nick Stamoulis had to say.

I just discovered that wordpress.org blogs make great websites too!

I’d love to hear what people think about my new site.

Take a look and let me know.

Just launched, a free mastermind group for Virtual Assistants and other work at home professionals. A place to come together, share resources, advice, and best practices. Best of all it’s free to join!

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/VAMastermindGroup/join

Last night I tuned in to a wonderful webinar hosted by Ian Griffin and Jim Carillo, two wonderful public speakers and social media experts. They polled other speakers and found out that many people, when it comes to social networking, are still a bit lost. So they put together this program to teach people how to effectively use social media for business.

It was a very well put together presentation and I must admit, even though I have been using social media myself for years, and helping my clients to use social media for business, there were a few things that I picked up that I either had not thought of or didn’t know.

It’s a great series, so sign up, it’s free!