We are excited to introduce to you and welcome Following His Call Ministries to the Inspired WebWorks ‘family.’

Following His Call is a brand new ministry in southeast Wisconsin that will be serving the needs of single mothers.

They are just getting their start and while not quite operational, we are thrilled to be helping them get the word out about their cause via the web.

Following His Call director, Kate Hannula, contacted us late last spring about her plans for the ministry and in her own words…

“I am not a web person, but I know that’s where this ministry needs to be.”

We created the entire web presence, built from the ground up and are now in the stage of working their initial social media ‘blitz.’ We look forward to watching the journey of Following His Call and how it will have a positive impact on single mothers in need for the local community.

You can see all the details in our client showcase.

We’re very excited to introduce this week’s featured biz owner, Melody Thacker.

Melody is an independent associate with the Watkins company, joining in 2001, and will be celebrating her 10 year anniversary with the company next year!

Melody’s Story

What Type of Business is Watkins?

Watkins has been America’s pioneer in natural living since 1868. As America’s original natural apothecary manufacturer, Watkins uses only the finest natural ingredients in its diverse lines of personal care, home care, remedies, and organic flavorings.

Why Did You Get Started with Watkins?

I joined simply to buy my own Watkins products wholesale and became intrigued with how the business worked and the rest is history!

What Else Should We Know, Melody?

When I first started my business I had teen aged children living at home and I was very involved with their activities. It was great that I could schedule my business around their events.

Eventually, they all became self-sufficient and moved out on their own which left me with an empty nest and more time on my hands. Time I could devote to my growing business.

I used some of that time to learn how to use the internet to market my business. I have a passion for helping people and my business allows me to do just that through the power of the internet.

Awesome story, Melody! We’ve known each other online for several years now and didn’t realize you’ll be celebrating 10 years in business next year.

Congratulations!

Here’s how to connect with Melody.

Her website: www.AssociateMelody.com
Facebook: www.Facebook.com/melody.thacker
Twitter: Twitter.com/melodythacker

To tell us YOUR story and be one of our featured biz owners, go to: Tell Us Your Story

This week’s business spotlight is on… 3T Web Design headquartered in Charleston, South Carolina.

Tess Taylor is the co-founder of 3T Web Design and we’d like to thank her for allowing us to tell this story.

Tess’s Story:

What Type of Business is it and When Did You Get Started?

3T Web Design is a faith-based, full service website development, online marketing and graphic design firm that was founded this year (2010) by three independent entrepreneurs.

Why Did You Start 3T Web Design?

I co-founded 3T Web Design with my partners to address a big need for affordable and ethical website development and smart online marketing support for small businesses in the Southeastern USA.

What Else Should We Know, Tess?

“After working as a freelance web copy writer for 3 years, I was learning so much and meeting wonderful clients around the world. I quickly realized there was a need for web design and content marketing support for many of my clients who had experienced poor results with past web developers, web content and social media firms.

So, I reached out to my colleagues, Eugean Taylor and Dwayne Thompson II, and we started dreaming up a new business which would address these needs in a way that the average small business owner would be able to afford and get the best return on their investment.

3T Web Design was born and already in just the first few weeks of launching we have some very happy clients from whom we hope to get more referrals and earn more projects this year. It is our goal that our work helps to boost the small businesses to create more opportunities and jobs in our region.”

Wow! Great story, Tess!

How to Find 3T Web Design

Visit Tess and her business partners at www.3TWebDesign.com

Thank you, Tess, for allowing us to share your story! We wish you much continued success for your business.

If Not, You Should Be

Your VIP clients are responsible for the top percentage of your company’s revenue.

In some cases, possibly the top 10 or 20% and you absolutely must give them the white glove treatment.

VIP clients, who spend a lot of money with you, will have friends and family that most likely have money to spend as well.

Treat your VIPs well, and they will refer their friends and family members to you.

Extra Attention Goes a Long Way

These clients deserve extra special attention. You can not send them the same old generic gift or occasional card that everyone else does.

While it may be a little time consuming in the beginning, it will be well worth the effort to find out the special interests, likes and well as dislikes of your VIPs.

This is very powerful as it will show your VIPs that you value them in a way that they know they are unlike every other client.

How Do You Find Out?

The simplest way is to just ask. You’ve probably filled out a form asking what your personal interests are, your age, how many kids do you have, their ages, etc.

You can do the same thing. Create a questionnaire like the one below and offer an incentive to your customers for completing it and sending it back. Have a contest, offer a prize, send a gift to the first 20 or so people that send it back.

By putting together a questionnaire that explains how you would like to learn more about your clients, their hobbies, you will be in a much better position to pamper your VIPs and send them unexpected gifts that will dazzle them time and time again.

Chances are your top level customers are probably in business, too.

VIP Questionnaire

1. Your Name: ________________________________
2. Your Date of Birth: MM ____ DD ____
3. Your Mailing Address: __________________________________________________
4. Your Phone #: ___________________ Cell: ______________________
5. Your Email: __________________________________________
6. Your web site (if applicable): ________________________________________________
7. What do you do for a living?: ________________________________________________
8. What do you like to do when you are not at work? _______________________________
________________________________________________________________________
9. Do you have any children? If so, what are their ages? ____________________________
________________________________________________________________________
10. Where did you grow up? ___________________________________________________
11. Do you have any sports or hobbies that you participate in on a regular basis? __________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________

Next time, we’ll give you specific ideas on how to pamper your vip’s.

Nobody Likes a Phony

Especially on the web or in social circles. If you’re being real on social media, you can’t fake it. The transparency is real and people know it.

Too many people are confusing social media platforms as another way to blast people with their sales ads.

DON’T DO IT!

You will be un-friended and un-liked faster than you can say Twitter ’twas a tweet.

Be Real, Be You

What you do want to do on any social media is be real. You want to develop a know-like-trust relationship with the people you are following and those that are following you.

The last thing they want is someone in a suit spouting stuffy corporate-like rhetoric.

For example, Martha Stewart does a great job of just being “Martha” on Twitter and her personal blog at: www.TheMarthaBlog.com

She really lets you into her personal world as well as keeps you updated on the happenings at Martha Stewart Living. Any small business can follow her example. Just relax and be you!

What to Talk About?

Many of us were taught not to talk about personal stuff with business, yet social media changed those rules completely! It’s not easy to break that, I know, but you can do it, I know you can!

For instance, people want to know…. if you love gourmet cooking, do you love to travel or run? What do you like to do? Do you have pets?

This is what people want to know about which develops that Know-Like-Trust relationship we talked about. Who does business with you? People like you, who know you, who like you and who trust you.

Relax, be real and be you!

In case you haven’t noticed, we LOVE telling stories about businesses and their owners.

This week, the spotlight is on Rainbow Farm Photography, located in Busselton, Western Australia a photographers dream location, according to its owner, Coralie Plozza.

Coralie’s Story

When and Why Did Rainbow Farm Get Started?

Coralie started her photography business in 2008 and specializes in nature photography. You’ll see on her website that she lives in beautiful Western Australia (a place I know I’d love to visit someday!)

Why did She Start this Business?

This is very powerful. She started the business out of the joy of bringing the healing power of nature into your world through nature photography. It’s amazing to think how photography can have such a healing effect. Coralie, you truly have an amazing mission!

Here’s What Else You Should Know

Coralie is a wife and mother and lives on a beautiful farm in the south west of Western Australia. Rainbow Farm is the source of 90% of her photography and specialising in the sunrise photography that makes a great gift for new borns, wedding days even death.

How To Find Rainbow Farm Photography

You can see Coralie’s work at: RainbowFarmPhotography.com.au

Thank you, Coralie, for allowing us to share your story! We wish you much continued success for your business.

While Others Aren’t?

When we first saw this TED video, quite a few lightbulbs went off for us. We hope it does for you, too. Pay special attention to Simon when he talks about the golden circle.

Enjoy!

Why do you get out of bed in the morning? What makes you move forward?

Or Are They?

Back in March, we reviewed “Be Our Guest” about how the Walt Disney company views customer service.

If you haven’t yet read the book, we strongly recommend you add it to your library, whether you have employees or not.

It was written back in 2001, yet Disney has always embraced this philosophy. Is it any wonder why they have been so successful decade after decade!

The Robot Effect

While Disney has the “wow factor”, many companies have the “robot factor”, when it comes to their employees. Employees are treated like nothing more than robots doing the same tasks over and over, day in and day out, slowing but surely killing creativity.

If you personally spent any amount of time in the traditional corporate work force, most likely you felt like a robot yourself…. overworked and under-appreciated.

So, why bring up the subject about Disney and customer service again? Because it just boggles our minds that, especially during the last 2 years of economic disaster in this country, many companies are still trying to run with the same old theories and philosophies.

Independent Contractors are People, Too

In recent months, there have been numerous laws handed down by the federal government that will directly affect how business does business. Healthcare, bailouts for banks, new taxes are just a few. It’s no secret how that will change the cost of doing business, especially for small to medium sized organizations.

Not only is it going to change the cost of doing business, it will change HOW these same companies will get the job done. We will see more and more companies using independent contractors, freelancers and temporary or permanent partnerships for certain needs.

It’s not a matter of IF this is going to happen because it already is. Rather, it’s a matter of WHEN it’s going to be become the norm, in business, rather than the exception.

What Can You Do?

Whether you have a staff of employees or whether your company works with independents, our best advice is to treat them with the Disney philosophy….

You Never Get a Second Chance at Making a First Impression

and that includes employees or anyone else that works with your company.

The people you work with, employees and contractors, are the ambassadors of your organization. Treat them the same as you treat your paying clients and you will have THE most powerful word of mouth advertising for your company.

If you haven’t read Be Our Guest, here’s the link again. For less than $8, you can’t afford not to have this as part of your business library.

Be Our Guest – Perfecting the Art of Customer Service

Are Coming Soon!

In the coming months, we will be announcing career opportunities for creative, motivated, forward thinking people who recognize opportunity and like to have fun.

We will be looking for individuals who can work remotely from home, yet are flexible to do some traveling.

Today’s economy requires forward-thinking in order to not only survive, but thrive into the next decade and beyond.

Corporate ‘stuffy’ types need not apply

We’re still laying the groundwork, so make sure to connect with us on Facebook and Twitter, and subscribe to our newsletter to get the first word on updates and official announcements.

Last week, we talked about Facebook Frenzy and the #1 mistake most businesses make.

This week, we’ll briefly address Twitter and why not tweeting is not an option any more. But first….

What Twitter is…

According to Wikipedia….

Twitter is a social networking and microblogging service, owned and operated by Twitter Inc., that enables its users to send and read other user messages called tweets. Tweets are text-based posts of up to 140 characters displayed on the author’s profile page.

Tweets are publicly visible by default, however senders can restrict message delivery to their friends list. Users may subscribe to other author tweets—this is known as following and subscribers are known as followers.

and now in English…

Twitter is a place where you have 140 characters (including spaces) to say what you want to say (called a tweet) and to read what others have to say. You can choose whose tweets to follow and who to block. You can create lists of people to follow based on specific topics.

Is it Personal or Business?

When we talked about Facebook for business, we used the comparison of a local networking event.

So, imagine you’ve walked into a cocktail party with a group of people already engaged in casual (and some business) conversation. You walk up to two people talking and what do you have to say? How do you add value to the conversation already taking place?

If they are people you already know, do you chime in with relevant conversation? If they are people you don’t know, would you introduce yourself first? Do you stand there and talk to yourself or recite quotes? No, because you’d look pretty silly now, wouldn’t you?

Twitter is casual conversation that can be related to your personal life and your business.

Bigger isn’t Always Better

Maybe your mom told you when you were growing up that it’s not the number of friends you have, but the qualify of your friends that matter. Mom was right!

It’s not the number of Twitter followers that you have, but rather the quality of the followers that you have AND the quality of the people that you follow that counts. Twitter is not about building the biggest follower base (although that is the misguided mission of some).

Twitter is about engaging is interactive conversation with a number of people at one time. Remember our cocktail party comparison?

If you’re involved with using any social media at all, no doubt you’ve seen countless how to ‘secrets’, ‘hot tips’ and other assorted ‘must have’ Twitter tools and ebooks for your Twitter success and how to amass thousands of followers.

Here’s the biggest secret of all. Ready?

Twitter is Not Rocket Science

That’s right, it’s not. I doubt if Ashton Kutcher bought a ‘how to Twitter’ ebook. He’s Ashton Kutcher, so he already has celebrity status, but that’s not the point.

There are definitely some do’s and dont’s, and for the most part they are common sense. Such as.

1. Don’t blatantly post ads to your followers.
2. Do be yourself.
3. Don’t be a jerk and post hate messages
4. Do keep separate Twitter accounts… one for you (the person) and one for your business.
5. Don’t make up stuff just to get attention.

You can use Twitter in creative ways, such as having Twitter parties to launch a new company or product, which we’ll get into in a later post.

Of course, the recent Old Spice campaign drew a ton of attention in social media last week on YouTube as well as Twitter.

It was a really cool creative idea for a product that is… well, um, not so creative.

Should You Tweet?

Yes! Absolutely. If Old Spice can tweet, then you can, too and should.

Have fun with it! Nobody wants ‘corporate’ conversation, they want REAL conversation. Granted, it goes against what most of us were taught in school about marketing, but honestly, a lot of ‘old school’ marketing is just that… ‘old school.’

So, tweet away and over time, you’ll learn to relax, be yourself and have a great time on Twitter!

Follow Us on Twitter

If you’re not already following us, find us here: (If we like you, we just may follow back…. lol)

Inspired WebWorks on Twitter