Make Sure the Header is Legible

Below is the top of the home page for http://www.mobile-festival-stores.co.uk/ – you can click on the image to see the entire home page.

My first reaction is that I cannot read his header. He acknowledged in a comment that it is hard to read. I would suggest even the simplest of headers instead of something that one can’t read. I decided to do a basic header with a fancy font that I thought might work a little better for him:

I used Illustrator, and I created two shapes to contain the text. The word mobile is done with the type path tool, so you can get all sorts of interesting displays of text. The font is called rosewood std – seems like one that is fun for a festival atmosphere. One could certainly put some color into this as well as define the shapes in some way, but too much color often ruins a design. Simple is the easiest and usually does the trick!

State What Your Business About – Clearly and Concisely

I am not quite sure how Dr. Ed’s business operates – does he sell these? rent them? offer them as a franchise? Or offer himself with the mobile unit at a festival? Whatever it is, I would like that stated in big, bold words very concisely on the home page.

Here’s an example of my own home page, in which I advertise my web building skills:

I believe I make it clear that I am offering website help – I state some of my most important web skills offered right there on the home page.

He would also do well to eliminate the extraneous stuff on the home page; for example, there is no need for the date/time on the home page. Also, if he has no Latest Events, he might as well eliminate that plugin from the right side of his home page. He is using Joomla!, and usually it is one click to un-publish a plugin, but one has to know where in the back end to click. If he were starting from scratch, I would suggest using WordPress – less clutter.

Study Social Media for Your Niche

Dr. Ed made it clear that his market is exclusively in the UK. He should be concentrating his social media skills on building connections in those networks. I did some investigating, and I found these links might be useful:

• http://www.ukbusinessforums.co.uk/forums/ – UK Business Forums
• @socialmbossuk
• About Barry Wells – Barry Wells writes in general about internet traffic, but since he is in the UK, I bet he would be a good resource!

I found the top two links by using the Twitter search service Tweepz.com – I just typed in “social media UK” and “small business UK” to find some accounts that are active on Twitter. Twitter accounts list websites, so there is plenty to explore.

Your Turn, Please

Do you have any suggestions for Dr. Ed and his business? If you have a business background, perhaps you can suggest ways he can market his business. If you know design, how would you design his page? Maybe you know someone who knows someone who knows the business market in the UK…

promotional products - photo by Leora Wenger

A recent article in Fast Company magazine extols the value of giveaway items to the companies that use them, asserting that they are more ‘accessible’ than higher-cost advertising ventures and that free gifts appeal to most people. The article suggests that the best promotional products have the intended recipients’ lifestyle/habits in mind, are durable but not too expensive, and carry a meaningful imprint.

Based on my experiences, there are two other criteria that companies should also consider to get the most out of their promotional products.

This past summer I ran around the flagship library in our system and asked a number of students about their opinion on possible new Libraries pens. I was surprised to learn that the funky pen with the stress ball top, that I and other administrators thought was lots of fun and sure to be popular, was shunned by most students who instead favored a design that was easier to use and put in their pockets. I’m really glad I asked first!

Parting thoughts: Have you considered your audience (and, if possible, polled a sample) before choosing a giveaway? Will this product reflect well on your company and will it do so at the right time?

About Harry Glazer – Harry Glazer is Communications Director at Rutgers University Libraries. He can be reached at hglazer@rulmail.rutgers.edu.

The Author, Melinda Emerson

Before I even read Melinda Emerson’s book, Become Your Own Boss in 12 Months, I knew it would be a rich, well-developed, useful book. How did I know? I’ve attended some of Melinda Emerson’s #smallbizchat sessions, and I’ve interacted with Melinda (@smallbizlady) on Twitter. Melinda is knowledgeable, personable and a great networker. Every week she finds a new, talented and informative guest host for #smallbizchat. I found her book easy to read (I read it all in a few hours), and her writing style and examples made the book a pleasure. I apologize if it’s taken me over a month to find time to write the review!

The Book

Become Your Own Boss in 12 Months:
a Month-by-Month Guide to a Business That Works provides a helpful framework for anyone who is wondering: should I start a business? Melinda organizes the book in a step-by-step manner, ideal for those who like to plan methodically; if you are more of a “pull out some good ideas” kind of person, you can do that as well without adhering to the monthly planner. The book covers financial concerns, refining your business ideas, marketing (online and off), developing your niche and building your online presence.

As someone who started a business ten years ago, it would have been useful to have had this book in the early stages. On the other hand, it might have scared me as well. If you don’t follow the steps in the book initially and instead experience business failure, perhaps you can learn from that experience even more than from a book (then you can go and read Melinda’s book so you get it right the next time). Also, after one or two failures, you are more likely to read her business advice carefully.

The book is not really geared toward freelancers – in some ways, freelancers are in between the “employee” and the “boss.” Another area I would have liked more distinction would be between develop a services oriented business to a products oriented business. Even as a freelancer, however, one can gleam ideas about marketing and finance by reading Melinda’s book. As Melinda emphasize niche marketing, here are opportunities for three related books:

1. Become Your Own Boss as a Freelancer
2. Become Your Own Boss in a Service-Oriented Industry
3. Become Your Own Boss by Developing a New Product

So now that I’ve finally written this review, excuse me while I make a list of Melinda’s suggestions to try out on my own business and actually carry out some of them as well.

Your turn, readers: Have you read any good business books? Why were they helpful? Have you attended any Twitter chats – have any been useful to your business development?

I met Julie Weishaar through Larry Brauner’s Small Business Network. You can learn more about Julie at her website, http://newhorizons123.com/. I was pleased that she provided such knowledgeable answers to my interview questions; I especially like her advice: “Network, network, network.”

1) How long have you been in the marketing profession? Did you work for other companies before starting your own?

I have been in the marketing profession for as long as I have been in the business world. While raising my children, I owned my own companies and marketing is a natural and necessary function for any business owner. When I came back into the work force I ran a non-profit association for five years, then went into corporate marketing, and then onto owning my own business again. Anyone who has anything to promote has to market it. So the answer to your question “how long?” – more than 20 years.

2) How long have you had a website? How do you use it in promoting your business – what role does it play?

I created my first website as part of my learning process when I started New Horizons 123 2 1/2 years ago. It is actually funny to see my first attempt at my first website and compare it to where it is today. A company’s website is ESSENTIAL in promoting any business. The website is the central hub of a business. All the online activity they do to promote their brand should lead back to their website. All my online activity is geared towards bringing potential clients back to my website(s).

3) How has social media helped your business? Do you have any favorite social media sites?

Social media is about building relationships. People like to do business with people they know and trust, therefore getting them to know you and trust you is critical. I use social media extensively in my business and have been fortunate enough to have met some very helpful friends and clients via social media networking.

4) What do you consider your niche in your profession? How do you stand out from other professionals?

My niche is the small business owner who needs help promoting their brand. I stand out from my competition because of the relationships I have developed and because I use video marketing extensively in my consulting, and video IS the way of the future for communications and messaging. I not only help small businesses utilize video in their marketing, I also create videos for the businesses I consult for.

5) What would you suggest to a young person getting started in marketing?

That’s an easy answer – network, network, network :) They should also find out who the thought leaders are in the niche they want to be involved in, follow them, interact with them on social media platforms, and become a perpetual student! It is also important for the young person to realize that just because they read something online, doesn’t mean it is true. Check out the reputations/reviews of the sources of information to be sure you are following the “right” people.

6) How has blogging helped you in marketing your own business?

Blogging alone is like operating in a vacuum. In order for your blog/website/social media profile to have any value to you or anyone else, you have to network, network, network! Get your blog listed in blog directories, join blogging groups on different social media sites, interact, engage, share, learn, teach, and did I mention, network, network, and network? I have developed some extremely mutually beneficial relationships with other professionals in my niche that I met on blogs (mine and others), in blogging groups, and on social media networking sites.

Thanks so much, Julie!

Read more posts like this one:

Freakin’ Flamingo

Janice Tomich

Blog Interviews

Lessons learned:

Inform Your Clients with Your Website

A business need to educate a customer to check the website for more information. If you send out a newsletter, you can write a line to check the website for further information. If you are a small business owner, include your website as part of your signature, so when you email clients, it will be right there at the bottom.

Using your website in an emergency also will not work if your website server is hosted in the same place as your business. In one case, a business lost email (which was hosted on-site) but not website (which was in a remote location).

Using a Blog to Inform Before, During and After a Crisis

If you are in a business related to the crisis (examples: insurance, electricians, basement specialists, plumbers, sump pump or generator vendors), a blog can be useful in informing the public how to cope with the emergency. I saw one local contractor post how to spot fraudulent contractors who might con you after a crisis. Another published updates on which roads were open. If you show your knowledge, people are more likely to use your business when they need to make a choice.

Review Your Backup and Crisis Systems

Where is your website hosted? How is it being backed up? In a crisis, can you and your employees continue to run the business from a remote location temporarily? Are your most important files backed up frequently to a remote location? Will any of your products spoil in a crisis? Are you storing important paper files some place other than your basement?

Can you think of other ways your website can help in an emergency?

I am pleased to present an interview with Hannah Katsman, blogger of CookingManager.com and AMotherInIsrael.com. I have great admiration for her hard work, innovative ideas and strong following Hannah demonstrates through her blogs. By the way, I designed the header for both of her sites.

1) How did you get started blogging?

I started reading Jewish blogs, which weren’t covering things I was interested in like Israeli politics or religious debates. I knew I had something to say, but I was timid about expressing my views. Negative comments shook me up at the beginning, but I welcome them now. I love the interaction with my readers, many of whom have become friends.

2) When did you decide to work at making some money at blogging?

I began following professional blogging blogs and decided to sign up for an internet marketing course. During the course I started my second site, Cooking Manager, and moved A Mother in Israel to Word Press.Cooking Manager is also an excellent site that gets good search traffic. I earn small amounts from advertising and text links, but I haven’t developed them to the degree that I could. Having two blogs is really more than I can comfortably handle. I’m still not ready to give up on either of them yet, though.

3) How did you get the text links? They came to me unsolicited.

4) Has blogging helped you with writing professionally? In what way? Well, I recently finished a freelance translating job where I used my blog as an example of what I can do. I also translated sample pages in order to get the job. The translation was an academic work about women in haredi Judaism.

5) I know you recently took an exam for board certification in lactation. Has your Mother in Israel blog helped you with this aspect of your career? My volunteer work counseling mothers has helped me with blogging, because I learned how to communicate information tactfully and respectfully (I hope!).The blog has helped me make connections in the lactation world, and will be a good way to keep my name out there for potential clients.

6) What would you advise someone who wants to make money with blogging? I would start by reading top blogging websites by bloggers who blog for a living. Also, you need to keep in mind that there are a variety of necessary skills that you need to either learn or pay someone else to do including web design, social media and marketing, writing, ad management, and more. Finally, you need to have an idea of how you will make the money. Do you have a product to sell? Would you write an e-book? Do you want to rely on ads? A combination is best.

7) Why did you decide to switch to self-hosted WordPress? How have you learned WordPress as you work on your blog? You’re getting me at a bad time. I recently had to move my site from one server to another because the old one had limited the amount of disk space. I found several articles on how to do it, but I should have hired a professional. It took me 3-4 days and over a dozen chats with tech support. I learned a lot but not much that will help me in the future. WordPress has many wonderful features and plugins, and I would never go back to Blogger, but it’s not the best move for everyone.

I look forward to continuing to follow Hannah’s career, as a blogger, as a writer, as a lactation consultant – there’s always some interesting controversy to follow. And her readers know it.

More posts like this one:

Freakin’ Flamingo

Cooking Manager

Blog Improvements

Please meet Janice Tomich of Calculated Presentations. Janice helps you give a presentation that will keep the attention of the audience instead of having everyone snoozing in their chairs.

1) Can you describe your business? How long have you been doing this?
Have you been to a presentation that has you resorting to your smartphone or worse still falling asleep? I fix them.

Okay seriously, I work with executives to develop their public speaking skills and to create presentation content that will be compelling to their audience.

The skills that I help develop allow the speaker to connect to their audience such as voice modulation, eye contact, and powerful body language. From the content perspective a distinct plan of attack needs to be implemented, which can be created through strategies such as strong open and close and by enchanting audiences through storytelling.

I have been offering this type of communication skill development for close to two years. This is my third career. I was a late bloomer who returned to university to receive my Communication degree while in my late forties.

2) How long have you had a website? a blog? How have they contributed to your business?

My website has been live for almost two years. I realized the importance of having a website from a marketing perspective and it was my first priority when I started Calculated Presentations.

Within a few months of getting the website going I began writing blog posts. It was lonely at first and took lots of love and care to come to a point where I wasn’t just talking to myself. The blog has been an invaluable tool to connect with clients and as a learning tool for myself.

My blog has offered me the opportunity to connect with experts in my industry and understand views and theory from a global perspective.

3) Do you use social media to market your business?

Yes, I use social medias to connect with potential clients. Twitter is my favorite – I also have a robust Linkedin account. I have learned that like a blog social media connections take time to develop and require commitment to be successful.

4) Can you help people with their presentations even if they live on the other side of the world?

Absolutely, I use Skype and Go to Meeting, both fabulous tools for connecting with clients outside of Vancouver, Canada. These tools make it possible to develop content with my clients as well as watch them present. How cool is that?

5) Can you talk about the variety of clients you have had – business, non-profit, political, education fields?

My clients come from a broad range of fields and industry. That is one of the reasons that I chose this niche offering. It allows me the opportunity to always be learning. Right now I am working with a client whose specialty is environment and safety in the mining industry. I have been doing my research this past few weeks to learn about his industry so that I can support him with full confidence.

6) Is clothing important when presenting? Any suggestions on what to wear?

Yes clothing is important. Just as with your content you need to consider the audience. I recommend to my clients that they dress just a little more formally than they expect their audience will. This shows respect but I also caution don’t overdress as this will create a barrier between you and the audience.

7) How do you come up with new topics for your blog?

My ideas come through other blogs that I follow through RSS feeds, Twitter, but for the most part just everyday life. Things that happen to me both personally and professionally. I correlate my lessons learned to those that transfer to public speaking.

8) As a child or teen, did you like public speaking or dread it?

As a child I was lucky to have a teacher who taught our class debating when I was in grade six. I loved it, in particular the mechanics and rules of debating. Then when I hit my teen years the ugly “peer factor” reared its ugly head and I did everything in my power to not have to engage in public speaking. The fear of public speaking haunted me until I returned to academia. This was the pivotal time for me where I consciously decided that I wasn’t going to let the fear win.

A presentation over ten years ago – Leora was supposed to present with her then kindergartener son, but son hid under the table.

9) Any quick suggestions on how to prepare for a presentation?

For quick content creation take a pack of sticky notes and on the first write down your key message – what do you want your audience to learn or takeaway? Then on three additional stickies write down how you will support your key message. Under each key message write down as many ideas as you can think of that will support your argument. When you are finished look them over and keep the best supporting arguments. From here you can prepare a script or for those who are gifted speakers use these notes to riff off of.

10) Do you have any favorite people to follow on Twitter?
@MarionChapsal – Marion offers the same type of service that I offer as well as executive communication training. She shares a wealth of information both from a practical and academic viewpoint. Marion lives in Lyon, France.

@SandiAmorin – Sandi is a business coach and friend (who I met through Twitter) and her blog posts are simply wise. She attended the World Domination Summit in Portland a few months back, which has been excellent fodder for great conversations.

@emoticomma – Barbara was one of the first people who I met on Twitter. Her specialty is leadership and communications. She brings a wide range of topics to her Twitter stream and holds a #emoticommaswinebar on Fridays (summer hiatus) when a bunch of us chat and talk about how the week unfolded.

As you can see I have met some amazing people on Twitter who I have had the good fortune to be able to develop some cool friendships with. Including you Leora!

Janice, I love hearing about how this your third career, and you went back to school for communications! Hearing about your sixth grade debates is inspiring as well. Your clients are lucky to have you.

And now, a word from Jerry Seinfeld:

“According to most studies, people’s number one fear is public speaking. Number two is death. Death is number two. Does that sound right? This means to the average person, if you go to a funeral, you’re better off in the casket than doing the eulogy.” – Jerry Seinfeld

Much has been written about Google+, the new social media platform by Google. Even if the large market is not yet on Google+, Google still owns the biggest search engine, so what you put in your Google+ profile is noteworthy. Over 10 million users have already joined Google Plus.

What is important for a small business owner, freelancer or blogger to know about Google+?

1) First, the big DON’T. Don’t set up your Google+ profile as your business. Set it up with your real name. Google is deleting those. Business profiles will be available for small businesses, but not yet.

2) Spend time on your profile, especially the About description. People may choose to put you in a circle based on what you say on your bio. And the Google search engine will also notice what is written on your profile. Choose your words careful – think keywords.

3) Think carefully about links to display on your profile. On your About page on the right, there is a place to add links. Do add your website and your blog. If you update a lot on Twitter, perhaps you want to include that one as well. You may want to consider adding a client’s site, if you do a lot of work on this site, but you may also want to consider whether the client would like it posted there.

4) Use it as a place to develop good relationships. If you have a local business, talk with people in your area. Respond to what they post. You can also share with people from around the world who are in a similar industry.

A few quotes from some social media friends:

Eva Abreu of NJ Social Media notes: “Google+ will definitely benefit small biz, bloggers & freelancers especially because of integration with other Google products and apps and ease of use, especially for newcomers to social media who don’t have time to learn Facebook.” She suggest reading Google+ business profiles to include analytics.

Shoshana Yossef says: “For bloggers it’s great. You can post the blog in its entirety or a link to the blog, I’ve got more shares and comments here than on Twitter.

For small business owners, it’s a way of promoting who you are and what you do. As with all social media, closing the sale has to be made offline.”

Have you found Google Plus useful? Why or why not?

More posts on Google+:

• Can Google+ Shake Up Facebook?
• Google+ Resource Lists
• Google+ At One Month: A Look At Highlights & Controversies

Renée Joslyn runs an online and offline business called Freakin’ Flamingo. I welcome her to Websites for Small Biz, as she agreed to answer my inquisitive questions about her business, her website and her use of social media.

1) How long have you had your own business? How did you get started? What do you sell?

Which time? :-) I always felt that I was meant to work for myself, doing things that I enjoy and am passionate about. So, whenever someone said to me, “Renée, you’re so good at (fill in the blank)!” I would think, “Aha! Maybe that’s what I was meant to do!”

Pre-Internet, I had a small party-planning business in the 1980’s, aimed at working women. I tried advertising in one of those local business coupon books that you get in the mail. I also sent out Christmas cards to random people in the telephone book whose addresses were in the neighborhoods I wanted to work in. An artist friend designed business cards for me: Renée the Party Planner, with these wonderful balloons in the graphic. To save money, I had them printed in black and white and hand-colored the balloons in red, yellow, and teal markers.

In the 1990’s when a graphical internet – that is, websites – became available to average people, I had two different businesses: an online Irish bakery (pretty funny for a Jewish girl in Miami, huh?), and an online antiques business specializing in Depression glass. There was no Blogger or WordPress and I had to actually write my own code. These were all while I also worked full-time as a legal secretary.

Ultimately, I gave them up because it was very difficult to get the word out about a fledgling business if you had no money for traditional advertising. Internet business was uncharted territory and usenet groups became places for unsavory people to hang out. Early “social media” (MySpace, Facebook) was strictly for teenagers and college kids.

I started up Freakin’ Flamingo just this year, although the seeds for it began last year, when I began canning in earnest. Freakin’ Flamingo makes micro-batch jams, marmalades, and the occasional sauce and pickle, with a South Florida / Caribbean twist. Sometimes, it’s just twisted, like my Cabana Collection: jams that taste like cocktails – Blueberry Mojito, Piña Colada, and Strawberry Daiquiri. I source mostly local, but always in-season, fruit, and allow myself creative inspiration to come up with new combinations and flavors that tease the imagination.

For instance, it’s mango season here. I made a Mango Chipotle BBQ Sauce (very different from the recipe posted on Flamingo Musings), which has since sold out, as well as 2 different mango jams: Thai Mango Jam infused with lemongrass, lime, and ginger; and Pineapple Mango Mint. And for the first time, I made sugar-free versions of the jams, using xylitol, a natural sugar substitute extracted from tree bark. I swear! Tree bark. But when they’re gone, they’re gone. Maybe I’ll make them again next season. Maybe not. We’ll see if there’s a demand, and if I’m in the mood. The August mango cultivars are due anytime now, and I’ll decide then what I want to make with those.

That’s the whole philosophy behind Freakin’ Flamingo. You just never know what you’ll find, and the selection will change all the time.

2) How long have you been blogging? Did you blog before you started your business?

You know, I had to go look up the answer to that question, and it surprised me! My very first blog post was on August 30, 2006. Coincidentally, August 2008 is when I first started mentioning food. So, the answer to the second part of that question is, very definitely, yes.

Granted, my blogging was pretty sporadic for the first couple of years, and I didn’t start out as a food blogger – that evolved from hanging out with a bunch of food bloggers on Twitter.

But the blog is an extension of me. It reflects my style, my attitude, my background, and my interests. It’s not just a collection of recipes – I might share memories, a backstory, or even my thought process behind the food. And I don’t just write about jam or recipes using my jam. Although the blog is now an addition to the business, it’s not just a running commercial for the business.

3) Do you sell both online and in person? Do you use an online shopping cart? Do you like the one you use?

I began solely online, but also sold in person to a few people who know me personally, as well. I now sell in person at a local farmers market, about twice a month, in addition to online, but I’ve begun integrating the two by starting up a newsletter.

On the website, I use the WordPress online shopping cart widget. It works well, but it’s very basic and doesn’t really have the flexibility I’d like, to be able to differentiate shipping methods (parcel post vs. priority mail vs. UPS). If there’s an order that requires special handling, I have to do that manually and send a PayPal invoice. Likewise, it’s been known to mysteriously “hold back” product from the inventory, even if there are no open or unfinished orders. According to my site designer, Zen Cart and the others don’t seem to play well with with my site.

4) What are ways that you have done networking? Online or in-person?

Both. In fact, the two frequently intertwine. I’m very active online and established personal relationships with many people, both locally and all over the world, long before I started up Freakin’ Flamingo.

I attend at least a couple of food bloggers conferences every year, where I solidify some of those relationships “in real life” and make new connections, as well. This past spring I provided small sample jars of my jams for the “swag bags” at one of the conferences.

I attend events hosted by other local bloggers, and hand out my business cards when appropriate.

A Toronto canner I respect asked to publish one of my recipes in her new book about canning in North America (and yes, the publisher paid me), as a result of becoming acquainted in a monthly blog canning challenge called “Can Jam” last year.

I organize the annual Miami Area National Food Bloggers Bake Sale benefiting Share Our Strength – a charity I support very strongly – and not only bake, but also sell my jams at the sale, donating all the proceeds, and donate a Freakin’ Flamingo gift collection as a raffle prize. This one is an excellent example of both online and in-person networking. I involve a number of other local bloggers in the bake sale, several of whom also write for publications such as New Times and Edible South Florida. Edible South Florida now occasionally tweets about me when I’m at the farmers market. A couple of the writers have asked to write about me and my business. The Education coordinator of Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden (the location hosting the bake sale), not only purchased some of my jams and baked goods at the sale, but asked me to teach a canning class this coming December, as well as possibly a baking class next year.

5) What are some of the social media networks you use, and which do you find the most advantageous?

I am on Twitter, and have 3 Facebook pages (personal, Flamingo Musings blog, and Freakin’ Flamingo business). I’m also on Linked-In (though I’m still not sure what I’m supposed to be doing with it), and now on Google + (which I assume is Google’s answer to Facebook). I’ll be investigating Pinterest soon, as that seems to be up and coming.

By far, Twitter has been the most advantageous to me. I can honestly say that, if it weren’t for Twitter, Freakin’ Flamingo would most likely not exist. It’s where I have developed the most “personal” relationships with people all over the world. I’ve received incredible support, advice, and encouragement from people I met on Twitter.

I think in business these days, you have to have a Facebook presence, and it’s very useful for when you need more than 140 characters to express yourself. But aside from “sharing” entries on the blog fan page and the business fan page with my personal account, I generally keep the personal page separate. I think I’m a little more self-conscious on Facebook than I am on Twitter.

The funny thing is, when I began blogging and then tweeting, I had every intention of staying anonymous. I used to cringe whenever someone used my real name when they addressed me in a comment or tweeted me. I relaxed about that after awhile, when I realized that it was because they were treating me like a real person and took personal interest in me. In fact, I had to laugh when someone referred to me in one of her own blog posts, recently, as “…one of my favorite imaginary friends on the internet…”

Which leads me to two points that I’m absolutely firm on when it comes to social media:

First, it is above all things, social. People want to interact with you on a personal level and socialize. You’ve got to put yourself out there as a real live person. People want to sympathize, relate, offer advice, and celebrate with you. They want to commiserate if you’re having a lousy day, and cheer if you’ve scored a coup. They want to laugh with you and cry with you. If all you tweet is advertising or links, I won’t follow you. I’m not interested in having your ads clutter up my Twitter stream. If you and I are friendly and you tweet about something I find interesting, I’ll re-tweet you. I have to want to give you that boost.

Second, all my social media accounts and on- and offline materials use the same avatar or a variation of it. I think it’s really important to have a consistent “brand” identity, whether it’s personal or business. If you’re consistent, people remember you and think of you, even in completely unrelated situations. I can’t tell you how many people have tweeted me and messaged me about seeing flamingos at the zoo, on objects, in articles or in videos, and they thought about me. Or how many times I’ve met people (some of whom I’ve never had any interaction with) at conferences, etc. and they say, “ Oh, you’re RJ Flamingo! I was looking forward to meeting you!” How does that pay off? A woman approached me at the farmers market last week and asked me if I’m the same flamingo that’s on Twitter. She recognized my avatar and came over, because I’m someone she’s already familiar with.

That’s what I love about social media. People are already comfortable about working with you because they feel like they “know” you.

6) What are some of your favorite recipes?

Some of my very favorite recipes are for holidays or special occasions, like my challah or the Tiramisu Cream Puffs I baked for my mother’s 90th birthday party.

Then there’s my husband’s favorite, my Brisket. Another real winner is the Hummus Pizza. Seriously. Hot hummus. You have to try this: Hummus Pizza.

Renée, thank you so much! And by the way, we are big fans of xylitol (it is actually reported to be good for your teeth). She welcomes you to sign up for her newsletter.

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More posts like this one:

Networking Online

Facebook Biz Page

Procrastination

If you’re considering becoming a freelance professional—a freelance writer, designer or virtual assistant—you probably already know that finding your first client can be hard.

I started dabbling in the freelance realm about 8 years ago. Although in the early years I only picked up clients sporadically, I have built a stable side business from my freelance writing endeavors. Having learned a thing or two in that time, I thought I’d offer new freelancers a few tips for landing that first gig.

Tip #1: Offer Your Help to Someone in Need

My very first freelance gig was for a blogger named Charlie. I was just out of high school, and he was looking to turn his blog into a book through self-publishing. I read his posts daily because, despite their many grammatical flaws and typos, they were erratic and entertaining.

One day Charlie lamented on his blog that the self-publisher he contacted wouldn’t take his money. The rep flat-out told Charlie that the book was not suitable for publishing. (Kudos to that guy for not ripping off someone with a dream just because he could, by the way.) That same day I left a comment on Charlie’s blog saying that I’d copyedit the document for him. In exchange, he offered to give me a free copy of his memoir and give me published credit in the book.

I never got the book from him. Charlie was kind of flighty. However, he did stay true to his word and give me credit for copyediting Rant of the Mad Man. I bought the book for myself on Amazon and had a fantastic credential for my resume.

Tip #2: Stop Being So Terrified of Craigslist

More recently, when I decided to truly dedicate myself to building a freelance career, I found a client on Craigslist. She was a writer herself with an abundance of jobs and a knack for subcontracting. I built a pretty massive portfolio, got paid weekly, and got to pick her brain about my own projects and the business in general.

The lesson here for you is: Be cautious when responding to online ads, but don’t become completely immobilized by fear. You could be missing out on some fantastic opportunities.

Tip #3: Create a Website

Your website doesn’t have to be massive and elaborate, but you need to establish your online presence. From the moment I launched my website at www.emilysuess.com, new clients seeking me out.

Businesses with websites are perceived as more legitimate, and they’re just easier for potential clients to find. Include important contact information, a few good keyword search phrases and a portfolio, and you can spend less time begging for work and more time actually working.

As you pick up each new client, you will begin to develop a sixth sense. You’ll know when people are leading you on or trying to get something for nothing, and you’ll be able to cut those ties before you have invested too much time.

But you’ll also learn to spot the gold mines. You’ll get a feeling about certain clients, at once recognizing their integrity and the value they add to your business simply by being one of your clients. Treat them well! After you find a great freelance client, work to strengthen a great long-term relationship. That’s how successful freelance businesses are made.

Emily Suess is a freelance writer in Indianapolis and the author of Suess’s Pieces. If you have specific questions for her about freelance writing, you can send her a mention or direct message on Twitter.