The New Year comes with a lot of changes. It is the time when we all want to start fresh.  If you made a lot of blunders in the past year, it is time to make your New Year’s resolution – at least that’s the line of thinking for many people at this time of the year. However, many people come up with their resolutions, but hardly adhere to them at all.

But stress not! Here are simple guidelines that will make you stick to your New Year’s resolutions.

1)The New Year is just like any other day - You must realize that making your resolutions on this day is just like any other day. Do not put a lot of emphasis on the resolutions you make. This in itself often causes tension. Treat the New Year as a channel and vehicle for change in your life, nothing more. In fact, if it helps, your first resolution may be that you will make a list of the rest of your resolutions by February 1^st or another date.

2)Flash Backs - You need to look back and reflect on the things you have done. If you find some of them were not necessary, you need to put them on your resolution list. This will make you follow them up and change. In short, history doesn’t need to repeat itself. Live better by learning from your past.

3)Reviewing different areas - Think of the aspects in your life that are working well, and focus on your positive traits and skills in these aspects as you create new resolutions. Plus while you’re at it, you also need to change the resolutions you have been making in the past that don’t work. In short, do not focus on the same old aspects that you have always failed to implement. Maybe you need new deadlines or other key elements in your resolutions. Just make sure you don’t set yourself up for failure.

4)Writing down - If you put the resolution down on paper, it will be easier for you to memorize and keep handy. And tape a short version to your bathroom mirror to see each day.

Follow these steps and you will have a brand new year. It is time for new actions, new dreams and a new lifestyle all together.

Southern Fidelity Mortgage would like to wish all of our Employees, Referral Partners, and Customers a HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

Please have fun, be safe and post your comments and pictures on our Facebook Wall…

http://www.facebook.com/SouthernFidelityMortgage 

The following are critical action steps that Real Estate / Mortgage professionals should take immediately, if they have not already.

 1)Create a Profile -- When you create your LinkedIn profile makes sure you fill it all the way out. Include everything you can to ensure that you have a professional sounding and looking profile.  Include a professional headshot, your resume, your experience, what you do now, and feed your professional blog into your profile page.

 2)Import Contacts -- After you've finished creating your profile all the way, import your contacts and then choose the ones you want to add to your connections. Choose your connections wisely. More connections is not always better. You want colleagues, and your target market to connect with you. So, don't just add anyone, be choosey.

 3)Join Groups -- Join some groups of individuals who share your career and career goals but also join groups that belong to your target market. For example if you're an Online Marketing Consultant to book authors, you can join groups with other marketers, but you also want to join groups such as a Book Writers Group, or any writer's group because once they get to know you they may very well hire you.

 4)Create a Group -- You can also create a group. Create a group name that has your niche market's demographics in mind and then keep the group going. Invite your connections to join it, market it on Twitter, Facebook, in your blogs, and any way that you can to get people to sign up for your group. When you have members keep the group active by posing questions, discussing issues you're having, or reporting a success.

5)Answer Questions -- There is an area on LinkedIn.com called Answers. Use the search bar to search Answers for questions within your target market using the keywords you use when writing articles or blog posts. Once you find questions that you can answer with some expertise then go ahead and answer them. But remember, don't "sell" like a used car salesman, rather pull them in with your great information, kindness and generosity.

6)Give Recommendations -- Is your Virtual Assistant on LinkedIn.com? What about your writers, your consultants, or even your Dentist? If so, recommend them. A recommendation on LinkedIn.com is a very important way to get certified testimonials.

7)Ask for Recommendations -- Don't forget to ask your clients, coaches or employers for recommendations on LinkedIn. If you don't ask you usually won't get them. Most people don't give recommendations on their own. You need to ask.

Please do not put off taking action.  If you’ve already done the steps above, please continue to grow your recommendations and connections.  This is an ongoing part of your marketing efforts and should only take a few minutes per day, once the majority is completed.

If you have any questions on how to marketing with Linkedin, please post your comments or questions on our Facebook Fanpage: http://www.facebook.com/SouthernFidelityMortgage 

Viral marketing has become a respectable and most importantly, very effective means of marketing among businesses worldwide – that’s if it is done correctly and respectfully.

Correctly and respectfully? What does that mean? It means not abusing the system. It means using viral marketing tactics to spread the word about your business, your product and your service without offending others or being self-serving.

But, viral marketing is inherently self-serving, isn’t it? Well, yes and no. To be truly effective, viral marketing must include a give and take approach. You must engage others, take part in conversation, and give as much as you get. In other words, don’t expect your message to spread itself. Viral marketing takes time, careful planning and well-thought out execution.

It has, for lack of a better word, an incurable need for attention.

While viral marketing can be applied in a number of ways, there are 3 main approaches:

#1 – To Share. Social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube are in fact products of viral marketing themselves. While they’re sole purpose is to allow (and encourage) users to share information, they too must share their service via their users. It’s simple, really. Their users believe in them and enjoy their websites so much, that they share those websites with others. Knowing this and trusting this would take place, these social media powerhouses have become multi-million, some billion dollar businesses thanks to, you guessed it, viral marketing.

#2 – To Add Value. Adding value is not a characteristic unique to viral marketing. It is a common marketing approach across the board. For hundreds of years, business owners have understood the importance of offering their customers “more”. For instance, buy this product and receive this additional product for free. You get the picture. So, this notion of adding value applies to your viral marketing in the same way. However, rather than simply applying added value to your products and services, make value-added offers to those who share your message. For instance, send this message to an additional 10 people, and receive a free product. Incentivize and you will see results!

#3 – To create buzz. Similar to sharing, creating buzz is can be extremely effective. How is it different? While sharing refers to others literally sharing information with friends (i.e. Like my Facebook page? Sign-up for your own Facebook page today and see more of what I’m up to, including photos, favorites and more!) creating buzz is more about spreading the word. Consider how gossip spreads, or the way in which gossip magazines create stories based on hearsay. The idea is to get people “talking” about you and your business in a positive way so that they begin to encourage others to become customers, sign-up or carry on the conversation on their own.

As you can see, viral marketing is about more than inundating your audience with your message. Its about strategic planning and taking an approach that puts your business in a positive light while enticing others to not only become customers, but to spread the word as well.

What ways are you creating Buzz in your business?  Do you have any creative strategies to share with us?  We would love to hear about them, please post them on our Facebook Fanpage at: http://www.facebook.com/SouthernFidelityMortgage