At last week’s Day of Action | Health: Community Baby Shower, UWMN had almost 150 volunteers from more than 40 companies uniting to make a difference in the lives of 1500 at-risk expectant moms in the Nashville Metro area. Shower-in-a-Bags included over 60,000 items such as diapers, wipes, clothes, blankets and formula.

The Day of Action is always a large volunteer event with a lot of hustle and bustle. We wanted to capture and share the excitement of the day; but more importantly, we wanted our volunteers (our offline audience) to document (i.e. SHARE) their experience with their online networks. Because their online networks likely consist of people just like them, who share the ‘volunteer, advocate, give’ values that UWMN promotes. These are people that UWMN may not yet be connected to but are ideal candidates for our message. And thus, our volunteers become influencers – or as we like to call them, advocates.

Without further adieux, here are 5 reasons to engage your offline brand, online:

1. 57% increase in Daily Users who have engaged with your Facebook Page, viewed your Facebook Page, or consumed content generated by your Facebook Page (Unique Users)
2. 67% increase in Daily New Likes of your Facebook Page (Total Count)
3. 76% increase in Daily Page Views from users logged into Facebook (Total Count)
4. 67% increase in Daily Page Views from users logged into Facebook (Unique Users)
5. 78% increase in Daily Impressions of stream stories generated by your Facebook Page (Total Count)

BUT WAIT! What did we do to generate those impressive increases on Facebook? We invited our volunteers to document their experience with the UW Flip Cam. We loaned them a flip cam, they recorded a short video of what was going on, and then we helped them load the video on to their personal Facebook pages to share with their networks. We also made sure they tagged United Way of Metropolitan Nashville in their post.

Unfortunately, Facebook didn’t want to cooperate and several of the videos, while they were tagged, didn’t appear on the UWMN Facebook page. Sometimes technology gets in the way of a great idea. But as you can tell from the measurements, this campaign was still extremely successful. So much so that the UW Flip Cam will be a standard opportunity at all future Days of Action.

How will you engage YOUR offline audience, online?

Build your network and keep up with what’s happening

Angie Grissom, Vice President and Director of Consulting for The Rainmaker Consulting Group in Nashville, uses Twitter primarily for business purposes…

Are press releases dead?

With all the new social media marketing tools available, many people believe some of the traditional marketing methods are dead. Not so; but perhaps the way we distribute them has changed…

Nashville realtor uses Twitter to reach people and network faster

Vanessa Stalets is a RE/MAX Elite Realtor who specializes in the Nashville, Franklin and Brentwood TN markets. She finds tremendous value in Twitter as a business tool…

Two tribes, if you will.

Mention the words “Internet marketing” to some, and images of obnoxious “gurus” spring to mind, complete with big red headlines, yellow highlighting, and excessive hype. And yet real Internet marketers (not get-rich-quick scam artists) are some of the smartest, wealthiest, and most ethical entrepreneurs you’ll ever meet.

Mention the words “social media marketing” to some, and images of touchy-feely idealists who promote community over commerce and conversation over cash come to mind. And yet some of the smartest people in the space successfully participate in social media for higher traffic, better search engine optimization, and larger profits.

The black and white division of online marketing into two tribes is not real.

There’s a big (and growing) middle tribe, one that avoids spammy approaches while having no problem asking for the sale and making money. Lots of money.

These people learn from all sides and apply what they learn in a way that works for them. This tribe profits from the intersection of pragmatism and progress.

This is the Third Tribe (affiliate link).

*This blog post is an excerpt from the Third Tribe Marketing website.

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Attention

*Attention Assets – like your blog – used for sharing content. Your blog should be the center of attention; you should drive all traffic from other social sites to your blog. You should apply good copywriting skills and write compelling headlines. Think of your blog as the hub of a wheel and your social profiles are the spokes. The social channels are a distribution system for your content but you always drive traffic back to your blog. This is where you add the most value to your readers.

*Media – standard PR like interviews and publishing articles on other newsworthy websites/publications (linking back to your blog whenever possible).

Authenticity

*Be real but be strategic. Transparency and authenticity is the key to social media, but you don’t have to over-share. Be consistent and relatable. And as Sonia says, “just be cool.”

Authority

*This is the point at which you can begin selling. People are looking for experts. I’m also going to insert my favorite quote from Jeffrey Gitomer (affiliate link) here: “All things equal, people want to do business with their friends. All things not equal, people still want to do business with their friends.” So be the friend AND the expert.

Action

*Always be moving in the direction of the next launch or sale. Don’t accept one success and sit back and wait for another. Keep moving.

*If “content is king” then content marketing is our future.  Always include a call to action.

*People are often motivated more by a feeling of loss than what they may gain; but don’t be tricky. Be real and be helpful.

Acceleration

*Sonia Simone’s Millionaire’s Secret: Be Generous! You will get what you want if you help enough others get what they want.

*It may seem like a paradox, but the more you share for free, the more you stand to gain. That doesn’t mean that there aren’t products or services you offer that are worth paying for. Just be generous.

*Move from one-off products to a continuity program or access-only service. This provides a steady revenue stream and is the holy grail for a business.

If you like what you’re reading, I recommend you check out Third Tribe Marketing (affiliate link). It is a subscription-based community, but there are a ton of resources there for you including recordings of all seminars and Q&A calls and a powerful discussion forum with over 2000 active members.

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A similar form of this is a subscription site like Third Tribe Marketing (affiliate link). I pay a monthly fee to access the myriad of resources within the password-protected website. A recent WebWire article, Membership Sites: A Growing Buzz in Internet Marketing, calls subscription sites like this the “final frontier of online marketing”:

Every month, a few leading online marketers have been pulling in a substantial and consistent income from online membership sites…There has been a slow yet steady buzz developing in the Internet marketing community recently about membership sites. These websites range from how-to sites, to dating sites, to professional networking sites that charge a fee…One similarity that these membership sites have in common is their ability to produce for their owners a relatively passive stream of income.

So you have two options: build a continuity program or a subscription site. The continuity program really only requires a simple web presence; that online shingle that says you’re open for business. If you opt to create a membership site, but don’t have the skills to build it yourself, it may be easier than you think to make it happen.

Regardless of which way you go, you can create a reliable, steady stream of income using this strategy. The caveat here is that once you’ve built it, you have to know how to market it. That’s why I recommend Third Tribe Marketing. Between the online seminars, Q&A calls and discussion forums, you’ll learn from other experts in the field how to effectively market your online business or program.

What am I going to build? I’m working on a plan for a continuity program, and as this website evolves you’ll find details here. I also have an idea for a membership site, but like many of you, I don’t have the skills to build such a complex site. So I’ll be looking for someone to partner with.

What about you?

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There are 3 Surefire Strategies to building a business online; and I recommend starting online to save on overhead costs. You can always build your business plan to include a traditional brick-and-mortar down the road – that’s called starting with the end in mind – that Stephen Covey fellow was a smart man (affiliate link).

So let’s assume that you don’t have much capital and you don’t want to go into debt to start a business. That’s smart. You have a great idea for a product or service and to boot, you don’t have the skill set to do it on your own. Find a business partner who does and is willing to take a risk with you (i.e. he’s not going to charge you to build your widget; instead, he’ll profit alongside you). That’s thinking outside the box.

Here’s an example. I purchased a domain called “TN Buy Local” that I would like to use to showcase Tennessee businesses – specifically businesses that manufacture their product(s) locally – and to encourage people to support their local economy by buying local – using our directory to find what they’re looking for. But I don’t have the expertise to build that kind of a robust website. So I should find a web developer who’s interested in partnering with me. He develops the site, I market and sell advertising space, and we both profit. There’s a tremendous opportunity to build that into a lucrative online business. All I need to do is find a web developer who’s interested in working with me.

So what’s your idea? How can you make it a reality?

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Stop Delivering Pizzas and Start Making Money the New-Fashioned Way

When I lost my job in January 2009, it became obvious to my family that we could not survive on one income. We simply had too much debt. As with most American families, we believed we were carrying a healthy amount of debt (surely no more than the average American) and were content to live beyond our means. As I write that, it sounds ridiculous. But that’s how we felt. That all changed last year.

My husband and I read Total Money Makeover and got “gazelle intense” about getting out of debt. In less than six months, we’ve almost reached our first major financial goal. How? Well, Dave will tell you to do three things when you’re eyeball-deep in debt; first, eat beans and rice, rice and beans. Second, sell so much stuff your kids will think they’re next. And third, he’ll tell you to get a second (part-time) job delivering pizzas.

I don’t know about you, but not only do I not WANT to deliver pizzas, I CAN’T because of my obligation to be home with my kids at night. So what can you do from the comfort of your own home to make some extra money to pay off all that debt? There are 3 Surefire Strategies to legitimately making money online, and you won’t even have to take a shower afterwards (you won’t feel like a dirty spammer).

Of the three strategies, if you’re already working full-time, I recommend affiliate marketing. It’s easy and can be quite profitable with a good marketing plan. Instead of rehashing the details of a smart affiliate marketing plan, just check out You Don’t Have to be a Web Marketing Expert to Earn Income Online.

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So, why am I only talking about starting an online business? Well, the reason is the low, low overhead costs involved. Depending on your goals, it may eventually turn into a brick-and-mortar business; but it’s definitely less risky to start online with little or no overhead, build a successful business and then move into a physical location.

But let’s move on to the subject matter at hand.

Yesterday, in How to Start Your Own Business – 3 Surefire Strategies, the first strategy I suggested was affiliate marketing. For the purposes of this post, that’s where I’m going to focus my attention.

When I launched my first website (with the added intention of using it to make a few extra bucks), my first thought was affiliate marketing. I immediately became an affiliate of Amazon and created my own store. I thought I’d make all kinds of cash. Did I? No; because I wasn’t effectively utilizing my resources nor did I have a strategic plan for how to sell the products I was promoting.

So this time around, I decided to focus on just a couple of key products that I use and LOVE: Third Tribe Marketing, GoDaddy and the Frugal Premium WordPress theme (all affiliate links). I promote them on my website with web banners, but I also blog about my experience with them and why I love them. And, I use a marketing strategy known as “Product Launch Formula” (PLF) by Jeff Walker to strategically market these products. Where did I learn about PLF and how do I know that it works? Well, I gleaned it from a seminar I listened to on Third Tribe Marketing. The folks that started Third Tribe Marketing are brilliant and are truly the thought leaders behind legitimately making money online (without being an obnoxious spammer).

The beauty of affiliate marketing is that it doesn’t necessarily take much time, so it’s easy to do as a side business. Or, if you’re already building your new reality, it’s a great way to start creating some initial cash flow so you can then focus your energy on other, more profitable business strategies. So, what’s your next step?

PS – There’s a new FTC law that requires me to inform my readers whenever I link to a product that is not mine but I make money on when it’s purchased. That’s why you see “(affiliate link)” throughout many of my posts. And if you become an affiliate marketer, be sure to do the same. It’s the law.

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There are three distinct, LEGITIMATE, surefire ways to make money online. THESE ARE NOT “GET RICH QUICK” SCAMS. In fact, I can promise you won’t get rich quick. But the money you earn from doing one or all of these (if performed strategically) will earn you enough cash-flow to get you started.

BECOME AN AFFILIATE MARKETER

You may be very familiar with the term – maybe you’re already an affiliate for one or more products – but haven’t figured out how to make money at it. For the purposes of this post, let’s back up and start at the beginning. Affiliate Marketing is an Internet-based marketing practice in which a business rewards one or more affiliates (you) for each visitor or customer brought about by the affiliate’s marketing efforts.

There are a couple of ways you can become an affiliate marketer. First, you can choose a couple of products that you use and believe in and only sell those items, directly through an affiliate program by the company. This is the route I’ve chosen; I’m an affiliate for Third Tribe Marketing, GoDaddy and the Frugal Premium WordPress theme (all affiliate links). Or, you can go to a website like Commission Junction. They are an affiliate management agency; meaning, hundreds or thousands of companies invite you to sell their products and earn commission through this aggregated site. This is nice because you have a wide variety of products to choose from.

CREATE YOUR OWN PRODUCT/SERVICE TO SELL

This is probably the most obvious and definitely the most difficult (and probably the reason you haven’t started your own online business yet). A lot of people think they have to create their own product or service to sell in order to start a business. You don’t necessarily have to be the creator. There are two ways you can go about this.

First, if you’re really passionate about something, become a consultant or independent contractor. Start a blog (if you haven’t already) and showcase yourself as an expert. If you’re an excellent accountant but a terrible marketer, hire a web marketing expert to help start you off on the right foot. To make a successful business, you have to do more than throw out that virtual shingle. And a marketing expert can help (feel free to contact me!).

Second, you can partner with someone who has the ability to build something you thought of but don’t have the expertise to build it yourself. By creating a partnership, there is little financial investment for you, likely only a time investment for the other person, and you then you share in the profit of the product once it’s on the market. Not a bad deal, right?

CONTINUITY PROGRAMS

This is probably the ultimate money-maker. But it takes work and some strategic marketing. A continuity program is a subscription-based “product” where a customer pays a monthly fee to access whatever it is you have. I’m working on one for my business, which will likely be some kind of coaching/mentoring product. I have a friend who records weekly podcasts that his clients would find interesting and mails them CD’s so they can listen to them on their drive to work. Lots of options here; you just have to think outside the box a little. And figure out how to get the word out.

Stay tuned for more posts on these three topics.

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What is Your New Reality

With layoffs happening left and right and hundreds of thousands of people finding themselves in a new reality they may not have ever faced before, we all have to get a little creative.

I did land a job shortly after I threw up that virtual shingle; but if I knew then what I know now, I wouldn’t have been so worried about getting a traditional job. Because you know what? I would SO much rather be my own boss. What about you?

Last year, I became passionate about social media. Since then, I have devoured everything I could get my hands on about the topic. And now I’m carving a niche for myself here. But you don’t have to be a social media expert to start your own company and start making money by hanging out a virtual shingle. In fact, I still have a LOT to learn when you compare me to most of the folks in the social media field. Don’t get me wrong; I know my stuff, but I’m no Chris Brogan (he’s my social media/marketing “idol”).

Well, thanks to Chris Brogan, I learned about Third Tribe Marketing (affiliate link). Boy did I put off signing up, because, well, $47/month is a big investment for someone without a steady income (and I don’t anymore since I quit my job recently to start my own business). But my subscription has been worth its weight in gold! I’ve already learned a lot about how to make that virtual shingle profitable. And in this 2-week series of blog posts, I’m going to share some of those secrets to success.

So if you’re a blogger looking to make some extra money or a savvy businessperson who wants their new reality to be the freedom to be their own boss (like me), stay tuned. Regardless of your passion, you can use social media tools to further your goals.