When I talk about what I do as the “Get It Done Girl”, Twitter usually comes up as the most intriguing topic. There’s a certain etiquette involved; there’s some new vocabulary. What makes Twitter even MORE social is what’s called a #tweetup. A tweetup is an in-person gathering organized via Twitter, often spontaneous. Most often, companies use them for things like hosting launch parties, connecting with customers and introducing like-minded followers to each other.
#dmtweetup is the hashtag to follow to find out about a #tweetup in Des Moines. There just so happens to have been a #dmtweetup last night hosted by the @DMDerbyDames at the @highlifelounge beginning at 6pm. The Des Moines Derby Dames are one of Iowa’s premier Roller Derby Teams. The Dames are supplying the first keg of beer for free.
What’s great about a #tweetup is that anybody can “call it”. Just use the hashtag and the event will spread like wildfire through the Twitter community. I like to have a column in TweetDeck (my social media management tool) dedicated to the #dmtweetup conversation so I don’t miss it. It could be that the #dmtweetup is organized by someone who I’m not yet connected with. This assures that I don’t miss the information. I can also connect with people I don’t know before the #dmtweetup by seeing who is going and following them.
Think about how you or your organization can use a #dmtweetup for a product launch or a store opening. Perhaps your retail store is celebrating an important anniversary – call a #dmtweetup and offer a “prize” for the first 25 through the door.
Business professionals tend to think that a travel day is a time suck and that they can’t get anything done by virtue of being trapped at
Time Management
an airport waiting for planes (for example). The most they can do is stay in touch with their office via their mobile device. I challenge that notion.
Yesterday was a travel day for me. During the 2 hours I spent sitting at Washington, D.C.’s Dulles International Airport, I wrote my weekly blog post, put the final touches on a workshop presentation for tonight and wrote and scheduled my twice-per-month e-newsletter.
I knew that I was going to have a lot of dead time at the airport today, so I shored up all of my writing projects. Those new to social media are concerned with the amount of time it takes to be effectively engaged. If you use your time wisely, it’s a breeze.
What do you do while waiting at the airport? What do you do while waiting for your oil to be changed or for your tires to be rotated? How could you better utilize this time to advance your business?
Wikipedia defines a Free Agent in business as
someone who works independently for oneself, rather than for a single employer. These include self-employed workers, independent contractors and temporary workers, who altogether represent about 22 percent of the U.S. labor force. The term free agent is believed to have been coined by Daniel H. Pink, author of a 1997 cover story in Fast Company titled “Free Agent Nation.
What I like about being a Free Agent:
- I choose my clients – When I meet a prospect, I know after a few minutes whether or not we’ll work well together. Michael Wagner of the White Rabbit Group wrote a post about how taking on the wrong customer/client can adversely affect an organization. For me, it’s also about my reputation as a business owner; if I take on a client for social media coaching, for example, and they don’t “get it”, chances are, they’re going to have a bad experience and tell their friends…If they don’t “get it”, our working relationship will suffer.
- Flexibility – It was always difficult for me to work in an office setting for 8 hours straight. As a Free Agent, I get up when I want to based on how much work I want to get done each day. I rarely work for more than 3 hours straight. I workout in the afternoon because that’s when I need a break. I come home, get some more work done and then head back out for networking events in the evening. I also don’t mind getting work done on the weekends. Having two full days off was always so boring for me. Now that I’m doing something I love as my profession, it doesn’t seem like I’m “working” on the weekends.
- I don’t work in a jail cell cubicle – Having to sit in a box all day really ruins one’s creative juices! I’m writing this on Memorial Day sitting on our 3-season porch enjoying the fabulous day. I wasn’t really feeling the kitchen table (my usual spot for working), so I came outside and immediately the blog-writing juices started to flow. Traditional office windows don’t even open! How did I not suffocate in an office environment?
- Location Independent – I can do my job from anywhere in the world – for the most part. This is the business model I chose for good reason – I dislike being tied down. Well, at least I want to have the option to get up and go whenever the mood strikes. Tough to do with a mortgage, but you get my drift…
Are you a Free Agent? If not, what do you like about your job? Why do you get up and go to it every morning?
This post isn’t really about different ways to skin a cat without getting your hands dirty – what it IS about is virality.
A post with this title could be a metaphor for the approach you take to professionally dealing with a difficult client. It could also be a metaphor for diffusing a sticky situation with a group of volunteers. Whatever the REAL storyline is, you’re going to get more clicks if you use a stickier title
Blogs titles/headlines are clicked on and shared more (especially on Twitter) if they have a few characteristics:
- The headline is catchy and has less than 120 characters
- Numbers or lists are used in the headline
- Keywords and unexpected words are used
How do you grab people’s attention when information is flying by them at a million miles per second?
I officially started my business on 19-Nov-10 – at least that’s what the State of Iowa says…
During the first couple of months, I spent majority of my time marketing. I signed my first client one month after being in business. If you’re a freelancer or small business owner, you understand how amazing the feeling is. I really felt legitimate. I was IN business for myself.
I’ve learned a LOT along the way and I feel more secure in my abilities as the “Get It Done Girl”.
- As I gained more clients, I needed to reevaluate how I spent my time. After being unemployed for the majority of 2009, this wasn’t a problem I had experience with. But this process helped me give the best of myself to my clients.
- I’ve gotten over my “issues” regarding public speaking. I decided that it’s not about me – it’s about how I can help people through my message.
- I’ve discovered a part of Des Moines that I didn’t know existed and realized that I was being mentored without even knowing it. Central Iowa Bloggers – need I say more?
As a new business owner, my husband and I agreed to review my progress after six months and then decide if this is something that I should continue. It’s an emphatic YES:
Are you where you want to be with your business? Are you helping others through your passion? Where do you want your business to be six months from now? A year from now?
