I’ve been in sales and marketing since I was 3 years old. That’s right. Always working toward things I believed in. I’m still the same way…only as an adult, it’s with my ghostwriting and social media business, my band, Neon Love Life and our rock n’ roll summer camp for girls, Girls Rock! Indianapolis. I am a tireless promoter, advocate, and marketer.

Everywhere I’ve been, and more importantly, everywhere I’m going, I rely on my network of women, family, and friends to provide help, resources, and support marching in partnership with me toward a common goal.  At some point the “me” morphs into “we” and “we” becomes so much more powerful and produces greater results than just “me”.

This week has been an excellent example of this. We asked our families, friends, business alliances, Twitter followers, Facebook friends, Linked-In connections, and complete strangers to vote for Neon Love Life to win a contest to perform at Rolling Stone’s Super Bowl Tailgate Party. Winning this contest would give Neon Love Life the rare opportunity to open up for Jane’s Addiction and The Roots… two bands I didn’t live without when I was younger and they’ve been gig influences on the entire band. Our campaign has been insane; however, without the teamwork of everyone in my life, Neon Love Life would not have generated the (massive) amount of votes cast to date.  And by the way… the contest doesn’t end until Sunday at 8pm and we still need votes… so please, vote here and spread the word…and you can vote once a day until Sunday.

But if you think about it… running a business, running a band or nonprofit, running a family and life…all of these things take teamwork. Too often, we let pride or the thought of “I can do this myself,” get in the way of actually having peace of mind and things REALLY getting done.  If you’ve ever read the Tim Ferris book, “The Four Hour Work Week,” you’d understand that outsourcing and asking for help can be the difference between success and failure.

Each of us is only one person; we are simply more powerful as a team rather than individuals – strength in numbers.  Life should strike a balance of work and play; however, we would all agree that more play is always better!  Having more (quality) time doing what we love with those whom we love should be most important part of our lives.  The best way to achieve this “balance” is through teamwork and asking for help.

So ask yourself these questions:

• “What do I need help with?”
• “Who can I call on to help me achieve my goals and objectives?”
• “To whom can I be of assistance?”

The great Zig Ziglar* said “You can have everything you desire if you will just help others get what they desire”; stated another way: “teamwork makes the dream work”.

Follow Neon Love Life on Twitter.

*Special thanks to Muffy Davis for the encouraging words!

Also…if you need help with something or want to help someone else… check out Get Out Mom!

Hands in photo: Lindsay, Bella, Sharon, Tasha and Ashley

Let’s get down to basics. How many of you have a social media account? More importantly, how many of you have a LinkedIn account? What I notice about LinkedIn is that most business professionals on there not only have a stellar (most of the time) professional business photo, they also have a completed profile.

I’m not gonna lie, it took MONTHS for my profile to 100% complete. You know why? Because I was busy…maybe even a bit lazy. I mean, profiles take time to fill out. It’s like doing your resume, right? There are lots of questions about yourself, lots of thinking, a lot of articulation that needs to be done in a flattering-yet-not-cocky way, self-reflection, etc. You get the point.

Let’s carry that same model over to the online dating profile world, and you have a load of people out there, really hoping for love, but aren’t getting the attention they need because a) their photo sucks and doesn’t put them in the best light, or b) they have an incomplete profile and it inhibits them from having a strong presence. Not to mention if someone is shy, and really has no idea what to say about themselves.

That’s why Dating Headshots is such a cool concept. They help online daters look their best and really pull out that “umph” in people, so perhaps they can have more confidence, and reach their ultimate goal…find a companion to share life with. (I know I totally sound like I’m giving a sales pitch, but man, been there, done that. I get it.)

Look, if you know anyone who may find their service useful, check them out and have your friends check them out. They have a good success rate and I feel they’re just getting started. I’m pretty excited to be working with them. They also have a great blog with online dating tips, warning signs, and tons of other useful information for those who are embarking on online dating.

Follow them on Facebook and check out their Twitter.

So, what are your thoughts on online dating and this service in particular? Do you think it’s a helpful one?

So to my readers, I apologize for my sporaticism…(yet another made up word). Here’s what’s on my mind today. I’ve been running across a million posts lately about how social media marketing is pretty much recession-proof. At least, that’s my all-in-one sentence summary.

This is good but at the same time, kinda scary. Because that means my mom, who recently joined Facebook (we’re talking less than two weeks ago), could hop on the social bandwagon and think she can be business development in the next 6 months. Wrong. She can’t. (Not that she would even consider that…she just gets to be my lucky example.) It’s a scary thought, and now, more than ever, it’s high time companies, large and small, understand who they’re dealing with when it comes to the voice of their company, if they’re hiring outside help.

Stretching Too Thin

Prime example: I began my company, Linzstar Inc nearly three years ago. I am extremely fortunate and blessed to still be here and growing…to the point that I get to pick and choose who I get to work with. I have a client I dedicate most of my time too, because for many SM marketers, it’s easy to let their plate get too full with different industries. In other words, people like us are already of the social sort, so when we’re out there, it’s easy to chase rabbits down holes. So easy in fact, that sometimes, clients can get buried in the dust freelancers are kicking behind as they try to grow. Been there, done that. For greedy people, this may not be a problem. For me, I hate the thought of others not thinking I’ve done my part for the money they’ve spent. My job is ultimately to create such a positive social and user experience, that a company grows…period. It’s been an interesting learning curve over the past three years, but one I wouldn’t change.

I’ve also learned that to be successful in this environment, it’s quality clients, over quantity. It’s like one of the five top rules of the social media mantra, right?

So, while this industry is on the rise, which means I perhaps have some job stability in my field, it’s still insanely important to learn what you can about whom you may consider for your company. Find a marketer that places you as a priority and work out budgets around that. I know one great thing for me and my clients, because I’m such a small company, I get to work with people that may not want to spend 40-50K a year in their online marketing.

So, as we round the curve in social media marketing, you know, that one that had people arguing over whether or not the job of an online marketer was sustainable a few years back, it’s still very important to pick the right fit for your industry.

This company happens to be an IT company trying to do social media marketing. This kills me. It pains my heart. I was ranting on Twitter the other day…yes, it happens when a) it’s close to shark week, b) I’ve been in front of my computer too long, or c) I see more idiot people who can’t run their own businesses successfully, decide they’re going to “get into” the “social media marketing” business because someone told them it’s a way they can make money.

BULLOCKS.

Back to the meeting: This individual shares that he’s having a hard time “selling” social media. (Honestly…at this point, I wanted to slap him.) ps…if you’re reading this, I’m sorry. I’m being honest.

Why did I want to slap him? Because IT companies SHOULD NOT BE doing the job of MARKETING COMPANIES!!! EVER!!! YO, do you know why you have a hard time “selling?” Are you on Twitter or Facebook? Are you making movements and gaining ground? Are you so passionate about something that people get you? I wouldn’t believe that this guy could do anything for my company. Of course there is a hard time selling.

As a matter of fact, half the new “social media” shits out there really can’t do what it takes, and I’m pretty fed up with the people who fail doing their own thing, suddenly decide to become marketers. It gives marketing a bad name. Say it with me: SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING IS ONLY ONE ASPECT OF MARKETING. An IMPERATIVE one, but NOT the ‘be all, end all.’

This isn’t an easy job. It’s taken years to gain the experience and knowledge I have. My response to his question, “Do I have a hard time “selling” social media?” No, I don’t sell it. When people call me, they’re ready to do business…write a check and get it done, because they know they have to incorporate change in today’s business world, and they know I love it and I’m passionate about it. Period.

What are your thoughts about the emerging social media businesses?

Even the greatest of writers and bloggers sometimes struggle with new ideas or concepts to share. What often inspires me when I’m going through the lull of idea birthing, is reading what other people are sharing. Another thing that helps inspire me is to get the heck out and DO something. Go to a networking event, go to a social media meeting or tweet up. Meet people and share. Sometimes the most trivial of conversations can strike up ideas.

As a ghost blogger and content creator, many of my clients want to know what the perfect solution is. And really, over and over I let them know that there is no perfect solution. It’s about creating content that people need. It’s about being real with your audience. It’s about talking about what your kids did that day and how it clicked with something you experienced. It’s about the jerk in the traffic that cut you off that made you think of a time you did that and what was going on at the time that caused you to do what you are now cussing about.

We all experience the same emotions, some more often than others. I don’t care who you are, what your station is in this life, or how much you’ve been praised as a child or adult. Sometimes the most personal experiences then sharing of those experiences have the most profound affect on your readers. Never be afraid to share. (note: use discretion here…not EVERYTHING is good for a business blog.)

The main point of this is that sure, we all get the contential blues sometimes. Don’t be afraid to go in a different direction in order to pick the momentum back up.

Happy writing.

Examples? “Content is King,” “You must be ‘engaging’ your customers,” blah, blah, blah. As a matter of fact, I’m sure I’ve used lines like this before in my presentation of new media marketing and search engine optimization.

But the reality is that content isn’t king, and who really writes the rules of engagement anyway?

Raidious is a content builder, strategy creator–all things online in one stop. But we’ll get to that in another post. For this one, I want to focus on making … creating.

What’s really so important about creating new stuff for your brand anyway? (Great question!)

There are hundreds of thousands of brands out there. I don’t have a percentage, but I think it’s safe to guess that probably ¾ of them have websites. I mean I’ve seen hundreds of websites…some good, some bad, and some downright ugly.

Just because you have a website, doesn’t mean it’s going to get you what you want (and what you want–or should want–is brand loyalty and sales … just in case you were wondering).

A static site is not going to get that for you. What I mean by static site is one that gives you a whole lot of information. One that sells, sells, sells! But most importantly, one that never changes. Like, “Here’s our site that we created two years ago. It’s had the exact same thing on it for two years!”

I’m not a huge SEO (search engine optimization) girl. I understand it enough to work with it, but I just don’t know the crazy google-ish science behind it.

What I do know, is that a strategy that prioritizes creating new, helpful, clear, and understandable content on a regular basis not only helps with SEO, but also helps your clients and customers.

So, yes, content creation is certainly important, but just as important as regularity. So, get out there and make, create, dominate.

(side note) I wrote this post for Raidious a couple of months ago. View the original here.

I’m an emotional being…sometimes too emotional. But as an artist/writer/creative type, I feed off emotion. It paves a way for me. That’s the first point.

Point number two: I’m an entrepreneur…a businesswoman. I help businesses blog and build relationships online. I help teach them how to be real with their audience and help build their audience. That being said, a question that often arises is, “What should my blog be about?”

My response? Everything.

Now, you may be thinking, “what about target audience?” or “what about business?”
Yes, all that too. The thing is, there really is no right or wrong way to write a blog. And there’s really no ‘this thing’ or ‘that thing’ that it should be about. Sure, if you’re a business, you definitely need a blog about that business, but it doesn’t have to be ONLY about business stuff. Sometimes I write about business, sometimes I write about passion. Sometimes I write about other people’s businesses, and sometimes I write about music…or my daughter.

The thing is, pretty much anything we write about can circle back around to what we’re passionate about. It’s more a matter of just doing it. Chris Brogan is brilliant at this. He can take some random thought or experience that happened in his life that exact day, and mold it into a couple paragraphs of relatable brilliance that typically circles back to business and the humanization of it.

My advice…don’t think too hard. Just do. And if you’re still not sure, have someone go over your blog post before you post. Write about your experiences and how they’ve made you learn about X lesson. Write about something your child did that made you think back to how you could relate to others in the workplace. Make business personal. That’s when people really relate to you.

Everyone is talking about changes. Yeah, so it’s a new year. I purposefully didn’t make any resolutions this year.  I have some things I’d like to be more disciplined with, but the biggest thing for me is getting comfortable in my own skin. That may sound crazy but sometimes I’m sitting and working and wondering if I really make a difference. What does it all mean? But then it kinda hit me…the thing I’m super passionate about in a business sense, is seeing other people grow from what I do.

I’m a huge Seth Godin fan. One point he’s made over and over is that marketers are marketers whether they’re being paid for it or not.  Which equates to me that marketers are marketers because they’re pretty much born passionate.  So, then a sense of relief comes.  I’m who I am because I get all excited about the biggest and smallest things. Transfer that over to my business, I can never fail.  I’ve never set out to be a huge influencer. I’m better suited as a lover of things, people…experiences. And when we get all excited and talk about those things, people…experiences, there’s a natural cause and effect.

I just started working with Cami Back. She is the founder/owner of this amazing idea/website called Get Out Mom. When she called me…we sat down over lunch so I could hear about what she has going on, and the passion in her eyes over helping moms get out more, and work on their own terms got me just as excited as she was.

The premise: Moms post what they love to do. Women and other moms post what they don’t love to do. They can hire back and forth. So working moms and stay-at-home moms and even women who aren’t moms, can support one another.  Her website launches next month, and I’ve seen it. It’s brilliant.  Seriously. Brilliant.

It’s not only about doing what you love to do, it has huge relationship building potential!

So, yeah, she’s a client, and I want to see her blow up. I want to see this reach as many moms as possible. Because in the spring, I want a garden…I want a garden with tomatoes and flowers. I can barely keep a plant alive. No green thumb at all. Guess where I’ll be going to hire the person who will be planting this thing for me? You got it. She picks the hours…even if it’s two hours a week or six hours a week. It gets her out of the house, doing what she loves to do. Get it?? Check it out!

The whole point of me letting you know about Get Out Mom, was because I was hired by Cami (I’m pretty sure) because I got just as passionate and excited about her idea as she was.  And that’s where I fit in. I fit in with people who want to lift up other people, and that’s what she does.  In the midst of me making changes this year, hopefully, I can help change lives…and so can you. Love. Life.

The Horse: I’ll call this blogging. I don’t know about you, but your blog is the meat, or the horse of your business…at least when it comes to online content. You can have the best website in the world, but when it comes down to putting up content and getting Google to recognize you’ve got new stuff, you’ve got to be doing SOMETHING.

Blogging is such an integral part of web stuff. I started writing this blog the other day, and it just so happens that last night, Chantelle Flannery, one of the authors of Corporate Blogging for Dummies, and my buddy, Jason Falls, were talking a bit on the topic at the newly formed Social Media Club Indy. Blogging equates to search results. Period. Your blogs are a little slice of YOU, YOUR BUSINESS, YOUR EVERYTHING. Blogging is important. And if you can’t blog, or don’t have time to, or suck at it, you hire me. (Shameless plug, I know…) But do you get the point?

So let’s talk about the cart. The cart typically comes after…when you actually have something to carry. Social media is your cart. It’s the platform in which you place your blogs and stuff on. The cart is Twitter, Facebook, Stumble Upon, Reddit, LinkedIN, and all those other places you can link to…and what does linking do? It causes search results.

And carts sometimes break down. Something Chantelle pointed out last night…Twitter and all these other social media platforms that we have become semi-dependent on, may not be around in a few years. Yes, it’s a scary thought but it’s truth…yeah, remember Myspace? Exactly. If the cart breaks down, at least you still have a horse you can ride.

It’s so easy for businesses to get caught up in social media, but what exactly are you carrying if you don’t have good content and information for the people who need it? And trust me, if you don’t do it, someone else will. (Also, I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. SOCIAL MEDIA IS NOT THE BE ALL END ALL. It’s only ONE part of the marketing spectrum…)

However, when it comes to this part of that spectrum, the cart and the horse go hand in hand. If you’re a new business, or just getting started with the whole web stuff, I’d be more concerned with a healthy horse. Then, when the time is right and you’ve got that content…you can carry it out to the world.

Giddy up.

Okay…so, most of my readers, friends, fans…whatever, know I’m in a band. Teamwork at its finest. It’s some of the hardest work I’ve ever done, but pretty much, some of the most rewarding (outside of motherhood (could be comparable though…we all have our moments where we mother one another)).

Anyway, so, Neon Love Life is in the studio right now. We’re working on tracking the rest of the album, so we can get a spring/summer release. We’ve begun the second half of the songs, beginning with a song called Lovers Lie. It was one of those songs I wrote in like 10 minutes…where the entire skeleton came to me and lyrics were a no-brainer because of some things I’ve been experiencing.

I always get excited about these kinds songs because I start out thinking they’re great, but when I take my ideas to the rest of the girls in the band, they make it even better. They make it richer. They add their flare, which adds to the brilliance. So, this song is no longer just mine. It’s ours.

I love working with Ashley, Sharon, and Tasha. They are all so talented and insightful. I know many people are brilliant on their own, as these ladies are. But at the same time, think of the millions of ideas that start off as ideas but take other people’s help to actually make them evolve or make them happen…or make money off them. And let’s be honest, we ALL would LOVE to make a living doing what we love, right? Whether you’re an artist, musician, comedian, mime…you get my drift. Sign me up for selling out.

Anyway, I just had this conversation with someone yesterday…someone I’m about to start working with…(I’m so freaking excited about it, I can hardly contain myself…but of course, I will). The gist of the conversation went like this. For most of us ‘creative’ types, that’s what we do best. Create. Not everyone is as great on the business side. (I kind of am, but I also got a degree in it, not art, so I “get” business pretty well.) However, it often takes someone or many people who understand different aspects than we understand. This is why we have bandmates, managers, tour managers, business partners, alliances, etc. I know that without my bandmates in particular, to help build on something we start, it just wouldn’t be the same. It wouldn’t be as great…at least not my stuff.

So, the point of this blog today, and this goes for ALL aspects of business/music/whatever you’re into: Love those you work with. Appreciate their differences. Understand that those differences and how you deal with them can be the difference between failure and success. Teamwork can be tricky…just ask any college student whose grade depends on the work of a team. However, teamwork is also what makes ideas bigger than where they began.

As for Neon Love Life, I love you, girls! Thanks for helping me expand my creative side. And Kenan, thanks for being such a great lawyer. And Dodge, thanks for standing behind us and taking us on. Yes, teamwork at its finest.