A prospective client said to me last  week, “I will pay your fee for social media management services on commission.   You do all my posting and I will pay you a percentage of every sale I make from your efforts, deal?” Well, that takes chutzpah, I thought to myself.  I actually tossed around his unusual offer for about four days before I said “no.”  First, he wined and dined me and my husband. And told me what a terrific team we would make.  Every time he closed a home loan, I’d get a nice chunk of change. However, the only loans he would count are the ones that resulted directly from my efforts on social media.  Current customers and repeat customers were off limits. Referrals from networking groups also were not in the mix.

I explained to him that social media marketing, when done correctly, is part of the overall marketing plan. Even referrals frequently check out the business profile of a service provider. Quite often, the professional presence on LinkedIn, Facebook,  Google Plus and other social media sites seals the deal.  I did not see how he could differentiate which clients came from my work creating an engaging, educational, informative platform and who called him based on other avenues. Especially since he pulled all of his direct mail and email campaigns.

When I explained this to him, he insisted I was being short-sighted. I took to Facebook to ask my social media counterparts and business associates to get their opinions.  One person out of about two dozen said they might do it. The rest were emphatic that this guy was crazy and I should walk away.   I did end up walking away, rather surprised that someone in this day and age would truly think this was a good deal.

A couple of interesting facts to add.  I see this man every week at one of my networking meetings. I met him nine months ago at a different meeting and his last words to me were, “Call me, we can make a ton of money together.”  I did call and email several times with no response.   The first time he talked to me (after the nine months of ignoring me) was two weeks ago.  While we were in the negotiation phase, he gave me a stunning testimonial, before even hiring me. To this day, he has not responded to me.

What would you do? What are our thoughts of payment by commission only?

Great  content in the form of videos, posts, and blogs is important. But if no one is engaging with you, maybe they need to be told what to do. In this short video I explain how easily it is to implement a Call to Action:

• Ask for the like.

• Ask people to share.

• Ask for comments.

• Remind people to Subscribe.

Works like a charm. Which call to action works best for you?

Sunday night and time to write the blog. Like everyone else, I sometimes have a major brain block. What do I write about? What has happened in the last week that people would be interested in knowing about social media? Well, I am sure lots is happening, but I don’t want to write about that.

As a coach and consultant, I tell my clients all the time – you are your brand. People want to know about you. Not the deep dark secrets – although I am sure some voyeuristic person would love to know all that stuff – but the things that make a difference to you personally. What are your values, what makes you tick, who is the real person behind the posts and videos and blog?

I’d like to share that this past week for me can be described in one word – empowering. I am treading into deep waters because I decided to makeover my website. And since one’s website is the social media funnel that all great information should be directed, I want a new, spiffy-looking site.  Only this time, I decided not to hire a web designer. I am going to do it myself. Like I really have time to do a website – I don’t, but I have definite ideas of how I want it laid out, a new product suite and programs, and I am not going to pay a fortune to work with a web designer.

Enter The Online Empowerment Formula, led by entrepreneurs Marisa Goudy and Corinna Rake. Their program is a series of six coaching sessions and lots of work in between. But it’s good work – it has forced me to think deeply about my brand, my mission, my business and what I want to convey to others via my website, the hub of my business. Marisa and Corinna are a great team. I met them on Twitter – more proof that social media works!

Back to the website – it’s been challenging and sometimes frustrating because I am not a programmer or particularly technologically gifted. I have to work hard to learn left-brain stuff. I am way more creative than techy.  Regardless, I committed to conquering my limiting belief about coding and have diligently dug in and embraced the work I need to do to have my finished product up and running.

What has resulted is a deep sense of pride and total ownership of my website. Not to mention, I am learning valuable new skills that will help me help my clients who often ask me questions about the back end of a Word Press site.  I have been totally focused on accomplishing this task and will celebrate by having an extra glass of wine the day it is done! And that day is coming very, very soon.

What one word describes your week? What challenging project have you taken on recently that made you beam with pride?  Would love to know, so please share.

Never one to want to waste time, I attended a 3 hour mastermind group this past week (not a day-long) on the subject of saving time and money, which, in my opinion, are pretty much the same thing these days. I was taking notes and decided this is fodder for a great blog. So, read on and see if  any of these tips are realistic for your social media marketing efforts.

1) Set a timer!  And not  your phone or computer. Go out and buy a kitchen timer and set it for 35-45 minutes once or twice a day. Set it and get to work on your social media marketing, not visiting friends on Facebook or looking at Pinterest boards. It works, really it does.

2) If you can accomplish a task in 15 minutes, do it. For example, if it will take you fifteen minutes to create a new link for a webinar, make a phone call to arrange an appointment with a prospective client, or read a blog  you have been trying to get to all morning – just commit the time and go for it!

3) Before you go to bed, list six things you want to do the next day. Bullet points. Make them realistic and doable – there is no use making a list of things you have absolutely no intention of doing.  See how many you can get done the next day and before you go to bed again, cross off what you accomplished and add more to equal six. This keeps your list manageable and is not overwhelming.

4) Calendar “me” time. Running, taking a yoga class, meditating, getting a massage or a manicure. Write it in  your calendar and keep the appointment with yourself. Take your needs seriously because they are. Don’t cancel it – taking care of you is even more important sometimes than getting work done. If you are not feeling relaxed and in the right place, you will not be productive.

5) Set your boundaries. In addition to the 35-45 minutes once or twice a day online, decide when it’s time to stop answering the phone. Do you need until 9:00 a.m. to get in work mode? Then set that rule for yourself and don’t be tempted to break it. If you honor your time, others will. The key here is to stick to your guns or, before you know it, you may be working ten hour days every day. And that is not healthy.

6) Turn off your email notifications for a chunk of the day. Nothing is more distracting than writing a blog, or working on an important Power Point presentation and seeing that preview of an email popping into your inbox. In this case, what  you don’t know, can’t hurt you! Turn them off and focus on that project that will take less time to accomplish with NO temptations to click off the screen. Email can wait.

7) Consider hiring a Virtual Assistant. Check out Odesk or Elance.  Turn over repetitive, non money-making duties to someone else. Your time is valuable and for as little as $3.00 an  hour you can relieve yourself of mundane tasks. (My VA is from the Philipines and is excellent  at scheduling social media posts for me and my clients).

What tip do you think you could use in your business that would save you the most time? Do you have any to add to the list?

Decrease overwhelm. Raise your hand if you want to do this, because I do. Here’s the conundrum of being a social media manager – not only do you come up with content and interesting, consistent marketing tips for your clients – after all you are being paid – but you have to continue to publish great stuff about yourself at the same time. And remember, there are only 24 hours in a day.

So, I have come  up with some great coping mechanisms and systems that help me stay on track and thought I would share them in the event you feel overwhelmed with social media.

1) GetPocket.com – you know all those blogs and articles you want to read but have no time? This application lets you store them in one file in your browser to read at a later date. No need to bookmark – just “pocket” them. Love it!

2) Exercise – at least 45 minutes a day. And I mean breaking a sweat and really getting the heart pumping. I find this stimulates my brain power and helps me stay on track.

3) Sign up for an online class or webinar that teaches you something about your industry. I’ve done that twice in the past month because there is always someone who knows more than me and have learned a ton of new techniques and time saving methods.

4) If you work from home – take a nap if you can. I find a 30 minute snooze is refreshing and re-energizing.

5) Use a scheduler for your posts. There are many on the market. I use Sidekick because I manage several different accounts and do not want to mistakenly cross-post to another client’s account. A  huge time-saver.

6) Have a glass of wine when it’s 6:00 p.m. Enough said about that.

On a serious note, as an entrepreneur with no support staff except my Virtual Assistant, it is so easy to get overwhelmed to the point of shutting down sometimes.  My Virgo work ethic kicks in and before I know it, hours have passed and I have not gotten up from my desk to have lunch or take a break.

Scheduling “me” time into my work week makes me more productive. Lightening up by chatting with my Facebook friends for a few minutes helps. Attending my in-person networking groups twice a week breaks up the monotony of being in my office – and I get some  great referrals, too.

What do you when you feel your cup is overflowing and you feel like shutting down? How do you regroup and get back on track? Would love your feedback and stories. Share them here.

Back in 2007 when I first began my social media journey, I signed up for LinkedIn. And, only because someone sent me an invitation to connect. I had no clue what I was doing. It seemed like a good idea at the time, so I posted a resume-like profile and never went back to visit it – for almost a year.  How many of you have done that with social media sites?

Well, we won’t get into slapping hands because I know many people do the exact same thing. Until something happens – like the downturn in the economy in 2008. Or, you get laid off and find yourself having to look for work or, you decide to begin your own business and realize that social media is basically a fabulous free way to advertise so you jump on the bandwagon and dive into places like Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Pinterest and eventually LinkedIn. In my opinion, LinkedIn gets a bad rap.

Often referred to as the “blue suit” of all the social media sites, many direct sales people ignore the power of LinkedIn. Many entrepreneurs also think they belong on a more exciting site, like the above-mentioned ones. Now, I am far from an expert about LinkedIn, but I do know the power of having 80 million pairs of eyeballs on my profile page.  And, every second of every day someone new is joining  LinkedIn. Convinced yet that you may need to reconsider giving LinkedIn a serious once-over?

One of the benefits of being the host of my internet radio show, The Social Networking NewsHour, is the opportunity I have to interview experts in the industry. And I did just that this past week when Kristina Jaramillo joined me. Kristina is a powerhouse of information and we already decided she is coming back on the air with me this summer.  Not only was she knowledgeable, but she generously shared so much information with my audience that even I was  furiously taking notes!

You can listen to the entire podcast here.

Some quick pointers you can implement immediately on LinkedIn:

1. Write your profile in the first person – and tell your story. People want to know about you as a person, not just read a stiff online resume.

2. The headline under your name is not set in stone; change it frequently and use descriptive words.

3. When writing your summary, brag about your achievements, show results, cite case studies.

4. Always post clickable links in your summary. You can link to your free reports, email opt-in lists, telesummits – just about anything to gain more exposure and direct people to the interesting content on your website.

5. Start a LinkedIn Group. But be sure you are involved consistently. This is a great way to attract like-minded people and show your expertise, get to know people in  your industry, and attract others who may need your product or service.

Finally, Kristina was generous enough to share a link to a fabulous free report. Pick it up here:  Free14LinkedInMistakesReport.com.  And if you want to grab some LinkedIn Templates, visit: InstantLinkedInMarketingTemplates.com.

What are your experiences with LinkedIn? Have they been good for your business or do you focus your attention elsewhere?  Please share!

Laurie Hurley is a social media mentor, consultant, coach, speaker and radio show host. You can visit  and connect with her on LinkedIn.

At 8:30 a.m. last Monday morning I was at the court house with MacBook in  hand, ready to spend the day in the jury pool. In my mind I thought, “Cool. A whole day to work without interruption.” I dragged along my briefcase, found a plug and a comfy chair and settled in with my hot tea, comfy sweat pants  and warm sweatshirt. In all the years I have been called to jury duty, I was picked once for a civil case that was over in one day. And that was about twenty years ago. So, I thought I was safe. In California, if you select  a day, like I did, and do not get called for a jury, you are released by about 3:30 and have fulfilled your civil duty for an entire year.

Well, not so fast. A clerk appeared at 8:32 and read the first list of names to report to a courtroom. Sure enough, my name was called. No worries, there was no chance I would make it on a jury. I’m self-employed and most judges see that as a hardship. And, I am opinionated and most defense attorneys don’t like that, so I figured I’d be in and out within half an hour. Meanwhile, I pulled out my pad of paper and got my pen ready because I was certain I would have lots of good stuff to blog about from this experience.

Wrong again. I was questioned by the judge and opted not to tell him I was self-employed. It struck me that if I was on trial I would want someone like me on the jury. After being grilled by both attorneys, I became known as Jury #10, serving on a child molestation case.  I had no idea the week would be filled with such gut wrenching emotion. I put my pad and pen down. It didn’t seem appropriate to blog about the woman who sat down to be questioned and burst into tears, causing the judge to clear the courtroom. Or the man who vehemently hated all peace officers, another woman who spoke so loudly we needed ear plugs, and the man who spoke so softly, I couldn’t even hear him and I was sitting next to him.

Testimony began on Thursday morning, after three days of interviewing over forty people to be jurors. The District Attorney’s star witness was a ten year old girl who was sexually abused twice in the same day by her grandfather, the defendant. Then her mother and her aunt who were also abused when they were  ten. Three police officers testified and then it was over. The People rested their case. The defense attorney delivered his closing argument and by Friday at 3:45 we were in the jury deliberation room and I was elected foreperson.

Twelve people from all walks of life deciding the case  on the evidence and the laws. It was unanimous – guilty on both counts. We were emotionally spent.  Our decision sent the defendant to jail for life. Life in prison. Can you even imagine such a thing?

We were banned from social media for the entire week. I could not bring myself to make one note for my blog. I truly did not intend  to blog about this experience, but an entire week away from my consulting business and social networking reminded me why I do what I do for a living. I like meeting people online, coaching, mentoring, teaching, and speaking. And I also enjoy my freedom and respect our system of justice in this country.

Have you ever tried to get out of jury duty? Have you served on a jury? Did it profoundly affect you?  Share your stories.

Laurie Hurley is the host of The Social Networking NewsHour every Wednesday at 2:00 p.m PST and has an active membership group, Social Networking Made Simple.

Before I wrote this blog, I attempted to do some research on how many apps exist for iPhones, iPads and other common devices most of us wouldn’t think of leaving our home without these days.  The numbers were all different, depending on where I looked. Suffice it to say, there are thousands of apps for just about everything one can imagine. Some of them looked really cool, too and I got distracted reading about the apps for kids. Unbelievable and I have to admit I am a teeny bit envious of moms of toddlers these days. My teenagers had to deal with me entertaining them when they were little, not my phone. But, personally, I’m glad about that. And I learned a bunch of songs from Disney that still get stuck in my head.

Anyway, I am getting off track. This week on The Social Networking NewsHour, my guest was Tania Mulry of Amaze Mobile and author of  The Cause: The Power of Digital Storytelling for Social Good  which lays out a comprehensive, step-by-step plan for non-profit leaders, social entrepreneurs, marketing managers and cause advocates to help them find their voice and express their passion for their organization to create bigger and better results. Tania joined me for what I thought was going to be a lively discussion about all kinds of apps I didn’t know about. That is true, but we focused on her app – edRover, which totally blew me away.

edRover is an app that puts fundraising power in the palm of your hand. Every time you are out on the town, pull out your phone, open the app and find nearby locations where you can check-in to fetch donations for your school.

Anyone can shop online through edRover.com to earn 1-25% back from your purchases at over 100 top eRetailers. The funds are accumulated from all the active users in your school and distributed monthly once your school earns $25.

So, how cool is that? Social media being used for social good.  When my daughters were in elementary school, I volunteered hundreds of hours to fundraise at bake sales, collected box tops like a crazy person, and went door to door selling cookie dough, magazines, wrapping paper and whatever else the PTA presented us over-achieving parents.

 Tune in here to listen to everything Tania shared on the show about social entrepreneurship, branding, and more.  What apps do you use or know of that raise money? Please share them here.

Laurie Hurley is the Founder of The Social Networking Navigator and is a mentor, consultant, and speaker about how to streamline your time on social media so you don’t get sucked in to being online for hours at a time.