In the Spring and Summer issues of The Professional Quilter Gloria Hansen took a look at the phenomenon of social networking, specifically Facebook and Twitter. While we think of social networking as relatively new, it had its start in 1997 with SixDegrees.com, though the site is no longer active.

Today social networking lets you make connections that you would not otherwise make. I’ve connected with high school friends and flames, new friends who share similar interests besides quilting, and quilting associates. And, social networking is a good thing for business. It lets your customers and clients get to know you on a more personal level. I’ve heard it said that before someone buys from you, they need to know, like and trust you. Social networking lets them do that.

Here are six tips to help you take advantage of social networking:

1. Quality of your connections, not quantity, is your goal according to Gloria. You don’t have to “friend” everyone. You want to enhance your opportunities rather than get bogged down in lots of non-relevant chit-chat.

2. Learn how to fine tune the information you receive. Spend time learning how to use Facebook so that, for example, you don’t get spend unnecessary time reading news feeds that aren’t news. You can do this in the Settings, News Feed section of Facebook. Facebook also has a help section.

3. Facebook lets you post photos. Take advantage of this by posting photos of yourself teaching, lecturing, working at the longarm, attending a gallery opening with your work. Pictures speak louder than words.

4. Give more than you get with your posts. Share your expertise so that you can to help other people. This comes back to you in so many more ways than you can count. Zig Ziglar says, “You can have everything in life you want, if you’ll just help enough other people get what they want.”

5. Look for ways to integrate the technologies. For example, if you tweet (the action of posting to Twitter) about being at a gallery opening, post a link to your blog where you have uploaded pictures of you and your quilts at the gallery.

6. Use timesaving applications, such as TweetDeck and Twhirl. I like Ping.fm that lets me post to both Facebook and Twitter at the same time.

7. Remember that Facebook, Twitter and other social networking sites don’t eliminate the need for a Web site and/or blog. Be sure to keep your Web site active and post to your blog. Each tool has a purpose, so develop a strategy for using them all.

Remember it’s all about making connections, and you never know when that connection might turn into a wonderful opportunity.

The Professional Quilter always includes an article that is technology focused to help you grow your quilt business. You can learn more from Gloria Hansen’s articles on using Facebook in Issue 107 and Twitter in Issue 108. If your subscription is not current and you need to renew, or you want to start a new subscription, here’s a link to our order page

Business can sometimes be a bit slower in the summer. I like to take advantage of the slower pace and the warmer weather to relax more outside while I’m planning marketing activities.

One idea for marketing that Sue Moats covered in her Longarm Forum in the Spring issue of The Professional Quilter is perfect for the slower-paced summer. She looked at holding an open house as a way to market your longarm business. While many people like to hold the open house at a holiday time, I think summer is perfect. It’s less hectic, your customers might be more relaxed and eager to start a top and conflicts are probably fewer. Sue interviewed several quilters who found open houses to be a successful way to market their businesses. If you’d like to give it a try, here’s a checklist to get you started:

• Select dates, hours
• Solicit help if needed
• Check on insurance
• Decide on any incentives/coupons
• Advertise and/or send invitations
• Arrange for refreshments
• Prepare machine and studio for visitors
• Put out guest book to collect names and contact info
• Have adequate supply of business cards/flyers
• Take care of any needed follow-up.

If you plan an open house for the summer, be sure to let me know how it goes.

You can read Sue’s complete article in Issue 107 of The Professional Quilter. If your subscription is not current and you need to renew, or you want to start a new subscription, here’s a link to our Order Page.

Join us in the PQ Café on Thursday, June 11, for our class “Use Video to Promote Your Business” with award-winning quilter Bonnie McCaffery. Bonnie’s latest venture is creating videos for the quilt world. In addition to her free VidCasts on her Web site, Bonnie produces DVDs for quilters to use to promote their classes and product lines.

The teleclass is scheduled for Thursday, June 11 at 8 pm, Eastern Standard Time. Registration includes both the teleclass and the MP3 downloadable recording, so if you can’t come to the class, you’ll get the recording to listen to at a time that works for you. Here are details.

Hope to see you then. And, if you have concerns you want me to be sure to cover, just drop me an e-mail, and I’ll try to fit them in.

As professionals, networking is key to helping your business grow. I’ve found it immensely important and belong to several groups of varying sizes. Many of us belong to a quilt guild filled with both professionals and everyday quilters. This type of group is valuable for the leads it might generate, as well as the inspiration we get each month.

Beyond this, though, we need to find groups of like-minded professionals. This could be a group of longarm quilters or art quilters who appreciate each others’ businesses on a deeper level and can offer support and guidance. These groups can be locally based or regional groups of larger organizations, such as the local SAQA chapters. I recently attended the local longarm networking group as a guest, and I regularly attend meetings of the Mason-Dixon Quilt Professionals Network. We all share information and experiences and learn from each other.

On an even smaller level is your mastermind group, a gathering of two or more people who help each other focus on goals, provide support and encourage each other to stretch, both personally and professionally. I belong to a very small group; it’s just two of us. My mastermind partner is a quilter, though that is not her business; it’s just a nice coincidence. We used to meet informally for tea periodically and found that we were sharing marketing and business ideas for our respective businesses. At some point last year we decided to make our meetings more formal, and our group has evolved over time. The mastermind works with the idea that two or more heads are better than one and that really big things can happen when you bounce ideas off each other. I’ve become more focused in my approach, and I know some of my business growth could be attributed to this. I also like the accountability this requires: Are my actions taking me closer to my goals? Am I meeting my goal deadlines? And, it’s great to have an extra cheerleader for my successes.

The Professional Quilter has had several articles over the years on networking. The most recent is “Networking: In Praise of Small Groups” by Mary Kerr in Issue 100. Mary is in a mastermind group with two other quilters and shares their experiences.

If you want to set up your own mastermind group, here are some tips:

1. Keep it small. Our group is just two, though we have talked about adding people. Anything up to six is workable.

2. Determine your goals, personally and for your group. When we started our mastermind group, I was first to share where I was in my business and what my goals were. I have that as a backdrop to my actions. I like to think of this as my annual goal setting meeting. We also outlined what we wanted the mastermind to accomplish for us as a group; this continues to evolve.

3. Meet regularly. We talk on the phone once a week sharing our successes, challenges and our agenda/goals for the rest of the week. We limit this to half an hour. We also e-mail once a week, closing the loop on what we discussed earlier in the week. This helps each of us stay on track and lets the other know if we have challenges to work through.

4. Treat the mastermind group seriously. It’s not a coffee klatsch or social gathering. The more serious you are about this group, the more each of you has to gain.

5. Hold each other accountable. Ask: “Does that get you closer to your goal?” “When will you get this done?” Verbalizing your intention really does help me.

I’d love to hear from anyone who is in a small mastermind group. Please share by commenting right here.

I’m giving my lecture “Boost Your Business With Internet Marketing” on May 14 at International Quilt Market in Pittsburgh. We are introducing a new Internet marketing product and have created a special on that product just for lecture attendees. We’ll also have a few other show specials in the booth. We’re in Booth 1524. Here’s a link for more information:  International Quilt Festival.

I’m giving my lecture “Boost Your Quilt Business With Internet Marketing” on May 14 at International Quilt Market in Pittsburgh. We also have a booth – No. 1524. Here’s a link for more information: International Quilt Festival. I’ll look for you there.  Be sure to stop by!

Defining your product is key to creating a good marketing plan. To define your product, you consider both its features and its benefits. One of the keys to marketing is to sell the benefits not the features. How do you know the difference?

Features characterize the product; benefits are why we buy the product. Features are easy to describe. Examples could include size, color, design, hours of business, fabric content, years of business experience.

Benefits are more difficult to define. They do, however, answer your customer’s question, “What’s in it for me?” When you buy products, you don’t buy because of a feature; you buy because of a benefit. Benefit is the value attributed to the feature of the product; in other words, it’s the result of the feature. Benefits are not as easy to describe and are often intangible. The most compelling benefits are those that deliver emotional or financial rewards. Emotional rewards let the buyer feel good. Examples could be shopping at an online retailer who donates a percentage of your purchase to a charity you choose or sending a quilt to someone to let you express love. Products that offer financial rewards usually save time or money, offer convenience or make you money.

How do you determine the benefits of your product or service? Start by knowing who your customers are and then look at your product from their point of view. Who are your customers? Are they baby boomers with expendable income? Are they Gen Xers? Are they teens and tweens? Are they working mothers with little free time? You might be trying to reach a variety of groups and need to consider benefits for each of them. Consider also who has purchased your product or service in the past. What does your customer profile tell you about your product? For example, do you sell your product to customers who might be retired and have extra time for long-range projects? Do you sell your product to working mothers who want something quick and easy? Do most of your store’s customers shop after 5 p.m. and on weekends? Ask your customers to help identify your product’s benefits. You could do this informally or with a survey. Your customers might even identify benefits you didn’t consider.

Developing your benefits statement is an ongoing process. As you continue to market your product, be aware of additional benefits. You might ask your customers for suggestions to your product or service. Pay attention to complaints or unsolicited comments about your product. Also, consider what your competition is doing. Additionally, consider how you’ll package your product. You might find a benefit there.

Once you’ve established your benefits statements, you will be able to describe your products in ways that are important to your customer. You will do this in all aspects of promotion, whether that is in creating your marketing collateral, advertising your product, writing articles or speaking one-on-one to customers about your product. You will also be able to differentiate your product from that of your competitors. You will be able to provide a benefit to your customers that your competition cannot. Now you’re on your way to a successful marketing strategy.

The Professional Quilter includes articles to help you grow your quilt business. If your subscription is not current and you need to renew, or you want to start a new subscription, here’s a link to our order page