Let Your Website Do The Work!

How To Easily Automate Your Small Business With Email Autoresponders

As a business and website owner you are most likely extremely busy.  You may feel as if you are a mouse running circles on a little wheel in a cage.  But, it does not have to be that way.  In fact, There are many things that you can do to easily automate your small business, one of which is to begin using email autoresponders.

Email autoresponders allow you to automatically send messages to someone.  Most commonly they are used to automatically reply to people who sign up for your mailing list, contact you for service, or email you while you're a way on vacation.

Any of these cases are valid and great uses for email autoresponders, but there are more uses that can help you to run your small business website more efficiently and to promote your business as well.  Some of these uses are: 

To run an ecourse.  Ecourses are wonderful way to help promote your business or a particular product or service that you sell.  They give your potential clients or customers a little taste of what you can do for them, leaving them wanting more.  They are also a great way to help build your list. 

For troubleshooting.  Often times your clients or customers may query you for help with a particular product or service, or if they have trouble on your website.  Setting up a troubleshooting email address and an autoresponce to let them know that you will indeed get back to them as soon as possible, or even to give them some possible solutions is a smart business move on your part, and will save you valuable time.

Other types of promotion.  Email autoresponders are an easy way to help promote your small business.  You can automatically send out special email promotions to someone after they have been on your mailing list for a particular length of time, or when you have a special promotion coming up, you can set up the autoresponder to email everyone on your list even weeks ahead of time, allowing you to plan ahead, and cover all your bases without having to wait till the last minute. 

Want to try out an autoresponder?  Check out Aweber, one of the most popular autoresponder systems out there today. 

Would you like to learn more about email autoresponders? I have a free video series all about how to automate your small business. To learn more visit www.AutomateYourBizVideos.com.

Twitter Phishing Scam- How To Stay Safe

Twitter has been very busy with lots of talk of phishing scams. I received one of the messages and wanted to pass along some tips to anyone who might have received a weird direct message via Twitter. The message I received said "Check out this funny blog post".

1) For now I recommend not to click on any links sent to you via Direct Message- This is just a safety precaution, because just clicking on a link does not seem to cause any problems. But why not just not take a risk and not click on any links until this scam goes away. I know this may seem controversial, because a lot people send out direct messages with links to their blogs or websites. But it just makes it easier for right now.

2) If you do click on any links make sure to not enter any logins or passwords- The link takes you to a website that asks for either twitter or sometimes facebook login and password. Do not enter this information. I would recommend not entering your twitter login and password into any website other than twitter. I know there are other applications that work with twitter that require your login and password, but again this scam has changed things. If you did click on this link don't panic, just clicking on the link does not seem to affect your computer.

3) If you did enter your login and password into website change your password- I recommend changing your password if your account was compromised. I don't know if it will help, but it can't hurt.

4) If you receive a direct message with scam message notify twitter user who sent it to you- Keep in mind they are only a victim of the scam. But it would be nice to send them an @ message letting them know their twitter account may have been compromised and recommending they change their password.

If I receive any more information as to how to protect yourself against this scam I will update this blog post.

Top 10 Reasons Your Business Needs A Blog

Are blogs out? Are blogs in? Do blogs really drive more traffic to your website and attract clients? Why do you need a blog when there is Twitter?

These are just a few questions my clients ask me about business blogging which is why I wanted to share with you my top 10 reasons for starting a business blog.  Hope you enjoy it and feel free to add your own reasons as well.

1) Google Says So!- I don’t know about you,  but I like to do what Google says especially when you are looking for more website visitors. “If you have a website but don't have a blog, consider creating one: A blog is a great way to connect with people who share your interests, or to publicize your site or product. Blogs are easy to create and update, and rich, useful, and original blog content will encourage readers to come back to your site.” This is quoted from Google’s website.

2) Attract the attention of the press- Journalists are looking for stories and find a lot of great story ideas on blogs. I’m a former journalist and I remember always searching out stories to put on television. If you would love free press and traffic to your website then a blog is a great tool.

3) Goes hand in hand with Twitter- If you’ve new to Twitter you can find out more information about twitter and how to use it here. But if you’re already using Twitter and don’t have a blog you’re missing out.  You can set up your blog to automatically feed to your twitter account. Your twitter friends will appreciate it because you’re sharing useful posts and information with them.

4) Learn about your prospective clients and target market- Blogs open up a dialogue and you can find out great information by comments posted on your blog. Also, you can always post surveys on your blog as well to see what your readers are interested in.

5) Own your expertise- You are the expert! Having a blog shows your prospective clients you are the expert and who doesn’t want to work or buy from an expert.

6) Feed your blog to Facebook- You can automatically hook up your facebook account to your blog. So this is another great way to get your message out about your products, services, tips, etc. But just be careful not to use your blog for only promotion. People want to read your blog because it has useful information not hear you talk about your latest product.

7) Show your personality- A blog is so personal and your personality can shine through it. People want to work with those they know, like, and trust. So add some personality to your business with a business blog.

8) Repurpose your articles- If you’re writing articles for a newsletter, your blog is a great place to repurpose these articles.

9) Post your videos- If you’re putting together videos for your business a blog is the best place to share them. Post them to your blog and then send an email out referring everyone to your blog to view your video.

10) TRAFFIC!- I saved the best for last. More website traffic which means more people looking at your products and services. Google loves blogs they said so themselves. “The post title is often used to create the unique URL for each post, and this can give search engines valuable information about the content of your page.” This is quoted from Google’s website   as well. Google is sharing a secret here write a descriptive blog post title to get more website traffic.

So what are you waiting for? Go Blogging! And if you found this top 10 list helpful and are wondering what I recommend to start a blog you can check out Best Biz Blogging.

Are You Making the Most of Twitter and Facebook?

Before I joined Facebook & Twitter I was wondering if these tools would really help my business or if they would be a time waster.  But to my surprise I've seen amazing results from using Twitter & Facebook.  Here are a few my results, because if it's working for me & my business I want to share it with you:

1) Connected with two great joint venture partners for a new project I'm working on

2) Received n invitation to a high level mastermind group

3) Added at least 50 new people to my email list thanks to a teleseminar promotion I announced through these websites

4) Received around 5 referrals just in about 2 weeks thanks to Twitter.

5) A dramatic increase in traffic to my website & exposure

After seeing these results I know you're excited to join Facebook or Twitter if you're not already a part of these groups.  But you're probably a little overwhelmed with the technology and wondering how do I make this work for my business.

This is why I wanted to share a great resource with you. 

My friend Nancy Marmolejo of Viva Visibility has just come out with a resource to help out the folks who want to be highly visible, but don't want to spend their days glued to a Blackberry.

On December 16 and 17 Nancy will unveil her newest virtual class "Quick and Easy Social Networking Tips For Entrepreneurs: A Proven 3 Part System to Boost Your Visibility, Expand Your Network AND Save You Hours of Time On Facebook and Twitter".

Like the title promises, you'll find highly effective, time saving tips laid out in a step-by-step system. Following these strategies can double your visibility and cut your time in half.

Space is limited, so do reserve your spot today. Even if you can't make the live class, you'll be able to access all of Nancy's customized video tutorials, Quick Start Guide, audios, transcripts, bonus items and more.

Learn more by clicking on this link:

http://budurl.com/Nancy

How To Use Video To Drive Powerful Traffic To Your Website

Video on the web is hot! And it's only going to get better and better. The amount of searches for video on the web is amazing. And your ideal customers are searching videos looking for solutions to their problems. You can use these videos to drive powerful traffic to your website of visitors who are looking to buy your solution and sign up for your free offer.

I know what you're thinking, video is so hard to create and I don't know what should be included my videos. And yes I'm not going to lie to you creating video does take some work, but this is one of the best ways to drive traffic to your website. Also, because it does take some work your competitors probably aren't doing it yet. So if you're looking to stand out from your competition I suggest looking at creating a video marketing campaign. The keyword is marketing it's important to think of the goal of your video and make sure you create your video in a format that will get you the marketing results you are looking for.

So what type of video is best to drive traffic to your website and how do you easily create and market this video? Below are five steps to an effective video campaign to drive more traffic to your website.

1. Create An Informative Video Your Target Market Is Searching For- A how to instructional video is the best kind of video to make when driving traffic to your website. Your target market is searching for answers to their problems and how to videos are the best ways to help them. There are several ways you can create this how to video. You can produce a video showing your computer screen and you giving a demo of something on your computer. The easiest way to create a video like this is using a computer program called Camtasia Studio. This software records your computer screen and audio to create a very professional video.

Another option is to videotape yourself or an actor either using your product or offering some instructional tips. If you don't want to learn how to create videos you can always hire a videographer in your local area to help.

2. Feature Product As Solution or Leave Video Incomplete- Remember our goal is to drive traffic to our website for more information. So your video should feature your product as the solution. Another option is to leave the video partially incomplete and then the viewer will go to your website to find out the rest of the solution. This is a big step most videos are missing. You need to think when scripting your information how are you going to drive traffic back to your website.

3. Include A Call To Action- At the end of your video include a powerful call to action. You could possibly offer a coupon code for 15% off your product. Another option is to offer a free report on the topic of the video, because if they are already interested in the topic they would probably be excited about an in-depth free report. This call to action should be a graphic at the end of your video spelling out your website address and call to action in big print.

4. Upload Your Video To A Sharing Site- First, you will want to upload your video to www.YouTube.com. This is the biggest source for traffic and should be your first stop for uploading your video. There are tons of other video sharing sites, but at the beginning you might want to just stick with YouTube. When uploading your video make sure your video title included the main keyword you would like people to find your video with. For example if you are a career coach your video's title should be something like "How to give a great job interview and land the career of your dreams".

5. Track Your Results- It's important after posting your video you are tracking your website traffic results to see what works and what doesn't work. In order to track your videos buy a specific domain name to use only in the videos. Then create an ad tracker using either the tool within your shopping cart if you're using www.jenniferscart.com or another tool called www.budurl.com. Next use this url created by the ad tracker and re-direct the domain name to this url. Then when anyone clicks on the special url they will be tracked and directed to the correct website.

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR NEWLETTER OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this complete blurb with it: Jennifer Haubein publishes "SiteNotes" a FREE bi-weekly ezine for small business owners who want a website that actually works. If you're ready to start making more money online, get your FREE tips now at www.BestBizWebsiteSolutions.com/newsletter.html

Your Holiday To Do List... Is Your Website Still On It Rather Than Online?

Happy Thanksgiving! I hope you are having a great holiday and eat lots of turkey like I did :)  Now that the holidays are upon us, if you're like me your to do list is a mile long.

Is creating or updating your website one of the items on your to do list that just keeps getting pushed to the bottom of your list?

If so then you won't want to miss this special free one-time event when I interivew Marcias Francois from Organise Your Business about how to get your website or blog online quickly.

Marcia will reveal her special DREAM method of organizing anything including your website or blog.

So join me and Marcia on Wednesday, December 3rd at 12:00pm EST/11:00am CST/9:00am PST for a special 60-minute Free Teleseminar:

"How To Get Your Website or Blog Off Your To Do List... And Online!"

Be sure to lock in your opportunity to get free live coaching from Marcia at:

http://tinyurl.com/5ger94

In this 60-minute teleseminar, you'll learn:

* Marcia's DREAM method of organizing your website or blog
* The 3 steps to get from BIG, HAIRY idea to a completed project
* The one thing to ensure you have enough time to work on your business not just in your business
* And how to get your website or blog online painlessly

 
This teleseminar will be recorded if you can't attend live. Once you sign up you will then receive the recording of the call and special handout after the event.

The handouts alone that Marcia put together will save hours of your time!

So click the link below to register:

http://tinyurl.com/5ger94

Marcia and I look forward to hearing you on the call.

Own The Internet: Become An Expert Content Producer

If you want more website traffic you need to own the Internet. What do I mean by owning the internet? You can own the Internet by having lots of content on websites, blogs, and video sharing websites.

I know this can seem like an overwhelming task, but I like to think of my experience as a television producer to help me organize everything. When I produced a special election night coverage, I planned an hour long show months in advance. Every minute was accounted and planned for. Special guests were booked, live shots were scheduled, and the news stories were written.

As a television producer you can't just wing it and go on the air without planning. If I had done this the news anchors and my news director would have been pretty upset.

But what does being a television producer have to do with putting together content for more website traffic? The key is planning. Planning ahead and creating a content schedule that you stick to every week.

Remembering my television producer training and experiences I plan out my content product schedule every month.

For example, every two weeks I write my newsletter article. Then this article is posted to my blog and multiple article directories. Also, when I post to my blog it automatically updates my Twitter and Facebook accounts driving even more traffic to my blog and website.

With automation and a television producer mentality, you can own the Internet and win more website traffic.

If you're having trouble coming up with content ideas to add to your calendar, here are some great examples to get you started.

1. Articles submitted to article directories such as www.ezinearticles.com
2. Blog posts which can also include articles you've written
3. Press Releases submitted to PR websites such as www.prweb.com or www.prleap.com
4. How To Videos submitted to video sharing websites such as www.youtube.com
5. Podcasts submitted to itunes and posted on your blog

If you're not already writing articles this is the easiest place to start. Start putting together a swipe file of article ideas you can pull from whenever you have writer's block.

Your Action Step:

Start planning out your next month of content. When are posting to your blog? When are you producing a press release? With your plan of content you can make sure you spread everything out throughout the month. Without a plan you could end up producing everything on one day or go several weeks without posting to your blog. I know this seems like a lot of work which is why I have virtual assistants. So what does your producing plan look like?

Jennifer Haubein publishes “SiteNotes” a FREE bi-weekly ezine for small business owners who want a website that actually works. If you’re ready to get insider tips website developers don’t want you to know, and start making more money online, get your FREE tips now at http://www.BestBizWebsiteSolutions.com/newsletter.html.

Should You Still Have A Blog?

I recently read an article asking this question should you still blog in the world of social networking and more blogs? Surprisingly the article said, no you shouldn’t be blogging anymore!  The article went on to say that because of social networking like Twitter, Facebook, and many others there was no need for a blog anymore. 

But I think the opposite is true.  You can use Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn to promote your blog.  People on these social networking sites are interested in information that you the small business owner can provide.  If you use these social networking tools to drive potential customers back to your blog for answers and solutions, this is a great way to combine blogging with other forms of social networking. 

The author of the article did not take into consideration the small business owner such as a coach or consultant who benefit greatly from a blog.

Before someone does work with a consultant, coach, or solo entrepreneur they want to get to know the person they are considering hiring.  This is where an effective blog comes into play.  A potential customer can then read your previous blog posts and get to know you a little bit better. 

The author of the article also forgot that a blog attracts the attention of the press. A blog is a great way to reach the press and others who don’t want to be a part of your newsletter list.

I was really surprised to read this article saying you no longer needed to blog when social media is becoming so hot why would you stop blogging?  Used in combination with other social networking tools blogging is an amazing tool.

Another great benefit of blogging is it’s free.  And who doesn’t love free marketing?

I have seen amazing results from my blog and my client’s blogs.  So my answer to the question whether you still should have a blog is a resounding yes!

If you're interested in the article in question you can find it at this link: http://www.wired.com/entertainment/theweb/magazine/16-11/st_essay

Drive More Traffic To Your Website With A Winning Google Ad

If you're looking for more traffic to your website and need it quickly Google Adwords is the place to go.  A lot people are advertising on Google, but don't know all the secrets to creating a profitable campaign.  I just recently setup a Google Adwords campaign for a client who is looking for more traffic to her e-book sales page.  While setting up her campaign I kept a few things in mind that can help you with your Google Ads.

1) Do effective keyword research- This is where all of your adword campaigns should start. Without good research you will be missing out on some potential keywords. I like using Google's free keyword tool that is found within Adwords.  The best way to use this tool is to use the website you're going to be sending traffic to and use this website to generate keyword ideas. Look for keywords that have low competition and high volume.

2) Write An Effective Ad- When writing your ad for Google make sure to use your keyword in your title and the body of your ad as much as possible. When potential customers then search on google your ad will catch their attention because it will be specific to what they are looking for.  Remember the goal for Google advertising is not to get the most clicks but to get the most qualified clicks who will buy from you. Here's an example of a recent ad I put together for a client.  Take note of the special symbols and how I capitalize the first letter of every word to get attention. You only have a limited number of characters for your ad so make sure every word counts.

   

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3) Track your advertisement-Without tracking you're wasting money.  You need to know exactly how many people are buying or converting into ezine subscribers.  With this knowledge you can delete campaigns that aren't converting and become an adwords expert. You can use www.jenniferscart.comfor your shopping cart service and set up an ad tracker for your Google ad. Another great option is to use Google's tracking system within Adwords.  You will setup your conversion goals and then install some code onto your thankyou page for either your product or ezine. But a problem I ran into was if you use Consant Contact for your newsletter signups there is no way to track these signups unless you use their API feature.  An API is short for application programming interface. Constant Contact has an API which allows programmers to interact with their application, but in my opinion this is way too complicated for most of us.  I would suggest instead using a separate autoresponder service such as www.jenniferscart.com or www.jennifersautoresponder.com to sign up subscribers. Then with this service you will be able to track conversion goals easily.  

So with these tips in mind you're off to a great start setting up an effective Google Ad. Just remember your goal is the most targeted clicks for the cheapest price.

Video: How To Automate Your Small Business

I have partnered with Dave Kaminski of Web Video University to present video interviews of experts to help small business succeed online and offline. Today's expert is Sandra Martini, The Automatic Business Coach. Sandy shares in this video how to automate your business and marketing. You know how much I love automation which is why I was excited to have Sandy as our first guest expert. I look forward to hearing your thoughts about this video and what other types of interviews you would like to see in the future. Enjoy!

Sandra Martini Interview from DMK on Vimeo.