In my chapter of the bestselling book, Success Rituals 2.0, I wrote about how important it is to be passionate about your business in order for it to be successful.

Can you imagine working day in and day out on your own business and not loving what you do?  Well, it happened to me. I started my own business as a wealth coach because of some prompting from my coach at that time, and that is what I thought might work.  I put everything into it and was able to fill two group-coaching programs.  But, I was miserable.   This is not what you want for your business. I started to not want to be on the calls with the group.  I woke up unhappy each day.  At that point, I thought, I might as well go get a job.  At least I will get a steady paycheck!

If you aren’t feeling great about your business, it might be time to check in to see where that feeling and attitude is coming from.  It could be that the tasks you are doing just need a few tweaks.  Maybe you are doing something that you don’t love to do.  Ask yourself, if you let go of that one piece, would that make things better for you?

Take inventory.  Write down all the things you are doing in your business and separate them into two columns.  Call one column ‘Love to do’, and the other ‘Hate to do.’ Then go for it.  It doesn’t matter what you write, because you are the only one who will know what those two columns say.  You might also add a third column that says ‘Delegate.’

Once you have your list completed.  Decide what you want to let go of, what you want to keep and what you want to delegate.  If you don’t have the funds to hire someone to do those tasks that you want to delegate, then decide again if it should stay or go.  I would recommend that you put a wish list together that includes hiring an assistant soon!

If you find like I did that nothing in your business is working, you will need to go a bit further in this discovery process.

Start the process of finding what you are passionate about.  A good way to start is to think about what jobs you had in the past that you really loved doing.  For me it was technology, computer software, and marketing.  These were past positions that I held and would probably of never left if I wasn’t laid off.

Once you know what you are passionate about, you will find that things just start to fall into place.  I have seen this time and time again with my clients and of course in my own business.  As soon as I was clear on what I wanted to do, my business took off.

Now, I won’t say that you won’t have a bad day in your new business that will always happen once in awhile.  But if you get up in the morning looking forward to your day, then you are blessed to have found your passion in your business and the money will flow in because you love what you do.

Launching a program, product or service can be difficult if you don’t have a strategy.

I know because I have done it many times without a strategy and the results were disappointing.  I would think of something awesome to offer, send out the free telecall to my list, and post it on my social sites about 1 week before the call.  I would be lucky to have 10 people sign up, but when I dialed into the call, no one was there!  Sound familiar?

If you only have 10 to 20 people signed up, you basically have no chance to sell your product, services or programs.  The numbers just won’t work in your favor.

When you want to launch something, you really need to put a strategy in place.

So what are the steps to a successful launch?  Depending on what you are launching it could be different.  For this example, lets say it’s a coaching program.

You need to start at least 6-8 weeks before the free call.

First you want to build up your lists because you want to be sure you have someone to market to!  And you want to build trust and credibility with your new followers.  I have tips on that too, but let’s stick to the main points.

Second, you will want to survey your list and do some client interviews to see what they want solved.  It’s very important to launch something that your customers want and need and not what you think they need.

Third, you want to start creating your sales letter and opt-in page.  Having good copy for your launch is really important.  If you have some cash to spend, you may want to spend it here.  The sales page should be what seals the deal for your coaching program.

Once you have that all in place, you then will start working on marketing your program.  You want to be sure to be consistent in your postings on all your social media sites, website, forums, groups, etc.  Of course you have to balance your marketing so that you aren’t pushing too hard, but you need to mention it at least once a day on your sites.

You will also want to start contacting people to joint venture with.  This includes your strategic partners and social media connections that may have a list of people who would be interested in what you are selling.  You can pick up the phone and call or send a very clear email outlining the actual call and offer that you are asking them to promote.  You also want to be very clear on what your commission, bonuses, and other expectations are for your launch.

There is a lot more to a launch strategy, but this is a good start!

If you would like to know more about successfully launching your next program, product, service, business or website, please join my FREE call ‘Lucrative Launches – 3 Easy Steps to Get More Clients and More Income in Less Time Using Social Media Marketing!’ at 1PM PDT/ 4PM EDT on June 16th.

Sign up at http://www.thesocialmediaqueen.com/lucrative-launches

Mistreated, misplaced, misunderstood
Miss “no way, it’s all good”, It didn’t slow me down
Mistaken, Always second guessing
Under estimated, Look, I’m still around

-Pink

Pink, you just gotta love her.  She is a strong women, full of spunk, speaks her mind and has lots of passion for her work.  And because of that she is one of my favorite artists.    This song, ‘Perfect’ is about how you are perfect, even though you don’t feel like you are. If you are wondering, yes, I get a lot of my inspiration from music!

Early on in my life I never felt like I was good enough.  I was always comparing myself with others who I thought were “perfect”.  And because I chose to compare myself to others constantly it fueled many not so great decisions in my life. One bad decision was to NOT try in school.  I was told in 5th grade that I wasn’t cool because I got good grades. That snowballed into a few years of not trying to succeed.  Why did I listen to that just to fit in?   If only I could go back…

Maybe you can relate!

So, when I started my business 5 years ago, I did it again! I compared myself with other women on line who where gorgeous, smarter then me,  and what I considered at the time as perfect.  I admitted this recently on a call about success.  I told the interviewer straight up that I thought I had to be perfect in order to succeed.  I think I shocked her by being so transparent.

One day something hit me. I realized that I was undermining my own strengths and I was totally putting myself in a position that would make others think I wasn’t smart, beautiful or worth something.  After a total breakdown, I had a breakthrough! I discovered that I’m brilliant in my own way and that I don’t have to be like someone else to have happiness, joy and success.  OMG!  I thought, what a “bleeping” waste of time I spent feeling badly about myself!

As you have probably noticed, things are changing for me.  I no longer worry what others may think of me.  I ‘m speaking out about things that piss me off in this industry and I’m finally allowing myself to be myself.  Someone recently said to me that they could tell that I’m stepping out and up. Thank you for noticing!

We can soar as high as we want.  There is no limit for you or I if we have the courage to be ourselves.  Cool, huh?

Remember that your clients work with you because of your “special sauce,’ your friends and family love you because of that too. It’s been said so many times that there is no one else who is just like you!  Ain’t that the truth!

Watch for the release of the book “Success Rituals 2.0: Winning Habits of High-Achieving Women – How She Does Itand How You Can Too!” on June 1st, 2011 that I co-authored.  It will be all over Facebook and Twitter, so check my feeds to get more information.

Please comment, I would love to hear your feedback and stories!

Mobile marketing is on the rise, and that is a really good thing for most companies.  For those who are not familiar with the term “mobile marketing,” it is a way to market to your clients and customers who use their cell phones for everything!

If you are a business that is already using social media to increase sales and optimize brand awareness, great!  Mobile is the next step to keep you in the game and ahead of your competitors.

Here are some facts you need to know:

• There are 5 billion mobile phone users worldwide
• 91% of cell phone users keep their phones with them all day long
• 97% of text messages sent are read by cell phone users
• 2.5 billion text messages are sent everyday in the USalone
• You can imagine, now, why you want to get your company ready for this mobile generation!

Let’s imagine that you have a beautiful website all set up and optimized. You’re really happy with your website, and it’s generating leads and sales.  Now, imagine that website on a mobile device. Is it easy to find your products and services?  How about your contact information?   Most likely, the answer is no.

You want your website to be mobile ready so your clients can access your information quickly and easily.  A mobile site can have your most important information on it so it is easily found.  This information could include: Google Maps, a purchase button, contact information, your specials, coupons, etc.  The list goes on and on.  Even if you are not a smart phone user, you cannot ignore the fact that your clients are, and they have a two second attention span.

If they don’t find what they want easily from their phone, you might as well kiss your sales goodbye because they are now moving on to your competitor’s site, and they are mobile ready!

Now, lets move on to marketing via text messages.  You have probably seen text messages being utilized on popular television shows to have their audience text message in votes for their favorite singer, dancer, etc.   Well, there is a place for text message marketing in business as well.

Let’s say you are a restaurant.  You have a weekly special, a chef’s special meal, or a coupon that you would like your customers to know about.  If they don’t visit your restaurant each week, they won’t even know that you offer these specials.

Now, picture that you have text message marketing in place.  You have a list of your client’s cell phone numbers because you have been collecting them through a service provider.  Your chef comes to you and says that this week he is cooking his famous dish.  Now, you call your text message provider and let them know that you need to text a message to your list about this special right now, or schedule it for when the special is going to be available.  What do you think will happen? You will have a full restaurant with your customers who are so excited to be invited to try the chef’s special of the week.  What would that do for your business?

Text message marketing can be used in a variety of ways with many different businesses, including real estate agents, dentist’s offices, doctor’s offices, internet marketers, churches, plumbers, and the list goes on and on.

If you want to keep your business in front of your current and potential customers, I would suggest you really think about how these new services can benefit your business and keep you ahead of your competitors today.  The old ways of marketing with mail coupons and yellow pages is dead; that type of advertising is not reaching the new generation of mobile users.  The good news is mobile ready sites and text message marketing cost less and will give you and instant return on your investment.

Back on the soapbox!

Do you feel like you are getting what you expect when you hire a coach? I’ve had experiences with being very disappointed being overjoyed, but…

When I’m disappointed in a mastermind, program, product or coach, I normally just add that up to a growth experience, a lesson learned, or an oversight. I do that to make myself feel better about the fact that I did not get what I expected and spent money that I could of used elsewhere. But should we as business owners take 100% responsibility for this?

I have heard from some of the GOO ROOS that if you are disappointed in a product or service, it is really your fault. You didn’t speak up, or participate or do the work. You You You! Have you noticed that some Goo Roos will not take responsibility for their side? Why is that? Do they feel that they are so damn good that no one could ever be unhappy? There is a lot of this BS that happens in the Internet business world, and this is just one that stirs the pot for me.

I believe that communication is so important when you are in a relationship with a client. It’s 100% my responsibility and 100% yours when we work together to speak up, be clear and honest when things are not going the way we expect. And I believe that if you are paying the big bucks to get coaching, the service has to be outstanding in my book. You have to be so overjoyed that you would tell all your colleagues and friends!

So, my question is, why doesn’t anyone speak up when they or unhappy? Have you ever seen anyone say something about an experience, coach, business, or product on Facebook that was not happy and full of joy? Why do we hesitate to give our reviews? Is it because we are afraid of being perceived as a complainer, a jerk or being out of line? Or would it tarnish our own business?

You know that there are places to review restaurants and local businesses, right? Wouldn’t it be great to have the same thing for on-line marketers? And I don’t mean fully slamming people, but giving your honest review about a product or service that you participated in. That sort of feedback would help others decide what will work for them and what might not. Maybe I am on to something here…

After hiring my very first coach, and having that go south, I did not work with another coach for over a year. I was so scared to make another mistake! I did eventually get over that when I realized that I needed to follow my intuition and do my due diligence so I am 100% sure about the person I partner with in my business. I started to take as much care at selecting a coach as I would if I was looking for a significant other.

So my point is? Don’t let anyone make you take on all the blame if your business relationship isn’t working. Find your voice and speak it loudly!

I love that subject line! It’s from a song that is playing on my local radio station I listen to called FU, but the radio calls if Forget You for obvious reasons. The song is about losing a girlfriend to another guy who has ‘change in his pocket’ and drives a Ferrari.  When I heard it today it got me thinking about how so many of the high level coaches try to prove their success by telling us about the cars they drive and the BIG homes they live in. But, is what they say true?

I’ve had the opportunity to be an insider only to find out that some of what is said about success is not true. The BIG house is a rental, and the car is leased. Now, I’m not saying that’s the case with everyone, but really, does having that stuff make you a better coach, consultant or business owner?  Not to me!

I once heard a goo roo (yes I mean to spell Guru that way!) tell a story about a client of hers. The client said, I wish I made the kind of money you do, and the goo roo said, “Remember you will also have the big BILLS to go with that income. The more successful we are, the more I have to spend to keep my business at that level.” I never thought of it that way, but it makes sense. It’s all relative.

Are you trying to look like the expert in your business by telling your potential clients about the material things you have only because you see others doing that?  If so, please STOP. Most of us don’t care if you own a LARGE home with a maid, butler and nanny.

What do I care about?  My biggest criteria in hiring a coach is to make sure that they are 2 steps ahead of me in their business and are truly successful. I want to be sure I have a connection with them and they are who they claim to be. A true millionaire I coached with a few years back say’s “If someone tells you they are a millionaire, ask them for their profit and loss statements.”  WOW, what a concept!

I was interviewing someone for a sales position to work in a different part of my company and I was explaining to him that I never hard sell, I don’t have to. If people like what I’m offering, GREAT! If not, that’s fine too. Now that might seem a little too laid back for some, but I have been able to close 97% of my sales.  (Yes, that might mean I need to increase my fees again). He said, I guess you will never be Bill Gates with that type of strategy. I had to think about that for a moment. Then I said, why not? I feel it is absolutely possible to have a successful business without hard selling someone into my programs. Needless to say, this person will not be working for me!

What’s my point? I don’t drive a Ferrari, and I’m not sure I want to either.  But, that does not mean that I cannot get you there. I can help you get to the level of success you desire in your business without selling your soul or telling you what I drive and how large my home is.  Do I have a successful business? Heck Yes! If I didn’t I wouldn’t have the confidence to teach others how to do the same or manage their social media accounts for them so they are also successful. I guess what I’m saying is, I like to keep it real.

You may have or want a mansion or a Ferrari and that’s fine. I like nice things too. But please do not expect people to work with you just because you have high end stuff. Your success will come from your confidence, your persona, and the way you connect with your clients.

Did that get your attention?  If you know anything about me, this is pretty BOLD subject line, but I have had it!  Let me explain.

How many of you get LOADS and LOADS of emails from people who market on line with things that say.  GET RICH NOW! Or this guy made a million dollars in 3 months! She built her company to 6 figures in 90 days. Or my favorite, Let me show you what’s behind the curtain….UGGGH.  Not at all attractive. When I read that crap, I feel like I’m at a used car lot trying to be convinced to buy the most banged up car in the showroom. This type of marketing is not very appealing to me and as much as I want to believe that I can have a six-figure business is 90 days, it most likely is NOT going to happen. I’m sure that many of you have tried this type of marketing at least once, and it probably didn’t feel good to you either. I know I have.

The buzz right now is social media marketing is all about communication and collaboration.  So with that message, some of us think that means that we just post about puppies and kitties and fairies and moonbeams and never ever speak about our business and how we might help others.  Why?  Well, because we are afraid to put it out their for fear of rejection, and/or negative comments. Maybe someone will think you are being pushy, salesy or just obnoxious.  I say, WHO CARES!  If you truly want a successful business, you need to stop hiding and start marketing what you are brilliant, passionate and an expert at.  And in YOUR way, which if done correctly will never feel pushy, salesy or obnoxious.

And please stop trying to copy the BIG marketing guru’s because it won’t work for you. I know! I tried back when I started my business. It was not pretty, believe me!

But that doesn’t mean that you just give up either.  I’m asking you to stop quitting and start doing. Start consistently marketing your business starting today!  Marketing is part of your business.  Marketing is about letting people know who you are, and what you do and how you might be able to help them get the result they are looking for.  Great marketing should lead to sales.

I was at a conference recently and the overlying statement blew me away. I heard over and over again that money is not what being in business is about. Well yes it is.  Unless you have all the cash you need, then you must make money to survive.  Sorry if I offend some of you, but that is the hard truth.

The thing that you have to realize is, your marketing must match your persona. You must be in communication with your target market in a way that they can relate and respond to. AND you must know who that target market is.

So, as I step off my soap box for now, I want you to know that my true passion is helping you market your company authentically, using your own persona and stepping out to finally show others why you are the expert in your field.  It’s not rocket science, but there is a strategy that needs to be followed to successfully to market to your audience on-line. I can help you if you want to shine your brilliance starting today!

^{How to Start Driving More Traffic to Your Fan Page}

As my research of Facebook continues, I have found new ways to amp up the “Likes” on your business page. One of the ways to do that, as I have said before, is to add a Facebook landing page to your business page.  Facebook is your “other” website.  Once you have that in place, you will want to start driving traffic to your business page.
Before you start, you want to be sure that you have everything in place to send people to your page. Meaning your landing page is ready, you have some posts on your wall, and have added some pictures of you interacting with others at event. You  also want to add videos if you have them. Once that is ready to go you will want to do the following:
1. If you have 25 fans, you want to create a vanity URL in Facebook so that you can use that link everywhere you are seen on-line. To do that, go to: http://www.facebook.com/username/ and follow the instructions.
2.  Put your Facebook logo or URL on your email signature, your newsletters, and any auto-responders you send out to your list. You get the picture, right? Don’t send anyone to your profile; make sure you are sending them to your business page URL only.
3.  Start joining Forums that your target market hangs out in. Make sure it is an active forum with lots of members.  When you set up your profile, put your fan page URL in your signature box.  Most forums allow you to have a signature box, just make sure you follow the rules. Once you are a member, start sharing your great content, and post feedback on other discussions. You want to have at least 5-7 interactions before selling anything to the forum membership. That way you build the ‘know, like, trust’ factor. This will take some time, but it will pay off if you take the time to do it.
4.  Join groups and other fan pages within Facebook too!  If you want to attract people who are interested in you and your business, you need to have common interests.   
The first step is to do some research. Go to Amazon and find a book that you have read or an author you like that writes to your target markets needs. Click on that book, and read the testimonials to see what they say but mostly to see what the readers wish the book covered.  Sometimes people will say, I loved the book, but I wish they talked more about …. That is where the good nuggets are!
Now scroll down to see what other books have been bought by the same customers.  All of this research will give you great clues to what your target market really wants.
Go back to Facebook and do a search for the author or the book titles you found on Amazon. Check to see how many fans they have. If they have a lot, of fans, “Like” that page. Start interacting on the wall and in the active discussions.  Again, have at least 5-7 interactions in the group so people can see you are an active member.
Once that is done, go back to the search option on Facebook and search for that author or book again, but this time click on the number of fans under the photo or logo. Start inviting those fans to be your friend. Include a personal message to let them know that you are a member of a group they belong to so they know how you found them.  Add 20 friends a day, no more then that. You don’t want to get in trouble with the facebook police!
5. Make sure to add a status update or link on your profile page that invites your new friends to “Like” your fan page so they know where to find you.
This becomes a ripple effect. Once someone sees your profile and “Likes” your fan page, their friends see that and check you out. They trust that there’s a reason their friend “Liked” you and they like you and on and on and on.  Does this take time?  Yes! But the time it takes it is so worth it.
On the next blog post, I will discuss how powerful Facebook ads can be to really drive traffic to your fan page!

Do you find it hard to keep up with the changes with facebook? It can be difficult. So much is happening with facebook, sometimes there are several changes in a one day! Whew!

Since social media is my business, I’m constantly learning new things. Last month was a huge learning opportunity for me and I have accumulated some important updates and news about facebook that I think you should know.

Most of you probably have already heard that facebook has passed Google in daily searches. That in itself is amazing! Who ever thought that facebook would ever top Google?

You might wonder why this is happening. Well, there are several reasons. One reason is that we are overloaded with information. We don’t need more information! What we need and want, before we spend our hard earned money, is recommendations. So when we are looking for a product or service, we are most likely looking for a solution to a problem and we want to hire someone we trust. Since facebook is full of trusted friends and resources, more people are opting to look there first.

As my mentor says, we are moving away from the information age, and into the recommendation age. We prefer to do business with someone we know like and trust and you can find those businesses on facebook by asking your friends and connections who they recommend.

The second reason is that businesses are making money on facebook. And they are spending less money on targeted facebook ads then they were on Google ads which is reducing the money they spend on marketing.

The stats are phenomenal. The big companies like Coca Cola, Pepsi and Victoria Secret are increasing their profits just by having a active presence on facebook. The facebook marketing professionals say that the average spent on facebook for a non-fan is $138.38 vs a fan who spends double that amount or more. Now that is powerful marketing!

As for small businesses, they are seeing close to the same results if they use facebook correctly.

The powers that be on facebook are going to be implementing a lot of new things soon. One thing the are implementing soon is a payment gateway, including paypal, and visa, which will no doubt increase profits for all of us. Isn’t that cool?

So if you thought that you couldn’t make money on facebook, you need to change your thinking. Its time to realize that your facebook business page is your “other” website. That is why it’s so important to have your business page represent your business brand. You want your potential clients and “fans” to know that you are open for business and you are the solution to their problem.

Here is something you can do right now. Login to facebook and make sure that your profile is up to date and FULLY filled out. Use your targeted keywords anywhere you can, that way more prospects will find you when they search for someone to do business with in your niche.

If you get stuck, please let me know if I can help in any way.

I had a great conversation with a couple of entrepreneurs this week that spurred this weeks article.

When you start a business, you get so excited to finally be on your entrepreneural path. You know exactly what you want to do now and everything is set. Your website is done, your logo is cool and you feel ready to take on the world. You start your business focused. You are following the path you set out to follow and BAM! Something happens!

One day you wake up and realize that maybe you should do something else or take your business in a new direction. Then overwhelm sets in because now you think, I have to start over! UGGH!!

Well, first let me tell you that change is going to happen no matter how solid your business plan or idea is. You change and grow in your own life, and that will also be reflected in your business, its a natural progression.

If you are a new entrepreneur, you might have several ideas in your head and you don’t know which one to pick. If that is the case, my suggestion is to pick the one that will get cash flowing. Then you can work on your next big idea.

You have heard my story before. As you know, I started out as a wealth coach and had a big revelation one day and my business went in a totally new direction. That is where The Social Media Queen began. Now I’m moving into branding, which is what I do anyway. Yes, change does happen, and usually you can tie one into the other easily.

Going from a coach to a social media specialist might seem like two opposite businesses, but what I found was my clients were all starting business and I was coaching them on how to build their business anyway. It was an easy transition to start working with them on how to market their new business use social media.

I used to get really scared when I would get that inspired feeling to move in a new direction, but now I just think of it as part of being an inspired entrepreneur.

My message to you today is, Don’t be afraid, just flow with it.

You will find that you will eventually find a business you absolutely love that brings you both happiness and success.

You can have other projects as well, but remember to focus on one business at a time. When your income increases, then you can start something new.

There is no limit to what you can do.  Just keep moving forward!