The Laptop Mom

What’s your Facebook Intention?

July 7th, 2011

Facebook can be a huge waste of time. But not if you start with INTENT.

Don’t waste one more minute on Facebook if you aren’t clear on your intention. Your intention affects your actions. When you have a clear intent, you are much more likely to reach your goals.

So what is your Facebook Intention? Here are some ideas of intentions that can be very easily achieved on Facebook:

Building your Brand
If you want to evoke specific impressions of your company’s branding, make sure that everything you post and everything you do is in line with your image.

Driving traffic to your blog
Post compelling titles and exciting summaries that link to specific posts on your blog.

Getting offline media attention
Connect with people in the media, pr agents, publicity specialists. Make sure your posts are newsworthy, and show that you are a true expert in a very specific niche.

Fostering word of mouth
Connect with your current and past clients. Connect with their friends. Join in their conversations. See what they are talking about, and add value.

Gathering a tribe of ideal prospects
Join groups that include your target audience. ‘Like’ pages of related topics. Post valuable, generous tips often.

Search engine optimization
The search engines love social media because it is constantly updated. Post status updates often, and use the keywords that your ideal prospects are searching for.

Educating yourself
Listen to what your customers and prospects are talking about. Ask them what they need. Join in conversations. Then use this knowledge to improve your business offerings.

Yes, you can “build your business” on Facebook, but not by going about it directly. You won’t get more clients by promoting yourself all the time. Get clear on a “sub-intention” (perhaps one of the intentions listed above?), work on that goal, and your business will naturally grow as a result.

Get more easy tips in the Social Media Bootcamp. Register now!
http://GetMoreVisibility.com

1 Comment | Tags: Facebook, goals, intention, marketing your business, Social Media, social networking, Twitter
Category: business, expert status, marketing, motivation, search engine optimization, social networking

My love affair with Twitter

July 6th, 2011

I’m not a writer. I can write, but it doesn’t come easily for me. I don’t really like to sit down and write long articles. Sometimes I sit and look at a blank screen for too long. Other times, I write a title or a sentence, and then erase it and write another. At the end of the day, all I have are lots of random titles and sentences.

And yet, I have so much to say! I want to get my thoughts out!

That’s why I love Twitter.

Oh, Twitter… you were made for me. You are my soul mate.

Just look at you! Sweet, bite-sized inspiration-catcher. Spreader of encouragement and tiny, motivational ideas. You bring quick flashes of insight into my stream – continuously. And you give me a platform to share my own encouraging – albeit minuscule – thoughts and impressions.

You never pressure me. In fact, you don’t expect (nor accept) anything more than a brief reflection. (And boy do I have lots of those!)

Twitter, you connect me with other amazing people – around the world – who delight and inspire me. You allow me to reach others, to give hope, to open opportunities for people who I would never have otherwise known.

I am in love with Twitter. But I have no jealousy. My Twitter friends – who also seem to have the same relationship with my lover – are another reason I adore the Twitter experience. Actually, group tweeting is even more satisfying than one-on-one! The more the merrier!

Does that make me twisted? Perhaps. But I cannot ignore my feelings. I declare my extreme affection for you, Twitter.

And I will now go do it in 140 characters or less… (twitter.com/NikaStewart)

15 Comments | Tags: building community, community, Social Media, social networking, Twitter
Category: blogging, business, motivation, social networking, Twitter

Do people really get business from Facebook and Twitter?

July 1st, 2011

YES! But they use social media differently than most people.

You can build your business, grow a loyal community, and attract many more happy clients! And all it takes are some simple tweaks to your social media activities.

Social Media really works!

I know what you may be thinking:

“There are so many overwhelming options for
social media and I’m not even sure it’s
worth the time.”

“So many people I know waste hours and hours
on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn and they
still don’t have more sales!” (maybe that’s
you, too)

Well, I said it works, but you have to do it right. The good news is that it actually is easier, and it takes less time than you think.

And that’s why I want you to join me for this free tele-training that I’m offering:

“I.N.S.P.I.R.E. Your Social Media Marketing:
How to Authentically Build a Loyal Community
of Thousands Who Want to Work with You
and Buy Your Products…”

The 7 Crucial Steps for Growing Your Business with Social Media

without being sales-y
without ignoring your authentic self
and
without losing your mind

Join me Wednesday, July 13, at 8:00 PM Eastern.
(That’s 7 pm CST, 6 pm MST, 5 pm PST)

Here’s a quick idea of what you’ll learn:

How to build a loyal group of followers and fans (for more sales AND to create powerful joint venture partnerships) – in minutes a day
The biggest mistake small business owners make when using social media
Which Social Media sites you MUST be on (and which ones you can ignore)
3 things you can do right now to dramatically increase conversations and interactions on your pages
5 things you can post in your status updates (use this list to go back to over and over, so you never run out of things to say!)

You CAN grow your business easily and painlessly with social media, and I want to show you how.

If you’re ready, don’t miss this free class. Grab your seat now!

Get all the information and register here:
http://nikastewart.com/socialmediacall.htm

4 Comments | Tags: Facebook, LinkedIn, marketing your business, Social Media, social networking, Twitter
Category: business, marketing, monetizing, social networking, work from home

What American Idol taught me about my Business Mindset

June 30th, 2011

We were in Hollywood Studios for the day, and I heard there was an American Idol Experience attraction. So obviously, I thought that my husband – who is a true music lover, but can’t hold a tune to save his life – should audition. Wouldn’t it be fun, I thought, to sit in the audience with my little princess, and cheer for him?

Well, it turns out that you actually have to be able to sing to get into the show. There are real auditions before they let you in. So Hubby said that I should do it.

First, I had to go into a small room and audition for one guy who was sitting behind a desk. I was told to stand on a star on the floor and sing any song I wanted. I chose Lady Marmalade.

The judge told me I made it to the next round.

The next round involved practicing a few songs with musical accompaniment, and then singing two of them in another small room for a different judge.

I passed that audition, too. So now I was going to perform in the American Idol Experience show for an audience of hundreds of people.

It was pretty exciting. I hadn’t sung on a big stage in years. Everyone was cheering, and the judges – even the mean “Simon-like” judge – were pretty nice to me. There was an audience vote, and I won!

My story could end here. And it sort-of does. I had accomplished something fun. But it all felt easy and natural. I wasn’t pushed too far out of my comfort zone. I like singing, and my earlier experiences on stage and with bands all came flooding back, so I had a good time rocking it out to “Hot Stuff.”

But now I was in the Grand Finale. The stakes were higher, the prizes were bigger, and my daughter really wanted me to win (that was the biggest stress of all!). I tried to have fun, but suddenly I was attached to the outcome (mistake #1).

Thinking back on the original show, I realized that I was really doing it just to do it, to have fun, to feel good about singing again. And my enjoyment of it came through.

Now, in the Finale, I felt pressure. The judges were not so nice this time. I allowed their energy and their words to affect me. I really didn’t think I would win, so I lost confidence (mistake #2).

What does this all have to do with business? Well, how you do anything is how you do everything.

It became clear to me that this is how I approach business, too. There are many things that come easy to me, that feel natural. So I do those things a lot. But I only go so far.

I stop myself when it gets too hard. I lose confidence when other people say discouraging things. I let others affect my mood.

Why am I telling you this?

Sometimes it seems that other people have it all, and we wonder why we can’t have it all, too. Many people tell me that they think I have “made it.” And they wish they could “make it,” too.

But it’s not about arriving somewhere. It’s about constantly pushing past your blocks, your fears, your challenges. Then those challenges become easier. They aren’t so challenging. BUT, there are new challenges! Every day.

Each day in business presents us with our own challenges. If we can become aware of them and take steps to work on them, we become stronger. Will you join me in committing to this?

I lost the Finale to a 14-year old boy (he was pretty awesome). But I came home with some great memories, and a renewed commitment to keep growing.

Where do you stop yourself? Become aware. Take a baby step to go past that today.

To your success!

9 Comments | Category: business, mindset

How To Get Testimonials For Your Brand New Product

June 23rd, 2011

One of the most effective ways to encourage sales of your products is with testimonials. The psychology of persuasion shows us that one of the ways we decide what is right or good is to find out what other people think is right or good.

In the book, Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion, the author Robert Cialdini says,

“We view a behavior as more correct in a given situation to the degree that we see others performing it.”

So you will have more success getting people to buy your product if you show proof that other people have bought it – and liked it. This comes in the form of testimonials.

If you are just launching your product, and no one has bought it before, how do you get testimonials?

Before launching your sales page, give out some complementary copies of your new product to people who agree to give you their written or oral opinion of it. Ask them specific questions and turn their answers into a great testimonial for your product.

I did this with my first 3 products, and not only did I get some great testimonials for my sales pages, but I created a buzz within my target community. Many people wanted to be one of the lucky few who got to review the preview copy of my new book.
Use general testimonials from people who have gotten any good result from you. Even now, after I’ve created dozens of products, when I create a new product and I write a sales page, no one has bought that product yet. So how can I have testimonials for it? I use quotes that I’ve gotten about working with me or purchasing any of my other products.

“Nika’s products always deliver great results.”

“Nika’s enthusiasm is contagious and I am always inspired to try new effective marketing ideas.”

Testimonials boost sales, so go get yourself some good ones!

1 Comment | Category: business, clients, creating info products, marketing, monetizing, sales / selling

So, what the heck does a Laptop Mom really DO?

June 20th, 2011

Since my friends and family still don’t all know what I do, and because I get loads of questions on Twitter and Facebook about what a Laptop Mom is, I made a video to explain. Hope this helps!

So… if you want to work from home, make money from your knowledge and passions, balance work and family, earn passive income, and run a rewarding, flexible business… become a Laptop Mom!

No Comments | Category: balancing, business, creating info products, leveraging, marketing, passive income, work from home

Get Ready To Mail It In!

June 20th, 2011

Guest post by Patty Lennon

I have a few personas in my business. Most days I’m either Peppy Patty or Passionate Patty but every once in a while Petulant Patty rears her sulky little head.

Today was one of those days.

I woke up this morning and felt utterly UNinspired to work. I normally jump out of bed ready to see what the day has in store but today was just the opposite. Petulant Patty was taking my mental stage and she was not going to leave.

“I don’t wanna work!” is Petulant Patty’s favorite phrase.

We all have those days. No matter how inspired or passionate you are about your business, the reality is that some days you just don’t feel it.

This recent bout of “I don’t wanna’s” came from working late into the night too many days in a row. My late night forays had literally sucked all the creative juices out of me. When this happens I like to take a day to myself to regroup, re-juice and recover.

But today that wasn’t going to work. I had some appointments scheduled throughout the day and I’ve found that unless I can have a few consecutive hours to myself I don’t get a great benefit from taking a break here and there.

So I enlisted my backup plan for days like these:

I mailed it in!

If you haven’t had the privilege of working in a large corporation (and please read “privilege” with deep sarcasm) you may not have heard the term before so let me share the definition with you:

“Mailing it in” means doing the bare minimum; to perform in a lackluster way. You can read more about the derivation of the term here.

In my business, “mailing it in” means lowering the dial significantly on any creative power supplied by me when completing a task. When I “mail it in” I lower my expectations on myself significantly. I simply try to keep the work processing in between appointments.

When I first realized “mailing it in” was the only way to keep Petulant Patty useful I set about trying to determine the mindless tasks I could attack while in the “low zone.” By definition being in the “low zone” means zero creative energy is available so I couldn’t even come up with a list of mindless tasks on which to work.

It turns out creating a list of mindless tasks requires creative energy – who knew!

Since then I’ve solved that problem.

As I work through the day I often encounter tasks that aren’t completely time sensitive, are extremely boring and I can’t pass to my virtual assistant. I add those tasks to the “mail it in” list.

When I find myself with an “I don’t wanna work” attitude and can’t grab a few hours to myself, I whip out my “mail it in” list and get to work. I don’t try to be happy about it. I sulk and sigh at the dreariness of my existence but hey – I was going to do that anyway! At least now I can accomplish something and Petulant Patty is much better at tolerating those mundane tasks then Passionate Patty is so it’s a win-win!

As the awesome beach days of summer approach I suspect I’ll have a few unexpected “I don’t wanna” days. Petulant Patty loves the beach! If I can get away I’m going to grab those beach days – I mean that is part of the joy of being an entrepreneur right?

But on the days where that just isn’t possible I have my list right here and I’ll be ready to Mail It In.
How about you? Are you ready to Mail It In?

*******************************************

Patty Lennon is the CEO and Founder of Mom Gets A Life (www.momgetsalife.com). She is also a certified coach, mentor, writer, speaker, mom, wife, chauffer, chief cook and bottle washer. Her mission in life is to help every mom fall as deeply in love with her own life as she is with her children!

*******************************************

No Comments | Category: business

How to Have a Stress-Free Vacation

June 16th, 2011

During my recent trip to Disney World with my Hubby and 5-year old daughter, I was able to enjoy a full week of worry-free rest and relaxation, knowing that my business was running smoothly.

Okay, so maybe a week in Disney with a 5-year old is not what you would call “rest and relaxation.” But I did get to spend the week totally focused on family fun.

How was I able to spend a week away, with total confidence that my business was still operating efficiently and earning me income? By automating.

The 5 Areas to Automate in Your Business:

Sales:
If you want to be able to take vacations (or go to lunch, or take the kids to school, or sleep) and still have money coming in, you need to automate your sales process. To do this, you need to have an online shopping cart.

Your shopping cart will:
- Give you a link to put on your web pages for people to click and purchase your products
- Collect payment information from customers
- Communicate with your merchant account so that you receive payments
- Keep records for you

Product Fulfillment:
Don’t think you have to be around to deliver your products when they are purchased. If you automate the product fulfillment process, clients can purchase something and have it delivered to them before you even realize the sale was made!

Digital products can be emailed instantly with the help of an online shopping cart. Your cart can also send emails to your fulfillment house, so that physical products are shipped directly to the customers.
Communication:
Consistent communication is vital to growing and sustaining a successful business, so your communication cannot stop when you go away.

Thank you emails, product information, and follow-up notes can all be set up as autoresponders in your shopping cart or other autoresponder system. When someone purchases a product for the first time, you can have an email go out to them automatically. You might want to set it up so that another email is sent the next day, asking if they received their product and giving them more helpful information. These automatic messages give your client feelings of confidence and trust in your company.

Customer Service:
Wondering how you could possibly automate customer service? Well, it’s true that a human being is best to help out a client when they have an issue. But if you don’t have someone on your team who can fill this role when you are away, the next best thing is to have an automated system that temporarily helps out until you return.

When a client sends a message to your dedicated customer service email address, they will get back an automated message telling them that you are away, and sending them to a Frequently Asked Questions webpage. Of course, you tell them that if they still have an issue after reading that page, you will be happy to help them when you get back to work.

Imagine how great your clients will feel, knowing that you have a system set up to help them even when you aren’t around.

Marketing:
Your marketing should never stop. If you take a break from marketing while you are on vacation, you may come back to a business that has no new customers. Keep the marketing momentum going by pre-setting up weekly newsletters and email promotions.

Once you set these things up, business runs smoother and tasks get done a lot faster. It just takes a little preparation.

Now go enjoy your vacation!

No Comments | Category: business, customer service, leveraging, marketing, sales / selling

Finding Quiet Time at a Noisy Cafe

June 14th, 2011

Ah… working from home. This is the life, huh?

But do you ever have days when you just can’t get motivated? Do you ever open your computer and sit and stare, wondering when work will begin? Do you ever notice that it is midday, and you’ve done nothing but look at emails and chat on social media?

Sometimes when I am working at home, I will keep making coffee, hoping that the caffeine will jumpstart some inspiration. But that never works.

Like today… I am sitting in a big, empty, quiet house, and I just can’t get my groove on. There is no one here to bother me or take me away from getting things done, and yet, I am getting nothing done.

I love working from home, but sometimes what I need is to work OUT of the home.

When I take my laptop to a nearby cafe (my favorites are Wegmans, Panera, and Starbucks), I get so much done.

In a public place – even if there are people coming and going, music playing, conversations happening around me, there are no distractions. That’s right! I find my inspirational quiet time when I am out at a public place.

How is that? Well, when I am working at a cafe with my laptop, there is nothing else to do but work. Sure, I might get up to grab a snack or a coffee, but there is no laundry to think about, no home phones ringing, no dirty dishes to look at. It’s just me and my laptop. And with the limited amount of time, I am forced to get important things done.

I also know that getting dressed to leave the house puts us in a better state of mind to get things done. I get more accomplished when my hair is done and I have makeup on. Just a mindset, but it works.

How about you? Where do you find your quiet inspiration to get things done?

2 Comments | Category: balancing, business, mindset, motivation, work from home

It’s So Easy Being Green

June 9th, 2011

Having just spent the weekend at the Shaklee Corporation headquarters as a member of their online advisory board, I have a strong desire to write about going green.

“Going green” means to strive for environmentally friendly and ecologically responsible decisions. These choices can help protect the environment and sustain our natural resources, improving our health at the same time.

Are you going green? As a Laptop Mom, you are naturally quite green. By working from home, you save the environment from commuter pollution. By selling online products and e-courses, you save a lot of trees.

Here are 5 other simple ways to go green as a Laptop Mom:

1. Go Paperless

According to iVillage, the average American creates more than a pound of paper trash per day. Save time and clutter (and the environment) by doing everything that you can online. Store emails and webpages in files on your computer instead of printing them out. Switch all your billing so that you can pay bills online.

2. Use a Glass

If you are working at home all day, use one glass and keep refilling it with beverages, instead of automatically grabbing another plastic bottle of water. Not only will this help save our environment from the plastic (which takes about 700 years to begin composting!), but you will save lots of money. 90% of the cost of bottled water is due to the bottle itself!

3. Change your Lighting

Choose compact fluorescent bulbs instead of incandescent bulbs to light your office. They use a lot less energy and last longer, saving you money, too. If you add a task light on your desk, you can turn off the overhead lights more often. Make use of natural sunlight as much as possible.

4. Shut it Down

Common sense: When you aren’t using your lights, turn them off. When you aren’t on the computer, shut it down. Try not to waste electricity, and you’ll save resources and money.

5. Batch Tasks

Combine tasks and errands that take place in the same area, so you can do them at the same time. You won’t have to keep retracing the same steps, which will save energy and allow you to get things done quicker.

4 Comments | Category: business, green business

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