There is the rational you, the realistic you, the lets all jump-off-this-cliff-together you, and maybe something in the middle. As an entrepreneur, there is nothing constant. Typically, we start out facing steep precipices. With little knowledge, little experience and a boatload of an ego, we venture into this “you’ve only got one life to live, so do it all’ world to make the climb to the top. And on the way, we bump into hurdles, successes and things you can’t explain. But competition, not the one you have with others, but the internal kind, often slows us down or sends us in the wrong direction. Why do we put so much onus on ourselves to compete against who we were 2, 5, 10 years ago?

The answer is tricky. As a woman in her 30′s, for example, she will look back and wonder why she couldn’t maintain her 22 year old figure. After having children, sunbathing in the tropics, and leading a team of 100 +, of course time will show on her body. But shouldn’t the reward offset the current physical disapproval?

As a man in his mid 40′s, he will look back and wonder why he didn’t sell his startup for 35% more than he got. He will blame himself for this. He may venture to the mirror to uncover a bald spot. The grace of aging, again, appears on his body and he is unsatisfied, wanting to look like he did 10 years ago.

We are in constant competition with our old selves. A constant of always trying to be better than we were a year + ago. Now many would say this is healthy, this is natural and that we should always be improving. But it should never be in comparison to where we were at a point in time. The past has made you who you are today. Was that a cliche? Sure. But it’s right.

Competition can be healthy, and with oneself. But if it ever comes to the point of being scary or dangerous, whether that’s in monetary, physical health or relationship terms, it’s time to stop! You will always be in competition with yourself, to be a better, smarter, richer you. As you should. But don’t compete against your old self to get to the top. Embrace the person you were, and the one you are today. That’s the same one that will get over the precipice and past the hurdles.

Why?

I am five months pregnant and just starting out with my new project (and baby) Onboardly. There is no such thing as mat leave, especially for us small business ladies. I won’t be taking 12 months off and enjoying every single second of my childs first year. I won’t be there for every step, every word, every cry and every laugh. I realize this, and you know what? I am ok with it.

There’s a baby in here!

I hate being judged and questioned on how I am going to raise my child with both parents being busy entrepreneurs. We’ll figure it out.

No sleep. No time for a shower. No personal time. Sounds like running a business to me. I get it, a baby is life changing. If I didn’t know this, I wouldn’t have had this happen to me.  We are prepared. We are excited. And, yes, we are scared sh*tless. Bring it.

Here is what I have done to prepare for the blessed arrival of our child:

1. Smile and be thankful for such a gift
2. Shop for maternity clothes
3. Ask mom how she did it
4. Hire a nanny for three days a week
5. Organize a kick-ass home office
6. Organize a kick-asser out-of-home office
7. Read up on tips and tricks for newbie parents
8. Hire a babysitter
9. Laugh. Learn
10. Breath

If you are a woman who has successfully had children and ran a business at the same time – HIGH FIVE!  Oh, and PLEASE leave some tips below.

The subscription model feeds on the novelty and convenience in automatically receiving products or services. It’s a ‘high’ to open your mailbox to the newest subscription of Fast Company or to turn on Netflix to find some old favorite movies. The surprise and delight is why people love discovering a new pair of shoes from ShoeDazzle, a new snack from Healthy Surprise or a great new combination of food from Foodzie. It’s an instant and disposable fix, knowing that something new will show up again next month.

I got this email from my mother this morning. She Cc’d me on this list followed by all her over 50 year old friends.  I found it hilarious.  See my reply to everyone at the bottom.

Growing up without a cell phone 

If you are 36, or older, you might think this is hilarious!

When I was a kid, adults used to bore me to tears with their tedious diatribes about how hard things were. When they were growing up; what with walking twenty-five miles to school every morning…. Uphill… Barefoot…BOTH ways…yadda, yadda, yadda

And I remember promising myself that when I grew up, there was no way in hell I was going to lay a bunch of crap like that on my kids about how hard I had it and how easy they’ve got it!

But now that I’m over the ripe old age of forty, I can’t help but look around and notice the youth of today. You’ve got it so easy! I mean, compared to my childhood, you live in a damn Utopia!And I hate to say it, but you kids today, you don’t know how good you’ve got it!

1. I mean, when I was a kid we didn’t have the Internet. If we wanted to know something, we had to go to the damn library and look it up ourselves, in the card catalog!!

2. There was no email!! We had to actually write somebody a letter – with a pen! Then you had to walk all the way across the street and put it in the mailbox, and it would take like a week to get there! Stamps were 10 cents!

3. Child Protective Services didn’t care if our parents beat us. As a matter of fact, the parents of all my friends also had permission to kick our ass! Nowhere was safe!

4. There were no MP3′s or Napsters oriTunes! If you wanted to steal music, you had to hitchhike to the record store and shoplift it yourself!

5. Or you had to wait around all day to tape it off the radio, and the DJ would usually talk over the beginning and @#*% it all up! There were no CD players! We had tape decks in our car. We’d play our favorite tape and “eject” it when finished, and then the tape would come undone rendering it useless. Cause, hey, that’s how we rolled, Baby! Dig?

6. We didn’t have fancy crap like Call Waiting! If you were on the phone and somebody else called, they got a busy signal, that’s it!

7.  There weren’t any freakin’ cell phones either. If you left the house, you just didn’t make a damn call or receive one. You actually had to be out of touch with your “friends”. OH MYGOSH !!! Think of the horror… not being in touch with someone 24/7!!! And then there’s TEXTING. Yeah, right. Please! You kids have no idea how annoying you are.

8.And we didn’t have fancy Caller ID either! When the phone rang, you had no idea who it was! It could be your school, your parents, your boss, your bookie, your drug dealer, the collection agent… you just didn’t know!!! You had to pick it up and take your chances, mister!

9.We didn’t have any fancy PlayStationorXbox video games with high-resolution 3-D graphics! We had the Atari 2600! With games like ‘Space Invaders’ and ‘Asteroids’. Your screen guy was a little square! You actually had to use your imagination!!! And there were no multiple levels or screens, it was just one screen.. Forever! And you could never win. The game just kept getting harder and harder and faster and faster until you died! Just like LIFE!

10. You had to use a little book called a TV Guide to find out what was on! You were screwed when it came to channel surfing! You had to get off your ass and walk over to the TV to change the channel!!! NO REMOTES!!! Oh, no, what’s the world coming to?!?!

11. There was no Cartoon Networkeither! You could only get cartoons on Saturday Morning. Do you hear what I’m saying? We had to wait ALL WEEKfor cartoons, you spoiled little rat-bastards!

12. And we didn’t have microwaves. If we wanted to heat something up, we had to use the stove! Imagine that!

13. And our parents told us to stay outside and play… all day long. Oh, no, no electronics to soothe and comfort. And if you came back inside… you were doing chores!

And car seats – oh, please! Mom threw you in the back seat and you hung on. If you were lucky, you got the “safety arm” across the chest at the last moment if she had to stop suddenly, and if your head hit the dashboard, well that was your fault for calling “shot gun” in the first place!

See! That’s exactly what I’m talking about! You kids today have got it too easy. You’re spoiled rotten! You guys wouldn’t have lasted five minutes back in 1970 or any time before!

Regards,
The Over 40 Crowd

—-

Dear over 40 year olds.

Thanks for creating this world for us! 

Sent from my iPad, iPhone, PlayStation all while driving my self parking car.

Making a Decision

So I did. I made a decision. I put lots of thought into it and, in much detail, weighed the pro’s and con’s. Surely there shouldn’t have been anything holding me back from deciding. But there was. I kept coming up with excuses: I need the money for the house, I need to save up for my child’s education, but I also need help in my business, I need a Marketing Director, blah-f****-blah. How the heck could I ever scale my business if I just never made a decision?

What are the advantages to stewing on a decision? More importantly, what are the risks of never deciding? (Not making a decision is still deciding).

Stewing On It

To stew on a decision is great, especially if it involves big money or will change your life dramatically (Boob/nose job, getting a loan, moving to a new city). But don’t let it eat at you. Write down the pro’s and con’s and give the decision a timeline, “I will make this decision by 5pm tomorrow and that’s what I am going with!”.

If you never decide, you will:
- Be in a constant stake of slow motion
- Never move forward
- Always be wondering
- Never challenge yourself to pursue opportunities
- Be boring
- Waste time!

Certainly you know people who make up their mind a lot. And look who those people are. The ones who are building companies, getting married to their dream man/woman, picking a friggen color for their kitchen. They aren’t wasting time, they are moving FORWARD and full on jumping over the fence.

I made a decision to commit to my business, hire the right talent, and grow it to the next level. I have invested in myself and the future of the company. It wasn’t easy, but it has made a significant difference.

Go on. You can do it. Make the decision today!

The amount of content created increases dramatically every day. People are saturated with more advertisements, media, and content than ever before. Yet they still seek more: they are still loyal to TV shows (5 hours per day!), consistently browse the web, and are always on their smartphones. People love content and can’t get enough of it. Though what they are seeking is often times only really REALLY good stuff. Why would they want anything else? So how do you create content that will drive the traffic and success you are looking for?

You’re now equipped with the tools you need to develop the best content for your blog. Take a second and figure out which tools you’ll be familiarizing yourself with first. If you’re feeling a bit overwhelmed and haven’t a clue where to start, figure out your target market using Twitter. It’s time to commit yourself to excellence and take your content to the next level. OR, better yet, if you are a startup looking for help with your Content Marketing, hire Onboardly!

Remember back in the day, when Twitter was consistently decorated by that image of the adorable Failwhale? We have certainly come a long way. We’ve recognized and accepted social media’s influence and power. It’s a different avenue of reaching people, as well as a great antenna for tuning into what people are thinking. Hence, the rise of social media marketing.

Social media marketing is quite a different beast from good ol’ traditional marketing. Sittin through a panel at the 2011 SXSW (Probably the only one I attended) I listened to Mike Lewis of Awareness Inc. speak on the five challenges that social media marketers face. He didn’t make any suggestions on how to navigate these rough waters. (Would’ve loved to hear them.) So, I’ve listed the challenges below, with italicized brief elaborations by Lori Randall Stradtman.

(Lori Randall Stradtman’s questions are a great starting point if you ever want to generate some of your own solutions, by the way. Thanks for the great post on SmartBlogs Lori!)

Five challenges social media marketers face and solutions to overcome them.

1. Inability to scale: How are you going to adjust your social media strategy to accommodate growth?  Usually organizations just throw more bodies at the problem, but when multiple people are handling several different accounts on each major social network, it’s difficult to form a coherent strategy.

Solution: There are two ways to approach this issue. You can choose to have everyone contribute using one voice. This would mean training every contributor in style guidelines, as well as having an editor run through everything and making sure it all sounds like the same person. Unfortunately, this takes a considerable amount of time. Your work will pay in dividends if everyone can pull this off.

In contrast, you can run in the entirely opposite direction and have each social media team member sign their content. This isn’t too difficult to operate: a WordPress blog can have multiple authors, and a Facebook page can have multiple moderators and administrators. You can sign off Twitter feeds with initials of the person who published them. (i.e. “137 other characters” –DV) The advantage of this is the more authentic and human-sounding relationships that you can develop with readers. The disadvantage would be the lack of a consistent voice and style. If you are careful to train each social media contributor to convey a similar theme and big idea, you may be surprised at how effective different voices can be.

2. Security and control: How will your organization manage password security across a large group of people?

Solution: Everyone has their own social media account. So multiple authors on blogs and people on Facebook can comment on a page with their own account, etc.

Except for the Twitter account, which has to be communal should you choose to only have one account. Make sure your team members all sign an agreement that they won’t be allowed to change the password, and they are all personally legally responsible for their content. If you really want to be careful, change the password every time someone resigns.

Instead of having one account though, what would happen if you allowed three people totally dedicated to Twitter to have their own accounts (i.e. their Twitter handles could be “JimYourCompany”, “JaneYourCompany”, and “JenYourCompany,”)? You don’t have to worry about the issue of a hijacking. Their names and Twitter handles don’t even have to be real, in-person names. They could be codenames, or characters you create for your brand. This way, in case one team member ever leaves YourCompany, the new person you recruit can simply take over that account.

I have no doubt it’ll be more difficult initially, but with a lot of tagging between the accounts and spreading of value amongst the three accounts (i.e. announce Coupon A exclusively on “JimYourCompany” and Coupon B exclusively on “JaneYourCompany” and Coupon C exclusively on “JenYourCompany”) will entice users to follow more than just one account.

3. Consistency: At some companies, different departments and people have opposing ‘voices’ across multiple company platforms. While other companies have achieved a unified voice. Strive for consistency!

Solution: Have someone run through all content before it’s published and edit it for stylistic similarity, and find a model that you want your social media team to emulate. (This could be a particularly well-spoken team member, another social media account, or a specific someone on the web. It could be someone like Penelope Trunk, for example.) After emulating someone very well, you and your social media team will be able to figure out what changes you need to make to distinguish yourselves from the model you’d selected and truly make that voice yours.

4. Reporting is ad-hoc: There’s no universal standard in place to measure and track metrics.

Solution: Until someone creates a space where all our metric information is aggregated, you’ll just have to roll up your sleeves and use this makeshift solution that the rest of us use.

Tailor your reporting according to your strategy. Identify key metrics that will indicate whether or not you’re walking down the right path. For example, do you want more blog subscribers? More click-throughs? A higher conversion rate? Pick a couple to focus on (the fewer the better) improving. Find a service that tracks these metrics. (i.e. Analytics, etc.) Check in with the metrics periodically, and experiment with things. (The smallest tweaks can make the biggest changes! Change the way your copy is phrased, the color of your header, the structure of a certain blog post etc., and notice if there’s any impact on those metrics you’d identified earlier.)

5. Having a home base: How will you centralize your efforts?

Solution: Make sure everyone’s ships are sailing in the right direction. There was a time when someone would send me an orientation e-mail that included a word document “bible” to walk-through and a ton of stuff to read. That’s an easy way out. Chances are new recruits will barely skim through it or lie about reading it. Instead, make something more interactive and make it short and sweet. (Video? Real-life orientation? Face-to-face conversation?) And conclude by throwing them a pop-quiz. You’ll see who really paid attention.

Also, start a Yammer network or a Facebook group for your social media team. Make sure everyone stays up-to-date with everyone else’s efforts.

You may notice a common theme: four out of these five challenges arise when there’s more than one person managing a social media account (or series of social media accounts). Apply your expertise and what you know about managing people, and I’m sure you’ll figure out your own solutions. Who knows, maybe a tailored solution will work out better for you than these suggestions. Good luck with your social media efforts, and enjoy the ride!

It’s a new year. Time to actually start doing and to stop thinking about it. Below are six areas in which to start doing something to change your life.

1. Business

Who is stopping you? Your mom? You moved out 12 years ago so she shouldn’t still be telling you what to do. Ohhh, your bank account is hovering near red. I get it. I have been there. Actually, I was there right when I was making the leap to start my own business. And guess what? I made it and am doing well.

The people who are always talking about their big idea and thinking “I’ll do it someday” just won’t ever get there. If this is you, I am sorry. Well maybe I’m not. It means you aren’t meant to be an entrepreneur or one to act on your idea.  It’s ok, the world still needs you 9-5 ers. As for the other small minority that actually take the plunge in following their startup dreams, high five. You are the ones that Just Do!

It’s not easy, as it shouldn’t be.  Your significant other, bank account, and children (perhaps) are all clawing at your back for attention, but your dreams of making your big idea a reality aren’t stopping you. Not easy.

What you do for a living is up to you. It’s your choice. You make the decision to get up in the morning at the time you do, to eat what is in your cupboard, to wear the clothes you have and drive the car you drive. That’s easy.

In December I launched my new company Onboardly. It has been a busy and fun journey. Not easy, but definitely satisfying.

I am not discounting the 9-5ers. They are probably working their ass’s off too. And those stuck in a dead-end job, see the glass ceiling, or just can’t advance in their position, time to seriously start searching for something better.  Never settle just because. Ugh. I hate that.  Take a chance man (or girl) and find a better place for you.

2. Health

If the thought of getting sweaty and to have burning muscles is stopping you from being fit and healthy, well I got news for you: You’re a wimp. I BIG FAT wimp. If eating your fruits and vegetables turns you off and you’d rather starve than eat your greens, than you are incredibly stupid! I’m harsh, but it’s the truth. All you need is a minimum of 20 minutes a day in exercise and a balanced diet to maintain a healthy body. And guess what? It makes you feel really really really good.

My friend Sarah, a provincial cop in Ontario, went to the gym every other day. No big deal, right? But she did this every week throughout her entire pregnancy! She did Step classes every week up until the day before she went into labour. It made her feel great and made labour a heck of a lot easier. No excuses. She is smart.

3. Love

If you love him/her, let her know for F*** sake. The people that go their entire lives without telling the people they love that they love them are stupid. Man up and call those you love most. If today was your last day here, your loved ones would be pissed to know you loved them but never told them.

4. Organize

Organize your life. Put your bills, receipts and important documents in the same spot. Clean off your computer desktop. Clear off your desk. Empty your car. Purge purge purge!  Having less stuff around you makes you more organized and able to complete tasks much quicker. And this also relates to the following ….

5. Friends

Get rid of bloodsucking ‘friends’. You know who they are. The ones who always ask for $20 but never pay you back, the ones who always ask for favors, but when you ask for one in return they are always too busy, the ones who make plans with you and always back out, the ones you know, deep down, just wouldn’t be there for you. GET RID OF THEM!!

Recently I started caring less about my bloodsucking friends and diverting that energy to the people that actually mattered and it has made an incredible difference. I am more grateful for the people that are in my life now than I have ever been before. You know who you are….Thank you!

6. Just Do

This merits its own point. Just doing is not easy. It really isn’t, but the sense of accomplishment after you ‘just did’ is amazing. The highs are high. I hate making January 1st an excuse to start doing, but for the sake of the new year and resolutions, I want to contribute this post to those who created new years resolutions and are doing them. Good luck and I hope you stick to them.

Happy 2012.  May love and happiness be with you everywhere.

PS – If you ever need a kick in the pants to get started, feel free to email me renee@reneewarren.com. I’ll set you straight.

Do you have anymore reasons to Just Do?

The title of your landing page is one of the most important elements. It needs to explain the purpose of the page in as few words as possible. Make it short, visible and direct. ( This Mailchimp example is not a landing page rather their website homepage, but demonstrates a large title)

2. Consistent Headline

The purpose of a landing page is to transition a visitor from one location to the next (Example: from an ad to your website) . The headline helps to bridge this gap. You want to use this messaging to relate to the ad and assure visitors that they are in the right place. Typically placed within close proximity to the title, the headline should serve to connect the ad copy and landing page title.

Use colors that match your ad. This text shouldn’t be as noticeable as your title, but it should still be visible and succinct.

3. Strong Call to Action

The call to action on a typical landing page is either a button or a submission form. A button is used to direct the visitor to another page (Perhaps to fill out a form), while a submission form captures personal information or creates a user account.

In using buttons, choose your colors wisely. Red is not always a good choice, while green or blue can increase clicks by 30%. Experiment with color, size and position. If you are using a submission form, you should only ask for three to four pieces of information. Long forms are tedious and visitors often bounce after a few seconds.

Tip: Use a madlib-style submission form to increase your conversion rate.

4. Concise Body

As with the other aspects of your landing page, you want the body text to be straightforward and concise. In this section, highlight your benefits. A simple list format will help you hold attention.
Remember that features are not the same as benefits. Benefits are about the visitors and features are about your product or service. Never mistake features for benefits on your landing page.

5. Picture Perfect

Despite popular belief, the title is often not the first thing your leads will notice. Typically, the picture is what your leads will notice first, so it’s important to pick the perfect one. While some people will argue that the most traditionally beautiful pictures perform best, it is often the unique, even odd, pictures that really convert.

Don’t forget the frame of your picture. Does your graphic work best in a frame or as a standalone on the landing page? Test and optimize.

6. Build Trust

Not surprisingly, people are often more curious than not when seeing a landing page for the first time. Building trust gives you added credibility and authenticity, which you will need to push leads through the sales process. Make sure your ads match your landing page, and your landing page matches your website. If you are selling something online, make sure you have very obvious security and anti-fraud certifications in place.  If you are asking for information whether it be an email or a phone number, explain how you will use this information.

7. Clean Layout

You want to keep things simple with a clean, organized layout. Don’t create clutter by placing all of your landing page elements close together. Make sure each item has its own space and that there is a clear flow from one item to the next.

Test your layout with these exercises
1. Take three steps back from your computer screen and squint your eyes. What stands out the most?  Is it the most relevant or important piece?
2. Sit at normal distance from your computer and turn your head sideways at 90*.  Is it still clear what the page is trying to sell/do?
3. Without explanation grab a friend or acquaintance who don’t know your service or product and ask them for feedback. Ask them: Is it clear what this page is for? Do you know what to do? What is your first impression?

As you read this, hundreds of community managers are taking to their TweetDecks and HootSuites to manage social media outreach and engagement. So, is community management really dead? Perhaps not altogether, but the narrow definition of it, which has been used in the past four years, most definitely is.

What is community management? (Some people are still asking )
Community management is the act of taking a group of people and turning them into an asset that can be used to meet brand goals. It is a combination of content creation, social media management, public relations, marketing, event management, customer service and more. The exact combination, to further confuse the definition, is unique to each brand.

Brands with Killer Communities
To clarify the sometimes complex definition of community management, here are three brands that are absolutely killing it.

1. HubSpot

HubSpot is one of the surprisingly few brands that know community management goes beyond setting up Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn accounts. They have spent countless hours preparing webinars, producing blog content, sending tweets, posting to Facebook, creating videos, crafting slideshows and more. They’ve went beyond the standard influencer identification and engagement, and built an empire.

Of course, where do all of these communities lead back to? The HubSpot website, where they push traffic to purchase their all-in-one inbound marketing software. They produce quality content, build communities based on their expertise in the area and then close the circle by achieving the goal of increased sales.

2. Texts From Last Night

Texts From Last Night (TFLN) has two separate goals: increase ad clicks and increase merchandise purchases. Not only do they sell t-shirts with user-generated content on them (bonus points for selling someone else’s hilarity), but they sell a book as well. On both their Twitter and Facebook pages, you will find an advertisement for the book and a link back to the website, where you can purchase t-shirts.

Like HubSpot, they escape social media tunnel vision, which is commonly associated with community management. Social media refers traffic to the website and helps increase sales in both departments, but the real community is on the website itself. Managing the replies, comments and blog posts round out community management for the TFLN team.

3. Damn You Autocorrect

Just like TFLN, Damn You Autocorrect (DYAC) relies on user-generated content to thrive. Both brands depend on the community on their actual website more than the communities on their social media channels. Without their website communities, where would the content come from? Both serve as an example of brands that focus on internal community management, which exists separately of the social media world.

DYAC sells t-shirts, earns ad revenue, promotes an app and sells a book. The app presents a whole other community that requires management. Hundreds of comments per month provide an additional community management element as well. Once again, social media is a vehicle of community management instead of the destination.

A New Direction
While those three examples prove that community management is not dead, they indicate a clear shift. Community management can no longer be defined as merely monitoring keywords on Twitter or commenting on popular blogs, as community-oriented as that sounds. Between social efficiency, transforming business models and internal communities, community management is headed in a whole new direction.

From spending 24/7 monitoring Twitter feeds and Facebook conversations to leveraging a community as a business asset, 2011 saw a major community management transition. Whether the brands still chained to their TweetDecks and HootSuites would like to admit it or not, community management is more about achieving real-world business objectives than fostering superficial conversations on social media.

Social Efficiency
The concept of social media being “always on” is not new. However, the idea of spending hours upon hours surfing social media channels is outdated, if not dead. With time-saving social media tools, the efficiency of managing social media is improving daily. What was once an 8 hour job has been reduced to a 45 minute job (save a few unexpected hiccups).

So, what does a community manager do after those 45 minutes are up?

Internal Communities
With the advent of social efficiency, we are seeing a clear shift towards internal communities. TFLN and DYAC are obvious examples of how owned communities (communities on web properties you own) are becoming a focal point. Community management is no longer synonymous with social media management.

In fact, some highly successful community managers don’t even know their way around social media – gasp!

Transforming Business Models
All of these changes come back to the idea that business models are transforming. There is no clear-cut definition of community management because each brand has its own unique goals. Not surprisingly, talking to people about the weather on Twitter is not a big concern for CEOs. Community management has become more about putting a community to work, about having it labor towards the same goals as the brand.

In 2012, we will see brands finally reach the other side of the Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn tunnel.