Social Networking For The Busy

C.H.I.P.s is in the process of restructuring our community. We are working on a plan to improve our website, blog, and events. We should be up and running again by the beginning of November, so until then we'll be republishing some of our most popular posts:


A couple weeks ago, I published a guest post by Mark Bradford of ChirpUp.com titled Attention Marketers: You Can't Afford Not Blog . The post goes along with conversations I've had with other home interior professionals at past CHIPs events : creating a name for yourself, establishing yourself as an expert in your field, via blogging. I believe strongly that most people in preparation to begin a project will jump on the information highway to do research on what should be done and who is best suited to do the job. Not only does being active on Twitter, Facebook, and a blog establish you as "in the know", it also helps with search engine optimization.

I am surprised at the number of business owners I know that do not engage in this new marketing medium. Most of them will tell me that they simply do not have the time. This is what I've done to jump over the hurdle of time when it comes to social networking.

Scheduling Blog Posts.

First of all, for the CHIPs blog, I am open to guest-bloggers. I welcome others to submit posts that fall in line with the purpose of CHIPs to provide business ideas and strategies to other business owners (particularly those in the home improvement/home interior industry). Not only does this help me promote others, it also provides me with a couple of posts a week I don't need to worry about. So when I have some time ( admittedly at night usually ) , I schedule my posts on Blogger. This means I can type up as many posts as I want and schedule them to be published later in the week. It's real simple to do on Blogger, just setting the publish time and date under "Post Options". To read about scheduling posts on Wordpress, see Chirpup.com's blog post about it.

Scheduling Twitter Updates.

I love being a twit, but there are times I just can't get in front of the laptop. Tweetlater helps out tremendously. Using Tweetlater, I can take 15 minutes typing in Twitter updates for the following day, directing others to the blog, promoting events and other CHIPs members. During the day when I have a couple of minutes, I take out my phone, tweet, & respond to other's tweets - so that there's a personal touch as well. Tweetlater also gives you the opportunity to automatically follow those who follow you and send them an automatic DM.

Excited By This Recession

C.H.I.P.s is in the process of restructuring our community. We are working on a plan to improve our website, blog, and events. We should be up and running again by the beginning of November, so until then we'll be republishing some of our most popular posts:

Call me crazy, but this recession excites me. This is not the time to hide our heads in the sand. It is not the time to stop marketing. This is the time to get out there and make a name for yourself and your business. What excites me about this recession is thinking about what it will drive : creativity.

What new and creative ways will business owners market their businesses? What new and creative businesses are we going to see come of it?

As an example, businesses are learning that newest way to market themselves and their product is by using social media. This is the hottest format at the moment, with everyone from mom & pop coffee shops to the Home Depot claiming their presence on sites like Twitter and Facebook. This has also spawned new businesses like Chirpup, which was started by one of my newest Facebook friends, Mark Bradford. Chirpup specializes in helping companies brand themselves in the social media world. This recession is also causing businesses to form communities built to come together, network, and share ideas and leads. One such community, Windy City Connect, focuses on businesses in the Chicago-land area.

Ultimately, when this recession is over, those who are left standing are going to be the ones who didn't give up but rather got creative with their marketing and branding. And being a creative person myself, I look forward to see what you come up with to stand with the rest of us.

Networking For Chicago Home Interior Pros

C.H.I.P.s is in the process of restructuring our community. We are working on a plan to improve our website, blog, and events. We should be up and running again by the beginning of November, so until then we'll be republishing some of our most popular posts:

It is no secret that networking is an essential part of any business' marketing plan. Aside from providing referral opportunities and strategic relationships, I've found that networking can be an educational experience. I've learned a lot from other business owners that I've met at networking events, including different marketing strategies, problem solving, time management techniques and so on.

Imagine now a networking event that provides all I listed above, but from an ideal point of view, that of your true peers. Imagine a community of home interior pros of all kinds, getting together to share ideas, strategies, and referrals. These pros are facing the same obstacles and challenges you are, and some of these pros have overcome these obstacles and challenges and could share with you how they did it. Sometimes, two good ideas can come together and create one great idea.

This is what C.H.I.P.s is all about. Sure, some of us may technically be competitors, but now is not the time to be greedy. Together, we can all come out of these hard times as winners.

For more information about C.H.I.P.s and our networking events, visit our main web site.