I wanted to report in - I gave my 4 minute Teleseminar Secrets Challenge Speech last night and it went really well - or so I'm told! I was a little nervous but nothing like last year!
What I had to do was explain why I thought I should win "Top Vote Getter" for the Veteran Category - meaning I had made more than $1 with Teleseminars. It was supposed to inspire others, show my passion and what I felt teleseminars had done for my business. Would I be a good spokesperson for teleseminars? Did I make sense? Those were the parameters on which we were judged. (No results in just yet...)
When I sat down to write my speech, I thought about how much teleseminars had changed my business - how they have helped me connect with artists and other industry experts who have come on board to share. Most of all, I wanted to show how I felt it has helped all of us - now you can learn in the most remote region in your fuzzy slippers and you don't have to travel to New York, Atlanta or Las Vegas. (and neither do I! I'm in fuzzy socks - every time!)
I think I got the point across and here is why: a fellow student was giving me feedback on my speech on Twitter (www.Twitter.com/LoydLarue)
First he said: you did a gr8 job @ the challenge.
I of course thanked him!
Then he said: You Are My Everything @Michael Bublé ==>http://bit.ly/7f8PsV ==>this could be your biz song mantra...?? just a thought.
I didn't understand so I asked for an explanation. (Honestly, I have that song as the ring-tone when Craig calls so to me it was a romantic song)
@LoydLarue replied: I was just thinking of your passion towards your prospect / clients.. "You are my everything" made sense @ the time..lol
So I'd say my love for this side of my business shined through - yippee! I am also happy the speech is over so I can get back to my art and look forward to our upcoming teleseminars. You are coming right?
If you recall, I did a video proclaiming 2010 to be my year of "flow" - that's the verb I have chosen to guide me this year. I want to stop resisting and worrying and just go with the flow. The creative flow, the flow of opportunity, the flow of health and happiness... all of it.
And WOW! So far so good! We have some exciting things coming up - many of which I discovered or got a final "yes" to this year.
AskAboutSEOforArtists.com - the Ask Call for February (on Wed. the 17th) came to me via email – "I have this new product and thought it might be of interest to your audience..." Absolutely! What artist with a website doesn't want to know how to make it work more efficiently for them?
Ask Mary Engelbreit – 13 months in the 'wooing' - Mary will be the Ask Call expert on Wed, March 17th - can't wait!
And these are just the amazing things going on on the information side of my business - not the art side. But do you see a trend in these events? They are all opportunities that came from my taking the Teleseminar Secrets Class and learning to connect, teach and inspire by phone.
We're getting to the part where I need good vibes now...
The cool thing about the Teleseminar Secrets Class is that once you are a student, you are always a student and you can listen in every year to learn the new content and brush up on some review. I have 2 really cool things going on during the class again this year.
THE GOOD VIBE REQUEST: I entered the "Teleseminar Secrets Challenge" again this year (this time as a "Veteran" - if you read my blog last year you might recall I was a finalist for the "Newbie" category.) Well I am a finalist again! One of 6 Veterans who will give a 4 minute speech on WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 10th to the other students (usually about 500 people are on the line) and tell them why I believe I deserve to be the "Highest Vote Getter" among the 6 finalists.
For some reason I was REALLY NERVOUS during my speech last year - like, crazy didn't-think-I'd-get-each-word-out nervous. The level of it surprised me! I fully intend not to repeat that feeling. (The audio sounded fine but it didn't feel good while I was talking.)
So I would love to know that I have you on my side and sending calming energy to me, OK? (Very new-age, I know!) I have so enjoyed every Ask Call I've done or facilitated since my first call in December 2008 - and it's thanks to the artists and support you give. That was part of the challenge entry that got me into the finals...
I'll let you know how it goes on Thursday, ok?
Another fun Teleseminar Secrets addition - I have been asked to be on the "Faculty" to teach about using Twitter to grow a business. I was just tweeting away during class and posting to the Facebook fan page and suddenly heard my name and ended up on the live call... if you want to hear my basic thoughts and how this came about - you hear it all below...
So remember, none of these amazing things would be happening if I wasn't ASKING (for experts to become part of the ArtLicensingInfo.com family), TRYING (entering the challenge) or LISTENING (to new ideas like the SEO for Artists.).
You don't know what is possible for you or your business unless you try. So I encourage you to take a deep breath and GO FOR IT! The worst that can happen is nothing... the best? Who knows!
How cool is that? Many people who don't get or don't like twitter love to use the excuse, "I just don't care what you had for breakfast." (I'll blog more about that later!) They might also say they don't care what I watch on TV on Sunday night...
But guess what? My tweeting about it led to a blog reader (Susan E) who happens to work at KATU in Portland to email me and ask if I'd like a Brothers & Sisters poster. Well sure! Why not!
Susan was also nice enough to give me, my son & my BF Craig a personal tour of the tv station. I've never seen a tv station the way I saw it with Susan! What a great learning opportunity for my 16 year old as well - who decided that none of the jobs he saw looked like good possibilities for his future - so maybe we are narrowing in on a career... or at least checking a few possiblities off the list!
My point in two-fold:
1. You don't have to Twitter if you don't like it but you just never know where a random comment could get you! and
2. THANK YOU SUSAN! You were a wonderful tour guide and the gesture was much appreciated.
Oh yeah! This is a badge of honor if ever I created one myself. Let me explain...
I'm a bit chatty... I was never the girl to get in trouble for talking in class, oh no! I was a very well-behaved student. This is the first time that I can remember getting "in trouble" - we'll call it "Twitter Trouble" for 'talking'.
It was "The Big Call" with Alex Mandossian and the pre-kick-off party of sorts for the 2009-2010 Teleseminar Secrets season. Last year was the first time I took the class and it has changed my business. (go to TaraRecommendsAlex.com here for those details)
What was so cool was that not only did I learn all these amazing skills for my business, but I could interact and 'meet' other students on Twitter as long as I used the #tss hash tag. (That's how I could find them.)
Well on December 3rd, I was having a great time talking to everyone! Such a great time apparently, that I was told I was shut down for "Excessive Tweeting" and to "check back in a few hours". HUH?Sounds like social discrimination! Just because I'm a fast tweeter with a circle of friends I'm done!
At first, it was quite stressful. But I had an alternate account - as @MarianSparks said, "no one puts baby in a corner!" and Twitter can try and put me in time out but it wasn't going to stick!
Now I'm so enjoying sharing the story! I'm beaming with pride! This is fabulous! I think one other person got put in time out too - I'll have to confirm that with @NewThoughts.
I decided to make a badge, start a club and revel in my ability to out-tweet Twitter. (the rule, it seems, is no more than 150 tweets an hour...)
Feel free to DM me on Twitter if you ever get put in "Twitter Time Out" - you can put the badge on your website or blog and if you ask nice, I'll send you a button. I'll also put you on the list of club members.
Here's to connecting and turning lemons into lemonade! (The lemon being "Twitter Time Out" and lemonade being my "club")
As you know, I'm a BIG FAN of Twitter. But when Twitter first started connecting with Facebook, it put all your tweets and updates on Facebook and frankly, that is just too much info for the Facebook crowd!
So when LinkedIn said you could now add your Twitter account, my initial reaction was "I tweet too much to do that" and ignored the whole thing. But I got this email the other day and now I get it!
We're delighted to announce that LinkedIn now works with Twitter. Try these new features on for size:
Make your Twitter account visible on your profile
Use #in or #li to share posts from Twitter to your LinkedIn status
Add the Tweets app to share your Twitter activity on your profile
Get Started
One more thing: Be sure to follow @linkedin to hear about new features, advanced tips, and more.
Best Regards,
The LinkedIn Team
Oh! So ALL my Twitter tweets won't show up on LinkedIn, just the ones I add #in to... got it. This is good! This will save me time!
And I'm guessing Facebook now has the same deal... that's probably why I sometimes see #fb on people's tweets... I need to go investigate that because when you can save time and multi-task some of your social media efforts, you have more time to paint, create and prosper!
Earlier this week I was interviewed for a magazine article about small businesses using Social Media to grow their business. It won't be a long article but I'm quite excited! (Press! Always a good thing!)
Anyway, I thought I'd blog about my thoughts on Social Media while some of them are fresh in my mind.
Before June 2008 (when I took the class about internet marketing) I was rather blog and social media resistant. The blogs I had seen shared some pretty personal information (in my opinion) and I didn't want to do that. The circumstances of my son's conception, inner thoughts on ex-husbands, spats with friends... I didn't see how that would help me or my business without turning me into another "tabloid Tara Reed".
But in the class they talked about how it all helps and reminded me of a very important point - I'm the one with the keyboard. If information goes out on cyber-space (at least on my websites, blogs or other social media) it's because I chose to type it. I share what I want to share and keep private what I think should be private.
Sigh of relief. Duh. Makes sense.
So I chose to climb out of my comfort zone and give it a shot. I signed up for Twitter not really knowing WHO I would talk to or WHAT I would say, only that I'd try it. Ditto Facebook, LinkedIn and MySpace.
Fast forward to October 2009 and now I'm hooked. I also have some opinions about how and why to use Social Media. I'll share my thoughts and maybe they will help you get some clarity if you are hesitant like I was or some more ideas if you are already here.
Why I Joined Social Media Sites
I joined because someone said I should. I joined to see what I could do in the internet marketing space. Connect with artists and share my experience in the art licensing industry.
I have connected with some amazing people. Built a community of artists and non-artists I never would have gotten to know, albeit 'cyberly' and not in person in most cases. Although I've met more than a few locally because of the internet as well.
How I See Social Media Helping My Business
Connections. Relationships. That is what business, friendships and community is about. "Social Media" is just a way for technology to get involved.
Social Media has helped me spread the word about my products, Ask calls, coaching and more for artists wanting to learn about licensing. It has helped my affiliates spread the word as well so I can 'share the wealth' with others. (I do love paying affiliate commissions each month - truly!)
Social Media has given me a sense of belonging. I have never worked in an office. I've been a sales person in charge of an entire state and working from home. I've been a stay-at-home mom... again, at home. Now I'm an artist and business owner... guess where I work? Yup. Studio in my home. I find Twitter to be like a virtual office. If I need to connect with humans I have but to go online and chat with people in the virtual cubicles around me. Awesome!
A little more detail about my feelings on each platform
Twitter - LOVE IT! Since June 2008 I've tweeted over 6,600 times I have nearly 2,500 followers. I've made friends on Twitter. Last winter when I took the Teleseminar Secrets class I connected with people on Twitter while listening to the calls. When I went to the "reunion" in March I felt like I was at a high school reunion. Even though I never met these people before you can really get to know them online. Of course some were a little different than I expected but many were not. How much fun is that?
Twitter has been a great resource for me to get answers to questions. I have thrown out questions about software, resources, even "anyone know what font this is?" and 9 times out of 10 get help. Of course you can't join and have that work on day 1. You have to build the connections first - hmm... kind of like in real life. The friendly, social and helpful people often have a better network to turn to than those who don't talk to anyone, right? Same thing applies online.
Facebook - also LOVE IT. Facebook is a great mix of everything. From the ability to connect with high school friends you'd never see without it to creating business fan pages to connect with your end user, Facebook has a bit of everything.
Now I may ruffle a few feathers with this next statement but I don't believe in having your Twitter stream on Facebook. Unless of course, you are rarely on Twitter and therefore missing out on its true potential. You see, in my view, there is a different expectation on Facebook. I can't tell you how many people will complain about their friends who "just say such random stuff I could care less about and fill my feed!" I reply, "I bet they twitter". Twitter is about streaming - like texting. Facebook is more of billboard - here's my deal for now. Of course there are comments and interaction but it's different. I tweet way to much to stream it on Facebook.
LinkedIn - still learning it. I haven't figured out how to use LinkedIn as effectively as Twitter and Facebook. I have connected with some people I used to work with when I was selling college textbooks - that was awesome! I have made some connections for my current business too. But I haven't quite got my finger on how to really tap into it - stay tuned for an update when I do.
MySpace - sorry, I was over it pretty quickly. Once I started getting multiple emails from widowers and men who thought I had great eyes, was pretty and wished they lived in Portland, I got a creepy feeling. It felt way too much like Match.com which I was thankful for for a while but am happy to not need now! I think MySpace is for the younger crowd and have decided it isn't a good fit for me.
Well this little 'weighing in' is getting a bit lengthy so I'll stop there and do some more in-depth posts soon with more detail. The article will be in the November issue of the Oregon Business Magazine - can't wait to see what it has to say! (of course my blog post is already double the article word count and I won't be the only one offering opinions... that's what I love about a blog. I can be chatty when the mood strikes!)
A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of meeting Alyson Stanfield, the "Art Biz Coach" in person. I've been following her on Twitter and hear great things about her in different art circles. She just posted a blog called "Carve Out Time for Social Networking" and it is right on the money!
She included my "Zen of Twitter"
"Don't worry about what you
might have missed when you weren't looking,
just assume that the tweets you are meant to see
are the ones on the screen when you are inspired to look."
But that isn't the only reason I liked the post. Of course, I was extremely flattered. Her advice to artists about social networking is definitely worth a read so instead of recreating the wheel, here is the link to hear it from Alyson: Carve Out Time for Social Networking
If you have read my eBook, "How to Find, Interact and Work with Manufacturers Who License Art" you are familiar with my rather low-tech and disjointed organization system. Rolodex, Excel spreadsheets, post-it notes and a written calendar. It worked for a while but lately I've been feeling like there is too much in too many places, and I was missing things.
Missing things like business opportunities. Art submission deadlines. When was I supposed to call and follow up with that potential client? And where did I write it down?
There comes a time in every business (or life) to re-evaluate your systems and look at upgrading. (Heck if the internet can upgrade to "Web 2.0" why can't I?)
My time had come! I needed a new, more integrated and organized system. So what did I do? Started asking for advice on Twitter and doing some Google searches. I have a MAC and people told me, "just use address book" -- but it wasn't enough.
Then I read about this software call "Daylite" through a Google link. This looked pretty good! But who was using it? Back to Twitter to get some feedback. Then this man appeared magically before me:
(He was replying to my Tweet asking if it was a good program and was anyone using it.) It turns out, Matthew Bookspan is a certified Daylite partner -- meaning he knows the ins & outs and can help you get set up. Cool!
I talked to Matthew about my organizational dreams and current challenges and we decided this software would be a good fit.
In the past, I've had a very bad habit of getting new software, trying to learn it myself while doing lots of other things and not harnessing the true power at my fingertips. I decided to break that habit and hire Matthew to get me set up and show me how it all works. 2 hours incredibly well spent -- both time and money wise!
He got me on iChat and then took control of my computer -- now THAT is cool! I watched as he moved my mouse and told me (I could hear him too!) how to get set up, what the different functions were, etc. I could ask questions as we went.
Bottom line: DAYLITE is changing my life. I am so much more on top of things and spending less time writing, noting and finding info. That means more time to paint, blog and write.
DAYLITE tracks people, companies, emails sent and received from contacts (no more ga-zillion folders in my mail program and remembering to move everything - it's automatic!). Yesterday I printed mailing labels for my promotional postcards... it's heaven on my MAC! (Sorry PC people -- you need to find another solution. I'm told ACT! has similar super powers.)
SO... if you are feeling disheveled and want to invest in some great software that will grow with your business and keep it organized (and you have a MAC) -- check out DAYLITE. I also highly recommend you talk to Matthew (& I'm not paid for this recommendation -- it's from the heart!) -- he can get you up and running quickly. (Plus he's a very nice guy.) Here is a link to his site to learn more and you can see a case study he did about my issues and getting me set up. CLICK HERE
Here's to your organized life now I need to get back to painting!
~ Tara
Want to chat with Matthew on Twitter or follow what he's up to? He's @mbookspan
My boyfriend is regularly getting on my case to read books "that don't look like work" and are "just for fun, not expanding your mind". I love to read but go through phases.
One of my problems is that many times I get so engrossed in "for fun" books that I just can't put them down! Life stops dead in its tracks so that I can get to the end of the book. I have learned not to start a book like this when I have work that needs to be done by a deadline.
As well, I like reading books about business, artists, personal development... things that will expand my mind, open my eyes to new ways to look at things and help me build my business. While they are helpful, they are usually geared towards larger companies-- with say, more than one person. Traditional books about starting a building businesses generally have theories, supported by case studies. Helpful, but not page turners.
An interesting opportunity was offered to me through Twitter about 2 weeks ago. (You know how I love Twitter... and this just keeps me all the more thrilled with it!) Gregg Fraley, an author I am following offered bloggers a free copy of his book in exchange for a post. I looked at the book, thought it looked interesting (I wasn't going to read it just because it was free!) and emailed him. About a week later a signed copy arrived in the mail.
The book is Jack's Notebook and is "A Business Novel about Creative Problem Solving".
"Jack's Notebook" was a very welcome deviation from the norm. With problem solving concepts intertwined within a fictional story-- I felt like I was reading for pleasure while learning some new things I can implement in my business.
I also enjoyed the fact that Jack isn't even in business in the beginning... he is at the 'what do I want to do' stage and struggling to pay his bills while working on his dream-- something many of us can relate to. Of course I liked that he wanted to be a photographer - as an artist it's easy to route for a creative underdog!
I ear-marked at least a dozen concepts that I want to go back and review -- which to me is the sign of a helpful book. The basic CPS concept of "Quantity gets quality" and not judging your ideas but just letting them all flow is fabulous-- I've used it in the past and am now reminded to keep using it in the future.
Jack's Notebook offers a structured system you can implement to any problem or issue -- personal or professional. The next time you are feeling lost and not sure what direction to take, give CPS (Creative Problem Solving) a try.
So, my final analysis would be that this is worth the read. I enjoyed the story, how the concepts were demonstrated by the characters and how they explained the concepts of CPS as well.
~ Tara
P.S. Jack gains confidence and takes action as the result of adopting this method of thinking and problem solving -- who doesn't want that?
P.P.S. I know we've talked about "thinking outside the box" before as far as marketing and branding -- seems Gregg Fraley is doing that by looking to Twitter to expand awareness of his book and reviewer base. What might you do with Twitter?
If you read my blog regularly, you might recall me being "All a-twitter about Twitter" -- the social networking site that asks, "What are you doing?" but limits you to a 140 character response.
Fellow artist Laura Bray decided to conduct what she called "The Great Twitter Experiment" -- taking a very methodical approach to using Twitter and trying to guage if and how it might be helping her business. As the busy mom of a pre-schooler, time is of the essence! Here is what she did (copied with permission from her blog):
I have an account and frankly, I didn't think it was working for me. At least not in sales numbers or even as a networking tool. But I've decided not to judge something before I give it a fair shake. So, this week, I'm conducting The Great Twitter Experiment. I am devoting 30 minutes a day to marketing on Twitter. That's the ONLY place I'm going to market this week. And I'm tracking my results. For example, I'm going to Twitter about new items I post to my Etsy shop. Just before I Twitter, I will look at the number of views on the item. Then I'll post the item link on Twitter, wait for about 10 minutes and then look at my views again. During the 10 minutes I wait to collect data, I'll be adding people to my list to "follow" and will be supporting my fellow "tweeters". I'm breaking the daily 30 minutes into 3 ten minutes chunks, at different times of the day, so that I can see if the timing plays a role in my numbers. I know this all sounds very scientific and particular, but it's not. As a stay-at-home mom, who is trying to run an online business, I need to know which online networking venues work the best for me so that I can use my very limited wisely.
(He was replying to my Tweet asking if it was a good program and was anyone using it.) It turns out, Matthew Bookspan is a certified Daylite partner -- meaning he knows the ins & outs and can help you get set up. Cool!
