Guest Blog Post:: The Christian Moms Business Resource

Hi Market Mommy Friends!

I’m excited to meet you all today! My name is MariLee Parrish and I own the Christian Moms Business Resource and also Mommy Bag Marketing.

Here’s a little background about my company:

The Christian Moms Business Resource (CMB Resource) was founded in 2009 to help other moms start and promote their own small businesses from home. From small business training and freelance writing resources to step-by-step instructions on using facebook and twitter for business, CMB Resource offers tried & true “ideas that work.” These include Small Business Ideas, Seminars, Free Webinars, PR & Advertising Packages for Mom Businesses, including participation in the Mommy Bags that are distributed nationally!

If you are a Christian Business Owner, we have tons of opportunities to help you get the word out about your product, event or service. If you’re interested in becoming a Mom Partner with us, you can view the details here.

We help you navigate social networking sites, we provide a forum to answer all of your questions, and we support one another as Christians in business. When you partner with us, you are immediately introduced to our network of Christian moms who come and fan your pages, follow you on twitter, and become your friend. It has been amazing to see the friendships and mentorships that have come about through our partnership. Our faith in God binds us all together in ways that other groups do not.

Our inspiration is the Proverbs 31 woman. Have you heard of her? Let me share a little bit this amazing woman:

'She sets about her work vigorously; her arms are strong for the task. She sees that her trading is profitable, and her lamp does not go out at night...She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness. Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her: "Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all." Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.'
Proverbs 31:17-18,27-30

I must admit that I am a far cry from this strong woman, but it is my prayer that I can honor the Lord in all that I do and that my work would be pleasing to Him.

One more thing: Our blog is a fun way to connect with all of our Christian Mom Partners. We also host the Friday Favorites Giveaway each week. I hope you’ll stop by and see us at: www.wahmblog.info

Thanks for letting me share today! I hope to get to know you all better.

Blessings & thanks,

MariLee Parrish
www.christianmomsbusinessresource.com
www.mommybagmarketing.com

Are you using Twitter effectively?

Twitter is easy and it’s fast. It’s pretty much a gateway into your business, your blog, your life. It’s a great way to get more exposure. But, are you using it effectively?

First of all, do others you regularly connect with know you are on twitter? You should be telling others about it. Your twitter handle, or ID http://twitter.com/MarketMommy}, should be on your blog, on your About Us page, on anything you publish, on your facebook page, in your e-mail signature, etc.

Do you have followers? How many people are you following? One of the most obvious ways to increase your relevant followers is to first seek out others who you want to network with. Find other mom business owners that you’d like to connect with, learn from, sell to, etc. When they get the notice that you’re following them, chances are they’ll check out your profile and maybe follow you back.

In my opinion, one of the most effective ways to make twitter work for you is to make personal connections with others. Read others’ tweets and respond to them. Reply and make conversation, build friendships. You should already have multiple things in common with those you are following, use that to your advantage. You can also use direct messages to exchange e-mail addresses and other information more directly.

It’s been said that microblogging is the future of the internet. On some level I’m sure that’s true. Twitter really is a great tool and there are so many neat things you can do with it. You can search for people, find conversations about things you’re interested in, automatically follow others, track your tweets, automatically tweet your blog posts and add badges to your site.

Keep in mind that everything takes time. Building an effective network won’t happen overnight, but with a little effort twitter can be a lucrative networking tool.

Where to network?

You've heard me talk about networking a lot! I truly believe it is the best {and cheapest} marketing tool out there. Personal and local networking is definitely important, but so is online and virtual networking. It's 2010 and it's become easy and quick to connect with someone across the country or even the globe.

Wikipedia has quickly become one of my favorite online resources. And, they are not lacking when it comes to social media and online networking. Check out this comprehensive list of social networking sites!

Now, of course all of these sites aren't going to be relevant to your business or your life. And, it would be exhausting and impossible to try to engage in each one. However, I highly recommend reviewing the list and seeing what some may have to offer. This list is also great because it gives the genre of the site as well as the number of registered users.

Here is a brief list of the more popular sites::

• Facebook
• Twitter
• LinkedIn
• BabyCenter
• CafeMom
• Flickr
• MySpace
• Ning
• StumbleUpon

Happy networking!

Detours & On Ramps

Planning to go back to work? Looking for flexibility, or to shift careers? Got an idea to start your own company? Join Detours & On Ramps for a one-day event on the issues facing working moms (and dads)...great sessions, networking, and companies who care...November 4 in Annandale, VA and December 7 in Durham, NH at UNH – click here for more info.

This is a great event to attend if you are planning to go back to work in six days, six months, or even a year...if you're looking for flexibility, for career options, for resources, or for help building your own business. Detours & OnRamps is for anyone who wants to make work, work for them--not a job fair, but a day of hands-on sessions and practical advice that will get you ready to land that job.

In addition to great coferences and forums, the organization's website is a GREAT resource. There are resources and links, a newsletter and Meghan, the founder, also publishes a blog.

From their site {http://www.onrampsforum.com/} ::
About the Forum
The Detours and On Ramps Forum was founded to address the needs and issues of mothers, especially those grappling with their choice to work full time, part time, or from home.
The Forum was designed to bring intelligent women together to discuss the issues facing us all - because women and the marketplace both benefit when talented, well-educated mothers can contribute both at home and at work.

Through networking with fellow working mothers, discussions with the companies leading the way in solutions for working mothers, and panels and sessions on some of the most common issues faced by mothers who elect to work outside the home, Detours and On Ramps aims to provide a forum for women to meet, examine their options, and figure out their next steps.

With career resources and expert advice offered through panel discussions, small-group sessions, and networking opportunities, the hope is that mothers will leave the Detours and On Ramps Forum feeling more in control of their choices and options - and reassured that as intelligent, educated women, their contributions still matter.

If you are in their area, I encourage you to check out one of the upcoming conference. It would be a great networking opportunity and well worth your time!

To blog or not to blog

There are millions of blogs, some are excellent, some are personal, some are informational, some are educational, some are funny, some are beneficial, some are mediocre, some are awesome and some are just plain bad.

Does your business have a blog? Should it?

There are a lot of great reasons to blog and it can be an excellent promotional opportunity for your company. It is free, or close to it, but can be costly when it comes to your time. It is critical that if you start a blog, you maintain it regularly and put your full effort into it.

If you do, there can be several benefits. Here are some things you can do with your blog::

• Offer consistent updates to your customers and followers
• Build awareness of your brand
• Establish yourself as a leader/expert in your field
• Create advertising revenue
• Sell products
• Get customer feedback
• Offer customer support
• NETWORK

Notice, I capitalized NETWORK. For small, mom-owned businesses that are on a limited marketing budget, there is nothing more important than networking. Networking with potential customers, other mom business owners and others in your industry can all prove valuable.

Here are a couple examples of mom-owned business blogs that I think have it right::

• Alicia Bock Photography
• Twilite Moon
• The Outfit

So, if you have a little extra time, some decent writing skills and the desire to further market your business, start a blog!

Mommy Monday:: The Work at Home Woman

The Work at Home Woman is an essential for any mom wanting to work from home or become self-employed. It is a strong asset because it was started by a fellow work-at-home mom who aims to share the knowledge she’s acquired while working from home herself.

The Work at Home Woman is an online business resource and blog for women and moms who wish to work from home or become self-employed. They cover everything from finding your perfect niche, to blogging, social networking, home business financing, marketing, work at home scams and small business information. Their mission is to help women and moms acquire the knowledge and skills to be able to successfully work from home or to become self-employed while providing support, inspiration and motivation.

Since December 2007, Holly has been researching and writing content for The Work at Home Woman, which officially launched in March of this year. After the birth of her daughter, two-and-a-half years ago, she started networking with past employers and looking for work she could do from home while caring for her daughter.

Her efforts have paid off and soon she started working from home by completing marketing research, establishing joint ventures and working as a social network liaison for a small publishing company. Now, she is motivated to help other women and mothers find legitimate work at home ideas and opportunities.

As with many other work from home moms, Holly finds organization to be a crucial key. “I create a daily schedule; a monthly media schedule and a daily to-do list so that I can keep on top of all my daily tasks,” she said. She also tries to optimize work time while her daughter naps and is sure to turn off her computer at 5 p.m. to focus on her family.

In addition to networking, Holly encourages other women not to give up on their desire to work from home. “If you really want something you will need to work very hard and believe in yourself, but in the end it will payoff,” she said.

Highly Empowered Women’s Conference

If you haven’t come across Her Startup yet, you should pay them a visit. Her Startup shows women how to combine business skill with passion, so they can lead more integrated lives and do more with their businesses than look at the bottom line. If you are ready to launch, grow, and give back – Her Startup is for you!

They are presenting the Highly Empowered Women’s Conference on Sept. 25 and 26 and have a great weekend planned! The conference will feature several speakers on topics such as:

· Women in Leadership;
· More Than the Bottom Line;
· Transforming Stress into Success;
· The Art of Relationship Marketing; and
· Much More!

The conference is being held at the Moonrise Hotel in University City, Missouri. However, if you are not in the area, you can attend virtually for a reduced fee. Until Sept. 1 early registrations are being accepted for only $55. This is a GREAT price for a two-day conference with lunch included on Saturday.

You don’t want to miss it! Visit here and here for more information and here to register!

The Absolute Lovable Link Event

As mom business owners we are ALWAYS looking for ways to network! This week, Holly from The Work at Home Woman contacted me about her Absolute Lovable Link Event. And, of course, we jumped at the chance to participate!

Simply click on the button above to visit. There are several women-run businesses and blogs listed! According to Holly, this event was created to help build relationships and to promote women-based businesses and blogs! So, what are you waiting for? Don't worry, if you didn't get the chance to have your business or blog listed, you can still participate. Just leave your name and info in a comment!

Thanks Holly for hosting a fun and beneficial event! Happy Friday!