Victoria Player

My New Years Gift to Female Entrepreneurs & Women Business Owners! :))

info@victoriaplayer.com (Victoria Player - the "Online Marketing Coach") — Sat, 09 Jan 2010 16:47:00 +0000

Ladies, it's been a while since I shared any goodies with you. So in the spirit of us ALL making 2010 our best year yet I'd like to re-post this FREE business-building audio tip:

“4 Quick Tips to Get People Interested in What YOU Do”

In this 10 minute audio class you will learn:

* The KEY strategy which you can do just once then recycle over and over again to increase your online/offline visibility tenfold

* How to stop chasing business and have it magnetically attract itself to you

* How to capture the attention of your IDEAL clients and have them pick up the phone and ask to work with YOU!

* My HOT tips to break down the scepticism associated to buying and builds a mass of credibility FAST! (essential in the current economic climate)

Free Instant Access Instructions:

Simply enter your email address in the form below (don't worry I won't be sharing it with anyone) and gain instant access to this short punchy audio class. Oh and do watch this space as I'll be posting a host of other freebie goodies in the coming weeks. :))

Happy listening!

Victoria x :))

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“14 Empowering Ways to Build More Abundance and Wealth in 2010” (Part 1) - Victoria Player

info@victoriaplayer.com (Victoria Player - the "Online Marketing Coach") — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 14:26:00 +0000

I want to dive into the New Year by sharing some powerful business-transforming exercises that will empower you to break through limitations and consistently reach new levels of success this year. So why not take some ‘me’ time, grab a tea and sit quietly with a notepad and pen ready to open yourself to new ideas, inspiration and excitement for the year ahead. Give yourself some space to clear your mind and then follow the step-by-step assignment which I’ll be delivering each week though out the duration of January.

This week we’re going to begin by ‘clearing the ground,’ which is like cleaning out the old, worn and broken ready to rebuild the ‘house’ that is your business. Learning to tune into the conversations that you have with yourself is essential when you’re looking to make changes and elevate your life and business to new levels. What you believe and tell yourself is possible, can have a powerful impact on what you achieve. What’s surprising is that not all of your internal dialogue is positive or constructive.

Tapping into your passion and designing your ideal business involves a certain amount of belief, self-esteem and confidence. The trouble is, it’s very easy to for us to slip into bad habits which limit our success. So without further ado we’re going to hold a megaphone to your internal voice so that we can get crystal clear on what needs to be changed before moving forward this year.

1. Where are you now?

Write this down exactly along with the most common reasons why you haven’t done or aren’t doing the things you’re supposed to be doing within your business.

2. The truth lies behind the STORY!

Now consider what story you’re REALLY telling yourself? Be brutally honest. Don’t sugar-coat things. It’s so easy to become stuck ‘in the groove’ of the story you’ve subconsciously been telling yourself for the past year. Don’t sell yourself short.

3. Get clear on what hasn’t worked

What are you unhappy about? What part of 2009 do you want to discard and leave behind for good? You’ll know what these things are because you will immediately feel heavy and your energy levels with become considerably lower.

4. Success is about moving TOWARDS your vision

What’s holding you back from living your true vision, passion and purpose? This will give you the big picture about why you’re not moving forward or living your life in the way you'd like to be.

5. Get disturbed!

What’s REALLY disturbing about these points? Why are they disturbing to you? Getting clear will help crystallise your thinking, bring about newfound determination and the motivation needed for BIG transformations.

This may seem like a negative way to begin the year but a problem is simply a way of knowing where you are now. Be grateful for it. This is your internal guidance system telling you that you are off course and moving away from your vision and purpose rather towards it. So become aware and MAKE THE DECISION to implement the changes required for success.

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WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR EMAIL NEWSLETTER, WEBSITE OR BLOG? Feel free but may I ask that you include the resource box below in full. You are also welcome to use my photo.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Victoria Player works with female entrepreneurs to help them tap into their passion, productise their knowledge, free up MORE time, generate passive income and develop financial freedom by utilising information marketing techniques, social media and the Internet. To gain instant access to your FREE audio training class packed full of practical how-to business building advice, visit www.VictoriaPlayer.com

“14 Empowering Ways to Build More Abundance and Wealth in 2010” – Part 1.

info@victoriaplayer.com (Victoria Player - the "Online Marketing Coach") — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 15:16:00 +0000

This week's ezine: “14 Empowering Ways to Build More Abundance and Wealth in 2010” – Part 1. Out tomorrow. Get your copy here.

New Years Eve "Oscars" Party 2010

info@victoriaplayer.com (Victoria Player - the "Online Marketing Coach") — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 18:36:00 +0000

A fabulous opportunity to put on the glitz and glamour and get the full length evening dress out (difficult with a baby bump!). I hope your New Years Eve celebrations were good too?

Merry Christmas from Victoria Player

info@victoriaplayer.com (Victoria Player - the "Online Marketing Coach") — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 15:29:00 +0000

Victoria talks Christmas wishes, exciting new transformations and a little of what's to come in the New Year.

A BIG Birthday Thank You!

info@victoriaplayer.com (Victoria Player - the "Online Marketing Coach") — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 06:17:00 +0000

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Friend Me Up!

info@victoriaplayer.com (Victoria Player - the "Online Marketing Coach") — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 04:59:00 +0000

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Get in on the "Fan Thing" and Hear My Personal Message --->

info@victoriaplayer.com (Victoria Player - the "Online Marketing Coach") — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 23:05:00 +0000

A MASSIVE THANK YOU to all of you who have already joined my page. I really appreciate your support chaps.•.¸¸.•´¯`•.♥

See my personal message here.

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"Remember, Remember the 3rd November" - Victoria Player

info@victoriaplayer.com (Victoria Player - the "Online Marketing Coach") — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 12:50:00 +0000

Hello You Lovely Lot,

They always say here in the UK, “Remember, remember the 5th November,” to commemorate Guy Fawkes and the Gunpowder Plot of 1605. But in this case I’m asking you to remember the 3rd November!

Why?

Well, the 3rd November is a day that you are definitely going to want to remember, especially if you're looking to attract a LOT more clients, successfully take your business online, learn solid marketing strategies and turn your passion into passive income.

Still puzzled? Let me get straight to the point...You see the 3rd November is my birthday! Usually, I’d be out on the town or throwing a party. But this year, I've decided to keep it low-key (for reasons which I will reveal very soon) and instead, I want to give YOU a "surprise" gift.

I'm talking about the ‘Victoria’s Birthday Coaching Sale’ giving you a chance to save a few extra pennies... and it's happening RIGHT NOW through to next FRIDAY!

I know that for many of you the cost of my private coaching may have been a little out of reach, especially if you’re just starting out... but for whatever reason, you haven't yet had the opportunity to work with me one-on-one and learn the solid marketing strategies that will fill your business quickly.

This is your LUCKY DAY! This is YOUR chance to work with me, via telephone, on a one-on-one basis for a fraction of the usual investment! Find out more now at our information page.

So, don't forget the 3rd November and snap up this celebratory offer and take your chance to get the personalised help and advice to quickly and effectively grow your business at a reduced price.

But hurry, this offer will only be available until MIDNIGHT (UK) time, Friday 6th November! Get the full low-down and book your spot here.

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"How to Develop a Weekly Article Writing Schedule" - By Victoria Player

info@victoriaplayer.com (Victoria Player - the "Online Marketing Coach") — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 17:05:00 +0000

Over the years I've worked with a number of clients who experience a similar challenge, finding time to carve out a writing schedule. In this week's article we'll look at the process I use to stay on top of my article marketing and get MORE done in LESS time.

By now you will have heard me say a MILLION times that the key to successful marketing is consistency. And this is true of article marketing. Success depends very much on your commitment to the process. You will get the best results when you schedule your writing. Submit a steady stream of about 1 to 8 articles a month, over an extended period of time, to various locations around the Internet.

1. Capture your ideas

It can be a challenge to stay steadily creative and productive. The more you write, the faster your content ideas dry up. I find that ideas come to me at the most inappropriate times and are often fleeting. So it's essential that you have an effective method for capturing and recording those ideas before they're lost forever. I keep a notebook with me at all times. I have one beside my bed, in the car, in my handbag, on my desk and in my sitting room. You never know when inspiration will strike! You may also find it useful to carry a Dictaphone to help you record those stellar money-generating ideas whilst you're on the move.

2. Create a swipe file or ideas bank

You'll find that you come across plenty of material that sparks ideas. Once you have your ideas you need to have that inspiration to hand when you need it. So start by creating a "swipe file" which is an ideas/research bank. I have two. A file which stores paper ideas such as extracts from my notebook, magazine articles and headlines, newspaper clippings, photos or flyers. The other is an online file.

3. Develop your writing schedule

Next I recommend that you schedule one day each week to write and stick to it so that it becomes routine. Take your calendar out now and schedule it to happen. Decide specifically what time you will start and when you will end. Many of my clients find that they experience a mental block when they begin to write for the first time. I recommend using a kitchen timer. This stops you getting too precious over your writing and allows the ideas to flow out onto the page. You can go back later and make the necessary tweaks.

4. Start with an outline

For a fast and effective way to get your ideas down on paper begin by creating an outline. Write 5 to 10 points relating to your topic and then write a paragraph of explanation for each point and hey presto!

With some preparation and a little repeated effort it won't be long before your ability to write improves. Once you've developed a bank of articles you can then build on them and develop ways of selling your knowledge in the form of information products such as ebooks, manuals, and courses. This will help you increase your income considerably!

If you'd like to learn how to develop your own ebooks and courses then please join us for the upcoming sneak preveiw of the soon-to-be-launched Service Professionals Business-Building Program.

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WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR EMAIL NEWSLETTER, WEBSITE OR BLOG? Feel free but may I ask that you include the resource box below in full. You are also welcome to use my photo.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Victoria Player works with coaches and other women entrepreneurs to help them make them build a business utilising email, information products and the Internet. To get your FREE audio training class packed full of practical how-to business building advice, visit www.VictoriaPlayer.com

"Are You in Stuck in Analysis Paralysis?" - By Victoria Player

info@victoriaplayer.com (Victoria Player - the "Online Marketing Coach") — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 19:18:00 +0000

A trend I’ve noticed amongst solo entrepreneurs is the time spent pondering decisions, stuck in a state of "analysis paralysis." This can be anything from indecision about which marketing strategies to implement or which product or program to develop first. Either way, it’s likely to be fatal for your business.

Make the decision and take action

To remain ahead of the game one must deciding on an immediate course of action and then implement quickly. Failure to do so could result in being left on the "scrap heap" of failed businesses and deprive you of the benefit of learning from that action.

Step out of you comfort zone

Taking action often requires you to step outside of your comfort zone and face your deepest fears and limiting beliefs head on. Those who wish to succeed in business must be willing to make those decisions, to commit to the process, act quickly and have a willingness to constantly break through their mental barriers and limited patterns of thinking. Not just once but over and over again.

Take ONE Step

The hardest thing in any endeavour is taking the very first step. To make it simple start with something that is really easy. But DO SOMETHING. If you’re stuck or unsure enlist the help of a coach or mastermind group to gain clarity. If you don’t know what product or program to launch next or you’re in doubt about what your list wants then simply ask them. That personal connection will immediately raise your confidence and give you all the information you need to move ahead.

Step up and play BIG!

In order to make radical shifts within your business this year it will require you to step up and play BIG in order to move to the next level. So BE REMARKABLE! Spin the wheel of fortune in your favour, take the best of what you have been given and believe in it. Refuse to be average and strive to reach for the stars! I believe that you can do it and so should you. Good luck! :))

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WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR EMAIL NEWSLETTER, WEBSITE OR BLOG? Feel free but may I ask that you include the resource box below in full. You are also welcome to use my photo.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Victoria Player works with coaches and other women entrepreneurs to help them make them build a business utilising email, information products and the Internet. To get your FREE audio training class packed full of practical how-to business building advice, visit www.VictoriaPlayer.com

“Understand How the ‘Me Too Syndrome’ Could be Killing Your Business” - By Victoria Player

info@victoriaplayer.com (Victoria Player - the "Online Marketing Coach") — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 12:14:00 +0000

With more and more businesses going bust every single day it’s more important than ever to find your own unique position within the market place to avoid dying out like an old decrepit dinosaur.

Many small business owners come to me asking this question: “What do I need to do to be successful in my marketing? The answer? Avoid being tempted to be just like your competitors. And quite frankly, it all comes down to being willing to ask yourself a tough question. Are you really being authentic and daring enough to stand out from the crowd? Are you willing to stand up and be different?

Why is it so important to be different?

Your business needs to be a true representation of who you are. It is so important to have a vision and a passion that means something to you. How else will you stay motivated enough to keep going through the good and bad times in years to come?

Your business needs to stand out from the crowd; it needs to be unique to capture the attention of potential clients. We all choose to work with different people for different reasons and the thing that makes you different is also what will make you unique and could well be your key selling point. Without it interested prospects will not have a compelling enough reason to pick you out from the sea of competitors.

Differentiate or Die!

Being boring and being a ‘me too’ business will only prove to suck the life force out of anything you have to offer. Katharine Hepburn said it best when she said:

“If you’re not standing out – then you are blending in with the wallpaper.”

Never has there been a truer word!

So ensure that you really are putting yourself out there in a different and special way and inject your own personality and creativity into everything you do. By being yourself and shining your own special light, you will undoubtedly attract your own unique following. A fan base of people who love you and everything you do!

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WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR EMAIL NEWSLETTER, WEBSITE OR BLOG? Feel free but may I ask that you include the resource box below in full. You are also welcome to use my photo.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Victoria Player works with coaches and other women entrepreneurs to help them make them build a business utilising email, information products and the Internet. To get your FREE audio training class packed full of practical how-to business building advice, visit www.VictoriaPlayer.com

“What Every Coach Should Know About Building a Successful & Profitable Practice” - Victoria Player

info@victoriaplayer.com (Victoria Player - the "Online Marketing Coach") — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 17:36:00 +0000

Have you ever wondered what makes one coach a success whilst others have a barren practice? And why is it that some coaches have all the clients they can handle whilst others don't? Well, that's because superstar coaches do things that mediocre coaches just don't do.

If you want to become a superstar coach and attract all the clients you can handle, you must begin to understand that your primary business objective is the marketing of your coaching services, not just the delivery of those services, In fact 50% of the future success of your coaching practice is about marketing.

When it comes to growing your business the marketing of your practice is more important than then your ability to deliver the service. Often coaches believe that they need to be more experienced before they can become successful, but that isn't neccessarily true. There are many coaches out there that don't have the most thorough technical ability or a lot of experience, but still have a full and thriving practice and have yet more clients knocking on their door. You don't have to be the best coach in the world to be a success. What you do need is to become good at marketing.

Good marketing covers many sins and although I don't condone sloppy coaching practice the implimentation of a few select marketing strategieis will attract new clients and enable you to grow your business. Of course the more clients you coach the greater your experience becomes. Let's face it, without clients you don't have a coaching practice at all and to coach is an essential part of our CPD and on-going experience.

Where should your focus lie?

Superstar coaches work ON their business, not just IN it. When you work on your business you are spending time attracting new clients, establishing and developing long-term relationships and implementing procedures and systems that allow a lot of your marketing activities to run on autopilot. This of course means you actually have more time to do what you love, coaching. When you work in your practice you get bogged down with the amount of work to be done and spend the majority of time fire fighting.

What is stopping you from Marketing your practice?

If you're anything like the coaches I work with, you'll have at some point experienced a resistence to the idea of marketing. Perhaps you have already tried out one or two marketing tactics with little success, or maybe you feel uncomfortable about the whole concept of marketing and have a distinct aversion to it, some even consider it to be 'salesy'.

Why is it that we feel this way? After all, marketing is only a form of effective communication. Surely this is an area that we should be good at? I find that so many coaches have built up negative feelings associated with marketing and in turn have resulted in taking no action what so ever towards attracting and building long-term relationships with their prospects and clients.

So how do you start working on your business?

The most successful approach for overcoming a negative association to marketing and to getting the most out of your activities is to set a regular time to do them. If you haven't had much success in attracting clients in the past it is probably because your marketing efforts have been inconsistent.

The essence of successful marketing is to carry out your activities on a consistent basis and measure the outcome. So a patchy approach to your marketing will enevitably lead to disappointing results.

As coaches we know that one of the most successful ways to achieve results is to use focused attention and well-formed outcomes. If you engross yourself in one activity you will invariably become more practiced at it and move closer towards the achievement of that goal.

I suggest that you make a plan to set aside one or two days a week to work solely on marketing activities. In doing so you will begin to see marked results in the development of your practice. If you are just starting out or you don't have many clients I would advise you to commit to working more than two days per week on your marketing. You might also like to set a specific day aside to deliver your coaching services too.

What are the benefits of having a set marketing day?

Develop a plan - By having a set marketing day you can commit time to developing a step-by-step plan of action to move you closer to your goal of attracting more clients. Which strategies will you use? Which most suits your needs? What needs to be done to impliment those strategies? You can set a target for each marketing day and move steadily towards impimenting it

Focus and learning - A set marketing day will allow you to focus your attention on the strategy at hand. In doing so you will be able to familiarise yourself with each tactic, become better aquainted with what needs to be done to attract more clients and feel more comfortable with the whole concept of marketing. Let's face it, there is always learning in taking action. You will become more effective and get so much more done in less time.

Work consistently - It is proven that marketing does not work unless it is implimented on a consistent basis. By having a set marketing day you will be commiting the time to work on you business rather than in it and will ultimately avoid experiencing patches were your stream of clients drys up. Remember consistent effort creates consistent results.

Measure results - By working on one marketing strategy at a time you will be able to guage what effect each one is having on your practice. Which strategy is working and which isn't? Which is creating rusults? Which is providing a better return on investment? Which do you enjoy most? By measuring the outcome you will be in a better position to adjust your approach or impliment a different strategy.

I want to get across to you that the marketing of your coaching practice really is as important as being a good coach. To become one of the top 1% of successful coaches you need to acquaint yourself with and implement at least a few marketing tactics on a consistant basis and become good at the business development side of things. With time and consistent effort prospects will come to you to find out more about you and the services you provide.

As coahces we beleive that devloping people within any business endeavour is one of the most intelligent things to be implemented for long-term success. Isn't it time you apply this to your own business success? So remember, your primary business objective is the marketing of your coaching services, not just the delivery of those services. Marketing is THE essential step to creating business and financial success in today's competitive marketplace.

So are you ready to start working ON your business rather than IN it?

Hey share your comments, I'd love to hear from you!

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR EMAIL NEWSLETTER, WEBSITE OR BLOG? Feel free but may I ask that you include the resource box below in full. You are also welcome to use my photo.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Victoria Player works with coaches and other women entrepreneurs to help them reach MORE people, change MORE lives and create a better lifestyle for themselves and others by utilising email, information products and the Internet. To get your FREE audio class packed full of practical how-to business building advice, visit www.VictoriaPlayer.com

How to Drive More Traffic to Your Blog Posts - Victoria Player

info@victoriaplayer.com (Victoria Player - the "Online Marketing Coach") — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 11:32:00 +0000

During a coaching call today with one of my regular clients I discussed in some depth the different methods one can use to drive more traffic to a blog. Sarah (not her real name) explained that she’d been repurposing her email newsletter articles and had been posting them to her blog but was finding it difficult to get anyone to read her weekly posts. So in this week’s article I’m going to reveal the key strategies that I use every day within my own business to get more traffic back to my blog.

Tweet It

Use Twitter.com to broadcast a short message of 140 characters to announce your new blog post. Tweet more than once throughout the day. This is important because different people come online at different times. It may also be a good idea to automate some of your tweets to go out throughout the night using Tweetlater.com. To keep things fresh ensure that you change the wording of each tweet and use a shortened URL to give you more room for people to re-tweet (RT) your posts.

Update Your Facebook Status

Again in a similar way use your Facebook status to tell people about your new blog post. It’s also important to make your post title relevant to your target market. I tend to get a lot more traffic from Facebook than I do via Twitter but much of this will depend on your specific target market and where they tend to hang out most. It’s always a good idea to use tracking links to find out where you’re getting the most traffic from.

Include Your Post Title in Your Email Signature

If you’re writing is good your email signature can work as a great billboard. People often don’t like to be sold to so why not start off by sending people to your blog post where you can then begin to demonstrate your expertise. Let them get acquainted with what you do and then include a resource box at the bottom of your post giving instructions about how they can subscribe to your list.

Ask Your Readers to Share It

These days there are many ways to build social media buttons and plug-ins into your blog. I use Share This. But remember that a confused mind always says no. So be sure not to go over the top with the different options you provide for people to share your content. At very least add a link pointing people to Twitter or Digg.

The key to the effectiveness of any of these tactics is persistence. All of them will build momentum over time. Just remember that even the smallest of things grows eventually. It’s also a good idea to take time out to build a good relationship with your online network as these are the people who will help spread the word and grow your readership over time.

Feel free to share your comments here. We'd love to hear from you!

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WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR EMAIL NEWSLETTER, WEBSITE OR BLOG? Feel free but may I ask that you include the resource box below in full. You are also welcome to use my photo.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Victoria Player works with coaches and other women entrepreneurs to help them reach MORE people, change MORE lives and create a better lifestyle for themselves and others by utilising email, information products and the Internet. To get your FREE audio class packed full of practical how-to business building advice, visit www.VictoriaPlayer.com

“Essential Facts That You Should Know About Defining & Researching Your Target Market” - Victoria Player

info@victoriaplayer.com (Victoria Player - the "Online Marketing Coach") — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 14:43:00 +0000

Ask me what the single most important thing anyone can do to ensure the success of his or her business. I would say, begin by identify and focusing on one niche market.

Each day we are barraged with thousands of marketing messages and we have less money, time and energy to spend on deciding whom we work with. Specialisation or niche marketing is key. Make it super simple for people to understand who you are, what you do, who you work with and most importantly how you can help them. Think results and outcomes.

I’ve worked with a number of clients who initially feel a reluctance to select and focus on one niche market. They had been throwing out their net far and wide in the hope of catching anybody. They believed that by narrowing their focus and narrowing the amount of people they market to, they’ll be missing out on potential clients.

Paradoxically the truth can’t be more different. The old adage, "when everybody is your customer, nobody is your customer" is absolutely true and profoundly important. You can’t be all things to all people. When you decide to specialise something very magical happens.

If you don’t know who your prospects are, how can you set about contacting them? How will you find them? How will you know whether they’re interested in learning more about what you do?

People are not interested in generalists. They want to know that someone is an expert or specialist in a given area. They will not part with their hard earned cash unless they know for certain that their specific needs are individually catered for and your offerings are tailor-made to their specific requirements.

As soon as you make the decision to focus on a niche market you will immediately find that everything becomes easier. It becomes easier to find your clients and for them to find you. It becomes easier to develop new products and services that are tailored to your markets needs, and it becomes easier to get referrals. You can then begin to reuse your solutions and make huge margins on your services.

Defining your niche is one of the most important foundations for any business and is part of what I’ll be covering in my BRAND NEW One-Day Intensive Coaching Program in depth. I’ve devoted an entire module to this topic and I’ll be walking you through the exact steps to ensure that you’ve clearly defined & researched your target market correctly so that you know who you're serving and how BEST to serve them. Snap up your spot and get started off on the right foot. Get this wrong and you could lose thousands in lost time and revenue.

Hey, join the conversation and tell us what YOU think, would LOVE to hear from you!

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WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR EMAIL NEWSLETTER, WEBSITE OR BLOG? Feel free but may I ask that you include the resource box below in full. You are also welcome to use my photo.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Victoria Player works with coaches and other women entrepreneurs to help them reach MORE people, change MORE lives and create a better lifestyle for themselves and others by utilising email, information products and the Internet. To get your FREE audio training program packed full of practical how-to business building advice, visit www.VictoriaPlayer.com

"How to Use Facebook to Promote Your Business Without it Costing a Penny!" - Victoria Player

info@victoriaplayer.com (Victoria Player - the "Online Marketing Coach") — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 17:04:00 +0000

"How to Use Facebook to Promote Your Business Without it Costing a Penny!"
By Victoria Player

In this day and age it's likely that the majority of your target audience have a Facebook profile. But don't be mistaken by thinking that Facebook is only used to connect with old school friends and family members. It does in fact offer a number of features that will help connect you with your target market, drive traffic to your website and generate new leads for your business without it costing a penny. In this article I show you how.

1. Create a Facebook Group

Your target market has common interests. My prospects and readers are interested in growing their business and attracting more clients. Perhaps yours are interested in improving their relationships, making money online, dressmaking or weight loss. In the same way that people do a search for information using Google, they will equally join your Facebook group. By doing so, these people are indicating that they are part of YOUR target market and interested in what you do. They have defined themselves as potential prospects.

This is exactly what I did in the run up to launching the Women Entrepreneurs Club. I created the Women Entrepreneurs Club Facebook group and started a number of discussions that touched on common interests. I now have over 460 members. The beauty of this is that when people search for groups using the key word "Women Entrepreneur" and they see other groups with just 11 members, which group do you think they will join? By the way, it's worth using key words for your business within your group name. This will show up in Google.

2. Brainstorm Discussion Topics & Content

In order to build a community around your area of expertise you must first begin to generate curiosity and interest. It falls to you to build this interest and get the discussion going. So begin by brainstorming discussion topics and content that directly relates to your members interests and challenges. You might decide to share snippets of info from other people's blogs, videos, audio classes, articles or useful online resources. Better still share your own content that directly relates to and demonstrates your area of expertise. Include links back to your website where people can find out more. This will also improve your organic Google ranking.

It might be worth mentioning here that I'll be explaining this in-detail within the next "Women Entrepreneurs' Club" monthly Expert Training Call. We'll discuss what to do once you've got people to your website and exactly how to turn those visitors in to a list of IDEAL prospects and clients.

3. Invite New Friends

Next you need to invite your Facebook friends to join your group. This is when your group goes viral! When people join, that activity will show up in the feed on their profile page. If you are short on friends locate other groups where your target market hang out and invite them to become your friend.

4. Promote Your Website or Blog

Next you need to place a link to your website or blog in a prominent place on your Facebook group page. Do the same within your email newsletter, website or blog driving your readers back to your Facebook group. People will appreciate you giving them a place to connect and it builds a sense of community.

Again locate groups on your topic or related ones and post an invitation for people to join your group. There are three ways to do this. Use the Post a Link feature OR add something to the Discussion Board OR post a comment to the Wall. BEWARE: please DO NOT post too many links in one place or in a short time frame. You will either be barred from the group or have your Facebook account disabled for being spammy!

This simple and FREE strategy has been my greatest and most consistent source of targeted traffic to my website. So with just a little consistent effort I guarantee that it will work for you too. Good luck and let me know how you get on! :)

Share your comments and JOIN THE CONVERSATION here.

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR EMAIL NEWSLETTER, WEBSITE OR BLOG? Feel free but may I ask that you include the resource box below in full. You are also welcome to use my photo.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Victoria Player works with coaches and other women entrepreneurs to help them reach MORE people, change MORE lives and create a better lifestyle for themselves and others by utilising email, information products and the Internet. To get your FREE audio training program packed full of practical how-to business building advice, visit www.VictoriaPlayer.com

• Check out the LATEST CONVERSATIONS at Women Entrepreneurs Club Blog
• View Victoria's Diary
• Get Victoria's latest updates on Twitter

"The Best Marketing Secret EVER!" by Victoria Player

info@victoriaplayer.com (Victoria Player - the "Online Marketing Coach") — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 10:18:00 +0000

"The Best Marketing Secret EVER!"
By Victoria Player

This past week I've been having a bit of a clear out. You know what they say; a cluttered work space causes a cluttered mind... that's true for me anyway!

I came across an old marketing book which I avidly read cover to cover when I very first qualified as a certified coach a few years ago and ventured into the world of business. The book covered what was supposed to be the A-Z of marketing a service business.

Having had a flick through the pages I was amazed to find that many of the suggested strategies were archaic. Would you believe that "Yellow Pages Advertising" was featured as a recommended place to start promoting a business? I ask you. When was the last time you looked in the Yellow Pages?

In this day and age the first place people begin to do any research is on the Internet. So if you're keen to begin marketing your products and services successfully then you need to be where people are searching... online!

Although traditional lead generation strategies still work we are now moving in a fast paced world. This is the information age where we can connect with thousands of people from around the globe. We have the knowledge we need at our figure tips with the simple click of a button. We all have greater demands on our time and as coaches, consultants, service-based business owners and women entrepreneurs many of us are time poor.

This is where social media and online marketing strategies come into play. They are exceptionally powerful ways to locate and connect with your target market and will save you heaps of time. Of course, time away from your business can mean money lost too. I'm sure you can remember the time spent travelling to and from networking events just to pick up a few business cards of people who may or may not be interested in what you do.

Lead generation online is much more flexible, time saving and targeted. It enables you to stop marketing one-to-one and begin reaching thousands of your IDEAL customers and clients across the globe, online for less than the price of your daily newspaper.

In fact, there are many ways for you to market yourself on the Internet including email marketing, joint ventures, social media marketing, video marketing, podcasting, pay-per-click advertising, affiliate programs and the list goes on and on.

So if you'd like to get to grips with some of the basics of online marketing and learn how to generate MORE LEADS, attract MORE CLIENTS and make MORE MONEY online then join me on my special prveiew call titled: "4 Simple Secrets to Attract MORE Clients and Get People Interested in What YOU Do." Don't miss out. Snap up your spot here.

Share your comments and JOIN THE CONVERSATION here.

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR EMAIL NEWSLETTER, WEBSITE OR BLOG? Feel free but may I ask that you include the resource box below in full. You are also welcome to use my photo.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Victoria Player works with coaches, consultants, service-based business owners and other women entrepreneurs to help them reach MORE people, change MORE lives and create a better lifestyle for themselves and others by utilising email, information products and the Internet. To get your FREE audio training program packed full of practical how-to business building advice, visit www.VictoriaPlayer.com

Check out the LATEST CONVERSATIONS at Women Entrepreneurs Club Blog

View Victoria's Diary

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"4 Simple Secrets to Attract MORE Clients and Get People Interested in What YOU Do" with Victoria Player

info@victoriaplayer.com (Victoria Player - the "Online Marketing Coach") — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 15:51:00 +0000

Announcing a very special "NO-COST" Preview Teleseminar:

"4 Simple Secrets to Attract MORE Clients and Get People Interested in What YOU Do" (I've done it, and you can too!)

Register your place here. TUESDAY, 11th August 2009 at 3:00pm BST (UK Time), 10am US Eastern

During this insightful one-hour call, you'll discover...

how to increase your visibility and attract lucrative clients and prospects alike and turn that interest into income!

how YOU can get the attention of your target market, those that WANT what you're offering!

the 3 keys that help elevate your expert status making YOU the natural choice

why promoting your business online offers the IDEAL place to sell your products and programs (and how to get started)

Spots are VERY limited, so don't delay... get the details and reserve your "seat" right now! Register your place here.

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"Reinforce Your Brand With Twitter" by Victoria Player

info@victoriaplayer.com (Victoria Player - the "Online Marketing Coach") — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 17:43:00 +0000

Twitter started in 2006 and has grown by more than 800% just this year alone. It really is becoming a powerhouse in online communication and is often referred to as a micro-blogging platform. This mass-market communication tool is estimated to
have in the region of fifty million users by the end of the year. It's fast becoming an explosive goldmine of opportunity and is great for connecting with qualified prospects and building your online visibility. It allows users to stay in check with subscribers (followers) via frequent status updates 140 characters at a time.

Having used Twitter for a year or so I can honestly say that it has changed the way that I run my business and connect with others online. There are a number of tangible benefits. Twitter is immediate, fast and is also an extremely effective resource. Not only will it help to reinforce your brand, network and collaboration with others, but it also acts as the office water cooler and provides a place to chat and share your day-to-day activities with others.

Why Should You Be Using Twitter?

If you use Twitter smartly it's an outstanding tool for engaging with key influencers in your niche, joint venture partners and your own target audience. Relationship building with your market is the most valuable thing you can do for your business right now in view of the current economic climate. Those relationships will grow and before long will develop into paying clients or joint venture partnerships that you can reach out to for valuable feedback and market research. Don't forget that it's this same group of people who can turn into brand evangelist which then results in further valuable relationships being forged. Best of all, Twitter will enable you to grow a targeted list of prospect and increase traffic to your website.

How Can You Get Started?

Firstly I suggest you sign up to Twitter. I recommend that you use your name (with no spaces) or your brand/domain name minus the dot com/net/etc as your twitter account name. i.e. www.twitter.com/VictoriaPlayer.

Next, you need to track down the people that are worth following. It's a good idea to follow key influencers within your industry. This will broaden your network with targeted followers very quickly. Observe these key influencers and other leading bloggers and marketers to get a feel for the type of posts they are making. I recommend that you use the 'Find People' link within your Twitter account pages or alternatively search people out using Mr Tweet. Click 'Follow', once you're on a person's profile, to follow their Tweets (messages).

How to Make Twitter Less Like a One-Sided Conversation?

This is a question that I'm asked very frequently by my private coaching clients. The key here is to be inclusive and engaging. When you respond with an @reply most people see just one side of the discussion which can be a little frustrating. To Tweet effectively I suggest you send replies that include the question in some form so that the Tweet becomes understandable and useful to the wider community. It will enable others to get the gist of what you're talking about and encourage the conversation to spread beyond one-on-one.

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"Make Your Message Compelling and Clients Will Flow to You" - Victoria Player

info@victoriaplayer.com (Victoria Player - the "Online Marketing Coach") — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 15:37:00 +0000

by Victoria Player, the "Online Marketing Coach"

I believe one of the most underutilised marketing weapons for successful small business development is the power of niche marketing. Niche marketing is simply marketing to client and customer groups that fit the demographic and psychographic profile of your target market.

I’m sure that you’ve come across the well-known phrase ‘Know Thyself’ which is the famous inscription on the Oracle of Apollo at Delphi in Greece. In authentic marketing terms this phrase is important but there’s an even more vital dictum to be aware of – Know Thy Client!

Here a just a few of the benefits associated to defining your niche:

1. Your Products and Services Becomes More Desirable

Having a well defined niche enables you to tailor your products and services to meet the specific needs of your target audience. People want to buy things that solve their unique set of problems. Would you rather buy mass produced suits or a suit that has been made-to-measure? The later, one would imagine!

2. Your Name and Brand Spreads Rapidly

People in groups talk! Solicitors talk to solicitors. Property agents talk to others within the property arena. Investment bankers talk to investment bankers. If you’re good at what you do and you provide products and services for your specific niche, your name will travel fast.

3. It Becomes Easier and Less Expensive to Prospect

When you pick the right niche, it becomes very easy to contact your prospects. Most good niches have a list of people who are either members of a group in your niche or who have purchased things associated with your niche. Instead of spending money on what I call ‘spraying and preying,’ why not spend your cash on getting your message to exactly the right people in your niche who WANT to hear your message.

4. You Become Known as THE go-to Expert

When you focus your attention on one specific niche and tailor everything you do to that niche, it won’t be long until you become known as THE credible authority within your field. Don’t forget that clients seek out experts and are usually more than willing to pay higher fees for the privilege!

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR EMAIL NEWSLETTER, WEBSITE OR BLOG? Feel free but may I ask that you include the resource box below in full. You are also welcome to use my photo.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Victoria Player works with coaches and other women entrepreneurs to reach MORE people, change MORE lives and create a better lifestyle for themselves and others by utilising email, information products and the Internet. To get your FREE audio training program packed full of practical how-to business building advice, visit www.VictoriaPlayer.com

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"3 Powerful Tips to Skyrocket Your Business Success"

info@victoriaplayer.com (Victoria Player - the "Online Marketing Coach") — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 17:10:00 +0000

By Victoria Player

Last week one of my private coaching clients shared how frustrating it was to be putting so much time and effort into developing her business, only to find that she's barely making enough money to live on. I asked her to make a list of all of the projects she was focusing on. A few pages later she realised what the problem was. She was fixed on too many projects and strategies at once.

Let's face it, when you're an entrepreneur you're brimming with creativity. There's never a shortage of opportunities, great ideas and potential money making schemes. But how do you know what the right opportunities are so that you don't waste your time? Here are some powerful pointers to help you FOCUS your time on things that will make you money, FAST.

1. Don't be a Super Hero

The biggest struggle for my clients is trying to do everything themselves. Surround yourself with people who can help. This is why a Mastermind works so well. If you're not good at something delegate it to someone within your community who is. This will then free up your time and enable you to focus on your 'genius' work, the projects that generate income.

2. Focus on High Payoff Activities

The second step is to ensure that you ONLY focus on the things that generate income. Keep everything else to a minimum or delegate it. You also need to be thinking about when each activity will make you money and be consistently creating new products and programs (one at a time) to avoid the feast or famine scenario associated with having a flood of income one moment and nothing the next.

3. Develop a Strategic Action Plan

Many of you reading this now have shared how difficult it is to find time to implement various marketing strategies. The mistake I see all too frequently is people implementing without really understanding why. Be sure that you know exactly how your activities affect the 'bigger picture' for your business. NEVER implement a strategy unless you know exactly why you're doing it and what the likely outcome will be.
Running your own business means you must become willing to make better choices for your time and resources. Put these simple steps into action consistently and I'm certain you'll immediately see greater results!

Need help in designing a strategic action plan? Then why not check out my advanced coaching options.

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR EMAIL NEWSLETTER, WEBSITE OR BLOG? Feel free but may I ask that you include the resource box below in full. You are also welcome to use my photo.

E-Course: “7 Things You Need to Know to Generate More Traffic Using Social Media."

info@victoriaplayer.com (Victoria Player - the "Online Marketing Coach") — Tue, 05 May 2009 14:02:00 +0000

By Victoria Player

In this 7-part mini e-course titled, “7 Things You Need to Know to Generate More Traffic Using Social Media," I share the key social media strategies that work today.

Click here to gain instant access...

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Audio Training Program: "11 Deadly Mistakes Entrepreneurs Make When Taking Their Business Online (and how to avoid them)”

info@victoriaplayer.com (Victoria Player - the "Online Marketing Coach") — Tue, 05 May 2009 13:29:00 +0000

By Victoria Player

In this in-depth audio training program I share the "11 Deadly Mistakes Entrepreneurs Make When Taking Their Business Online (and how to avoid them)”

... Plus I’ve included a combined transcript and step-by-step course guide to help you hit the ground running and get clear on the things you need to be doing right now for increased business THIS YEAR!

Click here to gain instant access...

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"3 Keys to Turn Online Conversation into Currency"

info@victoriaplayer.com (Victoria Player - the "Online Marketing Coach") — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 00:17:00 +0000

By Victoria Player

Interaction and conversation is huge within Web 2.0 and it’s a key tool to use within your marketing efforts because it builds a relationship with your audience and can soon turn conversation into currency! In this article I show you how.

1. Give and you shall receive!

This works on the idea of reciprocity and is one of the reasons why information marketing works so well. If you’re giving out good quality information that benefits others, people naturally want to give back in return. Find ways to promote the people who visit your blog, praise your community and engage them on their own blogs and sites. These are all ways to build a relationship that gives back. Do be sure to share your insights though rather than just writing “great post!”

2. Join the conversation and build social proof

Having a conversation online brings about a sense of community. It’s about everyone having a voice. Nothing pulls people in more. People WANT to be part of a conversation rather than a monologue. You’ll also find that it’s a great way to get feedback from your audience and will help you know what their wants and needs are so that you can then go about fulfilling them. A flowing conversation online soon generates social proof. Social proof works on the premise that if everyone else is doing something then you’re going to want to do it too.

3. Build a sense of community... and yes, it CAN be done online!

This is done by posting comments at blogs, posting within online groups and forums such as those found on Facebook or by contributing to the conversation on Twitter.

An example of this happened for me in the past few days when I set up The Women Entrepreneurs Club on Facebook. Because the members left thoughtful comments and related information without spamming, the group has taken on a life of its own. Within less than 3 days the community has grown and generated a natural ‘buzz’ that has began to spread effortlessly without any prompting.

So, take a moment to pick a few key people that you’d like to connect with and begin commenting at their blog and in response to their Twitter and Facebook posts. Keep it focused and consistent and I guarantee that you’ll become part of a community that recognises you! :)

Go on! Take the plunge now and tell me what you think by leaving a comment below. Ask me a question about this article or any other business building topic... or hit me with a Tweet !

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WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR EMAIL NEWSLETTER, WEBSITE OR BLOG? Feel free but may I ask that you include the resource box below in full. You are also welcome to use my photo.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Victoria Player is founder of the small business growth website VictoriaPlayer.com, a company committed to teaching coaches and other exceptional women entrepreneurs around the globe to develop their online presence; automate their marketing, attract more of their IDEAL clients, build financial freedom and design the business and lifestyle of their dreams! To get your FREE audio training program packed full of practical how-to business building advice, visit www.VictoriaPlayer.com

“How to Increase Productivity and Make More Money in Less Time”

info@victoriaplayer.com (Victoria Player - the "Online Marketing Coach") — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 03:18:00 +0000

By Victoria Player, the "Online Marketing Coach"

Further to my recent online survey one of your greatest constraints to marketing was finding a sufficient amount of time to implement it. So within this article I’m going to share some practical tools that will help leverage your time, slash hours from every day and blow away universal time constraints so that you can move your business closer to its goals.

Get More Done by Working Less

This is an area that I work on closely with my clients. Being busy is fine but it’s easy to mistake our busy-ness for productivity when the major culprit is actually an inefficient work style. So my question to you would be, “What did you do within your business yesterday that was worth mentioning?” This will go some way to identifying your productivity levels.

I also recommend that my clients keep a time log at 15 minute increments for one week. This will help you determine how many hours you were truly productive. Tally up the productive hours and then slash your work day. ONLY work the amount of time that you were productive. Once you’ve done this you can then begin working on increasing your productivity rate. You’ll be surprise how this simple exercise will automatically make you raise your game!

Leverage Your Time by Creating Info Products

Whatever business you’re in your ultimate goal is to make money as quickly as possible and what better way to leverage your time than to generate passive income by selling information products. This enables you to have a consistent flow of money coming in automatically, 24 hours a day, without it taking up valuable time.

You can also host teleseminars or other virtual programs which is a great option during recessionary times. This type of event benefits your audience by giving them access to your expertise at a lower fee than if they were hiring you one-on-one. It also allows you to reach more people simultaneously and increases your hourly rate.

Be Ruthless About Goal Completion

Staying out of overwhelm will help you take big strides in your productivity and creativity. So when you’re working on a project be sure to complete it before moving on to the next. Remember, as I said, your business objective is to make money as quickly as possible. So don’t delay a guaranteed source of income. The sooner a project is complete, the sooner you reap the rewards and move onto the next money generating activity.

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LIKED THIS ARTICLE? Want to make a comment or ask me a question in relation to this or a related topic? Leave your comments below.... or hit me with a Tweet!

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WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR EMAIL NEWSLETTER, WEBSITE OR BLOG? Feel free but may I ask that you include the resource box below in full. You are also welcome to use my photo.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Victoria Player works with coaches and other small service-based businesses to help them develop their online presence; automate their marketing, attract more of their IDEAL clients and build financial freedom! To get your FREE audio training program packed full of practical how-to marketing advice, visit www.VictoriaPlayer.com