I’ve been consulting full-time for over 13 years and a member of Women in Consulting (WIC) for close to 10 years. And during that time, I’ve learned a thing or two from my fellow consultants—many of whom are tops in their field—and test drove a few other ideas.

Below are my top-10 favorite ways to grow a consulting business. They follow no particular order, other than the way they came to me. All of them will benefit you—just don’t try to do them all at once. It’ll kill you!

1. Outsource: Outsourcing is like purchasing time to do what you do best. You’re the revenue engine for your business. Spend as much time as possible on your bread and butter and outsource what isn’t to those who do that task for a living.
2. Build a virtual team: Work with other consultants that you can bring onto projects as needed. There’s only so much you can do yourself. So if you want to bring in more business, if you want to win bigger projects of which your expertise is a part of, you’ll need others to help you do the work. Tip: EchoSign is a nice tool for managing the paperwork that needs to be signed.
3. Get a business coach—or at least consider it: One of the best things I did for my business in the last two years is hiring a coach. Coaching isn’t just for the stuck, overwhelmed, or uncertain. It’s for anyone who wants take their business to the next level.
4. Make yourself known: How can you grow your business if no one knows you exist? Build your website. Network. Join associations. Get out there.
5. Get involved: This is one of my personal favorites for running a successful consulting business. In fact, I’d have no business without it. Pick one of your favorite organizations and become part of the team that keeps it going. You’d be amazed at what it can do for your business.
6. Strut your stuff: Write articles, blog posts, white papers, a book. Hire an editor or a ghost writer or coach if you feel uneasy about writing. Or speak at events—start small and work your way up. Teach a class. Bottom line: make it clear you know your stuff.
7. Go social: Social media is another great way to strut your stuff and get found. I’ve talked to several consultants who don’t see the point. Bottom line, it doesn’t matter if you like social media or not; if you audience does, you need to consider it—seriously. But start small. Don’t jump into Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and blogging all at once—especially if you’re doing none right now. Assess your audience, your business, you—and pick the best one. Get it up. And then turn your attention to other tools.
8. Don’t shoot from the hip: Develop a business strategy/plan. Nuff said.
9. Reframe: When facing a challenge, ask yourself, “How can I reframe the situation, look at it in a different way, approach it in a different way, feel about it in a different way?”
10. Get a board: Not a formal board of advisors or directors, but a small group of trusted colleagues whose opinions and experience you value. Set up regular times where you get together and discuss your businesses, gather input on ideas, and brainstorm on new concepts and solutions to problems.

What’s worked for you? Do you have any to add to the list? Any you’d remove? I’m always looking for good strategies and practices, so please share!

By: Avery Horzewski

So you finally decided to venture into social media marketing and created your first Facebook Page for your business. Do you have 25 ‘Likes’ or Fans yet? If you don’t,  ask your family and close friends, colleagues and employees to ‘Like’ it to get to the magic 25. The real power of Facebook Fan Page promotion starts once you have reached that first milestone of having 25 ‘Likes’ or fans.

Instead of your page url looking like some kind of a mile-long mathematical formula that includes combination of  hyphens, letters, numbers and special characters, it will look refreshingly clean and easy to remember if it is set up like this: http://www.facebook.com/womeninconsulting or http://facebook.com/google (facebook.com/YourUserNameHere).

Having your unique page url makes it easier to share and spread the words about your page. It’s best that you create a username that is relevant to your business and easy to remember.

Here’s couple of tips about that:

• Create a username that is close to your business name (if your business name is not available on Facebook – Facebook will let you know as you go through the process of selection).
• Username can only be made of alphanumeric characters (no hyphens or special characters are allowed).
• When making a decision on your user name, make sure it is what you want, since Facebook user names are not transferable. Your user name should stay relevant to your brand.
• Once your user name is created and approved, it cannot be changed (double check your spelling to make sure there are no silly and unintended errors like that).
• Your profile username and your Page username cannot be the same.
• Learn more about Usernames for Facebook Pages.

Use your unique Facebook url in your marketing communications, company website, business cards and email signature.

So how do you set it up? Follow these simple steps:

• Login to your Facebook account
• Go to http://facebook.com/username
• From the pull down menu select your Page and click on “Check availability”.

Congratulations! Now, please go to our Women In Consulting Facebook Page and see if its something you would ‘Like’. Make sure to leave a comment. If you are shy, just say “hello”.

Before you go, share your Facebook page url in the comments section below and tell us how you plan to promote it.

By: Karmen Reed

Businesses across the world are realizing that they need to figure out how to sift through the megatons of information that is being shared about them via social media amongst customers, ex-customers, prospective customers and more.

It’s extremely important to pay attention to the information being posted online about the impressions that people have of our clients’ products and their companies.  This information can complement the work your customers may already be doing to collect customer feedback via customer satisfaction questionnaires or any other research they do to understand how to better meet your customers’ needs.

There are many social media monitoring tools available to collect information from public areas of the Internet.  Most of them automatically classify each comment using natural language processing technology (NLP) to help assess whether they are positive or negative.  This approach can help take a broad sweep at assessing what the sentiment is out there about companies and products.  Monitoring these metrics over time and seeing what variations occur in conjunction with new product launches or organizational changes is very important, however this just tells us ‘what’ people are saying and doesn’t tell us ‘why’ people feel that way.

In order to get the biggest benefit from monitoring social media, it’s important to look at the actual comments that are collected and analyze what is behind them.  For people that are frustrated with your company or products, is it the purchasing process, installation of your product, or actual daily use of your products that is the core of the problem?  This information can be very helpful in making decisions about where to invest improvement efforts, product enhancements, etc.

Likewise, it’s very helpful to understand what it is that customers like most about your clients’ products.  This information can help ensure that they don’t mess with the elements of their product that their customers like most.

Getting full understanding of the social media noise requires in-depth analysis of a sampling of the actual comments.  Some organizations have the bandwidth and expertise to do this in-house, however, sometimes it is necessary to bring in external resources.  Researchers who do qualitative research such as interviewing, focus groups, etc. have the expertise to know how many comments to review in order to have a valid sample that represents all of the comments that are out there.  A good researcher can glean the details behind the comments and look for trends to help you get clearer about what to do to improve the perception of your company and products.

Net net: be sure that your clients are not only looking at social media metrics, but also investing the time to analyze what those metrics mean via thorough analysis.

By: Jen Berkley Jackson

There are so many social media tools available it can be overwhelming to choose which to use and how to allocate your time.

Here are my thoughts on which tools are the best choices.

The big four are Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and blogs.

Facebook is by far the largest social media site with over 600 million users worldwide, and 51% of the US population using the site each day (Edison/Arbitron).  LinkedIn and Twitter are much smaller, used by 9% and 8% of the US population, respectively (Ediston/Arbitron), but are highly relevant for business professionals.

Given its massive reach, Facebook is a great place to be, but not appropriate for everyone.  For example, if your business model is to sell to many, Facebook might be appropriate, and if your model is to service only a few clients, then maintaining a Facebook page is most likely not worthwhile.  Facebook is a great tool for maintaining and strengthening relationships, staying top of mind, increasing thought leadership, and ultimately selling a product or service (but this shouldn’t be your primary goal).

While LinkedIn isn’t as huge as Facebook, it’s a must do for most consultants.  Many check LinkedIn profiles after meeting a person for the first time, and those hiring often check a person’s profile in the hiring process.  So it’s important to have a robust profile with a good number of connections, complete information, and recommendations.  Other ways to showcase your thought leadership and expertise are to link your blog and Twitter feed, as well as SlideShare account.  Beyond having a LinkedIn profile, consultants can gain information and network on Groups, and highlight expertise by providing Answers.  And of course there are many job opportunities on LinkedIn.

Twitter is similar in size to LinkedIn, and while not appropriate for everyone, can be highly useful to many.  A recent Jay Baer article quoted Morgan Stewart of Trendline Interactive saying “Comparing Facebook and Twitter is like comparing shopping malls and fashion shows. Malls, like Facebook, have mass appeal and are an expression of larger culture. In contrast, while only a small subset of the population actually attend fashion shows, the interactions that happen there influence the larger culture. Twitter is where online influencers congregate and share new ideas, and that alone is significant.”  I thought that was a great analogy.  Influencers are on Twitter and are fairly accessible.  This makes Twitter a great place to be if you want to get your message out to a broader audience.  And, if you are in marketing or PR you should probably be on Twitter to show that you understand the marketing medium.

Blogs are also a great tool for consultants.  Blog articles can be syndicated to Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter, and showcase expertise and build thought leadership.  People like to share valuable content, so creating quality articles will get your message to a larger audience.  Lastly, it is totally appropriate to showcase your products and services on your blog or drive people to your site for that information, hopefully closing a sale.

What social media tools do you think are the most valuable for consultants?

By: Rachel Melia

In September of 2009 an 8.3-magnitude earthquake triggered a tsunami near the Samoan Islands. That same year the social media wave crashed on the shores of the Internet and  surfing the web has never been the same. Large and small business owners are still feeling the effects. Some will sink and some will swim but for everyone it’s a learning experience. Are you ready to “hang ten” and catch the wave?

1. Be a lifesaver – Or at least a problem solver. Remember, it’s never about you or your product it’s about how you can help someone else. Someone always has a problem. Show them how you can solve it.

2. Boards are for surfing – Don’t leave your audience board (ooops! – I mean “bored”). Content is king but only if it’s good content. Keep your words relevant, fresh and informative.

3. Don’t be shellfish – Errr I mean SELFISH. Provide free valuable, interesting information. Make it easy for people to find it and to share it.

4. Fish where the fish are – Sometimes sources dry up. Sometimes we fish in the wrong waters. If you’re looking for tuna you’re probably not going to find it in the local trout stream. Stay active in online communities that are stocked with your target audience.

5. S.O.S. (Share Our Stuff) – People love to share what they know. Give them valuable information and they’ll share it for you. Be sure to ask for credit (or give credit if you’re sharing someone else’s brilliance). Get people talking and engaged in the conversation.

6. Catch the wave – One way to get a conversation going is to comment on current events, popular topics, or timely advice.

7. No man is an island – Remember you’re building a community. This means post often, acknowledge others that post on your wall, participate in other communities, and validate your readers. It’s a conversation not a monologue. People love to be heard so let them know you’re listening.

8. Whatever floats your boat – It’s ok to throw in a random comment now and then. Of course you want to keep your message relevant to your community but sometimes it’s fun to show them a different side of you. Edginess and unexpected reveal creates curiosity and interest. Don’t be too drastic — hare your favorite song, movie, or book.

9. You’re the Captain – Only once in a while you may find spam or (heaven forbid) a negative comment on your wall. You have two choices. You can either respond or delete. There are positives and negatives to each approach so handle these posts on a case by case basis.

10. Life’s a Beach – Enjoy the tide! Social Media is fun. It’s a great way to make new friends and share your passion. Enjoy!

I’m sure this is not all…. What else to add?

–>Previously published as an article on KickoffTopic.com.

By: Karmen Reed

Are you blogging?

If you answered “No,” read on.

If you answered “Yes,” read on.

Why? Because if you have your own business, you should have a blog. No excuses. (I’ve personally run out of them. Starting a blog is one of my 2011 business goals.) And, if you already have one—a blog, that is, not an excuse—you want it work as smartly as you do by drawing more readers, positioning you as a thought leader, improving search engine results, and generating new business.

Having a blog and doing it the right way is critical.

Consider the numbers:

• 51 percent of daily Internet users read a blog at least once per month and over 60 percent will do so by 2014 (Technorati)
• 62 percent of self-employed people say they have much greater visibility in their industry because of their business blog (Technorati)
• Companies with a business blog attract 55 percent more website visitors and have 434 percent more indexed pages, which leads to better search engine results (HubSpot).
• More than 43 percent of US companies will market via a blog by 2012, up from 34 percent in 2010 (eMarketer)

On March 1, the WIC workshop, “Business Blogging: From the Essentials to the Exceptional,” will have something for everyone, no matter whether you’re “blogless,” a newbie or a seasoned pro. This is a dual-track workshop, meaning you’ll choose either the novice track or the advanced track. In less than four hours, you’ll learn how to get your blog on the right path. That’s a wise investment of time and resources.

Presenter Jerry Bates of FittingSites.com will show new bloggers how to set up a visually compelling, SEO-friendly and “sticky” WordPress blog with all the right features. You’ll learn how to think like your visitors and get tips for creating clean page layouts. Jerry will show you how to tap into the hidden potential of WordPress, use your blog in novel ways and integrate external services such as YouTube and Google Apps.

Speaker Ann Evanston of Warrior-Preneur will work with experienced bloggers who want to take their blogs to the next level. She’ll cover the pros and cons of a blog versus a video blog versus a website. You’ll receive insights and tips for keeping content fresh, pumping up your profile as a thought leader, video blogging, and how your blog plays into social media. Ann will also focus on the all-important issue of how to drive more traffic to your blog, which was identified as the number one challenge in a recent ProBlogger survey.

Don’t let this great opportunity pass.

Register now for the workshop and take advantage of the early-bird discount, which ends on February 15.

By: Michelle Gouldsberry

If your business has a social media presence, you likely want to grow your following.  Here is a list of ways you can promote your social media properties using your existing channels as well as by cross promoting your properties.  I focused on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn as well as use of a blog, but many of these tactics are relevant for other social media properties as well.

Promote via your existing channels

1. Add links to your social media properties on your website – these can be simple square icons, larger logos that include the full name of the property, or links with text (for example “Join the conversation on Facebook”)
2. Add social media icons to email and newsletter templates
3. Send periodic dedicated emails letting people know about your properties
4. Add links to personal email signatures
5. Add urls to business cards
6. Add signage with icons or urls in physical businesses
7. Add icons or urls to presentations
8. If you do events, add social sharing to your registration form, if available

Cross Promote via your social media properties

Facebook

1. Add urls to “Detailed Info” on Info Tab and to the text box on the left side of the Wall.  You can also include urls in your Wall image (which can be up to 180×540 pixels).
2. Do periodic posts mentioning other social media properties (“If you like the conversation here, join us on Twitter”)
3. Post blog articles (automated or manual – I usually recommend manual)

Twitter

1. Add urls to a custom background
2. Use Selective Tweets to send tweets to Facebook
3. Do periodic tweets mentioning other social media properties
4. Tweet about blog articles

LinkedIn

1. Do periodic posts mentioning other social media properties
2. Post blog articles

Blog

1. Add social media icons
2. Add Facebook Like Box to increase Likes without leaving the blog
3. Add Facebook Like Button to articles to drive traffic to Facebook page
4. Add a Twitter stream

These are my favorite ways to promote social media properties through existing channels or via cross promoting.  If you have other favorites, please share!

By: Rachel Melia

Our Workshops team has put together an awesome Social Media Workshop this next Monday in Santa Clara. This workshop is not a repeat of last years content but focused towards people at all stages of social media proficiency to help them learn to utilize, socialize, and monetize their business online. Come join us for this great presentation.

https://www.kintera.org/AutoGen/Register/Register.asp?ievent=422806&en=eqIDITNFIbKKL0OuH6IILQMCKkJLJTOCIeLLJ5NHLdKNKVPzFiKRK3PALhJ3F

By: mfrank

As I was preparing to write my first blog post for Women in Consulting there were a number of possible topics vying for attention. However, the one that seemed most pertinent as a starting place was this.

Being passionately interested in social media I read and talk about it a lot and it struck me what a confusing topic it is for most people! There are so many different social media tools that it’s mind boggling, and unless you’re right on top of the subject it could be very disheartening to figure out where to get started.

Most people assume they need to be blogging, using Twitter, Linked In and Facebook but there are many new tools such as FourSquare www.foursquare.com that are gaining traction and finding a place in both B2C and B2B marketing campaigns. What to do, especially if you have resource constraints?

It’s tempting to panic and think you need to implement each of the more popular techniques such as Facebook simply because everyone else seems to be jumping on the bandwagon but I recommend a more studied approach. Social media may be very trendy but we shouldn’t forget that traditional marketing techniques still play an important role.

That’s why, before taking the social media plunge, we should get back to basics and remind ourselves who our audience is. Do they embrace social media and if so, where do they “live” online? Finding this out will entail googling some keywords and topics that would be of interest to your targets to find out where they congregate.

Once you get a handle on what communication method they favor you can select the most effective way to reach them. You may find that they prefer forums, which was the case with a colleague’s client, in which case your best efforts with Twitter and the like would be wasted. Being absolutely sure about where your audience communicates allows you to leverage the 80/20 rule and spend your precious time on one or two activities that will ensure maximum return on your investment.

What do you think?

By: Beverley Bird

Do you remember the pit in your stomach that would form when you faced test questions in school that you couldn’t answer? Maybe you felt anxiety as you glanced at peers who were busily writing or turning the pages of the test while you stared at your page, feeling helpless.

Perhaps you wrote answers that were part fact, part educated guess, in the hopes of getting partial credit.

Or maybe you whizzed through, only realizing near the end that half your answers were wrong because you had repeated the same incorrect assumption.

Figuring out how to use social media to promote your brand and expertise to generate bottom line business results shouldn’t be a best guess or leave you feeling lost or anxious. Neither is it wise to breeze along assuming that what you’re doing is right. Least of all, you shouldn’t avoid it because it’s too daunting or assume that social media doesn’t really matter to your business.

The truth is, social media is here to stay. The strategies, techniques and tools will undoubtedly evolve over time, but the bottom line is that you need to be in the game and need to know how to play it well before you fall critically behind.

The May 17 workshop, “Generating Business Via Social Media,” is designed to give you a comprehensive and in depth understanding of how to develop an integrated marketing strategy that incorporates social media and how to use the three big social networking sites—Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook—properly and optimally.

At the end of this intense six-hour workshop, you will have the knowledge to develop and execute a sensible social media strategy for your business. If you already have one, this workshop will help you calibrate your efforts. Six hours of time for that kind of payoff. I think it’s well worth the investment.

This will be a hands-on and interactive session. I highly recommend that you establish an account on each of these sites if you haven’t already done so, bring your laptop and be prepared with questions you want to ask our expert presenters. The speakers will provide several demos and are prepared to dynamically adjust their presentations to address your knowledge level, questions and issues.

Topics to be covered include:

• Characteristics and challenges of social media channels

• How to develop an integrated marketing approach and utilize social media for your business

• Developing a targeted approach for finding the right people to follow on Twitter and generating the right followers

• Strategies for what to tweet and when

• Best tools for organizing Twitter activity and measuring success in meeting your business goals

• What it takes to have a complete LinkedIn profile

• How to strategically build out your network, successfully connect with people and establish trust

• The best LinkedIn tools and how to use them

• How to build a company profile

• How to build your online group—groups and answers

• What Facebook can and can’t do for your business

• Differences among Facebook personal profiles, groups and fan pages, and which makes most sense for your business.

• Best practices for fan pages

• Understanding the Facebook newsfeed algorithm and why it’s so critical

• How to integrate and leverage social media channels

Please don’t miss this opportunity to prepare your business to pass the social media test.

Sign up now. Register at the Kintera web site by May 1 to receive the early-bird discount.

By: mfrank