Blogalicious Lesson #14: Why We Need a Good 'Ol Girls Club + Web Tips from 6 Digital Divas

Can I just take one minute to say this, “Black Girls Rock (as seen on BET), For Colored Girls Rocks (thanks Tyler Perry) and Digital Sisterhood is Rocking Real Hard Right NOW (thank you Ananda Leeke)”.

Now let me take a few more seconds to say, “In all honesty, Social Media Marketing does not suck.” I recently received a comment from one sista who flat out felt social networking was pointless. Then I logged into BBWO to see this post, “Is Social Networking Really Working For you?” The mindset behind the post was that many solopreneurs are lured into this false hope that joining social networks will bring them all these clients only to be let down in the end. Now let’s be clear here… the internet is NOT a magical place where people just hand their credit cards over to you. If anything I believe that out of desperation many delude themselves into praying for a few sales on social networks but that is not at all how these spaces work or what you should be looking for when you join them.

Last night, I had the pleasure of being on Sisterhood, the blog radio show hosted by Ananda Leeke (audio below). Ananda has been in my online circle for years, so it was again super cool to meet her in person at Blogalicious. We have learned from one another, shared each other’s work to our circles and just flat out enjoyed being in the company of a fellow digital diva.

Social Networking has allowed us to create our own and much needed Digital Sisterhood communities … Black Business Women Online, Blogher, Blogalicious, Ladies Who Launch, Savor the Success, Ween, the Boss Network, MLM Black Woman, the Mom Bloggers Club, MommyBites … eh-hmm … the list goes on because ladies we Rock! We have turned mainstream on its head and proved one – moms have mega buying power AND women aren’t as catty as everyone thinks. Under the right mediums (blogging, twitter, facebook, etc) we’ve learned how to network like the Good ‘Ol Boys at the golf course and in the boardrooms.

In the process we are developing our own personal brands, partnerships, passion projects that are changing the world, and life long friendships. Now does any of that sound sucky? I don’t think so. The key here is to realize none of this happens by just logging on to these social spaces and creating a profile. As we discussed on last nights call (audio below), its’ about fighting your fears of technology, being consistent, being giving, being authentic, and having a strategy. FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THAT IS GOOD … you can’t just wing this folks. What real business just wings their business? You need a system, you need strategies, you need to educate yourself on the latest marketing solutions… so stop trying to avoid doing the stuff that works and limit yourself to hoping for sales because as my mentor Richelle Shaw taught me, “Hope, is not a Marketing Strategy.”

While this message was hammered home last night, I feel like it was also a BIG part of my experience at Blogalicious. I’ve spent so many years making sure my content was on point, now I’m finally REALLY embracing the idea that CONNECTIONS are vital to your business to.

Audio Replay Below: How Women Entrepreneurs & Innerpreneurs Use Social Media
SistaSense Circle Audio Session

The dynamic digital diva panelists of last nights interview include:

• Nadia Ballas-Ruta, former monastic and lawyer-turned innerpreneur, writer, and founder of The Happy Lotus Lifestyle  – http://happylotus.com and http://twitter.com/HappyLotus
• LaShanda Henry, web expert, Internet marketing coaching, and founder of Black Women’s Business Online social networking site – https://www.sistasense.com, http://mybbwo.com, and http://twitter.com/sistasense
• Sharon Malachi, founder and owner of Pupscale Dog Spa – http://pupscalegrooming.wordpress.com and http://twitter.com/PupscaleDogSpa
• Kaushika Patel, founder and owner of Catalyst Gourmet – http://www.catalysttea.com and http://twitter.com/catalystmom
• Naomi Trower, author, blogger, real estate/mortgage broker, and founder of Premier Equity Group, Inc and Premier Realty Group – http://NaomiTrower.com and http://twitter.com/NaomiTrower
  Stacy Yamaoka, founder of Marry Me Live, Bay Area Bride, and District Bride Guide – http://marrymelive.com, http://bayareabrideguide.com, http://districtbrideguide.com, and http://twitter.com/marrymelive.

For all 30 Blogalicious lessons learned, read my series of Blogalicious 2010 Adventures.