When was the last time you had to stop and think about what it is you do?

If you’ve been doing what you do for a while now you’ve surely got your elevator pitch down pat.  I mean, saying what you do in a couple of brief sentences when you’re standing in front of someone isn’t so tough. I mean, if you mess up a bit, they’re right in front of you so you can explain yourself or answer any questions that might come up.

But what happens if you have to *gasp* write about what you do?

Believe it or not, as much as I write on a day to day basis, you’d be surprised to learn just what I go through to avoid writing.  About anything. And writing my new bio was no exception.

About a month or so ago I came across this great article by Copylicious offering up16 questions to help write that douche-free bio.  You’d think that with the hard stuff – the actual what to write stuff – out of the way that I’d be off and running and have the easiest, breeziest bio.

Yeah…not.

I put it off as long as I could.  And then I struggled over it. Then I had a deadline put in front of me.  Next week I’m speaking to the Women Jewelers Association about how social media can help their business.  And you guessed it, they needed a bio.

So I pulled out Copylicious’ fabulous list of questions and did the best I could.  Now, I’m not proud it wasn’t my best work by any means.  I mean, wow, I sure can babble on and on.  Even though I handed something in, notice that my About Me page hasn’t been updated.

Then we jump ahead to today…

Months ago (and I do mean months…back in early January), I was invited to be included in the Crave LA book (that’s a mock-up of the cover over on the left hand side).  I agreed to participate and then realized I had to answer some questions and write a brief bio.  Basically, I was given the order that I needed to get this done…today.

So I did.  I sat down and spent a good two hours trying to figure out how to clearly and authentically, describe what it is exactly, that I do. In less than 65 words! Wow.  Not an easy task.

On top of that, I had to answer 10 or so questions (of which they’ll only pick maybe two) about what I like, what I do in my spare time, what makes me so fabulous, etc.  You know, the stuff you want to sound fun and breezy, not cheesy.  Not the easiest task.

My suggestion, get started rewriting that non-douchey bio now when you don’t have any pressure to get it out now.  And if you haven’t done it yet, get that elevator pitch so smooth it just rolls off your tongue.

So….what do you do?

Are you still dragging your feet thinking that there’s nothing more to Twitter than updates on what people had for lunch?  I’m here to tell you, it’s so much more than that.

1. Allows you to communicate directly with your clients & customers as well as others in your field or niche.
2. Offers up brand recognition every time someone sends you a public message or retweets what you’ve posted.
3. Attracts new clients through conversation & community.
4. Allows you to manage your own reputation & helps you keep track of your name/brand and what people are saying about you.
5. Through twitter you have the chance to expand your network beyond your current circle of friends and acquaintances (the very definition of networking).  You can meet new customers, new friends or even mentors.
6. You can automate your Twitter account sending out a tweet (message) every time you’ve got a new blog post (using TwitterFeed) or you can manually promote your new content.
7. By posing a question to your followers, you can get answers to almost any question from cooking, to manufacturing, to Internet or software questions.  It’s almost better than Google because you get answers in real time based on personal experiences and recommendations.
8. On top of simply posing questions, you can actually use twitter to conduct research or interviews for your products, books or articles.
9. Notify customers when you’ve having a contest or a sale or a promotion or an event, or anything you want them to know about.
10. Helps your SEO and search engine rankings since most tweets are written in short hand using keywords.  And now thanks to Google, tweets show up in in Google results in real time.

I actually wrote quite a bit about the experience over on my personal blog (and it was reposted via the CraveLA group).  I don’t really feel like repeating myself, so I’ll keep it brief.  Better still, a couple of the gals brought their Flip cameras along and were able to film the ladies talking about their businesses.

I found this to pretty much be my favorite part…aside from the shopping, that is…so I thought I’d share those video clips here for you.

Nothing like real inspiration from real successful women.

First up, Calleen Cordero (website | twitter) on Beverly.  Calleen makes some of the most amazing and fabulous looking shoes and bags you’ve every seen.  Everything is made by hand, from the carved wooden soles to the rivets in the design.  Just gorgeous.

Onto The Dry Bar (website | twitter) in Brentwood.  The Dry Bar is not a bar at all…it’s better! It’s perky salon that only does blow outs.  No cuts.  No colors.  Just a wash and style for $35.  What this concept so long to come to be?

Next up, Studio Beauty Mix (website | twitter) at Fred Segal in Santa Monica.  Oh.my.god.  Why have I never been to this store before? This boutique has everything from hair products, skincare, bath products, make up, candles and perfumes.  A girl could get lost in this store.

And our final stop after a long drive through the city was Valerie’s Confections (website | twitter) located somewhere between Koreatown and Silver Lake. Valerie let us sample a couple of her handmade chocolates and all I can say is wow!  You heard each and every one of us ooh, ahh, mmm or exclaim in delight over how amazing her chocolates were.

My thoughts on the tour*…

* keep in mind, this wasn’t a planned video (or I would have had my hair cut and worn brighter lipstick – LOL)

Our job is to serve others with our gifts.

So when I finally got around to reading Christine Kane’s newsletter from last week about authenticity in marketing, I have to say that it spoke to me.  It also made it the fourth (at least) time this message has been brought to my attending in just as many days.  Maybe it’s a message that you needed to hear today as well.

~Enjoy!
The Authentic Woman’s Guide to Marketing
by Christine Kane

“But I’m not a widget!” she whined. “It’s harder for me!”

Denise was giving me her number one reason she despises marketing. I laughed and told her that it was also the number one reason EVERY client of mine despises marketing.

That’s because it feels different when YOU are the product.

You’re not selling widgets. You’re selling YOU, your soul, your passion, your ideas, your writing, your services, your art. And marketing YOU feels like ego. It feels phony. It feels sales-y.

I won’t lie to you. There will be discomfort when you uplevel your marketing efforts and when you become more present in the marketplace.

But know this:

The people who let go of their marketing fears are the same ones who have more clients than they can handle and more cashflow than they ever imagined. They learn that marketing is actually how they serve!

In fact, there’s a sense of relief when you realize that the problems in your business are not the Universe telling you that you’re lame. They’re just “marketing problems.” Learn the valuable skill of marketing and watch your wealth build.

And take heart! It doesn’t have to be slimy. In fact, authenticity rules!

Here are 5 keys to creating marketing success while keeping it real…

1 – Know Your Peeps.

In my Uplevel Your Business Program & Blueprint, there’s an entire module devoted to this topic, as well as a week’s worth of worksheets and tools for getting clear.

That’s because when you know your ideal client (your peeps!) – then you get to speak ONLY to her in your marketing. This not only saves you time and money (after all, marketing to “everyone” is expensive) but gives you true freedom to be yourself and to cater to that one ideal person.

2 – Build Trust. Be Yourself.

We’ve all heard the expression that people buy from people they “know, like, and trust.”

So, how do you build that?

• Establish a regular contact schedule. If you have a newsletter, make SURE it goes out at the exact same time each month or week. This is a subconscious message that you honor your peeps, and that you are reliable.

• Be yourself. Allow your peeps to see your human side. Even the most erudite among us burns the veggies and forgets to pay the water bill sometimes. Let your peeps see themselves in you.

• Let go. Some people will unsubscribe and get snarky. No problem. They’re just telling you that they’re not your peeps. This is the beauty of marketing well. You give the gift of self-selection.

3 – Be an Expert.

Getting over your fear of being an expert is crucial.

And you know what else?

Get over the worn-out belief that you need to go back to school and get more letters after your name before you do this.

You can be an expert in body work, organic veggies, vegan cuisine, gemstones, business coaching, native plants, still-life photography, alcohol addiction, collage, journal writing…and the list goes on.

The difference between you and someone who’s going back to school before she’ll let herself write is that your enthusiasm, passion and life experience are your expertise! If someone requires that you have letters after your name – then they aren’t your peeps!

4 – Give it away.

So, if you have a newsletter, blog, and tutorial videos, won’t people just figure that they don’t have to pay you for your services, your coaching, or your work? After all, you’re giving away all your secrets!

Or so it seems.

The truth is that giving it away is what makes people want to work with you even more because they trust you so much.

5 – “The Fortune is in the Follow Up”

A musician friend called me disappointed the day after he had hosted a huge event in his town. “Hardly anyone came last night,” he said.

I asked him if he told his list about the show.

It turns out he wrote to his list two weeks before the show. No follow up. No reminders.

Listen up people!

The #1 biggest mistake we make is to play small when it comes to follow up. Your peeps are busy. They need reminders. Many people respond to that last-minute sense of urgency.

There’s an art to doing it well, for sure. But not following up is a surefire way to get no response!

——-

Does this stuff take time? Yes.

But remember, it’s the pushy people who want to rush the process that make us all despise marketing. Be patient and allow that strong connection to grow, and you’ll live your most successful life.

I don’t know how he does it, but Seth Godin is a guy that’s always full of great information.  If you don’t yet read his books or his blog, you should.

Today’s post on Random Rules for Ideas worth Spreading is chock full of good stuff.  Here are a few that really spoke to me.

• Waiting for inspiration is another way of saying that you’re stalling. You don’t wait for inspiration, you command it to appear.
• Don’t poll your friends. It’s your art, not an election.
• Spamming strangers doesn’t work. Spamming friends doesn’t work so well either, but it’s certainly better than spamming strangers.
• The hard part is finishing, so enjoy the starting part.
• Seek out apostles, not partners. People who benefit from spreading your idea, not people who need to own it.
• Are you a serial idea-starting person? If so, what can you change to end that cycle? The goal is to be an idea-shipping person.
• Be grateful.
• Rise up to the opportunity, and do the idea justice.

Take a moment and do the following to make sure you don’t have any spyware. If you have the app, don’t worry, just delete it.

1.  Hover over your SETTINGS tab until it opens the pull down menu.
2.  Select APPLICATION SETTINGS.

3.  Open the SHOW pull down menu and select ADDED TO PROFILE.

4.  Look for an application called “UN-NAMED APP” and click on the x to the right to delete it.

I didn’t have this application on my account, but I know quite a few friends and clients that did.  More than likely, it came from a game or other application that was downloaded as a trojan.  Once I know more, I’ll post an update.

UPDATE:  According to All Facebook “Facebook however is saying that the issue has since been fixed. Unfortunately Facebook is not providing any other details but based on what users have been telling us, removing the application resulted in your boxes tab being removed from Facebook.”  They go on to assure that it wasn’t dangerous so much as odd and not something you should be too concerned with.

]]> http://www.katytafoya.com/2010/01/is-your-facebook-account-acting-sluggish/feed/ 0 http://www.katytafoya.com/2010/01/back-up-your-online-data-with-backupify-for-free/ http://www.katytafoya.com/2010/01/back-up-your-online-data-with-backupify-for-free/#comments Mon, 25 Jan 2010 23:27:35 +0000 Katy http://www.katytafoya.com/?p=825 Backupify is a service that’s been around for a while now. Basically, it’s a service that allows you to back up all your online accounts (Gmail, Twitter, Facebook, Flickr, and a ton more) to the cloud (that internet world where you can store information to access from any computer around the world).

Imagine, you’ll never lose your email or your photos, they’ll always be accessible via your most recent back up.  How cool is that?

In the past, Backupify charged a nominal fee to back up your most precious files and images.  Now, until January 31st, you can register for Backupify and get it FREE for life.  That means from this day forward, you’ll be able to back up all your online accounts, without any limitations on space and completely free of charge FOREVER!

Currently the Gmail back ups aren’t permitted, but the gang at Backupify are working on fixing it as I write this, so it should be up and running shortly.

And let’s face it, nothing beats free!  Better still when it’s a useful and great service, you know, something you can actually use for free.  So quick, get there NOW and sign up for your free Backupify account before this great offer runs out.

Source: Lifehacker

“If a man is called to be a street sweeper, he should sweep streets even as Michelangelo painted or Beethoven composed music or Shakespeare wrote poetry. He should sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will pause to say, ‘Here lived a great street sweeper who did his job well.’”

^{~ Martin Luther King, Jr.}

Photo: Joe Mabel