What is everyone’s biggest fear when they put together a virtual or live streaming event?  That you go live and no one shows up. Not only is it disheartening and maybe even a little embarrassing, but you also feel like you did all that work for no reason and just wasted your time, and the time of your virtual assistant. The good news is that you can avoid this and put your fear to rest. I am going to share with you how to make sure you have an audience for your next live streaming event.

7 Ways to Get People To Show Up to Your Live Streaming Event

#1 Have A Plan and A Goal

You need more than just the topic and talking points when you plan your live streaming event. You need to have a clear goal in mind and plan the event around that goal.

Decide what you want this event to achieve for you:

• Gain more opt-ins
• Grow your email list
• Drive traffic to website
• More YouTube subscribers

Then construct your topic, talking points and the entire event with a focus toward the audience that will help you achieve your chosen goal.

#2 Schedule It In Advance and Give Yourself Enough Time

It is never a good idea to wake up and decide you are going to live stream that day – or even that week for that matter. Instead, you need to give yourself plenty of time to plan and research what you are going to discuss because if you are not prepared, those that happen to show up for your live stream will know it. No one wants to listen to an unprepared speaker, and it will decrease the chances of them coming back for your next live stream.

You also need to give yourself time to promote your event. Avoiding the fear of no one showing up means making sure everyone knows about it, and it takes time to get the word out. Those that want to participate in your event will usually need to schedule their time in advance to be available to participate.

#3 Use A Platform You Are Comfortable Using

Your live streaming event is not the time to try out a new platform you haven’t used before. The chances of an error during the stream are much larger if you are unfamiliar with how a particular platform works.

If you are comfortable with Facebook Live then use that as your platform; however, you should do your research and be sure that your audience uses Facebook as their primary social media tool. You should always go where your audience spends the majority of their time.

If your audience is on a platform you are not comfortable with you can still use it for your event, you just need to make sure you work with it on your own prior to your live stream. In other words, you should get comfortable with it well in advance of using it for a live streaming event.

#4 Share the Live Streaming Event With Your E-mail List

You email list is ripe with people that have connected with you and are interested in what you have to say. Your first step in the promotion of your event is informing your email list. However, it is important that you do this is a way that does not look like spam. Take the time to make it more personal and give it a compelling subject line

#5 Share on Social Media and In Targeted Groups

Social Media, LinkedIn, as well as Facebook groups are a great way to send invitations to a targeted audience. Choose the groups that would be most interested in your topic, utilize appropriate promo threads with these groups that would best meet your chosen goal for the event.

You should also set up a promoted post for the day prior and the day of your event to remind those that you have invited, and to also pick up anyone that may have missed the initial invitation from you.

#6 Create A Page on Your Website Where the Live Stream Can Be Embedded

By creating a page on your website to embed your live streaming event you accomplish two objectives at once: you make it easy for your audience to find the event and you drive people to your website.

#7 Utilize Your Promotional Partners To Help Spread the Word

If you have JV (joint venture) or promotional partners this is a great opportunity to have them be involved or to help you share your information and events, while in return you share theirs. Live streaming events are the perfect time to utilize this motivated group to help you spread the information about your upcoming event to everyone in their network that is a fit for your topic.

The most popular live streaming personalities make it look effortless, natural and relaxed, but don’t be fooled. Effortless, natural, and relaxed takes a lot of preparation, promotion and yes, effort. However, with your goal in mind and these tips on getting your audience to show up, you too can make your live streaming event look effortless and natural.

7 Tips to Get More People to Show Up to Your #LiveStreaming Event by @PattyFarmer #RocksDigital
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How do you prepare for your live streaming events? Have some tips we missed? Please feel free to share in the comments below.

The post Live Streaming Events: How to Get More People to Show Up appeared first on Rocks Digital.

Time is money. You may have heard that a time or two. It may be cliché but it’s true; your time is worth something and you should remember this each time you consider joining a new networking group. None of us have extra hours in our work day to waste, so before you head out the door to another networking event, ask yourself these questions.

1. What is your goal in networking with this group?

Your goal should be more than just meeting new people and getting your business card into more hands. There must be a specific need addressed, or a particular and beneficial set of people or topics that will help you reach your business goals. Some of your networking group goals might be:

• To find potential clients or joint venture partners
• To find connections with a specific expertise, or find opportunities for speaking engagements
• To expand your skills or knowledge base

Also, remember quality versus quantity. A big group doesn’t necessarily lead to more referrals and revenue; but building quality relationships does.

2. What are the requirements and costs of the networking group?

Many networking groups are fairly open, but some are not. As mentioned before, quality is usually better than quantity. Highly relevant organization members who are highly engaged will make it a more valuable organization for you. Consider the following to be costs, in addition to any monetary requirements for membership and attendance:

• What actions need to be taken before you can become a member? For example: do you have to invite a certain amount of people, make a certain amount of referrals, or have a certain amount of one-on-one meetings with members or the leadership team?
• What are the requirements for attendance at meetings and special events and how often are each held?
• Is the networking group open to all or do they have industry exclusive members?

3. How involved do you want to be?

Quality, long-term business relationships take time to build. If you want to make and keep relationships, you should be willing to commit to networking groups that fit with your goals. It doesn’t work to just visit, pass out and collect business cards, then never show up again. You must be willing to take the time to nurture these relationships over time. You should also be willing to participate and help others with your expertise.

Before you visit another networking group make sure you have clear goals and an overall networking strategy. Do you want to join several organizations where you can come and go, or are you looking for one group you can grow with, get involved in and later become part of their leadership team? After you have set your goals and determined the type of group you want to join, visit a few before deciding on the best one for you. The right networking group can be invaluable to your business.

Is that #networking group right for your #business goals @PattyFarmer #RocksDigital
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What types of networking groups have been the most valuable for you?

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We all want to make more money, right? Instead of spending your time completing the mundane tasks you don’t like; how about you outsource them to an expert and spend your time doing the tasks you are passionate about and actually make you more money.

Why Outsource the Mundane Business Tasks?

Consider the tasks you enjoy doing and you can complete them quickly and effectively. These are the things you should be doing.

Now, think about the tasks that you dislike and put off because you just don’t enjoy doing those. How much time do you spend dreading these tasks before you even get started?  Let’s do a quick exercise.

• Most challenging for you to complete.
• Least favorite task(s).
• Take the most amount of time.

Are these tasks all related? Consider how much more productive you can be if you’re not forcing yourself to complete them. With these task(s) out of the way, you can now focus on what makes you profitable. This is how outsourcing helps your business make more money.

Finding the Right Person to Outsource the Mundane

Hopefully by now you have created your list of tasks you should outsource. Let’s face it, as entrepreneurs we tend to like to take control and keep it. For some, outsourcing is a difficult step because you have to entrust aspects of your business to someone else. The best way to overcome that fear is to trust the person or company you choose.

• Ask for referrals from colleagues that are currently outsourcing.
• Review their websites, especially the work completed for other clients and check out their online reviews.
• Communicate clearly with them your expectations and make sure they understand your needs.

Realistically, the first person you choose might not be the one you keep, but you have to start somewhere to build your list of expectations, needs and identify the tasks you definitely want to and can outsource.

Top Ten List of Things I have Outsourced So I Can Make More Money

1. Creating a process and systems work flow to increase productivity.
2. Tracking and managing projects and deliverables to ensure on-time completion.
3. Setting up newsletter, e-zine and/or email blasts to targeted lists.
4. Setting up squeeze or landing pages for online list building i.e. webinars, tele-classes.
5. Creating and setting up auto-responders.
6. Updating the website and managing blogging content.
7. Posting upcoming events, teleseminars or workshops to multiple websites.
8. Managing personal and business calendars for event and speaking engagements.
9. Editing blog content, radio shows, podcasts or video.
10. Creating sales presentations, designing live event order forms and other print materials.

Are there any tasks I have listed above that you are currently doing that you don’t like doing? Perhaps start by outsourcing some of those first or others that are not the strongest part of your skillset. These drain your energy and diminish enthusiasm.

Are you ready to be more productive in your business and make more money? It’s time to outsource. Let a subject matter expert use their skills and free yourself up to excel at using yours!

Make More Money: #Outsource the Mundane #Business Tasks by @PattyFarmer #RocksDigital
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Have you tried outsourcing some of your tasks? I shared my list. Comment below and share yours.

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All businesses have times when things slow down. When that happens, these are the best times to plan out and implement digital marketing strategies to generate a buzz about your business. The reality is that the more people you get your business, products and services in front of, the more the opportunities you will have to generate more sales.

While traditional advertising has its time and place, you need to get creative and integrate digital marketing strategies into the mix. Below are 7 ways to increase the visibility of your business as well as placing you as an expert in your industry.

7 Digital Marketing Strategies You Need to Implement Today

1. Guest Blog on Well Known Industry Sites
If you are not a writer, guest blogging may cause an automatic groan to escape your lips, but it is so effective that you need to start doing it. The great news is that you don’t have to write it yourself. There are services and individuals out there that write blogs for businesses and they are generally not terribly expensive. Once it is written, you should choose one of the top industry sites and find out how to get your blog published on it.

• Establishes you as an expert in your industry
• Gives additional visibility to your business
• Adds SEO to your website by having links to and from a credible industry site

2. Comment on Blogs in Your Niche
As you find and read blogs relating to your business’s niche, comment on them. However, your comment needs to be more than just “great blog.” Your comment should be informative, adding your expertise to the topic.

3. Create an Infographic of Your Expertise
People love a good infographic and this is an excellent tool to use to attract consumers to your business. You can use it to explain some of your products or services, or as a “how-to” piece to answer a common issue your customers have. Your infographic should link to your website so consumers can find out more about you and find your products and services.

• Contains bright graphics
• Breaks down a complicated process or issue into easy to read steps
• Is visually appealing
• Is easy to read and understand

4. Create A Private Facebook Group On a Specific Topic or Niche
Creating a group on a topic having to do with your business’s industry and niche is another way to set yourself up us as an expert in your industry. This is something that you must actively participate in by creating and engaging in discussions. One way to ensure that you are participating regularly is to pick one day a week that you will share in one of the thread offerings. As you share, you will also be able to see what others are doing as well.

5. Create Contests and Challenges
Come up with a fun contest or challenge for people to share and participate in. This will drive traffic to your social media accounts and website as well as encourage followers to promote your business when they share the contest or challenge.

6. Create A Weekly Podcast, Periscope or Blab Interviewing Leaders in Your Industry
Podcasts, Periscope and Blab are hot right now, so use that to your benefit. These can also be re-purposed later into blogs or saved onto your YouTube channel.

• Interview leaders in your industry
• Give a video tour of your business
• Answer commonly asked questions
• Create a video “how to” on common issues your customers have

7. Create an Easy Opt-In In Your Email Signature
This is just a quick sentence with a link for people to click on which will drive them to your best FREE content, webinar or video series. This will get them on your website increasing your chances of making an additional sale.

As you can see, some of these ideas take a little more time and effort than others, but all of them will generate more visibility for your business. The point is that you should constantly be looking for new and creative ways you can get your business in front of consumers. So get started on one or two of these ideas and watch your business boom and sales numbers start growing.

7 #DigitalMarketing Strategies To Generate Buzz Abt Biz by @PattyFarmer #RocksDigital #Marketing
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Have you been using any of the above strategies to create a buzz for your business? What have the results been? Let’s discuss.

The post 7 Digital Marketing Strategies To Start Using Today To Generate A Buzz About Your Biz appeared first on Rocks Digital.

In case you didn’t already realize it, we are in the mobile age and these statistics shared by Bernadette Coleman, CEO of Advice Interactive Group, earlier in the year prove it.

Mobile Search Statistics

• 50% of mobile search are users trying to find a business
• 61% of these searches result in a purchase
• 50% of mobile users visit a store within 1 day of searching

I hope seeing these statistics laid out in black and white is a real wake-up call for you. When I heard Bernadette present on this topic at the Local, Search and Social Summit it was for me.

As a business owner who serves business owners we all need focus on more than just our overall marketing strategy. Continue reading to understand why a mobile focused local strategy is important for your business.

Creating Your Local Search Strategy

If you either work with or own a business that has a brick-n-mortar location or is a service that is based on location, then you want to make sure that business has a solid local search strategy in place. To do that well you have to understand exactly what that strategy should include.

1. Connecting With Your Target Audience

You may already know who your target audience is as a persona, but now you need to dig a little deeper and find out where they spend their time online. This way you can not only create content designed for them, but also, take it one step further and push that content to the places where they are looking online.

Do they prefer Facebook, Twitter or YouTube? Where does your target audience spend the most time online? This can be determined by things like the age, geographical location, vocation, etc. of your target audience. It is worth the research to find out because you need to know where to focus your efforts. Do you need to produce content in video, photos or more informative posts? Your content needs to be wherever your audience is and be whatever your audience is looking for.

2. Citation Building

Citations are your business’s NAP (name, address and phone number) and can also include business hours, website and other basic information. Your citations need to be:

• Accurate – the same in every location where your business is listed online
• Verified and submitted to listing directories
• Not Duplicated – If your business listing is duplicated on a directory then that directory will usually un-verify your business and you will not show up.

There are a number of services out there that take care of these tasks for you, but, if you have the time, it is possible to track and manage your citations yourself.

3. Getting Links

Links are an important detail to include in your online presence management; however the quality of your links do matter. You don’t want your site linked to sites that are not ranking well in the search engines or that are inappropriate for your audience. The sites that your site links to or that link back to your site should be relevant in some way to the services or products you provide, but they should also be sites that serve your target audience.

One way to gain quality links is to produce guest blogging content for sites that are important in your industry or trade. You can also request others to guest blog on your site. Both of these will produce quality links to and from your site.

4. Content Strategy

When you are looking at your content strategy you need to always keep in mind your local search strategy as well. You content should be focused on things that relate to your local community and reach your local audience. This can all be done through blogs, videos and social media, in conjunction with each other to produce an effective content strategy that supports your local search strategy.

It is also a good idea to always be on the lookout for events and activities happening in the area of your business so you can participate and include those in your content as well. When it comes to your local search strategy it does require a little thought and research but it can easily fit into your entire digital marketing strategy and enable you to reach those in your community and surrounding areas.

More Than #Marketing: Marketing for Mobile and #LocalSearch @PattyFarmer #SEO
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What part of your local strategy do you struggle with? Please share and let’s work on it together!

The post More Than Just Marketing: Marketing for Mobile and Local Search appeared first on Rocks Digital.

How is your follow up? The fact is, as business owners, we are so busy trying to make the next dollar that when we make a new connection we have great intentions of following up, but it doesn’t always happen and, if it does, it doesn’t happen the right way.

Once you have made an initial contact with someone what’s next for you? Do you go right back to what you were doing with intentions of following up later? So, how do you keep connected and build a relationship with the new connection into something that is long lasting? It is all about the follow up.

The Best Ways to Follow Up

Today, I am going to share with you 10 ways that you can follow up, stay connected and build relationships after that initial exchange of information.

#1 – Follow up with an email
Just a brief email saying you enjoyed meeting them and be sure to make a reference to a talking point you had a conversation about. This will help continue that conversation and also remind them of who you were in case they have forgotten.

#2 – Send or suggest a resource
In your initial follow up email or, better yet, in a second one, you can send them the link to a blog, webinar or another resource on the topic you discussed at the event. This shows them you listened, remembered and took the next step to provide additional information they may need.

#3 – Invite for virtual coffee/phone call
If your email conversation continues, that is a great time to invite them to have a phone call or Skype to discuss things further in a more relaxed method.

#4 – Connect on social media sites
Everyone these days has a profile on at least one social media site. Find theirs (usually on their website or business card) and connect with them. It only takes a minute and you can learn a lot about what their likes and dislikes are, the restaurants they frequent or the types of items they purchase, all from simply connecting with them on social media.

#5 – Like their Business Page or join their group on LinkedIn and Facebook
Connecting to their business page on Facebook is usually preferred for a business connection unless they specifically ask you to connect with their personal profile page. Liking or following their business Facebook page as well as their LinkedIn profile will help you keep up to date on what is happening with them in business as well as giving you additional avenues to continue building that relationship.

#6 – Comment on their blog
If they have a blog on their site, be sure to read and comment on it shortly after your initial meeting. Make a reference to the conversation you had at the event if it is relevant to the topic of the blog and you are adding value or credibility for them.

#7 – Join in on a Twitterchat, Periscope or a Blab
If they host or participate in, or referenced a Twitterchat, Periscope or a Blab that they like and is relevant to your business as well, connect to it and participate with comments, etc. Or, if you have one to suggest to them based on your conversation then send it to them via a tweet.

#8 – Do an introduction
During your initial conversation did they mention a need that one of your connections could help meet? Then introduce them to each other via social media or email. Helping solve a need is a sure fire way to solidify any business relationship.

#9 – Give a referral
Is their product or service something that one of your connections might need or be interested in learning more about? This is another great reason to do an introduction via email or social media. You will help your new connection with a potential new customer as well as your previous connection by filling a need they may have. This is a definite win-win!

#10 – Meet in person
ONLY AFTER doing a few of the above follow up methods and finding you have synergy and a reason to meet in person should you make that suggestion. Make sure it is a location that is convenient for both of you and a comfortable atmosphere, like a coffee shop or a restaurant for lunch.

Following up after an initial meeting is essential in building business relationships. These 10 best ways can be used alone or in combination to solidify and grow an initial connection into a long lasting relationship that is beneficial to both of you. If you want to follow up with a video message, here is ideas how to do that.

The 10 Best Ways to Follow Up With Connections by @PattyFarmer #RocksDigital #SmallBiz #Networking
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What are your favorite ways to follow up? I listed mine above. Let’s discuss.

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