By Natalie Napoleon Wi, Principal, Allure West Studios
Presented at the March 3, 2010, WBF meeting

I’m a huge proponent of blogging (I must pause here and put in a plug in for my good friend, Stacie Tamaki of The Flirty Guide, who showed me the light and encouraged me to start my blog. Thank you, Stacie!!) What a great era to be in business and to have the opportunity to blog. I have studios in Washington, D.C., San Francisco and Doylestown, PA and with clients all over the world, it’s integral that they feel connected to me.

In conjunction with the product of my photography, I am selling an experience and my blog affords me the opportunity to build relationships with each of my clients. Oftentimes, I’ll meet someone and I’m flattered at how much they already know about me.

I understand how overwhelming starting a blog and maintaining a blog can seem, in addition to maintaining a Facebook account, a Twitter account and a Linked-in profile. Fortunately, there are a myriad of tools available now that link all of these accounts together and make posting more streamline.

My #1 piece of advice is that it’s better to do something badly than not to do it at all. You need to start somewhere and the more you do it, the easier it’ll become. Think of it as yoga for your brain.

I suggest that before you start, you find a notebook in which you keep all of your notes for your blog. Write things down as you do them. Chances are you’ll have to do them again and you may forget how to do them. If you have the steps written down, you won’t have to spend time researching the issue again.

The two main platforms for a blog are Blogger and Wordpress. Take some time to look at each and decide which works best for you. I use Wordpress.

Here are my action items for a blog :

1. Set your blogging goals. What do you want to accomplish with your blog? Will your blog be your primary website or a supplement to an existing website?

2. Know your audience. Take the time to research your demographic and understand the type of information they need then fill that need. Post useful information on your blog to drive traffic.

3. Ask for Permission. Use your manners and ask for permission before posting images, music or text that belong to someone else. Chances are that the author of the content will be happy to share it with you if you ask first. If you don’t ask first, you open yourself up to the possibility of a legal mess.

4. Permalink to Other Sites. Be sure to include links to other sites in your content. When creating a permalink, choose “open in another window” (or the equivalent) so that the link opens in a new page and leaves your blog open. Having permalinks in the content of your blog helps increase your chances of being found in a Google search.

5. Reply to Comments. Take the time to thank people who have commented on your blog. And, take the time to comment on other blogs. The more you eNetwork, the more you build your readership.

6. Add a Subscription Widget to your Blog. Readers can subscribe to receive new posts via email when you have a subscription widget on your blog. I use FeedBurner.

7. Add an RSS Feed from your Blog. (RSS=Really Simple Syndication) This allows your reader to receive feeds from all their favorite blogs on one page in their browsers. Read the support documentation for your preferred platform to determine the best way to add an RSS button to your blog, however FeedBurner also has the capability of creating an RSS feed for your blog.

8. Use Keywords. Add keywords in the keyword section of your post to increase your chances of top placement in Google.

9. Don’t Forget to Brag About Yourself. This is the appropriate forum to brag about yourself. People want to know what you’re doing!

10. Budget Your Time. Yes, technically you should be posting on a somewhat consistent basis, but if you can’t, don’t beat yourself up over it. Remember, it’s better to something badly than not to do it all. Just make sure to schedule an appropriate amount of time to post on your blog. Blogging does take time. You could post in 5 minutes if you really wanted to, but it’s important that you take the time to proofread your copy and make your images look pretty. Your blog is a reflection on you professionally and you always want to put your best eFoot forward. Also keep in mind that when your readers receive your blog either thru their email subscription or their RSS feed, they’ll begin commenting. Remember to budget time to reply to them.

So many of us are using the internet today before making our purchasing decisions and having a blog helps put you in the running. Take the time to research your options and invest time in building your blogging empire. Blogging can open doors that you never knew existed.

The following appeared in the Philadelphia Business Journal on Friday, Feb. 26, 2010. In the same issue, Women's Business Forum was named the 10th largest networking group in the Philadelphia region.

9 Steps to Effective Networking
It’s not all about getting leads. It’s about getting what you need to get ahead.
By Maria Martino Evans
President
The Women’s Business ForumTM of Bucks County

To paraphrase the adage about advertising, most people know networking works; they’re just not sure which networking works best.
The answer is the one you target, prepare for and follow up on.
Networking is first about building relationships. Business comes from those relationships when you share your talents and your challenges with others, when you are as eager to learn about others and their needs as you are to solve your own.
At the Women’s Business ForumTM (WBF TM) -- in the past eight years -- we’ve seen the fruits of networking firsthand. For example:
Members volunteered their time and talents in writing, web design, graphic design, finance and public relations to help Cass Forkin launch Twilight Wish Foundation, a non-profit that makes wishes come true for deserving, impoverished seniors. Since then, more than 1,200 seniors have been helped. (www.twilightwish.org)
Another WBF member saw sales of her relaxation CDs triple in just six months after implementing ideas other members freely shared at a meeting (www.healthheartsoul.com). Today, Cheyenne values the people in the group not only as clients but as “a great resource for all my business and even some personal needs.”

Harmony Clean, a green cleaning service in Doylestown (www.harmonyclean.org), grew from 0 to 200 clients in just three years with the support and services of other WBF members it met through networking, including branding, public relations, accounting and business management – as well as free legal advice it learned about from a WBF meeting attendee.

With so many networking options, how can a businesspeople decide which group provides the best return on their investments of time and money?
1. First, identify what you want out of the experience. Are you looking for a new job or new customers? Many people prefer learning or making contacts to potential customers for your product or service. Others seek opportunities to volunteer or to share or expand their base of experience and expertise.
2. Then, choose the group or groups that serve your goal and attend a meeting or two. See how it feels, what you learn, who you meet. Do the members support each other in ways you appreciate and ways that help you thrive in business?
3. When you find a fit, commit. Become a board member, says illustrator Pat Achilles of Doylestown (www.achillesportfolio.com). “I attended bi-monthly meetings of the Women's Business Forum for years, and often wondered if there was some hidden talent in the people who seemed to know everyone in the room, and everyone knew them.” She later joined the board. “As secretary I work alongside some of the most dynamic entrepreneurs on the board, and I very quickly developed a familiar relationship with them and their business. Now I am one of those members in the know, and it has brought me new clients and new referrals as well.”
4. Be authentic and sincerely seek what you can do for others, says Gina Rubel, past-president of WBF and CEO of Furia Rubel (www.furiarubel.com), a PR firm in Doylestown. Become a valued resource, and people will remember you and seek you out.
5. Differentiate yourself by being more specific then saying “I’m a graphic designer” or “I’m a lawyer” – say what type of work you do in 10 words or less, she adds. To get information or referrals, you must be able to clearly articulate what you do to others.
6. Ask for the person’s business card (“Ask if you can write notes on it,” Rubel says), but don’t offer yours unless asked.
7. Send a hand-written note to follow up. Achilles, the illustrator, “drew a series of funny note cards that I always send to follow up on new leads or thank clients for their business. These cards are specific to my creative talent and very recognizable as my style.” She adds that doing so “promotes name recognition and enhances your reputation for friendliness and courtesy.”
8. Stay in touch. Connect on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter. When you see an article of interest, share it with them. If you learn that the person has had success, jot them a note.
9. “Be strategic,” says Rubel. “It’s about quality not quantity.”
Maria Martino Evans is a writer and PR professional in Bucks County. She is also an adjunct professor of marketing in the MBA program at Delaware Valley College in Doylestown. Reach her at 215-738-2544 or maria@martinoevans.com. The Women’s Business Forum’s mission is to educate, mentor and inspire women entrepreneurs to build and sustain viable businesses. For more resources, see www.womensbusinessforum.org.

Summary
Big Mission - With group projects

Beginning DateTime
Wednesday, February 17th, 2010 PM 8:00 (GMT-05:00)

Finishing DateTime
Wednesday, February 17th, 2010 PM 9:00 (GMT-05:00)

Location
http://www.scriptingforsuccess.com/big-mission-free-tele-class/

Contact
Ruth Anne Wood 215-872-5035

Description
Big Mission - Launch your publishing dreams with group projects

8pm Eastern Standard Time

Learn more here including call info:
http://www.scriptingforsuccess.com/big-mission-free-tele-class/

Ruth Anne Wood and Edie Weinstein will be sharing
from our heart some of the struggles of shying
away from our bliss, joy and passion. We'll share
what continues to open up for us when we move
forward towards our dreams, passion and bigger
vision of ourselves. We'll talk about the
setbacks and publishing and media triumphs.

We invite you to our call tonight at 8pm est
where we'll talk about some of our biggest
lessons around launching Big Mission projects
and the mindset around inspiring the media, best
selling authors, people in your community to help
you achieve your specific measurable goals and
dreams.
http://www.scriptingforsuccess.com/big-mission-free-tele-class/

Do we want you on the call tonight? Of course.
You''ll be rewarded.

Even if you can't be on the call there is so much
you can learn from the recording on how to do a
big mission project.

Please register for the free call at 8pm est.
http://www.scriptingforsuccess.com/big-mission-free-tele-class/

It's a mini coaching session that is designed to
have you thinking and living bigger!

Even if you can't make it you'll want to register
to get the recording and take lots of notes on:

How the 7 step process I use every time I do a
co-authored/group project.

-Why you don't need lots of money to create your
first books, documentaries, live events

-Why thinking like a publisher and producer is
far more profitable than thinking like a writer,
artist, self employed

-How you can literally get media and inspiring
people involved in your project quickly even if
you've never done a big mission project

-The biggest stumbling block to your big mission
project and it isn't money

-What the best time to do your big mission
project so it lines up with what the media is
wanting

-The quickest way to inspire others to pay you to
create your big mission projects

...and much more.

Get the call in info for this free call and start
putting your big mission projects into motion!

http://www.scriptingforsuccess.com/big-mission-free-tele-class/

Even if you don't make the live call you'll get a
recording in a couple days.

http://www.scriptingforsuccess.com/big-mission-free-tele-class/

###

Ruth Anne Wood
Scripting for Success
http://www.sriptingforsuccess.com

Edie Weinstein
Live In Joy
http://www.liveinjoy.com

http://www.scriptingforsuccess.com/big-mission-free-tele-class/

Join us Wednesday, October 21, 2009 from 7:30 – 9 p.m. for a FREE session on document recovery and protection at The James-Lorah House in Doylestown.

Losing customer information, sales data or accounting information could spell disaster for a company. During this presentation, William Rossman of Docutech will review the steps that business owners should take to establish a solid business technology data and disaster recovery plan.

William Rossman joins the WBF from Docutech. Founded in 1984, Docutech specializes in the development of technology partnerships with businesses. Docutech takes a proactive approach to IT management and support by putting in place processes that capture, automate and manage the IT components and relationships that make up a company’s infrastructure.

Join us Wednesday, October 21, 2009 from 7:30 – 9 p.m. for a FREE session on document recovery and protection at The James-Lorah House in Doylestown.

Losing customer information, sales data or accounting information could spell disaster for a company. During this presentation, William Rossman of Docutech will review the steps that business owners should take to establish a solid business technology data and disaster recovery plan.

William Rossman joins the WBF from Docutech. Founded in 1984, Docutech specializes in the development of technology partnerships with businesses. Docutech takes a proactive approach to IT management and support by putting in place processes that capture, automate and manage the IT components and relationships that make up a company’s infrastructure.