Sparkplugging is continuing our tradition called ‘Spark an Idea Thursday’. Each week we’ll be sharing some great ideas for a topic of interest to our readers. We invite you to grab our image and carry the tradition through to your own blog! If you do, please link back to this post so we know where you were inspired!

Up until a year and a half ago I always bought Toshiba laptops. You’d think that after owning two and having a positive experience them I’d have stuck with Toshiba. But when it came time to replace my last computer, I ended up buying an HP. Like the Toshiba the HP has functioned as expected. But not long after I bought the HP I had an issue that required tech help. The initial call went like any other tech call and ended with the suggestion that I do a re-format (I accidentally downloaded something bad). Two days later I got a call from the very same tech support person that had helped me. She called me! She asked if the reset went well or if I needed more help. Wow!

The point of this story is that I was happy with the Toshiba and the HP computers. Both worked as expected. But then HP did something Toshiba never did. It wow-ed me by offering something more than I’d expected. It called me back to make sure my issue was resolved.

When it comes time to replace my HP, I’m more likely to stay with HP because of the extra step they took to follow up with me. Had it not done that, I could have stayed with HP, gone back to Toshiba or chosen a different brand.  It shows that simply being good and providing what’s promised, isn’t enough to insure customer loyalty. Instead, consumers today are more likely to stick with you if you can wow them.

How can you create wow and set your business apart from others?

1. Offer more than what you promise. Its like the baker who throws in the extra pastry to make 13 instead of the even 12. For the customer its unexpected and appreciated. It creates a situation in which the next time the customer needs something that they think of you because you offer more.

2. Be willing to go the extra mile. Like HP, taking the one extra step to insure your customers are happy with your product or service will create that wow experience. This can be done in a variety of ways such as offering more than promised (#1).  It can also include helping customers find the right resource if you’re unable to help them.

3. Have stellar customer service. I believe customer service should be a part of a business’ marketing plan. Nothing can hurt your business faster than poor customer service. Wow customer service should have customers feeling like your company really cares about them, sort of like how HP made me feel.

With so much competition for business, the key to success is to have your customers walk away thinking WOW. The wow factor can build your business through the two best marketing efforts there are: 1) customer loyalty and 2) word-of mouth referrals.

So how do you make yourself follow worthy?

1) Realize that social networking is SOCIAL. You can’t use traditional one-way communication and be successful on Twitter. Being social means that communication goes two-ways (or in this case thousands of ways). That means that you can’t be ego-centric and post only about you.

2) Don’t only post stuff that will make you money. While there’s debate on whether or not people want to know what you had for breakfast, most people want to hang out with people that have more to say than “I made millions. Click here”. Think of social networking as being at a party. You wouldn’t say just one thing at a party would you? No, you’d join the conversation.

3) Comment on other people’s posts. There is much to be said for social networking. I have found great resources, inspirational quotes, unbelievable stories, and funny jokes from Twitter.  Be supportive (and social) by letting other Twitterers know what you think of their comments or posts. By doing so they are more likely to return the favor.

The key to social networking success is to remember that you are in a virtual room of people and need to act accordingly. You need to have conversations, answer questions, make referrals, take suggestions, provide support, and all the thing you would normally do if you were in a room of people. If people visit your Twitter profile and only see tweets from you that are all about you and only you, they may not want to follow you. But if they see a range of Tweets and responses to Tweets, they’ll know that your goal is to be social, not a spammer.

As a WAHM, have you taken your blog training wheels off? Are you feeling pretty good about your blog and you’re creating quality content regularly? Are you ready to take your blog to the next level? Have you considered vlogging?

Vlog = Video Blog

Vlogging’s popularity has dramatically increased since 2005, according to Wikipedia. One resource we found that provides tools, tips and trends is VlogBlog. You can also go to YouTube and watch videos on how to vlog.

For more good tips and examples on vlogging you can visit:

• Jim Kukral Knows Video
• Video Blogging to Promote Your Brand
• Ask Mr. Video Blog

As far as sites to upload your videos, YouTube is the still most popular. There are other services including Viddler, Vimeo, Meta Cafe and Revver. Revver even has a plugin for WordPress with its own video on how to use the video plugin.  There is also a unique site called MomTV that has its own WAHM channel.

While we haven’t personally tried it, Adobe has Vlog It! software and it has received rave reviews.

If you have a webcam, you are ready to create your first vlog. Another very popular vlog tool that we both own is the Flip Video which makes the whole process very easy and is compatible with Windows or Mac.

Finally, here are five WAHM sites that are currently using vlogging as part of their blog content:

• 5 Minutes for Mom
• Barefoot Executive
• Suzanne Franco
• Direct Sellers University
• Happily Blended

Why don’t you give vlogging a try? When you do, leave a comment with your vlog link so we can all see your latest creation!

The problem with haphazard marketing is that it doesn’t work. The trick that has helped me is a marketing calendar. On it I have all my marketing strategies outlined and the weeks/days I that I implement them. I even have spaces to put the topic or other special information I need for that day. For example, on the “Blog for Sparkplugging WAHM 2.0″ today I have “Marketing Calendar”.

My marketing strategies include articles, press releases, blogging, newsletters, and social networking. But I don’t do everything every day. On one blog I post jobs every weekday and additional posts 3 times a week related to news, scams, or ideas. My other blogs I post 2-3 times a week, usually on different days so I’m not writing 3-5 posts in one day.

I alternate articles and press releases by week. During the week, I spread out the work so that one day I’m researching, another day I’m writing a draft and the final day I’m tweaking and submitting it.

I have used an actual calendar in the past, but today I use weekly sheet in a plastic cover so I can use a dry erase pen to write on it. I not only have my marketing work, but my regular work as well as my house work. Taking a cue from the Fly Lady, I have my weeks divided into “zones” for work at well as home, so week one of the month is article marketing, week two is press release, etc. For example, this is week 4 so its an article week. I also have some things I do everyday such as post jobs on my blog. And then there are some tasks that are done just a couple times a week such as writing a blog post for WAHM 2.0.

Each day I have written all the activities for that day of the week. For example Monday is grocery day and posting on my life on the web blog, as well as any daily activities such as posting jobs on my blog. Tuesday is laundry day as well as blogging for WAHM 2.0. Each week I go through the upcoming week and write down ideas and resources for each day’s activities. Along side all the regular activities that are scheduled I also have blank lines for my to-do list so everything I need to do for work and home is all on one page for the week.

Having a marketing calendar has insured that I keep the promotion up while also completing the other work I need to do. It helps me pace the work throughout the week and month. And it keeps me organized so each time I sit down to work on marketing, I know exactly what I’m doing.

I could have responded to his email equally as tersely. “I sent the product. Here’s the proof. I can’t help it if you lost it.” But what would that have gained? I may have been right, but he could have provided negative feedback online which would have ultimately hurt me. Instead, I apologized that he didn’t have the item. I shared that I had sent it, and gave him the tracking information so he could verify what I told him. I also shared the address I had been given on the off chance it was sent to wrong address. Finally I suggested that perhaps it went to a neighbors by accident or maybe someone else picked it up.

My goal was to professional and helpful. While I’d done my part in shipping the product, he had a legitimate complaint if the item hadn’t arrived. But I was able to prove I sent the item and verify that it was delivered. Instead of saying, “Its not my problem,” I sought to work with him to figure out what happened to it. As a result, I received an apologetic email from him stating that he’d been out of town and the item had been delivered to a neighbor who’d failed to give it to him.  And because I was professional and helpful, hopefully he’ll buy from me again and tell others about my business without any hesitation because he knows I provide quality customer service.

Quality customer service seems like a no-brainer. It also seems like it would be easy to provide. Why do you need a policy? The reality is that customer service can be difficult and frustrating as shown in the example above. Few customers will go out of the way to praise your service, but many will be quick to complain. And while they should complain if something has gone wrong, occasionally you’ll have complaints that are unreasonable. I once had someone ask for a refund for a product I didn’t sell.

Creating a customer service policy is crucial to your business success. Exceptional service will lead to repeat business and referrals whereas poor customer service can cost big bucks in lost revenue. Especially with the Internet where people can share their experiences …good and bad…with the rest of the web-world. So you should develop a customer service plan that includes:

1. Commitment to providing the best service possible.
2. Posted policies or terms of service that customers can read before and after making a purchase.
3. Easy access to you through email or phone to get questions answered.
4. Quick response to questions and concerns.
5. A helpful attitude even if the issue is out of your control. (That person who wanted a refund? I helped her find the right company to contact.)
6. Apologize and make restitution when you do mess up. It will happen that the mistake is yours, so own it and fix it.

Nearly two years ago I bought a new HP laptop. Within a week I had an issue. Technical support suggested that I do a reset to factory settings (UGH!). Two days later, the HP tech person called me back to see how the reset went. SHE CALLED ME! I couldn’t believe it because with most companies you can’t even get a live person on the phone (without spending extra money) much less have them call you back. So what are the odds I’ll stick with HP? Pretty good! And its all because of customer service.

Mom podcasters who produce family friendly content are encouraged to contact Mom’s Talk Radio about adding their program to the line up by sending an email to mom@momstalknetwork.com

I knew I wouldn’t be able to swing the trip to BlissDom myself – but I haven’t let that slow me down as far as enjoying the event and observing from afar.

I actually sponsored two mom bloggers who lived within driving distance to attend BlissDom.

Carrie Lauth of Natural Moms Talk Radio is representing Mom Masterminds – wearing a MM t-shirt and passing out special deal cards to everyone she sees.

Alyssa Avant of Life from my Laptop is representing Mom’s Talk Network, she’s passing out cards with a great deal for mom bloggers who sign up for the Mom’s Talk Affiliates program.

Last but not least, I’m monitoring all the great tweets coming out of the BlissDom sessions.  (I set up a search for the #BlissDom09 hashtag on my TweetDeck.)

So even though I’m not there – I’m definitely getting my bliss on

I’m sure you’ve probably signed up for all of the social media staples by now – Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, FriendFeed – but how much time are you actually spending on them?

I get a lot of emails and see a lot of tweets with links to The Next Big Thing in social media. I’ve tried out a few of them, forgotten about most of them, and eventually stick with a few favorites.

Just because “they” say social media is where its at doesn’t mean you need to be signed up for every new service nor do you have to check in with them all every hour of the day. The trick is to find a few that you enjoy and that will bring value to your business instead of sucking up all of your productive hours.

Which form of social media you use depends on the type of business you have but here are a few of the basics I recommend:

Microblogging – Twitter is definitely King when it comes to microblogging. Sure, there are other services but if you want to cast a larger net, Twitter is the place to be. There are tools you can use to get the most out of your Twitter usage, like TweetDeck and Twitterfeed. But be careful about signing up for, subscribing to or downloading every Twitter related site or service available. It doesn’t need to be that complicated.

Forums – Forums are definitely worth the investment of both time and money. My suggestion is to find one good one for each of these categories: industry-related, mastermind, and target market. Think of them as places you can get ideas, feedback, and potential customers all with the intention of expanding your business. (If you only have time for one, a mastermind group is your best bet. My favorite is Mom Masterminds.)

Sharing – If your business depends a lot on digital media like photography or music, obviously you’ll want to spend more time on places like Flickr and Last.fm than others. Otherwise, be careful about letting these suck up too much of your time. I can easily get lost in pools and playlists so I don’t log into those very often.

Networking – Everyone I know is on Facebook. Friends from high school, my kids, my cousins, girls from my single moms group. Between them all, I have about an acre of virtual plants and a collection of junk that would make Fred Sanford envious. If you’re going to use Facebook for business, limit the number of groups you join and disable applications. Better yet, focus more on networking groups that are specific to your business. There are plenty of networking groups aimed at women and you can find a group for just about every industry or niche on Ning.

News – As part of my business, I like to keep up on trends that can help both me and my clients. Places like Social Median and Twine allow you to subscribe to certain topics, bookmark articles or posts related to those topics, and share them with other users.

Note: You can also consolidate some of these services using sites like FriendFeed, chi.mp or Ping.fm which uses feeds to gather the activity from various SM sites and publishes them all on one profile.

If you’re finding it difficult to avoid getting trapped by the social media vortex, use a timer to remind you to log off or unsubscribe to those daily updates. When you work at home, there are enough distractions around even before you turn on the computer. It may take a little extra effort to eliminate things that are just begging for your attention but like with most things, moderation is the key.

April Jones is a single WAHM living in the Omaha area. She began working at home in 2007 and launched her own business in 2008. April is an Online Business Manager, providing services including blog design, copywriting, press releases, graphics and administrative duties. She can be found via her business site at Advantage Online Solutions or her WAHM blog at April Tara dot com.

I’m talking about the new Mom’s Talk Affiliates Podcast that I’ve just launched with my Affiliate Manager, Tishia Lee.  We’re doing it to equip our affiliates for success and hopefully to attract new affiliates.  Each episode is only about 15 minutes long.

This is hour it all breaks down:

• Pre-Planning: 15 Minutes (Created a quick list of questions to cover for each episode.)
• Recording: 80 Minutes (One Back to Back Session)
• Editing/Production:  60 Minutes (Removed oopsies, added music and commercials)
• Publishing: 20 Minutes (Wrote short show notes and scheduled in Wordpress)

Ok, I’ll admit that I’ve got a pretty high advantage in having hosted and produced my own podcast for over five years now – but even if you can’t get it all done in three hours, I hope you can see that you CAN start a podcast with a limited amount of time

Better yet, you can hire a great VA like Christina over at MultiMedia VA to do all the heavy lifting

Want to brainstorm some ways that a podcast can help you achieve your business goals?  I’m available!

The strategies that we will discuss today can be useful in all areas of your life.  Whether you are a business owner, a PTA President, a church leader, a wife and mom, applying these principals will allow you to achieve extraordinary success.

Before we go any further, let’s define the meaning of success.

Folks often evaluate their level of success by how much money they have in the bank.  While having money is a result of success, money is not the key factor.  According to The American Heritage Dictionary, the definition of success is “The achievement of something desired, planned, or attempted.”

So, how can you achieve something desired, planned, or attempted?

By having wise counselors, mentors, or partners.  In the Biblical book of Proverbs, Solomon is very detailed in what to look for in a partner.  By choosing the wrong partner, it can lead to frustration, despair and ultimate failure.  However, by choosing the right partner, it can lead to accelerated success and a well of life.

Together, we will briefly learn how to appoint and effectively use partners.

1. Identify your own strengths and weaknesses.  An effective partner will provide support in the areas of your weakness. They will help you to overcome where you may be lacking in education, finances and/or resources.
2. Identify the strengths and weaknesses of your partner.  If your partner is a cookie-cutter, carbon copy of yourself, then you will not achieve ultimate success because the weaknesses will remain as a kink in the chain.
3. Your partner must fully understand your visions.  Effectively communicate your dreams and visions to your partner.  When they have a clear and precise roadmap to your vision, your partner will unconditionally support you in achieving that goal or vision.  You do not have to go about it on your own.
4. Look at the character and integrity of your partner.  What are his/her ethics and morals? Do they align with yours?  A partner who cheats and steals can bring loss, humiliation and ruins.  But a partner who is honest and trustworthy will bring joy, happiness and success. “The mouth of a righteous man is a well of life.” (Prov 10:11)
5. Is your partner totally committed?  A partner who is 100% committed to the project or relationship will increase the amount of success.
6. Is the person positive or negative? Partnering with a negative person can lead to many unhappy times, defeat, and frustration.  However, a positive person will encourage and radically reduce the risk of failure whereby ensuring success.
7. What are the natural gifts and talents of your partner? Can he/she follow through on a task or idea? Are they a doer or are they a thinker?  Partners who are doer will reduce the risk of failure because they ensure success by working at it and not just thinking about it. When one labors, there is profit.

Having a partner, a counselor, or a mentor is a wise decision.

In Ecclesiastes 4:9 it says “two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labor.” So, partner with people who brings wisdom that will accelerate and ensure your success.