Stacy Kinney

LinkedIn Marketing-Tips for Using LinkedIn Effectively Pt. 1

The last few weeks I’ve been blogging about green topics and figured it was about time to get back to the main crux of this blog, Social Media Marketing. Today, we are going to take a look at LinkedIn marketing and how to use LinkedIn effectively.

LinkedIn is a place for businesses and professionals. It mostly used by people to connect with human resource managers, recruiters and companies who may be hiring for open positions. Networking on LinkedIn is also a good way to get connected with other business owners and to find entrepreneur types who may be interested in starting a home based business rather than rejoining the corporate grind.

The only drawback to networking on LinkedIn is that you are limited in your ability to contact people on the site. With their free account, you can only email up to 3 people per month through the site. Therefore, you will need to either upgrade your account or look for other ways to contact your prospects. Do note that you can write off the fee for an upgrade as a business expense on your taxes. Talk to a qualified accountant about how this works.

But don’t let that stop you from taking advantage of all that LinkedIn has to offer. Here are some tips on how to use LinkedIn to your advantage.

Tips for Going Green – Save the Earth with Your Toothbrush

Every day, I am reminded that going green is a journey of discovery. Just when I think I have a handle on things, I read an article or talk to a fellow environmentalist and get more valuable tips for going green. A few days ago, I was speaking to a friend about recycling and they brought up an unusual topic: Toothbrushes.

Like most people, I never really gave a lot of thought to the tools I used to keep my teeth in good shape. Until that day, I didn’t even realize that the caps to toothpaste tubes were totally recyclable (just rinse them off and throw them in the recycle box). But after speaking to my friend and doing some research on the internet, I learned that you can turn a very wasteful necessity (50 million pounds of toothbrushes are dumped in landfills every year) to one that is healthier for the environment.

So for this week’s tips for going green, I’m going show you a few ways you can make your toothbrush a little more eco-friendly.

Natural Sunscreen – Avoiding Sun Damage the Natural Way

It is interesting how the times change. Not even a century ago, it was considered a faux pas to have tanned skin. People associated tanned skin with laborers and used natural sunscreen methods to avoid the effects of the sun at all costs. Around the mid-nineteenth century things changed and having a tan indicated you were rich enough to have the time to lie around all day.

These days, however, we better understand the dangers of getting too much sun especially in light of the environmental damage that has been done to the planet. It is more important than ever that you protect yourself while outside and wear sunscreen. Unfortunately, this is where things start getting a little complicated. Not all sunscreens are alike. In fact, there is a very real difference between regular sunblock and all natural sunscreen.

Green Kids: Talking to Kids About the Environment

One of the more challenging aspects of raising green kids is talking to them about the environment. It is absolutely amazing the things that they pick up as they move through their day. And since the environment is on everyone’s lips these days, it is inevitable that they hear about our environmental concerns – global warming, animals going extinct, and toxins in our food supply.

These things worry me as an adult, so I know they are particularly scary to children who are old enough to understand but are too young to put things in proper perspective. This is especially worrisome if kids are watching the news or listening to adults who watch the news. As we all know mainstream media tends to emphasize the negative as well as blow things out of proportion because that’s what gets them the ratings.

As parents raising green kids, we want them to learn how to be good conservators of the Earth. At the same time, we want them to be kids and not worry about such serious issues until they are older. To offset the influence of the world around them, here are a few tips for talking to your kids about the environment.

Balancing Work and Family – Tips for Making Your Home Based Business a Family Affair

Many articles that give tips for balancing work and family are written based on the idea that you want to keep them separated. But since these two major areas are a big part of your life, why not try to integrate the two rather than segregate them? You may find that you are more motivated and that your business becomes more successful if you turn it into a family endeavor.

When the whole family is invested you can tap into the unique talents of each member and there less chance of resentment developing over the amount of time you are spending building the business. Balancing work and family is not easy but if you work at it, you may be able to create the supportive dynamic you need to build a successful business.

MLM Businesses – How Many is Too Many?

There is something that has had me scratching my head for awhile and wondering about the thoughts that go through people’s minds. Some business owners I have met are running multiple mlm businesses and sometimes in addition to a full time job. It is one thing to want to maximize your earning potential but how many is too many?

Search Engine Marketing Tips for Capturing Real Time Twitter Traffic

Some months ago, Google added Twitter to its real time search engine. With search becoming more social, social media marketers have been presented with yet another avenue through which potential customers can find them. Here are a few search engine marketing tips that will help you take advantage of Google’s real time Twitter search engine and send web surfers to your website.

Organic Pest Control – Getting Rid of Pests in the Garden

One of the healthiest things you can do for your family, and your wallet, is to grow your own food. Not only does this give you some control over the quality of the food you eat, an edible garden will help lower your overall food bill. After all, a small packet of seeds generally costs only a dollar or two and will produce more than enough food for your family, your neighbors and anyone else who will take a basket of goodies from you. That is, if you use organic pest control methods to prevent the bugs and animals from destroying your crops.

One of the major drawbacks to owning a fruit or vegetable garden is that it can quickly be overrun by insects and animals wanting to snack on the fruits of your labor. It can be tempting to want to use pesticides or other harsh, but effective, chemicals to manage them. However, not only does that harm the environment but pesticide residue will end up on your vegetables and eventually your plate. The side effects from ingesting these chemicals are unpleasant so it is just better to stick with organic pest control to keep your garden bug free.

Organic Pest Control – Healthy Green Ways to Get Rid of Pests

When you are new to going green, it can be challenging coming up with Earth-friendly solutions to major problems. This is especially true when it comes to finding organic pest control methods that effectively get rid of household pests.

In the past, dealing with pests like ants, roaches, spiders, et al generally entailed using toxic chemicals to kill them or prevent them from entering the home. However, these chemicals are just as dangerous to humans as they are to the bugs they were created to eliminate. Luckily, there are a number of organic pest control methods you can use to keep your home bug free.

Search Engine Marketing – Tips for Getting to the Top

In last week’s article, Search Engine Marketing – An Internet Marketing Strategy that Needs to Be in Your Toolbox, I talked about why your internet marketing strategy should include search engine marketing.

Between newspapers, education, business websites, personal blogs, social networking, and online magazines, the amount of information available on the internet continues to grow exponentially. Users turn to search engines to sift through it all and find the information they need to solve a problem they have. Search engine marketing is all about making sure your site gets listed within the first few pages of the search engine result for keywords that bring qualified prospects to your business.

Make no mistake, search engine marketing is complicated endeavor. In fact, a whole million dollar industry sprang up around the concept of optimizing web pages so that they rank well in the big three search engines. However, I’m going to share a few simple search engine marketing tips that will give your website the boost it needs to rank well and generate leads.