Does the thought of using social media for your business make you feel like an awkward teenager starting high school again? Will I be popular?  What if no one likes me? Is there a solution that won't make my face break out?

Social media is a lot like high school in some ways. Choosing the right activities and the right friends, building your reputation, being your true self—these things can make a difference to your status just like they did in school. If you're planning your social media platforms for the coming year, here are some things you need to take into consideration.

“Without promotion, something terrible happens....Nothing!” --P. T. Barnum

In Barnum's day, advertising meant word of mouth and newspapers. Neither of these was very expensive at the time— unless you were Barnum. The American showman at one time had 26 journalists on his payroll. His belief was that advertising should not be done “sparingly and grudgingly,” and freely admitted that most of his success was due to the press.

In my first Joomla Magazine article we discussed why everyone needs a membership site, then we went on in the second to discuss different types and ways to use membership sites. I hope you got good value from those and are ready for some ‘show and tell’!

In this installment, we’ll go behind the curtains of how some clients are using their membership sites every day.

In my last article in JCM, I worked really hard to convince you that regardless of what business you are in, or even for non-business sites, you need to have a membership component to your site. Assuming that I did a reasonable job, you either have one in the works or are at least planning one.

Now you want to know the most effective way to use membership in your own website, right?

Answering this question is exactly the focus of this article. There are many combination of ways to help your business by incorporating membership into your site. Here are 5 perspectives to spark your creativity and help you focus your plan…

If the thought of what to do for your Halloween marketing this year has you yearning to hang a “Gone Trick-or-Treating” sign on the door the first day of October, then this post is for you!

Marketing for Halloween is a must, of course, if you're selling Halloween-related products.  Even if you’re not however, it's a great way to generate goodwill, keep your name in customers' minds, and kick off your other holiday sales. Besides, everyone needs a little Halloween fun!

Long before October 31st you should be posting some Halloween related content on your website and through social media.

Pay attention to this quote from business consultant and ‘millionaire maker’ Dan Kennedy in this article:

“[The] big difference between wealthy and poor is that wealthy people get paid before they work;
 the poor get paid after they do work.”

Think about that for a minute. Would you like to have customers giving you money BEFORE you gave them a service or a product? Would you like to have them giving you money IN ADDITION TO being paid for your service or product?

The best way to relieve the stress that always accompanies the holiday season is to have your plan in place early—the sooner, the better.

Start circling days on the calendar. Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, and Cyber Monday are the big shopping days. While your business may not depend greatly on Halloween sales, remember that customers are already thinking about Christmas shopping, and it's another opportunity for promotions.

Even if you’re familiar with marketing on social media, you may still have questions about which platforms are best for your business. Content marketing is all about providing interesting and valuable content to your customers, so it's important to establish which networking site(s) your customers will be using.

B2B or B2C?

Check out current marketing information online, and you'll likely encounter the acronyms B2B and B2C before too long. B2B means you are selling your product or service “business to business”. B2C is “business to consumer”.

A quick review: The first four critical mistakes we discussed last month are: 1 - Not enough value. 2 - Complicated user interface. 3 - Poor user experience. 4 - Bad customer service. Now on to the next 3 which are related to your content…

5 - Not enough content

This relates to number 1 in the last article but deserves to be identified as a critical mistake on its own.

There are lots of ways to not offer enough value that do not have to do with content, but it’s impossible to give enough value if your content is thin, especially if the member is paying for the privilege of accessing your site.

Ok, if you have been following along with this article series, you now know ( a ) why you need a membership site, ( b ) several different ways to set them up, and ( c ) some real-world case studies on how other people are using their membership site.

Hopefully, you have taken my suggestions and have created (or are creating) a membership site for your ‘herd’ of followers. If you have, I’d love to hear about your experiences.

In this fourth article in our membership series, we’ll dig deeper and begin discussing common critical mistakes to avoid.

You can find just about anything and everything on the internet. Take personality tests—have you ever wondered which Harry Potter villain you're most like? Or whether you have the personality of a particular type of IKEA furniture? While these tests are entertaining, they’re not likely to help you reach a deeper understanding of yourself.

Are there personality tests available that have any value, especially when it comes to growing your business?

How the World Sees You: Discover Your Highest Value Through the Science of Fascination by Sally Hogshead, points out that understanding your personality provides you with key information to work with when presenting yourself to others. If you've ever tried to create a 30-second elevator pitch or write your resume, you probably know how difficult it can be to deliver the exact message you want to convey. Hogshead's book provides you with a step-by-step method to discover what your personal tagline should be, and how to use it to create better relationships and grow your business.

Cyber Monday could be one of the most important days of the year for your business financially. Last year, there were over 2 billion (yes, that’s BILLION) dollars of online sales generated on the Monday following Thanksgiving.

If you want a piece of that action, you’ll need a strategy in place well before hand.

When it comes to Cyber Monday, there are several big draws for consumers: the convenience of shopping many different stores without leaving home or the office; the ability to easily comparison shop and check out reviews; and the extra value or deals that aren't available year-round.

There are the obvious reasons - to collect money and to create a community. Ah, but it goes much deeper than that.

I provide web and email marketing for my international clients and for many years have recommended that they offer a membership component in their website for exposure, value, and insurance. But before we get deeper into why…let’s be sure that we are all speaking the same language. Then I’ll give you 10 reasons why to add membership to your site.

It's not easy being the boss.

Owners of small businesses, particularly those who have employees working under them, have many things to contend with: legal issues, business licenses, insurances, safety regulations, payroll, taxes, inventory, banks, vendors, hiring employees and marketing. The list goes on and on. There may be times when a business owner worries whether there will be enough income this week to pay employees, let alone the rest of the bills. So it might come as a surprise to hear an employee complain that the boss or company “doesn't care about me.”

There are people in this country who work hard every day
Not for fame or fortune do they strive
But the fruits of their labor are worth more than their pay
And it's time a few of them were recognized
Hello, America. Let me thank you for your time

                - Alabama

Do you remember learning about Labor Day in school? An American holiday since the 1880s, it celebrates what workers can accomplish together when they organize. Unions and the labor movement fought for things like Social Security, the 8-hour workday, unemployment insurance, and against child labor. While unions are on the decline nowadays, the American Worker is still out there, more often in the form of a self-employed individual, exhibiting that same spirit of risk-taking, ambition, and hard work that put Labor Day on the calendar.