Debra Kasowski

3 Surefire Strategies You Should Consider When Giving Your Website a Facelift

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Thinking about freshening things up on your website? There is nothing worse than going to someone’s website and learning that they have not done anything since 2009. When there is no activity on your website, it looks like you’re not in business. The Internet, especially Google, is one of the number one places that people learn more about products and services and your competition. Don’t get me wrong, there is an abundant world out there but if people have to choose, they will choose someone who is current and up-to-date. Quit being the best kept secret – you are serving no one. What a tragedy for the person who is awaiting your content and can’t move forward with their business until they get it!

When considering giving your website a face lift, you want to consider the following questions:

  •  What experience do you want your customers and prospects to have what they had to your site ?
  •  Do you have an irresistible offer for your visitors?
  •  What do you want to your customers or prospects to  know, do, or purchase what they come to your site ?

As you gain a clearer perspective of what you want your end result to be, you will be able to create a website that is congruent with your brand as the best represents you.  You will also save yourself time and money by targeting your website and the voice of your content to the audience you wish to serve. Take some time to do some research about what you like on other sites that you have visited . Incorporate the things that you like I make you unique in the marketplace .

 The three surefire strategies you should consider  are:

  1.  Video  and Pictures.  People are attracted to interaction as visual information.  They are looking to be educated and  entertained  as well as engaged.   Video is one way in which you can build credibility and trust with your viewers. People comment more on Facebook when there is a visual image versus just text.  You should have a welcome video on your homepage explaining why people should be spending some time on your site and give them a call to action which can be adopted e-zine at the free special report, tele-class, or webinar.   This is the information age after all and people want valuable content and if you deliver they will come in droves.
  2. Opt-In.  The opt in box is your call to action . This is the location of which they can share their name and e-mail and grab an incentive or irresistible offer to continue the relationship with you. Remember to sign up for the Success Secrets newsletter so you can claim your free gift located of the right hand of the page.This will give you an example of something that you too can create for your site. It is all about creating value and offering a solution.
  3.  Social  Media  Share Ability. Your visitors need a way to share your great content. Make it easy for people to share your content with others  by having links to Facebook, Twitter, Google plus, and even LinkedIn. Create a blogging platform where you can share posts of 250-400 words offering great tips or tools that others can use.

Not only will be strategies help drive traffic to your website but they will help you get known, remembered and seen as an authority in your area of expertise.  One bonus tip:  Keep your head shots current and update your photos at least every 2 to 5 years and more often if you change your look or no longer look like your picture. Be Real!

 Share this blog with others who might need a face lift !

 

 

 

 

 

 

Give Yourself a 30 Day Action Challenge

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For the past 30 days or I should say 31 as July has 31 days, I have challenged myself to blog for 31 days as part of the 30 Day Ultimate Blog Challenge hosted by Michele Scism and Michelle Shaeffer.  I have not only honed a skill but also gained much more. Thirty-one days is about perseverance, creativity, and innovation. Yes, the blood, sweat, and tears of being in business. Entrepreneurs are in it for the long haul.

Do you want to know what I learned during my 31 day process?

You can do many things for a short period of time if you really focus on what you want to achieve. Break down your 30 days into 30 action steps.

You know more than you think you do. Try it and you will find out.

Being part of a group or knowing that you have been challenge leads to personal accountability. I enjoy following through if I take up a challenge. It is like crossing the finish line at a race. The excitement builds.

Learn about other people in the process.

Gain new knowledge.

Ignite new ideas for writing or your business.

New opportunities of collaboration and joint ventures may transpire.

Increased traffic to your website.

Sharing valuable information with the world.

Change lives!

You can create a 30 day challenge for yourself too!

What do you want to do? Lose 10 lbs. Increase your Twitter or Facebook following. Send out 30 Thank You cards. Print out a blank calendar template. There are many available online. Plan out your days of activity. It may take 30-60 minutes of your day to make the plan and 10-60 minutes to implement it each day. Your incremental efforts will add up and your results will come with your continued effort.

Challenges – keep us alive! Create a new action plan every month and watch your life and business soar to a whole new level.

Thank you to Michele and Michelle for creating such an amazing opportunity and all my fellow bloggers out there for making a difference in the lives of others.

5 Deadly Mistakes People Make When Writing their Blogs

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Blogging is a great way to get your message out to the world and let your voice be heard. Blogs increase your visibility online, help develop relationships with your followers, and create a venue where you can share your expertise and impact the world. In the world of blogging, there are 5 deadly mistakes that prevent bloggers from getting followers to ready their blogs:

  1. Blog Title Does Not Capture the Reader’s Attention. You want to engage your readers with titles that pique your readers interest in the form of questions, revealed mistakes, or lessons learned. Ask yourself – What is the purpose of this blog? Why should they read it? What do I think the reader wants or needs to know?
  2. Too Much Jargon. Avoid using words that readers may not understand. If you are trying to educate them, provide a definition and example for better understanding of the concept you are trying to share. Simple plain language can make a big impact.
  3. No Visuals. Everyone does not learn or read the same way. Visuals create a connection with those who are visual learners. They remember what you wrote by what by the image they remember. Choose graphics that relate to your content.
  4. No white space. A page full of text loses your readers attention. Insert graphics and lists to break up your blog post. Let your reader’s eyes have a chance to rest and let them reflect on what they just read.
  5. Too verbose. Again, lots of words on the page does not mean it will be read or remembered. Stick to  blog posts that are 250-450 words. Use bullets, lists, and subtitles to break up your page. Readers are busy and they value reading that is quick and scannable. Bullets and lists help with quick reads and allow your reader to learn more about your topic in a limited time.

These mistakes can be easily corrected. Create your strategy or template that will help you develop blog content that people want to share. Your voice matters.

Why You Need a Piece of the Marketing Pie?

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Are you wanting to grow your business and taste how sweet success can be? You will definitely want to know how to learn about marketing pie! Marketing is an important part of your business operations. Your marketing strategy is the part of your business that attracts clients to you and your products and services – it is how they get to hear about you and get to know you. Marketing helps you build your list or database and then key in your follow-up.

The marketing pie is a tool that I use to help me focus on my business and plan for my day, month, and year. To help you understand the marketing pie, I want you to get a piece of paper and pen. Draw out a circle and draw a line through the middle horizontally and then vertically. Draw a few more lines dissecting the centre of the circle just like you would be slicing a pie. Let’s start with 8 slices. You can keep adding slices to the pie. Each slice of the pie is a marketing tool that you use to attract more customers by serving them with valuable content to boost their business’s bottom line.

Here are eight ways you can build your list and share your expertise with your potential customer:

  1. Opt-In Box on your website offer a free report, ebook, teleclass, video series, or podcast. If you do not have an opt-in box, you must get one as soon as possible and offer the guests to your site something of value. A way in which they get to know you and what you do.
  2. Ezine – An electronic newsletter keeps your clients and prospects in the know about what you are up to. They again have another way to get to know you and what you currently up to. You can share articles, blog posts, testimonials, and tips and techniques to help transform their businesses. If you do not know what one is or need some ideas about you should include, I invite you to sign up for mine. Ezines can be sent out every week,  biweekly, or monthly. I find biweekly is the best way to stay top of mind.
  3. Articles – You can create high value content for potential clients that has a bio that send them to your website to learn more.
  4. Blog – You can blog and showcase your expertise. This a great way for people to learn about your business.
  5. Video – Create videos that a less than 2 minutes offering 3-5 business tips related to what your offer your clients. This is a very powerful tool!
  6. Social Media – Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn are the top venues for sharing yours events, articles, blogs, and other valuable content with others. Not only can people like or comment on your postings, they can share your posts with their followers.
  7. Direct Mail – You can utilize postcard marketing to get the word out about your business and provide a free offering to a special report, ebook, or download.
  8. Teleseminars – Offer a 30- 60 minute teleseminar teaching your clients and prospects about something that they can be doing in their business or their life. This a great way for them to also get to hear your voice and get to know you.

There are several more pieces to the marketing pie that can help build your list, expand your reach, and ultimately grow your business. I challenge you to utilize at least 3 of these marketing tools to launch your business to a whole new level. Learn one piece well before venture onto yoru next piece. Now what piece of the pie would you like? I hear they are pretty delicious!

Power Shifting Your Blog: What Can You Do with a Blog Content Anyway?

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Blogs add so much value to the marketplace and for the solopreneur there are many ways in which you can repurpose the content you create. The blog is your outlet to create and innovate. Travel to new frontiers!

What can you do with your blog content? Here are 15 ways!

  1. Use content to revamp and create articles which you submit to www.ezinearticles.com or other article marketing sites
  2. Use the content to revamp and create special report, ebook or a book
  3. Take out great statements (yes, your quotes) that you made to “Tweet” or share on Facebook.
  4. Gather comments together for future editions or create a new article based on feedback.
  5. Put those statements on pictures you have taken – maybe even create a slide show
  6. Send links from your blog on a topic that might interest your prospects or customers.
  7. Create a postcard with a qr code from your blog.
  8. Design a worksheet or a checklist.
  9. Create a teleseminar on your topic of interest.
  10. Make video about the topic in your blog.
  11. Become a guest on someone else’s blog! 
  12. Email in your newsletter
  13. Create a podcast on iTunes.
  14. Create a product – CD of your blogging material.
  15. Share blog topic with a potential customer. “You know I recently wrote a blog about that very topic.” Timely!

Why work harder, when you can work smarter and achieve great things! There are many more ways to repurpose your blog. Keep things fresh by revamping and creating content that grabs your readers attention – new titles, extra points, examples, expand a bit more on a topics, or create one topic from one of the bullet points.

I would love to hear how you repurpose your blog content! Be Sociable and Share!!!