If you do get invited to speak at an event, or create an event and speak, here are a few points to remember:

5 Easy Tips To Enhance Your Public Speaking

1)  Have an Opinion.  Don’t be afraid to have an opinion and share it!  Don’t just regurgitate stats from slides, lots of people can do that.  Be bold.  You are there for a reason. Remember, people are WANTING to hear from you – that’s why they are sitting in front of you.

2)  Keep People on Your Side.  Remember the people that are watching you WANT you to succeed.  They want to be able to tell their friends, boss, or employees what a great time they had and how awesome the speaker(s) was/were.  We saw a speaker last year that started out by getting in an argument with the audio person… It set a terrible tone for the whole presentation, and immediately the room became put off by the speaker.

3)  Connect With Other Speakers.  If there are multiple speakers or vendors at an event, remember the best networking opportunities, are actually with other presenters or panelists.  We have booths at events sometimes simply to network with other vendors.  The audience is first, but a dang close second is the other speakers/presenters/panelists/vendors.

4)  Stay Calm.  Remember that the other speakers or panelists are just as nervous as you are.  Trust me on this.

5)  Music.  Our friend Bill Seaver speaks a ton.  He always gets to his presentations early and tries to use his computer…  About 10 minutes prior to his presentations, he starts playing songs from his iTunes account. We asked him about this, and he said that it was much easier going from a room with music on, then to start with a ‘cold’ room.  He also said that music seemed to encourage people to chat with each other before he spoke, which loosened them up a bit.  We’ve incorporated this into our presentations, and it DOES make a difference.  Music ‘soothes the savage beast’ and apparently warms up a room!

What do you think?  Do you speak in public?  What would you add to this list?

It takes time to truly find your niche and even more importantly, your perfect clients.

When Transparent launched, we got really good, really fast at developing custom fan pages on Facebook, and sold a boatload of them last year.  This year, we are selling them, but instead of the ‘star of the show’ the custom fan pages are becoming a highly sophisticated bolt-on to an overall marketing plan.  Recently we have been helping existing companies rebrand themselves, launch new social savvy, mobile friendly, websites with deep Google Analytics integration and then adding the fan pages as part of that plan.  These websites have some sophisticated features – stores, ‘liquid design’ meaning they look great and different on tablets and mobile phones, social plugins, ticketing systems, full SEO packages and interactive areas for the customers and their clients.

How then, do you explain to someone that has watched you grow your business that you aren’t the same company you were 6 months ago?  If you see people once a month at networking events or chamber meetings, you are constantly playing catch-up and may find yourself explaining the ‘new’ work you are doing.  Finding a new client and explaining the ‘you today’ seems easier… Or is it?

Yes!  Your existing clients are worth the effort!! Your evolution may never stop and you need to get good at updating your 20 second ‘elevator pitch’.  It may be something like “I’m glad you asked what we are doing, as you know we did ____________ for the last year, and because we’ve grown we are now doing ____________… Let me tell you about a project we just completed.”  Plus, as you develop new services, your clients can take advantage of the ‘new you.’

We have focused on solid infrastructure from the beginning of Transparent, so our production hasn’t been thrown off by our evolution – Keeping our clients in the loop regarding new products, services and our abilities, is something we are getting better at.  Here are a few suggestions:

1)  Blog!  For the love of all that’s HOLY tell people what you are doing and post some articles!  If you can’t write, do a video blog.  If you can’t do either, hire someone!
2)  Have a good, professional newsletter and USE it!  Once a month may be just right for your business, but let your clients know what is going on!
3)  Facebook/Twitter/LinkedIn/Pinterest/Google+/YouTube – update your profiles in these areas.  Pick a few to be great at and then give some love to the others.
4)  Work on your “New You” elevator pitch.  It should be less than 20 seconds and contain ‘what’s happening now’.
5)  Update your website.  We are in the process of a site overhaul and I can’t wait to display our projects.  This is always a challenge for web companies because your clients get your web development attention before you do, but you owe it to yourself to display your new work!

How has this process been for you?  Have you had to deal with client expectations as your business has grown?

Jason | Transparent Social Media

Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn,
Custom Facebook Fan Pages
www.transparentsocialmedia.com
100 Cups of Coffee in 100 Days
Powered by Transparent {Social} Media – Are you?

I met Mailynne Calvin 2009 at a networking event that I attended on behalf of my former web company employer.

“She’s great to deal with”.

“She took ownership of our project”.

“She’s a great writer and got back to us right away”.

I had no idea how key this relationship would be for my future business endeavors.

When I formed Transparent Social Media, Mailynne was the first person I went after for support. Fast forward 2 years later, and I can’t imagine our business without her. I asked her to share about herself, how she sets up her days and what it’s like working on a remote team in the workplace of the future.

1) What Started Your Entrepreneurial Journey?
Mailynne: As with many other people I fell victim to the faltering economy in 2009. I had always worked in corporate PR, marketing & communications but didn’t always feel it was the right path for me. At the time I could have tightened up my resume and gone on the hunt for another job, perpetuating the cycle I wasn’t sure I wanted to be in, or I could take the leap and pursue working independently. Ultimately my dreams prevailed and I started working independently taking on clients and helping them with all their online marketing efforts and content writing. I also partnered in other business ventures and learned a lot about business systems. Networking and referral business was a big part of how I was able to get off the ground, which is why I feel so passionately about referral marketing and networking. In the process I fell in love with social media and how my clients and businesses could use this powerful marketing tool for their business. Eventually I ended up merging together with Transparent Social Media and here we stand!

2) What do you miss about having an office to go to every day?
Mailynne: Absolutely nothing!

3) How do you structure your workday?
Mailynne: I check to see what special design treats our night-owl designer drops in our project management system first. Then I do most communication replies, social media engagement, and project check-up work in the morning. If it’s a meeting day I do phone calls and meetings through the middle of the day. Then early afternoons I stick to admin-related tasks and follow-up. If I have any writing or creative items that need to be done I usually reserve those for an evening hour since that is my most creative time.

4) What is it like working with a mobile team – the good and the bad…
Mailynne: I love working with a mobile team and feel the flexibility we have is really what gives us an edge. But it takes the right team members to make this work – not everyone is cut out to be part of a remote team (and that’s fine!) The only downside is that sometimes it is nice to be around people while you are working. Ultimately my goal has been to be able to work from wherever I’m at with my computer and internet access – and that’s what we do!

5) How do you feel about the culture at Transparent Social Media?
Mailynne: I didn’t know this culture was what I was looking for until I found it. There’s something very powerful about working with people who have the same mindset and see the same vision. We all know where we came from, where we’re at, and where we’re going and we continue to keep leadership and service at the top of our priorities.

6) What is one thing you wish people knew about us?
Mailynne: We may be small but we’re highly capable – possibly more so than larger firms because we consistently work on our business systems and efficiency.

7) What is one thing you wish people knew about you?
Mailynne:  I started out as an extremely shy and quiet person. I’ve grown to a much more self-confident and assertive person through the process (and still have a ways to go). But the personal growth is probably my favorite part of being an entrepreneur.

What are the key factors in your ability to continue to pursue your entrepreneurial dreams?
Mailynne: Commitment to what I wanted my work/life balance to look like and being partnered with and surrounding myself with like-minded, positive people.

9) What do you want to be when you grow up
Mailynne: A leader.

10) If you won the lottery today, what would you be doing in a month?
Mailynne: Giving to all those I have wanted to help along the way, supporting other people’s businesses, contributing more money to business projects, working on business ventures with the same team, continuing to dive into social media and online tools that help businesses – all from a house on the beach.

11) How do you manage, RLI, Transparent Social Media, your own consulting pursuits and new opportunities?
Mailynne: I stay as organized as possible and leverage resources when I can.

12) What is one piece of advice you would offer to someone that doesn’t fit into a corporate structured job and wants to do their own thing?
Mailynne: Pursue what you’re interested in, even if it’s just part time. Always be working to improve yourself and network to build relationships – they’ll take you places you never could have imagined.

Thanks Mai! I’m humbled to have you on this team and thankful for the work and 100% effort you give to our internal efforts and our clients.

Jason | Transparent Social Media

Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn,
Custom Facebook Fan Pages
www.transparentsocialmedia.com
100 Cups of Coffee in 100 Days
Powered by Transparent {Social} Media – Are you?

I love what I do and I’m the consummate optimist. 

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7 Dirty Secrets of Entrepreneurship:

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1. IT’S LONELY.You work LOTS of hours (especially at first). You barely have time for family and shy away from hobbies.  Your existing friends may not understand the pressures you will face, and you won’t be able to relate as well with people that have ‘normal jobs’ after awhile.-
   
   Silver Lining:  Other entrepreneurs are lonely too, and through your work and or networking groups, you will become great friends with other business owners.

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2. MANIC.  You’ll feel afraid 50% of the time, and invincible the other 50%.  This will make you a borderline lunatic.
   Silver Lining:  If embraced – these emotions keep each other in check, so your ego never blows up too big (because the fear of failing is right around the corner).  Plus – Roller Coasters are fun!

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3. JUGGLING OCTOPUS.  You’ll feel like a juggling octopus.  A business requires; client development, client retention, project management, marketing, fulfillment, billing, technology use/fixing, networking, collections, managing expectations, employee/partner management etc. – and sometimes all in the same day.
   Silver Lining:  You become very aware of what you are good at. I know people that spend their whole lives working at jobs they hate.  I never wanted to do that… I also never knew exactly WHAT I was great at until starting this business.

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4. FACE HURT?  IT’S KILLING ME. Your teeth will hurt.  There isn’t a good comprehensive health plan for your teeth if you work for yourself… so you will go without good dental care for awhile.   Your spouse and kids will take first priority in the ‘teeth area’ if someone in the family needs it, so just know that you may experience some physical pain.  *You can replace ‘teeth’ with back, or eyes, or joints – the normal stuff you might stay on top of with a corporate health plan.
   Silver Lining:  If your business is successful, the long term ‘benefits’ will have more to do with time and opportunities you can provide for your family.  That’s what I’m working for.

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5. HOME OFFICE HANGUP. Working at home is R E A L L Y difficult.  Nobody tells you this.  I dreamed of a home office when I was driving an hour one way to work… And after about 14 months of working at home, I couldn’t wait to get into some kind of office again.  At home, it’s easy to start work when you wake up and stop working when you go to sleep.  It’s also easy for someone to ask you to ‘switch the laundry’.  There’s nothing wrong with taking a break to switch the laundry, but if you are 2 hours into a digital marketing plan, the question “can you switch the laundry” might as well be the ‘Men in Black’ brain scrambling device.  It’s impossible to start at that same level of creative product creation after switching the laundry.-
   Silver Lining:  You can do crazy cool things like go to your kids school programs, take a nap, go for a walk, play a video game, watch the NCAA Basketball Tournament, go hang out with your entrepreneurial buddies, have coffee with your mom, go to a movie with your in-laws, go see your brother 5 hours away, and have lunch with your family.  All of which I have done in the middle of a ‘work day’.  It’s easy to make up the time early in the morning or late at night in a home office.

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6. CASH FLOW FRUSTRATION. You will always want to invest in the business, yourself, your staff and your ideas.  You may get frustrated that everyone gets paid before you do… It’s YOUR business after all!  I’ve heard the term ‘cash is king’ but honestly, in business, cash FLOW is king.  Get your head around going without personal stuff for awhile so you can have a reserve.  Also, if you aren’t great at managing money, (I’m not) make sure you have a KILLER business partner/manager (I do).  Building up reserves is hard and takes longer than you want.
   Silver Lining:  If you have cash available, you will find yourself having opportunities to capture new business and support other businesses (which will lead to new business).

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7. IT NEVER ENDS. Having fun makes you feel guilty.  A night out with your family, a hobby, a vacation, a 3 day weekend, a day of golf, watching tv, a long meal, seeing your uncle – all can lead to feelings of guilt.  Your business needs more than you can ever give it.
   Silver Lining:   Having this level of commitment, leads to a passion for what you are doing that you simply can’t find working for someone else.

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What do you think?  Do you agree with this list?  Any one of these ‘secrets’ resonate with you?

“What?  You mean I shouldn’t ‘buy’ my followers?  I could get to 1000 fans OVERNIGHT for $150!”  I sat bewildered at the statement.  “Jason, I saw this ad on Facebook that said I could have 1000 followers and I want 1000 followers now!”.
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I said “Who are they?”
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“I don’t care…” he said.
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“Yes you do!” I said – raising my voice more than I meant to.

The meeting ended shortly after that.

FACEBOOK FOLLOWERS
I understand that a TON of followers on Facebook means something to you.  Even if you say you don’t really care, you raise your eyebrows when a competitor has THOUSANDS more followers than you do.  I do too.  However – a group of 250 passionate fans is better than 1000 people that aren’t paying attention – or worse – that are made up.  I’ve seen it happen.  A global ministry contacted me after they hired a company to add “thousands of Fans”.  They noticed that most of them never engaged, and after I researched why, I noticed they were made up profiles.  A company was creating these fake Facebook profiles, using stock images with fabricated biographic info, and then selling packages of “Fans” to unsuspecting buyers.

The ministry wanted to build quickly and purchased a bad product – I truly believe they didn’t know any better, it was just a poor decision.

OFFLINE
The secret to building followers ONLINE is combining that ONLINE strategy with your OFFLINE marketing strategy.  My friends at P.E.S.T. Inc ran a promotion last fall with a coloring contest.  They had us draw their VW “Bug” as a black and white picture.  Then they printed it off and gave it out to hundreds of families at some Halloween events.  They encouraged these families to have their children color the sheet (which was also a coupon for a discounted first time service) and submit it to them in person or online.  They then posted the pictures of these colored sheets in a Facebook gallery for their Facebook Fans to vote on.  Several winners in each age range won a pass to a local bowling alley/ fun center (which fits their family oriented brand).   They added Facebook followers during the promotion, but did most of the work to get those followers offline.

To increase your fans online:

1. Post often.  At least once a day.
2. Post interactive content.  Our Status 5P Method should help you.  Status {5P}
3. Give something away or post something valuable to the ‘Facebook Only’ community (coupon, gift, give away, special discount, special item).
4. Tell the people you meet about your Facebook Page, but also let them know WHY they need to follow you.  “Follow us on Facebook” isn’t good enough.  “Follow us on Facebook to receive special tips and Facebook Only discounts” is better.
5. Make sure your Facebook Page info is on your business card, website, coupons, newsletter etc.
6. Ask.  Simply asking people to follow your business page regularly is necessary (as long as you have a good reason).

The above list will surely help you build followers online, just make sure you are combining your online and offline strategies.

Honest with yourself.

Honest with your employees or partners.

Honest with your prospects.

Honest with your clients.

At least that’s what’s been happening with my team.

It’s not like I went around telling lies to everyone prior to starting a business  -  however your proclivity to telling the truth becomes heightened. In my past sales ‘jobs’ my main goal (outside of getting the deal) was to ‘glad hand’ and make everyone happy.  This caused problems with customers and internal team members from time to time because I was nervous to have the tough conversations – such as letting a client know know that their project was going to be late or that the new feature they requested was really expensive to add, or that their idea may completely fail.  My father called this ‘lying by omission’ – which is leaving out a factual detail deliberately that would drastically changed the meaning of what was said.

I was afraid of losing the deal.

Now, in my business, losing a deal might be the best thing that happens – it opens up the slot for the deal that’s a perfect fit!! We are so focused on finding the RIGHT clients that we aren’t able to be all thing to all businesses.

BOOK EXAMPLE
Recently, a prospect was asking about a family centered ebook, she wrote, that she wanted to put on a custom Facebook tab as a download for purchase.  My team analyzed it, and we told her “Based on our experience with ebooks, we think updating the images to reflect newer fashion styles (the images were a bit outdated) and charging an amount that fit a typical digital download price would be a better Facebook purchase model”.  She said she wasn’t willing to do that because of the ‘value of the information in the book.’  I then asked her the tough question… “How many of these books have you sold on your website over the last 2 years?”.  The potential client hesitantly told me the answer.  Based on the historic data and our current research, this project had a low probability for success, and we let her know that.  She said “You are the best option I have to test my theory and I want it on this platform.”

When we bring a new project in, we analyze the probabilities for success and failure, and communicate our opinions to the client.  We tell the customer the potential risks and rewards up front, and therefore remove any anxious conversations later. I never want to hear “I wish you would have TOLD me ___________.” I call this killing the elephant in the room.

I would encourage you to have the challenging conversations with your clients on the FRONT end of the deal, vs. working hard to simply ‘get the deal’ and hope things work out.

One of my favorite Nashville singer/songwriter, guitar virtuosos is Will Kimbrough.   Will is an award winning – sought after session and touring guitar player and his guitar playing skills are fierce.  He has played with and been recorded by Jimmy Buffet, Todd Snider, Tommy Womack (in their band Daddy), Emmylou Harris, Adrienne Young, and lately he’s been on tour with a super talented blues/folk singer songwriter named Brigitte Demeyer.  I saw him play during the Americana fest at the Station Inn and I was hooked.

Will is also a savvy social media user.  We don’t always think of YouTube being a social media site, but it’s the second largest search engine and Americans spent almost 10 billion minutes per month there.  That’s a LOT of eyeballs and sharing opportunities. Will Kimbrough started a simple and smart idea called “Lick of the Day” where he plays a ‘guitar lick’ and shows you how to play along. These aren’t the boring how-to videos either. He adds lots of personality and you get a snapshot into the life of a working musician.

Here are 12 reasons I love Will Kimbrough’s “Lick of the Day” idea for social media marketing:

1)  He displays his crazy awesome skills. Why wouldn’t you want THIS guy to play in your band or on your album?

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2)  He posts every Wednesday, so it gives his fans something to look forward to every week, and keeps his name, face and skills in front of them, even if there is no album to discuss.

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3)  He’s being helpful by showing a guitar player HOW to better their skills, which shows his helpful personality.

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4)  He can promote a product – he mentions the “Planet Waves Micro Tuner” a few times.  (But it’s super subtle – great product placement.)

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5)  The cost is REALLY low for this incredible self promotion.  The camera is decent and the sound quality is good, but an iPhone would work for this type of video.

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6)  He promotes the artists he’s playing with… Which makes him more valuable as a ‘fan draw’.  I went to the Bridgette Demeyer show because I knew Will and figured she must be good if he’s playing.  (She was).  If you were a touring musician, would you want an unknown guitar slinger or a person with a passionate following?  This increases his overall value.

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7)  He shows how active he is.  Some of his latest videos were recorded in Sweden.

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8)  It’s easy.  When he’s on the road, he already has his guitars with him of course – so the entire promotional piece can be shot, edited and posted in less than 30 minutes.

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9)  This is a huge commercial for his upcoming show dates as well as an album, single, or project.

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10)  With YouTube, you can add links to iTunes or a website, to increase traffic.

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11)  It’s easy to share or embed these videos (see below).

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12)  These videos are great for a broad audience – experienced guitar players, guitar students, gear heads, music nuts, and fans of him or anyone he’s playing with.

How could you apply this idea to your business? Watch a few of these videos for inspiration and I’ll bet you can figure out a way!

Jason | Transparent Social Media

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Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn,
Custom Facebook Fan Pages
www.transparentsocialmedia.com
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I watched an episode recently where Mike and Frank were commissioned by the NASCAR Hall of Fame Museum to find specific items to coincide with the launch of an updated museum display about the history of NASCAR.  They were given a few leads and went off on a couple of ‘picks’ to gather some items.

During a stop, they met a man named “Tiger” Tom Pistone.  Tiger Tom started racing cars in 1950, and joined NASCAR in 1955. He raced, and then designed chassis to help teams build faster cars.  One of his inventions was a wheel “spindle” system that allowed the cars to corner better. This item was a perfect fit for the NASCAR Hall of Fame Museum.  During the negotiations for a set of these spindles, it was apparent that Tiger was attached to these items.  They are “part of me” he said.  When Mike and Frank explained to him that “Thousands and thousands of people each year will see your design” he softened up and asked “Are they going to have a history (plaque) about how it was made and who used it?”  They assured him that it would have his name on the display… After hearing that, he not only sold a set to them, he gave them a great price.

Being recognized impacted Tiger Tom’s decision to sell something he viewed as ‘part of him’.  The recognition was more valuable than money.

When it comes to star employees, teammates and clients, how often are you telling the world about them?  My prospects and clients hear about our awesome project manager, key designer, and my brilliant business partner prior to meeting them.  It adds a level of credibility to my team and I’m truly blessed to work with business rock stars.  My team (and anyone that spends any time with me) hears about the companies that I am working with and how their businesses are growing quickly or how they are launching a new service or product.  Social media is a GREAT platform to promote others.  Facebook and Twitter make this process super simple.  A quick shout out to your employees or clients after a meeting will help the world know how much you appreciate them.

I would encourage you to use recognition honestly and often. You will get better production out of your team when you tell them how much you appreciate them, and your clients will appreciate the exposure.

Jason | Transparent Social Media

Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn,

Custom Facebook Fan Pages

www.transparentsocialmedia.com

100 Cups of Coffee in 100 Days

Powered by Transparent {Social} Media – Are you?

When I started Transparent Social Media less than two years ago, I couldn’t have predicted the cool and humbling opportunities that have presented themselves.

As we were building our curriculum he said “I love the unique stuff your group is doing with Facebook, but how are you utilizing Twitter?”  I had to admit that I didn’t have a good handle on Twitter for my business and certainly not for my clients.  He said “Jason, if you are going to be teaching social media on any level, you HAVE to understand Twitter.”  Steve spent a morning walking through Twitter concepts and talked about how ‘birds of a feather flock together on Twitter’.  He said “you are what you tweet, and you need to be connected with other smart people in your ‘space’.”  He told me to follow others that were already doing what I wanted to do with my company, and asked me for an example of a social media marketing person I wished I knew.   I said “there’s that Dave Delaney guy in Nashville that seems like he’s right in the thick of it all.”  He gave me some advice on how to connect with Dave on Twitter and said “Jason, if you just work on it a little, you’ll be able to grab coffee or work with him someday.”

And right then… the “Stalking Dave Delaney Strategy” was born.  Here are the basics:

1.    FOLLOW:  Follow someone you want to get to know.
2.    SHARE:   After learning about them and what they like, share relevant information with them.
3.    SUPPORT:   ReTweet them if/when their tweets are helpful or relevant to your audience.
4.    BE YOURSELF:  Don’t be obnoxious or pander to people (be yourself, they are people too).

Over time I learned that Dave is a music lover, appreciates unique marketing concepts, is an intellectual (he likes Radio Lab) and is a connector of people – Dave is also heavily involved in social media and marketing groups in and around Nashville and is a sought after speaker.  I met him in person once last fall, but we’ve exchanged pleasantries, video links, our favorite marketing stunts and ideas through Twitter, and over time, I’ve earned the right to ask him to meet with me or answer a question.  Without building this type of relationship, I’m just some social media nerd that Dave doesn’t know in Hendersonville, Tennessee.

The fact that he’s willing to contribute to this blog post is proving the point that the Stalking Dave Delaney Strategy works!   I asked Dave to review this idea and add a thought:

FROM DAVE:

Great advice Jason! It’s important to remember that everyone is human. I love the fact that we have connected.  If the person you are trying to reach doesn’t respond, you probably don’t need them in your life anyway. Big heads suck.

If you are not using Twitter to connect with people you would like to know you are seriously missing out.  Try this strategy and let me know how it works for you!

{Check out Dave’s Website Here}

Jason | Transparent Social Media

Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn,
Custom Facebook Fan Pages
www.transparentsocialmedia.com
100 Cups of Coffee in 100 Days
Powered by Transparent {Social} Media – Are you?

We recorded this video in 2010 for a social media Bootcamp.

I hang out with Bill Seaver at least once a month at the Hendersonville Geek Breakfast.   Geek breakfast is a fun opportunity to get together with others that are interested in gadgets, technology, web services, apps and social media to discuss trends and other geeky stuff. 

When I started building my company, Bill was my social media mentor and helped me shape some concepts about social media marketing.  We’ve become friends and refer business to each other and share some resources.

Last week, he mentioned that he wanted to focus on blogging again and I told him that I wanted to as well… I mentioned that I missed writing and needed to commit to it.  He said he was going to do a blogging challenge, and would post a new article Monday through Friday every week in the month of April.  I hesitated – thinking about my workload, but agreed to the challenge.

Here are 7 reasons I’m blogging frequently, and why you should too:

1.  PASSION:  I love to write.  There is something therapeutic about writing and it’s a great creative outlet for me.

2.  RELEVANCE:   I preach ‘blogging’ to my clients and the importance for branding, SEO, and positioning.  Nobody will think you are an expert in anything if they never hear your thoughts.  Writing is a great way to share your thoughts with others!  We offer blogging as part of our digital marketing packages – I KNOW how valuable it is for businesses.

3.  SPEED OF ANSWERS:  I get asked many of the same questions over and over.  “How will Timeline impact my Facebook Page?” is a common questions.  I can have a 20 minute phone conversation or take 3 seconds and send someone a link with WAY more details and screen shots.  (Here’s my Timeline Article).

4.  FORCED CHANGE:  I have wanted to do more video blogging and believe in the importance of video for my clients.  I’m hoping that this will help me get over my fear of recording videos and posting them.  Video will be a HUGE part of marketing in the future and I need to be on the front side of it – I’m already behind in my industry.

5.  WEB TRAFFIC:  If you write 2 articles a month, that’s 24 more pages of content per year online than your competitors have.  In the last 3 days, I can already see the boost in web traffic on Transparent Social Media’s website.  Producing fresh content and posting it on a blog or your website is a great way to enhance visibility.

6.  SPEAKING MATERIAL:  Public speaking has become part of my long term strategy for business development and I love every second of it.  I build presentations for these engagements based on current topics.  Writing these posts will give me a repository of topics to choose from and will help me easily build future presentations.

7.  BOOK GOALS: I am in the process of compiling information for some books that I am writing.  If I don’t focus on consistent writing, I’ll never finish them.

How about you?  Are you interested in joining?  Bill has a post about starting this challenge as well, and he’ll add you to the list if you want to join us!