Envision Plan Act Track Adapt

Here is a 5 step social media marketing plan presentation I put together for my local business community. Feel free to share it with others by posting it on Facebook and re-tweeting it, etc. I would love your feedback and comments below. Thanks!

Hware’s Top Picks: Some Old, Some New, Some May Surprise You.

As an online business training and coaching company, people often want to know where we go for our business resources and who we turn to for advice, tips, and strategies.  While we have been offering business and technology consulting services for over 25 years, we believe in the importance of being students of life. That means that we never stop learning. We have a huge library of online resources, personalities, brands, and strategic organizations that we tap into daily and weekly. It was hard to narrow it down, but we finally came up with the BEST websites to help you build your small business. So grab your favorite drink and check out the  top 15 websites that made the cut! Please leave your comments below and let us know what you think:

1. Altimeter group: A research-based advisory firm.  This is where I go to get a lot of data driven info on business strategies.
2. Chris Brogan: If I had to pick one industry expert on social media and business. It would be Chris Brogan. His book, Trust Agents is a must-read!
3. CopyBlogger: Copywriting tips for online marketing success.  This site has a ton of valuable FREE resources and tips on blog writing.
4. Gena Livings: For inspired living.  My dear friend, Gena Livings is changing the world with her lifestyle modification services. Be sure to download her free e-book. It’s inspiring!
5. Green Festivals: If you are a “Green” business who sells B2C, you cannot afford to not be an exhibitor at this event.  Co-founded by my good friend, Kevin Danaher, Green Festivals is on the leading-edge of bringing all things “Green” to the mainstream. Four events are held throughout the year in Washington DC, Chicago, Seattle, and San Francisco.  We have been attending since the first Green Festival and this event just keeps getting better every year, especially the after parties!
6. Mashable: The most popular Social Media News blogs on the internet.  Take your time absorbing the information, it can be overwhelming for newbies. You will want to bookmark a lot of the material and use it as a reference later.
7. Michael Franti & Spearhead: (Okay, this has very little to do with growing your biz online, but I could not resist plugging my fave band. I fire up this music to keep me motivated and inspired for my biz.)  As entrepreneurs, we all need music to keep us motivated, inspired, and happy! We LOVE to dance to Spearhead music! If you ever have the chance to see a live Michael Franti and Spearhead concert, you must GO! It’s life altering!  What’s your favorite music that keeps you going?
8. Mixergy: Andrew Warner interviews CEOs and Founders of successful companies . I love his in-depth questions of business leaders. He is young and bold and he asks really good questions.  I love to go hiking on my property while listening to Mixergy interviews on my iPhone.  I always learn something new from this twenty something year old.
9. Read Write Web: This is a technology analysis news blog.  I like referencing this site because while the focus is on technology, the writing is not filled with Geek and Coder jargon. It’s written for people like us ordinary folks.
10. Seth Godin: One of the top marketers in the world.  I have read many of his books and have had the opportunity to see him speak live. He has a way of making his point very succinctly.
11. Small Biz Survival:  A rural and small business resource blog. We live in a rural area in northern California, and while our business is internet and technology-based, we are nevertheless interested in what’s happening in small town businesses.
12. Small Business Trends: An online news blog with a focus on small businesses trends and over 122,000 subscribers.
13. Social Media Examiner: A guide to social media. This site has a lot of useful “How To” articles on social media, well written content and easy-to-understand.
14. Triple Pundit: As many of you know, our personal lifestyle is oriented towards most things “Green” and “Sustainable.”  We did build a straw bale home many years ago and enjoy living in it. Triple Pundit is a great online “Green” business news resource.
15. Work Awesome: A resource for the worker on productivity, time management and all kinds of other awesome stuff.  I recently found this site and I can’t say enough awesome things about it!

I hope you found great value in our top 15 BEST websites to help you grow your small business. We invite you to add some of your favorite small business websites too, even if it is your own and you feel it will help a small business owner.  Don’t be shy! Go ahead and post!

Setting Guidelines for Strategic Business Meeting

I recently facilitated a strategic business meeting where the leaders within the organization were very hostile towards one another. It would be an understatement to say that the tension in the room was thick. Morale was at an all-time low. The people present had some unspoken mistrust and fear.  Furthermore, egos were getting in the way of their decision-making process. They were blinded by their own self-interest versus the best interest of the company. So, I did something completely unorthodox in a business environment. I told everyone that before we get started, we needed to close our eyes, take 3 deep breaths and meditate for 10 minutes on the following:

1. I will bring a servant leadership attitude (inflated egos oftentimes lead to arrogance.)
2. I will be a Solutionary (be a problem solver, not a complainer.)
3. I will not interrupt when someone is speaking.
4. I will not blame, judge, or criticize.
5. I will be professional and civil.
6. I will stay Human.
7. I will bring an open mind (don’t be so attached to your way of thinking.)
8. I believe anything is Possible (allow yourself to imagine the impossible.)

Communicate Clear Expectations Upfront

Setting clear expectations upfront and voicing the desired outcome was critical to a successful meeting. As the meeting continued, the big egos melted away. Open and honest conversations took place, which was so desperately needed. Laughter erupted throughout the day as they worked together during problem-solving sessions. Dialogue flowed freely. It was truly amazing to witness the transformation from the negative energy in the room when I first arrived to the positive exchanges at the end of the day.  How did 10 minutes of silence create an atmosphere of collaboration versus competition? The power of PAUSE is oftentimes underestimated. Being still and quiet allows for people to get grounded and centered. By taking a few minutes to be silent while other humans are in the room, allows for an intimate exchange of breaths. In the  yoga world, we practice what is called Prana, meaning Breath. It is our breathing that reminds us that we are alive and connected to one another. By focusing on our breath, it gives time to reflect on our own humanity as well as others.  I am happy to say that all parties are now working harmoniously together and have a newfound respect for one another. It’s a good thing because that strategic business meeting I facilitated was for my own company, Hware.

Thanks for reading Hware’s blog!  Feel free to leave comments and share your thoughts.

Oftentimes, business planning is about picking a path.

The Give-As-You-Grow Sales Model

My business partner and I just went through an in-depth business planning retreat a few weeks ago, and while the session was grueling at times, it was a process that I am grateful for.  We needed to get clear about the direction of our company. We needed to make some big decisions. So we spent a week putting together financial projections.  We looked at our SWOTs (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats.) We acknowledged that we both tend to be perfectionists and overly optimistic at times. The retreat was a huge break-through for us.  We hashed out our differences of opinions and we gained a lot of insight about each other and our business model. However, the biggest “take-away” we came up with was our revenue based charitable-giving model. For most of our adult lives, we have always contributed our time, money and resources to charitable causes that we were passionate about. However, we also felt that we were limited in our capacity to give in that manner.  There is obviously a finite amount of  time, money and resources from two people.  As we continued to discuss our business model, we both agreed on how important it is to us to build into our business model what I call a “GIVE-as-we-GROW” sales model. Here is an example of how our charity-giving model works and why we decided to go down this path.

How Charity-Giving Is A Cost Of Doing Business

For most small businesses, their charity giving usually comes from their profits. The problem with that model is that those numbers can easily be skewed, especially if it is a privately-owned business. For example, the owner of a small business can pay herself a large salary (expense), and still not show a profit on the company profit and loss statement.  On the other hand, a public company has an incentive to show huge profits for their stock holders and their charity giving is great for their public image. There are also hybrid charitable-giving models as well from large companies such as Salesforce. However, we decided to make our charity-giving model a revenue based model. It’s a lot harder to skew sales numbers. For example, let’s say we sell 100 widgets at $10.00 each and we give 1% of revenue to charity. 100 x 10 = 1,000 x 0.01 = $10.00.  Now let’s say we sale 1,000 widgets where we give $100.00 to our favorite charity. As we grow our sales to 10,000 widgets we can now give $1,000 to our favorite charity. Do you see how this charity-giving model is built into the the revenue model versus a profit charity-giving model? I look at it as a cost of doing business. Being a good business citizen is a lot like being a good individual citizen. Individuals make contributions to their communities all the time.  They volunteer, donate, get involved in Little League, PTA, Boy Scouts. However, have you ever thought about how your business is making a contribution to the community just by its mere existence?  The fact that your business exist should have a positive impact on society and your community just like an individual’s existence. Now let’s say we want to increase our charity-giving by increasing the revenue sales percentage from 1% to 3% or 5%.  You can see that as sales continue to increase we may also want to increase the percent amount as well and give even more to our favorite charities!

Doing Good By Doing Business

We are passionate about our VISION for Hware and how we can use our business to make a positive difference in the world and we hope to inspire other small business owners to do the same. We want to encourage you to think about how you can “Do Good By Doing Business.” As small business owners, we can be consumed with our business and not have much time for the charitable causes that we love. Over the years, I have enjoyed how meaningful my life has been from my involvement in causes that I deeply cared about. And, by deciding to go down this path, I feel like I can now make a greater contribution to causes that are near and dear to my heart. If we all participated by giving back in a way that we can feel proud and bring meaning to our lives, I believe we will find additional joy from our businesses…profound joy!  That is why Hware is  launching our “Doing Good By Doing Business” program on our Facebook Fan page. Hware wants to acknowledge small businesses that are making this world a better place.  If you are a small business owner that gives back to your local community, we want to hear from you! You don’t necessarily need to contribute the way we decided to go about it, we just want to encourage other small business owners to give back as you grow your business versus waiting to accumulate your wealth before you do so.  We invite you to post a link to your business on the comments section below and tell us how your business is giving back to your community. We also invite you to join our Facebook Fan Page where a few times a month we will recognize and highlight a small business who is making a difference in their community.

Incorporating Social Activism into Business

While at a fundraiser in San Francisco last week sponsored by Ben and Jerry’s Ice-cream company, I had the good fortune of meeting Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield, founders of Ben & Jerry’s. The growth and success of their small business over the last 32 years is quite extraordinary. What makes their story exceptional and inspiring is how they have cultivated a company culture of fun, transparency, and social activism while growing their business. It seems they were way ahead of their time as much of the business world today is struggling to understand how to implement transparency and activism into their own business model.

In the social & environmental assessment report in 2008 from Ben & Jerry’s CEO, (Chief Euphoria Officer) Walt Freese, he states the following:

1. Use our company to further the cause of Peace and Justice.

2. Harmonize our global supply chain and ensure its alignment with our company values.

3. Take the lead promoting global sustainable dairy practices.

The report also has a section called, Leading with Progressive Values Across our Business:

“We have a progressive, nonpartisan Social Mission that seeks to meet human needs and eliminate injustices in our local, national, and international communities by integrating these concerns into our day-to-day business activities. Our focus is on children and families, the environment and sustainable agriculture on family farms.”

Here is a link to the entire content on their social and environmental report.  This BOLD report, which they proudly display on their website, caused me take great pause in how any business would go about incorporating something similar into their own strategic and/or business plan.

We are now entering the second half of the year.  And here at Hware, we are preparing for our own upcoming two-day strategic and business planning retreat. We will be looking at our financial projections, marketing campaigns, sales forecasts, product development, etc. We will be using our own business planning methodology called Envision Plan Act to help guide us through the two day meeting. Ben and Jerry’s company model has given me much to ponder as we reassess our business model, redesign our website and update our content.

What about you? Have you found a company that inspires you to grow your small business in a more creative and daring way?  Who inspires you? What inspires you? Please share your comments below.

Desire  Passion  Commitment  Perseverance

Lance Armstrong along with 128 of the world’s top cyclists rode through my neighborhood yesterday. They were racing in the  AMGEN Tour of California.  The racers whizzed by me on Dog Bar Road as I tried to capture the moment with my digital camera without getting run over. Nothing could have prepared me for the sheer adrenaline rush I felt as I witnessed the power of intensity and laser-focus on the faces of these determined men. I was overwhelmed with INSPIRATION! As I began to reflect on my experience that morning, I realized that entrepreneurs have a lot to learn from these peak performing athletes.

Their desire to race is fueled by passion.

Their passion is sustained by commitment.

Their commitment is surely tested by challenges and obstacles.

Their challenges and obstacles are overcome by perseverance and resolve.

Because of their perseverance and resolve, they have qualified to participate in a world class sporting event.

They are prepared for this opportunity called the AMGEN Tour of California.

How about you?  What opportunities are you preparing for in your business?  What makes you get back up every time you hit a roadblock in your business? What keeps you focused on your business goals?  What fuels your passion for your business?   Or, do you need to get out of the way because you might get run over?  For me, it’s knowing that I am building a business that serves humanity in a useful way.  Whether it be our customers, vendors, employees, or partners, it’s about holding a clear VISION of impacting and improving the lives of many people on many different levels.

About eighteen months ago, Hware’s business model was redesigned and I became a business partner with my spouse, Chuck.  While our business relationship is young, we have nevertheless been together as a couple for nineteen years. Being familiar with each other’s idiosyncrasies has prepared me for a journey of perseverance and patience. Let’s face it, there is no denying it. It is HARD, especially if you have two people like me and Chuck, who are long-time entrepreneurs; and whom neither one of us ever seem to be lacking with opinions about how we should go about building the business.  Yet, partnering with someone you like, trust and know on an intimate level can also be very empowering. I believe the overall integrity of the business partnership comes down to what I think are the five most important elements to the success of the business and a healthy relationship.  I share them with you with the hope that we can have a conversation about spousal business partnerships.  Surely we are not the only ones who have chosen to go down this path. We have  much to learn from one another don’t we?

1. Be clear on your roles. Who is responsible for what, when, where, how and why. For example, in our software business, Chuck is primarily the the creator of our products. He is our software developer, programmer, Geek Guy. (Obviously, I have a thing for Geeky Guys. I married one.) He architects the software, designs it, and supports it.  My primary role is to market and sell the software.  There is no confusion about our roles in this capacity. That’s not to say that I don’t offer feedback and opinions about how the software looks and feels from an end-user’s perspective or that he doesn’t comment on how to brand it.  In addition, some of our roles overlap from wearing many different hats. However, we are very clear on our primary roles.  Here is how we have broken down our responsibilities:
   Chuck: Finance, Business Development, Long-Term Strategy, Software Development, Company Culture, and Technical Support.
   Brenda: Marketing, Branding, Online – Offline Sales, Social Media, Strategic Relationships, Business Development, Company Culture.  As our company continues to grow we will add operations and admin support, but for now, we share in those roles as well.  As we evolve, other roles will later be absorbed by outsourcing services, vendors, and employees. We also recently set up Hware as an Limited Liability Corporation where I assumed the role of president of the company. The reason we did this? The software industry is dominated by White males. We like to do things different here at Hware.
2. Know your strengths and use them well. We all have strengths and weaknesses. We decided early on to build a strengths-based organization.  I know this sounds like a no-brainer, but you’d be surprised at how many people try to build a business going against their strengths. This just does not make sense at all. Imagine me trying to build our own website or Chuck calling on prospective customers. It’s just plain common sense to have people play to their strengths versus their weaknesses. We took a strength-based test before we became partners and it gave us a unique perspective going into the business relationship. One of Chuck’s major strengths is his ability to quickly process complex information and regurgitate it in a simple format. He is also a systematizer. He has used that strength to take complex processes and technologies and simplify it and systematize it for our business so that it runs smoothly and efficiently. Before we changed Hware’s business model, this is how he earned a living — offering business and technology consulting services. However, getting him to write a blog post would be like prompting him to eat his cereal with milk. He hates dairy milk and eats his cereal dry.  I, on the other hand love to write. I have always loved writing. I was a student journalist for my college newspaper at the University of Texas in Austin. I have also kept a personal journal since I was a teenager.  So, it makes strength-based sense that I am the one who blogs for our company. Fundamental to the success of growing an online presence for a small business is blogging. It plays to my strength. I recently looked at our google analytics on our website and the number one traffic driver to our site was an organic search on google! That means the blog is working! Now that’s an example of my strengths performing with optimal results!  Now, if I can just get folks to leave their comments, that would be even better. Hint, hint.
3. Have clear boundaries and strong communication. This one has to do with knowing yourself and your partner. Because we both live and work together, it is easy for us to talk about our business 24/7.  This is not healthy for the relationship.  It’s important to turn it off and take a break. So, if we have a business related topic that we want to discuss during non-working hours, we usually try to ask permission to discuss.  Chuck often jokes by saying that I am the person in his life that taught him to say no and helped him establish strong boundaries. Our conversation usually goes something like this —  Brenda: “I need to run something by you regarding technical stuff. Are you at a place where we can have a conversation?”  Chuck: “Not right now.  I am giving my brain a break.” Brenda: “I really need to flush it out. When can we talk?  It is time sensitive.”  Chuck: “Will tomorrow work for you?”  Brenda: “Yes, how about first thing tomorrow morning during our hike?”  Chuck: “Fine.”  Chuck is much better than I am about turning off the business brain. Have you ever met an entrepreneur or business owner and all they talk about is business? Can you say BORING?  Please, get a life. Give it a break.  Don’t be that Guy or Gal.
4. Have each other’s back. It starts with RESPECT! Put the egos aside.  There is no room for pride or self-absorption in a partnership. I don’t try to tell Chuck how to develop software just as he does not try to tell me how to network, negotiate, build business relationships, sell or market our software. We respect each other’s business acumen.  We don’t try to micro-manage each other or control each other’s daily activities. We set our goals and however we choose to achieve those goals is up to each individual. In addition, we know when to back off and give each other space when dealing with difficult issues, and believe me, there are many.  We have each other’s best interest at heart. Also, I think it is important to set each other up for success. For example, Chuck can work long hours of programming and he will occasionally forget to feed himself. This behavior has negative consequences. I call it Coder Behavior. Anyone who is married to a software developer knows what I am talking about. Anyway, one of my passions is cooking.  So, whenever I take a meal break, I always check in with Chuck and offer to bring him some of whatever I have cooked up. I know he appreciates it and it saves him from CRASHING at the end of the day.  Which leads me to my last insight.
5. Don’t take things personally. Being a small business owner certainly has its frustrations and hardships.  Here’s the thing…Don’t EVER make it about YOU! The world does not revolve around you. Building a business is challenging enough without adding drama to the equation. If you are committed to your business and your relationship, you will do what is in the best interest of your relationship and the success of your business. Check yourself. Ask yourself if your ego or pride is getting in the way of making solid sound business decisions. I know we are emotional human beings, and there is a time and a place to express our feelings, but business is really about common sense and bringing solutions to our trials and tribulations.  So, be a SOLUTIONARY!

These are just a few insights from my own personal experience of having a spouse as a business partner. How bout you? I would love to hear from you in the comments section. Don’t be shy!  Please share a tidbit of advice or experience that has helped you navigate the spousal business partnership. Or, if you are just entering a business relationship with your spouse and you have some questions, ask away. Perhaps we can be a sounding board for one another. Let’s start a conversation. We can all learn from each other!

Rural Nevada County in Northern California

Unless They Are Integrated Into the Business Plan

A few days ago I attended a town hall meeting  in my rural community hosted by the local Chamber of Commerce. The purpose was to get feedback from local businesses so that the chamber can formulate a strategic plan. It was a ‘gather-the-information’ type of meeting.  I am not a member of the local chamber and I must confess that I am not involved with our local business community as much as I would like to. Mainly because my own business (Hware) has more of an e-commerce focus and I live/work about 30 minutes from the downtown business area.  However, I happened to be in town before the meeting and the topic was of particular interest to me, so I stopped by and joined the two hour session.  It was a room filled to capacity with many concerned small business owners.

Social Media is One Piece of a Marketing Model

Frankly, I don’t know much about the folks running the chamber or the board of directors, but I do know this. Business as we have come to know it has CHANGED! Technology has always led the way in changing the way we do business. The personal computer revolutionized our business world as did the internet. The current technology revolution is social media. Social media tools are mostly FREE today. There is however, speculation that FREE may no longer be. What is key to the success of the chamber, among many other things, is a social media plan that is cohesively tied to the chamber’s business plan and integrated into their strategic plan. Strategic planning is extremely useful for long-term goals, however the problem with most strategic plans is that once they are done, they tend to get shelved and rarely referenced. That is why it is critical to integrate a strategic plan into a business plan and then show details how the marketing model, revenue model, operations model, etc., supports those plans. Social media falls under the category of marketing. The chamber is the voice of the local business community. It is there to serve the local business community and it should do so with the use of the latest and most cost effective technology tools.

A Basic Social Media Plan For the Chamber Should Include the Following:

• A blog, which is the hub of an online presence
• Put out a blog post a minimum of once  a week
• Presence on major social networking platforms, i.e., Facebook, Twitter, YouTube
• Allow for members to comment and post on those platforms
• Create a membership site for forums and discussions
• Have an intermediate level of understanding of Search Engine Optimization (SEO) for internet marketing
• Allow for members to post videos about their business on Chamber website and Chamber social networking platforms
• Weekly vlog (video blogging)
• Ongoing education and training for members on how to use the latest technology tools
• Annual Business Technology Conference for small business

Businesses and Organizations Are Much Like Technologies

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has been in existence for almost 100 years. It’s hard to adapt when you are used to doing things a certain way for a long time. Change can be scary and yet it can be a good thing. Hosting a town hall meeting is a step in the right direction for the local chamber. Yesterday’s technologies were the PC and the internet. Today it is social media and internet marketing. Tomorrow will most likely be mobile and geo-location technologies. Businesses and organizations are much like technologies. They are dynamic and ever changing. They go through phases. Some survive, some thrive, while others are put to rest. They get birthed, mature, change, merge, or take on the appearance of a dinasour. What is most obvious in today’s economy is that many small business owners are hanging on like a cat on a tin roof. Many resources are needed. Here are a few online sources as well as Nevada County Business sources that I hope you find useful. Feel free to add additional resources in the comments section.

• Sierra Commons (Nevada County Business incubator and co-working community)
• Nevada County Economic Resource Council
• Intuit (The Small Business United Blog)
• Small Biz Survival (A business blog for rural communities)
• Social Media Examiner (A guide to Social Media)
• Hubspot (Free online training for internet marketing)
• Nevada County New Business Network (Facebook Group)
• The Exchange (Facebook Biz Group for Western Nevada County)

I SEE YOU

There’s no doubt that the movie Avatar has captured the imagination of millions. So what does a Hollywood film have to do with business owners? Three words: I SEE YOU. In the movie, Neytiri of Pandora looks straight into Sully’s eyes and says to him, “I see you.” Three simple words, yet such profound meaning. Now think about that for a moment. Imagine taking the time to say that to our customers, our vendors, our employees, our subscribers, and our partners.  My observations and life experiences lead me to believe that people have a desire to be acknowledged and treated with dignity and respect. Once you understand that, then you are in a position to better SERVE the people around you whether it be employees or customers. I realize that sounds so obvious, but I am amazed at how oftentimes, businesses just don’t seem to care. By saying, I see you, Neytiri  acknowledged Sully, she validated him, and she showed him that she cared.

I see you means so much more than its literal connotation. It means:

• I am listening to you, Partners, Affiliates and Vendors
• I understand your needs and wants Mrs. Customer
• How can I empower you, Employees
• How can I help you Fans, Followers, Friends
• How can I support you, Subscribers to my blog
• What can I do to serve you, Database of Prospective Buyers
• How can I thank you, Donors

I See You is about the Platinum Rule

Ultimately, I see you means, I am here for you . I care about you. It’s about understanding the needs and wants of the people around you. I see you is more than the Golden Rule — Treat Others the way YOU want to be treated. I see you is about the Platinum Rule — Treat others the way THEY want to be treated. Now, you might say that giving everyone the customized attention and care of the Platinum Rule is not cost effective or realistic, but what I would encourage you to think about is how you can better understand the people around you that help make your business successful.  It’s a known fact that people do business with people who they know, like, and trust.  What are you doing to see the people around you so that they rave about your products and services and refer more business your way? How are you showing them that you care? If you are having a hard time answering these questions, then it’s time to ask them whether it be your employees or customers. I recommend using survey monkey, an online survey tool. By surveying your team, customers, etc., you will get the feedback you need to guide you in the right direction. Lastly, unfortunately, this lack of caring does not seem to discriminate, whether it be big business or small business. Here is a perfect example of someone who felt like his airline did not “See Him.”

Reminder: Just 9 more days left to win an HP iPAQ Glisten SmartPhone.

As an online business training and software company, we often get a lot of  small business owners who come to us asking to help them grow their business online.

So I have put together 7 tips on creating an online presence for entrepreneurs:

1. Have a long term perspective about your brand. Word travels fast on the internet so be intentional about your activities online.

2. Do some market research. Find out where your customers are hanging out online and start contributing to the conversation using social media. If the majority of them are on Facebook, then start networking with them on Facebook. The point is to be highly targeted when connecting with your prospective customers online. Otherwise, you can easily waste a lot of time.

3. Put a simple marketing plan together. Putting your intentions to the written word is a powerful exercise that will help you achieve your goals. Be sure to include an action plan. Keep it simple by writing out who is responsible for what by when.

4. Play to your strengths. The point here is to keep it simple by doing what you are good at. Don’t make it so hard on yourself. If you are great at writing, then start a blog. If you are great at speaking, then start vlogging (video blog). Start with one thing that you are good at and then incorporate another thing once you’ve got the first one down.

5. Join industry groups online. There are a gazillion like-minded groups and industry associations on the internet. Check out what your industry is doing online and be sure to connect and network with your colleagues. You never know when a collaboration can turn into something that is mutually benefitting.

6. Track your results. By measuring the outcome of your actions you will see where you need to make improvements to get the results you are looking for. There are a ton of measurement tools on the internet to track your web traffic. Google analytics is a good place to start.

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