Many experts tell us it’s highly recommended that networking is the way to get your name out there. This is correct. However, for the business owner that can’t attend networking events in person for various reasons, here are some tips to help you network online.
Firstly, choose the social media platform you like to use and that your potential audience would also use. The most highly recognised social media platforms are Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, Pinterest and Google+.
Once you’ve selected your networking platform, take some time to become familiar with it. Understand the basic to making your profile work.
For this blog, I will be using Facebook as social media platform.
Here are my suggested tips to make online networking work for you;
Share knowledgeable content with your followers, give them a taste of your expertise. Be sure to mix it up with some fun enlightening content and don’t be afraid to share a little bit of you.
Share content from those you admire, want to contentwith or whom your followers would gain from their information. Be sure to thank or acknowledge your source for the information.
Search for the locations your target audience would most likely hang out. Don’t just focus on pages they’ll follow, but also group they may be part of.
Seek the opportunity to connect with your audience, particularly where you can display your expertise / industry knowledge.You never know when an opportunity will present itself that you can offer some informative knowledge to a post, giving your business potential exposure.
Signing off your posted comments with your name and tag your business eg: Anne from Anne C Clark (to tag your page type the ‘@’ symbol and then start typing your business name, once it appears in the dropdown menu, select it.)
Remember you are representing your brand, be sure to re-read what you have written to make sure it’s not offensive or can be misinterpreted. Where applicable share an example and don’t be salesy (it’s a turn off).
Be your business voice. If you’re trying to build your business profile, talk in your business manner not your ‘hanging out with friends’ manner. Because you are your brand and you want to attract your audience.
Invite comments on your business page. Don’t tell them you want them to ‘like’ you. Tell them you’d love the opportunity to connect with them and invite them to share their pages on yours. This is a little cross promotion and it never hurts.
Liking a page, when liking a new page don’t write “Hi I’m your newest liker, come and like my page”. It doesn’t make me look at you. Try being complimentary and tell them what you love about their page. Add your sign off signature. If they want to connect with you, they will.
Negative comments will arrive occasionally. You have the choice to manage them or simple remove them. I personally feel it depends on the comment that enables you to make the choice on how to handle it. I worked for a very high profile business entrepreneur and her rule was NO negative comments, and her reason was very justifiable. She wanted her page to be a safe harmonious place for her followers, therefore no negativity. (That’s not so bad)
I invite you to connect with me and share your Facebook page in the comments, so we can come and say hi. And, don’t be afraid to pop over to my page and say hi too.
MailChimp have made updates to where the Automation workflows are located.
Originally you would have found a 5th menu tab saying Automation, but now you will find it under Campaigns.
Now you will see the following menu on your Campaigns page, and Automations is located under the second tab Ongoing
You will see all your automation workflow campaigns to the right.
To create a new Automation, you will now need to do the following steps.
Click on Create Campaign, the following screen will appear.
Click on Create an Email, the following screen will appear.
On the top menu you will see Regular, Automated, Plain-text, A/B Test. Click on Automated.
In the next screen, choice your campaign type.
Some clearer to see feature automations are ‘Welcome new subscribers’ – this is standard one we use for opt-ins on a website. For retail stores ‘Say happy birthday’ is a great on to get people spoiling themselves on their birthdays and ‘Share blog updates’ is a great one for business consultants or bloggers who write articles regularly.
When you click on ‘Welcome new subscribers’, you get the options of creating a
welcome message (First impressions matter, so automate your welcome message to make sure no one slips through the cracks. Plus, you’ll get 5 times more orders per recipient compared to bulk emails),
onboarding series (Too much information at once can be overwhelming, especially when you’re just getting started. Share tips and resources with a series of onboarding emails.) or
education series (Use an educational series to manage an online course, or simply send a series of emails that engage and inform).
Once you have created all your emails in your series, please make sure you click the final button that says ‘Start Workflow’, otherwise it won’t work.
For those who are setting up websites using Squarespace but struggling on how to link it to the Mailchimp account. Here are some instruction to help you confidently link them.
#1. Log into your Squarespace Account
#2. Go to the page you want to add your sign up bar in
#3. Edit your page
#4. Click the right ‘+’ icon the top right hand side
#5. Scroll down to the MORE section
#6. Click on Newsletter icon and drag it to where you want to add it
#7. Enter in your display details
#8. Click on the second tab Storage. You will the platforms you can connect to. If you can’t click the plug icon on the squarespace campaign and the others should appear.
#9. Click Mailchimp, and link your website to your Mailchimp account my login into Mailchimp as the prompts come up on screen.
#10. Select your list and connect the corresponding fields.
#11. Repeat the above for everywhere you want to add the form on your website.
If you don’t feel confident doing this yourself, then please connect with me and I can assist you.
Be inspired by 60 Australian Women. These ladies are from all walks of life, from stage & screen, to golf and politic. I hope you find them as inspiring as I do.
“A woman of style is a thinking woman”
Claudia Karvan
“You got to try and reach for the stars or try and achieve the unreachable.”
Cathy Freeman
“There is no monopoly on becoming a millionaire. If you’re jealous of those with more money, don’t just sit there and complain. Do something to make more money yourself – spend less time drinking, or smoking and socializing and more time working.”
Gina Rinehart
Our future growth relies on competitiveness and innovation, skills and productivity… and these in turn rely on the education of our people.
Julia Gillard
I think there is nothing sexier than laughter lines.
Isla Fisher
Be eager in your desires but humbly patient in their accomplishment.
Mary MacKillop
We are limited only by our thoughts.
Miranda Kerr
Perfection is unattainable.
Jen Daltz
When you have a dream you have to work hard to achieve that dream. Your dreams when you are young can be the force that keeps you going.
Evonne Goolagong Cawley
You have to make peace with yourself. The key is to find the harmony in what you have.
Naomi Watts
I think where men are credited for being strong, women are divas. I just think it’s such a cop out.
Natalie Imbruglia
Cooking is hard work, but when it is done with love, it really is a pleasure.
Maggie Beere
If we don’t band together as women to help each other, we won’t move forward.
Nicole Kidman
You can choose not to be interested in politics, but you can’t choose to be unaffected by it.
Penny Wong
Stop leaving and you will arrive. Stop searching and you will see. Stop running away and you will be found.
Anne Geddes
Some ideas, like what you’re going to do with your life, take time to form.
Cate Blanchette
You are free to think thoughts of worry or joy, and whatever you choose will attract the same kind back to you. Worry attracts worry. Joy attracts joy.
Rhonda Bryne
Success flows when you throw yourself in and have a go – mistakes and all!
Emma Isaacs
My life is my own and I will live it fearlessly and daringly.
Lisa Messenger
The only limitations are the ones we put on ourselves.
Ita Buttrose
It’s not vanity to feel you hae the right to be beautiful.
Elle McPherson
When you find your passion, that is the pathway to the job of your dreams.
Lisa Wilkinson
I think women out there should just be happy with the way they look, they shouldn’t really try to conform to any kind of stereotype. Just be happy and hopefully healthy.
Rebel Wilson
I used to get stressed out, but my cancer has put everything into perspective.
Deltra Goodrem
I’m not someone who thinks about the past. I’m so busy thinking about what I’m going to do today.
Maggie Tabberer
We must get to work on creating a safe and equal society for all women and children.
Natasha Stott Despoja
This journey that I’ve been on has shown me that it doesn’t matter how big your muscles are – you need to have a big heart and you need to have a strong attitude and mindset.
Turia Pitt
If I can do it, so can you, and by the way confidence is contagious.
Janine Ellis
In life, you may face hard times. But in the face of adversity, always seek to remain positive. What we think, will eventually become our life. And if we think positive, you will have a positive life.
Sarah Wilson
All I can give you is my personality, who I am, what my mum and dad have taught me, and music.
Jessica Mauboy
You should never apologize for who you are and what makes up your world and your life. You should always ask for help when you need it.
Donna Hay
If you’re good at it, you can win.
Dawn Fraser
You must stand as guard at the door of your own mind and choose to be positive.
Gail Kelly – Westpac (CEO)
I think for most people it’s hard to understand what it is about swimming – I mean it’s such a solour endeavour.
Stephanie Rice
I made a promise to myself that I would.
Kate Cebrano
Work-wise, it’s been really good to have a break
Sarah Murdoch
There are so many people out there who will tell you that you can’t. What you’ve got to do is turn around and say ‘watch me’
Layne Beachley
Life with a newborn is beyond exhausting. You have no idea what to do. What I learned is that the hard times come and go.
Natalie Bassingthwaigthe
You need to work out how much you need to pay in wages and rent and have back up plans if things don’t go the way you think they will.
Hayley Lewis
Everyone has determination – it’s a question of how you use it. Hers is based on power and success and conquering; she doesn’t care what she has to do or who gets hurt in the process. In that way we’re very, very different.
Dannii Minogue
We Believe that every human being has the right to be healthy. We provide people with logical, reliable and ethical information and tools that are not constrained by society, falsehoods or damaging technology.
Cyndi O’Meara
It is better to do what you love for work, but if it is your day job that enables an unpaid passion, then your life is still sweeter. What is important is that you make time for your dreams, not whether or not you get paid for it.
Tara Moss
The body achieves what the mind believes.
Lorna Jane
I want to tell people that family violence happens to anybody, no matter how nice your house is, no matter how intelligent you are.
Rosie Batty
Dream a little dream.
Meagan Hess
You are not selfish about anything. You become selfless, if anything, and it’s a love you have never felt before. Your life becomes all about them and what you do revolves around them. I love it.
Megan Gale
Loyalty, kindess and compassion are very important in friendship and business partnerships. I like to think I have those qualities, too.
Jennifer Hawkins
To be happy is, I guess, the most important thing in life.
Princess Mary
I’d sit at my computer and try to pull away from myself, because I was like, ‘My dad’s going to read this!’ I just giggled the whole way through and thought ‘maybe I’m not the best person to be writing sex scenes’. And anyway, you can imply it.
Zoe Foster
The ocean humbles you. You can go and win a world title, but you’re never going to beat the ocean.
Stephanie Gilmore
I still can’t believe that I’ve achieved what I have. It’s like I’ve lived a dream for about five years now.
Karrie Webb
I want to get the national talking about brain cancer.
Carrie Bickmore
Yes, you can have it all, but not all at the same time. Set your own priorities, trust your gut and follow your heart.
Quentin Bryce
The silence of loss makes the noise of life music to my ears.
Jessica Watson
My most amazing discovery was becoming a mother. It changed everything. I can’t imagine my life without these little beings.
Deborra-Lee Furness
To be driven by passion is more likely to bring success than to be drive by money. It’s an unrealistic notion that money makes you happy.
Carolyn Creswell
It’s okay to have fun in business.
Naomi Simson
It’s not vanity to feel you have the right to be beautiful.
Elle McPherson
Please remember that life is precious, and you are precious and treat yourself accordingly.
Dr Libby
If I feel confident in something, I don’t care about what someone thinks.
You are constantly feeling overwhelmed, taken advantages off, used, disrespected, unheard, unappreciated and devalued. You feel frustrated that no one respects you and who you are. Have you ever held them accountable, called them out when they’ve crossed your boundaries? Do you even hold boundaries?
Boundaries are not the enemy, they are your best friend. Boundaries are trying to look after you and your mental wellbeing. Healthy boundaries enable you to create a life in which you don’t feel compromised and taken advantage of all the time.
When you are constantly allowing your boundaries to be pushed, you will find yourself feeling angry, resentful, exhausted and lost.
What benefits do you gain from setting boundaries?
Boundaries enable you to establish a strong healthy connect to your mental health and overall wellbeing. To know your limitations and your expectations. To confidently stand strong when you feel your boundaries are being compromised or disrespected.
Boundaries are a great way to hold true to yourself and know what your values are, and what you’re willing to tolerate.
Where to start?
Know yourself. What is it you want? What is it you hold of value to yourself? What will you not tolerate from others? These collectively compromise to make your values.
Your values are like the poles that hold up the boundary fence. Knowing them and holding them strongly, keep your fence strong. Comprising them will eventually lead to your fence falling over, and everything coming in and getting out. Not where you want to be? Right?
Defining your boundaries
1. Write a list of the things you value, the thing you love. Eg: friendship, family, walks on the beach, talking to friends.
2. Write a second list of the things that you don’t like. eg: bad language, always saying yes when you want to say no, not make your own self care a priority.
3. For all the items, you don’t like listed on #2, think of scenarios and possible ways you can – manage or respond to them. Eg: someone swearing – you might say ‘Excuse me I would be grateful if you didn’t swear in front of me’, or you may decide some situations with friends you would call them out on it, but others aren’t worth the effort. When people are always asking you to do thing you necessarily want to do – you may respond with ‘I’ll need to think about it and come back to you’, or ‘thanks for your kind offer but unfortunately I can’t. Or you can simply say ‘No thank you I can’t’ and remember you can simply say no without explanation. Your reasons are yours, not theirs. You don’t have to justify your why.
4. Make a list of the things you would love to do as part of your self-care routine. Eg: mediation, gym, daily walk, massage, book club, dance, weekend away, quiet time. Use your diary to book some of these times in. Booking it in your diary mean you’ll commit to it.
5. Make a regular habit to do positive things for yourself. The more positive and happy you are, the stronger your mindset and willpower, and your ability to maintain your healthy boundaries.
What happens if the boundaries are compromised?
Simply re-start building the boundary back up, make sure self-care is first priority and re-establish your mindset around what you will tolerate. Don’t expect that your boundaries won’t ever be weakened or even knocked over, because life is unpredictable and we can’t always expect the unexpected. You just have to keep checking in with yourself regularly and being alert and mindful of how you’re feeling and what might be compromising your wellbeing.
Being a business owner and operating my business remotely, here are some of the tools (hardware and software) I use to enable me to have the flexibility.
My hardware is basically my laptop, mobile phone, internet connect (I have my home internet when working at home, and I have a mobile wi-fi for working elsewhere).
My software programs are;
Dropbox, stores all my files and I can access them from any location. I can also share folders and files with clients or project teams.
Hootesuite, I use to schedule and monitor my social media accounts such as Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+. I schxaedule my content for Facebook directly onto Facebook.
Bulkly is a service that connects to your Buffer account. The neat thing about Bulkly is that it will automatically add and recycle your social media updates back into your Buffer account. This means no more manually adding content into your Buffer queue. It’s a real time saver!
Asana, I use to manage my workload and client projects. Asana allows me to invite people into various projects, or clients and I to manage our workload.
Canva & PicMonkey, I use to create social media posts for clients. Additionally, I have a paid cloud based Adobe account for Photoshop which I use a lot to create my blog and social media images. Along with Adobe Acrobat to create fillable PDF files and edit PDF files, which I do for clients.
Skype, allows me to liaise with clients face to face, or voice only. And it’s free.
LastPass, I use to store all clients and my passwords, so I only have to use one password to get into my LastPass account. It also enables clients to share their passwords with me, without actually giving me the password itself.
Xero, I have just started using Xero for my accounts, having previously used Freshbooks. Both are cloud based, so I can managed and invoice clients.
Most of these programs are either free, offer a trial period or are well priced.
Do you have any favourite programs you love using?
In life we can find ourselves feeling overwhelmed or blocked, and these can be from what I call ‘white noises’. When we are filled with white noises, they are complexities distracting us from the path we choose to be on, and we can become filled with so many emotions that we are utterly confused and consumed with self-doubt. We loose our ability to listen or trust our own instincts.
You may relate to some of these white noises that have represent themselves somewhere along the line. You may have been strong at the time and able to stop them from causing blockages for you. However for many, when trying to establish a business, or change direction, or strive to reach their heart-desired goal, they are already vulnerable and cracks can already be appearing in their confidence. This can be purely from stepping outside their comfort zone, which can result in ‘white noises’ seeping in.
The types of white noises are
Family, friends or business colleagues telling you WHAT or HOW you should be doing things, or simply telling you everything wrong with what you are currently doing.
Sales tactics roping you into buy products or services you don’t need, resulting in you getting information overload.
Your own self-doubt – thinking you’re not good enough, capable, or worthy
Comparing yourself to others in their journeys
Over-analysing everything
Emotions caused by white noises
When we are consumed by white noises we can find ourselves feeling the following:
Overwhelmed
Insecure
Self conscious
Unsure
Lost
Blocked
Confused
Angry
Flat / Low
How to stop white noises
When you find yourself feeling consumed by white noises and their emotions, it’s the one important time you need to step back from the situation and find alternative ways for you to relax and switch off.
Why switch off?
Because when we step away from the melting moment, we can find ourselves become more clear-headed and able to listen to what our own instincts are telling us.
There are times when white noises can just be so overwhelming and you may find yourself unable to switch off or grasp a clear vision of where you are going. This is where a coach can help you, we work to help you work through your blocks, help you get clear on your goals and support you every step of the way.
Welcome! I’m Anne.
Grab yourself a nice cup of coffee or tea, and enjoy the read. My articles are written to teach and inspire.
