Facebook Tip - Personalize Your Pages with a FB Vanity URL

I've noticed that a lot of Facebook users don't seem to know that
they can personalize facebook by getting a "facebook vanity URL."
It is free and easy to do.

Go to www.facebook.com/username    and follow the instructions.

You can name your personal profile as well as any special pages you
have set up to promote your business, books, events, etc.

For example, I have:

www.facebook.com/TheGinaCarr
www.facebook.com/GinaCarrFanPage

I invite you to connect with me on these pages where I frequently
share tips about marketing, building business, and growing a strong
tribe.

Get more help at http://www.facebook.com/help/?page=897

Good luck!

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KISS Marketing: LESS IS MORE

Powerful shoestring, KISS marketing from my yard guy this am.  How can YOU make your message more simple?  How can you make it easier for your clients to contact you?  Take a lesson from Earl, the yard guy!

Tribe Builder - Rising Star: Josh Sundquist

Josh Sundquist is building a powerful tribe of friends and fans around the globe.  If you want to be a great tribe builder, you can learn a lot from him.  Tribe Building is all about Marketing, Communications, and Leadership.  Josh Sundquist excels at all three.

I've been a big fan of Josh's since I saw him on the main stage at the National Speakers Association Convention last summer in Phoenix.  He was most inspiring.

I bought and read his book, Just Don't Fall.  I was more hooked.  More "loyal" to his "tribe."

One of the most impressive things about Josh is his marketing brilliance.  Taking what many would consider a tragedy (losing one's leg at the age of 9), Josh uses humor and tremendous creativity to show what it's like to "walk a mile in his shoe."

Today, I was looking at Josh's blog for more great marketing ideas and I found a Golden Nugget - especially for speakers but this could apply to many different fields.

In addition to using the web to "log" his adventures, Josh is using the his blog to share "Public Speaking Tips." In so doing, he is brilliantly showing potential clients - meeting planners that might hire him - that he knows a thing or two about public speaking.

By using one of his recent speaking experiences to frame his points, he is showing that others are hiring him.  Yes, the "herd mentality" applies in all fields - including public speaking.

I really like what Josh is doing and I know that he is going to continue to grow a strong and loyal tribe.

What can YOU do to add a little creativity to what you are doing?  What can you do to MARKET without appearing that you are MARKETING?  I'd love to hear your ideas.

Here's a link to his now famous, Amputee Rap.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=blE42I7CvMM

Tribe Building Tip: Join the Right Tribes featuring SelfGrowth.com

Even Tribe Builders need to be members of other tribes.  That is where they can compare notes with other Tribe Builders - inside or outside of their own field.

Other tribes can be great sources of ideas, friends, colleagues, and clients.

For example, if you are in the Self Improvement field, SelfGrowth.com is a great tribe  for affiliating with like-minded people that are out to help people improve themselves.  What a great idea!  This is the largest social network on the web for people looking to improve their lives and experts who want to help them.

Selfgrowth.com's marketing strategy is diverse and creative.  For example, I particularly like the way that founder David Riklan has taken a powerful marketing channel like Twitter and ramped it up.  He essentially put his efforts on Twitter steroids by setting up the Largest Self Improvement Directory in the World and inviting people to join for FREE.

Kudos to David Riklan and his team for developing a very powerful tribe that is making the world a better place.

http://www.selfgrowth.com/twitterfriends.html

Tribe Building Tip: Saddle Up and Ride!

Did you know that statistically, many entrepreneurs and tribe builders have ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder)? 

The good news is that this "gift" enables these leaders to move easily from one aspect of the business to another - accounting, marketing, sales, operations, etc. - as is needed in most entrepreneurial ventures.

The bad news is that this "condition" often contributes to a lack of focus that is often recognized as one of the most common reasons for business and personal failure.

The "visual" that popped into my head yesterday was that of a person standing in a pasture surrounded by several beautiful horses. 

While it may be very enjoyable to walk around petting and talking with the horses, you are never going to actually "get anywhere" until you hop on a horse and start riding.

One horse.  One direction.

Are you caught up in making sure each "horse" gets attention but never actually gets "riden"?  Even worse, are you trying to ride two or three horses at the same time?

(Danger Will Robinson!  Danger!)

Maybe it's time for YOU to saddle up and ride ONE horse in ONE direction.  (At least for a little while - until you make some REAL progress towards a SINGLE goal?)



P.S. The insight I just shared occurred in a recent Master Mind group meeting.  Getting together with these brilliant people has helped me grow personally and professionally.  Every time we get together, I have significant insights into things I need to do to move forward in my journey towards financial freedom and personal happiness.  Thank you long time friends and Monday Master Mind members - Steve Monahan, Joe Gandolfo, Mark Nelson, and Bill Kovach.  You each have helped me in so many ways!  (If you aren't in a Master Mind group, why not?!)

P.S.S.  Semi-obscure side thought:  Did Wilbur ever actually RIDE Mr. Ed?  Just wondering......   (ADD - the gift that keeps giving - and taking....LOL)

Picture:  This picture is one I took of a little "master mind" meeting I observed at the Towne Lake Equestrian Center in Woodstock, Georgia which is owned by my good friend and fellow entrepreneur, Ita Dore.  www.tleclub.com  







--
Gina D. Carr

770-241-7246  Cell


Skype:  gina.carr

Stay on Target

As an ADHD, plate-spinning entrepreneur, I found this article to be VERY helpful. I use mindmaps a lot also but this is a much better way to look at my priorities.

They say that Rockefeller used a "Top 5 and 1 of 5" system of managing his time - What are the top 5 things I must do today? Of those, what is the absolute most important?

Brogan's focus on the top 3-5 things that only he CAN and WANTS to do is very powerful.

What do you think of this article? What are YOU doing to "Stay on Target"?

Stay on Target by Chris Brogan - excellent article

Google Docs ROCK! Seven Reasons I Love this Great Tribe Building Tool

It is truly amazing how much wonderful FREE stuff is available on the internet today.

One of my favorite "tools" is Google Docs. I use it exclusively for things that I used to do with WORD, EXCEL, etc. I'm constantly amazed by how few people have even heard of it.

I like it better than traditional Microsoft* products because of the following:

1. Accessing - It "lives" in the cloud - which means I can access it from anywhere and any computer so long as I have internet access.

2. Storing - Because it lives in the cloud, I don't have to worry about my computer crashing and losing everything. This reduces the need to do those daily/nightly backups.

3. Saving - Almost like magic, Google constantly saves every little thing I do - instantaneously. Therefore, I never have to worry about hitting "save" or setting "autosave" - etc.

4. Sharing - This is one of the most powerful features. Google Docs allows you to EASILY share your documents with others - not all of them, just the ones you want to share. You can allow someone to VIEW or to EDIT. It is a marvelous time-saving feature.

5. Searching - This is also somewhat magical. It is super quick to find ANYTHING I am looking for. Far faster than other document search tools I have used.

6. Organizing - It is very easy to set up folders to keep things organized.

7. Pricing - Google Docs comes with a price I love: FREE! How can you beat that?

They also have PRESENTATION, FORMS, and DRAWING docs that can be used. I experimented with the FORMS application today and found it easy to use.

As you can see, I'm SOLD on Google Docs - even though there is NO COST!

What do you think? What do you love/hate about Google Docs?

*Disclaimer - I have nothing against Microsoft. I think they produce excellent products. I just really love Google Docs.

http://www.docs.google.com

New Social Media Platform Uses Double Bottom Line Strategy to Build a Powerful Tribe

Tribe Building Tip: Use the Double Bottom Line strategy to partner with a charity (or several charities) to increase loyalty to your product or service.

Result? Sales go up. Customer retention goes up. Customer recruitment by existing customers goes up. It's a beautiful thing!

This new Social Media platform, YourNight appears to be a great case-study in how to build a tribe where everyone wins - consumers, producers, and great causes.

I love the fact that they are putting 5% back into charitable causes. Their goal is to raise $1 million in 2010 for charities. Now, I call that a BHAG (Big Hairy Audacious Goal via Jim Collins in Good to Great).

Disclosure: the link below is an affiliate link to the site (that means I might make a few bucks if people spend money there). http://www.yournight.com/GinaCarr

If you don't want to use my affiliate link, then just go directly to www.yournight.com.

Do You Need a Privacy Statement on Your Facebook Opt-in Box?

Image via Wikipedia

One of my clients asked me this great question today. I thought a good way to answer her would be to look at some of the thought-leaders on Facebook and see what they are doing.

The following three social marketing mavens are three people that I respect a great deal. They have a lot of knowledge and they are very professional.

Tribe Building on Steroids: P&G is using a power-packed Double Bottom Line strategy for marketing their Elations' line of "Joint Comfort" product.

I just love it when people do Cause Marketing so well!

Tribe Building on Steroids: P&G is using a power-packed Double Bottom Line strategy for marketing their Elations' line of "Joint Comfort" product.

Keys:

1. Very specific target - Baby Boomers

2. Good for Business, Good for Society Strategy: Boomers Building a Better America

3. Fabulous use of Social Media for marketing this: http://ht.ly/1NDQk

4. Celebrity Spokesperson that takes Boomers back to their "good 'ole days". (I'd been wondering what Nadia Comăneci had been up to lately?)

Great job Elations!

http://www.elations.com/categories/news-and-events/promotion.php

Can Delta Survive Lost Dog PR Crisis? A "Double Bottom Line" Strategy Would Help

Delta Airlines is in the midst of a public relations nightmare due to the way it has handled - or rather, mis-handled - the case of Paco, the mixed-breed dog that was lost en route from Mexico City to Detroit on May 3.

Paco, a cuddly Dachsund and Jack Russell Terrier mix was the new-found love of college student Josiah Allen and his girlfriend who had been vacationing in Puerta Vallarta.

After days of being given the runaround and what turned out to be false statements, Delta finally admitted that the dog had been lost.

Sadly, Delta did not come forth with the truth about Paco until a blog that helps consumers with problems, the consumerist.com, reported the story.

It appears that Delta made up for losing the dog by delivering extremely bad customer service.

Not a good strategy for winning the increasingly scarce travel dollars when consumers have many choices.

How do you make decisions? Ask TME!

Make better decisions by evaluating your ROI on your TME - Time, Money, & Energy.

Tribe Building Tip: Good Old Fashioned Service - Sam Walton Style

Are you “WOW”ing your customers? Do they walk away from you saying to themselves “that was MORE than I expected?” Are they compelled to do business with you again AND to tell their friends why they should be doing business with you?

Great tribe builders know that delivering WOW customer service is the primary way to build a loyal following of raving fans for their business, cause, or passion.

Sam Walton was a great tribe builder. Although he departed this earth many years ago, his spirit lives on in his tribe of loyal associates (employees), raving fans (customers) and enthusiastic investors (stockholders).

Let me tell you a little story about an experience I had last night at my local Wal-mart.

It was another rainy night in Georgia (thanks Tony Joe White and Brook Benton for memorializing Georgia’s perpetual bad weather in that R&B classic). I was soaked just getting the umbrella open from the car.

As I walked towards the store doors, I noticed a couple of things. Walmart had put down extra carpet runners for people to walk on. And, they had a big sign out that said “CAUTION – Floors May Be Slippery.”

They cynics among you are probably saying “Yeah, they just don’t want someone to fall and sue them.”

Perhaps.

Still it was a nice touch and made me aware that they were thinking about my safety.

What they did outside was nice, but it was what they did when I walked in the door that made me stop and say “WOW” quietly to myself.

As the Walmart greeter gave me an enthusiastic “Welcome to Wal-mart” with a huge smile, I noticed a giant roll of paper towels behind her.

She grabbed a few and started wiping down my soaking wet shopping cart. I mean really wiping it down.

Then, she took my umbrella and carefully wrapped it in plastic bags so that it would not get the cart and the things I was going to put in the cart wet.

WOW.

She gave me a hearty "Enjoy shopping at Wal-mart" and off I went to happily spend money in a place that clearly appreciated my business.

Not only did they make me feel like royalty with such service, but just as importantly, they made it EASY for me to shop.

Imagine putting a shirt or even a box of cereal in a wet cart. Yuk.

Yes, Wal-mart – the behemoth known for low prices - got it right … again. This time they wowed me with great selection, low prices, and, most importantly, WOW CUSTOMER SERVICE.

As I consider the things I am grateful for today, I am including Sam Walton and the thousands of Wal-mart greeters across the globe that make the world a better place every day by sharing a simple smile - and a roll of paper towels.

Is there anything that you can do in your business to make the experience of your customers better? Can you add a special touch that doesn't cost you very much but that makes your customers say "WOW"?

I'd love to hear what you are doing or planning to do that will get more "WOWs" from your tribe. A great place to share your ideas is in the comments section below. I'll choose some of the best comments and repost them on my Facebook page. www.Facebook.com/GinaCarrFanPage

Picture: I didn't get a picture of my greeter last night but I found one on the internet and thought he warranted a little extra plug. The Wal-mart greeter pictured above is named Jamar of the Wal-mart in Easton, Ohio. He was so outstandingly pleasant that Sandy Jenner of OrganizeWithSandy.com wrote about him in her blog. Check out the story - and her GREAT website/blog at:

http://www.organizewithsandy.com/tag/greeter/

A Modern-Day David and Goliath - Techno Teen Micheal Dell Took on Computer Giant - and Won!

"Those who say it can't be done need to get out of the way of those that are doing it." Unknown

The entrepreneur of today's world can be compared to the legendary Don Quixote - chasing windmills in search of great fortune.

The entrepreneurial journey I would like to share with you in this article might be a bit of a surprise. I find it remarkable yet I have barely seen it mentioned in the press over the years.

Imagine the following scenario. The year is 1983. You are a college freshman at The University of Texas in Austin, sitting in your dorm room playing around on your computer.

1983. Pre-Internet. Pre-computers-on-every-desk, in-every-room-of-the-house. These were the days of PONG, where very few people sat around playing with personal computers. (If you don't know what PONG is, ask someone a lot older than you.)

Back to your dorm room. You are supposed to be in class. Instead, you are sitting there playing around on your computer and you have a bright idea - the proverbial "light bulb" goes off in your head.

"I think I'll start a computer company and compete with IBM!" Since no one is around to hear you and tell you how ridiculous you sound, you continue.

You have no employees. No manufacturing facility. No family in the computer business. You've never even worked for a computer company. Sure, you've been pulling computers apart and putting them back together since your were 15 but come on! Compete with IBM? Everyone around you thinks you have lost your mind.

Yet, you believe you have a better way.

You develop a passion for the idea of making better computers and selling them for less by going directly to the consumer.

The story goes that mom and dad heard that sonny-boy was skipping a lot of classes so that he could play with his computers. Mom and Dad decided to pay a visit one day and caught him red-handed. After reading Michael the riot act, Michael's dad asked him what he wanted to do with his life. He told his dad that he wanted to compete with IBM.

Imagine that conversation!

And so it was that the 19 year old boy genius, techno-teen Michael Dell, armed with only $1000, abandoned his plans of becoming a doctor and dropped out of college after his freshman year to take on the big boys - IBM, Compaq, Hewlett-Packard, and others.

He believed he could outsource everything - the manufacturing, distribution, sales and service. Remember now, this was pre-Internet. Pre-global-out-sourcing. He believed he could bypass the traditional expensive distribution channels and go straight to the consumers, giving them exactly what they wanted - better quality, lower cost computers made specifically for them.

He knew what his consumer wanted because he was his own consumer - frustrated by poor customer service, crappy quality, non-existent customization and high prices.

The rest is history. Modern American business history, that is.

By the time Dell was 22 years old, his company had achieved annual sales of about $150 million. Starting with only $1000 and growing the company to a $1 billion (with a B!) public company in less than 10 years is a record few companies can match.

Today Dell, Inc. is a $57 billion company with the leading market share in the United States with over 46,000 employees, including more than 16,000 in Central Texas. Dell is listed as the 8th wealthiest person in the United States according to Forbes magazine (August 2007). Dell first made the Forbes 400 Wealthiest People in the United States at the ripe old age of 26. He is said to have been worth over $20 billion by the age of 40.

Dell has been named "Entrepreneur of the Year" from Inc. magazine; "Man of the Year" from PC Magazine; "Top CEO in American Business" from Worth Magazine; "CEO of the Year" from Financial World and Industry Week magazines.

Not bad for a college dropout.

Michael Dell. At age 19, he realized he could build a better mousetrap and sell it for less.
Simple formula. Brilliant execution.

The first time I heard this story, I frankly didn't believe it. A college freshman takes on IBM, and wins?! No way, said my logical left brain. There has to be more to this story!

No, this one goes in the "truth is stranger than fiction" category.

Michael Dell was just a bright boy with a bright idea. Fueled by passion. Too young, too foolish, and certainly too focused to listen to the naysayers who said it couldn't be done.

According to Dell, "No one told me that we couldn't do it, and if they did, I wasn't listening."

It's a good thing he wasn't listening. In addition to revolutionizing the personal computer industry, Dell has donated more than $1 billion in stock to the Michael and Susan Dell Foundation, which is now one of the country's largest foundations. The foundation focuses on children's health and education initiatives.

Even though today's story is about a mega-millionaire with a gazillion dollar company, never forget that once upon a time, Michael Dell was a lot like you and me. Just a kid with a dream that wouldn't die.

So How's 2010 Coming Along for You so Far? Maybe I Can Help.....

Well, it's almost the end of February. How are you coming along with all those resolutions you made a few weeks ago?

If you're like most of us, you might need a little help to make sure that 2010 is your BEST YEAR EVER!

Do you want to learn about what Entrepreneurs are doing in this decade and beyond to harness the latest in Technology and Psychology?

Do you want to know how people are using the sciences of Nano-, Bio-, and Neuro-Technology to create AMAZING businesses and lives?

If so, you will want to join us for the IDEAS Institute's first Seminar of 2010 "Create Your AMAZING Future"

Meet, learn, get inspired and network with fellow entrepreneurs, solopreneurs and business owners - people who are taking charge of their own lives and making things happen.

At this AMAZING event, you will learn....

1. How to Understand, Embrace and Thrive in our rapidly changing world!
Steve Monahan, Founder IDEAS-Institute

2. Your Greatest 'Gift' to Leverage for your Success!
Joe Gandolfo, Author, Public Speaker

3. Understand, Clarify & Leverage Your Purpose, Your Vision and Your Goals!
Bill Kovach, Speaker, Corporate Mentor, Coach

4. Learn a "Better Way" to Manage & Leverage the Information Overload!
Jaye Speaks Technology CreativeEntrepreneur

5. Are You Fred Flintstone or George Jetson Marketer? Leverage Facebook, LinkedIn,
Twitter and the Social Media Revolution to Grow Your Customer Base!
Gina Carr, Entrepreneur, CEO Carr Consulting, Public Speaker

6. Brand Yourself & Company: The Power of YouTube, Blogging &
becoming an Author! Joe Gandolfo, Author, Public Speaker, Teen Psychologist

Refreshments & snacks included.

Tickets are $20 in advance; $25 at the door.

One half of admission donated to the American Red Cross.

Join us!

You can sign up at MEETUP.com

or at FACEBOOK

Yours in Prosperity,

Gina D. Carr

Spinach Ice Cream?! Does Being Creative HELP or HURT Your Business?

Do you long for the good 'ole days back when the biggest decisions we as consumers had to make were:

Chocolate or Vanilla? Crest or Colgate? Piggly Wiggly or A&P?

Our world has become increasingly more complicated. Today, consumers are overwhelmed with choice.

What does this mean to us in the new world of marketing?

In this quick video, I'll share some thoughts about how "confused minds" work (or don't) and how this can help you in your business.

FTC issues New Guidelines for Direct Marketers

Ken McArthur has posted an informative article about the changes that affect anyone who is engaged in Direct Response Marketing.

Direct Response Marketing is defined as those marketing directly to consumers via radio, television, mail, print, door-to-door, and the internet.

It appears to me that these changes will be good for consumers in that it forces marketers to explain offers and financial obligations more clearly.

http://learningfolder.net/blog/?p=838

Ken McArthur is also the host of the marketing event that is coming up this weekend in Orlando. There are still some tickets available for this amazing event that starts Friday. If you are interested in finding out more, check out

http://jvAlertLive.com/invite.aspx?id=1987

How to avoid getting sued over social media - iMediaConnection.com

"A lot of you have asked about legal issues regarding social media. Here is a blog post from iMedia Connection that is very informative."

Aggregating social media content leads to engaging campaigns, but you can easily run afoul of the law. Here are six tips for avoiding any serious consequences.

View >>

Who's Got YOUR Back? Sandra Bullock Knows WHO has HERS!

"I never knew what it felt like for someone to have my back. " Sandra Bullock

At the recent 67th Golden Globe Awards ceremony, Sandra Bullock won "best actress in a drama" for her role in the true-life drama Blind Side. Sandra plays a conservative, upper middle-class Southerner who adopts a homeless teenager.

One of my doctors had recommended I see the movie. He thought I could use a little inspiration. He was right.

The movie was particularly interesting and inspiring to me as I felt I had a lot in common with Sandra Bullock's character - a bit of a Southern belle, color-blind, heart-driven, somewhat fearless, and a a little bit spunky. I'd guess you could say she is a bit of a modern-day Scarlett O'Hara.

In her brief acceptance speech, Sandra's words really hit me. She said:

"To my husband, there is no – there is no surprise that my work got better when I met you because I never knew what it felt like for someone to have my back. So, thank you."

In her emotional, public acknowledgement of her husband, Jessie James, I thought about how important it is for each of us to have at least one person in our lives who provides a continuous flow of love, support, and candor.

This brings me back to my opening question. Who's got YOUR back?

Do you have a special person in your life - a spouse, parent, friend, child, sibling, coach, boss, employee - who is helping you succeed?

Do you have someone who loves you enough to be constantly supportive of your dreams?

Do you have someone who cares enough to provide candid feedback in a loving, caring way so that you can constantly move towards YOUR goals?

I hope that you can answer a resounding YES to these questions.

As the moon is always waxing or waning, the the people closest to you are either helping you or hurting you.

They are either filling your emotional bucket so that you can soar...or, they are draining your bucket, leaving you with nothing to fuel your dreams and goals.

Action Step:

Today, I encourage you to take positive action to make sure that you have a Jessie James in your life - someone who has YOUR back.

The best way to recruit someone to have YOUR back is to make sure they know that you have THEIR back.

It's like the old saying goes, the best way to GET a friend is to BE a friend.

If you already have someone, give them a big THANK YOU and tell them how much you appreciate and need them.

If you have someone who could be that person, have a frank discussion with them about what you need and what they can do to help you.

If you have someone who is constantly draining you of your passion for life, give serious thought to what actions you can take today to change this situation. You can and you must.

If you can't think of anyone who fits into one of the three categories above, then sit down and think about what you can do to reach out to someone you already know or to meet someone who can help you reach your dreams.

Napoleon Hill Loves Twitter?!

Napoleon Hill loves Twitter.... at least, I think he would....especially the #quotes.

I'm listening to a great CD set "You Deserve To Be Rich". It is wonderful.

One of the nuggets I picked up today was this:

"Constructive mottos are often used by people who recognize what a powerful influence one's daily environment has on the maintenance of a Positive Mental Attitude." Napoleon Hill


Positive Mental Attitude attracts favorable results.

Negative Mental Attitude repels favorable results.


I know that lot of people think the #quotes are silly. I like them. They are a frequent source of PMA for me. Thanks #quotes Tweeters!


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