Welborn Media’s Top 10 Moments of 2016

Lacey and her brother Zeb Welborn founded Welborn Media. She has designed and launched websites, several projects, marketing materials, a podcast, a book and more. Her passions include her family, her friends, creating things and helping businesses grow.
Latest posts by Lacey Welborn (see all)

At our end of year meeting each year we go over a lot of material, make a lot of plans, and do a lot of business stuff. But, we also make a point to look back over the previous year and celebrate our victories.

We have come a long way since we started in 2010. Here is our Top 10 of 2016.

Top 10 of 2016

10. Share Your Passion Scholarships

Since starting the Share Your Passion Scholarships in 2012, we’ve awarded scholarships to several deserving students.We have kept in contact with many scholarship winners and are still inspired by them. They continue to work towards following their passions and helping better the lives of others.This year we awarded Share Your Passion Scholarships and gave out a 2016 Student of the Year Scholarship Award to one of the hardest working students at The Tutoring Solution.Mena Mekhaeel was our 2016 Student of the Year Scholarship Winner
9. Speaking Gigs

Zeb held a number of speaking/education sessions this year. Some were hosted by San Bernardino County Workforce Development, Inland Empire Small Business Development Center, Loma Linda Chamber of Commerce, and Chino Valley Chamber of Commerce.The San Bernardino County Workforce Development Board and the Inland Empire Small Business Development Center have asked Zeb to come back for a series of workshops in 2017.
8. Moderated Chino Valley City Council Debates

Zeb Welborn moderated the Chino and Chino Hills’ Community Forums. It was a memorable experience in a year where politics were at the forefront of everyone’s mind.
7. New Clients

This year we met many people who are passionate about that they do and we were able to work with many of them on their internet presence.Our new clients this year include Eye Eco, CORE Real Estate, San Bernardino County Workforce Development Board, Fairway Mortgage, Tony’s Truck Shades, Intensity Security US and OoMaLoo Dog Toys.We also got the chance to work with Monte Vista Farms, ABC Public Relations, Delicate Smiles, TXD International, Inland Caregiver Resource Center, DLT Growers and Elite Dental Associates through an awesome program with a business boosting organization, DI Solutions, in the Inland Empire.
6. Business Growth

In our 5th year of business, we have consistently grown our business by 50% year over year. It’s something we are extremely proud of and have no signs of slowing down. It’s amazing what we’ve been able to create in just five years.
5. Volunteer Opportunities

This year Zeb was able to participate in some awesome and memorable volunteer opportunities with the Chino Rotary Club. In October, Zeb met with fellow Rotarians to build a home in Tecate, Mexico. In December Zeb helped build the Rotary float for the Rose Bowl Parade with friends and fellow Rotarians.Zeb also hosted the Southern California Charity Golf Classic again in 2017 raising more than $12,000 for local charities.
4. Business Workshop with the San Bernardino County Workshop Development Board

Earlier this year we received a government contract to work with the San Bernardino County Workforce Development Board to design, implement and promote local online marketing workshops.These workshops are held throughout San Bernardino County to support business growth. We’ve already worked with over 100 different business owners through the San Bernardino Country Workforce Development Board and are excited that they’ve renewed our agreement for 2017.Our workshops in the first part of this year will be:

  • Best Strategies for Blogging Success
  • Email Marketing to Get the Sale
  • Create a Winning Internet Marketing Game Plan for Your Business
  • Get Immediate Business Results with Pay-Per-Click Campaigns
  • The Right Way to Market Your Business on Facebook

If you’d like to attend any of these workshops, reply to this email so I can make sure to let you know when they’re officially scheduled. These workshops fill up early.

3. Chairman of the Board – Chino Valley Chamber of Commerce

Zeb Welborn finished his term as Chairman of the Board of the Chino Valley Chamber of Commerce and passed the torch to fellow chamber member and friend Belinda Douglas. As chairman of the board Zeb’s mission was to be of service to the Chino Valley Business Community.He identified five things he wanted to accomplish during his term. Find out if he did them and read his Outgoing Chairman’s Message – Outgoing Chairman’s Message: Thank You!
2. Testimonials

We love hearing great things about the work we’re doing for our clients. This year we received several glowing testimonials about the work we do.We consider ourselves very fortunate to work with so many wonderful people and it’s an unbelievable feeling to know they feel the same way.
1. Rotary President-Elect

Zeb is the current President-Elect for the Chino Rotary Club and will take over on July 1, 2017.The Chino Rotary Club has been around for more than 90 years servicing the Chino Valley community.Zeb plans to continue that mission and has devoted the 2017 year to helping the Chino Valley Community.The Chino Rotary Club meets every Wednesday at noon at the Chino Community Building for lunch and to work to do good things for our community and world. If you’re interested in joining the Rotary or learning more let us know!

We are so fortunate to be able to do work that we love with people who are passionate and interesting. We hope you all had a Merry Christmas and will have a happy new year. We are so looking forward to 2017.

At the end of another amazing year we want to say Thank You!

We will be sending out monthly emails and videos with tips and tactics on how to market your business better in 2017.

Our first emails will be the Best Strategies for Blogging Success and the Do’s and Don’ts of Facebook Marketing.

Sign up for our email list in 2017 to keep tabs on the growth of our business and learn new ways you can help to grow yours.

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Welborn Media’s Top Ten List of 2015

Lacey and her brother Zeb Welborn founded Welborn Media. She has designed and launched websites, several projects, marketing materials, a podcast, a book and more. Her passions include her family, her friends, creating things and helping businesses grow.
Latest posts by Lacey Welborn (see all)

At the end of the year, the Welborn Media team gets together to reflect on our successes and failures throughout the year. This meeting gives us an opportunity to fine-tune our direction and set new goals for the upcoming year.  These are the Top 10 things we accomplished in 2015.

Top 10 of 2015

10. Share Your Passion Scholarships

scholarshipsSince starting the Share Your Passion Scholarships in 2012, we’ve awarded scholarships to 17 deserving students. We have kept in contact with many scholarship winners and are still inspired by them. They continue to work towards following their passions and helping better the lives of others. This year we awarded 3 Share Your Passion Scholarships and gave out our first Student of the Year Scholarship Award to one of the hardest working students at The Tutoring Solution.

9. TV Appearance

11080661_10206382881436017_7712058961091484299_oZeb appeared on the Golf Life Video Channel for Fox Sports WEST. It was pretty darn cool to get on television.

8. Joined the Rotary Club

10984121_10154042856538840_6714998264776580589_nZeb was inducted into the Chino Rotary Club by Melinda Robbins, Dale Bright, and Steven Bremer. The Chino Rotary Club has been serving the Chino Valley since 1925. San Bernardino County Supervisor Curt Hagman spoke and my wife, Cindy, mom, Annie, and dad, Larry were all in attendance.

7. Speaking Engagements

zeb-speaking zeb-at-NGCOAOne of the things we enjoy most is educating others on growing their business. This year Zeb spoke with the San Bernardino County Workforce Investment Board, the Inland Empire Small Business Development Center, the Chino Valley Chamber of Commerce, Baldy View ROP, Small Business Summit, the California Golf Course Owners Association and the Golf Inc. Summit.

Topics for Zeb’s Speaking Engagements were:

  • Internet Marketing Strategies
  • Marketing with Facebook
  • How to Turn Your Business Into a Social Business
  • Marketing with LinkedIn
  • Marketing with Twitter
  • Social Media for Golf Courses
  • Innovative Marketing Tactics for Public Courses

6. #GolfChat

At the beginning of this year Zeb started #GolfChat. #GolfChat is a Twitter chat which happens every Tuesday at 5PM PST where some of the greatest minds in the golf industry come together to talk golf. #GolfChat has grown drastically since the beginning of the year and is a trending topic on Twitter every Tuesday. We’ve met so many amazing and passionate people working to grow golf.  A highlight of #GolfChat in 2015 was when professional golfer, Natalie Gulbis surprised #GolfChatters by giving away free tickets to the U.S. Open at Chambers Bay Golf Course.

5. Awards and Accolades

Screen Shot 2015-12-29 at 11.10.01 AMIt’s always nice to be recognized for the hard work you do. This year we were extremely grateful to receive a few unexpected awards:

4. Southern California Charity Golf Classic

11207321_10101061535855630_6436920246785791462_nWe hosted the 1st Annual Southern California Charity Golf Classic to raise money for several worthy charities on July 17 at Los Serranos Country Club.

With help from many in our community, the tournament helped raise $7,597.81 for charity.

We distributed the money to several charities including: Bark for Life, Boys Republic, California Scholastic Press Association, Chino Rotary, Corona Firefighters Benevolent Fund, House of Ruth, The Let It Be Foundation, Salvation Army, Share Your Passion Scholarship, and the Wounded Warrior Project.

We had such a great time with this, we’re planning on running it again in 2016!

3. Chairman of the Board at the Chino Valley Chamber of Commerce

11755429_1665688123649805_2385826912900505227_nOn July 27, Zeb was installed as Chairman of the Board for the Chino Valley Chamber of Commerce.

Becoming the Chairman of the Board has given Zeb an opportunity to help make local business owners more successful.

During his term of office, he set five goals to work towards in 2015/2016:

  • connect and work with other local business-related organizations
  • collaborate more with organizations that work to educate business owners
  • encourage and promote the involvement of young business owners in our community
  • enhance our use of technology
  • focus more on giving back

2. Lacey Gets Married

11934520_10101096973568170_4628964527126702956_o10339951_10208018878287700_1976316121632257612_nIn August this year Lacey got married to Ryan Bernholtz at a fun wedding in Santa Ana, CA.

In June, Lacey’s twin brother, Rocky married Megan Hutchinson at a beautiful wedding in Corona, CA.

Truly a notable year for the Welborn Family and there was another addition to family this year…

#1. Birth of Sebastian Welborn-De La Torre

monsterbashSebastian Welborn-De La Torre was born on Friday, November 13th at 9:52pm in Ontario at 8 pounds, 9 ounces.

Sebastian is a happy, healthy, and super cute baby.

Zeb says it’s awesome being a dad.


 

Thank you all for everything!  We hope you all have an amazing 2016.

Sign up for our email list to become a part of Welborn Media in 2016 – http://eepurl.com/snLLH

Do You Have an Entrepreneurial Mindset or an Employee Mindset?

The owner of Welborn Social Media and the founder of The Tutoring Solution.My goal is to help business owners share the passion they have for their business with as many potential customers as possible.By helping passionate people achieve their dreams I am helping to create a society of passionate leaders that will help inspire others to make their dreams a reality.

Charlotte Clary and Beverly Vines-Haines were two grandmas who started close to thirty different businesses which all ended up failing . .  until they hit it big with Ice Chips Candy.  The world was introduced to Charlotte and Beverly when they were featured as the entrepreneurs who invented Ice Chips Candy on ABC’s hit TV show, Shark Tank.  

Beverly Vines-Haines, Charlotte Clary and Ice Chips Candy.  An Entrepreneurial Mindset.

Beverly Vines-Haines, Charlotte Clary and Ice Chips Candy

If you talk to many business owners, many of them will say, “I am unemployable.”  The reason for that is that these people who are entrepreneurial have figured out a way to make a living without becoming an employee.  They then use their time to work, and work, and work to create and test new ideas until they find the idea that will lead to their ultimate success.  Some people become successful on their first business, but most business owners who have become successful have started numerous ventures until they hit the one that makes them a success.  

The Tutoring Solution | Chino Hills, Chino, Corona, Norco, Eastvale, Southern California

The Tutoring Solution

My first business is The Tutoring Solution.  We are a local tutoring company that serves Chino, Chino Hills, Corona, Eastvale and numerous other cities in Southern California.  I learned the skills I needed to create a successful business by building and growing The Tutoring Solution.  I still own The Tutoring Solution and hired my then girlfriend and now wife, Cynthia De La Torre to become the director of the business and to manage it.  The skills I learned while building the tutoring business directly led me to starting Welborn Media, devoted toward helping passionate business owners use the Internet to become more successful.  Welborn Media has even grown to expand to include 19th Hole Media and the Defining Success Podcast.  I have been bitten by the entrepreneurial bug and now I’m honing and growing my craft . . . working to make my business more successful every day.

A great example of someone who has an entrepreneurial mindset is my father-in-law who owns his own agricultural business. He grew up in Mexico and as a young boy of probably five years old, he would work to sell gum on street corners . . . his first taste of entrepreneurship.  When he came to America, he got a job at a young age in the agricultural business where he learned and cultivated his craft.  Others saw him as someone with a strong work ethic and someone who achieved results.  As a result, he was given more responsibilities and more pay until he was able to afford to purchase a piece of land where he could grow and sell ground cover at his business, DLT Growers.  His entrepreneurial mindset led him down the path towards a career in entrepreneurship and he’s constantly thinking of new ideas and new ways to grow and expand his business and even create new opportunities for others.

DLT Growers sells ground cover in Southern California

DLT Growers

Charlotte Clary and Beverly Vines-Haines are two of my favorite entrepreneurs.  For those of you that are unfamiliar with Ice Chips Candy, they are natural mints which are broken up into uneven pieces.  The way they explained it on Shark Tank, they painted the picture that they created this product in their garage and were breaking up these pieces by hand with a hammer in their home.  It’s a visual which always reminds me that becoming successful takes hard work, discipline and a willingness to get your hands dirty.  Charlotte and Beverly are a great example of entrepreneurs who fought and fought and fought until they hit it big.

There is a big difference between entrepreneurs and employees . . . the most important being in their mindset.

An entrepreneurial mindset is being someone who is constantly willing to make mistakes, learn from them and grow as a result. They are continually leaving their comfort zone, and experimenting with trial and error.  Most employees, I’ve found, are in the mindset of avoiding mistakes.  Employees who make mistakes are typically reprimanded for doing so and thus they lose some of their creativity in the process.  An entrepreneur is constantly making mistakes, failing at things and learning from them.

2013 Chino Hills Business of The Year | Welborn Social Media

Lacey and her brother Zeb Welborn founded Welborn Media. She has designed and launched websites, several projects, marketing materials, a podcast, a book and more. Her passions include her family, her friends, creating things and helping businesses grow.
Latest posts by Lacey Welborn (see all)

Welborn Social Media named the 2013 Chino Hills Business of the Year by the Chino Valley Chamber of Commerce!

Last Friday night, June 28, I went to the 2013 Installation & Awards Dinner for the Chino Valley Chamber of Commerce. I was already looking forward to the evening because it would be my first event as a member of the Chino Valley Chamber Board of Directors, but I had no idea how amazing I would feel at the end of the night.

Chino Valley Chamber of Commerce 2013 Chino Valley Chamber of Commerce Business of the Year Award Presented to the Chino Valley Chamber of Commerce

2013 Chino Business of the Year Award

While at the Planes of Fame Museum in Chino for the event I thought back over the last few years.

My sister, Lacey and I founded Welborn Social Media in 2011 while we were both living at our parents house. Before that I was running my Chino Valley tutoring company, The Tutoring Solution. It was there that I encountered business owners and found they were not what I expected (greedy and self-interested people who only care about money). Instead they were people who loved what they did and were simply trying to help others.

Before that, as an educator, I felt discouraged at the lack of drive and motivation in my students. My mind began forming a theory that our societal problems stem from a lack of passion and excitement in a person’s professional life.

Our goal at Welborn Media has been shaped by these experiences. We want to help business owners who are passionate and love what they do. Why? Because, if we can help them be successful more people will try to emulate them. In our opinion, the world will be a better place if there are more people who love what they do, are good at it, and are willing to help others.

Joining the Chino Valley Chamber of Commerce in January, 2012 was an easy choice: it aligned with our mission.  Through the Chamber, Lacey and I have met some phenomenal people . . . all hard-working and all willing to help others.

Since then we have developed some strong relationships. We have been managing the Chino Valley Chamber of Commerce Facebook page and have worked with friends of the Chino Valley Chamber of Commerce: Rodell & Company, ABC Services, Alba Moesser, Los Serranos Country Club, Gotcha Covered, Beltone Hearing Aids, and Kardar Insurance.

At the end of 2012, the Chino Valley Chamber of Commerce selected us to build their new website which was completed a few months ago. We have received so many complements on the new website. I know they are happy they chose us for the project.

When we decided to become a part of the Chino Valley Chamber of Commerce we knew it would allow us to help businesses in our community grow. If we can help our passionate local business owners use the Internet more effectively then the people and businesses in our area will thrive. We want to introduce local businesses to the online opportunities available to them, and show them how they can maximize their efforts by developing a strong online presence for their business.

At the end of the Installation & Awards dinner the final award of the night went to the 2013 Business of the Year. Debbie Mitsch, the newly sworn in president, began, “This business started in 2011 and is very big in the social media world…” She announced “Welborn Social Media” as the 2013 Chino Hills Business of the Year. I was shocked.

There are so many successful, vibrant businesses… it is truly an honor. We are so very thankful the Chino Valley Chamber of Commerce feels we were worthy of such an award.

My sister and I still have a lot of work to do to turn Welborn Media into the company we both know it can be. It’s a tremendous feeling to have others recognize the efforts and strides we have made as well as see the potential we have.

It’s amazing to see how supportive others in our community have been to us and how quickly our business has grown. Thank you to every person who had a hand in our selection as the 2013 Chino Hills Business of the Year.

Thank You!

Zeb Welborn

2013 Share Your Passion Scholarship

The owner of Welborn Social Media and the founder of The Tutoring Solution.My goal is to help business owners share the passion they have for their business with as many potential customers as possible.By helping passionate people achieve their dreams I am helping to create a society of passionate leaders that will help inspire others to make their dreams a reality.

The deadline, June 14, 2013,  for our annual Share Your Passion Scholarship is quickly approaching.  We’ve already given $100 scholarships to Alexandra Robledo at Norco High School in Norco, CA and Kevin San Juan from Roosevelt High School in Eastvale, CA.

This years top prize is the $250 Share Your Passion Scholarship to the individual who responds the best to the following prompt:

What are you passionate about? Why are you passionate about it?  How do you plan on using your passion to help others?

We will also follow up the $250 scholarship with a scholarship offered to all students who entered through our Facebook page to see who can get the most votes.  The essay with the most votes will win the 2013 Share Your Passion Facebook Scholarship.

The scholarship came about because of our passion in education and our desire to see more students use their passions to help others.  It is with that in mind that we collaborated with The Tutoring Solution in Eastvale, Norco and cities across Southern California to offer this scholarship.

To enter or find out more, please visit our 2013 Share Your Passion Scholarship Contest page.

2013 Share Your Passion Scholarship

2013 Share Your Passion Scholarship

 

27 Tips on How to Build a Vibrant Twitter Community

The owner of Welborn Social Media and the founder of The Tutoring Solution.My goal is to help business owners share the passion they have for their business with as many potential customers as possible.By helping passionate people achieve their dreams I am helping to create a society of passionate leaders that will help inspire others to make their dreams a reality.

@WelbornMedia

Building a Twitter community is the most important skill to develop when starting a Twitter campaign.  Fortunately, building a strong Twitter community is easy to do.  Follow these steps and you’ll be on your way to establishing a thriving Twitter community:

  1. Tweet, Tweet Often and Tweet with a Purpose – Before you start your Twitter campaign begin by thinking of your purpose . . . or generate a mission statement.  Our mission statement is to help business owners share their passion with others.  We work with passionate business owners to help them increase their exposure, build their businesses and become positive examples for their communities.  Every tweet we send out is aligned with our goal of helping business owners become successful.  You won’t see tweets from us about what we had for dinner or our plans for the weekend.  Be true to your mission, tweet, and tweet often.  The more active you are on Twitter the faster your community will grow.
  2. Provide Value – Everyone says you need to provide value, but I never really understood what that meant.  Value is an ambiguous term, but it still applies.  My understanding of value is offering something to someone else that is a genuine effort to improve their lives.  Many people online, and on Twitter post what I call, “look at me articles.”  The greatest way to give value and create a more enthusiastic community is to genuinely try to help others.  It helps by addressing specific people’s issues and concerns and then sharing those issues with others.
  3. Actively Listen – The coolest thing about Twitter in my opinion is the search feature, type in any word into the bar at the top of the Twitter page and every single tweet that had that term in it will show up.  This provides marketers with an amazing opportunity to reach out to people who are actively communicating on Twitter.  For our clients we actively look for users who are communicating about their product or service and we reach out to them . . . we listen to them and we alter our strategies based off of their responses.  Listen actively and you will have a more engaged community.
  4. Don’t Sell – Don’t post “Look at Me” articles . . . most people get on Twitter and constantly post tweets that sell . . . buy this or buy that.  Do that and be sure to create a non-existent Twitter community.  No one wants to constantly be sold to.  So, don’t sell . . . be helpful and sales will come.  Use Twitter as a way to generate relationships first . . . trust second . . . a whole bunch of other things between and sales last.
  5. Follow Others – Follow others who post tweets that resonate with you and engage with them.  The more you engage others, the more likely they are to engage with you.
  6. Use Your Face as Your Profile Pic – People connect more to other people so be sure to use a profile picture that shows your face and preferrably a happy face at that.  We personally use a logo for our business twitter account, @WelbornMedia, but I usually connect with more people using my personal Twitter account, @ZebWelborn which has a picture of my beautiful face.  It always feels nicer to know who your talking to and easier for people to develop an emotional connection with you . . . thus making your community stronger.
  7. Look at Other Peoples Lists.  Once you find people to connect with and people who you enjoy communicating with, check out the lists they’ve created.  Chances are there will be more people like them that share their passions and interests and you can connect with them thus building your Twitter community.
  8. Jump into Conversations – Don’t be afraid to get your feet wet.  Conversations are happending all over Twitter all the time.  Twitter chats are a great way to get involved.  But, most importantly, don’t be afraid to respond to people . . . most people love getting responses to their tweets, so don’t be shy and meet more people.
  9. Followers Don’t Matter.  Active Followers Do. – The amount of people following you will not matter when it comes to making sales . . . the amount of engaged followers will.  There are tons of automatic following programs and Twitter has a large amount of users who don’t use the service on a regular basis, meaning a follower who is no longer using Twitter is no longer seeing your Tweets.  Building an engaged following is much more important than building numbers.  Don’t be obsessed with numbers, be obsessed with relationships.
  10. Be Consistent – I heard an analogy once that being a Twitter user is like being a farmer.  Few people have the patience to be a farmer, to plant the seeds, to tend to the plants all year long and then to harvest the plants at the end of the season.  A farmer can’t be absent during the process . . . if he does not tend to his crops, his crops will die before it’s time to harvest.  Twitter is the same way . . . You plant seeds by initiating conversations with different people.  You cultivate those relationships on a regular consistent basis and, then, and only then will you harvest the fruits of your labor.  If you ignore your crops they die.  If you ignore your Twitter followers they will not become your customers.
  11. The Tutoring Solution – http://www.thecatutoringsolution.com/

    Share Stuff – As the owner of The Tutoring Solution, our mission was to help inspire students to become successful in and out of the classroom.  To develop connections with other groups similar to ours we began sharing messages from other members of the #EdChat group, as a result they learned about our programs and our goals and began sharing our stuff.  We then, worked together to promote our missions and our community grew.

  12. Use directories like Twellow, Twubble, Twits Like Me, etc.  There are numerous Twitter directories that has influential Twitter users in your field, you can then use those directories to follow people who share your interests and in turn may follow you.  At the least you’ll see what influential people are doing to make an impact in your community.
  13. Follow those who follow you.  If someone follows you and they’re an active Twitter user, follow them back . . . not only should you follow them, but you should also reach out to them and thank them for following you.  I feel honored every time someone new follows me and I want to make sure my Twitter users know how honored I truly am.
  14. Develop a Strong Bio – Often times, Twitter users will check out your Twitter bio to see if you’re someone they would like to follow.  Be sure your Twitter bio is compelling and lets Twitter users know exactly what kind of person you are and what kind of relationship you will be creating with them.  Optimize your Twitter account . . . be sure to include target keywords, links to your website, add your location and give users a reason to follow you.
  15. Use a Strong Brand Name – Your name is important.  Use your own personal name, a name that goes with your brand, and one that Twitter users will want to connect with.
  16. Create Lists – You can create lists on Twitter which will help you when you start to follow too many people to keep track of.  I’m involved in many Twitter discussions:  SEO, Google AdWords, Social Media, and Education just to name a few.  By putting your followers into groups you can then jump into their discussions by accessing the list you have created for each group.
  17. Introduce People to Your Followers – As you communicate with people its important to share them with others.  If you know two people who share the same passion, connect them with each other.  Twitter is all about building relationships . . . Help people build relationships and they will help you build your community.
  18. Follow People from Different Niches – Everyone has their area of expertise, but that doesn’t mean you need to limit the users you follow.  If I only engaged in discussions with people who associated themselves with “Social Media,” I would be missing out on the potential to connect with new customers.  As a result, I look for niches where my services could either be used or easily referred by and connect with people there.
  19. Reciprocate – If someone does something nice for you . . . return the favor.
  20. Try to Connect with Twitter Friends Offline – While working for Los Serranos Country Club, I am frequently trying to connect with golfers offline.  Often, they will tell me they are headed to the golf course and I will connect with them.  This gives me an opportunity to meet them and get a face to the name, but it also enhances the bond we have with each other and the golf course.  I’ve always told businesses that one of the benefits of attracting people that use social media is that they have access to much more people, the people who I have met at the golf course have sent positive messages about Los Serranos Country Club to their lists of friends on Twitter, Facebook, through email and in person.  If you can build those connections you’re on the right track.  Check out this video of a user we connected with offline from our social media campaign – Louis Castillo on Golf at Los Serranos Country Club in Chino Hills.
  21. Build Up.  Don’t Put Down. – Nobody likes a bully.  Being negative and angry is not conducive towards building a strong community.  Everyone loves people who make them feel good about themselves.  Be a person who makes people feel good and your community will grow.
  22. Use Twitter Tools – There are enormous amounts of Twitter tools you can use to  help manage your Twitter account(s).  Do online searches or ask other Twitter users how Twitter tools have helped them.  I’ve personally used HootSuite, TweetDeck, TweetAdder and TweetChat at different times to help me manage my Twitter accounts, but there are lots more.
  23. Learn the Lingo – Do you know what DM, @, RT, MT,  Tweet, Tw, # mean?  Ask the people on Twitter and they’ll tell you.  (I can’t tell you everything)
  24. Pay Attention to @ Replies – (Ok, I’ll tell you this one)  @ Replies are when people mention you directly in a tweet.  Respond to all @ replies in order to generate a discussion and build a stronger relationship.  @ replies is where I spend most of my time on Twitter . . . when you build a big enough community you will spend most of your time there too.
  25. Add Your Twitter ID to All Signatures – As with anything you’re using, be sure to let as many people know you’re using Twitter as possible.  This means including it in any documentation you may have, in your email signatures, on your Facebook page and anywhere else you can think of.
  26. Read the Bios of Those You Follow – You can develop an understanding of what makes people tick by reading their profiles and then develop more meanginful relationships as a result . . . the more you care about their interests, the more they will care about yours.
  27. Know Who the Players Are – Know who the leaders are in your industry on Twitter . . . Follow them, learn from them and try to connect with them.  By reaching out to people who are perceived as the experts in an industry you are associating yourself with the experts . . . and who knows . . . if you follow all these steps you may become the expert yourself.
  28. Get a Personality – Get creative with your tweets . . . the more creative you are, the more you’ll stand out and the more people will want to follow you.

    Scrapbook Expo Tweet

The most important thing to remember when building a vibrant Twitter community is that it takes time and effort.  You must work at it, but that is what makes social media so amazing . . . the small business owners have the same opportunity for success as the big guys and in some cases, when done right, can outshine the largest of competitors.

I am always happy to educate anyone who is interested in learning more about how you can use Twitter, Social Media or the Internet to reach more customers . . . If you would like me to discuss how Twitter can benefit you or your business, please send me an email – Zeb@WelbornSocialMedia.com or call me at (909) 973 – 9089.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Share Your Passion. Grow Your Business.

The owner of Welborn Social Media and the founder of The Tutoring Solution.My goal is to help business owners share the passion they have for their business with as many potential customers as possible.By helping passionate people achieve their dreams I am helping to create a society of passionate leaders that will help inspire others to make their dreams a reality.

As an owner of both The Tutoring Solution and Welborn Social Media I have been committed to helping others achieve their goals.  Our motto, “Share Your Passion. Grow Your Business” is helping us build more successful business using the internet and social media.

Zeb from The Tutoring SolutionAs a tutor I inspired students to perform better in school by showing how learning could help them achieve the goals they set for themselves.

As a social media expert I help businesses grow by sharing the passions business owners have for their business with others.

The Tutoring Solution put me into contact with many business owners across the United States and after working with them I’ve come to admire many of them.  They are passionate and focused, determined and creative.  The most successful business owners have a strong sense of purpose and a desire to help others.  Those business owners lead rewarding lives.

We want to help more people lead rewarding lives.  We want to help people become passionate, focused, determined and creative.  We want to inspire others to achieve things they never thought possible.  When people are passionate, focused, determined and creative and when they reach a seemingly unattainable goal, they are happier . . . and the world becomes a better place.

We want to make the world a better place.

By helping small business owners share their passions, we are showing others that passion and commitment can help make any dream a reality.  We want to use our skills and knowledge to share your passion. Social media is the perfect tool to give your company a voice and to interact with the customers you need.  Let us help you grow your business.

To honor our commitment to inspiring others to excel we have teamed up with The Tutoring Solution to offer five scholarships to students across Southern California.  The Pursue Your Passion Scholarships asks students to write an essay describing their passions and how they plan to use their scholarships to help others. If you’re interested in finding out more information about our Pursue Your Passion Tutoring Scholarships please click on the link.

If you’re interested in finding out more information about how social media and Internet marketing can help share your passion contact Zeb Welborn today – (909) 973-9089 for a free custom analysis for your business.

Who’s Your Ideal Customer?

The owner of Welborn Social Media and the founder of The Tutoring Solution.My goal is to help business owners share the passion they have for their business with as many potential customers as possible.By helping passionate people achieve their dreams I am helping to create a society of passionate leaders that will help inspire others to make their dreams a reality.

Ideal Customer vs. Average Customer by Cynthia De La Torre

Who’s your ideal customer? Depending on your business, the difference between average and ideal customers could be hundreds, thousands or millions of dollars.

The average customer is someone who buys the product or service and has no relationship with the business beyond the buying and selling of goods.

The ideal customer is someone who continually buys the product or service and promotes the product or service to others.

As an entrepreneur, I learned early on that my success was dependent upon having people invested in my business and sharing my business with others. The Tutoring Solution, which provides tutoring for students across Southern California, was able to locate these ideal customers through email and social media campaigns. These ideal customers loved our product, loved the relationship I had developed with them, and encouraged other parents with kids in need to sign up for our tutoring services. One parent emailed her entire school telling them what a great job we were doing with her son, another encouraged five different families to receive tutoring from us and another, a High School Counselor, continues to refer every struggling student she comes across our way. These connections are not made by chance, they are fostered and have resulted in thousands of dollars in increased revenue.

Facebook and Twitter have given businesses the opportunity to locate these ideal customers and develop a win-win relationship that, when used effectively, will result in increased revenue. Not only do they make it easy to identify our ideal customers, but Facebook and Twitter encourage our customers to be more like our ideal customers. Every time they “like” our page, every time they “comment” on our page,and every time they “share” one of our posts, they are acting like a sales machine for our business.

Welborn Social Media has helped locate these ideal customers for the businesses we work. At Scrapbook Expo we developed a strong relationship with a scrapbooker from Georgia who continually re-tweeted our stuff. We connected with her and she told us she was contacting all of her Scrapbooking friends from across the United States to attend one of the Scrapbook Expos. Not only that, but she was sending our sales messages off to everyone she knew. Similarly, at Los Serranos, we located two fervent supporters of the golf course; we encouraged a stronger relationship which has resulted in the creation of our 19th Hole Stories where golfers share their most memorable events at the golf course and have taken their weekly golf match from a rival course to ours. At WireSpeed Systems we connected with Cisco Systems – the largest producer of computer networking equipment – where they made us their SuperFan of the month and consequently shared our business with more than 225,00o of their followers.

Facebook and Twitter give us the opportunity to identify, connect and grow our relationship with our biggest supporters. In the tutoring business, this has resulted in thousands of dollars in increased revenue. In other businesses, it could mean much, much more.

By its very nature, Facebook and Twitter encourage the sharing of information, and people will share what is important to them. If you give them an opportunity to connect with your business and make it easy for them to share your product or service, your business will benefit. If you want to make more money for your business, find who’s your ideal customer. From my experiences there is no easier way to find your ideal customers than through social media.

Contact Zeb Welborn today at (909) 973 – 9089 to schedule a free personalized presentation to demonstrate how we can help grow your business.