Meet The Mums Who Are Setting Up Their Own Businesses

"The term 'mumpreneur' dates back about 15 years to a feature in Practical Parenting magazine, I think," explains mother, entrepreneur and writer Antonia Chitty, author of many books, including 129 Brilliant Business Ideas for Mums and The Mumpreneur Guide. "When I started writing, 'work-at-home mum' was another often-used term, but that didn't tell the full story."

Chitty says the number of mothers with babies and young children who run businesses has grown enormously in recent years. "It's become mainstream and more recently there's been a bit of a backlash against the mumpreneur label, because women want to be seen as businesspeople in their own right."

Such women come from all walks of life, but, according to Chitty, they all share a determination to make a better life for themselves and their families. "Many women are spurred on to start their own business because their employment circumstances aren't sufficiently family-friendly. Self-employment gives mums the control they need over their working hours, while enabling them to generate income. And many of them come up with business ideas after finding solutions to challenges they face as a parent."

Mother of invention

One such example is Surrey-based Cara Sayer, 41-year-old managing director of Really Simple Ideas Ltd, whose most successful trademark is SnoozeShade, an award-winning range of sun and sleep shades for prams. She started her business in 2008, following a 20-year career in marketing and events and the birth of her daughter, Holly.  "I got fed up with blankets falling off Holly's pram when we were out and she needed to sleep, so I decided to make my own shade. Other people thought it was great and wanted one, so I had a prototype made and took it to a trade show.

"The response was overwhelmingly positive – I even secured an order from JoJo Maman Bébé, a leading baby and toddler retailer started by the mother and entrepreneur Laura Tenison. I had to quickly go into full-scale production to achieve their four-month delivery deadline."

Sayer also impressed buyers from John Lewis, Mothercare and others: "It just sort of snowballed," she smiles. Guided by customers' feedback, she developed 10 products in three years. The business now turns over more than £250,000, selling more than 40,000 units to customers in 20 countries.

"Anyone who says juggling being a mother and primary childcarer with running a business is easy is either fibbing or has a full-time nanny. It's a struggle to balance time spent on the business and time with Holly. However, as a businesswoman, I hope I'm setting a positive example for her. She's very proud of her mummy and loves the fact she's pictured on the packaging."

Maternal instinct

Another successful entrepreneur and mum (to Barnaby, 10, Maisy, 8 and Monty, 3) is 39-year-old Wendy Shand, who runs Lincolnshire-based Tots to Travel, a family-friendly holiday villa company.

"I set the business up in 2006, following a near disastrous holiday in 2005 to France with my husband, son and baby daughter. Barnaby was two-and-a-half and fell into an unenclosed swimming pool, but thankfully he came to no harm," Shand recounts. "The property wasn't equipped for small children, while having to take so much stuff from home with you is a logistical nightmare for parents.

"I recognised the business opportunity – and was certainly looking for one. I'd worked in PR and marketing and had got married to my husband, who was in the RAF, so I had to move away from London. I needed something that offered greater flexibility, so I became a reception teacher for a while, but working in the public sector was very frustrating.

Greater flexibility

"I always wanted to run my own business and was just waiting for the right opportunity. I knew it had to be something that was scalable. If you are to successfully combine your career with children you need flexibility, but often you don't get it while working for someone else."

Initially, Shand's startup offered family-friendly breaks to nine carefully selected gîtes in France, but now customers can choose from almost 400 child-friendly properties in France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, the Canaries and the Balearics. The business has turned over £4m in seven years and now employs six office-based staff in the UK, with six representatives overseas who carry out property inspections.

Enormous opportunities

"I've grown my business slowly – deliberately so – because development has been planned 

around having and bringing up my children. The older they became, the more time I could dedicate to my business. Balancing both roles is difficult at times, but you have to keep plugging away.

"You must have a good business idea, but you don't have to come up with something entirely new, just something that's better. I didn't invent the holiday lettings business, I just created a business tailored to a market that wasn't being catered for. There are enormous opportunities out there for mothers who want to start their own business."

 http://www.theguardian.com/small-business-network/2013/may/31/meet-mums-mothers-small-business-mumpreneur

What Traits Do You Need to Start Your Own Small Business ?

Jeff Burnham is a freelancer and business owner who writes about careers, personal finance,
and tips for making money on the side.

For the longest time, I thought that the best path to career and financial success was to get in with a company and slowly but surely climb the corporate ladder. I did that in several industries, and although I did achieve some successes, I never was in a position that I truly enjoyed. Then it occurred to me that I’ll never get rich by working for someone else. Although I don’t consider myself to be wealthy financially, I have launched several small businesses and earn a comfortable living with a lot of flexibility.

When it comes to starting your own venture, there are certain character traits that are essential. Here are five traits you need to successfully start your own small business:

1. Work Ethic

You’re going to need a solid work ethic for two reasons: First, if you’re smart, you’ll begin your small business while still working at your current career. That takes a ton of pressure off you in the beginning regarding revenue generation. Many businesses take some time to turn a profit, so it helps to keep cash flow coming in from another source until that happens. And second, starting a small business requires a ton of hard work – regardless of any overnight Internet sensation success stories you may have read about.

2. Time Management

Again, if you start your biz while at your current job, you’ll need to maximize each and every minute of your working day. Create a to-do list, cut off all Internet distractions such as social media or fantasy sports leagues, and take care of personal errands like grocery shopping or dry cleaning on your daily trek to and from work. Proper time management is crucial, as every minute you can free up is one more minute you can devote to your small business.

3. Passion

If you don’t truly believe in what you’re doing, your chances of success are minimized. My passion is helping others with personal finance issues (among other things), but if you’re not supporting a cause you truly feel enthusiastic about, you’ll have a hard time staying motivated. Often, the joy it brings you is the only thing you’ll have to fall back on when times get hard.

4. Ingenuity and Flexibility

Being creative and ingenious are also parts of small business success. You might think about starting a landscaping business, but later find that organic gardening is more popular than landscaping with ornamentals. If you thought your ticket to success was social media marketing, but that hasn’t worked out, you might have to branch out into other advertising options. Being willing and able to change is a key asset in small business success.

5. Perseverance

Unless you’re extremely lucky and find success rather early on, you’ll need to be patient. I wrote a book about personal finance and paid for it to be published myself, yet never generated much revenue. However, about six months following publication, I was recognized and eventually hired by a more popular personal finance website – and that’s where I draw the majority of my income today. Realize that patience is a virtue when it comes to launching your small business idea.

If you’ve thought about launching your own small business, but have neither the funds nor the time to devote to it, consider using Fiverr^® to get yourself out of the starting blocks. It’s a stellar strategy if you want to get into small business ownership while still working at a traditional career, and you never know what might come of it. Although there are certainly other methods to small business success, don’t discount Fiverr as a way to break into the world of entrepreneurship.

http://blog.fiverr.com/traits-need-start-small-business/

How To Cure Entrepreneurial Brain Freeze

Written by Ami Kassar - small business advocate & founder of multifunding.com 

Some entrepreneurs spend months trying to raise more money than they actually need to achieve proof of concept. Many get stuck on the grand vision of their company's future instead of deploying the resources and assets at their disposal. I call this entrepreneurial brain freeze.

When I started my first venture, it took me six months to get a meeting with angel investors. I was so excited that I spent 72 hours straight marathon writing a business plan and financial forecast in order to convince the investors why I needed $2 million to start my company.

I showed up in a fancy suit and tie, and the first thing that the investors did was rip up my forecast and ask me what I could do with just $200,000. I was initially shocked that they would lowball me like that, but in the end, realized they were right. This experience taught me, in retrospect, that if I had just tried to raise $200,000 instead of $2 million months earlier, I would have reached the starting line much faster. I had to cure my own case of entrepreneurial brain freeze.

At my loan-advisory office, we speak with business owners who show the common symptoms of brain freeze: they’re stuck within the confines of their company vision and unwilling to stray from their buttoned up business plans. Before discussing funding options, we first ask them what they need the money for and why. The reality is that usually there is a way to meet their objectives with much less money.

The business owner might be foregoing short-term profits by seeking less startup capital, but they are moving commerce sooner, and that is what's important. The best proof of a viable business is active commerce, not funding.

A few weeks ago, I met an entrepreneur who wanted to start a golf simulator business. He wanted to raise money for his own facility, with two owned or leased machines, and also wanted more capital to market his business. At the time of the call, though, he didn’t even have a proof of concept, no customers on the horizon and yet wanted to borrow or raise a couple of hundred thousand dollars in equity.

I had to take a step back with this entrepreneur instead of pushing him toward a loan that he would later regret. A better option was to partner with local golf stores by installing his simulators in their shops. By piggybacking off of the store’s existing customer base, the entrepreneur was drastically cutting his marketing dollars while also achieving a proof of concept in exchange for profit sharing with the existing golf store.

Instead of seeking $500,000 to launch his business, the entrepreneur only needed $50,000 to get started. This is a much more reasonable goal.

If you’re trying to borrow money before you’ve gotten one customer, you’re likely going to give away more equity than you have to, or it’s going to cost you way too much to borrow money. There can be huge benefit in shrinking a grandiose vision, shaking off the entrepreneurial brain freeze and proceeding with calculated baby steps rather than rushing a new business to the finish line.

http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/241770

How To Find Your Passion And Discover Your Inner Self

5 Steps To The Elusive "Work Life Balance"

Work-life balance. We all aim for it. We all want to work hard but still get enough time for our hobbies and interests, and most importantly, our personal relationships. But work-life balance can feel like an impossible dream for most of us.

Well, not really. Actually, it may be easier than you think to find work-life balance by following these simple steps:

Figure out what it is that keeps you inspired.

It’s hard to get up in the morning knowing that you are going through another difficult and stressful day. But if you have something positive – a source of inspiration – to look forward to at the end of the day or at the end of the week, you wake up every day with zeal and enthusiasm. You wake up feeling determined and motivated to get all your tasks done. Because when you are motivated, you release a lot of energy. When you arrive home, whilst you may feel tired, you won’t feel drained. You still feel thankful that another day has gone.

Make a “today” list.

Having a to-do list is a great strategy to liberate your mind from thinking too much and having to remember it all. However, most of us are fond of making a long “to-do” list, which consists of their present and future plans. Creating a long list is not really a good idea. It can only make you feel stressed and overwhelmed. Another thing, you may also run the risk of having to lose sight of the few things that are more important. So come up with your daily list. Before you start your day, come up with a list of at least three things that you want to get done. Accomplishing them gives you more satisfaction than focusing on a lot of tasks that can be done on other days.

Just walk out the door.

Are you one of the many workers who used to go home late because they still have to finish stuff in the office? Do you hate doing overtime work but feel obligated too? Once the bell rings, signalling you to go home, just walk out the door and leave. You don’t have to be an ideal employee who has to wait for others to go before you leave. The company will not fall into pieces if you delay reading one email until the next day, or if you don’t clean your desk before you go. Don’t fret about unfinished tasks. You will be back tomorrow, anyway.

Focus when at work.

Many people think that the more hours they spend working, the more productive and successful they become. Unfortunately, it isn’t the case. Did you know that when you are in a state of ‘flow’, you actually become up to 10 times more productive than when you are distracted? Starting today, try to rearrange your schedule so you can work in a ‘flow’. It is a wonderful state wherein you are feeling totally immersed in the task at hand – as if nothing’s ever existed apart from you and what you are doing. Take a break when you need it. Don’t force yourself to work when you can’t. Make sure that no matter how busy you are, you still give enough time to recharge your batteries. Remember, you are not a robot. You do need time to rest as well.

Be fully present when spending ‘quality time’.

Whether you’re spending quality time with yourself or with your friends and family, make sure you are being mindful. Otherwise, it will not make a difference. For example, if you’re having a dinner with your family and all you do is eat and check emails, then you are not observing a good life-work balance. Technically, you are still working. Be more physically and emotionally present when with your loved ones. You can only experience real fun and joy when you are immersed in the present moment.

Engage in a creative task.

Many jobs today require analytical thinking more than creativity. But no matter what your job is, you should keep going after creative pursuits. Whether it’s writing, sketching, baking or cooking – whatever it is that keeps your creative juices flowing – do it. Creative thinking goes a long way in keeping your stress levels low. At the same time, it boosts your mental health too.

http://blog.naturaltherapyforall.com/2015/01/14/5-steps-to-the-elusive-work-life-balance/

How Shorter Brainstorming Sessions Can Help With Developing Great Ideas

Written by Andrew Spence - andrewspenceonline.com

Did you know that the brain is able to generate 75 % of ideas within the first 50% of a brainstorming session?

What happens in the rest or latter 50% of the time? Well, several things tend to happen:

·         People get stuck on one seemingly ‘good’ idea and stop thinking about other innovative ideas- this is also known as anchoring or conformity pressure

·         Those who have a propensity to talk more and to strongly defend their ideas often take over the meeting and sideline those who are less inclined to present their ideas in a crowd

·         The session swirls out of control and into a black hole of too many ideas

Are brainstorming sessions necessary? Yes, especially if you care about innovation as a way of staying competitive.

Some of the largest companies including Apple and Google have dedicated entire groups to brainstorm and come up with feasible ideas that will help the companies stay ahead of the game for many years to come.

A great way to productively make the most of ideation sessions is to actually make them shorter to avoid the pitfalls presented above.

Here are some practicable ideas for shortening your brainstorming sessions to come up with truly innovative and implementable ideas:

Keep it intimate

If you have ever been to a meeting that has one too many people tagging along, you know that the experience is often overwhelming. Such meetings end without any tangible results or bounce off points for subsequent meetings. When it comes to generating ideas or problem solving, one of the best ways to keep the sessions short and to tap the best ideas is to have a maximum of the five most relevant people in attendance.

To ensure that these sessions are productive, try to invite team members who are not characteristically contrarian or too domineering as they could unnecessarily prolong the meetings.

There’s need for a designated leader

Just like in any meeting, brainstorming sessions need a leader who will set the parameters for discussion. Of course, the goal of brainstorming is to generate several ideas before discussing and implementing the most feasible one. However, too many ideas generated in an unstructured meeting often creates a black hole of protracted sessions that are ultimately futile.

A designated leader will be able to point out when a discussion is going beyond the parameters, thereby refocusing the meeting to maximize on the time allotment.

Practice brainwriting

Research shows that brainwriting sessions are 40% more productive than a typical, think-out-loud brainstorming gathering. As the name suggests, brainwriting entails writing out ideas prior to coming together to discuss them.

Why is this process more effective than the traditional method of ideation?

First, brainwriting solves the black hole scenario. Instead of having too many people talking over each other and presenting different ideas all at once, brainwriting allows team members to present their ideas systematically, each one at a time. More importantly, presenting and discussing ideas systematically helps to eliminate overwhelm and save time.

Second, brainwriting eliminates the problem of anchoring. During a brainstorming session, the first ideas that are presented typically set pace for the rest of the meeting and subsequent ones. The problem with clinging onto these first ideas or succumbing to the pressure to conform is that it erases the spirit of innovation and true ideation.

Third, done right, brainwriting can reduce the competitive nature of traditional brainstorming sessions, for example by requiring participants to anonymously present their ideas to a team leader prior to coming together to discuss the ideas.

Void of competitiveness, brainstorming sessions tend to be more productive and unbiased.

Lastly, brainwriting allows team members to think through their ideas before presenting them. A major problem with the traditional brainstorming session is that it encourages participants to blurt out ideas that are not thought through or are simply not feasible. In effect, a lot of time is wasted sifting through these unprocessed ideas. On the contrary, writing before speaking creates an atmosphere of relatively refined ideas that can be polished up for implementation.

Brainstorming Tips

With teams facing a lot of pressure on their time, there is greater need to reduce the time spent on meetings while still supporting innovation. Cutting your brainstorming time into half is not only feasible; it also allows team members to focus on producing the best ideas that are anchored on a spirit of invention.

http://www.andrewspenceonline.com/how-shorter-brainstorming-sessions-can-help-with-developing-great-ideas/

Rudyard Kipling's IF ...

Written by Rudyard Kipling in 1895 (as advice for his son), but still so relevant in business today - especially two of its most resonant lines - "if you can meet with triumph and disaster and treat those two imposters just the same ..."

If—

BY RUDYARD KIPLING

If you can keep your head when all about you   

    Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,   

If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,

    But make allowance for their doubting too;   

If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,

    Or being lied about, don’t deal in lies,

Or being hated, don’t give way to hating,

    And yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise:

If you can dream—and not make dreams your master;   

    If you can think—and not make thoughts your aim;   

If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster

    And treat those two impostors just the same;   

If you can bear to hear the truth you’ve spoken

    Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,

Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,

    And stoop and build ’em up with worn-out tools:

If you can make one heap of all your winnings

    And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,

And lose, and start again at your beginnings

    And never breathe a word about your loss;

If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew

    To serve your turn long after they are gone,   

And so hold on when there is nothing in you

    Except the Will which says to them: ‘Hold on!’

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,   

    Or walk with Kings—nor lose the common touch,

If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,

    If all men count with you, but none too much;

If you can fill the unforgiving minute

    With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run,   

Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it,   

    And—which is more—you’ll be a Man, my son!

Source: A Choice of Kipling's Verse (1943)

http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/175772

Embrace The Things Most People Fear ...

Taken from 'Start Up!' by Liz Jackson MBE 

Many things stop people from starting their own business.  To succeed, you have to embrace the things that most people fear !  

Here's just a few ... 

CHANGE - human beings seem to be genetically engineered to resist change.  A business leader must be open to change and to new ideas.  They must then be a driver of change both in their business and in their workforce.  Learn to embrace change: regularly get out of your comfort zone and do things that scare you.

ACCOUNTABILITY - in most jobs, in most companies, you don't go broke if you fail miserably.  You have a lot of protection and not many people are really accountable for their actions.  In business, you really are accountable for your actions and for the actions of everyone associated with your business.  Embrace this and learn to love it.  The successes are all yours too!

BEING FRIGHTENED - most people don't like being frightened - unless it's at Alton Towers. I've often been frightened in business but I've learned to find it exhilarating, stimulating and a useful learning time.  Learn to treat it this way. 

BEING OUT OF YOUR DEPTH - I get out of my depth many times.  Again, it's when you really stretch your sills and capability and where you grow the most.  Seek out these opportunities; their rewards are usually excellent.  Learn to take calculated risks. 

Remember that "worrying" does absolutely nothing positive.  If makes you feel bad, it saps your strength and it fills your head with negativity that drives through to your behaviour and prevents you from achieving the things you want and need to achieve.  This only serves to give you more to worry about !

How To Pitch Anything In 15 Seconds ...

Short but very powerful 4-minute video by Carmine Gallo - American author, columnist and communications coach & speaker

Achieving Your Goals In 2015

We all have goals in life. And almost everyone will agree – they aren’t easy to achieve. Many times, it takes a lot of effort and persistence to accomplish our goals but, once we get there, the feeling is so rewarding. It is something you are going to cherish for the rest of your life.

You probably have set some goals for 2015. Some of them are easy to accomplish, some are probably not. And while there is no magic wand that can turn your dreams into reality in a snap, you can certainly take steps to achieve your goals. There is no one-size-fits-all way to achieving your goals. It’s more about finding which one gives you more drive and motivation to succeed.

Start with this: Believe.

All dreams start the moment you believe. If you don’t believe in yourself, you won't believe that you are ever going to succeed. Having faith in yourself is probably one of the most important things you need to do in order to materialise your goals. Believe that you have the capability to do it, that no matter how hard it’s going to be, you are going to survive and be where you want to be. Because if you don’t believe in yourself, who else will?

Don’t be afraid to be afraid.

It is really okay to be afraid. You just have to overcome it. Never let your fears take control of you. Because when you do, it could prevent you from reaching your goals. There is no easy way to a goal. You are bound to fail many times. You will feel tired, bored and hopeless. But you’ve got to keep moving forward. That’s the only way to make your dreams happen.

Break it up.

Many people end up abandoning their goals because they’re so big that they don’t even know where to start. Realising your dreams can be easier when you take baby steps. Select milestones to get there and make each of those a tiny goal.

Be more patient.

Patience is a very rare quality these days, when almost everything we need can be made available in an instant. But lack of patience is one of the biggest threat to achieving your goals. But there’s no easy way to getting to the peak of the mountain. Every goal takes times and hard work. And you must definitely be patient.

Whatever goals you have set for 2015 – whether it’s losing weight and getting healthier, establishing a new business, being more productive or saving more – know that you have the power to make it happen. You just have to start believing in yourself. Believe that you are more than capable of realising your dreams and making them happen. Next, don’t be afraid to stumble and fall, and fail many times. That’s part of the journey. Failures only make success taste sweeter. And to minimise the stress and mistakes, start taking baby steps. Break your goal into smaller goals and have a clear action plan to achieve them. Lastly, and most importantly, be patient. Remind yourself that you are endowed with the abilities to reach your goal and, in the right time, you will surely make it. May your dreams come true this 2015.

http://blog.naturaltherapyforall.com/2015/01/05/achieving-your-goals-this-2015/

The Social Media Marketing Tips You Can't Go Into 2015 Without

Ten core pieces of advice that no social media marketer should boldly head into the new year without :

Focus On Posting What People Care About

As people spend longer on social networks, their community expands. With every person followed, page liked, or friend added, we have a whole new set of posts and stories vying for our attention. The competition to be seen will be fierce, and brands who have little respect for what people want in their newsfeed will find themselves further fenced off than before. Facebook have spoken to some of their users about what they want to see, and have used that to inform changes which will be coming onto the platform in 2015. In a recent post on their newsroom, they highlighted the kind of posts that will receive less space on newsfeeds. Avoiding posts like the ones they list below, and focusing on the opposite, will see your social channels perform far better than businesses who aren’t careful.

People told us they wanted to see more stories from friends and Pages they care about, and less promotional content. According to people we surveyed, there are some consistent traits that make organic posts feel too promotional:

Posts that solely push people to buy a product or install an app

Posts that push people to enter promotions and sweepstakes with no real context

Posts that reuse the exact same content from ads

Focus on posting things on social media that your audience are actually interested in.

Make Plans & Set Goals For Your Social Channels

If you haven’t yet, it’s time to look at what you want to achieve on each channel. For example, some of your target personas may be more active on some social networks compared to others. This means that the precise personas seeing your Pinterest activity may be different from the ones following your Twitter profiles. Therefore it’s worth figuring out which of your target personas are most active on which social channels and tailoring your output on those channels to suit them. Think about why you are there, what your objectives are, and set some SMART goals to help you fulfil your aims for those channels.

Before starting a social media campaign, ask why you’re doing it and what you want to do. Then set your goals.

Keep It Simple

There’s nothing wrong with the odd spot of verbose loquaciousness every now and then, but remember there are no points for being unnecessarily clever on social media. If you want to make sure your brand’s message is delivered to the optimal amount of people, it’s best to keep your wording as basic as possible. The Tweets with the most engagement by the top 15 brands on Twitter could be read and understood by someone with the reading age of an average 8 year old. Could you say that about most of your posts?

The most successful Tweets by brands could be read and understood by the average 8 year-old, could yours?

Make Creative Competitions That Fit Your Brand

While “RT/ To Win” competitions may still work for minor contests or promotions, if you really want to strengthen your brand you need to think outside the box to make competitions that are well-matched to it. They can be integrated with wider campaigns, they can solicit user generated content from your community, or even get people to find something in real life. It could even be a game (like the one Marks & Spencer created, which used an app to help its community play pass-the-parcel to win prizes). Whatever you choose, it has to be easy to enter and enjoyable to partake in. 

Be Consistent With Content Sharing

Why should you share content? It helps you to be an interesting, valuable member of your social community and establishes your brand by associating yourself with content your followers enjoy. Set up a regular schedule of useful, relevant content to share among your community and include some thoughts or observations of your own to show you’ve actually understood it. It doesn’t have to be all of your own content. In fact, sharing the content of other people – who aren’t competitors – shows you’re aware of what’s going on in the industry outside of your bubble. It also gives an opportunity to connect with other content creators, who may be willing to repay the favor in future and expose you to their audience.

Regularly share high quality, interesting content from reliable sources to establish yourself as a clued-up brand.

Make Your Targeting As Accurate As Possible

With the growing wealth of targeting options available on platforms, the percentage of disinterested people you could be advertising to and communicating with is falling. If in the past you have advertized to people with “food” in their bio to get them to visit your tapas bar, in 2015 it’ll be worth being more specific, and aiming for people interested in “spanish street food” and “cocktails”. You may reach a smaller audience with this approach, but it will contain people who are more likely to be interested in your brand than if you’d gone for generic, broad keywords.

In 2015 there will be no excuse for lazy, generic targeting. Be thoughtful and specific to make better connections.

Look At Ways To Break The Fourth Wall

Social media marketing has grown up. As more people begin to understand how it works, those who are marketing on social media need to be a little more inventive with their campaigns than in the past. Depending on your brand, it may be worth taking an approach that acknowledges the brand-customer relationship, or looks to break the fourth wall in some other way. This transparency can help to build brand trust, while also creating head-turning campaigns that will get people talking about you and sharing your campaign.

Use Social Channels To Inform Content Creation

It’s no good guessing what your audience might want to see, some market research can help and where better to find out about your target audience than your own social community? Asking them what they like is a start, but you can also use social analytics tools to get under the skin of large groups of your followers to discover what they are interested in. It’s also worth using tracked links to see what people are actually clicking, and take note of their responses to help you decide what to create content based around. These insights should also be used to help inform the curation of your content sharing as well.

Get In The Habit Of Checking The News

If you’re not already doing this at least once a day, you must start. Social media covers all aspects of people’s lives and interests – the more you understand about that wider context, the more you can understand where your brand will fit into your followers’ timeline. Before you begin work for the day, get in the habit of checking news from both the wider world and your industry. You don’t need to read an entire newspaper and multiple trade journals before breakfast, simply bookmark a few key sites or blogs and skim the headlines at the very minimum. This will also help you to find real time opportunities and avoid a social media faux pas.

When representing a brand, you must know what’s happening in the news to understand where to place yourself.

Learn To Manage Your Time Effectively

Ever find yourself quickly going to post a quick Tweet, but find yourself scrolling endlessly through your mentions for the next hour? We’ve all done it. With 64% of marketers already spending at least 6 hours a week on social media, you need to be careful that the time spent on social channels is appropriate and doesn’t impact your other duties. As more social channels are added to your strategy, along with more tools and features being added into your marketing mix, timekeeping skills will become even more vital for an efficient social media marketer. Make sure you’re getting everything done by creating checklists for regular tasks, use social media tools that help you work smarter, and use a time tracker like RescueTime to monitor how long you’re spending on each activity.

http://www.socialbro.com/blog/the-social-media-marketing-tips-you-cant-go-into-2015-without