Good question. If you're asking this question, then you probably already understand some of the positive benefits of blogging (it allows you to share information that only you know, it's easy to create posts and quickly publish them online, and search engines will find your content and make it easier for others to find you -- allowing you to better reach your target audience). You may also know that in your blog posts, you should try to use key words that relate to your particular area of expertise of interest, e.g., social media consulting, online marketing, small businesses, entrepreneurs -- so that search engines will more effectively capture your content. 

So back to the question, how to find the time for blogging... As with finding time to do anything, you need to set it aside. You may need to find a babysitter one evening so you can focus on writing. You may also need to put it in your schedule and block off your calendar. For example, write a blog post the first thing in the morning or before you eat lunch. Aim for posting at least once a week. If you make the time to blog consistently, then you will reach your audience more regularly. Fresh content will catch more fish (in other words, you will be able to attract more potential customers if you provide timely information).

Video marketing has been a rising trend, as more and more users are going online to view streamed content. Just as a picture is worth more than words -- a video can have even more impact on the viewer. By creating strong videos that are easily accessible to users, you will be able to engage more of your clients and prospects who are searching for your business or looking for the products/services you offer. We've heard that YouTube is the second most popular search engine (after Google). If there are so many people out there looking for videos, it would benefit the growth of your business to create some that your target population will be able to find.

Now, if you're asking this question about why you should get involved in YouTube, your next question will probably be "HOW can I get involved with YouTube"? 

First, you will want to learn how to make videos. Second, you will need to know what to do with those videos and how to get them on YouTube. A good resource is Stacia Hopkins' blog and her video training. In her guide for beginners, she explains how to outline an effective script in seven steps (from using a "hook" to closing with a call-to-action), offers recommended products and services related to video marketing, and provides a 10-step video-marketing checklist on what to do to start gaining "massive exposure." 

One way you can get out there, is to post a video about your small business in the My Business Story gallery. You can find an "amateur" video of Inkwhy by searching on YouTube for "Inkwhy, Inc." There are also more professional videos that provide advice on how to shoot your own videos, such as the one below.

Communities are important, as small business owners understand. As you work on building your presence online and through videos, having the support of others will help you get farther, faster.  Let's pool our resources, and help each other grow.

Manta.com is a small business directory site that's tied to social media. It offers advertising options and additional resources to help businesses increase their online exposure. For more specific information about Manta, see their FAQ page:  http://www.manta.com/coms2/page_faq

At this point, most small business owners are probably pulling out their hair and asking "What?! How am I supposed to know what to do with all these sites? There's not just Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, LinkedIn -- now you're saying there's Yelp, and Manta?!" Yes, not to mention StumbleUpon, Digg, Reddit, Chime.in, Mightybell, Foursquare, Tumblr, and countless other networking sites... The short answer to the question as to whether Manta can help your business, is "Yes." However, the longer answer is that Manta and other sites can also be a distraction if you are being pulled in too many directions -- and end up lost in the forest of social media sites.

As with multi-tasking, the more you do and the more you try to take on at once, the more diluted your efforts become and the less effective you become at each task or site with which you become involved. The key to your success is to learn to master each one individually, and to focus your efforts where you are seeing the most positive responses. Also, a lesson to remember is that everything takes time. You cannot expect results overnight; if you keep casting your net and then pulling it up right away, then the likelihood of your coming home with any fish is slim.

Instead, begin building a strategy and focusing on how you can take advantage of the various sites out there. Do some research to find out the type of populations that use different social media sites (for example, Reddit has a higher percentage of male participants, and Manta targets business owners) -- and observe the behavior of the people in these networks before jumping in and trying to "sell" to them. Strong relationships require many conversations and actions that build trust, and this is no different online than it is in person.

It may be a good idea to wet your feet in different social media sites to begin spreading the name of your business and what you have to offer. However, you will likely fall flat on your face if you try to hit the ground running.

If you can afford it, seriously think about finding someone with more experience who can help you manage your online presence and social media profiles. However, if you're on a budget and looking to teach yourself how to better market your business on the Internet, make sure not to create an Information Overload roadblock for yourself. Instead, wade through each site slowly, explore the resources out there and learn at your own pace. Or if you're up for a challenge, think about going on a Social Media Diet to fast-track your way to being an online marketing guru.

Think about following a "Social Media Diet," a process that we're recommending for anyone who wants to streamline their activity online and make the most of social media. As we are currently looking at The Dukan Diet to help with our own weight loss goals, we came up with a matching four-step process to help you get to where you want to be in terms of online usage and social media.

1. Social Media Attack Phase: Spend a short period of intense focus on key Internet tools, eliminating the "extraneous"
   
2. Social Media Cruise Phase: Introduce additional computer activities, but still primarily use core, productive tools
3. Social Media Consolidation Phase: Bring back some of your old Internet habits, but structure your time carefully 
4. Social Media Stabilization Phase: Give yourself more freedom to do what you want on the WWW, but keep some of the new good habits that you've learned -- and look for expert support and guidance to keep you on the right track

Key aspects of these phases are maintaining consistency and maximizing your time and resources. 

In Phase 1, you'll want to eliminate time spent on things that are not productive (shopping and browsing online stores, playing games, chatting, etc.) and focus on learning all you can about how to use social media and online tools to accomplish your goals -- which might include increasing the revenue for your business, creating more awareness of your brand, finding out more about what your clients want, and reaching more prospects. Depending on what your goals are, spend 100% of your time online and on social media doing activities that will help you get closer to what you want to achieve from a business perspective. These activities can include: educating yourself about the tools available at sites like Social Media Examiner, working on a blog with content that will differentiate yourself from your competitors, posting information and interacting with your contacts in meaningful ways on the most popular social media channels (Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn, Twitter). Also, set up an auto-responder and opt-in service such as the one offered by Aweber (example of an email opt-in box is at the top right of this blog) so you can better manage your business contacts and begin connecting your email promotions and newsletters with your social media activity.

In Phase 2, work on other building up your repertoire online, creating additional accounts on less widely used social media sites and looking for other ways to make new connections. For example, explore the directory at Mevvy, a resource that features a collection of powerful Internet tools.

In Phase 3, you can start doing some of the other fun, but not-so-productive activities that you eliminated in Phase 1, but keep it  at a minimum (e.g., allot yourself an hour twice a week). 

In Phase 4, you can spend the time however you would like online, but maintain a cadence with your productive social media and Internet activity (e.g., posting some new content at least once every other day), and allot a regular time at least once a week to focus on the intense activity and tools that you learned in Phases 1 and 2.

Finally, consider hiring a Social Media "Personal Coach," or someone who can offer customized, online business consulting. It will free up your time to do what you do best (selling your products, offering another type of service, or whatever else you do). By outsourcing Social Media set-up and maintenance tasks, you may be better able to leverage the power of the Internet. 

If you are feeling like you're being gorged with information overload, try our "Social Media Diet" -- and register to get access to additional resources to help support you. For a limited time, new registrants on our site will receive a personal email and offer for a free 30-minute social media phone consultation tailored just for you and your business. 
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