Guest Post by Donna Toothaker

It wasn’t too long ago that small business owners could put up a website,
maybe add a blog, submit an article or two to online directories, do a
little search engine optimization and they would do fine getting website
activity and making sales. That process just doesn’t work anymore.

You can no longer BE online without being ACTIVE online.

And here’s why – you need to build relationships now, not just show your “brochure”
and wait for sales to come to you. These days, when people are cautious about spending,
they want to feel more comfortable about what they are purchasing. They want to “know, like, and trust” before they’ll purchase a product or service.

Here are three things you can do immediately to start building relationships,
become known as the expert in your field, and create the “know, like, trust” factor.

1. Ezine: Most businesses already have an ezine.

BUT – many are not utilizing it to its fullest potential.

If you’re not in front of your readers on a weekly basis at MINIMUM –
you’re missing the boat. Monthly ezines don’t work like they used to.
You MUST stay in front of your audience more regularly.

Your weekly ezine should be brief. A personal introduction, an article of relevance
on your area of expertise, an “about you” section and a recommendation are all
you need.

You need to show your personal side in your ezine.

People want to know YOU and get a sense of your personality and values.
Often I talk about my family in my ezine because family is my number one value.
People will resonate with that, or they won’t, but the point is, I’m sharing
what’s important to me and people want to buy from people with similar values.

2. Blog regularly: Sure, most business owners have a blog, too.

But it’s important to be blogging regularly.

People won’t subscribe to ezines quite as much anymore, due to email overload,
so it’s important to blog. Posting three times per week is ideal – but at a minimum
you should be posting once per week.

There are other benefits such as SEO (search engines LOVE updated content)
but for the scope of this article the primary benefit is relationship building.

Blogging is another avenue of building “community.”

Having comments open will allow people to ask questions, and share
their own opinions. Blogging is another way to show your personality.

3. Social media: Every business owner MUST be on Facebook, LinkedIn
and twitter. If you’re not – you are missing out in a big way.

Social media marketing is so important for building new relationships.
From these new relationships you’re able to generate activity to your
website, create interest in your products, and become known as the
expert in your field. Not only might you generate new business,
but you may create some joint venture opportunities.

Social media isn’t what “the kids are doing,” it’s what serious
business owners are using now to build important relationships.

Don’t wait for people to find your website – get active online,
build new relationships and watch the sales and new opportunities
come rolling in.

Donna Toothaker is CEO, founder and coach of Step It Up VA Coaching.

These highly sought-after VA coaching programs have been created
for established, successful VAs who wish to create the 6-figure
business of their dreams. Visit to receive the free report,
Top 3 Mistakes to Avoid in Creating a 6-Figure VA Business.

I have added a brand new Social Networking package
with two different options for those who want to break
INTO this very necessary stage of their businesses or
for those who have but find the maintenance part
to be too time consuming.

AND, I got the idea FROM Donna! Thanks, Donna!

How To Find A Virtual Assistant

When you are thinking about hiring a Virtual Assistant,
one of the things that you should remember is that you
shouldn’t go with the first Virtual Assistant that you interview.

The person is going to be an employee of yours, in a sense,
and you conduct several interviews when you are looking to fill a position.

Hiring a Virtual Assistant is no different.

When you are looking for a Virtual Assistant, instead of just going to the phone book
or a search engine on the web, the first thing that you should do is to talk to others
that you have known that have used Virtual Assistants.

Find out what their experiences were with their Virtual Assistants
and if they were satisfied with what they did for them.

You can find some of MY testimonials here.

Before you conduct your interview with your Virtual Assistant,
figure out what it is that you are looking for.

What is it that you will want your Virtual Assistant
to accomplish?

Do you want the company to run more efficiently?

Do you want to cut costs?

Do you want your company to make more money?

Knowing what it is that you want to accomplish will help the Virtual Assistants
that you interview know what type of direction you are going in.

Even if your first interview goes well, keep the appointments
that you have made and talk to the other Virtual Assistants.

You may find someone that you like better, or someone
that has the same vision for your company that you do.

After you have had all of the appointments, you can make your choice.

You WILL find the Virtual Assistant who is the perfect fit for YOU and YOUR business!

Remember, I am a Virtual Assistant who LOVES to do editing, proofreading
and transcription assignments along with research, blog posts, article submissions
and social media maintenance!

Why not Schedule a Project now?

Every day thousands of people join the ranks of home-based business owners without first considering whether they actually have the time to operate a business successfully.

That’s not to say that running a work-at-home business on a part-time basis can’t be done successfully. It can… with managed use of your time. But it may mean giving up a few of your favorite pastimes – such as having a few beers with the guys after work, or planting yourself in front of the TV each afternoon to watch your favorite soap opera.

If the thought of doing either of those things makes you cringe, you may want to ask yourself how serious you really are about building a successful home business.

If you decide that you are willing to make the sacrifices, the first thing to do is to sit down with pencil and paper and list everything you do each day step-by-step. Take stock of the time you spend doing wasteful, time-consuming things and eliminate all that isn’t necessary. After doing so, most people find that they have two to three hours each day that can be utilized in a more constructive or efficient manner. Efficient time management boils down to planning what you’re going to do, and then doing it without backtracking.

Start by making a list of the things you want to do tomorrow each evening before you go to bed. Organize your daily errands to take care of as many things as possible in one trip. Not only will you save time you’ll also save money on gas. The important thing is to think of time as your most valuable asset, because it is. So organize it accordingly. Decide what has to be done each day and from there it’s just a matter of arranging priorities.

Set aside a specific time to do household chores that need to be done and a specific amount of time to devote to them. For instance, just one hour per day devoted to yard work would probably make your lawn the envy of all your neighbors. Whether it’s painting your house, fixing leaky faucets or mowing your lawn and trimming shrubs, do one particular job each day and you’ll be amazed at your progress.

Once you start listing and planning what you want to do, and then carry out your plans, you’ll find that you have more time than you thought you would to devote to your home business.

You can also consider outsourcing certain business tasks to a virtual assistant. He or she will usually be able to complete the work in much faster time than you can. So what might take you 3 hours to do at whatever your hourly rate is, could take a VA half that time at his or her rate, saving you both time and money.

Finally, and above all else, when organizing your time, don’t forget to set aside some for relaxation. Be sure to schedule time when you and your family can be together. Although it is easy to do when first starting out, do not become so pre-occupied with your business that you exclude other people – particularly your family
and friends.

Taking stock of the time you waste each day, and from there, reorganizing your activities is the key. It may not always be easy to do, but you will find that once you get into the habit of setting priorities and following a set pattern to accomplish your daily goals that you will realize greater fulfillment in your business and your personal life.

What sacrifices will, or did, you make to devote more time to your business? Please share it in the comment box below.

Sharon McPherson – Live A Fuller Life Working At Home

About the author:
Let Sharon McPherson show you how to “Live A Fuller Life Working At Home” by bringing you content, tools and resources to help you accomplish it. Sign up for her FREE email course, “Networking Know How”