“Your Backstage Pass To Twitter” with Laura Roeder (Pt 1)

OK, I Was Wrong

Laura Roeder

I had the pleasure of attending an exciting webinar yesterday with the refreshing Laura Roeder, author of “Your Backstage Pass To Twitter.” The name of her webinar was “The True Story of How a ‘Waste of Time Tool’ Launched My Six-Figure Business in Less Than 12 Months.” The name is so over the top, I was all but certain it’d be one of those “Work From Home and Make Thousands of Dollars a Day” scams we see everywhere — the ones we’re always shocked that anyone would buy into.

Admittedly, I only signed up for it because (a) it was free, so if it was a scam I wasn’t out anything but a few minutes of my time, (b) I’m new to using Twitter for our business (New England Multimedia) and hoped I’d at least get a couple of new Twitter tips I haven’t seen yet, and (c) she used video advertising and her personality was admittedly adorable. I wanted to give her a chance.

But frankly, I didn’t expect much of value because of the title. I even registered for another webinar that started as soon as Laura’s was scheduled to end, expecting that I’d be out of hers by then anyway.

Well, I was wrong. Wrong, wrong, wrong. Did I say I was wrong? I was wrong. Laura gave her listeners an amazing, engaging pep talk filled with valuable information about Twitter, blogging, branding, relationships, how to change direction, how to be valuable, what to sell and how to sell it. I could’ve listened to her for hours.

What Laura Wanted, and How She Got There

Laura really did use Twitter to launch a successful business in less than 12 months in 2009. She started out as a young, independent web designer (Roeder Studios — now you have to redirect, Laura!), but decided at some point that she wanted to change direction and make a living doing social media consulting. She excitedly and transparently told us her story from there  – a REAL story, filled with REAL “mistakes” that didn’t stand in her way, REAL soul searching about who she was and what she wanted, and REAL actionable steps she took along the way.

She wanted out of web design. She wanted to stop going to face-to-face networking events to sell herself. And she soon learned that she also didn’t want to have to stand in front of big clients with big contracts and give big presentations on social media campaigns. She said, “It wasn’t me.” So, using what she knew about social media, she completely changed the direction of her life and got the life she wanted.

Laura’s Story and a Few Takeaways For You:

1) When Laura started her first project, “The Dash,” she didn’t even have a blog. She used email newsletters only, and started a Twitter account for “The Dash.” She laughed at the fact that at first, she didn’t have a link to anything on her Twitter — no blog, no website. Her point? Start where you are, use what you’ve got, and move forward.

2) At first, she leveraged the Twitter list she’d built up for her web design business to turn attention to “The Dash.” Her point: Don’t start over, and don’t scrap everything. Again, start where you are, use what you’ve got, and move forward.

3) She decided on a weekly email newsletter delivering one actionable social media tip each week, and mapped out her topics ahead of time for the entire year. She didn’t want to be under the gun trying to think of things to write about. Laura said this was key for keeping her on schedule and planning ahead. She was also able to start working on the topics ahead of time, and not necessarily in order. Her point: Be consistent, and plan your content.

There’s so much more I want to share with you, but it’d keep you here forever and if you’re anything like me, you don’t have that kind of time or attention span! I’ve saved the rest of what she taught us for later, but just the valuable appetizers, so you’ll go to her for the meat and potatoes. Subscribe to my blog so you can read Part 2 tomorrow.

Over a very short period of time, Laura Roeder used her social skills, personality, Twitter lists and email contacts to launch a successful, exciting business that now brings her the satisfaction she was looking for. And you can do it, too.

Yes, she had something to sell — her training program “Your Backstage Pass To Twitter.” But she was up front about it right from the start, and when we found out the rest of the story, I guarantee not one of us felt like we’d wasted a single minute with her. I walked away excited and energized, thinking “I can so do this!” just with what she shared so freely and openly, and my imagination was on overdrive brainstorming about several side-projects I’ve been mulling over.

This isn’t your typical sales spiel, folks. Laura Roeder is the real deal. Check her out. If you have the kind of dreams she did, you have to hear her story for yourself.

UPDATE: I just got word that Laura is offering her free webinar again this Friday, April 9, 2010, under the title “How I Built a 6 Figure Business From Scratch in Less Than One Year.“ Do it!

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Michelle handles all Social Media for New England Multimedia. You can contact her by email, on our Facebook, or on our Twitter.