My Personal Story as a Solo Entrepreneur

I am a mom. I thought that I might attract moms because I understood their woes, their desire and hope to work from home. But, I couldn’t attract them because there are lots of resistance. When I learned about attraction marketing and re-evaluated my target marketing strategies. I found out that I needed to change my target market. Once the market segment was fixed, I began to attract the right people.

 If you know your market, you can tailor your target marketing strategies to meet their expectation and to provide a solution for them. Target marketing is a part of attraction marketing strategies. With target marketing strategies, you can attract potential customers and clients to any kind of products or service. If you are a solo entrepreneur, you should use target marketing strategies, getting more customers by targeting less people. You are different from corporate business. You can build relationship with your potential customers more intimately, on a personal level. Your solution can be personalized to match with their expectation exactly.

Four Steps in Target Marketing Strategies for Solo Entrepreneurs

1.  Who are your target market?

Ask yourself, “What types of people who might be interested in my products or service.”  Look at your life, identify what types of people who become your friends and who are most drawn to you.  Pay attention at whom you are attracting and people whom you are comfortable to talk with.  Are they willing to pay for your products or service? Are they looking for solutions? Your market segment may not be too small. It means that you don’t have enough customers if your target market is too small.  How many people in certain market segment are searching for the solution that you offer?

2. Know everything about your target market/prospects.

Write it down everything about your prospect: what is their age range, what they like, what are their interests, what is their problem/concern.  The more you understand the need of your target market, you can speak their language and you can have empathy for them.  Put yourself in their shoes: what are they thinking and what are their worries. You must know them well – their needs, hopes, desires and pain/fear.

3. Provide solutions to their need.

 Many solo entrepreneurs highlight general benefits of their products or service. You must tailor the specific benefits to match with their problem or needs. Your attraction marketing strategies work when you are able to provide personalized solution to their need.

4. Identify the competition

When you choose your target market, look at the competition as well.  Look for under-served market. Identify your competitors. Study and do the research what are their strength and weaknesses.  Try to find a way how you can be different from them.  Give the reasons why people should choose you over your competitors.

Target marketing is the first step in attraction marketing strategies, to identify people, the market segment that you want to attract. You are able to define your target market  by applying four steps in target marketing strategies. Whatever you write on your blog, on Facebook or on your sales letter, the focus is about them.   Solo entrepreneurs  can reap  benefits from targeting the right people.

Here are the challenges for my attraction marketing blog posts:

My beautiful post: Attraction Mindset is The Key Success in Marketing

It always fascinates me  on how our mindset forms our belief in success.

My most popular post: Four Success Mindset Strategies to Keep Your Sanity in Network Marketing Business

Success Mindset is the must-have for business owners.

My most controversial post:  8 Tips to Build You Inc Business with Attraction Marketing for Newbies Entrepreneurs

I received encouraging comments.

My most helpful post: The Fastest Way to Attract People on Facebook with Magnetic Attraction Tips

This post gives you helpful tips on how to use attraction marketing for Facebook

The post that surprised me the most: The Internet Revolution and The Future of MLM in Asia

It was a pleasant surprise to be the top 50 MLM blogs in 2011. I discussed the impact of Internet revolution and future of MLM in Asia in that post.

The post that lacked the attention it deserved: The World Outlook in 2012 Looks Very Scary, Expect The Unexpected.

The post that I’m most proud of: Attraction Marketing Tips – Personalize Your Home Based Business

It’s the beginning of my journey in attraction marketing

And now, I nominate 5 people to do the challenge. They are my Facebook friends. I love their posts and their inspiration.

Rachael Slorach with her blog, Building Business Naturallly

Tisha Matthews with her blog, Inspired Moments

Leigh Edwards with her blog, Leigh Edwards

Adrienne Smith with her blog, Adrienne Smith

Stay Claflin with her blog, Grow with Stacy

1.  Business Page on Social Media

Solo entrepreneur, you can create business page on Facebook, business profile on Linkedin, business page on Google+ and business profile on Twitter Page. Your Facebook business page functions like a mini website.  You can insert your webform and capture people’s contact by using their facebook profile, hence you can generate leads.

2.  The Interaction and Engagement with People on Social Media

See, Talk, Connect and Share

People need to see your constant visibility.  The information that you share must be valuable to people so you can attract more followers. Connect and interact with people so they are willing to share your post/message. Use 3Es principle (Educative, Entertaining and Enlightenment) as attraction marketing strategies to talk, to connect and to share with people. As solo entrepreneur, you need to build KNOW, LIKE and TRUST with people, that’s the attraction marketing formula.

3. Transmedia Storytelling

Transmedia storytelling definition in wikipedia:

multi-platform storytelling, cross-platform storytelling, or transmedia narrative, is the technique of telling stories across multiple platforms and formats using current digital technologies.

If you use attraction marketing for You Inc business, you need to create your stories. You can benefit from transmedia storytelling by sharing your story, personal brand, core values and more.

4. Augmented Reality (AR) Applications

Augmented Reality definition according to wikipedia:

live, direct or indirect, view of a physical, real-world environment whose elements are augmented by computer-generated sensory input such as sound, video, graphics or GPS data.

The world is more searchable by using techology gadgets such as tablets etc.

5. Videos Rock

Videos will continue to be leading on social media. Solo entrepreneurs get benefits of SEO and personal branding from video marketing.  Here are the facts about Youtube Statistics in 2011:

• Youtube is the 3rd Most Visited Website in the World
• Youtube is the Second Largest Search Engine
• Youtube is the World’s Largest Video Sharing Platform
• Youtube Gets over 3 Billion Views Every Single Day
• Youtube Mobile Gets Over 100 Million Views Per Day
• 35 Hours of Footage is Uploaded to Youtube Each & Every Minute
• 13 Million Hours of Footage were uploaded to Youtube in 2010
• 70% of Youtube Traffic Comes from Outside the U.S.
• Youtube is Localized in 26 Different Countries across 43 Languages

6. Crowdsourced Products.

Crowdsourced products or service is products made or tailored according to what customers really want. Crowdsourced products or service is an IT-enabled business trend in which you can  hire people to create graphics, to create content or even other tasks.  There are also training package and softwares created that can meet your business goal or personal need. Consulting business will flourish as this service can meet what customers really want.

7. Infographics

People share slogan pictures more and infographics capture people’s attention more. People can tag, share and make comments on the picture.

Attraction marketing via social media is contagious. Solo entrepreneur, you can connect with people effortlessly and social media marketing is enjoyable. You should take advantages of social media trend in 2012 to apply for You Inc business.

1. Real-World Business Education

You are learning real-world business skills: goal setting, time management, money management, people skills, communication skills and investing skills. The most important is you are learning life skills. Skills that you are learning from building You Inc business such as attitude for success, overcoming your weakness and doubts and accountability skills.

2. A Profitable Path to Personal Development

Work to Learn – Don’t Work for Money – Robert T. Kiyosaki

You are not  learning how to make money in the business, but you are actually learning about yourself, how you thrive  in your entrepreneurship journey.  There is a winner and a loser inside of you. You won’t fail if you don’t quit on yourself.  You have to bring up a winner inside of you.  We must have entrepreneur mindset – learn how to handle failure and keep going and never lose sight of our vision.  Attraction marketing works if you grow emotionally as a person.

3. Circle of Friends Who Share Your Dream and Values

The English poet John Donne wrote:

No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of continent, a part of the main

You can’t succeed alone. The world is interconnected today with the internet.  You need a community of people whom you can hang out with, talk with and work with.  Join the right community of people who understand you and share your dream and values. Your future is determined by the law of association, the closest friends you hang out with.

4. The Power of Your Own Network

If you want to succeed, you need to build your own network, a viable strong growing network.  The economic value of network grows exponentially not linearly. You need followers, fans and you can build your own list.  You can build your own network from social media by using Facebook page, Facebook group, Twitter group and Linkedin group.

5. Duplication Strategies

Duplication is taught in network marketing.  You shouldn’t take the meaning of duplication as to duplicate everything. I know that people have a tendency to copycat everything. You should duplicate the strategies only.  How can solo entrepreneurs learn duplication strategies?  You need a training and a mentor who can share the strategies to build You Inc business.

6. Leadership Skills

Leadership is what builds great business. To be a leader in business, you learn to lead yourself first. You need to control four aspects of yourself: mind, spirit, body and emotions.  You need to organize your life first. When your life is organized, your business will follow.

Money doesn’t go to the business with the best products or service. Money flows to the business with the best leaders.

7. Mechanism for Genuine Wealth Creation

WEALTH is not the same as MONEY.  Wealth is not measured by the size of income, wealth is measured in time.

Mechanism for genuine wealth creation is by building a business and reinvesting your business continually.

8. Big Dream and Capacity to Live Them

Small dream means a small life. How often do you hear people use the phrases, “We can’t afford it.”  You should make a habit of saying this phrase, “How can I afford it?” and build your big dream.  When you have a big dream, you will strive, learn and take actions to develop your best personal power to achieve your dream.

By applying eight wealth-building assets  as part of your attraction marketing strategies, you will build a thriving You Inc business.

As always, I love to hear your comments and sharings if you have read the business of the 21st century by Robert T. Kiyosaki.

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Daniel Franklin, The executive editor of The Economists said:  “The world won’t end in 2012, but at times it will feel as if it is about to. Europe’s debt crisis and America’s long-term fiscal challenges need to be solved.

Gerald Celente, The Director of Trend Research Institute said:  “Economic marshall law is coming in 2012. The greatest depression will start in 2012.  European Union crisis will bring down the global economy.”

The world is going global and countries are interconnected by supply chain.  What happens in one country’s economy affects the economy of other countries. China, India and other Asian countries depend heavily on the manufacturing industries and investment from US and Europe.  The attention focuses on BRICs or Big Four countries; Russia, Brazil, Russia and India which are driving the world economy as well. The slowdown economy in Europe and US will bring down the global economy. We just hope that policymakers don’t make poor policies to worsen the world outlook 2012. The economic crisis will triggers social upheaval and the unpredictable natural catastrophe may worsen the situation.

It is true that global politics and economy situation affects the life of ordinary people. Jobs are no longer secure, our saving shrinks and the cost of living becomes more expensive.   However, we can’t depend on politicians to make decisions for our life. We must learn to depend on ourselves. I see that solo entrepreneurs in Asia rise amidst the economy recession. There are few solo entrepreneurs who succeed and become richpreneurs.  If you just take DO NOTHING attitude because of FEAR, don’t rely on government or somebody else to help you. You are responsible for your own life and you should DO SOMETHING for your life.  There are more business models and ideas and jobs are created and they never existed before. You can start as a solo entrepreneur, be innovative and be creative.  Use your strength and overcome your weakness by learning new skills. It doesn’t matter what the world outlook in 2012, don’t stop moving forward towards your goal. You will figure out how to rise amidst the economic recession by being a solo entrepreneur.

As always, I love to hear your comments about the world outlook 2012.

Learn to be a Professional Marketer, not a Halfway Marketer

Building a business needs hard work and sacrifices, perseverance and provided that you are learning on the right track.   How do you know that you are on the right track? If you are taking the structured  or ongoing training/course and you have someone to mentor or to coach you, you are on the right track.  Learning from the structured training will cut short your learning curve. Having a support from your coach and community means a tremendous boost for your spirit. You will make progress as long as you are willing to follow the instructions in the training and be the DOER.   When you are stuck, you will always have a helping hand from your personal mentor and community.  For a solo entrepreneur, there is a need to be a professional marketer, not a halfway marketer. You learn professionalism and not learn online marketing by copy and paste.

Everybody needs training if you want to be a professional in your field.  Here is an example of Santa Academy training.  A training for  willed Santas for the 21st century.  I think we should go through ongoing training too to be a professional marketer and be a better solo entrepreneur. Don’t you think so? I’m glad that I’m taking actions now; I’m taking ongoing training.  I have few mentors and join 3 communities.  I find that having mentors and communities are priceless; I’m working toward my goal under their guidance.

As always, I love comments from solo entrepreneurs

Magnetic Attraction Tips for Facebook

Here is my 8 magnetic attraction tips for facebook:

1.  Show your support for other people. Don’t be selfish, but be friendly. You only care to post your blog content, but you never make comments for others or to give support by clicking LIKE.
2. Write a few words before you attach your blog post.  If you write a blog post with killer title, people will click to read the link to read more.  You will get more comments.
3. You can add people who give you comments or LIKE. People who are giving comments are people who are likely attracted to you. They know you and they are likely to approve your friend’s request. Send a courteous message along with your friend’s request.
4. When you are making a comment, you should show your expertise and authority in your comment. Write power words, best advice to attract people to see your comment. How to learn the power words? You can learn power words from powerful people such as Dale Carnegie, Darren Hardy etc. But, the best way is as you learn more, you become more and you have your own power words. A leader in a business is a professional student of learning. They never stop learning.
5. Inspirational quotes, videos or pictures attract people.
6. I find that asking relevant questions or making a statement attract people more than inspirational quote because they come from your own words. It reflects your expertise or authority.
7. Give appreciation or thank to people who make comments for your post on Facebook group.
8. If you want to market to people in your region or locally, you should search Facebook group for your region, keywords+your region.

I find myself receive friend’s requests every day by applying magnetic attraction tips above. I don’t need to add friends. I always asked them courteously how they came across my name. They answered that they knew me from certain Facebook group.

Here is an example of how my comment gets the most votes or likes from people:

because  the conversation is too long, I cut it short.  Here is what Adil said that my answer deserved  the best answer:

People found me and added me to be her friend:

By applying my 8 magnetic attraction tips above on Facebook groups, you will attract people in your target market naturally.  You will receive new friends request everyday. You don’t need to browse people’s info and to make judgment whether you shall add her/him. Your Facebook account will not be banned by Facebook because you don’t violate the policy of adding people you don’t know. Remember, build relationship with your new friends first.

As always, I appreciate your sharing and feedback on facebook marketing.