Creating Your Own Background Patterns

Posted on by May 6, 2013

I am all about making things easy and systematic. It not only makes my life easier, but also, the life of my clients (at least I hope so.)

So, I was working with a client, Joyce Dillon, on her new website and we were chatting about changing the background on her WordPress site.

I started Googling and found this really cool, and easy tool. Even better, it’s free.

Now, it’s not fancy, but for us non-graphic designers, this is an easy or even temporary way to change your background without going to a lot of expense.

Here it is: BGPatterns

As you can see by the image below, you can change around color, image, canvas and the rotation of the image as well. Again, this tool has it’s limitations, but for a quick and easy change to your site’s background, give this a try.

Hands-On with Push Button SEO for WordPress

Posted on by May 6, 2013

One of the coolest thing about the WordPress platform is the huge number of plugins available to make your job easier. From spam protection through to SEO (and everything in between) there is bound to be either a free or paid plugin available. In fact, SEO plugins are some of the most popular WordPress plugins out there. If you’ve been using WordPress for a while then you will probably have tried a few different SEO plugins – some are bad, some are good, and some are even better.

In today’s Affilorama blog post I’m going to be giving you a hands on look at one of the newest SEO plugin. 

At-a-glance SEO analysisns available. It’s called ‘Push Button SEO‘, and has been developed by a guy called Brian Johnson. What I’ll be doing in this blog post is showing you some of the different features of Push Button SEO. I’ve installed the plugin on one of my personal WordPress blogs, and deactivated any other SEO plugins I had setup previously.

My favorite feature of Push Button SEO is it’s very simple graphical representation of how well your posts are optimized for on page SEO. You can enter the main keyword you are targeting for your post or page, and then see how well your content has been optimized for that particular keyword. This is very handy, as it means you don’t have to crunch any numbers 

Let’s see an example of this in action. I’ve got a post on my blog that is targeting the keyword “gold investment guidelines”. So what I do is enter this keyword into the “Primary Keyword” field of Push Button SEO, and then I press “analyze”:

As you can see, Push Button SEO then returns a graphical representation of my on-page SEO for this post. I’ve got an orange bar that is half full; this tells me that there’s quite a bit of room for improvement here. But what if I want to get more in-depth information? To get Push Button SEO’s full page report I simply click the “Report” tab.

Even more graphical representations here in the in-depth report, which is once again useful for quickly informing you as to what needs work. I can easily see that my URL is matched properly (this is because my post is /gold-investment-guidelines – an exact match for the keyword “gold investment guidelines”)

My META Title, page headings (h1, h2, h3 tags) and internal linking are all good. My META description and outbound links are letting the page down, according to Push Button SEO. A good META description will encourage visitors to click through to my website from the search engine results, and having outbound links optimized for anchor text gives your page more credibility and weight with Google.

This kind of graphical analysis really does make proper on-page SEO much more simple and accessible. In my humble opinion, a lot of people are put off doing proper SEO because they find it confusing. With this plugin, there really is no excuse.

To view the complete post, clink below:

http://www.affilorama.com/blog/hands-on-with-push-button-seo-for-wordpress 

This post is courtesy of Sam Frost, a staff member and blogger with Affilorama. a well known Affiliate Marketing Training. Software and Support company based in New Zealand.

Thank you Sam for your timely and informative post

My pixels are dangling!!

Posted on by March 26, 2012

Still hassling with changes to your Facebook timeline cover changes and don’t know how to proceed. Have you put it off hoping that the Facebook bunny with fix in the night!!

Need a graphic artist or just some one to do a quick fix. It’s not too late…

Thanks to Denise Wakeman …..AKA The Blog Squad. 

Just follow this link to find a list of resources that are willing and able to assist you in your project. DO get caught with your pixels dangling!!

Connect with Denise on FB http://facebook.com/BlogSquad

Where Did Everybody Go?

Posted on by May 6, 2013

You’ve got your ducks in a row, developed a new dazzling product and conduct a screaming product launch that is well received. Now how do I reach my audience and more important what must I do to hold onto my reader’s attention long enough to get my message across. 

Rich Schefren of Strategic Profits  shares some interesting thoughts and presents some suggestions to increase your engagements.

In today’s ever-hectic world, getting your prospect’s attention is harder than ever.

But it gets worse – because once you get attention, your job has just started.

Well-known copywriter and blogger John Carlton says:

“The most common blunder rookie copywriters make is to assume the reader will ‘hang in there’… Your reader will not hang in there. At the very moment you bore him, confuse him, or ask him to ‘bear with you’…he’s out of there.”

Does this sound familiar? Has it happened to you?: Doesn’t your own experience confirm it?

The truth is, readers don’t bail on your blog post, email, or newsletter and then come back to it again later. Just check your website’s bounce rate.  Nope. Once you lose them – chances are they’re gone for good.

Now don’t get bent out of shape about this just yet.  Because here’s something for you that’ll instantly make it easier for you to hold on to your readers attention. And today it’s my gift to you.

Have you ever heard of the Bucket Brigade?

You’ve been reading it, all through this blog post.

Phrases like: “But it gets worse”, “You see”, “Think about it:”, “The truth is”, “However”, “First” and “Frankly” are phrases that are referred to as the “Bucket Brigade”.  They are phrases and words that keep the reader moving forward, providing a constant momentum.  When done right, they make your writing seem more conversational. Even better they’ll turn your writing into a greased slide, making it almost impossible to stop reading until the end.

John Carlton said one of the easiest ways to come up with them is to “use the old journalism trick of ‘who, what, where, when, why and how’. For example: ‘Who else uses this secret?’ ‘What does this mean for you?’ ‘Why would I share such a valuable tactic with a stranger?’ ‘Where did I find this information?’ ‘How would you like to see it for yourself?’ “

Rich Schefren of Strategic Profits has put together a list of phrases that will help hold your readers’ attention. 

You can grab your copy of the 

Phrases That Keep Attention swipe file right here.

5 Proven Tips to Make Money from Your Creative Ideas

Posted on by March 12, 2012

This guest post is written Nancy Marmolejo, an award winning business owner who teaches entrepreneurs how to stand out as experts in their fields. The founder of the highly successful Viva Visibility, Nancy recently launched a free virtual chat series “The Wild Idea That Paid Off” to encourage entrepreneurs to think broadly and to encourage curiosity. With 8 forward thinkers joining her, this series is designed to give concrete steps to turning your wild ideas into profitable, lucrative payoffs.

**** 

By nature, entrepreneurs are highly creative thinkers. Every aspect of a business – from filling a need, to solving a problem, to marketing, to selling, to serving customers – is an expression of creativity.

But for every great idea that gets launched, millions more go the wayside because entrepreneurs simply don’t know how to take action, how to decide if something’s worth pursuing, or if the time is right.

Wild ideas are GREAT for business… and now more than ever is the time to take action. Why? Because so many people are playing it safe, the playing field is wide open for wild ideas.

This is the time to be bold and brave, to lean out instead of leaning in, to move into the unknown rather than stay in the familiar.

But how do you do that without losing your shirt? Follow these tips, inspired by real-life
success stories, and see your wild ideas pay off!

1. Don’t wait until you know everything
The time it takes to become perfect at something is a surefire way to miss an opportunity.
Never stop learning, but at some point you must take action before- even before you know
all the details. Entrepreneurs are fast learners- never underestimate your ability to learn on
your feet while you’re taking action. As Michael Port shares in “The Wild Idea That Paid Off”
virtual chat series, “Be a blank piece of paper with a beginner’s mind.” Let the knowledge fill
you as you go along.

2. Turn past failures into future successes
Thomas Edison took over 1000 tries to invent the lightbulb. You might fail at something too…
but that failure could be the path to your next big success. Branding expert Kim Castle turned
a disastrous financial situation into multi-million dollar business by simply plucking out the
lessons and spinning them into gold. (Kim shares her entire story in an interview we did).
Where there’s failure, there’s opportunity!

3. Step out of the safe and familiar
Trailblazer coach Shawn Driscoll hung out mostly in the background until one day she decided
to break out and fully express her talents through her business. It frightened people around her,
but the bold steps have paid off. Productive Flourishing’s Charlie Gilkey walked away from an
established career and doctoral program to begin a business that served the needs of creative
entrepreneurs. Social media pioneer Jack Humphrey gave away an extremely valuable product
for free at the risk of losing $100,000 in sales. Marketing expert Ellen Britt chose to brand her
business with an unconventional, regional twist. They each were told not to take the risk but
they did… and it paid off. Get out of the safe and familiar and take bold steps into the unknown.

4. Live a creative life
Creative people don’t just summon up their creative juices when needed. They show curiosity,
try new things, and embark on new adventures. Business coach Andrea Lee views life as a
creative adventure and puts what she learns into her business and live events. Author and
coach Pamela Slim is drawn to great ideas in all aspects of her business and life. The creative
life is a way of seeing possibilities and taking action on them.

5. Make a plan
Taking risks and being spontaneous can still follow a plan, which is what 9 innovative thinkers
all agreed was the key to success in these conversations on creativity and innovation. Being
able to put your creative ideas into action is what separates wild ideas that go nowhere from
wild ideas that pay off. Look at the big picture. Chunk it down into action steps. Map out the
details and set deadlines. Stay accountable to yourself and someone else so things get done.
This is where the rubber hits the road and where the success stories are born.

There’s a big difference between a wild idea that pays off and a distracting bright shiny object.
Follow these tips to turn your wild ideas into profitable paths to happiness, prosperity, and
innovation.

LinkedIn Recommendations: You Must Give Before You Receive

Posted on by February 27, 2012

The value of recommendations and testimonials cannot be underestimated or taken for granted. Recommendations are similar to testimonials of your good name, good product(s), or expertise. Recommendations enhance your credibility as an expert similar to how quality content, quality presentation of that content and frequency of content enhances your page rank and authority status for your website. Recommendations also raise your credibility.

Recommendations in LinkedIn are social proof. They tell a LinkedIn candidate that the person is qualified or recognized as a valued colleague that has or will add value to your business. As you interact with connections, you become more familiar with their areas of expertise and perhaps are able to use this knowledge in your business execution. Once you can recommend a connection, you proceed with some expectation that they will reciprocate. However, do not expect that all people that you recommend will in turn write a recommendation for you. As you proceed in building your connections, keep in mind that your connections are the source for your recommendation and focus on those contacts that have the potential for directly (or indirectly) enhance your business or expertise. After all, one of your goals in LinkedIn is becoming a recognized expert in your field. A good place to find contacts that will give you outstanding recommendations are your satisfied customers. Go through your customer base and connect with everyone who has purchased your products; multiple sales recipients are better.

The best way to ask for recommendations is not to ask, i.e., the best recommendations most often come from a good recommendation that you have written for someone. Recommendations are the next step of engagement after you connect with someone on LinkedIn. It is a quid pro quo of sorts, but don’t write a recommendation for someone just to get a reciprocal recommendation. Be sure that you can personally vouch for them. As such, be very clear about what you’re recommending. Don’t forget your keywords when you are writing recommendations!! Search engines love keywords!

As you evaluate your LinkedIn strategy, make sure you include a profile of your ideal connection and how you can get a recommendation from them. Make sure that your have clear goals and objectives. A good review for being successful using LinkedIn can be found in Wayne Breitbarth’s best seller, The Power Formula for LinkedIn Success or by purchasing the replay of Joan Stewart’s webinar, Your LinkedIn Power Formula

Serenity VA Tweets of the Week–Fearless Visibility- How to Get Out There No Matter What

Posted on by May 6, 2013

Here are my Top 10 tweets from this past week, great for retweeting! If you missed these, follow me on Twitter.

Fearless Visibility- How to Get Out There No Matter What. http://ow.ly/8jD09

The Qualities of a Powerful Word-of-Mouth Marketing Strategy. http://ow.ly/8iiRb

5 Tools to Battle Social Media Content Overload. http://ow.ly/8jyWw

5 Twitter resolutions that will help you tweet smarter. http://ow.ly/8icvJ

25 Eye-Popping Internet Marketing Statistics for 2012. http://ow.ly/8jb8Z

3 Offline Secrets to Get Clients Right Now! http://ow.ly/8iiLN

6 Ways to Spice Up Bland Email Marketing Campaigns.  http://ow.ly/8i19u

How Google+ Is Changing the Web, Even Though No One Wants It To. http://ow.ly/8hY2X

Why Google Has the Hammer To Make Businesses Use Google Plus. http://ow.ly/8f30Y

10 Amazing Blogs About Blogging to Start Reading NOW. http://ow.ly/8fJ6X

10 Questions to Ask a Virtual Assistant Before You Hire

Posted on by May 6, 2013

1. What is your specialty?

You now know what your potential virtual assistant can do. What about what they like to do? These questions are important for opening up the conversation and getting to know your interviewee. They’ll also help you to determine whether you can call on this person in the future to do tasks that may need to be done months down the line. A great virtual assistant truly enjoys their work and shares nuances about the Internet with you as you continue to build a relationship with them. Do you see this person as someone you’ll want to call upon again and again?

2. Can you accomplish my tasks?

Share your list of projects with your virtual assistant candidate. Can they do them all? Are they are willing to share some examples of their past work. Listen to how confident your potential virtual assistant sounds when answering your questions. If they sound unsure or give you a flat-out “no”, do you really want to hire them? Is it acceptable to you if they are willing to learn how to do tasks that they haven’t done before? (This may mean that they’ll take more hours working on your project than a more experienced virtual assistant would need).

3. What is your experience?

For each task that your potential virtual assistant can do, ask them about their experiences doing it. In what field of business did they do this work? If your interviewee has absolutely no experience in your business field, is that important to you? How long did it take them to complete past projects? This may make a difference for you if you are on a deadline to get some items on your list completed quickly. Which leads us to the next question…

4. How quickly can you get to my tasks and complete them?

Are they overloaded with work and cannot get to your jobs for three weeks? Or maybe they can complete some quickly and others will take more time to finish. Your potential virtual assistant may give you different answers for each task that you’ve discussed. That’s okay, because it will give you a good idea of how much time they’ll need to devote to your projects.

5. What is your communication style?

When can they be reached? How quickly can you expect a response from them? Do they exclusively communicate via email, or will they be available to meet with you by phone, in person, or via web conference? How often will they update you on the progress of your projects? Are they willing to answer technical questions for you, or are they only available to accomplish specific tasks? The answer to this final question is very telling, because a virtual assistant who wants to build an ongoing relationship with you is a keeper.

6. What kind of software and office equipment do you use?

On the surface, this question may seem mundane and of little importance. However, if for example, you use Macs and run Apple-compatible software, but your potential virtual assistant only sees things from a Windows point of view, there may be issues. The kind of answer you’ll want to hear is something like, “I can run things on all browsers and can interpret what you send me from screen shots, if there are any issues.” You’ll want your virtual assistant to be willing to get around potential obstacles.

7. What security measures do you have in place?

Let your virtual assistant candidate speak openly about this. A great virtual assistant will talk about password protection, data backups, and a confidentiality policy for your intellectual property. Are they a member of associations like the International Virtual Assistants Association (IVAA) and the Better Business Bureau? Do they subscribe to a Code of Ethics? If you are particularly concerned, you can ask if they are willing to sign a non-disclosure agreement of your creation, a contract to protect your property and trade secrets? It is especially important to vet out your interviewees when a friend or colleague has not referred them to you. Note: Security issues are the most important reason not to entrust virtual assistant tasks to college interns.

8. Do you have a back up?

I don’t mean a security back-up here—This is about making sure you are covered when the virtual assistant goes on vacation or has other things coming up in their life. Who do you call upon if you hire them and they are not available? Just like any webmaster, a virtual assistant should not leave you in the lurch when they have a personal commitment and are unavailable to respond to you.

9. How much do you charge?

Your potential virtual assistant may charge per job and will itemize each task on the list you provided. Or they may quote for the entire list of jobs you have presented. Regardless, they will probably want to get back to you with quotes, because they may need time to research the number of hours each task will take to complete. Ask about which form of payment they accept, when you will be billed, and how often you will be billed. Some companies expect a deposit before work is started, others will bill you in full upon completion, and still others have billing cycles and bill as different tasks are completed according to their own internal billing schedule. If you need some “creative” financing, for instance spreading out payments over a period of time, it never hurts to ask.

And the most important question to ask, and this is a question to ask of yourself:

10. Do I like you?

Sounds a bit odd, but this is the best way to test the “chemistry” between you and the virtual assistant candidate in question. If you feel in your gut that you have found the perfect virtual assistant, you may have found a winner. But if you hear a certain catch in their voice, a less-than enthusiastic tone, or something off, honor your intuition.

Ask yourself this question when interviewing all potential contractors, not just virtual assistants. The answer may foretell how much they’ll contribute to the success of your products and services.

5 Tips on How to Conquer Your Sales Fears

Posted on by November 16, 2011

I was recently interviewed by Lisa Girard, writer at Entrepreneur.com. The article focused on the fear associated with selling your product or services.

Here are my five tips:

1. Don’t be afraid to sell yourself.
You are your most valuable commodity. Whether you are selling a product or service, you first have to sell yourself.

2. Sell to those you have already sold to.
Don’t reinvent the wheel. If you already have clients in your sales funnel, you have ready-made sales leads.

3. Ask your existing clients for a testimonial.
Your best sales team are you clients. Ask them for testimonials. If you have openings, ask your clients for referrals. Proudly display them on your website.

4. Don’t be afraid to consistently improve your products or services.
Take classes or sign up for webinars to learn new software, programs and ways to improve your skill set.

5. Be confident in your abilities and your products.
You can be your worst enemy. The only one afraid of your price is you! Test the market. If it doesn’t sell, try a new approach. If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again!

For me, training is the key. If I’m not confident in myself and my abilities, I can’t expect new or existing clients to have confidence in my abilities to provide optimal service.