As 2009 comes to a close, taking a half-time break to reflect on your business is almost mandatory!

It’s no government secret that it’s been a tough year and a strange one in news. From Bubble Boy to the unexpected death of Michael Jackson to the bailouts to the media hype of the h1n1 virus and vaccinations. Oh.. and let’s not forget about the latest Tiger Woods scandal.

The media can be a big lesson for business owners. Expect the unexpected; don’t believe everything you hear and/or read; keep your nose clean; and always be ready to bounce back.

What lessons have you learned over the past year that you could share that may be an inspiration to others?

Are you setting goals for 2010?

Ever think about including the five core areas of existence into your goals?

Health, Wealth, Physical, Mental and Relations

I had a great meeting this morning with Brian Applestein from Donnelly and Steen, a Wealth Management company that currently has a total of 5 offices and are rapidly expanding! He brought up the five core areas of existence and how important it is to manage all five at the same time. I thought, “How true and when do we ever think about that when setting our goals”. We discussed a lot of great ideas during our meeting and his plans for 2010. One of his goals is to free up his administrative hours by outsourcing his admin tasks to Independent Projects, which we are very excited about and happy to do so.

As the owner of Independent Projects, I am very excited about all of my client’s goals and the expansion of this business.   Each client of Independent Projects has their goals set,  has the motivation to move on from this year and has their excitment back.  This is something that I haven’t seen or heard about in awhile. We are more than thrilled to be a part of their successes and even though we are here to help them,  each of them has taught me a little something as well.

We continue to grow our client base and learn as much as we can about life, business, the beauty of social media.  We are in this business to help other business owners succeed. 

Contact us if you would like Independent Projects to be a part of your goals for 2010.  And don’t forget to leave your comments about this crazy year.  You never know who you might inspire!!

What do you think about Virtual Marketing?  Where do you think Virtual Marketing will go in 2010? 

Well, Independent Projects has thought of a neat idea for a new way to promote your services in the Virtual Marketing world.  

How is your business card?  Does it stand out?  Does it explain exactly what you do in a 3 ½” by 2” card?  Are you proud of your business card?  And most important, is your website on your card?  If this answer is yes to these five important questions, then you might want to consider joining us in our Virtual Business Card Marketing Campaign!   

With more and more people going to Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and more, how convenient would it be to have YOUR business card out there in the virtual world?  We spend money on designing and printing the business card and then use that card to hand out in networking events, place ads in local papers and we give it to people we’ve recently met.  Personally, with social media exploding, we could be doing SO much more with our Business Card. 

Independent Projects has started a new campaign using the standard, but unique business card.  This is how it works: 

For $50, you send us your business card as a JPEG OR you can mail it directly to our office and we will create a JPEG by scanning in the card.  We will provide you with a URL link for your card and then we will post your business card to social media sites and groups/fanpages within those social media sites.  If your business is specific to your region, we will research groups and fanpages in your area that we think are important to your business.  

All of this for only $50.  When you think about the cost to run ad in your local paper for a week’s time, this new way of virtual marketing is worth the price.  We will also market your card for one month.  We will send you weekly reports on where your business card is posted and the responses we’ve seen from the posts, so you can track your progress with this campaign.  

Side Note:  If you don’t like the way your Business Card looks, but would love to jump on board with this marketing campaign, we can do a re-design and print.  Additional fees may also apply if you would like us to create a Facebook Fanpage, Linkedin, Twitter or other social media sites, however, this campaign can still be performed if you do not have accounts with all or some of these sites. 

Contact us today to find out more about this campaign!

Virtual Marketing for the Real Estate Agent:

The number ONE reason why a real estate agent should break into virtual marketing is because prospects are researching for real estate agents and properties more and more on-line. While it’s still important to post your listings in local papers, few people are using newspapers to search for their first, second or third home. Just look at the subscription and newspaper revenue across the country.

For a real estate agent to stay a step ahead of their competitors, it’s important to look at new ways to build your brand, your referrals and you revenue.

Here is a list of services that Independent Projects provides to Real Estate agents and other professionals who are looking to branch into the Virtual world for their business:

Flyers, Postcards, Brochures:   Design and mail to your prospects or clients.

Business Cards:    We can design and print.

Website Design/SEO:    Get a custom website for YOU.  Even if you are with a real estate firm, it’s still important to get your own website, if your company allows.

Send Out Cards:   Software program you can purchase to send out referral, thank you and holiday cards. We can manage this software program for you.

Client Management Systems:   EzData & Sales Force. Keep track of your client database a little easier.

Custom WordPress Blogging sites:   Want to start blogging? We can create a wordpress blogging site.

Custom Twitter accounts and management:   With the ability to link Twitter with Facebook and LinkedIn, updating your status just became a bit easier. Managing your updates is still time consuming, however.

LinkedIn:   Great tool if used properly. Creating a LinkedIn account doesn’t stop there. Join groups with similarities to your profession. Post news links, real estate trends and listings. Join in on some discussions within the groups you belong to.

Active Rain:   Stay on top of what’s going on with other Real Estate agents.

Facebook Fanpages/Groups:   Create a separate facebook page for YOUR business. You don’t want business contacts accessing your personal photos/status updates. We assist with creating fanpages or groups and managing your updates with backlinks to your blog posts/website.

Email stationary/Newsletters/Ezines:   With companies like Mail Chimp, Aweber and Constant Contact, we can have your newsletters and emails going out with a fresh design, customized to your specifications. Using Drip Mail Campaigns with one of these companies, you can keep track of who opens, who spams and keep all of your contacts in one convenient place.

A few other services: Excel Spreadsheet Design and Maintenance for Client Databases, PowerPoint Presentations, Assistance with property listings and virtual tours

To find out how we can help build your real estate business in 2010, email: info@ipro4u.com