Image courtesy of www.freedigitalphotos.com

1.  Test your systems.  GotoMeeting, Free Conference Call HD, Free Conferencing , Instant Teleseminar and many other solutions for your online classes, all have a back end control panel with options to manage  your event.  During your dry run, familiarize yourself with all of the features you intend to use for your class to avoid fumbling.  Test your speaking using different options  such as a cell or land-line phone or a headset on your computer to determine which option delivers the most clarity. Once you’ve done this, create a cheat sheet with your final details of how things work and what tools you’ll use so that you don’t forget  (don’t try to rely on your memory the day of your event).  On the day of the event, login to your conference software 15-20 minutes before hand so that you can check all of the features you used in your dry run and so that you will be the first on the call when others begin to join.

2.  Test Your Content.  Working through your slides to ensure that they are in the proper order, they are loading correctly and you are able to see them from another computer other then the one you’ll be using for your event will  help you have the confidence you need to flow through your content with ease.

3.  Use a Proxy for your Dry Run.  Get a stand in person to help you run your test.  Allow someone like an assistant to walk through the process with you.  Let them listen and critique your processes and content so you’ll be able to make any adjustment to your presentation in advance of your event.

4.  Record yourself.  Sometimes when we’ve mapped out what we’re planning to say and how we will deliver it, it sounds great in our heads.  It’s not until you play it back that you only wished you had done something differently.  No one really likes hearing themselves in a play back but it’s necessary to present a high quality presentation.  Sounding uncertain,  inserting a lot of awkward pauses and if the tones in your voice resembles the teacher from “Ferris Buellers Day Off” (Bueller, Bueller) , you may not get a second chance to change that image of yourself to your audience.   You can however, fix it in advance once you’ve listened to your recording.  High energy, great content and confidence is what will keep your callers glued til the end.

5.  Have a backup plan.  Even if you do all the things I’m suggesting here, something could still go wrong because it’s technology.  Have another strategy ready for your class.  If you’re slides are not loading, skip it and make them available to the participants by sending them a link where they can view it later.  If you’re call clarity is unclear, have another method ready to switch to just in case.  Have an assistant on the call with you in case you need additional help.  Avoid making a lot of excuses to your participants and just be as prepared as possible.

Control what you can, but don’t let those things that you can’t control allow you to miss the opportunity that’s before you to share something great with your audience.

You’ve prepared a wonderful newsletter where you’ve  developed great content and established an amazing layout-design with all of your branding elements, and now you’re ready to send it.  But before you schedule it to send to the list you’ve been building, there are a few things you need to double check.

Check all your links

It is vitally important that all of the links in your newsletter are live and are directed to the exact destination you desire them to go.  It’s a big no no to have links going to old information or links that are broken.  When you test your newsletter, test each and every link for certainty that it’s correctly set up and directed.

Proof, Proof, Proof

Proofing can prove tedious, but reading over your content and having another set of eyes check it over for errors, outdated information and checking those links we talked about above, helps you maintain your credibility.  No matter what field you’re in, some errors can discredit you from being taken seriously and cause you to lose out on valuable customers and money.  (Check out this article to see how typos have caused major franchises to lose money)  Albeit, we all make mistakes from time to time, you can minimize the amount of and type of mistakes that you make just by taking this crucial extra step.

Test in Different Browsers

If you’re producing an online version of your broadcast, test it in several browsers to determine how it’s being viewed.  The browser that you use most often can give you a false sense of the way your newsletter can be seen in other popular browsers and may require minor tweaking to your set up. You  may also want to do a test on your cell phone and tablets to determine how things are being viewed there as well.

Test in Different Email Formats

From Yahoo to Gmail and beyond, your newsletter can view differently in each of these inboxes.  Do a quick check once you’ve created your design and layout to determine if you need to make adjustments to your formatting. If you’re using a template in your email marketing solution, you may have to fiddle around with it in order for things  to view as you desire.  Sometimes there may not really be anything you can do to adjust some issues because of the way the email marketing software and email solution are communicating.  But, it may be  something minor like repositioning an image or adjusting line spacing that will do the trick to getting things just perfect.  Also remember  never copy and paste directly from Microsoft Word.  You’ll want to use an editor like Notepad to clear all hidden coding, then recopy it and paste directly into your newsletter.

Create an Amazing Subject Line

Subject lines are huge with getting your email open rates up.  Try to be witty, funny or direct with your subject lines to speak to the heart of what your audience needs.  Boring and even typical subject lines tend to cause familiarity from your readers who will quickly determine that there’s nothing special that needs their attention right away so your email enters the  ”I’ll open it later”  pile.  Entice your audience with the best of what you’re sharing in your newsletter by making it appealing at first glace.  You’ll be sure to see an increase in your open and click rates.

What areas are you struggling with in your email marketing?  Share below and I’ll create a quick video or blog post just to answer your needs.

Be Excellent,

Image courtesy of www.Freedigitalphotos.com

Start close to home

We all want to reach our ideal client but before we “arrive” at that destination we have to begin at a familiar place.  Start by connecting  with everyone you know first.  Ask family and friends to subscribe and to forward your newsletter to others they know.  Continue to make this request at the top of your newsletters.  This method helped me to secure my first 50 subscribers who were all opening my newsletters just because they were people who have supported me over the years.  My open and click rates are still consistent from that first bunch and most of my referrals and business leads have com from people who know me personally. Exchange mentions of your newsletter, free offer or latest product with colleagues and clients.  I recently shared my clients’ resources on my social media pages as a way to say thank you for their business.  Because I share weekly resources with my audience, this gave my clients exposure to my audience as a trusted go-to resource.  My good friend and client Janet Taylor always mentions my business in her podcasts and we support one another on social media by retweeting, liking and commenting on posts.

Social media keys

Sometimes you have more connections on social media then you do in your actual list.  Leveraging that asset is hugely important in building your list.  Posting and tweeting links leading to opportunities for people to sign up to your list is a very strategic way to grow.  When you receive new Twitter followers are you capturing them by sending a nicely generated thank you message with a link to your list or are you allowing that opportunity to pass you by?  Use every opportunity to provide a call to action. Also on Twitter, connect a direct link to subscribe right in your profile area.  This means you’ll have to cut down on some the details  in your profile but it’s important to provide a clear call to action in the first space where people are greeted with information about you. Add a tab to your Facebook page specific to your free offer or just to sign up to your newsletter using the app for your email marketing solution or use a third party app like Heyo.  Create links in your “About” section to direct visitors to your sign up pages as well.

Be consistent
Consistency is one of the most important keys to list building.  The more exposure you consistently give your business, the more interest people will show in you.  I remember signing up to Donna Toothakers list because every time I was on Twitter, I would see a tweet from her in my feed that related to something I needed in my industry.  She appeared to be an expert and I thought, hey what the heck.  If I don’t like her information, I could always unsubscribe.  Needless to say, she was one of the best sign ups I’ve ever made .   Now right there, I’ve just plugged Donna in this post, so many of you will go over to see who she is and may sign up  to her list.  Because of her consistency and the impact she has made on me, her list will potentially grow from your visit to her site.  Show consistency in your social media, blogs, email marketing and other marketing strategy’s to promote, promote, promote your business.   is. What are some of the challenges you’ve experienced trying to grow your list?  Be sure to share below and I’ll do my best to answer your questions.

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Be Excellent,

With the presence of social media being so embraced, preparing and sending a newsletters, broadcasts, ezines or whatever your term of choice might be, may seems like just another chore on your to do list. Let me assure you that it’s not and there are three important reasons why you should make the choice to keep your email marketing alive.

Direct Access to Your Subscribers

When a subscribers signs up to your list, they are giving you their permission to send them your information. You have direct access to those who have now become a part of your communtiy and you can begin sending them the latest and greatest details of  your biz. Sure, you want to couple this with social media and blogging, but content in newsfeeds can sometimes get lost in the shuffle. Connecting directly provides you with the ability to get right in front of your subscriber and share something valuable with them.

Low Cost Option to Market your Biz

Let’s face it, marketing can be expensive. Email marketing options can start with FREE options and advance to fit your list size or other needs. The real value however, is in helping your online community by delivering regular tools, tips and services that reach their inboxes. I love it when I noticed that someone has opened a newsletter that I’ve sent them weeks later. It may have been hanging in their inbox until they found time to read it but because it was as close as their computer, tablet or cell phone, they could still capture my information and be reminded about my services.

Gain Credibility as an Expert

Bringing your expertise to someone who has been looking for what you have to share is like a breath of fresh air. One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned in business is that although someone else may offer the same thing that you do and maybe even “better” than you do, they don’t always have access to the same people you have access to.  You are the expert to your community so take that position by offering valid, credible and insightful information to those who have connected with you.

Don’t let your email marketing fall by the way side.  Keep it up and share your results.

Stay Excellent,

Pulling Weeds in Your Online Garden Part 4

It’s been great helping you weed out some of the things in your online garden that may have been a hindrance to you seeing more  results .  In this last post in our series “Pulling the Weeds in Your Online Garden”, we’re going to discuss 3 ways to help you build your list. In the first post in this series, one of the action items listed  under “taking things seriously”, was that you must update your free offer on your website and social media pages periodically. Your free offer should be something that your visitors must have.  It has to be something that showcases the best of what you are currently doing in  your ever evolving business.  It should be a signature service that will keep your visitors coming back often and will spark them to want to look forward to receiving your newsletters, solo emails and other content from you in their inboxes.

When was the last time you updated your free offer?  Was the offer you originally created something you threw together thinking it would  entice people to sign up to your list, only to have them unsubscribe after they received it?  Let’s pull this weed together so that we can begin to see a flourishing garden growing.

Creating your Freebie -

I remember signing up to the list of someone I knew had great information.  I had seen them in action in teleclasses and webinar and was excited about receiving their free offer.  The disappointment on my face as I opened the document would have probably embarrassed the author if they could have seen it.  I wanted to unsubscribe immediately but I decided to wait for a few weeks to see if the other content would be better.  It wasn’t.  I couldn’t imagine what was going on behind the scenes but my already overloaded inbox didn’t have room for something that wasn’t going to add more value to my biz.  Here’s how to avoid this from happening to you.

1.  Be a generous giver.  Prepare an offer on your top service that gives away good, solid, quality content.  The size of your report doesn’t matter as long as it includes the gold that your target audience is looking to mine.  If it’s just one page, make it worth your subscribers clicking the submit button.  A short ebook on a service, top tips on managing  a particular resource, a step by step guide to using an online service that is familiar to your audience or  a free 15 minute  session with you are all worth considering as an offer to create.

2.  Create a video series.  A video series does a few good things.  The easy thing about it is that it’s just you and your information in front of a video camera.  You can add a report or ebook if you’d like but it’s really not necessary  Video also allows you several opportunities to automatically send content into the inbox of your subscribers for a few weeks (depending on how many sessions you have in your series) by creating autoresponders.  Videos allow your subscribers to get to know you and to hear from you on the topics you are most confident sharing.  Remember people buy from those they know, trust and respect.  This is a great way to fulfill that to your subscribers.  There is also the ability to turn your PowerPoint presentation into a video by using tools like Brainshark or Go Animate.

3.  Create an audio.  If you’re not comfortable in front of the camera, there is always an audio product.  Create an audio report using, a microphone or a telephone and your computer.  You can easily do this using tools like Free Conference Call HD or Audio Acrobat.  There is also editing software like Audacity to help enhance your recording.  Once you’ve recorded your details, download your message as an MP3 and wallah  you have just updated your free report.

It’s good to update your freebie often and maybe have several free offers at the same time with your latest products.  Share some things that you will do to update your freebies below.

Pulling the Weeds in your Online Garden – Part 3

Your social media profiles are a way for people to learn a little about you and your biz at first glance.  When was the last time you took a look at what others see on your profiles?  This can be a weed in your online garden that’s often overlooked and can present a problem when things are not properly updated.   I happened to be checking the Facebook  profile for a potential client.  I noticed that she was no longer offering one of the services listed on her page.  She also hadn’t updated the tabs on her page so that the current free offer that was listed, was consistent with the services and offers promoted on her website. I suggested to her, as I am now suggesting  to you, to  look at all of your current social media pages and make revisions that reflect where your business is right now. Your biz will always be evolving and growing so your pages should be consistent with that growth.  Check out these tips that will help when making your updates.

Add your website to the top of your profile. Make it super easy for visitors to find your site. By doing this you’re giving your visitors a low key and subtle call to action.  Most social sites only allow a few sentences for the initial view of your profile. Get the pertinent  info captured in the space provided and add other details in the  places where you click to see more.  If your visitors want more, they’ll search for it, but the goal here is to capture interest with enough spark at the onset.

Use relative keywords in your profile
If you have a particular product or  type of service that you want your biz known for or associated with, be sure to use those key words in your profiles. For my Twitter folks, using hastags in your profile is a great way to develop good SEO.

Don’t over do it.
In places like Facebook and LinkedIn where you have lots of room to include your details, try keeping it clean, simple and straight to the point. Your visitors will appreciate a quick overview versus a lifelong history.

Develop a Strategy
When creating new products, services, courses and blog series’, remember to include your social media into the mix .  You definitely want to consider what you’ll post, but you also want to make updates to your profile (tabs, events, images) that  are relevant to your new item.  A simple link  to your new offer in the about area of your profile will update things nicely.

I hope your online garden is coming together.  Share below some of the changes you’ve made so far.

Check out Part 1 and Part 2 as well.

We’re still in our series on Pulling the Weeds in Your Online Garden.  So you’ve started building a list and growing your social media pages, but how do you continue to keep this community you’re building interested in you and what you do?  Just like gardening and spreading fertilizer, you’ve got to spread the love.  Here are a few ways to start showing your community more attention.

Make your community a priority in your planning process

While setting up your social media schedule and planning out your email marketing for the month, quarter or year, consider the content you’ll provide that will make your peeps feel really valued.  Decide on  the tone you’d like to deliver to your audience.  Your personality may  be super sweet, no nonsense, funny or someplace in between all of them.  Display that to your community so that they get to know you.  I love Marie Forleo.  Her personality shines through all of her messages.  I don’t know her personally, but I feel as if I do.  She’s very inviting and because she has had that affect on me, whenever she sends an email I will most likely open it.  I am more likely to “like” something she’s posted in social media because I want to see her in my newsfeeds.   That’s the affect you want to have on your community.  Let them get to know you and like you.  Remember, people are more likely to buy from those they like, trust and trust.

A Quick Reply, Shout Out or Repost

Do you know how it makes someone feel when they receive a response from you after “liking”, commenting or posting something to your social profiles? (Tweet This)  I remember receiving a response from  Ali Brown  to a post I made on her Facebook page.  I thought wow, she took the time out to say thank you.  Now whether that was actually her or someone from her camp it still made me feel valued.  This is a great way to engage and get to know your community.  It will also show you in your metrics which posts are stirring the most engagement.  Make a note that so you’ll be able to continue to deliver that your audience.  Now, you don’t have to spend hours or conduct full conversations on your pages, but a simple response or retweet goes a long way toward showing love.

Give Away Free Stuff

On your birthday, during a holiday or just because, share something valuable with your community so that they know you’re thinking of them.  Slash the prices on one of your best programs so that it benefits you’re audience in a drastic way.  Always, always, always provide valuable content (which is free) in your blogs, posts and newsletters.

Show a little of a personal side

Everything you deliver on your business platforms doesn’t have to be all business.  Ask questions of your community that are of a personal nature.  Once I asked a question on my business page about what families do to get their children out of bed in the morning.  I received so many responses on something that had nothing to do with what I would typically post, that I was astonished.  Share an image of your family on a trip or a favorite song or video from YouTube and request that of your fans as well.  Create a fun day on your profiles to draw attention from the work side and show a little bit of who you really are.

Your online community will continue to show you love when it’s being returned. Here’s the golden rule; “It’s more blessed to give then to receive.”  Showing the love is all about giving and the other part of that rule is the law of reciprocity which says that that when you do give you will receive.

Share below some of the things that you’ll do to show the love to your online community.

Read Part one to this series here.

Pulling Weeds in Your Online Garden – Part 1

Love you guys,

1. Update your outdated profiles
2. Change your look.  Update images on your website social profiles and newsletter
3. Develop your strategy. Take on projects on one at a time and create a monthly or quarterly strategy to keep it fresh.
4. Get active. Actively engage with some of the areas you’ve allowed to fall silent. Use tools like Hootsuite to schedule posts.  Schedule blogs in advance in WordPress.
5. Update your free offers for sign ups. Do this both on your websites and social pages like Facebook.

Because WordPress is so user friendly, most site owners ignore those notifications to manage updates because, as one client stated “they’re afraid of messing  something up.”  Regular maintenance on anything allows for things run smoothly and without interruption.  Wordpress is no different.  Without regular maintenance on your site here are a few things that could potentially go wrong.

Plugins Will Stop Working 

The plugins on your site allow for special features to function.  Most plugins have frequent updates that should be managed regularly.  This is important because if that plugin is missing something that the developer has updated it may not work properly on your site anymore.  For example, if you have a plugin for a contact form that hasn’t been updated you could be losing potential customers who are trying to reach you through your form but can’t because the plugin is no longer compatible with the latest version of  Wordpress.  I’m sure you don’t want to miss out on potential customers nor do you want to be embarrassed because your site is missing a whole section that was there the last time you checked but is now replaced with coding or  error messages.

Website data is not backed up

When was the last time you checked to make sure your site was backed up?  Even if you’ve established automatic backups it’s still a great idea to check the actual backup in your database to confirm the last date the site was successfully backed up.  No matter if your site is large or small, losing content in case of a crash can be a horror to recover from.  If this has been an area you’ve overlooked, have your web designer provide you with a monthly report on your backups just so that you can be sure it’s being done regularly.

Site theme options may be disabled

Whether your site uses a simple WordPress theme or the latest and greatest theme around, it will at some point need to be updated.  Theme updates can vary from a very simple “click here to update” to a more complex download and reinstall scenario.  With the same reason in mind as I suggested with your plugins, if you want your theme to work properly with the newest version of WordPress it has to be updated as often as necessary.

Although some of the maintenance actions are simple and easy, some items will need to be managed by a web designer to ensure that there are no errors.  All-in-all in this wonderful world of technology that we live in, it would serve you well to ensure there are regular maintenance procedures in place and that you’re checking in on your online garden.

Stay tuned next month for our Pulling the Weeds in  your Online Garden series.

Did your social media numbers increase?  How much?

Where were you most successful in your posts?  Which posts/status updates received the most engagement?

Were you updating your status at least 1-5 times daily to connect with your audience on a regular basis?

How did your social media stand up  for your product launches? Was it too much or too little?

Did you create a weekly or monthly strategy to address posting on all your social sites?

How did you tackle the time it takes to manage your social media? Through an app like Hootsuite? or did you spend way too much time on this area of your marketing with little results to show for it?

These are just a few questions to address while starting out the new year with your social media in view.  Once you’ve answered them, you should then consider developing a plan for how to further capitalize on the things that worked really well  and how to change or eliminate what didn’t.

In order to help you to determine what worked or failed you will need to take a look at your stats on your individual pages.   I’m going to share a few quick tips and resources to help you do this.

Facebook

If you have a Facebook Page, go to the  insights area of your page.  There you will find a list of all your posts for the year.  You’ll be able to see which posts went viral, how many were shared, liked or commented on.  Check for the time of day the successful posts were created, whether it was an image, a quote or a tip and then determine how you’ll create similar posts that will capture that same engagement.

Twitter

There are really cool tools that allow you to check your stats on twitter.  One of them is TweeStats.  Another is Twittergrader.  There are many other tools that will help you determine your effectiveness on Twitter. You can see what posts were retweeted most, which days of the week were your best days to receive response or reply’s.   Who your top connections were with and many other options that will help you assess your progress on Twitter.

Google Analytics

This is a great tool for discovering the effectiveness of social media as it’s related to your website.  Google Analytics will display the numbers of  people who are clicking to your website from social media and who is clicking from your website to your social media.  If you are not using this FREE tool on for your website, you should be.  I highly recommend tracking the stats of  your visitors  for your website.  But that’s for another blog

Hootsuite

Another of my favorite tools.  If you want one report for all of your social media site stats this is is where you’d get it.  It has simple reporting on it’s FREE version and more complex reports can be developed on the paid version. Either way, you’re getting good reporting in one place for your social media.  If you own a tablet there is also a Hootsuite app available which will give you access to this great tool for managing your social media on the go.

Don’t get caught up on your numbers and what didn’t do last year.  Start with a fresh plan that will allow you to check into your social media on a more regular basis. Develop simple strategies that will give you daily successes.  You’ll begin to see your numbers go, engagement will be on the rise and you’ll begin to gradually see your revenue increase with these tips and tools.

If you need help with anything I’m always here for you.