As you can imagine my team is constantly looking for new WordPress themes for our clients. Whether our clients are creating a brand new site or looking for a fresh new look for their existing site, it is always time consuming to research a new theme.

Before researching new themes you might want to take some time and answer the following questions:

• What’s your style? Simple? Classy? Fresh? Funky? Cartoony ?
• What are the needs of your target market?
• Do they generally have poor eyesight? In this case stay away from dark backgrounds with light coloured fonts. Don’t worry about the font size, this can be customized in any theme.
• Do they get distracted easily? My ADD Coaching friends tell me that their target market requires simple and fresh sites with just a handful of clicking options and minimal images. In this case you want the opposite of what a typical television news station site has going on!
• Will you need a site that neatly displays videos? Then look for a site that features videos.
• Are you a photographer? You’ll need a site that shows off your creative work. A clean simple theme would be ideal to show off your colourful and detailed images.
• Are you a retailer, spa or salon? Then I suggest choosing a theme that will show off images of your store, spa or salon. Those researching spas tend to look for a spa that is clean and zen-like. So you’ll want to convey that on your site by featuring photos of spa.

Below are my go to sites for new themes. (They are linked with my affiliate links. I will receive a $10-$30 commission if you buy one.)

When you begin researching themes be sure to click on “live preview” or “demo” to see the theme in action. It’s so much better than looking at screenshots.

• Solostream – I love their themes. At first look the themes might seem like “TOO MUCH” however you can remove pieces from the theme when you use it, such as advertisements, some of the widgets in the footer and sidebar.
  Their themes tend to have a nice clean white background which I think is easy on the eyes.
  I’m using the WP-Glide theme on www.WPBlogsites.com. I’ve removed some pieces and customized the colours.
• iThemes - iThemes offers over 100 themes and in a variety of colours. You’ll find everything from business themes to wedding themes to photographer themes to themes created for e-commerce.
• ElegantThemes - I’ve recently fell in love with ElegantThemes as their themes are clean, simple and fresh. They are perfect if you are looking to remove the “fluff” and only put the “necessities” on your site. I call this “blog detoxing”.
• ThemeForest – Their themes are really cool too. You’ll find a great variety there. Their themes average $35 each. Just be sure you are researching WordPress themes as they also offer templates for other platforms.

So there you have it! What to consider before researching a new WordPress theme, what to do when researching a theme and my favourite places to research new themes and why! Enjoy!

If you have any questions be sure to ask me in the comments below.

A nano continuity site is a small membership site with low work on your side but great value to members.

Traditional membership sites offer a ton of content a month however this is overwhelming members and overwhelming the membership owners. Imagine trying to pump out new content each month?

With a nano continuity site you offer something of value every week or every other week. What you offer is on a smaller scale then what you would offer in a traditional membership site. Some examples are:

• book reviews every other week
• a list of available jobs for your target market
• a list of businesses that are for sale
• a mini lesson on how to build your dream business every week

Your creativity is the limit.

Nano continuity sites are priced low ($4.95-$9.95 a month). The low price becomes a “no-brainer” for buyers and therefor converts faster and better than traditional membership sites. Retention is also higher as no one wants to miss out on something just because they wanted to save $5 one month.

Your nano continuity site becomes a great way to gather paid leads and it’s a great place to point new newsletter subscribers or promote when you speak at events, both online and offline.

I LOVE this type of membership site so much that I created my own: Plugged In Playground. My nano continuity site offers a full plugin review every other week. Members get:

• A full review of a really awesome plugin (video).
• The full step by step installation instructions (video).
• The full list of benefits and features the plugin provides (video).
• The direct link to download or review the plugin.
• The opportunity to ask questions and get your answers underneath each of the videos.

Check out the Plugged In Playground at http://wpblogsites.com/playground/

If you want to create your own nano continuity site check out Ryan Lee’s Nano Continuity Training Program. It’s the program I used to help put together my nano site.

If you need help setting up your nano continuity site my team is here to help!

Do you avoid adding new WordPress plugins to your site because you are not sure what it is they do exactly and you are afraid to add them to your live site?

Wouldn’t it be great if you could watch a full plugin review of WordPress plugins hand picked by Plugin-Aholic Sandra De Freitas, including…

• a demonstration of what the plugin does
• what benefits it offers to your business and your users
• how to install it
• how to configure it
• a place to ask your questions about the plugins

What if you could view the plugin videos on your computer but also on your mobile devices such as your iPhone and iPad?

Sound good? Is it the answer to your  dreams?

For only $4.95 a month, it can be yours!

Check it out at http://wpblogsites.com/playground/

Are you ready to stop wasting your time researching and playing with plugins? Do you want expert advice on the best WordPress plugins around? Check out Plugged In Playground where we review a new plugin every other week.

Although the list of benefits can reach from here to the moon we sometimes slack on our commitment to blogging. Why is that? Are we too busy? Have we run out of ideas? Or have we just become bored of the blogging process?

For me, I know that writing is not my favourite way to create a blog post but for some odd reason it’s been the ONLY way I have blogged for years! Bad me. I know that I can pump out blog posts faster and more often if I created video blog posts, which I will be a ton this year.

Let’s look at a few more ways to spice up your blog posts and pump out more blog posts more often. See which one resonates with you and get going.

1. Video- Like I just mentioned video blog posts can be really easy to create if you have all the tools ready to go and you aren’t shy.Start by getting comfortable with a web cam and creating a few test videos. Most laptops come with web cams that are sufficient for blogging. You don’t need a pricey studio to get going.Host your videos on YouTube.com or Vimeo.com. YouTube is owned by Google therefor YouTube videos show up on Google’s search results.

   If you’d like to share a PowerPoint presentation or even your desktop in your video you can use ScreenFlow (for Mac) and Camtasia (for PC and Mac) to record your desktop.

   Once  your video is uploaded to YouTube or Vimeo embed the video into a blog post.

2. Web TV – Create a channel on LiveStream.com and record a “TV” show in front of a live audience or with no audience. You can then take your LiveStream recording and embed the video into a blog post. I did just this for my last WPBlogsites TV show “Episode #2: What to do With Your Content and Course Material To Fatten Up Your Wallet“.
3. Audio – Would you rather not appear on a video at all but don’t mind your voice to be recorded? Create an audio recording and upload it to AudioAcrobat.com, or record the audio using one of Audio Acrobat’s many recording options, then embed the player html code into a blog post. Use Audio Acrobat to publish your podcasts to many podcast directories.
4. Images – Adding images to your blog posts makes them visually pleasing for your reader. If you can grab a nice image from istockphoto.com or take a photograph from your smart phone and upload it to your blog with a WordPress App.
5. MindMaps - Use a mindmap to present your ideas, plan out an event, plan your year etc then export it as a jpg and add that to your blog post. There are a ton of mindmapping software options available. If you are just getting started try “Free Mind” for Mac and PCs.
6. Cartoons – If you are a great drawer, or know someone who is, using cartoons in your blog posts is very unique! Past “Fat Blogsite Profits” participant Sue Johnstonhas been doing this on her blog and it looks amazing. It gives her an edge over her competition and allows her to express her creative side.All you need to do is draw your cartoon on a piece of paper, scan it and add the scanned image to a new blog post.

So which of the above 6 different blogging formats do you like the most? Which ones have you already tried? Which ones excite you and which ones bore you? Leave your replies in the comment box for me. Thanks!

By the way, I know this blog post contained only text. My future blog posts will contain video and maybe even some drawings! I’ll go dig out my crayola markers now!

We highly recommend WishList Member to create any of the membership models we covered in this episode.

The Big Question

I am often asked “Sandra I know you are in favour of creating recurring monthly revenue and membership sites. However I have a small list. Should I create a membership site?”

I reply “Yes and no. Yes you should create a membership site but not a membership site that follows the traditional/publisher model.”

The Problem

You see the traditional/publisher model promises fresh ongoing content on a monthly basis. The client pays for access to the content each month. The problem is the client never knows what they are paying for ahead of time. This “unknown” drives some people mad and they will instantly cancel their membership or never sign up in the first place.

As the owner of the membership site the stress is on you to create new and fresh content each month that your clients would enjoy and get great value out of it. This may not seem like a problem at the beginning but it will become a problem around the six month mark, trust me, I have been through it myself and I see clients and colleagues go through it too. Unfortunately you end up resenting your membership site and your members

If you have a small list chances are just a few people will sign up for your membership site. So you can imagine your frustration when you spent your valuable time and money to set up a membership site when only a handful of people enroll and less people show up to your live training sessions.

Two Solutions

Instead of following the Traditional/Publisher model consider the Micro Continuity Model or the Self-Study/Modular Course Model.

Micro Continuity Model

A micro continuity site is very similar to a traditional membership site, but unlike the traditional membership sites where there is no set “end date,” micro continuity sites have a set “end date.”

It’s up to you how long you want your micro continuity site to be active. If you are offering a six-month training program you may want to offer a membership based site for six months. Members would be able to access training materials, training schedules, homework assignments, appointment booking calendars, bonus materials, and the list goes on and on.

When the program completes you have the option of closing the micro continuity site or leaving it open so that paid clients can continue to access materials.

Self-Study/Modular Course Model

If an ongoing membership site is not your thing, you can also offer self-study programs by using WishList Member’s “sequential upgrade” feature.

Let’s say you have a three-week course. Each week a new lesson will automatically be sent to anyone who has purchased your self-study program. At the end of the three weeks, you have the option of allowing clients to continue to have access to the materials or you can cancel their access.

What I love about setting up a self-study program like this is that you are giving your clients bits of information over a period of time and not overwhelming them with all of the course information at once. I also love that it does not have a scheduled start date. Anyone can buy access to your self-study program at any time or day, so you can promote it all year long.

Each paid client will gain access to Lesson One on the day they register and will receive Lesson Two the following week, and so on. So while some clients are on Lesson Three, others may be on Lesson Two. It’s the perfect passive offering.

A tool to help you build your membership site

Traditional membership sites, micro continuity sites and self-study modular courses are just a few examples of how WishList Member can enhance your offerings and expand how you are using WordPress.

Believe me, I’ve created numerous membership sites with programs that were unintuitive, expensive, energy suckers. For $97 you can grab this WordPress plugin and create your own membership site with any of the above membership models.

Visit http://wpblogsites.com/wishlist for more details and to purchase the amazing plugin that has changed thousands of ways in which entrepreneurs are doing business.

WordPress just released version 3.3 this week! You may be wondering what key pieces they added to WordPress and if you should upgrade now.

The key new pieces added to WordPress 3.3:

1. Fly Out Menus

This is my favourite of all of the updates in WordPress 3.3. I tend to work in a number of different menus within WordPress and after a while I have opened so many menus that I have to scroll and scroll to get to the bottom of the WordPress menu and access “Settings” and “WL Plugins“.

Instead of opening and closing sections in the WordPress menu bar, you can just put your mouse over the menu and the sub menu will appear. It’s quicker, easier and cleaner.

2. New Toolbar

A new toolbar will appear at the top of WordPress. You have some plugins or themes to update when you see the two arrows in a circular motion with a number beside it (you’ll see number 2 in the graphic below and the two arrows in a circular motion beside it). The number represents how many updates are required.

If you have any comments to approve then you’ll see a number beside the “comment” image. Simply click on it to manage your comments.

The “+ New” button gives you short cuts to create new posts, upload new media, create a new link, create a new page or create a new user.

3. Drag and Drop to Upload New Media

To upload new media (images, pdfs, mp3s or videos) simply drag and drop the new media from your computer (windows users use “Explorer” and Mac users use “Finder”) to the window in the “Upload New Media” page. It will automatically load the new media for you. You can still click the “select files” button, search for the file on your computer and upload it the “old fashion” way!

Should you upgrade now?

I’d love to say yes. But I always say to wait a week to see if there are any other fixes that follow this upgrade. I also suggest you have your web person review your theme and all of your plugins to ensure they are compatible with the new version of WordPress. Considering this upgrade is mostly cosmetic fixes you should be okay, but just in case check with your web person. If you would like my team to review it for you fill in this form and we will connect with you asap.

Would you like to convert more web visitors or tire kickers into customers and clients faster?

Isn’t it time you were known as one of the leaders in your market?

It is a known fact that video has a higher conversion rate than any other media including audio. There’s something about seeing someone, their mannerisms, their facial expressions and body language that makes us feel like we “know” the person and we trust them faster than we would if we were listening to an audio of them or reading the content in their book. When people get to know, like and trust you they buy from you, when they are ready of course. So why not incorporate video into your marketing plan? Too hard? You don’t have the time?

How about if I told you that all you need is to follow these steps:

1. Get a web cam (some of you have them built into on your laptops)
2. Download LiveStream Procaster (a small piece of free software)
3. Create a free account with www.livestream.com
4. Create your first livestream channel
5. Create a registration page on your site. Example: http://wpblogsites.com/wpblogsitestv/registration/
6. Invite your community to register and let them know to meet you at the scheduled day and time on your livestream channel.
7. Start your livestream show with a few clicks. Your community can see you and ask questions in the live chat.
8. At the end of your show you can grab the html code to show off your video on a blog post, or simply direct your community to your livestream channel on www.livestream.com

Traditional html sites do not cut it in a competitive and dynamic world. Using a blogsite (blog + site) to promote your business is easiest, fastest and most effective
WordPress is the leader in blogsite software.

Step 2: Create Valuable Content

Create content that your clients and ideal clients need and want to read. The more valuable it is the more often they will come back and refer you!
Generate content ideas by:

• listening to the trending topics your clients talk about
• trends in the industry
• use Google Alerts http://alerts.google.com

This is a really important step that many people skip or get “blog paralysis”.  Participants in my last “Fat Blogsite Profits” program were challenged to create their lists of 50+ future blog post topics. Guess what? They did it in less than an hour and as a result they never run out of content ideas, their content is valuable and rich and they never sit at their computer and just stare at a blank screen hoping a great blog idea hits them in the head.

Step 3: Leverage Your Content

• Don’t just create content, leverage it!
• Take a series of blog posts, polish them up and create an e-book or published book.
• Market your blog posts on social media sites.
• Update your Facebook and Twitter status’ with your blog posts’ titles and links to them.

Step 4: Attract Google and Get Smart About SEO

• Don’t be suckered into SEO packages that cost thousands of dollars!
• Use keywords in your blog post title, content and category names.
• Use the Google’s Keyword Tool to research new keywords.

Step 5: Build and Attract Community

Your communities are your clients, newsletter readers, twitter followers, facebook fans and potential clients.
Keeping your community happy, loved and feeling special is the way to continue building your community and in turn they will be loyal followers and buyers! How are you currently keeping your communities happy?

Step 6: Drive and Direct Traffic

I hear so much on the web about “driving traffic” to your site. Yes we want to drive people to our blogsites but what do they do when they get there? If you don’t direct them within a few seconds then they will leave your site. Guide them. Let them know what they should read, click or do next.

This is one step that many people skip and then they wonder why they are not converting traffic/visitors into clients and customers.

Step 7: Monetize

Making money is the reason why we are in business. Otherwise wouldn’t call ourselves “entrepreneurs” we’d call ourselves “hobbyists”.
Make it obvious where clients can “insert their credit card”. How can they buy your products or purchase your coaching packages if they don’t know where they are or what they are?

Step 8: Measure, Analyze, Optimize, Repeat.

Statistics are king! Add Google Analytics to your site asap so that you can see where your visitors are coming from, how they heard about you, what words they searched to find you, how long they stayed on your site and more!

Learn what you need to know, without all the unnecessary hype, fluff, and confusion. And when you do you’ll:

• Avoid looking like a newbie on the web who has no idea what they are doing.
• Keep your reputation in tact online and offline.
• Get over your netophobia (fear or hate of the internet).
• Have an easy way to ongoingly create and publish content on your blog. Content that both Google and your potential clients will be attracted to and will keep coming back for more!
• Stop wasting time and leverage the content you already have that is hiding in secret places in your brain and on your computer!
• Let your competition think that SEO is still the way to attract Google, while you give Google what it really wants!
• Build a community of followers and fans!
• Drive traffic to your site and get them to do what you want them to do.
• Remove “scarcity” from your vocabulary and generate sexy hot profits. (No I’m not talking about Google AdSense here! Pa-lease!)
• Identify on your own, where tweaks need to be made on your site so that your visitors come back often, stay around for awhile and do what you want them to!