• You will fail.
• You will not make enough money.
• It will have a negative impact on your family.
• You will end up hating it.
• You’re not disciplined enough.
• You don’t have drive.
• You’ll be selling something no one wants.
• You don’t know enough about marketing, networking or business management.

Looking at this list can be paralyzing, and you may even convince yourself that you’re not cut out for entrepreneurship. But is that really the case? If you’ve done the research, the work and the planning to position yourself for self-employed success, you can’t let the fear derail you.

Try these actions to help you control the fear and follow your dreams.

1. Make the Fear Work for You

Consider all of your worries and concerns, but instead of letting them eat at your resolve, use them to push and challenge you every step of the way.

2. Adopt a Positive Attitude

Not only is having a positive attitude a key factor of success, but the more you think with optimism, the more you will believe it and the more it will start to become an automatic part of your daily life.

3. Set Realistic Goals

Start off small and let your momentum build with time. When you set realistic and achievable goals, and evaluate them often, you will be more encouraged and confident in what you can accomplish.

4. Ask for Help

It’s hard to do anything in life completely on your own. Having the support and encouragement from family and friends and knowing people believe in you can do a lot to stifle the fear. You may even want to consider a mentor to keep you on track.

5. Be Patient

Make a plan, work hard and always do your best, but realize that it’s not going to happen overnight. If you accept that it’s a process filled with both successes and failures, it will be easier to live in the moment…and appreciate each step of your journey.

What are/were your biggest fears of working for yourself? How did you overcome them?

Image credit: Kristin Smith

Send a Good Old-Fashioned Thank You

I’m a big proponent of hand-written, personal thank you notes. As one of the most traditional ways to say thank you, I find it kind of sad that not that many people take the time to do this anymore. I know many of us are driven by e-mail and appreciate the immediacy of it, so we tend to shoot off a quick thank you message immediately. While acting fast is great, there’s still no reason why you can’t follow-up with a real thank you note. A hand-written note can express your gratitude to the recipient in a way they will likely appreciate and not get from any other format.

Give a Gift of Appreciation

Depending on the type of referral you’ve received, you may want to send the referrer a gift of appreciation. As long as there is not an issue with the client accepting gifts (this may be an issue if you are working with a large corporation or government organization), sending a thank-you gift is a great way to say thanks. It can be something simple like a box of chocolates or a gift basket, or you can send something that shows the type of relationship you have with your client and how well you know them – tickets to a sporting event or even a bottle of their favorite wine.

And don’t forget you can also make a donation to your client’s favorite charity instead of giving them a gift directly.

Take Them Out

If you live in the same area as your client and typically deal with them face-to-face, taking them out for lunch or dinner is always an option. In fact, if the new client they referred to you is also in the same area, you can plan a meal with both parties. This can be a great way to not only say thanks, but to also facilitate potential business development opportunities.

Return the Favor

Perhaps the best way to say thanks for a referral is by doing the same for your client. Keep an ear out for contacts that could benefit from a connection with your client and be ready and willing to provide a referral.

Make Your Thank You Public

While there are certainly situations when you will want to keep the referral between you and your client, sometimes going public is a good option. Tweet about the referral, add the client to a Partners page on your web site, send a message out to your e-mail list, or offer a reciprocal link on your web site. This not only increases the visibility of your client, but shows other clients how much you appreciate referrals.

However you decide to thank your clients for their referrals, make sure you do it right away. This is definitely one action you want to make a priority and not put off to do later. Also, keep in mind the type of referral you’ve received, and make your thank you relative in size, cost and time spent. It makes sense to have different ways of saying thank you for different types of referrals.

How do you thank your clients for referrals?

Image credit: Steve Woods

Why do referrals work?

Word of mouth marketing is pretty powerful. In fact, 78% of respondents in a global survey conducted by Nielsen Media Research in 2007, trust recommendations from existing users of products and services more than any other form of advertising. It makes sense, doesn’t it? We are more likely to trust our friends, colleagues and people who have personally experienced something, particularly when we are making some kind of investment or purchase.

While many referrals happen on their own (and this is part of the reason they can be so effective), there are actions you can take to help the process along. Here are some ways to get your clients talking about you in order to generate more business.

Make your clients look good.

There may be nothing more action-provoking from a client’s perspective than exemplary service and high-quality work. Plus, if a client is regularly asked, “Who designed your web site?” or complimented on other work you have done, they will consistently respond by pointing people in your direction.

Take time to form meaningful relationships.

Aside from the importance of doing great work and making your clients happy, people are typically more willing to refer those they trust and respect. And the easiest way to reach that level with a client is by taking the time to form real and meaningful relationships. Be honest, respectful and genuine, and don’t be afraid to share a little of your personal side.

Give an incentive for referring you.

While most referrals will happen naturally without the need for an incentive, it can certainly help when you remind a client that you are ready and willing to be recommended to others. Your incentives can be monetary ($XX for each qualified referral), service-based (free service hours), or tiered discounts (percentages off).

Make it easy to sing your praises.

You don’t want your clients to be in a situation where they are trying to refer you to a colleague, but they can’t remember your exact URL or e-mail address. You can avoid this by regularly sending them extra business cards, printed materials and e-mail messages that can be passed along to colleagues. Stay visible for more effective and frequent referrals.

The bottom line is that not only will happy clients be more willing to refer you to others, but they also have the ability to make the best kind of introductions – to people like themselves, the people you want to work with.

How much of your current business comes from referrals? What do you do to encourage your clients to refer you?

Related reading:
Referrals: Getting Clients to WANT to Plug You

Image credit: Valerio Lo Bello

But if you’re a full-time freelancer or business owner, do you need to bother with a résumé? The answer is yes and no.

When You May Need a Résumé

When you’re in business for yourself, it typically becomes more important to provide examples demonstrating proven experience, relevant successes, and client references. A résumé is not really the best format to do that; see below for some ways you can modify a résumé format to suit your needs as an entrepreneur.

Then what are some situations when you may need to dust off and revise your résumé? Here are some possibilities:

• You are going back to work for someone else.
• You are applying for membership in a professional organization.
• You are applying for an industry-specific certification.
• You are applying as a presenter or exhibitor at a conference.
• You are bidding on a job with a large company or organization.

How to Include Freelancing on a Résumé

If you’re in the I-need-a-résumé group, you will need to incorporate your freelancing or business ownership endeavors with any other experience you may have.

As a business owner, you can simply include your company information along with the rest of your experience. You can also go into a little detail about the type of work you do, if you manage a team, and the type of clients you’ve worked with.

As a freelancer, it gets a bit trickier, especially if you have worked with a number of businesses for short-term projects. You want to avoid giving the employer the impression that you are just including freelancing to fill a chronological hole during a time when you were unemployed.

The best way to do this is by identifying each company you’ve worked with and list your title as Freelancer. You can also include a brief description of the work you did if it’s relevant. It’s also a good idea to include some of your freelancing clients as references, if you are asked to provide them.

I should also note that in many cases where you’re applying for membership or certification, you may be asked to provide a Curriculum Vitae (CV). A CV is basically a souped-up résumé; it’s longer and includes a lot more information than a standard resume. For more information on writing a CV, see this Curriculum Vitae Guide on About.com.

Alternatives to a Traditional Resume

As a business owner, I do occasionally get asked for a résumé, but it’s infrequent and almost always another format makes more sense. Many times a client simply doesn’t know what to ask for to validate your experience, and it’s up to you to provide them with the information they need to make a decision.

Here are some ways, other than a traditional résumé, that you can present your background and experience to a potential client:

• Website – Your about page should give a client enough information to understand who you are and what you do. Combined with your portfolio, this can be a powerful sales tool.
• Brochure – You can create a printed or electronic document for the sole purpose of giving your clients a way to get to know you. It can include a bio, some case studies, frequently asked questions, a picture, and even a little personal information.
• Audio/Video – Consider creating an audio or video biography to give clients an even better idea of who you are. Seeing your face and hearing your voice can make a client more likely to trust (and hire) you.

Do you maintain a résumé? Does it help you get more work?

Image credit: magurka

Need some inspiration to get you started? Here are 43 do-it-yourself marketing ideas that you can start doing today:

1. Start an e-mail marketing campaign
2. Get listed in online industry directories
3. Ask for and use client testimonials
4. Sponsor a charity event or local sports team
5. Design and schedule a free teleconference or webinar for your target market
6. Create a unique selling proposition
7. Comment on blog posts
8. Do a wearable marketing (shirts, hats, bags) giveaway
9. Get out in your community to promote yourself
10. Toot your own horn
11. Consider a direct mail campaign
12. Do some pro bono work
13. Package your products and services
14. Monitor your online reputation
15. Join a professional organization
16. Promote someone else
17. Start reviewing your website analytics
18. Revamp your business card
19. Develop productive relationships through social media
20. Create a niche specialty
21. Give back
22. Make a point to show your clients you appreciate them
23. Start writing and submitting articles online
24. Get a vanity (and memorable) business phone number
25. Offer incentives for referrals
26. Develop personal relationships with your clients
27. Plan a website redesign
28. Spend some time sharpening up your site in terms of SEO
29. Create an elevator pitch
30. Clean up your e-mail signature
31. Start thinking about holiday gifts for your clients
32. Go viral
33. Start a blog for your business
34. Develop a pay-per-click campaign
35. Update your portfolio
36. Upsell when appropriate
37. Look into conferences and networking events you can attend
38. Sign up for the Help a Reporter Out (HARO) e-mail list
39. Run a contest and give away a free “sample” service
40. Get a strategic partnership going with a client or colleague
41. Write and submit a press release
42. Explore affiliate marketing
43. Focus on word of mouth marketing

In compiling this list, I actually ended up making my own mini-marketing plan for the next few months and will be putting some of these into action. What marketing ideas would you add to this list? Do you plan to do to ramp up your marketing activities?

Image credit: Junior Gomes

But not everyone feels this way. In fact, there are numerous articles out there on multitasking and how it not only hurts productivity, but also can damage your health.

According to The Autumn of the Multitaskers in The Atlantic, multitasking dumbs us down, increases stress and ages us prematurely.

The American Psychological Association says that multitasking costs us extra time when we switch from one task to another, especially when the complexity of the tasks increases.

How NOT to Multitask - Work Simpler and Saner on the Zen Habits blog states that multitasking is less efficient, more complicated, and can be crazy.

While these articles certainly have merit and make valid points (I can’t deny that multitasking can be crazy sometimes!), I have to disagree that the concept of multitasking is a bad one. In fact, I will even go so far to say if you are goal-oriented, driven, and thrive on the challenge, then multitasking is the only way to work. And here’s why:

It’s necessary.

I’m busy. I work a lot, have a young and active family, and even like to take time off. The only way I can possibly maintain a level of productivity and do the things I want to do each day is by multitasking. I wouldn’t be able to accomplish much without it.

It stimulates energy.

When I am moving back and forth between projects, I get energized. It’s exciting and fun to be able to change my focus on a whim. And it prevents boredom.

It makes priorities realistic.

There may be no better reality check than realizing you are trying to do too much. When I hit that wall of overwhelm and overwork, it’s a clue that it’s time to revisit my priorities and to-do list and do some weeding.

It’s a feel-good way of life.

At the end of the day, multitasking allows me to get a lot accomplished. I feel good when I wind down and realize that I hit most of my targets by working fast, switching focus and spreading my attention.

Having said that, I should point out that sometimes I avoid multitasking, for example, when I am writing and editing. While I am a multitasker at heart there are times when it’s not productive. And that’s when I go into my sole-focus mode.

Plus, I would have to say that multitasking is probably not efficient and productive for everyone. In fact, I agree that it can be dangerous if you tend to get overly stressed, distracted by having too much going on, and unable to dedicate enough attention to the task at hand to do it successfully.

But, for me, I will continue to multitask and enjoy every second of it.

Are you a multitasker? Do you think it makes you more or less productive?

Image credit: Mark Goddard

The New SEO 2.0 Trends

Web 2.0 is a social entity, and obviously SEO for Web 2.0 needs to be social.

Building social networks on Facebook, LinkedIn, Bebo, YouTube, FriendFeed, Twitter and the like, is only one aspect. If you build them, the followers will not necessarily come. You have to give visitors a reason to become members of your community, and more importantly, you have to give them a reason to click on the links you submit to their attention if you want to fully benefit from the “network effect” so many web marketers are talking about today. Twitter is the perfect example of how this “network effect” can be beneficial. For example, Dell managed to make $3 million in revenue using Twitter to announce special offers and to communicate with their consumers.

Link baiting, another modern SEO technique, has a social aspect too: by publishing content people are really interested in, you basically encourage them to “call out” your site. Good content goes viral in a matter of hours. The readers will “tweet” your link, pass it along (this works pretty much like “word of mouth” ), mention your content on their sites, and etc. This is how natural links are built, and this is the only meaningful way to start a linking campaign nowadays.

Another important SEO aspect is defined as “long tail.” The term was originally coined by Chris Anderson in 2004 to describe the niche strategy of some businesses that sell a large number of unique items, each in relatively small quantities. As you see, the original meaning of the term had nothing to do with SEO. SEOs, however, like the term, and applied it to define an SEO strategy that deals with long keyword phrases (typically containing up to 5 words per phrase), that usually deliver less traffic but higher conversions.

Measuring SEO 2.0

Obsessing with page views and Alexa rankings is obviously not the way to measure SEO success anymore. Your analytics program offers a number of metrics that are more or less relevant, if you know how to read them.

For example, if the best performing keywords are the ones mentioning your brand, then your SEO is not that great. Good SEO delivers traffic for non-brand keywords more than for brand keywords. Of course, it is important to have searchers looking for your brand, but you don’t want to be dependent on it for natural traffic.

Another important metric, if you use Google Webmasters Tools for example, is the number of unique pages crawled and indexed by the search engines. The more unique pages you have indexed in the search engines, the higher your chances to drive traffic and generate sales.

The number of pages driving traffic to your site is also very important: it is in your best interest to keep this number high, to fully benefit from the “long tail” advantage mentioned above. Pages that don’t drive traffic are practically dead pages: they only clutter your site instead of bringing an SEO advantage.

Of course, there are other metrics that help in measuring how successful your SEO 2.0 is. Can you think of any? The comments are open, let’s talk!

Image courtesy SEO Refuge: SEO in the Afterlife

As a start-up, Twitter raised $55 million of venture capital and now has an estimated value somewhere in the region of half a billion dollars. Even your own Twitter account could be worth something: according to TweetValue.com, sitepointdotcom is worth $10,991 and Stephen Fry is $42,542. Even my own paltry effort is worth $25 (all bids considered!).

It’s not bad for a company that is yet to earn a penny. So why is Twitter worth so much, especially during an economic downturn?

One possible reason is that Twitter captures the very essence of people’s interests and aspirations the moment they have them. Let’s say I’m considering buying a Foozle. I’ve looked around, tweeted about it, got a few responses, and found a best price of $100. At that very moment, Foozle Corp contacts me directly and offers their top-of-the-range model for $80. They have caught me at my most vulnerable time; I’m actively considering a purchase and will probably proceed without looking at alternatives. I’m also likely to rave about my savings in subsequent tweets.

Dell is one company that is already benefiting from this type of marketing; they recently announced revenues of $3 million as a direct result of Twitter posts.

Twitter’s value owes much to the data-mining possibilities:

1. The service is unbiased, independent, and free.
2. Users represent a broad cross-section of society.
3. Twitter usage is growing at an exponential rate.

However, Twitter cannot survive on potential alone. They need income and are reportedly looking into ways of monetizing the site. CEO Evan Williams has stated that he is not opposed to banner advertising, but was unenthusiastic as it would be “the least interesting thing to do.”

One option being considered is an authentication service; companies would pay to ensure impostors do not send messages in their name. Technically, that could be a tough one to implement.

But Twitter must be careful. If they start charging for any aspect of their service, they will reduce the number of existing users and new sign-ups. It could also skew membership toward those who have the biggest financial benefits: the corporations.

I can’t see many options other than:

• Advertising. Unfortunately, adverts would probably need to be added to tweets since many people use third-party services rather than Twitter.com.
• Data-mining tools. Companies might pay for Analytics-like tools, although many are already available since much of Twitter’s data is exposed via their API.
• A better API. Perhaps they could charge for improved data access?

Speculation will remain rife until a final decision is announced. Can Twitter raise revenue without losing members?

1. Campaign Monitor
Disclaimer: Campaign Monitor is the email marketing tool that we use here at SitePoint to send all of our newsletters. We weighed up a few different services before choosing to run with the Campaign Monitor guys. In the end it came down to a combination of the tool having such a beautiful user interface and the fact that the team were so responsive to any questions we had, bugs we reported and features we suggested.

2. AWeber
You can send standard e-mail newsletters, include a signup form on your website, create autoresponders, and turn your blog’s RSS into e-mail. They also have analytics built-in and functionality that allows you to integrate your list with your shopping cart.

3.  Benchmark
This service allows you to send e-mail campaigns, create website signup forms, manage an unlimited number of contacts, and view real-time reports. You can also create and customize polls and surveys.

4.  Boomerang
You can use HTML templates or create your own, manage bounces and view extensive click-through report. This service also allows you to send faxes and letters in addition to e-mail.

5.  Bronto
With this service you can create messages using the WYSIWYG editor, HTML, text editor or import from a web page, send e-mail-based surveys, and get detailed reports. You can also download the reports into Excel.

6.  Campaigner
You can use one of the 450 e-mail templates or design your own, create sign-up forms for your website, and get real-time analytics. They will also host your campaign images and graphics through their service.

7.  Constant Contact
You can create messages using an e-mail wizard, edit stylesheets, use an autoresponder, host up to 5 images free on their site and review tracking and reports. They also provide a number of tutorials and webinars.

8.  Ezine Director
You can create your own HTML e-mail templates, integrate a website signup form, create a sequential autoresponder and monitor results.

9.  GetResponse
This service allows you to send an unlimited number of e-mails, manage and segment your list, review reports and integrate your blog. Their site also states that soon you will be able to include audio and video in your messages.

10.  iContact
You can schedule future messages, track open and click-through rates, manage your subscribers and integrate surveys.

11.  JangoMail
This service allows you to send HTML and plain text messages together, attach up to 20 files per email campaign, and segment your list. You can also see how your e-mail campaign renders in major email clients, like Outlook, Thunderbird, GMail, Yahoo Mail, and others.

12.  MailChimp
You can import existing lists from Excel, Salesforce, and Highrise, customize website signup forms, manage your list and track statistics. They also offer add-on features such as integrating Google Analytics, list segmentation and dynamic content functionality. Disclaimer: MailChimp are a current advertising partner with sitepoint.com.

13.  Vertical Response
You can collect responses to online surveys, host your images, see real-time statistics, segment your list and integrate Google Analytics. This service also allows you to send e-mail messages as well as direct mail postcards.

Most of the services listed above start at $10 per month and go up from there (some have free trials), or they charge per e-mail sent. The monthly cost you can expect to pay will depend on the number of contacts, frequency of mailings, and other advanced features.

Do you manage e-mail marketing campaigns for your business? What type of information do you send out and what response do you get?

In reality, many of us probably already have sign-up forms on our websites, allowing us to collect addresses from interested parties, but then how often do we actually send out an e-mail blast? And what about your own address book? I know I have hundreds of contacts that would probably be interested in the information I would consider sending out. If this sounds like you, it may be time to take a serious look at the benefits of e-mail marketing and what types of messages to send.

The Benefits

E-mail marketing can have a number of benefits for any type of business, freelancer, or entrepreneur. Your mailing list can include current and past clients, colleagues, unqualified leads, prospective clients, friends, past contacts and even people you don’t know.

The focus should be on developing a method of regular contact because it can:

• Communicate important news to clients/colleagues that they wouldn’t otherwise know
• Keep you on the minds of potential clients
• Put you in a position to receive regular referrals
• Make your sales process easier and more productive
• Help people get to know you in a light, informal way
• Start conversations with people you are targeting

What to Share

You may be thinking that you have nothing to share, but an e-mail marketing campaign doesn’t have to be complex. It doesn’t even have to be a formal newsletter; short and to the point can be effective, too.

Information you can send out to your distribution list may include:

• Site launches for other clients
• New products or services you are offering or your clients or colleagues are offering
• Special discounts or limited-time subscriber benefits
• Client testimonials
• Products or services you recommend that may be useful to your audience
• New partnerships or collaborations
• Surveys or requests for feedback
• Articles, blog posts and other informational resources

Not Crossing the Line

There are some important things to keep in mind when launching e-mail marketing campaigns. You’ll want to make sure you are sending messages in moderation, when you have something truly valuable to share and not simply for the sake of sending something out. And please, give people a chance to opt-in before you start sending away, and make sure there is a clear way to unsubscribe. Crossing the line and doing too much too often, or sending unwanted mail will do the opposite of what you want it to do and can hurt business.

Stay tuned for my next post about e-mail marketing services for you to consider for your future mailings.

Do you collect contact e-mail addresses on your website? What do you do with them?

Image credit: Nick Cowie