The phone is ringing, emails are pinging, deadlines are looming and that stack of paperwork on your desk isn’t getting any smaller!  Are there really only 24 hours in a day? Some days it’s easy to wonder how anyone manages to get anything done!

What I’ve described above has become a way of life for many business owners. The stress of trying to check off the To Do list and get it all done can quickly get overwhelming.  Combine the normal stresses of business with the constantly changing social media environment and it’s no wonder you see so many abandoned Twitter accounts and Facebook pages!  Is yours one of them?

So, what makes the difference? Why do some people do so well with social media when others seem to constantly struggle?  The answer is simple.  Successful social media users across all industries understand the one technique that is essential to success.  You must get out there and be social every day, meet new people and have actual conversations.  You must build relationships!

Relationships bring more than just enjoyable conversations.  They bring visibility, referrals and unlimited opportunities of many kinds.  It’s not enough to be broadcasting your message to the masses on a regular basis.  You’ve got to listen and you’ve got to respond.  Any successful business owner will tell you just how important partnerships are to the success of your business.  They are equally important to the success of your social media strategy.

And how do you build relationships?  By having conversations!!  Do you love working with people who only talk about themselves? Of course not!!   Now take a look at your social media sites.  Are you having conversations or are you only broadcasting your information?  Now, some of you may be saying, “Oh, I share other people’s content!” That’s great! But do you have conversations with anyone? Do you ever just reach out and say “Hi, @Janice_Clark ! Thanks for sharing such great content! I really appreciate you!”  Of course you’ll want to substitute the username of someone you’d like to meet here!  :)  When was the last time you did that? When was the last time you logged into Twitter and/or Facebook  with the intention of meeting someone new?

What’s that you’re saying?  You don’t have time for this type of behavior?  You don’t have time to meet potential new clients? You don’t have time to build potential new partnerships and get referrals? You don’t have time to meet your target market?

Zig Ziglar once said, “Lack of direction, not lack of time, is the problem. We all have twenty-four hour days.”

You now know the secret.  And it’s guaranteed to increase your chances of success regardless of your industry.  Now are you willing to commit? Get out there today and make a difference for yourself and your business! Introduce yourself to someone new! Say hello and see where it takes you!

As the year comes to a close and we begin winding down for the holidays, I have to reflect a bit on what’s happened to my business over the past year. I’ve always been a big believer in making everything a learning experience. 2011 was definitely a learning experience! As good as 2011 was, I recognize that I need to make a few changes in 2012 if I want to keep moving forward. The 7 Minute Solution is assisting me with that!

With all the changes on Facebook in the past few weeks, I felt it was important to put together a post detailing all the updates. I wanted to make it easy for all of you to learn about the changes so I’ve made a list and added screen shots as needed.

Join us in The Great Edgerank Experiment, share your results and let’s work together to get more visibility, engagement and interaction with your target audience on Facebook!

Only 3%-7% of your Facebook page fans even see your posts! Join me in my Edgerank experiment & learn how to finally get in front of ALL your Facebook fans!

When you add your own business to the employer section of your Facebook profile, it doesn’t automatically link to your business Facebook page. Instead it links to a generic community page that Facebook has created.

Wouldn’t you rather send people to your own Facebook page? I’m going to show you how!

Although you may know that social media is a valuable tool when it comes to promoting your business, you may not know exactly how it works. Do you know how to get new clients? Do you understand how to get repeat business? Click here for 23 things you can begin doing immediately to net more sales for your social media efforts!

Tweeting 101 covers the definition of @Replies, @Mentions, Direct Messages, Publisher Windows, News Feeds and more. Then it goes on to give you examples of each one and shows you how to make your way around in Twitter.

According to the Social Media Marketing Industry report, 56% of marketers are using social media 6 hours+ each week and 30% use it 11 hours+ each week. 12.5% of marketers spend more than 20+ hours per week on social media. The reality is, however, that unless you are able to outsource some of your social media tasks, most of us just don’t have that kind of time to invest in our social media campaigns.

So back to the question I’m asked a lot, “How do you do it?” People want to know how I manage to post, tweet, comment, blog, etc and still have time to handle my clients, manage my VAs and run my business. The answer is simple. I have a system. I have many systems and tools in place that help me stay organized. One of my favorite tools is HootSuite.

In my last blog post I discussed what a Twitter list is, limitations of Twitter lists and how to create a list and add people to it. This week I’d like to show you how to manage your Twitter lists.