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Strategic Business Networking

ProBlogger.net’s Darren Rowse on How to Use Social Media

Darren Rowse from ProBlogger.net has to be one of my favorite bloggers and social media marketers. Not only does he do what he loves, but he is so willing to share his knowledge about social media with the blogging and online marketing communities.

In this video, Darren talks about how he uses Social Media marketing to connect & promote his blogs.

3 Main Points to Apply

  1. Build a Home Base: I get the question a lot about whether it’s good to start with just one site and then grow later or start a TON of sites from the get go and mass market all of them. Personally, I feel this point answers that question pretty directly. You have to start with a firm foundation.  As Darren explains in the video, you need to work on something you have complete control over. Problogger.net is a place where he adds useful content, builds community, brand and profile. Around the home base he interacts in a variety of other social media spaces. I guess the bigger question is – How good can you be at mastering multiple home bases at one time? If you’re new to the whole online marketing space, I definitely recommend FOCUSING on ONE INITIALLY!
  2. Build Outposts to Re-inforce the Home Base: Darren makes a great point here: the activities that are done on the outposts are to re-inforce the home base. The danger Darren has seen recently is people investing lots of time on the out posts and not really focusing on the home base. Places where this can get easy to do include Twitter, Facebook and StumbleUpon so beware.  As you get involved in Social Media, just remember to set specific goals about WHY you are using the different networks and then monitor your time.
  3. Learn from and interact with other Home Bases: I love this point the most! It’s all about getting to know your industry and the people in it – yet another reason to start an online business in an industry you love! One of the best ways to get to know your industry is to
    A) identify the target audience for your Home Base
    B) find other sites and forums that share that audience
    C) spend time on these people’s sites
    This strategy is not about taking information from your competitors and then using it on your own site. It’s about connecting with people who could potentially become great allies, together helping one another grow. Some of the things Darren recommends doing are guest posting on these sites & building links, while at the same time getting to know the community. Build business relationships with the owners of these different sites – get out there, engage, and interact!

Commenters – share with the Moller Marketing reader:

1. What is your home base?

2. What top 5 outposts you are using?

3. What are 3 other home bases you’re working with?

Here are mine:

  1. Home Base 1: MollerMarketing.com
    Home Base 1a: ClogOn.com
  2. Top 5 Outposts 1: Twitter, Stumbleupon, Flickr, YouTube and Facebook
    Top 5 Outposts 1a: Facebook, YouTube, Flickr, Twitter, Forums
  3. 3 Other Home Bases I work With 1 (haven’t done this much with MM): Prosper, TwiTip, Dream Systems Media
    3 Other Home Bases I work with 1a:  Facebook Groups, Forum, Specific Clogging Studio Websites
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Website How To's

How Do You Break Your Fears

If you’re just starting your new online business, welcome to the world of late nights and hard work!

Yes, there are such things as “Turn Key” and “Get Rich Quick” opportunities; in fact, if you’d like to be part of a great business opportunity, call me today (just kiddin’ – I love getting emails like that from old high school “friends” or even better, an old neighbor that talked to me maybe one time and now, all of a sudden, “…we should get together.”)

Sorry, got off on a bit of tangent there. So my clients know, I don’t do MLM or Network Marketing – just not my thing.

Anyway, one of the things you may have realized by now is that starting something new can be a bit scary.

  • What if you FAIL?
  • What if no one buys what you’re offering?
  • What if you just can’t do this?

What is failure really?

Tony Robbins said this about failure:

I’ve come to believe that all my past failure and frustration were actually laying the foundation for the understandings that have created the new level of living I now enjoy.

Amen! Without failure how will you even know what success is? How many times did you fail to walk as a child before you actually figured it out? Did you give up or quit then?

To me, fear of failure can do one of two things for a person:

  1. Motivate to take action and do something different. As the quote says, “Insanity is doing the same thing and expecting different results.”
  2. Hold a person back from changing their life, their income, or whatever.

Here’s an example of how I helped my 4 year old overcome his fear of getting his hair cut in addition to me practicing with iMovie on my Mac (you don’t have to watch the whole thing, just the first part):


(Audio works now thanks to @codykeith)

What can we learn from this?

  1. To overcome fears, JUST DO IT! I’ve been hesitant to use movie at my dance bag website, mostly because I’ve never really uploaded or edited film much. As you can see by this amateur video, I’m breaking my fears and actually liking it!
  2. Failure can be a big step towards HUGE success! Since this experience, my little boy has had no problem letting me cut his hair. It’s the same with running an online business – once you get one started, other ideas start coming too and there are no limits (just stay focused for a bit before you overwhelm yourself with so much that you get nothing accomplished.)
  3. Set specific goals to break a fear every day! This is a fun challenge that I would love to hear feedback on. What’s a fear you recently broke and how did it help you see results shortly after?

I’m excited to hear about how you break your fears and the positive results that come from getting over the Fear of Failure as you start an online business.