Creating Web Graphics For Your Online Business

Everyone doing business online knows how important it is to have a great website. What many don’t realize at first, however, is that a website is not just words and a layout. The determining factor in a website that’s just plain OK and one that is amazing has a whole lot to do with graphics.

If you need an example, look at any of the popular websites you visit on a daily basis and take note of how much is content and how much is images.

First and foremost, professional-looking graphics lead to a professional-looking website. If your graphics are blurry, out of focus, or simply look haphazardly put together, the whole look of your website will take a turn for the worst. When a new customer visits your site, they will assume you are an amateur or that you don’t care enough to do a quality job, and they won’t stick around for long.

Web Graphics For Business Branding:

Most good graphics will build your brand and send a message to your target market all at the same time.

If the graphics on your website do not convey the message you are trying to send, your visitors will end up confused and click away. If you sell products online the quality of your graphics also affects the success of your affiliate program as well as the number of incoming links you may receive.

By offering an affiliate program, you are asking other people to partner with you and sell your products or services. If the looks of the graphics you choose for your affiliate program do not convey an image that people want to endorse, you will have a hard time recruiting affiliates. If they are going to take the time and effort to promote your product, they deserve to have quality tools to do so. One of the tools they need is quality graphics.

Likewise, when you ask someone to partner with you on a link exchange, they are going to expect a quality graphic. They will be displaying this graphic, with a link to your page, on their website. If you send them an unprofessional-looking graphic, it is going to bring the look of their site down. They will more than likely decline your offer.

How to Create Web Graphics:

As you can see, graphics play a big part in your business. When you need to create graphics you’ve got two options:
1. Create them yourself.
2. Hire someone to make graphics for you.

I’ve used both options in my own business and can tell you there are definitely advantages to both.

If you create graphics yourself you don’t have to worry about trying to explain your vision to someone else. You also won’t have to wait for someone to get back to you if you design your own graphics.

If you hire someone to create your graphics you may be able to get superior quality graphics that you just couldn’t create yourself if you haven’t developed your skills yet.

I definitely recommend a combination of both. It’s always good to be able to create some simple graphics yourself to save both time and money. You could start by learning how to use the free graphics program called Gimp.

Learning how to use Gimp may take a little time, if you want to fast-track a bit I recommend checking out my program that offers video tutorials, pdf introduction, templates and more for creating great web graphics for your online business.

 

Creating a Unique Business Logo

Have you thought much about the branding you’re putting forth to your customers and clients?

When it comes to marketing your business, something as simple as a memorable graphic or catchphrase can create brand recognition and help you establish your business reputation. This is so important because every business needs to establish a relationship where their customers know, like and trust them.

When you think of Nike, what do you think of? For most people, the image of the Nike swoosh or the words “just do it” automatically jump into their mind when they think of the company.

When you see an image of an apple with a bite taken out of it, what do you think of? Many people will answer that question with either “Apple Computers” or “iPod”.

Establishing your own business logo or slogan can help people remember your business and think of it when the time comes that they actually want to use what you have to offer.

Branding With a Logo or Slogan

New visitors to your website will most likely not buy as soon as they get there. Most likely they’re going to see what you have to offer and then comparison shop or surf around looking at similar information.

You need to stand out in order to get them to return!

Creating a Logo That Helps You Stand Out

Look, the honest truth here is that a logo is not going to make or break your business. If you have a good one that helps you stand out that’s GREAT, but if you don’t have a logo you can continue and build a successful business.

The key to creating a logo that is unlike any other is to make sure it is completely authentic and infused with YOUR personality.

An example I can give you is in my own business here at Marketers Mojo. The name of this site itself is a great reflection of my own personality. I just love the word ‘mojo’ and the feel it gives.

Now of course my logo and branding is not just about me. It’s about my market and what they can relate to. The great thing about creating such an authentic logo is that it attracts people who also really resonate with what it represents. That way I work with people like me – and THAT makes for a business that I am completely in love with.

Logos That Associate You With Something

By creating your branding and logo you are associating something with your business. It may be a symbol or an animal or anything really. The important point is that when people see this representation anywhere else they may end up thinking of you if you’ve done your branding well.

When deciding which type of logo to use, think about your business and how you want to be perceived. Who is your target market and what type of things are they interested in? If your target market consists of grandmothers who are active, adding a rocking chair to your logo may insult them. However, featuring an older lady in tennis shoes or a in a jogging suit doing Pilates may make them laugh. This could be the type of logo that will stick with them and make them remember you.

The same goes for your slogan. Think of how you want to be represented and what appeals to your target market. In most cases it’s best to stay away from anything offensive, such as curse words or slang.

You will also want to stay away from trends. Your business logo and slogan can be with you for years. What is “cool” today can be “cold” tomorrow. Plan for a long-term investment and stick with what you will be proud of five or ten yeas from now.

How to Create a Free Business Logo

No cash to hire a graphic designer to create your logo? If you’ve got a bit of time on your hands to learn some graphic design yourself you could use the free graphics software program, Gimp. Gimp allows you to edit, create and enhance images and graphics for your website, business and branding.

You can learn more about using Gimp by checking out my program that offers live weekly webinars, email coaching, video tutorials, templates and more for creating great graphics and logos for your business.

 

5 Inspiring Custom Logo and Graphic Design Ideas

Many people think you need to be creative all the time to be in a creative field. I don’t believe so. I know I do pretty well and I don’t think that creativity is seeping out of me. I think I’ve just become good at developing ways to find inspiration when I need it so  I can create great custom graphics and logos for myself and my clients.

So here are five sources of web site graphics design inspiration you might not have thought of:

1. Down The Road – When you’re driving down the street have a look at the logos and colors you see in the businesses as you drive by. Most of these businesses will have hired a professional to create the graphics you see on display and they are great sources of ideas for your next product. Have a look at the shapes, colors, fonts and the feeling you get when you view each image. Consider taking out a video camera and video taping as you drive by with your own commentary (as long as you’re not also driving the car, of course!).

2. Newspapers & Magazines – I was at my local library the other day and I picked up a couple of local magazines. One was the town activity guide about local living. Each had plenty of graphics and ads that I could peruse for ideas and inspiration. Collect your favorite magazines or a selection of different types if you serve clients and you’ll always have plenty to draw from when you’re stumped.

3. Popular Websites – Of course you’ll want to look online for sources of web page graphic design ideas. If you’re working on a particular product then look up keywords related to your project and see what sites come up. Pay attention to the colors and the logos you find on these sites. Also many popular sites have ads that you can look at. The great thing about looking at ads is that people often have these professionally designed as well so they’re often great sources of quality ideas and inspiration.

4. Nature and the Outside World – Sometimes being stuck at a computer isn’t the best way to get inspired. Nature is filled with beautiful shapes, colors and materials. If you’re needing a new idea take a drive or go for a walk, you’re sure to come up with new ways to design web graphics that you never would have thought of without drawing from natural beauty. Now, you can also go to a city and draw on your surroundings for colors, shapes and of course plenty of marketing you see.

5. Your Graphic Design Inspiration Book – One thing I’ve wanted to do for a while is to create a binder filled with graphics that inspire me. Also, in this book I’d add a section for all the design techniques I can use to create different effects. You see, there are so many ways to create graphics that sometimes we forget certain techniques when we need them. I know that’s how it works for me, anyway. My suggestion is to get a binder and a bunch of clear sheet protectors and then just start collecting graphics you like. Organize them as you go into different categories to suit your needs.

Inspiration comes from lots of places and the five listed above are a good place to start. I’m sure as you become aware of your need for inspiration you’ll start seeing new ideas as you go about your daily life. Good luck and have fun!

Graphics shouldn’t just be beautiful, they should also be profitable! Join me as I teach you through live weekly webinars, email coaching, video tutorials, templates and more how to design web logos and graphics that get clicks and sales for your business.

 

Creative Holiday Advertising with Graphics

“We wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!”

What? But it’s not even Halloween Yet?

Yes I know but now is definitely the time to be planning out your creative holiday advertising.

Don’t make the mistake of thinking your business will slow to a halt during the holidays. Whether you’re selling products, services or anything else holidays, such as Christmas, are an opportunity.

People are off on holidays, they’ve got gift money in their pockets, they’re feeling extra cheerful because family is around. AND they might have a little spare time to spend searching for what they want on the net.

Creative Holiday Advertising

Need some ideas on how you can advertise your business for the Holidays? You can get creative here and do things like:
•    Create gift-certificates
•    Offer holiday specials
•    Offer a free gift with purchase
•    Put together holiday packages
•    Special giveaways
•    Holiday sponsorships

Next you need to get the word out with some great advertising campaigns. You could:
•    Buy an ad on a popular website
•    Buy an ad in a popular newsletter
•    Find Holiday guides to buy an ad in (see below for more details on this one!)
•    Do a Holiday advertising swap with another blogger
•    Put together and distribute your own holiday gift-giving suggestion list

How to Find Campaigns
•    Do a Google search for your keywords and advertising opportunities.
•    Tap sites and blogs you already know. Approach them if you don’t see details but see advertising on the site.
•    Contact people in your network to see if they know of any advertising opportunities.

How to Create Your Holiday Advertising Banners

Once you know what you will advertise and where, the next thing you need to do is create your ad. There are many common types of banner ads that you can create or pay someone to create. Some of the common sizes are 125 x 125, 468 x 60, 250 x 250, 728 x 90.

Creating your ad will combine a number of important factors:
1. Your target market – In order to reach the market you are targeting you need to understand what they respond to. What colors will capture their attention, what font will draw their interest, will they like plain and simple or flashy images and what are their needs.
2. Your call to action – Every great banner ad includes a great call to action. It’s not good enough to know your target market, get their attention and then expect them to know what to do next. You need to TELL THEM to click or visit your site or fill out a form – whatever it is you want them to do next. Spell it out for them clearly and briefly.
3. Testing – It’s not likely that you will create a killer ad on the first go but it’s impossible to get any results if you don’t get your ads out there. Get going and create an ad, then test it and tweak, test and tweak until it totally rocks.

Now get going, Time is ticking away as every day we get closer to another great Holiday!

If you want to create your banner ad yourself, for free, join me as I teach you how to make holiday banner ads and graphics through live weekly webinars, email coaching, video tutorials, templates and more.

 

Comparing a Static Website and WordPress Blog

Trying to make a decision between using a static website vs. WordPress blog for your small business?

Here is a comparison of both so you can make an informed decision!

Static Website

A website made with HTML is commonly known as a static website. When a website is made in HTML it can be done all by hand (which is the long, outdated way and is rarely used) or it can be made with some sort of website design program such as Microsoft Expressions, Adobe Dreamweaver or a host of others.

Pros:
•    Quickly Created – For someone who knows what they are doing a simple one or two page static website is a quick process to create. These are sometimes very useful for single salespages, email opt-in sites or anything that requires just a few pages.

Cons:
•    Expensive – An HTML website can be expensive both to create and to maintain. You need to make sure you have a designer who knows the software your website was built in and that’s not always easy.
•    Organization is Difficult – Like I mentioned, static is great if you just need a page or two but some sites have hundreds of pages. Organization can be difficult and messy with a static website and pages can become out-date or missed without realization.

WordPress Website

WordPress was originally created as a blogging software but it has grown into so much more than that. Yes, you can make wonderful blogs on WordPress but you can also build entire sites on this open source (free) piece of software.

Pros:
•    Huge Selection of Themes – There are some amazing theme designers out there for WordPress who are constantly striving to create better themes for users. They span a wide range of colors, looks, niche topics and layouts.
•    Updating is Easy – Unlike the static website you can find people who know how to use WordPress very easily. There are hundreds of Virtual Assistants who provide the service of updates for your site built into this program. They’ll do this work for you at very reasonable prices as well.

Cons:
•    Regular Upgrades – Because the software is open source one major disadvantage is the frequent updates required to keep away spammers and website hijackers.
•    Customization – Not all WordPress themes will be to your liking so you may need to do some customization. While this is a disadvantage to the newbie, if you find an experienced person to help you, this will be no problem at all.

Making the choice on which way to go will depend on your needs, your own experience, your range of information and how quickly you want to get set up. Just make sure you do your research before making the decision, saving yourself some time and hassle in the long run.

Want to make your own WordPress Website? Join me as I teach you through my online video, webinar and email coaching program how to create your own WordPress blog or website.

 

Tips for Finding Affordable Website Design Services

So you’re ready to have your website designed and you’re looking for affordable website design services that also deliver quality at a reasonable pace.

Tough order!

You see, there is a fine balance between finding someone who does quality work and offers amazing customer service. It’s a rare case that you’ll find someone who’s amazing at their work and amazing at relating to the customer. So it’s important to know what you are on the lookout for so you see it when you find it.

Here are some key points to remember when looking for website design services:

1. Know what you want: Before you hire anyone to design your website you must know what you want and what you need. There is no point going to someone and telling them to build you a website that makes money. You must have a purpose and goal for your website before the design stage, it just won’t work out any other way.

2. Find out what is available: There are many website designers out there. The first thing you must do after you know your website’s purpose is figure out what kind of website you want to build. Will you build an ecommerce site purely for physical products? Will you build an ecommerce site purely for digital products? Will you build a website to promote your speaker services and get companies to call you for keynotes? Will you build a website offering your coaching services? All of these sites have different purposes and may be designed in entirely different ways. Figure out what kind of site you want, then do your research to find out the options to building it is. You’ll be WAY ahead of the game if you do this and you’ll dramatically cut your searching and design costs because you’ll know exactly what you need (saving your designer the billable time of trying to help you figure it out).

3. Create your content: Unless you plan on hiring a copywriter then it’s a very good idea to plan out your website content before you go to a designer. Then you can hand it over and have it all added. This will save you cash because if you hand over content piecemeal you’ll be paying for updates every single time instead of all at once. Even if you do decide to hire a copywriter you’ll need to plan out what pages you need so this is something to be done ahead of time so you can go to the designer with a really good image of what you need.

If you follow these three tips you should have no problem finding yourself a website design service that is awesome.

I’ll tell you a little secret: Most of the cost associated with website design is the time it takes the designer to figure out what you need and want in a website. If you figure it out first you can pop that over to a smart designer and get your website done much more quickly.

Or, you can cut out the middle man and learn to create a professional quality website yourself. Who knows better than YOU what your website should look and feel like? Save yourself a lot of time and money by join me as I teach you in this online video, webinar and email coaching program everything you need to know about creating affordable, quality websites and blogs with WordPress.

 

Important Website Design Features

There are some important features that all websites should include. When building your own website it’s a good idea to create a checklist of things that must be created in order to plan a proper site. Add the following to your list:

1. Contact Information

This is the most basic of design elements you need to have on your website but so many people miss it. You may think that because people are surfing around from website to website that they don’t bother to contact people and just order whatever they want and go on their merry way.

The fact is that people want to do business with other people and if they can’t tell you’re a real person from your website, and find a way to contact you through that site, then they’ll just go to another site where they can contact the owner.

This is important even if you don’t have a product or service that people will typically want to call you about. As I mentioned, your potential customers want to know that you are real and that they CAN pick up the phone and call or send you an email if need be, even if they don’t want to at that moment.

Another issue with website contact information is that people often hide it on an obscure page where no one can find it.

Try this test:

Visit your site and start counting. Pretend you are a first time visitor who doesn’t know where your contact information is and quickly scan around the site for it. Or better yet, have a friend or family member who doesn’t already know where it is do this for you. How long does it take to find it? If it takes you more then 10 seconds thats way too long!

2. Easy to Read Content

One of my biggest pet peeves is going to a website I WANT to read but the content is just so hard to read that I have to leave and be done with it.

Make sure your website content is easy to read.

Best ways to do this:
*Easy to read font, like Verdana, Arial or Georgia for the web
*Font size
*Bullet points!
*Headlines
*Black text on a white background is always easiest on the eyes
*Add in some images

3. Mailing List

Many people are afraid to start their mailing list for fear that they have nothing important enough to send that list. One of the biggest fears is that they will have to come up with great, original content on a weekly basis.

Even if you’re not ready to start a full HTML weekly newsletter lists there is no time like the present to start collecting email addresses from your site visitors.

As I’m sure you’ve heard, the majority of the visitors to your site will come and go, never to return. If you don’t have a method to capture those visitors and offer them more information or products, then you’re missing out on sales – period.

4. Good Navigation

Can your website visitors find what they want, when they want it? Good website navigation is very important, so don’t overlook this.

You may need to do testing to find out what navigation works best for your visitors, but it will be worth it.

Starting out with a simple navigation menu is a good idea. You don’t have to link everything off your main page. Only have the main categories on your index page and then link to the other pages from within that category.

5. Copyright

While having a copyright notice at the bottom of each page on your site might not prevent dishonest people from swiping your content, putting it up is something you should do to deter as many people as possible.

Some people believe if you don’t have that copyright then your content is free for the taking. Others just don’t realize that you can’t just copy and paste whole pages from other people’s sites without them becoming pretty upset that you took their content (and rightly so!).

You can also grab yourself a copyright image that says ‘this page protected by Copyscape from Copyscape.com to try to deter a little more.

It would be a shame to spend many hours and dollars on a website that isn’t very use-able. Make sure whoever designs your website puts just as much effort into use-ability as they do into the creative design. A pretty site won’t get you anywhere if no one uses it!

If you want to save yourself a lot of time and money then join me as I teach you in this online video, webinar and email coaching program everything you need to know about creating quality user friendly websites and blogs with WordPress.

 

How Using Amazon S3 Keeps Money In Your Pocket

A lot of people talk about using Amazon S3 because it is so affordable but don’t normally explain how it saves you money. If you’re wondering why you should pay extra to use Amazon S3 when you can embed or upload content directly into your web site, keep on reading.

No Need To Pay For What You Don’t Use

Large content files like video, audio and sometimes even PDFs eat up web space and bandwidth (also called transfer) on your web host – really fast. Once you hit that limit, your content would be inaccessible.

At that point, you will have to upgrade your web hosting package or temporarily add the extra resources you need. The cost of this upgrade varies, but you can expect a larger bill every month whether you use all those resources or not.

When you host your large files on Amazon S3, there are no limits and you only pay only for what you use. What it means to you: if you use more, you’ll pay for that extra automatically. Your content does not stop getting delivered even if your traffic spikes and a lot of people are accessing it. If you nobody accesses your content for that day, you don’t pay.

Worried About Another Monthly Bill?

The thing that worries many who haven’t used Amazon S3 before is the thought of forking over extra cash to yet another company. Surely you don’t want another monthly bill. I’m here to tell you the ‘extra’ payment is almost negligible.

For the longest time, we only paid $0.50 extra a month. Now our bill is less than $2, sometimes $3. A client of ours who used to pay $30 a month to host their weekly audio and video messages only pays $2 now.

No matter how much content you think you have, chances are, you are going to pay far, far less than what you are used to. That’s a good thing.

Saves You From Leaking Money

By default, all files uploaded to Amazon S3 is private. Nobody can access it by going to the URL directly – even if they know that it is. To deliver content to your audience, you can easily click a button to make the content accessible to everyone. Or, you can use time-limited URLs.

Sounds like a lot of super-difficult technical stuff? It’s not. Especially if you use WordPress, there are plugins that generate these time-limited URLs for you.

This limits content theft. While you can’t end it entirely, it can deter the less tech savvy thieves and frustrate others.

In short, Amazon S3 helps you deliver your content continuously without interruptions for less and limit loss of revenue.

To learn more about using Amazon S3, marketing technology, try http://techbasedtraining.com. You can also get free training by signing up here: http://techbasedtraining.com/free-training/



 

Tips for Generating Traffic to Your New Website

So you’ve got your website up and now you’re ready to get some people reading it.

Tip #1:  Write content that people are looking for and that is targeted to your website’s purpose. Fill your website with high-quality information that serves a purpose and provides high value at the same time. People come to the internet looking for information, entertainment or to find the answer to a problem – do any combination of these three things on a regular basis and you’re sure to have a hit on your hands.

Tip #2:  Decide with a clear set of goals what you want to use your website for. Will it be to draw traffic to a service? To make money through affiliate marketing? To sell your own products? Or all of the above?

Tip #3:  Get out there and let people know your website exists! I’m not going to cover the dozens and dozens of ways to get traffic here. You need to build a plan you can follow and one that works for you. Understand that just because you build a website that doesn’t mean people will automatically find it.

Here are a few ways to get your website found:

Website Directories- There are many paid and free directories available on the internet you can submit your website to.

Leave Comments on Blogs- Commenting on blogs brings you both traffic as well as incoming links if the blog has the no-follow attribute disabled.

Links from other sites- Links from popular websites is a good way to get both traffic and links as well.

Writing articles for other websites- By writing articles for popular websites you can build your reputation as an expert and increase traffic.

Link from your products- If you sell any physical or information products be sure to always make your website known on them.

Your Email Signature- You probably email a lot of people every single week. Get your website address at the bottom of those emails to get more people to your site.

Social Media Sites like Twitter and Facebook- Social media is all the rage these days and it can help you build relationships that translate into website exposure.

Partner Up With another High Profile Website Owner-  There are many ways you can partner with a website owner to create a mutually beneficial promotion. Just get creative!

Set your goals, stick to them and you’ll start to see your efforts pay off as you build a website that people love to come back to again and again.

Ready to get your own WordPress website and theme set up?  To help get you started join me as I teach you in this online video, webinar and email coaching program everything you need to know about creating traffic generating websites and blogs with WordPress.

 

Creating a WordPress Website

Are you ready to start a website? Have you been wondering what format your site should be set up in, with all the choices there are out there? Then you really should consider using WordPress.

You likely know WordPress as one of the most popular blogging platforms available but it can do so much more then just let you post a few entries to your blog. Using WordPress as a Website or CMS (Content Management System) has many advantages, here are some to consider:

Easy Setup – Setting up WordPress is easy. If you have fantastico in your domain’s control panel then in a few clicks you’ll have WordPress up and running. If you don’t have fantastico then you can do a manual install, which takes a little more time but isn’t complicated if you follow the directions. If you are uncomfortable with either of those options you can always hire someone to do it for you. It won’t be pricey to do this as it doesn’t take a long time for someone who knows what they’re doing.

User Updates – Updating a traditional website that was built by someone else can be costly to the site owner because you have to pay a designer, you also have the wait while they get back to you and actually get it done for you. Using a system like WordPress is much more user-friendly and easier to learn. You can be updating your own site in no time and changes are instant – you don’t have to wait for a designer to have time to do the edits for you!

Easily Outsourced – Another great advantage to using WordPress for your website is that you can easily outsource website updates and changes. You can set your virtual assistant up with their own username and password and all she’ll need to do is log in online to work on your site. No making sure you have the most recent version of a website or making sure you don’t overwrite someone else’s work.

Management of Content – A great thing about using WordPress as a website is the use of the Categories and Archives that are built into the program. You can categorize your content into different sections and WordPress will automatically sort it for you.

Search Engine Friendly – Search engines love websites that are frequently updated. Because of the nature of blogs and WordPress you’ll likely be updating very frequently and this is good news for your search engine rankings. You’ll also be found in the blog search engines which can also give your site a boost.

RSS Feed Subscriptions – When you create a website using WordPress you also get a RSS feed. Now readers of your site can subscribe to your RSS feed and be notified every time you add new content to the site. This is a great way to keep your website ‘sticky’ and have people coming back for more information.

That should give you just a few ideas on how you can start using WordPress to create a website that draws in more traffic and makes your life easier.

So what are you waiting for? Get your website up and running in no time by joining me as I teach you in this online video, webinar and email coaching program everything you need to know about creating a website or blog with WordPress.

 

How to Get People to Read Your Blog

Ever feel frustrated that people don’t seem to be swarming to your blog or website? Wonder why they’re not?

I’ve been blogging for awhile now and I’ve learned a few things about how to get people to visit your blog or website.

Check Your Keywords – Keywords work. Keywords are what REAL people type into REAL computers to find your website. Use ’em ok?
Please don’t think I’m being patronizing here because I’m not! I ignored keywords in my own business for a long time but I think it’s really important if you want to build something that continues to work for you even when you’re not there – targeted keywords can do that.

Know Your Readers – Sometimes we get into the mindset that whatever we want to write about is what we want to blog about. But that’s not always the case. Get to know your readers, understand their problems and find out their questions and then start giving them the answers.

Be Approachable – People want to know you are a real person and not someone spewing out content to get them to buy. I do things like add video posts to my blog, put my email in a handy spot, and I even added a nifty little chat box on the right side.

Be Human – We all make mistakes and nobody wants to read a bragging blog for any sustained period of time. Be human.

If you make mistakes, admit them and tell people what you learned from it. I always say I love to learn the hard way, and boy when I mess up I like to make it big. Sometimes I don’t even learn from those big mistakes so I have to do them a few more times. But I’m pretty good at letting my readers know that I’ve messed up and what I think I’ve learned from it.

I like Carrie Wilkerson’s little quote about this: “Turn a mess into a message”

Bring Value – You know value. I know value. Let’s just bring it.

Know Your Purpose – WHY are you blogging, really? Is it just for money? Is it to share a goal? Is it to share as much info as you can?

Speak From The Heart – People know fakeness. They can smell it even over the internet. You won’t do yourself any good to being fake. You and I both know that. But let’s go even further and speak from the heart. Speak from your feelings. Write what you really feel.

People will dive into that and love it, they’ll come back and read your blog and be anticipating your next post.

So there you have a few good tips to get people reading your blog more often and coming back to your website for more.

If you are ready to start your own website/blog join me as I teach you through my online video, webinar and email coaching program how to create a great website/blog with WordPress.

 

How I Made Money Providing a Service, You Can Too

I can hardly believe it but I’ve been online for over 13 years. When I heard ‘the internet’s coming to town’ I was one of the first to walk myself into a teeny little office in our small town and sign myself and my family up for dial up internet service.

Back then, in 1996, I spent most of my time online chatting on chat boards. Then in 1999 I had a friend in college give me a sheet of html code and tell me I could use it to get a website page on the internet.

From 1999 until now I’ve spent hundreds and hundreds of hours over multiple businesses. One of the businesses I’ve spent the most time on is the business of providing services to other business owners.

What services have I provided?

Virtual Assistance: I started a virtual assistance business over three years ago. Providing services to over fifty small business owners I put to use the years of internet marketing experience to make money.

What I did for clients was update their websites, submit articles, rewrite articles, submit websites to directories, write reviews, set up shopping carts, set up affiliate programs, and so much more. If it was internet marketing related, I did it at some point!

I wrote a report about how I got 11 clients in 24 hours that you can download for free if you want more info on how to become a virtual assistant.

Website Design: As I mentioned, I built my first website in 1999. Back then I wasn’t in business – I did it for a hobby! Yep, I’m that geeky.

When I first started making sites I hand-coded them by HTML. I spent a lot of time tweaking a website and just ‘playing’ around. Writing all the code by hand is time consuming! So, I played around with many different kinds of software that allow you to create a website.

The first program I tried out was XSitePro and I built a number of websites with that software. It did a good job but it was limiting. Then I used programs like Microsoft Frontpage and even the high end website design program Dreamweaver.

I fell in love with WordPress a few years ago and build most of my websites in this system. Once I became pretty skilled in WordPress I offered the installation, setup and customization as a service in my virtual assistant business. Then I decided to separate this out from the VA biz and offer it on its own.

Affiliate Management: My virtual assistant clients were smart marketers. Many had affiliate programs and had me doing work that would be classified as ‘affiliate management’.

As I became more experienced in affiliate management I decided to specialize in this area and move out of the virtual assistant service.

Article Ghostwriting: In 2007, I bought a small ghostwriting website from another work at home mom and started providing ghostwriting services.

Ghostwriting means selling content you’ve written and giving over full rights to the buyer. They put their name on it and use it as if they’ve written it themselves.

The site was called Article Mojo. We sold articles, blog posts, email autoresponders and special reports. I actually didn’t do the writing myself. When I ran this site I had a team of writers who did the writing.

So there you have it! Things I’ve done to make money by providing a service.

If you want to provide a service go for it! A word of warning though – There are only so many hours in the day so be sure you plan out your time carefully and make sure to work on passive revenue so you don’t always work hours for dollars.

How about you? Are you ready to start making money by providing a service? If so, join me as I teach you through this online video, webinar and email coaching program everything you need to know about building your own service providing website with WordPress.

 

Tips for Building Your Email List

There are many people who don’t start a mailing list in the beginning of their online presence because they feel they don’t have enough to share with a list. This is a big mistake! Email marketing is NOT dead and you need to be building your mailing list, now. You don’t have to start by sending out a huge newsletter every week, but you do have to start building that list. What you send to your email list will really depend on your market, and what they have subscribed to receive. You could do any number of the following: * A monthly, weekly or bi-weekly html (colors, pictures) newsletter * A monthly, weekly or bi-weekly text-based email * An ecourse * A daily, weekly, or monthly tips list * A series of autoresponder messages * Follow-up messages to customers or clients * A list announcing upcoming events such as teleseminars If you treat your email lists right they will become loyal followers, and when you have an offer to make them they will be there to listen to what you have to say. So, How Do You Build Your Email List? Before you can start sending messages out to a list you need to have people subscribed. The best way to build a list that you want to grow long term is to use a program that is built for sending out messages to those subscribed and also will help you comply with the Can-Spam legal requirements of sending out messages to large groups of people. Two programs I use most often with my clients and are well-known as industry leaders are: Aweber & 1ShoppingCart – Signing up with either of these programs will allow you to easily set up your mailing list and start collecting names and emails that you can then start sending your email promotions out to. Getting Opt-ins – Once you have a program to handle your mailing list you will then need to set up a mailing list opt-in form that people will fill out in order to subscribe to your list. You may want to offer subscribers a gift for signing up, it may help entice them and create greater interest then just the offer of your list alone. Adding a graphic may also help. You may want to test using pop-ups or exit pop-ups and see if they increase your sign up conversions. Confirmation Page – Once people fill out their name and email on an opt-in form you will likely need to have them confirm their opt-in so that you can confirm that they really did request the information and you are not spamming them. The confirmation page is a page that you need to optimize. If you’ve offered a special report make sure that you let them know they need to confirm their subscription in order to get that report, or confirm in order to receive the information they requested. You can make a special offer on the confirmation page, or send them back to your website to read articles. But since they’re on the page anyway, and they have to go somewhere YOU should be making a suggestion as to where they should go. Now It’s Time To Send Out Emails! You’ve got subscribers, they’ve confirmed they want your information and now you’ve got to send them some valuable content! A couple of things to really pay attention to when you send messages out your mailing list is your open rate and your click through rates. Open Rate – One of the biggest things that will affect your open rate is the subject of your email message. You want a subject line with the following qualities: * not too long – Long subjects get cut off in some email programs and a long subject line takes a chance at being ignored. * often includes the name of recipient – Personalizing your email subject line helps catch the attention of the person you’re sending it to. Who doesn’t respond when you call out their name? This is the same with an email. When people see their name they want to know what you’re saying to them. * sounds personal – If the subject line sounds like it is a personal message to the person opening it, you have a greater chance of having it opened. * isn’t misleading – Don’t try to trick your readers into opening something by using a misleading subject line. Not only is it illegal through the Can-Spam act, it just turns your subscribers off in a big way. If they’re expecting one thing and open up an email to see another, you risk them not opening anything else you send them. Click Through Rates – Ok, you’ve gotten their attention and they’ve opened your email – but that’s only the first step! Now you need to have a call to action in each and every message you send. Your call to action doesn’t have to ask your reader to buy something. Maybe you want them to visit your website to read a great article you’ve written, or maybe they should go check out a new podcast you’ve uploaded, or download a free special report you’ve written (all of which will have their own calls to action within them). Watch your click through rates and start paying attention to what works and what doesn’t for your market. If you have a large enough list you can do split-testing to test one message against another to see which has a better response. Sometimes the smallest things can make a big difference. Your mailing list can be one of the biggest assets to your business so make sure you take care and don’t bombard them with spammy offers or just low quality information. Take good care of that list and they will take good care of you for a very long time to come. And make sure you start building it now! If you’re looking to run your business and not let your business run you then check out my new training that walks you step-by-step through the process of building your list, creating a freebie, and getting more sign-ups.

Using Email Marketing as a Profitable Sales Tool

You’ve heard that using your email to sell products or services on the internet is the thing to do but you have no idea where to start.

Using email as a profitable sales tool doesn’t have to be complicated.

You need to connect with your audience no matter what tool you use. Email just allows you another way to do so. Some of the common reasons business owners don’t use email marketing is because they (1) fear it will take up too much time, (2) don’t feel they have enough expertise to write a ‘newsletter’ or (3) feel that marketing through email is ‘spamming’.

Let’s address each of these issues:

1. Too Much Time – This is a common issue that business owners face. They put off using email to make sales because they feel like it will take away from their other business activities and end up being a time drain.

Here’s the thing though: Your email marketing really doesn’t need to be a fancy, high graphic email Newsletter.

– You can offer quick weekly tips that take you 15 minutes each week to write.
– You can have a special offers list where you tell people what you have for sale.
– You can do a weekly article.
– You can give short, quick updates on your business.
– You can even set your email marketing on auto-pilot using autoresponders.

It’s your email list so you get to set the rules. Don’t let lack of time stop you! The amount of time you will save by having a responsive list to sell to will far outweigh the input of time in the beginning.

2. Not an Expert – Some people believe they need to be a ‘guru’ or an expert to write emails that people will want to read. This is so untrue!

Many people want to learn from someone like them. Someone who remembers what it’s like to struggle, to learn the hard way and someone who’s willing to give the step-by-step information they need to move along that path.

Business success is a gradual growth and no one expects you to be an expert overnight. If you’ve been in business for a while you have great information to share and there are people out there waiting to hang on your every word.

Just get going, be honest and people will love you.

3. Email Sales is Spamming – Yes we are overloaded with email and spam is a terrible issue. Does that mean you should concede to the spammers and not even try? NO WAY!

You can have an email list to sell to without selling like a spammer.

Provide great value, treat people the way you’d like to be treated, do good business and you have no worries about making people upset. The great thing about email marketing too is if you set your system up properly, when people want to leave your list, they can do so at the click of a button.

If you’re ready to start using your email marketing as a profitable sales tool, join me in my new training program that walks you step-by-step through the process of building your list, creating a freebie, and getting more sign-ups.

 

5 Hot Tips for Boosting Ezine Sign-Ups

If you already have an ezine/newsletter and would like to get more people signing up to it (who doesn’t!) here are some simple things you can do now to increase subscriptions and get more people signing up to your newsletter.

1. Look at Your Sign-Up Boxes – What do they say? Is the text appealing? Do you have an attractive graphic?

Your newsletter signup area should be like a mini-salespage. It should have a headline that is attention-getting and grabs people to pull them in and tell them the benefits of handing over their email address. Just putting up a form that says ‘fill out your name and email to be added to my list’ is NOT going to get you the most sign-ups!

An example of a good headline might be “Sign Up Now to Get Your FREE Tips, Resources and Special Offers on X!”

You’ll also want to have some specific text below the sign-up box that also describes what they will be getting. Bullet points work, highlighting, italics. Make it important and make it stand out.

You can also look at your ‘Submit’ button and see how you can create a greater call to action with this. You can use words like ‘Get my Free Subscription’ or ‘Sign Me up Now!’.

2. Opt-in Sign-Up Placement – Where have you placed your sign-up box on your website? Is it just on the main page of your site?

Your main page of your website may get a lot of traffic but what about the rest of the pages? If you only have your opt-in on the main page then you need to think about incorporating it in to the rest of the pages of your site since you will often get website visitors from the search engines who don’t find you through your main page. You don’t want to lose these people!

Another thing to consider is to place the opt-in sign-up on other websites you have that are also in the same niche as your list.

3. Test the Location of Your Opt-in – Where is your opt-in or sign-up offer located?

Moving your opt-in location can make a big difference in the number of sign-ups you receive. If you currently have your opt-in in the right sidebar of your site, try it on the left (assuming you have a left) or try it in the copy of your website. Test out what happens when you move it around and if you see an increase in subscribers you’ll know you’ve found a winning location.

4. Use a Pop-up/Hover-ad -Yes these can be annoying to some people but they really do work. They don’t have to be annoying either if used sparingly. If you use a service like AWeber (which I highly recommend) then you can set the ads to pop in only once per visit or one per visitor so that people who are clicking around your site don’t need to keep closing your ad.

Test out a hover ad and see if that increases your conversions. Sometimes it can have a very big effect on the overall conversions.

5. Host a Teleseminar – Now this task may not seem as easy as the others to set up. Once you do have a system set up, however, hosting teleseminars can become part of your routine and be pretty easy to get going. Hosting a teleseminar allows people to get to know you better and creates more word of mouth about your business.

Of course you’ll also want to be looking at bringing more traffic to your website so more people see your email opt-in offer but you can use these five hot tips to start seeing more opt-ins without increasing your traffic one bit.

Are you ready to get your ezine/newsletter up and running so it can help generate more client/customer traffic to your website? Then join me in my new training program that walks you step-by-step through the process of building your list, creating a freebie, and getting more sign-ups.