I do love the easy-breezy days of summer, but I also love getting back to a normal routine when September rolls around.

This September is no exception. It was my return meeting back at my local mastermind group – Business Women’s Advisory Council (BWAC) – after a summer break.  We are a group of 7 business women who meet monthly to discuss successes and challenges in our businesses.  Typically, even though we are 7 ladies with seven different businesses, a challenge that one person is having is usually also being felt by another.

I don’t want to create the impression that this is a gripe fest once a month.  We are business people with business concerns, and have a safe confidential environment to present our issues and ask for help.  We also have a lot of fun sharing news about new connections, new clients and increased revenue!    There is a lot of positive energy surrounding our group – which extends past the time we adjourn our meetings.  I always feel very “jazzed” after a BWAC meeting, and want to be able to report more good news and progress at the following month’s meeting.

This is a local group to me (in Malvern, PA), but we are hosting an Open House in early October hoping to bring more awareness to the organization and create more groups.  Rose Russell, our awesome facilitator, is hoping to add groups in northern Montgomery County as well as Allegheny County.  Please join us at Sisters Boutique in Exton on October 4, from 4-8pm to learn more!

I am also a part of President’s Circle – a mastermind group formed by my trade association, International Virtual Assistants Association.   The format of President’s Circle is similar – we meet once per month to discuss our business challenges – but for me this group provides a different perspective because the members are all virtual professionals and consultants, so our similarities overlap.  Our meetings are conducted via webinar with a strict outline.  I can already feel the changes coming on.  When you share challenges, and are given suggested solutions, it helps you to focus and make real progress in your business.  I can’t wait for the October meeting, when I can report the changes that have already happened in my business.

How do you feel about mastermind groups?  I’d love to hear your feedback, so please comment below:

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Many of my clients want to add more online or internet marketing activities to their marketing mix, but are not sure where to start.  Without knowing it, if they use an email marketing service like ConstantContact, iContact or MailChimp, (yes, those are affiliate links, folks) then they are using internet marketing.  If you haven’t ventured into the email marketing arena, now is the time to consider it.  I wanted to use today’s post to cover the 3 Ds of Email Marketing.

D #1: Here is the first advantage of using one of these services, say, in lieu of sending batches of emails from your webmail or Outlook: deliverability.  If you send batches of messages from your ISP, there is the possibility that your messages will be tagged as spam and not delivered.  Email service providers, however, understand this issue and work with the Internet Service Providers.  They typically have some type of “spam checker” module to review your copy and your contact lists and help you avoid issues with your messages.

D #2: Here is another advantage of using an email marketing service: design.  The email marketing services usually have some type of HTML designer so that you can add colors and images to your email messages, newsletters and campaigns.  There is typically a library of templates that you can pick from to then add your own graphics.  This gives a very consistent look to your messages and builds your brand.  I have found that some of the services have a better design system than others, which makes my work easier.

D #3: There are many more advantages to using an email service, but I’ll cover just one more: developing your list.  The contact management built into these providers makes it easy to grow your contact list.  You have the ability to create a contact form that you can use on your website, to automatically add people to your distribution list.  Depending on the service, if someone completes a contact form on your website, they are added to a drip campaign and will automatically receive emails from you on a schedule.

But, which service is right for me, you ask?  No need to worry, I have a solution.  The illustrious Mary Motz (my co-creator on eProduct Flight Plan), is offering a fre*e teleclass on Wednesday, Sept 29th.  Her teleseminar is titled, “Selecting the Right Email Marketing Service for You,” and is bound to answer any question you have about the email marketing services out there!

Click here to register for Mary’s Email Marketing teleclass

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As an Internet Marketing consultant, my clients rely on me to provide resources and make product recommendations for them.   But, who do I go to when I have questions?  The answer: Mary Motz, owner of ProVirtual Solutions.    She is calm, super smart and an asset to anyone’s business.  She has been providing internet marketing services for years, so she knows her stuff.

Mary is starting a monthly internet marketing teleclass series, and starting with the basics: Email Marketing

Here are the deets:

Wednesday, September 29, 2010
2:00pm Eastern (11:00am Pacific)

If  you’re confused about what email broadcast features you should look for – this is for you!

During this complimentary 1 hour teleclass, we’ll discuss:

• What to look for in an email broadcast service
• A quick feature comparison of the major services (including AWeber, MailChimp, iContact, Constant Contact, 1Shopping Cart & more)
• How the latest list integration features should be considered in your decision
• Suggested services for common business situations
• How e-commerce and shopping carts work with email marketing
• Q & A session

And, no surprise, Mary will be recording the class, so if you can’t make the teleclass live, you’ll get the audio recording.

Click here and sign up NOW

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I celebrate every day that I’m an entrepreneur, but today is a special celebration!  I am pleased and excited to announce that today marks the 7th anniversary of the start of Wilson Virtual Assistants (aka WilsonVA)!

What began as a marketing and organizational support system for Realtors, has changed over time to accommodate the marketing needs of entrpreneurs, small businesses, speakers, coaches and internet marketers.   I want to extend gratitude to David and Ben (my husband and son), my family, friends and colleagues for the patience, faith, expertise and love.

It was seven years ago this month that I ventured outside my comfort zone (that’s where we find growth after all, right?), and traveled to Florida to attend my first IVAA Live Summit – my trade association’s annual conference.  WilsonVA was barely 2 weeks old when I was hob-knobbing with my industry’s leaders and soaking up their energy.  I learned the importance of networking – especially with my “competitors” – to create lasting bonds of support and I vowed never to miss an IVAA Live Summit again.

Today I send special greetings to my clients – especially those who’ve been with me since day 1 – for your continued support.  Without you, there would be no WilsonVA.

Thank you, thank you, thank you!

photo credit: Pink Sherbet Photography

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In Real Estate you hear the term, “Location, Location, Location” since a property’s location has much to do with its successful marketing and sale.  In the Virtual Events realm the term to remember is, “Preparation, Preparation, Preparation.”  Preparation is key to your next virtual event going off without a hitch.

One can never prepare enough, I think.

I want to share 3 Preparation Tips with you that I use to organize virtual events for clients.  They are my ‘mise en place’ for virtual events.  Mise En Place is a french term meaning “things in place,” which I borrowed from the culinary industry.   My mise en place consists of two documents (a Timeline and a Workflow) and a practice event.

Preparation Tip #1: Timeline

For ample marketing and organization the Timeline is imperative for your virtual event.   It is a critical path that outlines Pre- and Post-event Marketing efforts, Attendee registration (and payment if yours is a paid event), Attendee messaging (email reminders) and Post-production tasks, and who is responsible for each task.  As a Virtual Events Specialist, my clients rely on me to have each task listed and assigned with a deadline date.  So for instance, while it is my client’s responsibility to decide the title and description of the event, it is my responsibility to determine which tool will work best and get the word out about the event.  For a typical complimentary teleclass or webinar, I find that 2 weeks is ample time to announce and market a virtual event.

Preparation Tip #2:  Checklist

The other document on which I rely heavily is a checklist.  Much like the pre-flight checklist a pilot uses, this document lists step-by-step instruction for me and my client so that no details of the event management are overlooked.  Every detail.  I remind myself to open my email account (so I can provide trouble-shooting assistance to attendees).  I remind myself to have a glass of water available.  I remind myself to make sure that anything with a  noise is quieted during the call.  Every detail is listed on the checklist.

Preparation Tip #3: Practice Event

My last suggestion for Virtual Event success is the practice event.  This is usually done the day before your actual event.  I dial into the conference call line or log into the webinar tool with my client and we have a dress rehearsal of the event.  The Practice Event is a great way for you to test your Checklist and work out any bugs in your plan.  I practice my welcome script, I practice muting phone lines, I practice changing presenters.  Practice makes perfect, after all.

What are your ‘must-have’s when planning a virtual event?  Feel free to comment below…

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photo credit: Andres Rueda

Videos are great departure from standard text content because they are dynamic and are capable of keeping the attention of Internet surfers with short attention spans.  Remember that some folks like to listen to, some like to see, and some like to read information, so it’s important to add in multimedia to your marketing mix.

Videos can be informational, illustrate a process or they might just be pure entertainment. With sites like YouTube.com, video is exploding in popularity. YouTube allows you to reach their millions of visitors. Plus, the site allows others to publish your videos with simple copy and paste code.

Here are 5 great ideas for creating videos for your business:

1. Create a ‘Welcome to My Website’ video – When visiting a website for the first time, it’s great to be welcomed by the owner.  You can build instant rapport, and give prospective clients an overview of your services and a quick tour of the site.

2. How-to information – Creating a how-to video demonstrates your expertise, and again, gives people a taste of the services you offer.

3. Live action video – Create a live action video to spice up your sales/landing page.   The theme of a recent joint venture was “launching” and having your products “take-off,” so it was no surprise that we drove to a local airport and used it as a backdrop for our introductory video.

4. Slide shows – Have the slide deck from a recent presentation?  Add audio to the slides to create a video presentation.  By adding a link to the video in your email signature, you gain more exposure to your presentation.

5. Screen-share videos – Create tutorial videos for your team.  It’ll save you time.

The videos you create for your business should be posted to your YouTube channel.  YouTube is the 3rd largest search engine, so take advantage of it.  Consider these tips when posting videos on YouTube:

•    Create a profile that has your business information in it, including your website’s URL.
•    Make it short. Generally speaking, the shorter the video is the better. People have short attention spans and you want your marketing message to get out there before they lose interest. This advice will apply to most of your video marketing.
•    Take advantage of YouTube’s promotional tools. YouTube gives you the ability to publicize your videos using email and bulletins. You can even customize messages that go along with them.
•    Display your URL/logo on your videos. Make sure the URL is to the left of the screen as YouTube put their logo on the right.
•    Become active in the community. You can leave comments on other videos. You can also set up a group or join one that’s frequented by your target market. If you create a group, center it around your target market’s interests, needs or desires.

If you’re having trouble figuring out where to start, consider searching YouTube channels for competitors’ videos. Find out what’s popular and has the most subscribers. Do further research and sort your results by time to see what videos are being viewed and when. Study those videos and determine how you can add value to your own.

Other video sharing sites include:

BigThink.com
Blinkx.com
Blip.tv
Break.com
Google Video
Hulu.com
Kewego.com
MSN Video
Ovi Share
PhotoBucket.com
Revver.com
UStream.com
Viddler.com
Vimeo.com
Yahoo Video

Do you have more ideas for creating videos for a business?  If so, I would love to see your comments below:

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Today I take some of my own medicine.  As you may know, I am an audiophile.  And recently I’ve been preaching to folks about how to repurpose their content and incorporate more audio and video in their marketing mix.  Typically, my suggestion goes something like this,”You know, you can simply use your written blog post as a script to create an audio post.”  So, today I’ll explain exactly how I do this.  And, guess what?  You don’t need a microphone like the one pictured here.  I suggest you use your telephone.

For my audio posts, I use AudioAcrobat.  Not only can I create a quick recording, it stores and hosts my audio and video links and allows me to create a custom player.  To create the audio, I log into my AA account, click on the Audio tab, and click the Create a New Audio option.  At this point, I can choose to Record by Phone, use an Audio Web Recorder (using my computer’s microphone), or upload an audio (.WAV or .MP3) file.  For today’s demonstration, I’ll record by phone.  When I click on the Record by Phone button, I am taken to a page of instructions.  A special phone number and PIN are listed, as well as the main menu for creating an audio recording.  I know I want to ‘Record One Person, Personal Audio,’  so I dial the number, enter my PIN, and choose option 1 to record the personal audio message.  When prompted, I begin my recording.  When I’m done recording, I press the # key.  I then have the option to Listen, Re-record, Save or Not Save the recording I just created by following the prompts.  When I’m satisfied with the recording, I choose to Save the recording.

I return to my AudioAcrobat account page, and click the Show Audios links.  This takes me to the My Audios page where all my audio links are stored.  The AudioAcrobat system takes your call recording and processes it.  This usually take about 5 minutes (for a 1 minute recording).  When completed, my recording is listed as “Saved Telephone Recording” and the date and time.  I click on the title of the recording and listen to it again, to make sure I’m satisfied.  Then, I can proceed to adding descriptions, creating a player and getting this link into my blog post (or wherever I’m posting the audio).

when I click on the title of the recording I created, I’m taken to the View Audio Information page.  I click the Edit Description tab and re-title the audio (so I know what it is for) and add in a description (about the subject and where I used it).  I click the Yes radio button to notate that I’ve published this audio, and list the location URL (usually my blog).  I can also change the name of the Audio File.  I then click Save Changes Now button at the bottom, and I’m returned to the View Audio tab.

From here, I choose the Publish Audio link under Description (or you can click the Publish Audio tab and be taken to the same page).  I choose the ‘Publish for Website’ button and am taken to the Choose a Player page.  There are 4 pages of players to choose from.  I usually use one of the “Dragbar Players” because they are a bit bigger and stand out, and I can be sure that folks can see it when it’s posted in the middle of a blog post.  When I click next step, I can take a moment to choose the colors for my player.  Again, I take the few seconds to do this so that I can make the player match my business brand, and so that it sticks out so people take notice of it.  I then click the ‘Get HTML code’ button at the bottom of the page.  I highlight and copy this code, and then paste it directly into my blog post. It creates a player like this:

The player above is my audio version of this post. It is about 6:30 minutes. I would love to hear your feedback or questions about how to create audio for your business. Please comment below:

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I recently posted about an eProduct that I offer that was a joint venture project that Mary Motz and I created – called eProduct Flight Plan.  Today, I’d like to discuss a huge benefit of launching your eProduct – and that is repurposing.  Here are some tips about repurposing your content for income.

Tip #1: turn text into audio.  For example, say your EProduct is an eBook.  Consider using the eBook text as a script and create an audio recording of the content.  The simplest way I know to do this is by using an AudioAcrobat account.  Within my account there is a special phone number that I can call, pick a record option, and a few moments later, there is an MP3 file waiting for me.  AudioAcrobat stores and hosts the link to the audio file.  (I simply drop that link into my blog post or my confirmation email when someone has bought a new product.)  Voila!  An audio product.  Again, some folks are auditory and would prefer an audio product.   If you create audio products on a consistent basis, then you can create a  podcast (using an RSS feed, folks can subscribe to your podcast, and each time you post a new recording, they are notified).

Tip #2: turn the audio into a video.  So, you’ve created the audio file – great job!  A logical next step would be to add visuals to the audio script you recorded.  One example is a screencast, which matches screenshots with the audio you’ve created.  These are typically used for training purposes.  I’ve helped clients create screencasts by using a tool called Camtasia, but I’ve seen other folks use a f*ree service called Screenr (available at Screenr.com.  It is a Twitter-based tool.)   So, this step may seem a bit intimidating, but relying on your Virtual Assistant may be the cost-effective way to creating a quick video product. ;-)

Tip #3: Consider an affiliate program.  I’ll give more details about affiliate programs in a later post, but basically, you pay a small commission to other folks who help sell your product or event by creating an affiliate link for them to post.

Tip #4: Once you have built your EProduct empire, Another option is to create a membership site.  In its simplest terms, a membership site is a website where members enter a secure password to access your exclusive Products and content.  For instance, when I took some training from one of our VA training providers, I was invited to join their special Club.  Membership in the club is $10 per month and for that $10, I get special discounts for upcoming training, I have access to tons of resource material to use in my business, I’m invited to exclusive mastermind discussions.  Imagine what the VA Training Provider is getting for barely any extra work – $10 a month from many, many of their past happy customers.

My point is to demonstrate the ease by which one can repurpose their content, get it launched and make more income.  What other ideas do you have for repurposing?  I’d love to hear your comments below…

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If you’re a student of internet marketing like me, you’ve certainly heard writing eBooks and special reports can be a means to building your list.  Offering these types of digital media builds traffic to your website, and ultimately, your contact list.  Different folks like different methods of learning new information.  Some like to listen, some like to view, and many like to read.

Generally speaking, printable documents often carry a perceived higher value than text that is simply read on a page.

Writing genuinely useful reports and eBooks can almost automatically establish you as an expert in the minds of your audience. Readers will come to trust your input in the industry in which you operate and will likely come back to your website for more of your content, especially if you have been generous enough to offer your insight for free.

Here are some tips for your next eBook or special report:

Treat your reports and Ebooks like a viral marketing tool. Make their content something that readers feel the need to share with others. If you take the time to make your content something that can’t be kept a secret, your reports and Ebooks will be passed along, exposing your business to people who you couldn’t reach otherwise. The result may be increased profits simply by writing detailed, great content.

Consider having your reports and Ebooks distributed by other website owners, as one-way inbound links can only help your business’s search engine rank. You can do this through your affiliate program and allow affiliates to brand the documents with their affiliate link. Or if you don’t have an affiliate program, you can also distributors to co-brand the reports with both your company’s information.

Here are some sites to consider to distribute your eBooks and special reports (even more places to distribute your expertise and content!):

ButterflyReports.com
ebook88.com
EbookDirectory.com
free-ebooks.net
GetFreeEbooks.com
scribd.com

Do you have some favorite eBook websites that you use?  Please comment below to let me know….

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