On Words and Business

1. My clients–who respect me, my time, and my abilities and are all lovely people I enjoy working with
2. My audience–who seem to like reading what I write, which means a lot to me
3. Work I enjoy–each time I take on a new type of project or new subject area, I learn and grow
4. A work life that can’t be beat–working for myself means I have both the best and worst boss ever, but it’s still great
5. Supportive friends and family–who work around the weirdness that working for oneself occasions from time to time

Today I was looking at the website of an organization I like very much. I receive their magazine and enjoy the articles, the thought leadership, and the general approach. Today, for the first time, I went to their website to see what it had to offer. And I found myself terribly disappointed to discover they don’t have a blog.

That made me chuckle a bit. Just a few years ago, it was disappointing and/or shocking if an organization didn’t have a regular web page. In a few years…will it be Twitter that we’re sad not to find? Or something else? If it’s something else, what on earth would that be?!

Here’s a great post from iMedia Connection about why creating a social media policy can help you keep your focus. Especially for small businesses and entrepreneurs who have to divide their time between so many tasks.

My favorite hint: Avoid bandwagon-jumping. I’ve heard all sorts of fabulous stories about people who’ve made good contacts and gotten work through Twitter. That’s great. For my business right now, though, it’s not in the cards. That doesn’t mean I’ll never consider it. It’s just that given my bandwidth and other current strategic considerations, it’s not part of my plan.

My second favorite:  Keep an eye on consolidation. I’m looking forward to more of this. Especially with LinkedIn, since the social media policy for my business does not involve Facebook (my social media policy for my personal life does, but that’s a different story).

Happy strategizing…

Me and my business?

It can be scary to ask people to share what they think about us or our business. But testimonials from clients are one of the best ways to help prospects understand how you can help them. And, if you ask the right questions, they can also help improve your business. It’s a win-win.

Some questions to ask your clients:

• What do you like about working with us?
• What don’t you like and wish we did better?
• What are the biggest benefits of working with us?
• What are the biggest drawbacks of working with us?
• What were your preconceived notions about working with us before we started?
• How has that changed since we’ve worked together?
• If you were to recommend us to a colleague, friend, or business associate, how would you describe the way I provide my service to you?

“Before everything else, getting ready is the secret of success.”
-Henry Ford

It’s November, which means time to start talking about predicted trends for next year.

iMedia Connection discusses 9 digital trends to keep an eye on, including…

• Facebook replacing regular email(#1)
• Fewer registrations–one sign-in fits all. This is #4 on their list and #1 on my wish list.
• Continuing evolution of web-driven, open source DIY culture (#6)
• Crowdsourcing (#8)