I’ve kept my previous Funny Friday posts to topics that are mostly business or marketing related, but this one is just too funny not to share. . .

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In case you were wondering, I share no resemblance whatsoever to the people portrayed in this video. None at all. I swear.

It seems everywhere you turn lately, you’re hearing about “Pinterest”

Have you asked yourself:

• What is Pinterest?
• Why should I care?
• How can I use Pinterest in my business?
• How do I get started using Pinterest?

If you said “yes” to any of these, you’ll want to watch this video replay from the Midweek Momentum webinar series where you will learn some great information and ideas for using Pinterest.  In this Pinterest video tutorial, I’ll answer each of the questions above and give you some pointers on how to get started using Pinterest for YOUR business . . .

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Do you have questions about Pinterest, marketing, social media or any other aspect of helping your business grow? Then join us for the Midweek Momentum webinar every Wednesday!  Click here to register for FREE!

A cool story out of Florida today where 14-Year-Old Willow Tufano is making headlines because she just purchased her first real estate investment property using funds she raised buying and selling items on Craigslist.

Read the full story HERE

Every day I hear from people how “tough” and even “impossible” it is to make money as an entrepreneur in today’s economy.  Heck, I even send myself an invitation to the “pity party” once in a while.

But Willow didn’t make excuses.  She made money.  She made it through online marketing (Craigslist) and now through real estate.  And of course she made it by working hard.

So if a 14-Year-Old in Florida can make money in today’s economy, what’s your excuse?

As for me, I’m fresh out of good excuses.  So back to work I go, but with a much more positive attitude!

Yesterday I did a short interview on KLZ 560 AM in Denver, Colorado.  (Also broadcast in St. Louis, Birmingham, Minneapolis/St. Paul and streaming online at http://www.560thesource.com.)  The broadcast was a business talk show called The Experience Pros with Angel and Eric, and the topic was Social Media Marketing.

Angel and Eric are EXCELLENT interviewers, which allowed us to cover a lot of ground in 8 minutes, from ROI on LinkedIn, to a couple of real-world case studies, and finally the latest thoughts on Pinterest and Google Plus.   It was a fun interview, and I have to tell you, I feel really energized when I am teaching, training and helping others grow their business, even when it’s just for 8 minutes.

Click here to download and listen to the mp3 recording (Opens in new window, right-click to download)

Later in the day Angel Tuccy, one of the co-hosts of the show, posted the following wonderful recommendation on LinkedIn:

“I interview 6-8 expert guests every single day on my radio show. Marty Fahncke is one of my favorite guests. Being able to share your business message in less than 8 minutes takes an expert and Marty delivered. Not only is Marty an expert in business, he compelled me to invite him back to my show, connect with him on LinkedIn, watch his video AND write him a testimonial, all within a few hours. He is a positive and encouraging voice for business. Marty will help you create a campaign that works!”— Angel Tuccy

Thanks Angel!

A question for my readers, what are your best tips for Social Media ROI? Please leave your comments below . . .

I just read an awesome post from Rick Webb called “Lay off the Social Media Experts”.  (The alternate headline when it hit my inbox this morning was “Why you should stop hating on social media consultants”, which I actually like better)

The article contains some very good explanations why it usually doesn’t make sense to try doing Social Media all by yourself, and how outside experts can be a tremendous asset to your business and marketing strategy.

Mr. Webb’s position can be boiled down to this one paragraph:

“First off, yes, it can seem silly for someone to go charge a small business to help them set up a Facebook page or a Tumblr or a Twitter. I mean, I guess by the same logic lawn mowers, dog walkers, hairstylists and house cleaners are mockable positions too. I mean, I can do all of these things. There are people who are better at it than me. Why not have them do it and do something better with my time?”

Read the entire article HERE (Opens in new window)

After reading the article, you will see in the comments that the second one is from a Scott Kidder, who says “The problem with “Social Media Experts” is that they generally aren’t experts . . . Alas, real Social Media Experts are few and far between.”

I totally agree.

If you DO decide to hire a “social media expert”, be sure they really are an expert, and not someone who played Farmville on Facebook all day so they lost their job, and they are now hanging out a shingle as a “Social Media Consultant”.   Believe me, these types are out there.  BE CAREFUL.

What perspective do I have to back up my opinion? Well, I’ll tell you, but to do so please allow me to blow my own horn just a bit:

• As a Kansas City social media consultant who works with clients all across the United States, I have a proven track record of success in marketing and promotion utilizing tried and true methods, as well as cutting edge technology and media channels.  These campaigns have resulted in revenues exceeding $1 Billion for my clients and employers.
• I’ve been using Social Media for my own business since 2004
• Since 2007 I have been engaged in actually GENERATING REVENUE through Social Media marketing on behalf of companies ranging from entrepreneurial start-ups to Fortune 500 companies.  (That’s 5 years folks!)
• As a professional speaker, I’m a recognized thought leader in the area of Online Marketing and Social Media, and I’m frequently quoted in the press as an expert in the space.
• I have been utilizing LinkedIn since 2004, generating over $2 million in revenue from this one channel alone.  I currently have 52 recommendations on my profile, each one from  someone I’ve actually helped in their business. Click HERE to check it out

Bottom line: If the “Expert / Consultant” you are thinking about hiring can beat that background, hire them.  If not, contact me here and I’ll help you out.

“How do I get more traffic to my blog?” is a question I get several times per week.

My usual response: “Consistently write interesting, and compelling content. You should be blogging several times per week, at least”

“But what can I possibly blog about? I can’t think of anything good” is the standard retort from the audience.

If you’ve asked that question yourself, here is one strategy that is VERY effective:

Identify the HOT topic of the day, then write your own spin about it.

Example:

Today, February 13th, 2012 the whole world is talking about Adele.  It’s a great story with her 6 Grammy wins, and her heart-stopping live performance after having vocal cord surgery. The social media AND traditional media websites are lighting up with “Adele” everywhere you look.

But the Wall Street Journal’s Michaeleen Douclefff found a unique twist in the topic, focusing on how Adele’s song “Someone Like You” leverages scientific principles to elicit a strong emotional response. The article, entitled “Anatomy of a Tear-Jerker” outlines why so many people (yes, including me) are filled with emotion when listening to this haunting song.

The article is a very interesting read.

But this is what I find even more interesting; TWO DAYS after the initial publishing of this article, it’s the #1 most popular on the Wall Street Journal website. Why? Because it’s gone viral.

Top articles on Wall Street Journal 2/13/2012

Mr. Doucleff didn’t just write another “Adele is a great singer” article like so many others out there. Instead, he found a unique and compelling twist on a huge story, and now he’s getting worldwide attention on the piece he wrote.

So how about you? What is the unique perspective you can add to a current event or topic that people will find useful, interesting, or entertaining?

A new website just launched called Your Social Colonic that promises to analyze the posts of all your Facebook friends and identify which ones are “toxic”.

I’ve been slowly and strategically reducing the number of connections I have on my personal Facebook, favoring instead to have most of my connections through my business Facebook page. So I figured doing a “Social Colonic” was worth a few minutes to help me clean up my friends list.

The website took about 5 minutes to run my report, which was fine because I had it going in the background and kept working while it was doing it’s thing.

Screenshot of part of my actual Social Colonic report (Click to embiggen)

The report was a little surprising, because it identified some of my most favorite people as “most toxic”. I’m really not sure if that’s a condemnation of the Social Colonic service or my choice in friends. 🙂

It broke up my friends into different categories, such as “Johnny Stalker”, “Hitch-liker”, “Emo Therapists” and “Self-Likers”. Through these breakdowns, I found a couple of people that I determined I should disconnect from.  CLICK! Gone.

The most useful part of the report for me was the “Total Profanities Detected” section, which showed me who was peppering my stream with unnecessary vulgarity. (Yes, I do believe there can be necessary vulgarity at times) Anyway, ZAP!, they’re outtahere.

Overall, Your Social Colonic wasn’t quite as amazing as I had hoped it would be, but it wasn’t totally lame either. I think it’s worth taking 5 minutes to check it out, so click the logo below to get started . . .

Have fun! (And please be sure to leave a comment below if you learn anything interesting from running YOUR report)

Picture this: You are talking to someone you’ve just met, and they ask you about your business. Your elevator speech (you have one don’t you?) is so compelling, the other person says “tell me more”.

So you tell them more.

You are so passionate about your product or service that they whip out their wallet, hand you a credit card and tell you “I would like to buy from you right now”.

Woo hoo! But wait, how can you process their credit card? You aren’t in your office or at your store. No cash register. No computer. No credit card machine. All you have in the room is you… and your mobile phone.

The above scenario actually happened to me just last week.  And it could happen to you.  Watch the video below to see how to solve this dilemma…

(This is the tip I shared this week on the Midweek Momentum webinar)

To view a PDF of the comparison chart I display in the video, click here

To go directly to the companies I mention in the video, click the logos below.  Each will open in a new window…

.

Disclaimer: Some links may be affiliate links, earning me a commission if you click and sign up. This helps me keep this blog free for you!

Please take  just a moment and ask yourself…

• Have you have made big plans for 2012, but need some help achieving your goals?
• Would you benefit by having at least six to eight other successful business professionals in your life who are COMMITTED to helping you succeed?
• Could you use a “Board of Advisers” for your business?
• Would it be nice to have a group of people in your life who actually “get you”?

If the answers to the questions above are YES, then you might be a perfect candidate for a MasterMind group.

“You are the sum of the 5 people you spend the most time with” – Jim Rohn

Please watch the video below to understand the benefits of a MasterMind group, as well as my philosophy behind MasterMinding…

Now that you’ve watched the video, I have an invitation for you…

I love my current MasterMind groups, but for 2012 I want to create an entirely NEW group of people with whom I’ve never MasterMinded before. Therefore, I’m inviting YOU to join me in my free*, all new 2012 MasterMind group!

I’m looking for 6-8 people who are ready to kick butt starting RIGHT NOW!  Are you one of them?

If you are interested in joining me, please use the contact form HERE and send me a message. I’ll get back to you right away with more details and a member applicant questionnaire.

PLEASE DON’T DELAY: The last time I opened up an invitation to a MasterMind, I had way more people interested in joining than I had openings and had to turn away several very cool people who wanted to join.

*Participation in this MasterMind Group will be FREE, however if I have more applicants than openings, it’s only fair that I give preference to existing clients, coaching students and referral partners for membership, right?

I look forward to MasterMinding with you!

How I organize my work day

I had a question posted today on my Facebook page that inspired me to write this post…

First of all, I generally end each day by looking over my agenda for the next day. That way I can leverage my subconscious as I sleep to solve problems or get a jump on any creative projects I need to tackle. So my “day” really begins the night before…

…then my actual day looks like this:

5:00 AM – 10-15 minutes of prayer, then I drink some juice and stretch for a bit

5:30 AM – Organize my day, including office, papers, mail, etc. (Computer and phones off!)

6:00 AM – Write my book. Computer on, but ONLY my word processor open (No other distractions allowed)

7:00 AM – Drive my middle son to school. Visit with him on the way there, on the phone the whole way back home

8:00 AM – Breakfast while checking email and social media updates

9:00 AM to Noon – Pre-scheduled phone calls. Nearly all of my coaching calls, client conference calls, etc. are in this time frame

Noon – Lunch with my youngest son. This is our special time together, and I rarely miss it if I’m not traveling (One of many great benefits of working from home)

1:00 PM – Conference calls or Midweek Momentum webinar if it’s a Wednesday

2:00 PM to 5 PM – Creative work, writing, returning phone calls, email, or whatever else needs to be done that day

5:00 PM and later is family time. I am a very dedicated father with two boys in Boy Scouts AND basketball.  I’m a Scout leader for 21 Deaf boys, and I do a lot of other volunteer work as well.  So my “after hours” time is usually as busy and requires as much planning and scheduling as my work day!

9:00 PM – Back in the office to finish up anything urgent that needs to be done before the day ends, check messages, plan the next day, and get ready to do it all over again.

This is my schedule as I try to keep it in an ideal situation. Keep in mind that I travel a lot for speaking engagements and other business.  Plus of course I have to be flexible to meet the needs of my clients and current projects.  So it doesn’t always work out just like this. Also, one HUGE thing that’s missing is exercise time. I’m still trying to figure out how to fit that in. 😦

I’d love to know… how do you organize YOUR day?  Please leave me your thoughts in the “Comments” section below…