Most internet marketers use social media sites like Facebook, and Twitter (some even still use MySpace) as a business platform to grow and connect their networks.

These networks are a great avenue to connect with potential customers.

If you are considering using social media sites, the following methods can assist you in successfully using social media marketing.

Adding Friends

Let me start by saying social media isn’t just about making yourself look “popular” by having a huge number of followers. Yes you want followers, that’s the whole idea but you want targeted followers!

So, don’t go to Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, YouTube, etc and just start adding this person and that person for the sake of gaining followers. Many people find this annoying and do not “friend” the person back.

If you’re doing this you’ll find that you will end up with hundreds or thousands of people you’re following but very few people following you back.

The ‘right’ way of expanding and growing your network is to find people with interests similar to yours and only add them if they truly seem interesting to you.

Once you have done this, you must show them the value of “friending” you back by offering interesting, relevant, or entertaining content to show you are a real person of value to know.

Status Updates

Your status updates can illuminate the type of person you are in general.  Keep in mind the type of audience you have and be sure to post only in the tone and with only the news that they will find appropriate and valuable.

It is fine to use a personal account to post status updates like “I’m going to the movies tomorrow with my peeps and I won’t pay for parking hehe ” but this would not be at all welcomed by your audience on your professional account unless you have already established that you are a lighthearted joker that won’t take things seriously.

It is better to remain professional in your business updates to ensure you don’t lose the trust and respect of the people you have worked hard to gain the attention of.

Three Common Mistakes and What to Do Instead

1. No Facebook Fan Page. You start with a Profile Page, but you shouldn’t stop there.  Create your Fan page for business and marketing, and use your Profile Page for friends and family.

You may be surprised to know that your Profile Page is limited to 5000 followers.  While it might seem like a lot more than you could ever manage right now, you will need the room as your business grows.  Marketing on your Profile Page is also discouraged.

Instead, create your Fan Page, where you can have an unlimited number of followers and can market freely.

2. Inconsistency. The biggest downfall after people set up their Fan Page is inconsistency.  You cannot show up now and then and expect to create a loyal following, participation and interaction.

The solution is being consistent.  You do not need to post massive updates several times a day.  Keep it simple, such as adding a great quote or a comment on a current issue and ask your followers what they think.  Or, use regular features such as a poll every Tuesday; this will keep your current followers coming back for more and help you gain new ones.

3. Keeping Your Followers on Your Fan Page. By not inviting your followers to visit elsewhere, you are missing out on big opportunities.  You might be leaving lots of traffic and profits on the table by encouraging your Fan Page traffic to visit elsewhere in your online world.

Rather, add an opt-in box to your Fan Page.  Talk about and invite your followers to other virtual places and events, such as your blog and web conferences and podcasts, or to check out your other social marketing accounts they might also use such as Twitter and YouTube.

P.S. Not sure how to set up a Facebook Fan Page or just don’t have the time to do it? Let Tishia Saves Time help you! For just $25.00 I can get your page set up for you (includes adding logo, newsletter opt-in form, etc).

So many social media sites to keep up with. How do you keep up with them up all? To be honest, I don’t! I use a few sites – Twitter and FaceBook – and don’t worry about the rest of them. It’s time consuming, distracting and over whelming if you try to be a part of them all.

Here are 6 tips to help you make the most out of your social media efforts:

1. Learn how to use all the features. There are many different features to each social media site you’re working with. Be sure to familiarize yourself with all the different features available. For example, to better focus on the core people that are interacting with your brand online, use the demographic information.

2. Stop worrying about the numbers. There is no value in having thousands of followers that ignore what you post! It might look impressive to have hundreds of thousands of people in your network, but to succeed at social media marketing you need to focus on those people who are actually interested in your brand.

3. Set goals. Just like with anything you do online you need to have a purpose for your social media as well so create some goals! Once you’ve set them be sure map out a plan on how you will reach them.

4. Portray yourself as the expert you are! Remember, while social media is to socialize, have fun and make personal connections with people you must still portray yourself as the expert you are! You need to write like it and act like it. Be careful what you say and do (yes that includes being careful of what types of pictures you post as well!)

5. Social media should be used to build relationships and show your expertise not just selling! There needs to be a balance when it comes to selling using social media. No one likes to see a Twitter profile that is nothing but link after link to their services/products. I personally won’t even follow someone back if I look at their profile and see nothing but links! Make sure that a majority of what you do on Twitter & Facebook (and any other social media sites you may use) is personal and interacting with your followers/readers/friends.

6. Don’t forget the negative! There are negatives in social media; make a plan to address them and don’t fear them.  Everyone has a customer now and then that is impossible to please, online or off.  Don’t let them derail your goals.

Your customers want access to interact with you and your company, and using social media sites gives them what they want.  Just be sure to utilize the sites wisely and faithfully.

P.S. I would love to connect with you so be sure to follow me on Twitter and Facebook

My son is playing football this year. I didn’t think that in 6th grade the schedule would be so … well crazy! I figured he’d practice 1 maybe 2 nights a week and have 1 game a week. Boy, was I ever wrong!

They practice 4 nights a week, 2 hours each night (5:30-7:30pm). Games start Saturday September 11th and will be every Saturday through October 23rd. So, that boils down to 5 days a week are filled with football!

What does football have to do with my business?

I’m now forced to stick to ‘business hours’ and shut down for the day! Knowing that I have to be done with work by 4pm every day (at least Monday-Thursday which are football practice nights) has forced me to be productive and focused every day.

There’s no time for the ‘playing’ networking I used to do on FaceBook and Twitter. I have a pretty full VA schedule right now (praise God!) and that means I have to stick to work and no fun from 10am – 4pm.  In the past I would often find myself on FaceBook and Twitter for a couple hours a day, sometimes more (sad I know!) and working later in the evening. Now I just don’t have that option!

My typical day now looks like:

• 10:00am Check Email (mine and clients)
• 11:00am – 1:00pm Client Projects
• 1:00pm – 1:30pm Lunch
• 1:30pm – 3:00pm Client Projects
• 3:00pm – 4:00pm Check Email

It’s actually really nice having a pretty ’set’ schedule now thanks to my son’s football season! Never in a million years did I ever think it would also be good for me and my business but it certainly has been. And it’s only the first week!

Of all the years (4 years and 6 months) I’ve been working from home as a Virtual Assistant this is probably one of the first times I’ve been this regimented when it comes to my business and it feels really gooooood!

So how about you – have you had to be more regimented with your business due to a child’s sport schedule?

I was shocked to see a Facebook comment show up in my news feed last week saying that she had just been in a car accident and was at the hospital! Thankfully, she was not injured severely – lots of bumps and bruises and a bad sprain/strain to one of her wrists. Unfortunately her car was totaled and she’s now car-less.

She’s a friend and I want to do anything I can to help her out! That’s why I signed up for the September Blogging Special she has going on right now. It’s only $10.00 and she’s using the income she makes off this special to go towards a new car. Give up just one fast food meal out and spend that $10.00 on a good cause – helping Crissy get a new car!

What is the September Blogging Special?

• Daily blogging tips, sent to your email from September 1 – 30
• Daily blogging prompts through the month of September. This will eliminate blogger’s block!
• Invitation only web chats throughout September. You will be able to get direct feedback from Crissy on your blogging questions, as well as meet and network with other bloggers.
• A chance at free advertising! There will be a “blogging challenge” contest in September. More details will be announced on September 1 but those who participate, could end up receiving some great free advertising on Crissy’s site!
• And More! She has several surprise bonuses in store for the participants!!!

Hurry! Act now to help Crissy get a new car by purchasing her September Blogging Special!

While I’ve gotten a lot better about things than in the past I do still have three main areas I find myself struggling with.

Work at Home Challenge #1 – ‘Business Hours’

The reason I put that in quotes is because one of the reasons I work from home is so I can work when I want and don’t have to abide by someone else’s business hours. However, to make things easier on my clients I did designate a specific set of hours that I work every day. The point of that was for the purpose of being available to clients for phone meetings, etc. Even with ‘business hours’ I rarely find myself working those hours. I’ll schedule a client meeting during those designated hours but sometimes that’s about all I’ll accomplish during those hours.

I’m a night owl – always have been probably always will be. While most people are in bed you’ll likely find me up and working. I pull some odd hours, oftentimes not going to bed until 3am. Let me just quickly add that during the school year this is rough considering I have to be up at 6am to get my kiddo up and ready for school. But that’s why I work from home – so I can pull late nights and crawl back into bed after I get him off to school

Ok, kidding aside. Let me get to the point of these ‘business hours’. I truly thought I was doing myself a favor when I set Monday-Friday 9am-3pm EST as the hours I would work. It was honestly my attempt at conforming myself to what I saw some others doing and it worked for them (I’m learning that just because something works for others doesn’t mean it’s going to work for myself!)

I’ve thought about changing my ‘business hours’ but there really isn’t any other times that would fit what people would perceive as business hours. It probably wouldn’t look real good if my hours showed 9pm-3am!

I haven’t figured out how to overcome this challenge yet – but I will!

Work at Home Challenge #2 – Shutting Down for the Day

This ties right into work at home struggle #1. As I stated above, one of the reasons I work from home is so that I can work whenever I want. But on another note, one of the reasons I work from home is to be here for my son. As a single mom I find it even more important that I’m at home for him and available to him during the evenings especially during the school year when there’s homework to do, basketball games to attend, etc.

Because I don’t stick to those business hours I mentioned above, I find myself working when my son gets home from school and needs me. I find myself working at night when I should be hanging out with him vegging before it’s time for him to go to bed. Which obviously that arrangement defeats the whole being home for him! Sure I’m here but I’m distracted by work and not giving him my undivided attention.

This challenge is really important that I figure out a solution that best suits me so I can make myself 150% available for my son. Once I figure out the solution to this problem it will probably also make a solution to challenge #1 above.

Work at Home Challenge #3 – Saying No

I have definitely done a lot of growing in this department. Back in 2006 when I started my VA business the word no wasn’t even in my vocabulary. I was afraid to say no to work. I thought I had to take on every project that crossed my path because I couldn’t afford not to take them. Thankfully I eventually learned I couldn’t afford to NOT say no!

While I’m at a place now in my business where I don’t have the option of saying yes to every project that presents itself to me (because I’m busy with regular client work) there are times I will find myself not saying no and that ends up leaving me feeling overwhelmed, stressed, working non-stop and not enjoying owning my own business – not exactly a good place to be at and a place that I shouldn’t allow myself to be. I’ve actually accepted a job before only to have to go back and tell them sorry for the inconvenience but I’m not going to be able to help you but here are the names of some other VA’s that may be able to assist you.

Unlike the first two challenges I mentioned, I’ve pretty much got this one figured out and am learning to handle it better and better! Knowing my limits and what triggers stress for me makes overcoming this challenge a bit easier.

Just because these are the three work at home challenges I face doesn’t mean that’s what you struggle with. We’re all at different places in our business which means they’re probably are different things we all face.

I’d love to hear your comments – please tell me what you struggle with most!

Here’s what Wikipedia has to say about spam:

Spam is the use of electronic messaging systems (including most broadcast media, digital delivery systems) to send unsolicited bulk messages indiscriminately. While the most widely recognized form of spam is e-mail spam, the term is applied to similar abuses in other media: instant messaging spam, Usenet newsgroup spam, Web search engine spam, spam in blogs, wiki spam, online classified ads spam, mobile phone messaging spam, Internet forum spam, junk fax transmissions, social networking spam, television advertising and file sharing network spam….

When I accept someone’s friend request it’s usually because we have several friends in common, they are a work at home mom or I ‘know’ them somehow via the online world. Of course there are those friend requests that I accept from people I used to go to school with, etc.

But let’s get back to the point of this post – Facebook spam.

As I already stated, I’ve been accepting lots of friend requests lately and just as quick as I’m accepting them I’m turning around having to ‘de-friend’ people because they send me SPAM!

Let me give you an F.Y.I people – just because someone accepts your friend request, it does NOT give you permission to email them along with 100 other people on Facebook pushing your product! If someone does NOT give you permission to contact them you are being spammy and that’s a big no no.

So I’ll continue to accept friend requests just as I’ll continue de-friending those that are pushing their products on me when I didn’t ask them to!

I perceive this as Facebook spam but maybe I’m wrong!

What do you think – am I over reacting or do you feel the same way about people contacting you via Facebook email when you didn’t give them permission to?

Unfortunately I’m just not going to be able to swing the finances to attend the upcoming workshop in August. And to be honest, I haven’t felt any peace about attending the upcoming workshop for several weeks now.

I’m hoping that I’ll be able to attend another one of David’s workshops in the future.

When it comes to blogging one thing I love is how different and unique everyone can be. There’s so many themes to choose from and you can tweak and modify them to fit your brand, business and even your personality.

Now, with that being said let me mention what I believe to be a couple blogging sins.

Sin #1 – black background with white text

I’m talking any type of dark background with light colored text not just black with white lettering. I can pretty much sum that up in one word – OUCH! Folks, that’s really hard on the eyes.

I was interested to see if this was just a personal preference of mine or if others felt the same way. I went to Facebook and asked.

Am I the only person that isn’t real fond of white lettering on black background for websites/blogs?

I had several people respond and ‘back up’ my theory on not liking it and thinking it’s a big no no! Here’s a screen capture of my Facebook profile with comments from others. (It’s kind of hard to see but if you click on it, it will open in a new window and you can see it better)

Sin #2 – too many categories

Ok I don’t have any ‘evidence’ (a.k.a facebook poll) to back me up on this one. But after a lengthy conversation with a very smart and savvy internet marketing mom I realized the truth behind too many categories!

Think about it, often times when you go to someone’s blog and see a whole right (or left) sidebar full of categories have you ever clicked on a couple different ones and found the same posts in different categories?

Instead of using a gazillion different categories why not use less and create tags to make ’sub-categories’?  Now, obviously you’ll have to be careful if you go the tags route because other wise you’ll find yourself in the same boat – a gazillion different tags.

I plan on doing a quick Facebook poll to see what others think about this and will post results in a future post.

I know there’s more blogging sins out there so come on share with me what you see people doing that they shouldn’t be doing!

You’re probably thinking Tishia, who cares! Or maybe you’re just simply wondering why I’m sharing this on my business site. There’s a reason. I promise

After reading all that you probably think my desk and work area are neat as can be. Right?

Wrong! I’m embarrassed to admit it but quite the contrary actually. Just last Monday a client and I were having our weekly meeting and we ended up giggling about the fact that she couldn’t find the note she had wrote (about things she wanted to discuss during our phone call) because her desk was such a mess.

There I was sitting and giggling about it while at the same exact time I couldn’t find something I had wrote on a sticky note for that same reason as her – my desk was a mess!

Take a look at my messy work area

If you look closely you can see books piled up on the right, a stack of mail in front of my keyboard next to Seth Godin’s book The Dip: A Little Book That Teaches You When to Quit (and When to Stick) (great read by the way!). Just all sorts of messiness in every little crook and nanny. Not exactly the greatest way to try and work.

I couldn’t stand it any longer and figured if I’m showing you a messy desk picture then by goly I better just clean things up so I could show a picture of a clean work area!

Clean Desk

I still need to do something with the sticky notes all over everywhere cause those drive me nuts every day! The polka dot folder holder thing on the top of my desk has been sitting in it’s package in my closet for months now – ever since I saw it at the Dollar Store and picked it up because I just knew that for a buck one day I would find some way to use it!

What about you – is your work area clean and neat or dirty and messy? Leave your comments below I would love to hear about your work area.