Rembrandt’s Blog

Are you overwhelmed with social media? I’ve been pretty active with all of the various, social media venues out there, and they can really take up a lot of time and effort.

Just this morning, I received about 30 followers on my Twitter account before my first cup of coffee!

With this in mind, here are a few quick tips to help you take advantage of social media without wasting time:

• Twitter®, www.twitter.com

Do you Tweet too much?

Twitter is a fast way to send short messages to business associates, friends, family, and others. You simply enter a few lines up to 140 characters and send. Everyone who follows you gets the update. You can follow others too.

It’s fun and informative, but it can be addictive! To avoid wasting time, only accept legitimate followers. You can also use programs like www.tweetlater.com, www.tweetdeck.com, www.digsby.com, and others to help organize your Tweets.

• Facebook®, www.facebook.com

Have you registered a Facebook page yet?

Even if you aren’t technically savvy, it’s easy to set up a page on this social networking site. Many of your friends, business associates and potential clients will check to see if you have an entry on this popular site so it’s worth checking out.

Simply add photos, links and messages to share information about your services, expertise, and current business activities. And to save time, automatically set your Facebook account so that all of your Twitter updates appear here too.

• Linkedin®, www.linkedin.com

Can business contacts find you on Linkedin? Take a few minutes to check out this online, networking tool. You can search for past and current business associates and send a message.

The site provides a great way to stay connected and meet people who can help you move your business to the next level, or find a job. For quick help on using this tool as effectively as possible, check out http://tinyurl.com/pet3er.

These are just a few of the social media tools out there. But by familiarizing yourself with the “help” sections on each of these sites, you’ll get a great understanding of how to use them and find shortcuts to save time and effort in the process.
Practice using each of these sites, and soon, you’ll be a social marketing pro. Just be careful to watch the time! Before you know it, you could spend your day retweeting without getting any work done!

Need help getting people to your site with SEO copywriting and publicity efforts? Feel free to write to me here, at www.rembrandtwrites.com or send me a tweet @RembrandtWrites on Twitter. I’d love to hear from you!

Woo Hoo! It’s time for the big, Memorial Day holiday, and summer is here. (Yikes! That means swimsuit season is here too.)

If you are like most entrepreneurs, you’ve probably been working like a dog to impress clients and customers, especially with competition due to the recession. Well, you know what? It’s time to take some time for you and enjoy the holiday weekend.

Now, I can’t help you fit into your swimsuit in time for the holiday, but I can share some tips to help you find time to relax. Here are a few:

- Get up a little earlier or stay up a little later to get some extra work done.

Without phones ringing, e-mails coming in, people asking questions, and other interruptions, get a good chunk of work done. It’s amazing what you can do when it’s quiet and you have some “extra” time to work on projects.

- Set a schedule.

What do you absolutely need to finish this week in order to truly enjoy the weekend and not think about work?

Write it down, figure out how much time you’ll need and set that time in your schedule (see the previous tip).

- Find help.

Do you really need to handle all of the projects on your desk, or is there something you can outsource?

Many skilled people are looking for work right now, and you can probably find someone with the right experience to help with your accounting, database entry, phone calls, writing, and more.

If you take a few minutes to look for help and train the right person, you’ll end up saving a lot of time and effort in the future. Plus, your stress levels will go down, and you can focus on core business strategies.

It’s time for busy entrepreneurs to take a break. And since many of us focus on our businesses, this is not an easy task.

But if you take care of some key projects in advance, schedule wisely and find people and resources to help, you can take some time to relax away from the office. Then, when you get back, you’ll feel more refreshed and ready to take your business to new heights.

Have a great holiday weekend, and if I can help you with any of your PR and SEO copywriting questions, just let me know here or at www.rembrandtwrites.com.

Do you want to boost sales, credibility and awareness fast without spending money? Do-it-yourself PF is the way to go.
Here are my top three suggestions for starting your publicity campaign now:

1. Make that call.
Most new entrepreneurs are nervous about picking up the phone. But when it comes to reaching out to media members, it’s the best way to make contact and start a working relationship.

After all, how are reporters going to talk about your business if they don’t know who you are or what you have to offer?

As a business owner, you are an expert in your field and can provide valuable information to media members. Let them know you are available to help!

Think about their needs first and how you can assist them with all of their stories. If you become a valuable resource, you’ll end up with press coverage you can’t buy!

2. Use Search Engine Optimization (SEO).
If you haven’t already done so, use free tools like www.keyworddiscovery.com and www.wordtracker.com to find the keywords your target audience is using on the Web.

By incorporating these words into your online copy, marketing materials and press releases, search engines will have a better chance of finding you…and so will potential customers!

(SEO is a great way to build buzz, and if you really want results that you can track, test and change, look into hiring a SEO copywriter. It may cost money, but it’s well worth it. You can concentrate on core business activities and leave time-consuming optimization efforts to a pro.)

3. Twitter Away.Are you tweeting on Twitter®, www.twitter.com?
By following others, and obtaining followers, you can increase site traffic and awareness instantly (my client boosted site visitation by 43% in just hours!).

Plus, you can share valuable information about your products and services and speak directly to customers. (Just be careful you don’t spend too much time on Twitter. It can be addictive!)

Ok. These are just a few quick tips to help you get started. Go for it! And let me know what happens here or at www.rembrandtwrites.com. I’d love to hear from you!