Debra Kasowski

Decisive Action will Catapult You to Success

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Grab your FREE complimentary mp3 download of the 7 Resolutionary Breakthroughs to Profit and Prosper and stay in touch with our biweekly Success Secrets. Debra Kasowski discusses how indecisiveness can kill your business by missing opportunities, losing time, money, and resources. Move forward through inspired decisive action!

The Naked Truth About Video Creation for Business Blogs and Websites

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Did you know that over 4 billion hours of video are watched on YouTube every month? Did you know that there are over 800 million unique users visiting YouTube every month? According to YouTube statistics, 72 hours of video are uploaded to You Tube every minute. Now you are probably wondering how do you get you video to stand out from the crowd? Video camera operatorDid you know that video also increases your ranking on Google?

Video is a powerful way to communicate your message. There are several things you can do position yourself in the marketplace without breaking the bank.

1. Authenticity – Be yourself, unless you are putting on a drama play or comedy skit – just be you! You are representing your brand. What do you want people to know about you and your business?

2. Discover the “why” before you  achieve results. Develop a clear picture of what you would like your blog content or video to do. Is there a call to action? Do you want them to like or share the video or content?

3. Don’t aim for viral, aim for good compelling content that is educates, entertains, or inspires. The more you try and create something that you want to go viral, the more and more it may look like an American Funniest Video contest. Let the epidemic or viral campaign occur naturally.

4. All video does not have to be professionally done. Take heart my fellow small business owners. There are flip cams, iPads, and iPhones that can capture good quality video. Place on a tripod and voila! You can create your own studio right where you are at. I suggest that you may want to hire a professional to create your welcome video for your home page but for your blog you can use amateur video. I know many people who use the webcam on their computers.

5.  Good lighting is a must. Try to video where you can capture as much natural light if possible but be aware of too much light or areas that may cast shadows on your face. Do some test drives to ensure your lighting is good as some may cast yellow or green skin pigmentation due to the lighting. You may even consider a green or blue screen with extra lighting (Worklights work great!)

6.  Frame your scene. Are you looking for a close-up, 3/4 shot or showing some background? Ensure that you are capturing what you reference unless you are the main focal point. Position yourself just off centre so the eye is draw to you.

7. Eliminate background noise or distractions. Even though smartphones have a fairly decent microphone, you will still want to speak up unless you are quite close. Music and background noise can deter from your message. You may shift your attention to the distractions and break eye contact with the people you are speaking to. This action can lead to distrust unless your viewer knows what is distracting you.

8. Be prepared. Before you capture the video, you want to have a good idea of the message that you want to get across. Think of 3-5 bullet point type message you would like to convey. Tell a story and share a lesson learned. You may script your information but share it like a natural conversation otherwise people may think that you do not know what you are talking about.

9. Smile, Camera, Action! – of course, have fun! Let your personality shine. I cannot tell you how many times I have retaken videos until I am feeling relaxed and letting my personality come through. It is about taking inspired action and just going for it! It is much easier than you think.

You can upload directly to You Tube or edit it with photos, trailers, music, and text. Play around with the editing process – it can be a lot of fun. Your skillset will develop over time or you can always hire it out!

I would love to hear your video creation tips!!!

If you like this post, please share it! If you want to use this in your blog or newsletter, please contact me at Debra@themillionairewoman.com

3 Must Haves to Have on Your Website

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Courtesy Stockimages/freedigitalphotos.net
Courtesy Stockimages/freedigitalphotos.net

In the digital world in which we live, it is very rare to find someone with a business without some form of online presence like a website. If you do not have one, may I suggest your consider starting one. There are many websites and hosting programs that could get you started in a couple hours. One of the easy ways to get a site up and running is by starting a blog either through Word press which I recommend or Blogger. There are others like Tumblr, Typepad, or Live Journal but I am not as familiar with them.

Now if you are looking to have an impact in the marketplace, there are are a few must have items. Think about the way people learn information. Some learn visual and some by audio – why not use both? You may not agree with all the suggestions but I have noticed these suggestions to be great must haves for your site to get noticed and remembered.

  1. Welcome Video – Let people get to know about you and your business  What do you do? What do you want them to do when they get to your site? Why should they take a look around? Do you have a call to action so they can join your list to receive more valuable information from you? Some people will watch the video and some will read what is written. The video allows for a one on one connection. They get to know you – it creates the first impression.
  2. Contact Information – Remember people do not always come to your site from the “Home Page” or what I like to call the “front door”. Do you have a physical location? How can they contact you?
  3. Call to Action – How do you get them to come back to your website? How do you let them know that you are here to give VALUE and OFFER them an opportunity to continue a connection with you well beyond a meeting or sale? Can they follow you on social media? What will you give the visitor for sharing their information with you that is of value?

These must haves will help you stand out from the crowd.  I am not sure if you noticed some keywords in business in regards to the must-haves. They have to do with nurturing relationships, educating, and providing value.   Inspiration is always an added bonus! Create a connection that lasts beyond a handshake, smile, or meeting. Be memorable and people will come back for more.

What do you think must be on a website to make you come back for more?

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!!!

If at First You Do Not Succeed, Believe!

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Have you ever had the burning feeling in your gut that you are here for a greater purpose? Have you made mistakes but have course corrected? Have you learned from your mistakes? If you have said, “YES!” to any of the previous questions you are on your way to success. First, you are must not give up on something you know you are here to do. Secondly, if you have course corrected to get back on track you have an awareness of what works and want doesn’t work – you have an instinct. Finally, you have learned from the greatest lessons – your mistakes. Your experiences teach you the most about what you have to know about survival. The trial and error, the risk taking, and the due diligence before taking action all have brought you to this point. However, the number 1 secret to a person’s success is their ability to believe in what they do and what they offer.

Believe You Will Succeed!

You can try, yes try,- to sell someone something you don’t believe in – this is called “push sales”, “I am in this the money and not for your interest.” If you would not give the same advice or sell something to your family and friends, why would you try to sell it to others? You must be in alignment with your personal values and what is important to you in order to have fulfillment and succeed. 

  1. Develop your confidence and competence by learning all the benefits of what your product or service does for others.
  2. Set goals that you can achieve. Convince yourself – “I can do this!”
  3. Gather testimonials from people who have tried or used your products or services.
  4. Continue evaluate, take action, and repeat until you get the results that you want.
  5. Ask for feedback from others. Course Correct!
  6. Tap into your intuition and knowing that you are here to change the world – BELIEVE!
  7. Manage your fears. Use the energy you feel to make decisions.
  8. Always give your best!
  9. Celebrate your successes or WINS!
“It’s not who you are that holds you back, it’s who you think you are not.” Anonymous

When you believe you can achieve great things, you will. You need to shift your mindset and believe in your talents and abilities. Opportunities do not show up for no reason!