Book Review: How to Be Successful on Twitter by Marc Guberti

Image source: "Light Bulb Full of Sweets" Joe Loong Creative Commons License

"What could a 16 year old possibly teach me?" 

Well, think again. Marc Guberti is a 16 year old social media entrepreneur and author who enjoys helping others succeed. As a former high school English teacher, I know all too well the ideas and mindset that the younger generations have to offer. Naturally, I jumped at the opportunity to read what Marc Guberti had to tell us about Twitter. 

About the book

Image Source: Amazon.com

Marc Guberti's book How to Be Successful on Twitter  is a compilation of what Marc Guberti has learned about Twitter throughout his social media journey. 

He provides information about what it is like to be a "newborn chick" on Twitter to how to make money in social media, specifically on Twitter. 

There were a few points he touched on that I already knew, yet I learned so much more about social media from his book. For example, he recommends different apps and explains their functions to effectively and efficiently tweet. I will stop here before I give anything away.

Other Reviews

A review on Amazon points out, "The only problem with this book is that it needs some serious editing. It lacks structure and at some sections it reads like a chain of thoughts rather than a well thought out piece of writing."  

I disagree. Yes, there is one editing mistake that stood out for me, but I can see how it was not caught. I have seen worse editing by major publishing companies. His tone, style and structure are appropriate for his audience. This book is not meant to be an academic journal article. Simple language and structure are essential for social media users. 

Note: I was not paid in anyway by Marc Guberti nor do I work for him. This review was written by my own free will. I find this book worth sharing. 

Why Having 100 Real Followers Today is Worth More To Me Than Having 100,000 Fake Followers on Twitter

Image Source: Climbing up to business success for young owners

It has been about a month since I began tweeting.  Today I earned my 100th follower, thanks @American Management Association.  One month ago I had one follower, who I know personally. Soon after, I earned my second and one of my most valuable followers @craigpsmith. Slowly but steady, I have been growing my number of followers. Yes, I do have a lower number of followers than I follow, but I do not mind this one bit and here is why.

I follow people who I believe are worth following. What makes someone worth following is someone who has valuable content, is transparent, is a reliable brand, and is authentic. Geoff Weiss from Entrepreneur recently posted a piece, What Truly Authentic Companies Know which raises the question, "Is your company really authentic or is it just a front?"

@JohnAguiar put it best when he said on his post 10 Things I Learned On My Twitter Journey To 100,000 Followers, "But tweet me because you want to, not because you hope for shit back."  His raw honesty is what keeps me so engaged in his content. I know that what I am getting from him is real. 

How to know if a twitter is worth following? 

Once You Follow Back, Do Some Research 

I look at your profile and read what type of content you are tweeting. I click on your links to your websites, and I read your website and/or blog. I sometimes go as far as googling your name to learn more about you. If I find you approachable and someone I can learn from, I will ask if I can follow you on LinkedIn.  

Doing some research can go a very long way. 

• It helps you determine whether or not you will learn anything from this twitter. 
• You will know if the content is good, helpful and relevant to your target audience.
• It helps you have control of what you tweet and your twitter feed. 

Track Your Followers and Your Own Following

Image Source: Digital Trends

I pay attention to my followings's profiles and monitor who unfollows me, who tweets what content, who blogs and write articles on LinkedIn and other social sites. 

Nevertheless, I have had a few instances where I have someone unfollow me immediately after I followed them back (this is another reason why it is so important to research your followers). You can read more about this kind of fake following on Caroline Moss's article I tried Using Instagram Like a Teenagers--And It Completely Changed the Way I See The App. When I see this happen, I immediately unfollow the person, not because the person unfollowed me, but because it demonstrates their level of authenticity. 

Numbers Do Matter

Remember that numbers do matter. After all, there is a reason why you are doing all this hard work. However, it is better to have slow and steady numbers than to lose your integrity and inability to identify between what is real and what is fake. If you practice fake following, it is likely that you are cheating yourself or your business. You must decide what you want your brand to be. Then ask yourself, how long will this front last?  

What has your experience been like on social media following? What are some tips that you have used to remain authentic? Share below.

In Sickness and In Health

Does your boss make you feel guilty about calling in sick?

Image Source: MSN Healthy Living

We have all been there, we get sick and have to call in sick. We are afraid to do it and often just go into work. However, when we do call in sick we hear the tone of indifference from our boss that makes us feel guilty and more worried than we need to be about our job.
The fact is that we should not feel guilty.  This is a time when your boss should show concern for your well being and ensure you that we all get sick from time to time and you just need to work on feeling better.

The most important thing to remember is that if you go into work while you are sick, you are not doing your company any favors. Logic would dictate that an unhealthy employee is an unproductive employee. Furthermore, one unhealthy employee jeopardizes the health of other employees. Your co-workers would thank you for not spreading the germs.

Medicine.net provides us with a list of appropriate reasons for calling in sick. When you do call in sick make sure that it is for a valid reason such as a contagious illness. Otherwise, you might weaken the trust between you and your employer.

5 Things you can do to minimize the guilty feeling

1. Communicate One reason why your boss might be making you feel guilty is because he/she does not believe you are really sick. Unfortunately, some employees do lie about being sick to get off from work. Keep in mind that a pattern of being sick on Mondays and Fridays could lead your employer of being suspicious about your true state of health. 
• Give your employer as much advanced notice as possible. Call your employer as soon as you know you won't be able to come in to work. Do not email or text message your employer as this would seem as you are trying to hide something.  
• If possible, send your employer the doctor's note or proof about your illness by scanning it and emailing it to him/her. You can then provide him/her with a paper copy once you return to work. 
• Remember to apologize for the inconvenience and to ask if there is anything that you can do to ease the day besides getting sufficient rest.
• Your communication should be short and to the point. Your boss does not want to hear all the vivid details about your illness.
Communication should ease your boss's doubts about your absence. More so, it should help you towards the road to recovery without unnecessary stress.

2. Remember to breath and relax. Your employer is not mad at you for being sick. He/She might just be busy or short staffed with many other worries.  
3. Check in if you must.  If you must check in throughout the day, do it comfortably and in a way that it won't keep you from getting better. Otherwise, you are not doing anyone any good. Your primary focus right now should be on your health. 
4. Ask yourself, "How productive would I really be?" Think about being in a meeting with clients/co-workers and you are coughing up a storm and looking like a truck hit you. No one wants to be near someone who can potentially give them an illness let alone conduct any business with them. You are at your best when you have a smile on and clients/co-workers feel comfortable around you.
5. You work to live, you don't live to work. If communication with your boss and any of the above is insufficient, it is time to look for another job where you are respected and understood.  If your boss makes unnecessary comments about your absence, remember you are not the problem. There are many companies that understand the importance of a healthy employee. If your boss chooses to work through his/her illness, it is his/her problem. Unfortunately, it is perhaps why you became sick in the first place.

So, there is no reason to feel guilty about calling in sick. You are only effective and efficient to a company when you are at your best. I hope you feel better soon.

COLORS & Your Brand

If you ask my 8 year-old daughter, "what is your favorite color?" she would readily reply, "the rainbow."  In understanding the psychology of color, you would know that her response goes hand in hand with her personality and how she perceives the world around her. She is a diverse, inquisitive young girl, who wishes to have the world as her friend.

Randi Bale, an Organizational Specialist, wrote an article, The color purple (or orange, or blue, or pink…), this past week, on the importance of color in our life. She views color as a strategy to help people and small businesses become organized and take control of their schedules and business. 

Color defines us all. Some people who say they do not like colors usually would follow with, "I like plain white." They prefer the color white and forget that "white" is a color and a powerful color at that. So powerful that it can cause your mind to wander off. So ask yourself, "do I want my consumer to wander off or stay with me?" 

There is nothing wrong with preferring the color white. It is a color of purity, simplicity and innocence. I prefer white as a main color, as well. The key strategy is to incorporate other colors to help enhance your message and engage your consumer. 

Image Source: insidea

Why is color so important for your business?  

Color stimulates the senses, instantly conveying a message like no other communication method. It plays a major role in memory recall and exhibits emotions and behavior within your consumer.  

The color of your product has the ability to determine how people perceive the brand. Most people prefer brands which can be recognized easily. This is why companies are so color conscious when it comes to their products and packaging.

While designing your brand and website, color works in your favor.  You should choose colors based on the personality of the product/service you provide. Ask yourself, "what emotions do I hope to trigger?" 

The colors of your website and logo should stand out from your competitors so that it may be recognized and differentiated by your consumer. So when choosing colors for your brand, think about what it is your brand stands for and what message you are trying to communicate to your consumer.  

What are your colors communicating?

created by Anabel Damstrom

A Review

Leveling the Playing Field: A Small Business Guide to Generating Leads on LinkedIn by Craig Smith

There are many guides out there that provide step-by-step instructions on how to use LinkedIn. I have yet to come across a guide like that of Craig Smith's. Craig Smith demonstrates how optimizing your LinkedIn handle will help your business compete against your competitors. 

This guide provides its readers with simple and savvy tips on how to engage your network and how to take advantage of your LinkedIn handle as a marketing tool for your business. Some of the tips that Craig Smith highlights include targeting posts, promoting your LinkedIn handle through other social networks, how to promote via e-mail, etc. (I won't spoil it for you).  

The best component of this guide is that it is straightforward and a quick read. This is essential for the busy business owners.  

I highly recommend Craig Smith's book for any LinkedIn member who is looking to optimize his/her LinkedIn handle. You may purchase Smith's book at Amazon.com for $2.99. It is well worth your buck. You may also follow Craig Smith's website, where you will find other great tips and advice for marketing your business.