So we find ourselves at the end of 2010 looking forward to 2011 and I realize it is a great time to answer some of those last minute questions people ask me. I could go into a tirade about "Preparing for Success in 2011" or "Launch 2011 with a Bang" but there are a myriad of other people out there who do those emails better than I. So I decided to do the one thing I can during this end of year: be self-indulgent and answer your questions with my own flair! Here we go:

• What Social Media Outlets should I use to promote my business? - Sue Robinson - Signature Promotions: This is one of the most asked questions I get when working with Small Business Owners. There are many outlets we know about (i.e. Facebook, Twitter, Blogs, LinkedIn, etc.) and many others that we don't know about but what is going to be most effective? The problem with 2010 and Social Media is everyone jumped on the bandwagon and instead of clearly defining niche areas for our business we have created more outlets for consumer noise. I have helped increase revenues for many clients by doing three simple things before jumping into the Social Sphere.
  1. First, analyze what you want to accomplish: Do you want to be an industry expert or an expert in your industry? (two Completely different things) Are you trying to increase sales or increase exposure? Do you want to bring people into your web store or brick and mortar store?
  2. Second, Define your ideal client. Not everyone is your client. Layout the characteristics of your ideal client or clients (you can have more than one and if you have more than one product you have more than one ideal client). Discover where they exist in the marketplaces you want to infuse your message. Learn their language so you are speaking to them. It is important to understand your target audience!
  3. Third, once you have your outcomes and your audience create the plan to hit your target. This is where people who understand the online world is really helpful to creating a strategy. Find those people to work with who jive with your company. They're out there ... I know!

  You can jump into the online world anytime you want, but remember just because you throw your business into the waters of the online it doesn't mean it will swim on it's first attempt.

• You're always sending me articles you found out about me online, how do you know about them so fast? - Caleb Chapman - Caleb Chapman Music: One of the most important things you can do as a business is know what the web is saying about you. People love Google, so we talk about how Google knows about you. I wrote a blog post Knowing how Google knows you that explains about Google Alerts. Anytime something happens that Google knows about (i.e. blog posts, articles, pages, message boards, etc.) you can get alerted about the information. This is a great little tool.
• You spend a lot of time with gadgets and gizmos ... what are your favorite new toys from 2010? - Larry Stevenson - LDS Employment Resource Services: I do love gadgets and this year was chalk full of new things that came out. Some are video game related, but when it comes to business the coolest things to come out this year were the new smartphones. Google's Android phones took this year by storm and Microsoft launched their "Windows Phone 7" platform as well. Both phones are great equalizers to the mammoth iPhone and if used properly can really take your business to the next level. Now is a great time to get into a Smartphone to not only keep track of your contacts, but keep better track of your business.
• Every time I go to one of your Microsoft Office Trainings I learn something new, but I haven't seen them in a while have you stopped? - Bryan Waldon Pope - Marketing Success Institute: In 2010, I did scale down the number of training events I was doing to focus on some client services, but I missed doing the trainings and have thought about bringing them back into the schedule. I'm looking at doing webinars, public trainings and other fun events, but am always interested in what my fans would like to see. Send me some feedback on how you think we should proceed with training events and we'll see about putting them in the schedule. Thanks!
• Our business is doing great and we want to take it to the next level ... How do we work with you in more depth to get there? - Various Fans: That's easy. You can always email me enoch@getenoch.com or call the office number: 801.754.4429. I love helping out people and usually have an initial conversation over lunch because I also love food!

Before I close the last "Get Enoch" Email let me just say thanks to all of you who read these emails and give great feedback. There are many more people who ask questions and I respond to each email as I get them ... just not as fast as I would like at times. :) I wish you all a great "New Year" and here's to the next decade being better than the last!