This is just a quick reminder for you in relation to the Biz Growth Live Teleseminar Masterclass where we will be in conversation with Peggy Murrah and Chris Muccio  and we will be discussing how social media strategies are applicable for solopreneurs growing their business.

Yes, I know I bring you lots of tips, articles and podcasts about social media marketing and communications, but I thought it would be interesting to have Peggy and Chris share their experiences with you.

This is an ideal seminar if you are a solopreneur and want to discover how to best use social media in your business to build your brand online and attract more clients

DATE OF SALES MASTERCLASS: Monday 12 May 2008

TIME OF SALES MASTERCLASS: 6pm Dublin and London/ 1pm ET/10am PT

INVESTMENT: FREE

REGISTER: Register at Biz Growth Live if you don’t already receive a copy of our newsletter which as all the details for the programme in it

If you have questions for Peggy or Chris, you can post your question here on the blog or over at our live questions page.

Some of the areas we will be covering are:

• What Web 2.0 really means
• Why social media is a relevant business development strategy for you as a solopreneur
• Key areas of social media for solopreneurs and what the key platforms are
• The biggest mistake people make when looking to include social media in solopreneur marketing plan
• Tips for making sure we’re effective with our time in implementing social media
• Social media optimisation – What it is and why is it important

And if you are interested in learning more about social media and Web 2.0 you can access your own copy of Peggy and Chris’s report ‘29 Tips to Get Started With Web 2.0′ here.

So I hope you will join me if you’ve questions about social media for solopreneurs and how it can help you cost effectively attract more clients to your business.

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One of the social networks that I’m a member of here in Ireland and recommend to any female entrepreneur or would be entrepreneur is Irish Business Women, founded by the CEO of County Mayo Enterprise Board, Frank Fullard.

It’s a great community of women and a few men who support each other with tips about starting and growing their business - many of them work at home moms (WAHM’s).

I was fortunate to be a key note speaker at the first ever Irish Business Women conference back in 2006 and since then their membership has steadily increased to almost 2000 members.

They have recently announced the 2008 conference details which will be taking place on the 29 May 2008 at the Mullingar Park Hotel. 

The theme for this years Conference is “Inspiring Women” and speakers include Sue Stockdale, author of“Secrets of Successful Women Entrepreneurs”,  Senator Mary White, co-founder of Lir Chocolates, Newstalk’s Karen Coleman and Celebrity Chef Jenny Bristow.

Unfortunately I’ve a prior commitment so won’t be able to attend. But if you are thinking of attending, register soon, as I am sure it will be a sell out.

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As you know I write a lot about the power of social media to help you build your reputation online.

One of the case studies I share in my speaking about social media, personal branding and career success is of my good friend and mastermind buddy  Jessica Bowman who is an SEO expert.

After relocating across the US, taking up a role at Yahoo, Jessica lost her role in the recent massive shakedown to everyone’s surprise in just 90 days after taking up her appointment.

Jessica has a blog that is well regarded in her field of expertise and as she has been providing excellent advice and tips there, she is well known by key influencers in the world of SEO.

This has led to her story and how she has successfully managed career transition since leaving Yahoo to be picked up by a major US glossy where she will be featured in their July edition (sorry can’t tell you who until she makes it public) and she is attracting great opportunities from consulting to speaking, all through her network both online an offline.

So Jessica is using the power of her social network through blogging to manage her career transition.

But here’s the thing - you actually don’t need to be blogging yourself to make sure of the power of blogging and social networking when in career transition or when searching for another job.

I can not recall the thousands upon thousands of speculative CV’s I have received through the post or email over the years. And unfortunately it is rare that those speculative CV’s ever amount to someone landing a new role in the businesses I have been recruiting for- the reasons for that warrant an article or two on their own so I won’t go into it here.

I must declare that I get really frustrated when someone connects with me by email with their CV looking for a new role and they have not gone to the time to research who I am or how to correctly spell my name.

Take a situation that happened just this week when someone addressed their email to me ‘Dear Sir’. You see I am not a man. 

So take note of the following - this is something I can guarantee most career coaches, recruiters, HR professionals and executive recruiters will not even think to tell you…

A little time researching online would have told the job hunter that I have a business blog where they can find out a lot about what I am interested in, what services I provide and what kinds of clients my company serves. They can research me online before even applying fingers to their keyboard to send me their speculative CV or resume.

They could also have found me on Facebook or LinkedIn, noted who is in my network and who are mutual contacts so they could have had someone introduce them to me in a more personal way.

They might even have followed me on Twitter where they could get a feel for other things that are going on in my life, not just work and business.

Even better would have been if they invested a little time in building and nurturing a relationship with me online before they email me about looking for a job move.

For example they could have added insightful comments or experiences about the issues I cover in my articles or podcasts.

You can be sure I would have taken more notice of them when I received an email about them looking for a new role. 

I would probably even have connected them to my network to assist them in their job search.

So before you hit the send button on that next email, whether it be a job opportunity you are looking for or a new assignment, why not use the power of the Internet and the accessibility of social media to research and nurture  relationships with the people you are connecting to.

That will ensure that you are more specific and relevant in who you connect to and what you say in your letter or email.

The result is that your personal brand will stand out from the crowd of people interested in that same next job or assignment you are interested in.

So why not access the power of social media and social networks in your career research - I’m sure the results will surprise you.

And if you are not looking for your next big gig, why not pass this guidance on to someone you know who is.

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Are you authoring your business book or novel or perhaps you are writing your book at this time and are wondering how you can reach more potential readers through low cost strategies?

Then you won’t want to miss the live event being hosted by  Font Literary Agency who are based in Dublin.

Here are the event details - make sure that you read on to find details of how you can access a discount as a member of the Biz Growth Community as I am one of the speakers.

EVENT: Reaching Readers: Online Publicity And Promotion for Writers And Books

LOCATION: Dublin

DATE: Saturday, June 7th 2008

TIME:  9.30am to 5pm

INVESTMENT: €140 per person for members of the Biz Growth Community (Regular Price €165 per person) - just let them know you read Biz Growth News.

AGENDA 

09.15:  Registration

09.30:  Reaching Readers: Why Writers Need Publicity 

11.00:  Becoming A Household Name: The Author as Brand

13.30:  Writing for the Web

16.00: The Virtual Book Tour

17.00:  Finish

Book your place at the Online Marketing, Publicity And Promotion Workshop for authors today.

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One of the professional associatons I enjoy being a member of for their great content and workshops is the Irish Internet Association.

They host an annual conference, and this year it is taking place on the 15 May 2008 at Croke Park in Dublin.

The theme of Congress 2008 is “Beyond Websites: Business Uses of Social Networking and New Media”. The IIA National Congress 2008 will include sessions on the impact that social networking has had on business, successful integration of social networking into organisations’ business models and why it a key strategy and should be part of the marketing and communications mix in business..

Speakers will include leading industry professionals from Bebo, Dell, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Microsoft, IGOpeople.com and Worldwide Cycles.

A new feature of the IIA National Congress 2008 will be Web Strategy Clinics where you will have a chance to book a one-on-one 30 minute slot with an industry expert who will be able to give you specific guidance for your online strategy.

Full details, profile of past delegates, programme outline, breakout session topics and online booking are all available at the IIA National Congress 2008 website.

Any attendee from outside the Dublin city and county area can benefit from a 20% discount. Further discounts are available for group bookings of 5 and over and charities - just email events@iia.ie to receive your discount voucher.

Let me know if you plan to attend and perhaps we can connect at lunch time or for a drink after the event.

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