At a recent workshop I facilitated, a participant shared that she didn’t understand the big ‘hype’ about having a website.  Though she had one; she hadn’t attained any customers from it.  I explained that having a website is a good first step, but not enough to gain clients. If you are not engaging your visitors, chances are they will never return.  Do you have a website but not sure how to guide traffic to it? Here are 5 ways to steer traffic to your website:

Register with Major Search Engines

An important step to steer traffic to your website is to make sure is it is listed on all the major search engines such as Bing, Google and Yahoo.  This is one of the most efficient ways of directing free, targeted traffic to your website.  It’s easy and takes just a few minutes of your time.

• Bing
• Google
• Yahoo

Respond to Questions and Comments

People leave comments for a reason; they are interested in your response.  By responding, you’re letting them know that you’re actively involved in reading the comments and encouraging them to visit again. In addition, this is an effective way to become known in your industry as an expert.

Develop Article Marketing Strategy

Blogging is an easy way to drive traffic to your website and establish yourself as an expert in your industry. If executed effectively, this can be a smart online marketing strategy and an affordable way to grow your business.  Blogging is ‘big business’ among entrepreneurs, writers and those who just want to express themselves thru electronic communication.  More and more businesses are blogging as they realize the benefits.  There are several online sites where you can submit your articles for publication and back link to your website:

• E-zine Articles or www.ezinearticles.com
• Associated content or www.associatedcontent.com
• Articles base or  www.articlesbase.com

In addition, posting your articles on various social media sites is a great marketing strategy to generate traffic back to your website. Post your article using the following FREE social networks:

• Facebook
• Twitter
• LinkedIn

Use Social Bookmarking Services

Social bookmarking sites allow you to search, organize, share and store the bookmarks of different web pages. You are also able to promote articles and stay ahead of your competitors.  Here are 3 popular social book marketing services:

• Digg– The ultimate social media site; it’s become notorious for producing traffic waves so massive that they can have a DOS-style impact on smaller hosts.
• Stumble Upon – Helps members discover and share great websites. As you click Stumble, the site   delivers high-quality pages matched to your personal preferences. These pages have been explicitly recommended by your friends or one of 8 million+ other web surfers with interests similar to you.
• del.icio.us – A social bookmarking website; users can mark their favorites with del.icio.us and share them with each other; making it onto the front page of the “recently popular” section on del.icio.us will send a decent amount of traffic so long as the category you’re tagged into is popular.

Create Videos

Video marketing is all the RAVE!  Whether creating how to, testimonial, product review or interview videos for your website, it increases brand awareness and creates viewer action leading to more inquiries and sales.  In fact, according to Online Video Marketing Statistics, adding video to small business profiles:

• Increases number of business profile views more than 100%
• Increases number of profile clicks more than 30%
• Increases number of calls generated by more than 18%

In conclusion, by using these FREE methods to create visibility to your website, you will be able to generate more traffic over time, thus, have a steady flow of potential leads.

5 FREE & Extremely EASY Ways to Steer Traffic to your Website is a post from: She Takes on the World

Ready to start building a solid web presence through blogging? Being a contributing writer to well-renowned blogging websites has a series of benefits that give back to you, your business, and to the audience reading making it a triple threat (and a necessary one at that!) to have tied to your name.

You Gain Credibility

Want to prove yourself as an expert within your field? Offer to write a guest blog post on a topic that you have years of experience with. People love to read about the journey to success, particularly when you’re just starting out in the business world, because it’s inspiring and rings true to what they’re working on. Even stories about mistakes made are welcome in the blogosphere. In many cases they’re even more vital because in addition to learning something new, the audience won’t feel like they were “wrong” for what they did anymore.

Link Back to Your Website

While most blogs don’t accept self-promotional material (in which you talk about your product over and over) they do allow for hyperlinks to be included in your bio. Click the link and you get redirected to your website. More clicks equals more traffic and the unique visitors checking you out will begin to mount up.

Just Ask!

Want to become a contributing writer but too afraid of the potential rejection in writing for your dream outlet? Email either the editors or the contact info email provided on the site to see if you’d be a good fit and include a pitch on what you’d like to start writing. Don’t get discouraged if it doesn’t work out either- you can always try to reach again in the future. In the meantime, contact other websites (don’t be afraid to start small!) and polish up your company blog with solid content.

The Benefits of Becoming a Blog Contributor is a post from: She Takes on the World

In my experience, many people who are used to presenting on stage (or in front of a room), are not aware of how they need to adapt their presentation style to the technical requirements and demands of the video camera.

This includes;

♦ body positioning, body language and gestures, body movement vocal range
♦ eye-contact with the lens
♦ camera framing and camera angles
♦ backgrounds and setting the scene – to mention a few.

Stage vs. Screen

Presenting on video requires the presenter to “pull people in” (screen presence) whereas stage presenting requires the presenter to “push out to the audience.” There lies the problem for many Stage presenters. Note: this is also a common challenge for professional Stage-actors attempting to cross-over to screen and vice-versa for Screen-actors. Each need to learn/unlearn or modify their performances to suit the video or stage medium.

I see it a lot with professional speakers / presenters trying to make the crossover from stage to screen. They haven’t quite mastered the crossover to video in my observation (yes, I review a lot of video) and still struggle with the camera’s technical demands. I’ll address these demands in future articles.  In the mean time to get you started, check-out the above links to help you with your online video presentations.

Also, I would love to hear from you! Let me know in the comments below, what your biggest challenges are when it comes to presenting on video – or with creating your own Video Presentations? If this is all new for you, share with me what you found most helpful with this article and how you will implement it in your next video?

Always listening and cheering you on with your online video presentations!

Bianca

Video Presenting vs. Stage Presenting is a post from: She Takes on the World

Natalie Sisson and Natalie MacNeil in LA

A Grand Vision for Women Entrepreneurs

When I started She Takes on the World I had a big vision for women entrepreneurs. That vision has been unfolding before my eyes and I’m pleased to say that as of Friday She Takes on the World Inc. raised its first round of funding! We’re ready to play a bigger game.

One of the problems I’ve been working to tackle is this:

Of the 40% of businesses owned by women, 70% of these earned less than $50,000 in revenue last year.

I really want to see more women entrepreneurs earning what they’re worth. This isn’t just part of my She Takes on the World mission but also the mission Natalie Sisson and I share at WE Mastermind, a business training program that helps women launch lucrative products online.

When we were creating WE, we asked over 1,000 women what their top challenges were. These were the top 10:

1. Being afraid to take the leap into a new business or the next stage of my business
2. Becoming an effective online marketer and feeling good about selling
3. Finding and carving out the right niche and then owning it
4. Access to a large and engaged network of women at a cost I can afford
5. Attracting high quality clients like national brands that people know about
6. Managing my time in the best way possible and being more productive
7. Adding more streams of income to my business and understanding the financials
8. Creating products that bring me a passive income and allow me to work from anywhere
9. Becoming more tech savvy and keeping up with the fast paced online world
10. Running a thriving business and actually leading a fulfilling, healthy and balanced life

We listened and then we built WE Mastermind to help women meet their challenges, earn what they’re worth, and build profitable online businesses.

And we’re back…

Presenting a Unique Online Coaching Program for Women

WE Mastermind is all about lucrative launches, a million dollar mindset, and killer coaching. It’s actually more than just a program, it’s a movement of women entrepreneurs creating profitable online businesses and dominating the online world.

What we’re passionate about is giving women the knowledge and platform from which to play a bigger game while creating a lifestyle that clicks with your aspirations, relationships, and family. You have been the driving force behind us creating WE Mastermind. Without you -your goals, your feedback, your support -there would be no WE.

Women Entrepreneurs, It’s Our Time

There has never been a better time for you to start a business around what you already know, what you’re good at and what you love doing.

If you’re ready to build your dream business online head over to WEMastermind.com to check out our free video series and download our Lucrative Launch Blueprint.

10 Challenges Women Entrepreneurs Are Facing and What WE Are Doing About It is a post from: She Takes on the World

A female CEO we love! Indra Nooyi of PepsiCo.

They’re not feeling it.

You haven’t even asked yet, but you can tell they’re not going to like this.

And you really need to make this request. Whether they’re your staff, family, partners, or business heroes, it would mean everything to have their support.

It seems you have two options.

Option 1: You can stop yourself from making the request in the first place. After all, asking for this would be unreasonable. And even if they say “yes,” what if they spend the rest of their days resenting you for it?

Option 2: You can charge ahead and force yourself (or them) into doing it. This might work once or twice, but force leads to resistance. It’s not a sustainable way to live.

In working with hundreds of leaders and their teams, I’ve noticed that successful women have tapped into a third way.

Option 3: Asking with intention.

What does that mean?

Act as if anything you desire is already here and banish your doubt. When you shake off your doubts, anything is possible. Your intentions determine how quickly and effectively you reach the stars. I believe we all tend to use our thoughts to create the world we choose. If you doubt your ability to create the results you intend, then you are refusing the power of intention.

To ask with intention means you have identified your limiting beliefs and assumptions while freely choosing to believe in that which moves you closer to your finish line. On many occasions, this requires belief without a shred of evidence. My clients are often surprised to discover and identify the beliefs that are holding them back from what they know is possible. Enter Fear. Judgement. Stubborness. Coming to terms with those, gives way to eureka moments that deliver the goods.

Creating clear intentions unleashes bold moves and wild success. I got specifics from CEOs who faced real-life challenges in which they decided to make an unreasonable request–and did so by asking with intention.

Let’s look at 6 situations where you may think you can’t make an unreasonable request—and how these CEOs asked with intention.

1. “I’m the boss—no one else cares about the outcome as much as I do, so I can’t possibly ask my team to go above and beyond.”

“I used to consider myself the boss. At one point it felt powerful–a sort of an ego trip for me. Now I don’t put my title on anything anymore. I have people who have worked for me for years. They are constantly going over and above what they need to do because they feel the company is not just mine, but it’s theirs, and that is the key of success. I’ll share if we are going through challenges. I’ll ask them what can we do better here. It’s a very different way of managing now. I have conversations with them all the time, and on a regular basis, we’ll bring in personal stuff when there’s something going on. Sometimes they’ll say, ‘I don’t want to talk about it,’ and I respect it. I’ll say, ‘Okay, if you need something, let me know.’ Work shouldn’t be just about work—it’s about life. If people are sick or a family member passes, I give them the freedom to take care of their life, and reassure them their job is here. In return, they are so dedicated.”

—Lisa Brazelton, founder of Total Coordination Professionals



“You have to find the ‘win’ for the person you’re asking. You have to paint a picture for them to see how complying with your request is to their benefit. Example: More cold calls = more qualified prospects = more sales = more money for you. Tell them the final result you hope to accomplish, the guidelines they may need to work within (budget constraints, legal, etc.) and then let them chart the path. If you feel they are off-base, then talk about it. Use words such as ‘you might want to,’ or ‘you could.’ Replace the word “should” with “might” or “could.” Give feedback in a positive way. Example: They tell you their plan and you see some pitfalls. Consider saying, ‘Good work, but how would it look if we…’ Personal thank you notes and phone calls, restaurant gift card, tickets to a play, etc. can also help your team realize that you really do appreciate their efforts. Once they realize they are important to the success of the company and that you recognize that, they are more willing to step up, do as requested, and, more importantly, think strategically and come up with ideas of their own that will move the organization forward.”

—Debbie Simpson, President, Multi-Craft



2. “How can I possibly ask my staff to take a pay cut?”

“The hardest thing I have asked for ever was of my staff. They’re world-class, and I’m not just saying that. When the economy turned, I made a conscious decision to not participate in the recession. I spoke with my accountant, and agonized for many nights. I wanted to figure out a way to keep everyone on board. We decided to ask them to work a four-day week, every other week. If people had hardships they couldn’t overcome, I would try to help them in other ways. That is how we managed for one summer, so we could run the company. It was the saddest day and the happiest day when I told them it was going to be over. They got really used to working those four-day weeks! I was so happy we maintained our full staff, and never laid anyone off.”

—Adrienne Giannone, President/CEO of Edge Electronics, Inc.



3. “How can I ask for more compensation from a client or partner who doesn’t have the funds?”

“A woman who owned this company came to me and asked me to consider coming to work for her, even though she couldn’t afford me. I told her I would, on the condition that my lowered salary was earning me a partnership in her business. She agreed, and we became partners. After 10 years, she decided to leave the business. I bought her out, and now own the business myself. In retrospect, I still can’t believe I asked for that. I’m still amazed she agreed to it. We had a very successful partnership. The business grew and expanded, and we worked extremely well together. We both had assets the other lacked, so we made a very good team. I worked more than ever, but also made more money than I ever would have. I am no longer afraid to ask for what I want like I always was before.”

—Carolyn DeNapoli, Owner, Direct Sign Systems



4. How can I ask for a reduced price from my vendors?

“Although I do not like to ask, it is very important that you do ask for a reduced price from your vendors. Many times prices have gone down or competitors’ prices are significantly lower, and your vendors will not pass along the cost savings until you request it. I always have to ask my employees, “Did you get it in writing?’. I am sure they will write ‘Did you get it in writing?’ on my tombstone.”

—Adrienne Giannone, President/CEO of Edge Electronics, Inc.



“From my vendor partners, I’ve asked for their help in keeping costs as competitive as possible so we could secure and maintain business with clients. I’ve also asked them for their best service, so together, we provided the best service to the ultimate client.”

—Joan K. Bradley, PharmD, President/CEO, The JB Ashtin Group, Inc.



5. How can I ask my partner for more help at home?

“We realized early on in our marriage that my passion for my business was greater than my husband’s passion in his career, so we agreed that I would focus on mine and he would focus on everything at home. So when I came home from work, I could devote my time and focus on our family, and not have to worry about groceries, laundry, bills, or other chores. This was not as easy as it sounds. A lot of frustration (both of us) and tears (mine, not his) came and went before we agreed on how to move ahead. Knowing what both of us was responsible for took away much of the everyday stress of working and raising children. My husband and I have a wonderful partnership that has lasted 25 years so far and our kids (now 24 and 18) still really like us (smile) and are successful in their own lives.”

—Joan K. Bradley, PharmD, President/CEO, The JB Ashtin Group, Inc.

6. How can I ask for a mentorship from someone who doesn’t even know I exist?

“When I first opened my business, the thing I needed most and asked for often was guidance. I reached out to every successful person I knew and asked them to spend 30 minutes with me. I respected them so much and appreciated their time, so I made sure I came prepared with a list of topics and questions, and stuck to the 30-minute time commitment. The takeaway for me was significant, and in many instances, my mentors were given something in return. People truly enjoy helping other people and sharing their own experiences. The impact this has had on my life is enormous. I now have a network of professionals whom I trust and rely on, and to this day I call many of them friends. It has opened my mind and heart to help others, and allows me to see that we can’t do it alone, and nor should we think we have to.”

—Megan Buzzetta, CEO & President, Global Planners, Inc.

I’d like to hear from you in the comments. What’s one totally unreasonable thing you’re going to consider asking for in the next week as a result of reading this post?

Want more? Register to receive for 5 scripts to make your next request easy, breezy, and absolutely doable.

Ask a CEO: How Can I Make a Totally Unreasonable Request (When I’m Sure They’ll Resent Me for Even Asking)? is a post from: She Takes on the World

As we wrestle with life’s challenges, gain new awareness, and learn more about ourselves, words can take on new, deeper meanings.  Words like forgiveness, love, boundaries, and joy, become attached to personal experiences that make them rich and meaningful.

Mary Cox Garner, author of The Hidden Souls of Words:  Keys to Transformation Through the Power of Words, says words can stimulate us to make powerful transformations in our lives if we let them.  These five words have empowered and transformed mine.  My hope is that they will inspire you to identify the five words that have empowered and transformed you.

Empowerment Word #1:  No.  Of all the words in the English language, you might be surprised that the first, most empowering word for me as a woman is two simple letters.  Learning to say no was a huge step in overcoming my internal good girl and claiming my boundaries as an adult woman.

Empowerment Word #2:  Yes.  When your No really means No, then your Yes can really mean Yes.   That’s when yes has power.  The idea of yes comes in many forms.  All right, Okay, Sure, Why not?, No problem, Of course, Agreed, and Fair enough all communicate the essence of yes.  Yes is life-affirming.  Yes is people-affirming.  Oh yes!

Empowerment Word #3:  Choice.  Another common word, but one we often skim right over and take for granted.  Choice means you have the freedom to decide what’s best for you among options.  On a national level, it’s nothing less than miraculous to live in the United States where the freedom of choice is a birthright.  On a personal level, it’s incredibly empowering to recognize and act on the notion that indeed, no matter what, you DO have a choice!  No matter the circumstance, no matter the situation, each and every one of us can respond yes, no, or anywhere in between.

Empowerment Word #4:  Woman.  If you are a female over the age of 18, I know this news is going to blow you away:  You are no longer a girl.  You are an adult woman!  You might be a scared woman, a worried woman, or an insecure woman at times, but you’re still a woman.  You might also be a confident woman, an authentic woman, a loving woman, and a Bodacious Woman. Thinking of yourself as a girl only diminishes your personal power.

Empowerment Word #5:  Bodacious.  I never expected the word bodacious would become the word that represents my personal tipping point in my journey of being an empowered woman.  In the midst of constant pressure to perform, dealing with a difficult marriage, and hitting the glass ceiling, being bodacious became a personal rallying cry during my ten years at America Online.   Today, bodacious still gives me courage to make choices, small and large, that are good for me. Being bodacious gives me the courage to take risks.  And on hard days, being bodacious gives me the courage to put one foot in front of the other.

5 Empowering Words for Women is a post from: She Takes on the World

The Cinderella: She’s a hard worker but so sweet that you can’t count on her to lay down the law with her department. Toughen up this employee by encouraging her to actively voice her opinion in group meetings. While you can’t make a born leader out of everyone, the simple act of believing in a person can boost their esteem and build confidence from within.

The Sleeping Beauty: This one is exactly that; zzz’ing and daydreaming on the job. Have a meeting together to see what the real deal behind the constant exhaustion is. Just daydreams? A lack of being challenged could be the answer. Form a plan to get her back in the game and focused again with new assignments.

The Jasmine: While a fast learner, she’s got a mind of her own and may be hard to convince to work on projects that she doesn’t consider to be as important. You may have to override her opinion to get to work on more pressing issues that need addressing first. State your reasons as to why you’ll be doing that clearly and that the next priority will be on her material and you should be good.

How to Recognize the Disney Princess in Your Office is a post from: She Takes on the World

In case you haven’t heard, today, April 17, is Equal Pay Day. Why the 17th of April? It’s based on a calculation women would have to work until today to earn what their male counterparts did in 2011.

Depending on which media outlets you visit, you’ll hear several contrasting opinions on Equal Pay Day. Kristin Maschka explores how the United States income tax policy encourages women to drop out of the workforce, leading to a gap in lifetime earnings. David Futrelle asks “Should we be ‘celebrating’ Equal Pay Day in January instead?” Then there’s a Forbes op-ed by Carrie Lukas who’s calling an end to the “Equal Pay Day myth.”

No matter where you’re reading about Equal Pay Day you’ll hear one stat over and over again that we don’t just hear today but throughout the entire year: women earn 77 cents to a man’s dollar.

Note: Women entrepreneurs are earning less than their male counterparts as well and women only own 1 in 5 businesses with revenue over one million dollars.

I think it’s time we start reframing the Equal Pay Day issue.

We can take matters into our own hands in a big way, by doing one thing:

ASK.

Too many women don’t ask for what they are worth and sadly, so many more don’t know how valuable they really are. Women expect a salary between 3 and 32 percent less than men in the same job. For Equal Pay Day I want to encourage women professionals, students, and women entrepreneurs everywhere to ask. Ask for a higher starting salary out of school, ask for that raise you know you deserve, raise your rates if you’re self-employed.

I believe that to close the pay gap asking is what we have to do and that’s why I’ve teamed up with Levo League and an amazing group of organizations to encourage women to #ask4more today.

When you ask for more you are stepping into your power and saying “I am worthy.” It will be one of the most pivotal points in your career.

We hope that you will join us as we come together to support one another to #ask4more.

You can show your support for this movement by sharing www.ask4more2day.com with your twitter followers and Facebook friends using the hashtag #ask4more.

Reframing Equal Pay Day: ASK for What You’re Worth is a post from: She Takes on the World

Hiring someone used to mean a couple interviews, some discussion among team members, and a background check. Now, additionally, as the hire-er you can do a little pre background checking of your own.

I have found, just as I’m sure the majority of CEOs have, that doing a quick Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Google (just for good measure) search prior to the first interview can be highly beneficial. Akin to those responsible student days in college when you would show up to a class having read the chapter you were learning that day (we all did that, right?). Doing a little harmless social media stalking prior to the interview will give you a heads up with what you’re about to be looking at.

I believe having a real person in the office is just as important as having a qualified person in the office. I want to know if you go on fun outings on the weekends, I want to know if you have a family and what they’re like, I want to know you can get along with the rest of my employees.

That being said, I will look at your Facebook prior to having you in in order to see if indeed you do have a family so I know what sort of questions to ask about them (after we discuss your experience, of course).

So if you’re currently of the job-searching variety, assume your potential employer has done his/her research prior to having you in for an interview. You might want to Google your name and see what comes up!

Assume You’ll be Researched is a post from: She Takes on the World

Personal Skyping in the workplace has just as many rules as professional Skyping does. Consider these three in particular the next time you have a casual chat with your team in the office.

Have a strong internet connection.

This is an important rule for both parties to keep in mind when discussing important new accounts that have been landed. It’s embarrassing to have the connection cut out in the middle of an important conversation and having to repeat yourself all over again! Be sure that your webcam and microphone are also well-equipped and working too.

Stay on task.

It’s easy during a less than professional meeting online to get off topic and discuss other things, but remember to bring the focus back around to the topics at hand and keep a list handy of all of the points you want to make.

Keep the conversation relatively short.

If you meet once a week, try for a half hour to 45 minutes at the most. Any more than that and everyone will start zoning out!

3 Important Rules of Business Skyping Etiquette is a post from: She Takes on the World