Recently I conducted a survey to discover the most
pressing concerns/interests entrepreneurs have about using the Internet to build their
businesses.
The top three concerns are very closely connected to one
another: how to build name recognition, find customers and clients, and make
money. Here are the actual results of the survey:
Then come challenges. The number one is time. Knowledge,
who to trust and budget follow close behind.
It’s not lack of time that’s the problem. The challenge
is knowing how to organize your day in a way that makes you most productive.
It’s very easy to go on wild-goose chases that start in the early morning, and
by the time you take a stretch break you realize it’s late afternoon.
It takes discipline
As much as some people would like to “free form” their
day, the reality is running a business online takes discipline. Actually,
running any type of business requires restraint in many areas. Using a daily to-do
list can help with organizing your time.
Next comes knowing which people to trust. This can be a
challenge, especially if you are new to the Internet. With some people it may
appear as if they are “the real deal” when, in fact, they may not be.
A simple solution is to conduct a Google search on the
person’s name, visit top article directories to view anything written by the
expert in question, see if they have a Facebook page and/or Twitter profile, as
well as finding out if they are involved in other “well traveled” social
networks. You can also ask trusted friends, colleagues and peers.
It doesn’t take long to find out a great deal about
almost anyone. Doing a bit of upfront investigation may well be worth its
weight in gold.
Bright shiny objects
What about knowledge? This can be an overwhelming
challenge. There is always something new to learn, and what I call the “bright
shiny objects” are constantly grabbing one’s attention. The best way around
this is to use a to-do list and your discipline skills to resist going off on
tangents.
However, you do have to put some time into your
knowledge base. Plan for study time in order to stay on top of important
information specific to your industry and/or clients’ industries.
Where to begin is another area where many people
struggle. It simply means knowing what to do when. You will gain insights as
you work on the other challenges. Don’t try to do too much too soon. Write your
business goals and, from there, prioritize.
Now you are ready to focus on building name
recognition, finding customers and clients, and making money.
It’s So Much Easier Now
It used to be much harder than it is today to
accomplish these things within a reasonable budget. With the onslaught of
social media there are so many options that virtually anyone can start from
scratch and build a successful business. Not to utilize social media is a huge
mistake.
Yet, where do you start? How much time do you spend
each day? What do you say? Who are your connections? You get the idea….
There is a solution
First, find people to learn from who
are established in the social-media arena.. Fortunately, there are some very
knowledgeable and established experts in this arena. Many mentor others on
exactly what to do to gain visibility and name recognition, find potential
clients and customers, and make money.
A short while ago I was an instructor at one of the
most renowned Internet Marketing conferences around, NAMS3. During the
conference, NAMS founder David Perdew did something that is rarely done. He
facilitated a session where five Internet marketing gurus revealed their secret
strategies for driving traffic and dollars through Social Media.
With an audience of 180 eager online marketers watching, five of the
world’s most successful Internet Marketing masters shared exactly what they do
to make social-media marketing work for them and their clients. David
immediately turned the session into a content-driven
information product. The reasons for doing this were twofold. One, to show how
simple is can be to develop a product when you know what you are doing; and, two,
to give those who were not at NAMS the opportunity to get the information for
an incredibly low investment – $17.
Imagine having the chance to ask the likes of Willie Crawford, Kevin Riley, Maritza Parra, Jeff Herring and Joey Smith anything you’d like regarding how they use Social Media to drive traffic and make money online. CLICK HERE to start learning right now! I guarantee you will be glad you did.