Why Should You Build a Fan Base?

First of all before we answer the title question, let’s answer another question. Who should build a fan base? The way I see it, any professional can benefit from building a sizable fan base. Musicians, writers, actors, and athletes discovered long ago the importance of their fans. Without them they would be nothing.

 

Other professionals such as doctors, lawyers, food truck operators, skating rink owners, and even contractors can benefit from having an active fan base. Social media is the perfect place for a business to gain popularity and fans.

 

Many business owners are behind the times when it comes to social media and the benefits connected with it. Why would a contractor even bother spending time on Facebook or Twitter? Well, for one thing, social media is free advertising. All business owners know the value of advertising. Radio, TV, and newspapers were once the only real choices an owner had. A contractor could spend just a few minutes a day putting his business out there on social media and reach customers that never knew he or she existed. Word of mouth on social media is much greater than the old word of mouth method. If one happy customer posts what a great job you did, ten more may call the next day. That one post might be the little push the new customers needed to send them in your direction. Hey, and it was free.

 

Advice for new businesses building fans or your brand; don’t promise things you can’t deliver. Don’t be too pushy, and most important be nice. People want to work with nice, honest people. If you’d like to learn more about social media, I will be blogging more about it soon. Take a minute to subscribe to my blog. I hope each of you has had a great day. See you soon…Lowell Henderson.

America: The land of turmoil and confusion

Our nation seems to be in a constant state of turmoil and confusion. Our leaders no longer care about leading; they are driven by power and greed. There are so many small petty issues bouncing back and forth that it is hard to keep track of them all. Name calling and back stabbing should not be part of this great nation’s daily agenda. I truly believe we have forgotten where we came from.

 

The Pilgrims that first settled here came in search of a place where they could worship how they wanted, live as they wanted, and just have a chance to be happy. I think if those same people could see our country now they would shake their heads in disbelief and sadness.

 

At some point in time we got away from the original values of the Pilgrims, and that is when we began our downward spiral as a nation. The early settlers had it tough, but they were so proud of what they had. They worked hard and went to bed tired every night. They built their houses from trees they cut, and they ate the food they grew and hunted. Sometimes even I forget just how easy I have things. I find myself bitching about having to drive two blocks to the store for a gallon of milk. Bet the Pilgrims wouldn’t have bitched about that.

 

So how do we turn this nation around and get back on the right track? Well it’s going to take some time to fix: it didn’t get in this shape overnight. I believe change has to start from the top. We need leaders that care to start with. We need leaders that understand they work for us. If our government has to have a total overhaul…so be it. We actually do have some very smart people running our country, but, they are just not smart enough to work together. If they can’t agree on anything then we as a nation can’t possibly improve and move forward. Remove them.

 

As we work on improving our government, there are things all us average citizens can do too. We need to learn to be nice again. When we get back to a time when we can once again wave at our neighbors as we drive down the road, we will be making progress.

 

If you share my values and enjoy my blogs, please share them. You guys have a great day. Lowell Henderson

Learning to be Successful

The more I write and work on building a steady income, the more I realize I have to learn. It seems that every week, or at least every month; I learn something new that helps me a little more. The more I challenge myself, the more I learn, the more confidence I seem to gain. It no longer feels like if I become successful, but when I become successful.

The hardest thing for many writers attempting to make a living online, or freelancing in general, is to understand that they don’t know everything. There is and always will be something new to learn. Being open minded and continuing to learn is a writer greatest tool.

In my case I am learning that I must diversify in order to reach my income goals. My blog alone isn’t enough. My You Tube channels aren’t enough. My website isn’t enough. But, as I continue to press forward and learn how to tie the different income streams together; I am finding that I have a real shot at the success I am looking for.

To me success doesn’t necessarily mean a tremendous amount of money. But the freedom allowed by money is a different matter. My idea of success is the ability to work from anywhere I choose and to spend as much time with my family as I want. This is why I persevere. My goals are to be able to set my own hours, work in areas that I enjoy, and feel like I am in control for a change. I want to be able to load my family up and take them to the beach or the mountains and continue my work without ever missing a beat.

This is why I keep an open mind, keep trying to learn, and put what I am learning into action. You guys have a great day, Lowell Henderson.
If you like my blog please subscribe so you never miss one…thank you.

What Is A Blogger?

What is a blogger? That is a question that I hear asked often. Even in this day and age of internet dependence, everyone isn’t up to speed on all of it. And that’s ok; many people have absolutely no need for the internet or anything online. I say to each his own, and live and let live.

As for blogging; to me blogging is like having your own show, but it happens to be in written form. The topics you write about are of your own choosing. The tone of your blog is set by you, and the opinions expressed are entirely yours too. A blog allows an author to share his or her side of a subject with their readers; these readers or fans sometimes number up in the millions. Bloggers sometimes do have quite an influence.

Other than expressing your feelings, why would anyone want to be a blogger? For me it helps to hone and hopefully improve my writing skills. Some bloggers blog about specific causes; this means they have found a niche and they stick with it. Niche blogging is the most successful way to earn a paycheck with your blogging. They develop large fan bases that are interested in their thoughts and opinions, and they write directly to that audience.

My blog “Just Another Day,” is more of a random type blog. If I were just in blogging for the money I would probably start over and find a more defined niche to write about. Instead, I write about the things that are either important to me at the time or that have stirred some emotion inside me. Bloggers also get to be a little more personal in their writings. Article writers are often told point blank to stick to the facts, and some employers will turn down articles if a writer gives too much of his or her own opinion. This is my blog and I’m proud to say I have never turned myself down yet. 

Whether you are a first time reader of this blog or a regular, I think the world of each of you. I hope you will click on my “Just Another Day,” link every time a new one pops up and see what I have to say. I would be even more honored if you subscribed to my blog. If you like my blog or even don’t like my blog, feel free to tell me in the comments. You guys are great, have a nice day. Lowell Henderson

PS. Hit that share button. 

Building Your Brand

“Building your brand,” is something writers have been schooled on for years now. After all, the more popular you are the more books you can sell. Now it seems that the rest of the professional world is catching on to this whole branding idea. Never before have there been so many possibilities and avenues for branding oneself. Social media is creating wealthy people every single day.

From rock stars to weathermen people are learning that social media is the best and fastest way to interact with their fans. For some a single tweet goes out to millions of fans; while others choose to use a Facebook post or a You Tube video. But, is just using social media enough, or is there a method to all this madness?

As I continue to work on my online retirement income I spend much of my time learning. Learning means growing, and growing my business and becoming self-sufficient is my main goal. Just having tons of friends on Facebook or thousands of people following you on Twitter is not enough. What separates you from any other Joe Blow on the internet is how you interact with your fans and followers. Interact being the key word of today’s blog. Simply throwing a post or tweet out every so often is not interacting in the best possible way. The most successful internet careers are those built on positive interaction.

No matter what business you work in or aspire to work in, positive interaction with your fans and followers is your best tool. Take the time to actually meet the faceless Facebook friends you have. If you only have 15 minutes a day to be on social media, use it wisely. Be nice, there is not enough time to waste any of it being negative. Some people spend a few minutes a day to a few hours a day interacting with fans and followers…and it works. Try it you have nothing to lose and everything to gain. You will also make the world a little better place for those around you. Have a nice day. Lowell Henderson

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