Small Business Magazine | Virtual Assistant Support

Welcome To Small
Biz Magazine For
Entrepreneurs!
Hi and thanks for picking up this months addition
of the Entrepreneur Biz News.
Each month there will be loads of difference top-
ics, tips and advice to help you find different ways
to effectively run your business online. Also look
out for guest articles in the future from guest ex-
perts giving advice on their specific niches.
Enjoy
Paul moses
CEO
About the Editor
Hello, my name is Paul
Moses virtual assistant,
online marketing special-
ist based in London and
creator of Hans3.com   I
work with entrepreneurs,
small business owners
who typically struggle
with time, motivation,
long working hours and social or family commit-
ments, and would like to stop doing the things in
their business that take up too much time so they
focus on the things they love i.e. paying clients!
What separates my service from other virtual as-
sistants is that I know the stress of running a busi-
ness, I have supported my wife and plenty of other
people like you through all aspects of business
and I know what I takes to make a go of things.
I’ve have been there and understand that at times
it can be a lonely place especially when things get
overwhelming and you desperately need support.
And because of this my clients get someone who
understands their business, focused help and is
able to deliver great results!  And ultimately they
increase income, have more free time and dramat-
ically improve their work life balance instantly.
CONTENTS>
01
DESIGNING A DISTRACTION-FREE WORKSPACE
By Paul Moses
05
RELAXATION FOR BUSY WOMEN
By Cath Hopkinson
05
YOUR VALUES AND BELIEFS VS THE WORLD
By Louise Linsell
07
21 IDEAS TO WRITE WORDPRESS BLOGS
FAST!!
10
TOP TIME MANAGEMENT TECHNIQUES
FOR POWERHOUSE PRODUCTIVITY
By Paul Moses
13
FOCUS ON FACEBOOK
By Julia Brooksbank
15
TAMING THE EMAIL MONSTER
By Paul Moses
17
SOCIAL MEDIA: THE GREAT TIME SUCK
By Paul Moses
You can check out my social media profile at:
Or check out my website www.hans3.com
Hans3.com
/Hans3support
/Hans3VAsupport
Shortlisted for best Virtual
assistant 2014 award
Cover Model: Alexandra Wilson
FITNESS & NUTRITION EXPERT, BIKINI ATHLETE,
FITNESS MODEL, ENTREPRENEUR and Creator of the
www.fitnessmodelfinishingschool.com
PhotosbyEvaSimon

Ask any work-at-home professional or small busi-
ness owner what her biggest hurdle is when it
comes to tackling her to-do list and she’ll likely tell
you it’s the constant distractions. The kids need at-
tention. Email demands to be answered. The phone
is ringing. The dog needs fresh water.
The list goes on. It’s no wonder she – and you – can’t
get anything done.
So how do those“have it all”type entrepreneurs do
it? They start by creating a distraction-free zone.
A Place of Your Own
Plenty of entrepreneurs get their start working from
the kitchen table, stealing a few minutes here or an
hour there when the kids are napping or during
lunch. But when the business begins to grow, it
pretty quickly becomes clear that a laptop in the liv-
ing room is not an efficient way to work. It’s time to
find a real office.
That doesn’t mean you have to go rent space in a
high-rise downtown, though. If you run your busi-
ness from home and want to keep it that way, you
just need to carve out a space you can call your own.
For some, a spare bedroom makes an ideal office
space. For others, a corner of the basement or even
a closet will do. The key is to create a place where,
when you’re in it, you know you’re working. And
perhaps more importantly, when you’re not in it,
you can leave the work behind.
Virtual Distractions You Can Do Without
Of course, just having a nice quiet office with a door
won’t eliminate all your distractions. There’s plen-
ty of them right on your computer waiting to suck
away all your work time. How you deal with those
will depend largley on the type of work you do.
For example, many writers find it beneficial to block
out all other applications while they work. Tools
such as ByWord and OmmWrite eliminate the dis-
tractions by offering full-screen text editors that
also lack all those formatting bells and whistles of a
typical word processor.
Does the Internet call to you? Consider installing
browser software such as LeechBlock (for Firefox)
or Concentrate (for Chrome). Both let you block
certain sites (Facebook, for example) for specific pe-
riods of time. If you want to get in a solid 3 hours
of work before embarking on another Candy Crush
tournament, just turn on your timer and you won’t
be able to access Facebook at all until your work
day is done. You can do the same for any site that
commands your attention, but keep in mind that if
you have more than one browser installed on your
computer, you can always click over to the unlocked
choice to sneak a few minutes of play time in.
The important thing to remember here is that your
environment is only the beginning.You need to work
on building up your self-discipline as well, so you can
say no to distractions and get the work done.
DESIGNINGADISTRACTION-FREEWORKSPACEBy Paul Moses
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Relaxation
For Busy
Women
As busy entrepreneurs, wives, mothers, etc, it is easy
to see how we can get stressed, and having quick,
effective and simple techniques to reduce our stress
levels is a must.
What is Stress?
There are many definitions, but the one I live with is this… If it makes me happy and makes my heart sing,
I do it. If I feel a pang of‘oh no’I don’t do it.
Are you thinking I’m selfish?? You could say that, but I believe it’s my body and my mental health, and if
things I can control are making me stressed then there are step I can take to alleviate the stress. There is
enough in our lives that we can’t control to give us stress, so why add to it…?
There are many ways of de-stressing and relaxing, but what about when you are busy at work, in a traffic
jam, delayed on the tube...? Below are two effective and very discreet ways of reducing your stress. When
you do them no one will even notice – but your stress levels will reduce...
By Cath Hopkinson
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1. Diaphragmatic Breathing
Taking the air into the bottom parts of your lungs
is vital. All too often we breathe from the top part
of our lungs – which is not good! Taking the breath
into tummy begins a chain of events that will calm
your body and mind down in seconds.
Howtostart:Sittall,withonehandonyourtummyand
one hand on your upper chest. Shoulders are relaxed.
The sequence:
• Place one hand on your upper chest and one on
your stomach, just below your ribs.
• Breathe in through your mouth or nose; allow your
stomach to rise.
• Pause for a moment.
• Slowly and evenly breathe out, feeling your
stomach sinking. To slow the out breath right
down, breathe through your slightly parted lips
as if you were breathing out through a fine drink-
ing straw.
• Aimfortheout-breathbeinglongerthanthein-breath.
• Pause for a moment or two before you take the
next breath in.
• Breathing Tips...
• Imagine the air by-passing your chest going
down to your tummy.
• Relaxedbreathingdoesn’tmeandeepbreathing–let
yourselfbreatheatyournaturalpaceandfrequency.
• Keep breathing at a pace that feels natural to you.
• Find5-10minsdailytopracticethiswayofbreathing.
When you feel you’ve got it, try it anytime there is a
natural pause in your day. Use when you feel you
are getting stressed and you will notice the calming
effect it has on you.
2. Hand Reflexology
There are many ways reflexology can help release
stress, and hand reflexology can be done at any-
time, without getting strange looks!
Below is a routine to help you relax and de-stress:
Relaxation sequence:
• Relax the diaphragm. Keeping them flat, fold your
fingers down to a 90’ angle to your palm. With
the thumb of your opposite hand, starting under
the index finger, press and move into the creased
area, (this is the diaphragm line), moving along
the width of your hand; finishing under your little
finger. This helps ease the body and helps breath-
ing become steady.
• Press into the middle of
your diaphragm line (this
is your solar plexus point).
Do this three times, whilst
breathing in and out.
• Gently press up and down
the top parts of your fin-
gers and thumb on your
palm side. These represent
the neck and brain.
• Bonus Point: you can help
to relax tension by massaging the web between
your thumb and your index finger on both hands.
Easy and effective to do!
Repeat on both hands.
Whether you are held up, het-up or just need to
have a short break, these are easy-to-do relaxation
techniques that can be done anywhere!
My name is Cath Hopkinson and I am the director of Experience
Wellness Ltd and the creator of Pilates to H.II.T your Mojo, Stress Less
Pilates, Restore the Balance Within and iMF Pilates.
I work with people who are in some form of pain or discomfort and who struggle to manage
their pain on a daily basis and would like to be able to control and reduce their pain with
self-help techniques.
I combine a comprehensive range of therapies from Pilates and Biomechanics to massage,
relaxation and energy healing; all of which can be continued at home. As a result, my clients
have reduced pain, increased function and a better quality of life and happiness, and there-
fore, they Experience Wellness.
Website: www.experiencewellness.co.uk
/experiencewellness
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I work with Small Businesses and
entrepreneurs with a service-based
business who really love what they
do, but are overwhelmed with all the
tasks that involves in social media,
off & online marketing,
These are the types of clients we work with:
• Business coaches & mentors
• Health & wellness professionals
• Personal & virtual assistants
• Life coaches
• Small business owners
• Teachers and therapists
• Authors
• Speakers
For your free guide
“ 6 strategies to help reduce
overwhelm and get
organised now”…
Go to
www.hans3.com
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YOUR VALUES AND BELIEFS VS THE WORLD
I have many beliefs, they are mine because I created
them. Some from way back when I was about seven
years old and the rest Ive made up along the way.
One of my beliefs is that some of my family do
not like that I want to evolve and re-invent my-
self because they believe a woman should be in
the kitchen and looking after the children and not
to become more successful than their husbands!
Like I said- It’s my belief I created it! I believe they
have such old-fashioned views and how they were
bought up is how it should be, or the correct way to
be. Who makes these non-sense rules that clothes
on the washing line should be hung this way and
not that way or that roast dinners should always be
on a Sunday? Am I alone here in feeling pressured
by the older generation? I don’t think I am! Don’t
get me wrong I do like a bit of tradition, but I don’t
like things rammed down my throat. I won’t men-
tion Christmas:)
When we start to question some of our core beliefs
andactuallygatherevidencetofindwhethersomeof
the more negative thoughts or beliefs are really true
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By Louise Linsell

or just something that is made up, we can begin to
move forward more positively, and more importantly
without carrying around unnecessary baggage.
I had a client recently in her 40’s who insisted she
was the way she was because it was the way her
parents bought her up. All I heard her do during
her appointments was criticise herself or constant-
ly apologise for minor unimportant things she did
or said. I assured her she had nothing to apologise
for and that she certainly didn’t need her parents
approval or anyone else’s to do what she wanted
in her life, which was to start a new career.
For many of us our parents don’t always get things
so perfect either, we all learn throughout our en-
tire life. When we can step back and try to view
things as if standing above a scene or situation,
in that moment we can disconnect the emotional
attachment for a while, while we try to see things
from a different perspective.This is an effective ex-
ercise to do when we often feel lots of emotion or
attachment to someone or something.
Because we make new beliefs all the time it’s good
to go over your values and beliefs regularly. It’s
like having a mental spring-clean. It helps ground
us and allows us to always move forward positive-
ly and confidently. Remember there is only one of
you - you are a marvel and just to break it to you,
you’re not even your mum or your dad!
I must just say my parents are awesome, but
funnily enough when I fail at something or
stress about the bills, I blame them or my hus-
band especially if its anything to do with mon-
ey or the car because I think he is much more
clever than me and just knows more about that
stuff - more experience is my belief....(laughs)!
Because for some reason we often find the
need to make it someone else’s fault and ex-
cuses we shall find - Always!
Here’s my motto ‘Get on and Get strong’. To make
a breakthrough we often have a breakdown first,
that is how it goes! Don’t listen to the nah Sayers,
even if its your own family. If you believe you can
do something in your gut, then that’s all you need
to pursue your way to success.
Lose ego, Obtain confidence, find your ambition
and always aim high!
Louise Linsell
Hi, I’m Louise Linsell founder of the MOVE YOUR MIND formula.
I help people to feel more confident and break bad habits. They are typi-
cally in their 40’s have a family to support and look after and never have
time for themselves as they are busy looking after everyone elses needs.
I’ve helped over 1800 people over the past 14 years working as a Holistic
Therapist and Coach.
I’m the only Wellness professional in the south east, that gives a money
back guarantee that I will turn your situation around in 4 weeks or less!
As a result my clients learn how to manage their stress and break their bad
habits so they can feel confident that they are in control of what life throws
there way.
www.paragonfitness.co.uk
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IDEAS TO WRITE WORDPRESS
21 BLOGS FAST!!
The more you blog, the quicker
you’ll grow at writing effective,
punchyblogposts.Butinthemean-
time, here are twenty-one proven
ideas for speeding up that process!
1.Eliminatedistractions. Disconnect
from the net. Close Facebook. Turn
off the ringer on your phone. Shut
your home office door, if you can.
Trytopickyouridealtimeofdayto
write – for example, at 9:30, when
you’ve got that freshly-made cup
of coffee sitting on your desk, the
kids are safely in school and the
dog is fast asleep after his morn-
ing roller-blading session.
And make that time slot sacred:
You’ll be amazed at how easy
it becomes to start writing cre-
atively, when it’s a daily habit.
(Think“Pavlovian conditioning”.)
2.Keepitshort. Oneideaperblog
post will easily fit within 350-450
words. (If you find yourself pass-
ing 750 words, you’ve got two or
more ideas – split them up!)
3. Re-use and Re-cycle. Do you
have any old articles you’ve writ-
ten? Reports? Blogpoststhatnev-
er got off the ground? Put them
to good use and re-purpose them
into new blog posts. Here’s how…
• Go through your piece of old
content and use a yellow high-
lightertoisolateindividualideas
• Pick one
• Write a short post (no more
than 450 words) just on that
single idea alone
If you do this for an entire docu-
ment such as a report or even just
a longer article, you should have a
nice batch of cohesive, coordinat-
ed blog posts in an afternoon!
4. Write about what you know.
Your biggest problem, if stick
to subjects you know by heart,
will be keeping the word length
down! (See Idea # 1.)
5. Write first, research later. This
tip goes hand-in-glove with Idea
# 3. When you’ve finished your
post, re-read it. You’ll know if you
need to expand on a statement
with a line or two of research to
add credibility to it.
6. Write first, find photos later.
If you start looking for the right
photo in the middle of your blog
post, it’s far too easy to become
distracted by portfolios full of
wonderful visuals as you scroll
through Google images or your
favorite photo clipart site.
(The inverse of this strategy –
finding photos, then basing your
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blog posts on them – can also
provide a fun way to perk up
your idea-generation process.)
7. Share a gem. If you produce a
really fascinating fact, helpful link,
hidden shortcut or little-known
resource, you really don’t need to
write pages and pages about it!
All people will see, want and grab
is your golden take-away.
8. Use a screenshot. If your post
sharing that wonderful hidden
resource is only 250 words long,
bulk up its interest quotient and
value by adding a teaser screen-
shot, showing some aspect of the
resource that is sure to make your
reader want more.
9.Startattheend. Onetrickwide-
ly used by professional bloggers
is to write their conclusion first.
Then write the introductory para-
graph and several bullet points
leading to the conclusion.
Cut your bullet points down to
no more than five to seven, tops.
Create paragraphs out of the re-
mainder. (Choose the points you
feel either require expansion or
that are most important.)
10. Make your reader want more.
It’s better to leave your readers
wanting more than put them to
sleep with pages of weighty re-
search or – even worse – your un-
edited, in-depth opinion. (Think
“teaser”).
11. Create a series. This is one
way to break a lengthier subject
up, dealing with it point by point.
As long as your reader grasps the
idea or technique you’re shar-
ing, they’ll still leave your blog
pleased – perhaps even excited.
And wanting more!
12. Dig out that never-used batch
of PLR. If you’re like the seven-
ty-eight percent surveyed in a re-
cent poll, you’ve bought PLR (pri-
vate label rights generic content)
and never got around to using it.
Now is the time to dig it out! Use
it. Either do a heavy rewording,
moving paragraphs around and
deleting several… or just use it
as an Idea Mine.
13. Keep an “Idea Jar” – either a
literal one or a file folder on your
desktop. Every time an idea for a
blog post hits you,
14. Pick a keyword. Similar to the
Idea Jar, keep a Keyword File or Ex-
cel spreadsheet. This numbered
list should contain keywords that
are evergreen – ones that will nev-
er go out of date for your niche.
When you find your self stuck,
either pick a keyword from your
File at random, or (if you want
to add spice and danger) roll at
least three dice, add up the total
and go write your post about the
keyword that comes up at that
number along your list. 15.
Set the timer. If an idea hits you,
just write the post! But before
you begin, set your computer or
kitchen stove timer for a short
period of time (no more than fif-
teen minutes, max!)
If the buzzer goes off before
you’ve finished, save your post
into an Idea Jar file called“In Prog-
ress” (or whatever works for you
better). Go back to your regularly
scheduled work. Much later – per-
haps as much as weeks later – dig
oneofthesesemi-completedblog
postsout,whenyouneedtocome
up with a post for your blog (or for
a client, if you’re a content writer).
Finishing a half-written blog post
is much easier than thinking up
an entirely new one. It will feel
like a delicious cheat – and you’ll
gain lots of practice in self-disci-
pline and increasing your speed
by using the buzzer. (It can even
feel like a really fun game!)
Basing your post on one key-
word can really help you focus
and streamline each post.
16. Think “conversation”. You’re
telling your story to your reader
directly. And inviting a response
by so doing!
17. Write daily. Nothing speeds
one’s writing time up more than
getting into the habit of writing.
One post a day is better than none
– but why not make it three posts?
The key: Making them short
(anywhere from 250-500 words)
and never letting yourself go
over that limit (builds self-disci-
pline and reinforces structure).
18. Use a Template – especial-
ly if you’re writing reviews. It’s
not always easy to write a short
review post. In fact, many times
you will get better results if you
write in more depth: But using a
template can help make the pro-
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cess relatively painless (as well
as deeply grooving those neural
pathways in your mind).
19. Stick to a basic structure. If
you don’t want to use a template,
make sure you learn the basic
structural elements of a strong
blog post:
• A beginning paragraph that
makes a statement and promis-
es what the reader will learn
• At least two or three middle
paragraphs that expand on
the premise
• A summary, that brings your
post to a strong conclusion
• A call to action, enticing com-
ments or click-throughs from
your reader
Dousesubheadsand/orafewbul-
let points, if your post is over 350
words long. Sub heads and bullet
points break up the text… and
make the reader feel that your post
is even easier and quicker to read!
20. Don’t edit as you write. Do-
ing the latter is the surest way to:
• Takingthefireoutofyourwriting
• Going off on a tangent
• Losing the conversational feel
and immediacy of your post
• Undermining your own confi-
dence
• Putting how you say things
ahead of your vital message
• Stealing time away from your
day and adding it to the writ-
ing process
• Throwoffyourpacing(storyflow)
(There will be plenty of time to
look for typos or worry about how
to spell Pneumonoultramicro-
scopicsilicovolcanoconiosis later.)
21. Create a plan and use a Blog-
ging Calendar. Brainstorming and
planning all your topics for the
month ahead is a wonderful way
togetyouintothehabitofwriting,
thus speeding up the process.
Knowing your post topics ahead
of time also helps you to:
• Grabagreatgraphicifyoucome
across one
• Make note of useful research
links
• Mull topics over in your mind
• Seize the opportunity to ask ex-
perts questions
• Read related material
And the beauty of it is, if you fol-
low this method, all the fiddly
stuff is done in advance. What
does this mean?
Well, say you are browsing the
net, looking for graphics for
today’s batch of posts. While
checking out the “People” cate-
gory in your favorite photo cli-
part site, you come across a pho-
to of a small girl in a lilac dress,
holding a posy of violets.
You realize this photo is the per-
fect illustration for next Wednes-
day’s post on “Adding a Flower
Girl to Your Wedding”. Copy it,
format anything that needs to be
formatted – the point at which
most bloggers lose the most
time – and save it.
Your photo will be ready to in-
stantly drop in and go.
Even if you don’t use every one
of these twenty-one speed tips
for post writing, adapt as many
as you can. Writing blog posts
efficiently and quickly is mostly
a matter of habit and practice.
And the best part is… anyone
can do it! Anyone can reduce
their post-writing time.
Try it and see!
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TopTimeManagement
TechniquesforPowerhouse
Productivity
TopTimeManagement
TechniquesforPowerhouse
Productivity
You’venodoubtheardthenames
a thousand times. GettingThings
Done. The Pomodoro Technique.
Time boxing. Stephen Covey’s
urgent/important matrix.
But which ones are best for cut-
ting through the overwhelm
and really managing your to-do
list? Well, like most things, which
system or technique works best
is mostly a matter of person-
al choice. However, there are
some things you should know
about each one that might make
choosing easier.
Getting Things Done
Developed by David Allen, Get-
ting Things Done, or GTD, is a sys-
temdesignedtohelpyouknowat
a glance exactly what you should
be doing right now. The idea is
simple: For every item that lands
in your “inbox” (which might be
email, a phone call, a letter, or
just a passing comment from a
spouse) you make an immediate
decision to either do it, delegate
it, file it, defer it, or trash it.
Once you’ve made your decision
(based on the task itself and the
time it will take to complete) you
either do the thing or note it in
your “trusted system” for retriev-
al – and completion – later. Dev-
otees of GTD spend hours devel-
oping their own trusted systems,
which can consist of paper plan-
ners, expensive software, or just a
few note cards and a pen. In GTD,
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the tools are entirely up to you, it’s
the methodology that matters.
The Pomodoro Technique
This method is a boon to those
who find themselves easily dis-
tracted.The principle is simple: Set
a timer, and get to work. Typical-
ly, proponents of the Pomodoro
Techniqe use a simple kitchen
timer (often shaped like a tomato
–orpomodoro,inItalian)setfor25
minutes. During that time, they fo-
cusonlyonthetaskathand.When
the timer goes off, they take a 5
minute break, then set the timer
for another 25 minutes.
Each 25-minute set is called a po-
modoro. Once you’ve completed
four pomodoros, you take a 20
minute break, before beginning
the cycle again.
Urgent/Important
Stephen Covey’s brainchild pro-
videsaneasywaytoprioritizeyour
work. Begin by dividing a piece of
paper into four sections (two rows
by two columns) and assigning
a level of urgency/importance to
each quadrant. The upper left is
important but not urgent, the up-
per right is urgent and important,
the lower left is neither urgent nor
imporant,andthelowerrightisur-
gent but not important.
Now take your to-do list and as-
sign each item to a quadrant. For
example,groceryshoppingmight
be important but it’s probably not
urgent. Fixing your client’s broken
website is both important and ur-
gent. Answering the phone when
your mother calls for the fourth
time is urgent, but not important.
By dividing up your task list ac-
cording to these priorities, you
can easily see what you need to
be working on next, and what
can wait until the urgent and im-
portant items are cleared from
your schedule.
There are dozens more techniques
and strategies entrepreneurs use
to manage their time and get
more work done than many oth-
ers do. In fact, these methods can
(andshould)betweakedtofityour
own needs and lifestyles. But the
bottomlineisthis:youhavetofind
a system that works for you, and
that is compatible with your style.
Otherwise, the method itself will
become just another distraction
thatcausesyoutolosefocusrather
than become the productive busi-
ness owner you know you can be.
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FOCUS ON FACEBOOK By Julia Brooksbank
With an astonishing one third of the UK population logging in to Facebook every single
day, it’s now a key medium for promoting your business that you ignore at your peril.
This growth in social networking
is linked to the increase in smart-
phone technology with 20 mil-
lion UK smartphone users check-
ing the site daily.
If you haven’t set up a Facebook
presence for your business yet,
this article will help!
Firstly, you need to have a page
for yourself – so create an indi-
vidual log in if you don’t have
one already. Don’t worry, your
business and personal pages
are kept entirely separate on
Facebook !
Once you’ve done this, it’s easy
to set up a Page for your busi-
ness. Just go to: https://www.
facebook.com/about/pages
and follow the user-friendly
Wizard.
A Facebook Page is your Face-
book shop front – you can
customise it (to a degree!) and
place posts. Once your Page is
set up, visitors can ‘Like’ your
Page, enabling them to see
your posts in their newsfeed.
They can also place posts of
their own, share your posts and
comment on them.
This interaction with visitors is
really important for two reasons.
Google likes it – so if you have a
website linked to your Page, in-
teractions will help your SEO ef-
forts. And Facebook likes it too
– users who don’t interact with
you or actively ask to have your
posts in their newsfeed will find
that your posts disappear from
their newsfeed.
One of the ways Facebook gen-
erates revenue is by giving you
the option to place adverts and
‘boost’ posts – basically paying
for your posts to appear in the
newsfeeds of lapsed followers,
their friends and people with
similar interests. It’s easy to tar-
get these ads to the audience
you want, selecting gender, age
group, location and interests as
options and it may be a great
way to grow your ‘Likes’ quickly.
Once you have ‘Likes’, it’s up to
you to keep their interest.
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Once your Page is set it, it’s im-
portant to visit it on a regular
basis. Most Pages will at some
point have spam posts and oth-
er inappropriate comments. It’s
easy to remove these and to re-
port offenders. You also have
the option of only allowing posts
with administrator permission
but this can discourage visitors
from posting. Remember, you
want to encourage interaction!
Another way to have a Facebook
presence is by setting up a Group
instead of a Page and this might
be another option for your busi-
ness. Groups can’t be advertised
– although they can be tagged to
help users with similar interests
find them! They have addition-
al functionality so that you can
set up Events and invite Group
members to them – you can also
post documents for users to ac-
cess. You can choose how open
or restricted access to the Group
is – for instance, you might only
allow members to make posts.
Think about which is appropriate
for your business – you don’t nec-
essarily need to choose between
a Page or a Group as Facebook
will allow you to set up as many
as you want , but it’s a good idea
to keep things simple for users...
and for yourself!
Now it’s time to start posting! At
first, you may worry that no-one
is really seeing and responding
to your posts. Don’t worry, your
audience will grow! Posting is
really an iterative process and a
learning curve – you need to find
out what sort of posts will bring
you Likes, Shares and comments,
so here are my top Do’s and
Don’ts:
• Do research competitors – see
what similar businesses post
and what responses they receive
• Don’t be afraid to experiment
as this is how you’re going
to learn what works for you.
• Do find your voice – your posts
should be relevant to your au-
dience. They could be fun, chal-
lenging and thought provoking.
• Don’t stop – you need to post
and check your page regularly
My business, Nailtopia, is a very
visual business so I regularly post
nail art images, product images,
tutorials, special offers and com-
petitions! I share images from
Pages that I follow – and these
include suppliers and customers.
Promote your Facebook page by
makingsureyourefertoitinallof
your communications – you can
provide links to it on your emails
and from your website. You can
also use the Facebook logo on
your offline marketing collateral
so customers are aware that you
have a Facebook presence and
can search for you.
Don’t forget to measure your
success. Don’t just look at the
number of ‘Likes’ as a metric
– it’s just as important to mea-
sure interactions and Facebook
will helpfully send you weekly
reports to monitor these. Goo-
gle Analytics users can also see
if users have linked to their site
from Facebook and even con-
verted to sale.
Above all, remember that Face-
book is a social medium, not a
sales medium, so users should
find your page fun and informa-
tive – and hopefully you’ll have
fun with it too!
At Nailtopia, we aim to offer the widest, most innovative selection of nail art
products in Europe - and excellent customer service!
We’re based in the UK and specialise in professional quality, easy-to-use, instant
nail art nail stickers. Most of our nail stickers are made specially for us in Japan
by the world’s leading nail art manufacturers, so the quality is second to none!
Website: www.nailtopia.co.uk
/ juliabrooksbank
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TamingtheEmail
Monster
TamingtheEmail
Monster
How much time do you spend reading and responding to – or simply de-
leting – emails? How much unread email currently clutters your inbox? If
you’re like most entrepreneurs, the answer (in both cases) is far too much!
By Paul Moses
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In fact, if you were brave enough to actually
time yourself, you’d very likely find you spend
two or even three hours each and every day
just dealing with email. Yikes! No wonder you
feel like you don’t get anything done. Time to
build a solid email system to help you tame
that beast for good.
Auto-File Your“To Read”Emails
We all do it.We open an email, realize it’s a news-
letter we love, an important announcement, or
information about an upcoming event, and we
close it with a well-intentioned, “I’ll read that
later.” The trouble is, when later comes, we ei-
ther can’t find the email, or don’t even remem-
ber that we wanted to read it.
What if you had a folder on your computer where
all your“to be read”emails waited just for you to
come by and discover them again? How empty
would your inbox be then? Through the power
of filters and folders, just about any email client
can take care of this task for you.
Simply set up a folder called “To Read” or
something else equally clever, then create an
email rule or filter (as Gmail calls them) to de-
liver certain messages to that folder when they
come in. Make a rule for your favorite online
newsletter, email from your college alumni as-
sociation, your local chamber of commerce, or
even your sister.
But here’s the trick to it: You have to actual-
ly schedule time to go and read these emails.
Don’t let them just pile up in there, because all
that does is move the problem from your in-
box to your “to read” folder. Make time to read
them, then respond, file, or trash accordingly.
Turn off Notifications
Are you easily distracted by email? You’re not
alone. That little red number declaring the
number of unread emails, or the pretty little
chime that announces the arrival of a new
message is an invitation to click over and see
what’s new.
Turn it off. In fact, turn off the automatic check-
ing for email if you can. That way you can pur-
posefully decide when to go read your email,
rather than being notified of a new message ev-
ery 5 minutes.
Unsubscribe
Chances are you’re on multiple mailing lists –
and most of them you probably never read.
Click the unsubscribe button. Be ruthless. You
can always sign up again if you miss the content,
but for now, eliminating those emails from your
inbox will save you a lot of time and trouble.
Getting a handle on email is one of the tough-
est things for busy small business owners, but
with a little planning and some self-discipline,
you can become an email ninja, and start using
email as the powerful tool it is, rather than let-
ting it run your life.
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Youknowthey’reahugetime-wast-
er, but somehow you just can’t pull
yourself away from that Facebook
game that has your attention, or
thebeautifulphotosofyummydes-
sertsyouwanttomake.Evenworse,
when you make your living online,
it’s far too easy to justify time spent
on social media as being “work.”
Afterall,everyonesaysyouhaveto
marketyourbusinessonFacebook
and Twitter and LinkedIn, right?
While it’s true that social market-
ing is a powerful technique that all
online (and offline) business own-
ers should explore, it’s also true
that much of what we do on these
sites is most definitely not work.
But separating the two is tough.
Schedule Your Day
Not all social media is bad. It’s a
greatwaytostayintouchwithfar-
flung family and friends, and yes,
it’s an important business-build-
ing tool as well. So rather than try
to eliminate it all together, why
not make it a regular, scheduled
part of your day?
For example, catch up on your
Facebook feed over coffee, then
log out and get to work. Or
browse Pinterest while you eat
lunch. For actual work-related so-
cial media tasks, schedule a time
during the work day to log in,
update your status, respond to
questions, and check up on your
competitors.The key here is to ac-
tually schedule this as you would
any other business-related task,
andnottoletthis“worktime”turn
into a chat with Aunt Sally about
Thanksgiving Day plans.
Segregate Your Tools
One way successful entrepreneurs
separate work from play is by the
tools they use. When on the com-
puterintheoffice,theyavoidFace-
book and the like because they’re
working. Instead, they limit their
use of social media to off hours by
only visiting the sites on their mo-
bile phones or tablets.
By adopting this type of policy,
you create a boundary in your
own mind. After a few weeks of
practice, you’d no more think of
hopping on Facebook from the
office computer than you would
consider wearing your bathrobe
to the grocery store. The two ac-
tivities just don’t go together.
Let Someone Else Handle It
If you really can’t stay focused
on work once you’ve logged into
Pinterest or Facebook (they’re
just so distracting!) consider
letting someone else handle
your social media accounts.
You can create updates ahead
of time, then simply turn them
over to a virtual assistant to
schedule. Then once a day or so
(maybe from your iPad rather
than your office) you can log in
and respond to your followers.
Finally, if you’re not using social
media as a marketing tool, con-
sider taking a sabbatical. Simply
make a deal with yourself that
you will not log in or check any
social media site for a month or
a week or even just for a day. You
might just be surprised to see
how much time you really do
waste playing Candy Crush.
SOCIAL MEDIA: THE GREAT TIME SUCK
By Paul Moses
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Becomeacontributorto
SmallBizNews!
Have an idea for an great article? I am looking for articles that are filled with how-
to tips for the entrepreneurs with a service-based business (e.g. coaches, authors,
personal trainer, speakers, consultants).
• How-to tutorials (with actionable tips)
• Must contain 400-800 words
• High quality and written in proper English (no spell-
ing & grammar errors please)
• No affiliate links
• Please do not send an article that you have already
published on your own blog or elsewhere, and no re-
cycled articles are allowed.
• Articles must not be published anywhere else, in-
cluding your own blog, but you can tell people about
your guest post on my magazine
• Include a short author bio with a link to your website
and 1 social networking profile
• All articles submitted are checked with Copyscape to
ensure that they are original.
• Must have a Hi res personal image, business logo and
submit an image to complement your article.
• Search Engine Optimization
• Social Media Marketing
• WordPress tips and tricks
• Tools and tricks for entrepreneurs running an online
business
• Online visibility tips
• Time management
• Client attraction tips
• List building
• Real-life lessons from solo professionals
• Productivity tools and tricks for solo entrepreneurs
• Anything mindset
Pleasereadthefollowingguidelines: HerearethetopicsthatIwouldlovefor
youtowriteabout:
Thinkyoucanwritefabulouscontentinanyofthesetopics?Great!Sendmeanemailto
paulm@hans3.comandI’llgetbacktoyouwhetherit’sagoodfitformymagazine!
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