3 Reasons Why I Write

June 4, 2011 By Lisa Angelettie 4 Comments

3 Reasons Why I Write

Why Do You Do What You Do?

If you’ve ever had a career change or career evolution, I’m sure you’ve experienced the pangs of self-doubt. It’s common practice to question yourself after you’ve made a BIG move. This happened to me when I decided to step back from traditional psychotherapy and focus on entrepreneurial writing.

Many of my peers or family members who liked saying that I was a psychotherapist wanted answers. They wanted to know why I rather write then do therapy. So here it goes — these are the reasons…

REASON 1
It’s What I Like To Do (Even When No One Is Paying Me)

I have always been a writer. I kept quite detailed journals since about 7 years old. I earned a degree in journalism and worked in that field for several years before going back to school to get my masters. I have always enjoyed writing and sometimes writing is the only way I can accurately express myself. I fall back and lean on writing all the time.

And more importantly, although I am paid well to help others write effectively, I write even when there’s no one paying. Even when there’s no one looking. And that’s really the whole “Oprah” idea I’m trying to get across.

Hopefully your business is something that you would do for free. For nada. Which means ultimately that when you do make money, it will be even sweeter.

REASON 2
Writing On The Web Packs A Powerful Punch

Digital writing a.k.a. ePublishing packs a powerful punch for entrepreneurs. Personally, I think that writing on the web is one of the most strategic ways to build credibility, generate traffic, and make passive income. There aren’t many marketing strategies that you can do and gain that type of traction from them – for little to zero cost at that!

Every entrepreneur and every service professional should have some sort of web presence that is primarily “content based”: articles, blog, ebooks, short reports, e-courses, teleseminars, etc. If you are not establishing yourself, your brand, and your marketing message on the web with content, then you better already be a celebrity, because no one is going to notice among the thousands of other competitors in your niche.

REASON 3
People Kept Asking Me For My Help

Sometimes you just have to look at not necessarily what you think you should be doing, but what people are asking from you. People have continuously asked me for help with writing and tech work — and they probably do because I have put out in the world that I am always willing to help.

I soon realized that I’m always willing to help (back to reason 1) because it’s not really work for me. It’s interesting and fun. And while I am “good” at a lot of different things like every other person, there is a way that I am able to explain a tech issue or pull a good story for an ebook out of some one that is unique to me, and that which many people are drawn too. So why fight the power?

So my advice to those who haven’t quite figured out their life’s work: pay attention to what advice people in your circle ask you for. What do they want from you? What do they refer you to others for? If there is a way you can make money at it — then I suggest you go for it! I did and haven’t looked back since.

Have you found your entrepreneurial passion yet? If so, what are the reasons why you do it? Do you have any other inspirational or common sense tips to pass onto others? Share them here. You could inspire someone today:)

Is The Economy Affecting How You Do Business?

April 18, 2011 By Lisa Angelettie 5 Comments

Is The Economy Affecting How You Do Business?

source: greeleygazette.com

In many gas stations in the suburbs of Pennsylvania where I live, gas has hit the four dollar mark. When I shop for groceries, I must admit that for years I did not pay attention to prices that much. I have certain things that I buy every week – and I buy them. Regardless of the cost. But I must admit that in 2008 I paid attention to the price of milk. It was outrageous. And now I am paying attention to the price of the block of extra sharp Cracker Barrel cheese that my family and I just love. It’s a little over four bucks. Maybe more depending on the market I’m at and the neighborhood that market is in.

My point here is that the economy is precarious. People who may not have normally paid attention to the price of everything that they bought (like myself) are now paying attention and making discerning choices about what they are going to spend their money on.

Now more than ever we have to be a bit more selective about what marketers and business owners we are going to spend our money with to further our own businesses. We are a little more careful about what products, books, coaching programs, and membership sites we join. And the same goes for our customers. They are going to be a little more hesitant to click the button and so they are going to need to see further “social proof” and other credibility factors to feel comfortable doing business with us — if they’ve never done business with us before.

Perhaps you are not doing all of the things that you did a year or two ago to gain traction in your marketplace. Maybe you’re going to skip that seminar you were thinking about attending or passing on that cool workshop that you wanted to take. Perhaps you are only making enough money to sustain the costs of doing business and you just don’t know where you would find the money to get the word out about your latest service, product, or event.

Are you so paralyzed in your business right now because you are afraid of spending money on the wrong things? Or are you petrified of not making money this month because you don’t think you can convince anyone to spend money with you right now? Well here are a few of my thoughts on that…

1. The economy should not stop you from moving forward in your business. In fact, what it should do is make you think how you can move much smarter. What tasks could you eliminate from your everyday routine that are not really moving your towards your business goals? What fat could you trim? What things really worked for you last year? The year before? Whatever they were, think about how you can do more of that; maximize that marketing strategy.

2. There is no ONE answer for anyone and everyone on how to make even $1 online. I know this is scary, but I bet there is someone out there who is reading this article, has been in business for over a year, and has not even made $100. That’s usually because they are listening to 10 different experts teach them 10 completely different strategies, which may have worked for those individuals, but probably won’t work for them. Find the one strategy that resonates with you — and run like hell with it!

3. Scared money don’t make no money. I know that’s some old-school gambling saying or something — but it’s kind of true. If you are scared and skimpy with your investments in yourself, you probably will see very little reward. It’s a karmic rule. You basically get back what you put in. If you smartly invest in yourself — you should see your investment come back to you with interest. So what I’m saying here in a nutshell is now is not the time to completely stop investing in your growth – just be selective with what you buy and what you do. And whatever you buy — implement! Don’t just let the knowledge roll around inside your head for a week and then just move on to the next thing. Use it!

4. Don’t fall for the okie-dokie. Okay, even people on “fixed incomes” are buying Kindles, iPads, and flat screens. Don’t fall for the okie-dokie and believe that no one is buying anything in this economy. That is far from the truth. In fact, just recently I read that online retail sales were up like 16% in March of this year. There are customers and clients that are willing to give you their hard-earned dollars, you just have to convince them a little more than before that you are trustworthy, that you know what you are talking about, and that money invested with you will be money well spent.

*Tight Economy Tip
One of the easiest things that you can do today to not only maximize your visibility in today’s economic climate as well as build your trustworthiness among potential prospects is to publish. Digital publishing is free and it’s one of the easiest things you can do to establish yourself on the web today. Publish content that people in your market want to read and you can conquer the world in any economy! People will always search for answers, for knowledge, for solutions. Remember that if you provide those answers, that knowledge, and those solutions that you are well ahead of your competitors in the trust department and the credibility corner.

Over the next few days, I will be discussing strategies for building your online credibility and your trust factor via free, digital methods. I look forward to freeing you from the thoughts and actions that may be paralyzing your progress and start moving you forward to a better business with more profits. You can make money in this economy no matter what the niche. It’s all how you position yourself.

Have any questions on this topic? I’ll answer them in the next article. Just leave them in the comment section below.

Hello Bar Vs. Viper Bar

April 4, 2011 By Lisa Angelettie 12 Comments

Hello Bar Vs. Viper Bar

Several of the big online marketers have been using this cool bar across the top of their websites where you can either add some copy and a link or you can add an optin box for your list. The buzz for some time has been that when executed correctly, the bar has an amazing conversion rate. While there have been various versions of this type of thing online for a few years, which was typically done with code that a 3rd person needed to create for site owners, the great thing about the Hello Bar and the Viper Bar is that you simply copy and paste code into a WordPress plugin and like magic your bar appears, wide width, at the top of your website.

I’ve been testing both bars so I’m not sure which one you are seeing at the time that you are reading this article, but many owners are boasting 150 to 200% conversion rates, so I thought it would be wise if I tested both options. In the meantime, I’m going to tell you a little about each bar and how to install them so you can do a little testing for yourself…

The Hello Bar

This is the first of the two bars to be released and it made a lot of buzz online when it did. I’m kind of a late adopter, because I spend most of my time writing and not working on my site, but after reading a review of the use of The Hello Bar over at DIYThemes, I thought it was worth the effort of trying it out. So here’s the deal:

1. The Hello Bar is free, which is always nice. You need to go their site and sign up for a free account. When you do, they will say that in order to get your copy of the bar, you need a key. In order to get the key, they recommend twittering a request for one. (Once a person signs up they typically receive 5 invitations to invite others with this key.) This is really all done as a very smart viral marketing strategy, because if no one on Twitter sends you a key (which no one sent me one), Hello Bar eventually will send you one via email.

2. So once you receive your key and finalize signing up with Hello Bar, you then are led to a page where you can create a bar. You can play around with the color of your bar, the text font, text color and a few other options. You will at this time include your copy and your link text. After you’ve saved all of this, code will be generated for you to copy and paste within the <body> section of your template.

3. If you rather not be bothered with screwing around with your code, then you can download The Hello Bar WordPress Plugin, and paste the code into the box that the plugin provides. Save and your bar is up.

4. If you own a Thesis WordPress blog, then you don’t have to mess with your code nor download yet another plugin. You can just copy and paste the code you generate into Thesis Settings: stats and tracking box. If you have your Google Analytics code in the box, no worries, you can just copy the code for Hello Bar after that code.

5. I’m pretty sure you could also use Thesis Openhook for adding the code as well — I’d try in the header area.

6. Just a note. I was driving myself crazy with adding this bar because of my cache plugin. If you use a cache plugin and actually want to see the bar up on your site, you will need to temporarily deactivate the cache plugin, add and save your code, take a look at your bar and if you’re happy then you go back and turn your cache plugin back on.

7. There is also an arrow on the bar which you can use to close it which is nice, but of course the company needs to self promote virally, so there is a big ‘ole H on the bar as well which links back to the Hello Bar website. Nice links for them!

8. What’s cool about The Hello Bar is the fact that you can use it to promote a new product, build my list, announce something. Just a one line statement and then a link. Now like most people, I would use the Hello Bar for lead generation and list building – not pre-selling. Tell prospects that they can download a free report, ebook, or audio and add a link to the optin page for that freebie & it’s only a matter of seconds before you acquire a new member on your list.

The Viper Bar

The creator of the Viper Bar (ViperChill) took the Hello Bar concept and took it a step further. The Viper Bar was specifically created for lead generation. In fact, while you could theoretically use the bar like a Hello Bar (with text and a link), what separates this bar from the Hello Bar is the fact that the optin box to your list will show in the bar. People can add their names and email right in the bar.

Online Networking For Shy People

March 30, 2011 By Lisa Angelettie 6 Comments

Effective Online Networking For Shy People

Are you shy? Well me too. I was born an introverted, only-child, with a passion for reading and writing. If that isn’t a recipe for a “not so good networker”, I don’t know what is. While I have always loved entrepreneurship, I have always struggled with networking. Initially in the infancy stages of my business I thought that having an online business would be better for me, because it was easier for me to talk to people via phone, email, chat etc. than it was in person. Wrong!

The reality is that having an online business is isolating. There’s only you and maybe a virtual assistant or two. And it turns out that online networking is much more important to succeeding online than I imagined. From building possible joint venture relationships to simply having another business owner to bounce ideas off of – online networking is critical to your success.

Now there have been marketers that have tried the whole joint venture and networking forum or group model — but I didn’t find them to work out for me. Too many folks were trying to force joint ventures and relationships, and there wasn’t enough natural sharing of information for information’s sake.

So if this sounds like where you are in your networking efforts, I have a few ideas of how you can still be an effective networker while honoring your natural born introverted self:)

1. Online Networking Via Email Letters
A well written email letter still works. That’s right. It is one of the most direct approaches for online relationships. Get an email address and directly write the person who you want to connect with. Try to avoid trying to sound bigger by referring to your business as “we”. Make the letter personal, but be brief and to the point. No one wants to read a really lengthy email from a stranger.

Another essential element to this letter is to make it appealing for the reader, in other words, make sure the recipient gets something out of it. People write me all the time asking for something for free. For most business owners, include me, that’s a turn off. If you’re writing me, I want to know what we “both” would get out of the relationship – not just you. Same goes for the business owner that you are approaching.

2. Online Networking Via Snail Mail
Let’s take the principle of writing our email letter and applying it to paper and pen. Yes, that’s right! A good ole’ fashioned letter written by hand. I guarantee you that very few online entrepreneurs receive snail mail these days, so your letter is sure to get noticed. And getting noticed is really the first major step.

3. Social Networking
Thank goodness for social networking huh? It was much harder to talk to people, especially power players, before social networking — but things have changed. Now that we are all kind of “equals” on social networks — it’s much easier to talk to people and build relationships with people who may promote your next product launch, where you can write your next guest post, or who you can bounce ideas off of. Social networks like Facebook and LinkedIn are great places for this type of slow and steady online networking.

4. Joint Venture Page
Make it easy for people who are interested in you to express it through a simple joint venture contact page. I have one of these at my support suite which visitors periodically use. It’s a very passive way of attracting new networking relationships.

5. Live Teleseminar Calls
Are you following marketers who give a lot of live teleseminar calls that encourage live participation at some point in the call? Then you should join these calls at the time of the call (not the recording later). This is a good time for a little laid back and informal interaction with people who clearly have similar business interests and issues as yourself. I’ve made a lot of contacts this way after the call.

6. Coaching Groups
Are you following any marketers who host small coaching groups? These are typically no bigger than 12 people and are hosted via telephone. This typically isn’t a free option, but not only will you learn something, you will have an opportunity to closely get to know like-minded business owners over a period of weeks. I always make at least one long-term connection with someone I’ve met in this type of intimate and non-threatening setting.

7. Guest Posts
Not only is writing articles for other people’s blogs a great backlink for you, a great way to get in front of new traffic, but it is also a fabulous way to build relationships with other bloggers/business owners effortlessly. Once I’ve written for a website, I feel like the door is pretty open to ask them about other things, and I’ve never been refused.

So there you have it — my path to effective but passive online networking. Some you may be using already. Other ideas you may not have thought of. Just go out and keep trying. It’s hard sometimes for shy people like us — but the key is to consistently do something to meet new people and stay plugged into your marketplace.

Have any other suggestions? Share them in the comment section.

What Should I Include In My Autoresponder Emails?

March 23, 2011 By Lisa Angelettie 5 Comments

What Should I Include In My Autoresponder Emails?

It’s time you think about your business in the shoes of your prospects. What happens when they visit your site and follow one of your call to actions? For example, imagine you’ve written a killer article and the prospect clicks on your resource link. They are led to one of your landing pages and want to opt-in to your list. Now what?

It’s crucial to understand that if you do not follow up with your new subscribers (prospects) REGULARLY, when you do decide to send something out they may not remember who you are and mark your email as SPAM and/or unsubscribe. Regular communication is essential and it’s real easy to do with your autoresponder. So here you go…

Here’s An Easy-To-Follow Plan For New Subscribers:

1. Redirect them to a “please confirm” page after opting in. Most reputable autoresponder list services (like Aweber, MailChimp, Constant Contact) will require a double-opt-in.

2. Redirect them to a “success page” after they’ve confirmed their subscription.

3. Even after all of your hard work setting up your success page, many subscribers often do not see it, so it’s a smart idea to send a “success email” as your first autoresponder message. If you included a gift for subscribing, it’s a good idea to include the link to that gift in this first email as well. People want their freebies:)

4. Okay don’t stop there — and here’s where things really get good. After the first email, it’s important to keep actively working on building a relationship with your subscribers. An easy way to do this is to continue your communication with them and send them additional emails.

Some entrepreneurs like to write personal emails on a regular basis which absolutely have their place, but if you’re looking to save time, and more importantly expose your subscribers to more of your content – use your autoresponder.

So What Do You Put In These Autoresponder Emails?

It’s a great idea to take inventory of the articles and other content on your site. What are your favorite articles? Which ones received the most comments and created the most buzz on Twitter or Facebook? These are the articles I would select to spotlight in your autoresponder emails.

So say you select 7 articles. Now you will create 7 separate emails – each introducing the topic of your article and also including the link to the full article on your site.

It’s important to understand that you are not promoting or selling anything from these emails. You simply want to lead new subscribers back to your site and expose them to more of your great content (your articles). This more than anything will help you to build trust with your list and will also establish you as the “go to source” when you are then ready to promote your next offer.

How Often Should You Send Out Your Autoresponder Emails?

There are experts out there with wide varying opinions on how often you should send an email to your list, but I try not to send my members anymore than two emails a week. That means one email is my weekly newsletter and the other is one of my autoresponder emails.

Want to see this in action? If you’re new to the site or you subscribe via RSS feed, you can sign up for my list and pay attention to the emails I send you. They have a very high conversion rate.

Subscriber List Building: How Can I Get More Email Subscribers?

March 17, 2011 By Lisa Angelettie 6 Comments

List Building: How Can I Get More Email Subscribers?

This is the latest reader question asked by one of my Facebook pals and to tell you the truth by a lot of people — and it’s all about list building. Even the most savvy marketers are constantly tweaking and testing their systems for adding new subscribers to their lists. So there’s no shame in beginners wondering how on earth they will get more than the 10 subscribers that they already have (mom, dad, and their college roommates!) I want to help demystify the subscriber list building process…

Q: How do I get my subscriber list to grow past the 10 names I have on here (my friends and family)?

A: First, I am not a typical marketer, so I’m going to tell you the truth. There is no quick fix for list building. There is no bright and shiny marketing product or tool that will help build your list by the thousands in 30 days! It takes entrepreneurs a good deal of time to build a highly responsive list (one that actually converts and buys from you).

Second, building your subscriber list is really about finding the marketing techniques that resonate with you and then going full throttle with those babies! Stop thinking that this “next thing” is going to be the solution to all your list building prayers. Most likely it isn’t. It’s simply a distraction. If you know that you are a good writer — then article marketing and blogging may be the major way that you build your list. If you are a social butterfly, perhaps social media will be more up your alley. If you don’t mind investing in advertising, perhaps Adsense pay per click or Facebook ads are the thing for you. Use a list building strategy that you enjoy doing or you will never make it past those 10 names.

Third, make sure you have all the parts necessary for building a good subscriber list:

You will need a list service or autoresponder service like Aweber, Constant Contact, MailChimp, etc.
You will need a list building landing page to capture subscriber names.
You will need an opt-in box to place on that page.
It’s important that you have a bit of copy on that list building page that entices the reader to opt-in — a.k.a. stress the benefits of joining your list.
Make sure you have something to say to your subscribers once they do opt-in. Think about an email autoresponder series. What kind of information would your subscribers like from you? Or better yet — maybe you publish a newsletter that you will send out on a regular basis. The key thing here is that you need to say something to your list to start building a relationship with them — or they will soon forget you.

Fourth, and this is what you really wanted to hear:) — use some of these list building strategies to get things rolling:

Submit articles to article directories (such as EzineArticles.com). Include a link to your list building page in the resource box.
Write articles on your own blog. Include a invitation to get more updates and/or join your list at the end of every post.
Write for other blogs — again include a resource box or call to action.
Get your list building page up on your Facebook fan page.
Get active in forums appropriate for your niche. Add your list building link to your forum signatures.
Join Twitter Chats & Facebook and LinkedIn groups. Periodically refer to your newsletter op-tin as a resource.
Consider adding a subscriber building pop-up to your website. I use PopUp Domination.
Give away something really yummy for signing up with you (a free ebook, teleclass, mini consultation, etc.) Think about what readers would love to get for free and give it to them!
Make sure you give folks every opportunity to join your list if they are on your blog/site. An opt-in box should always be visible on every page.

Try one or a few of these strategies to start building your list. Figure out which one (or two) you really love and use them consistently! That is what will move your list out of the “friend zone” and into a growing database of potential clients and customers.

Why The Term Expert Is Overrated!

March 7, 2011 By Lisa Angelettie 5 Comments

Why The Term Expert Is Overrated!

I’ve worked with many clients who are at the beginning of their online marketing and ePublishing and I run into the same roadblock with them every time we start working together. People continually get stuck moving forward in their businesses because they don’t believe that they know what they are talking about – they don’t buy into the fact that they are an “expert” in their niche.

Okay, first of all let me say this. The term expert is defined as a person who has a special skill or knowledge in some particular field; a specialist; or an authority. Most people who have a business online and write about that business, have a specialized knowledge of something. I have been writing for a living for over 20 years – that makes me an authority and an expert in my niche. Think about what makes you an expert.

1. Do you have real life experience doing what you write about and what you teach?

2. Have you gone to school or had any specialized training for what you do?

3. Have people referenced you, your work, or your business?

4. Do your friends and family know how to do what you do?

5. Do you do what you do at a higher level than the average person?

6. Have you done extensive research on your topic?

7. Have you taught someone to do what it is you do?

8. Have previous clients/customers referred you to others?

Answering YES to any of these qualifies you as an expert in your niche. Believe me when I say that it’s very easy to become immersed in your field and perhaps create professional relationships with others — and then start to think that everyone knows and understands what it is you do. It’s easy to get caught up believing that, but it is far from the truth.

In fact very few people probably totally understand what it is you do or at least how to get the results that you get in your business. What you write about, the products you create, the programs and workshops that you build, should always be developed from A to Z. People actually know less than you think.

So if worrying about “what you are going to say” in your articles, your products, or as a speaker has you paralyzed — relax. Even if you are not the “go to” expert yet in your field, you are most definitely an expert and people have a lot to learn from you. The term “expert” is completely overrated. It doesn’t mean that you need a Ph.D. It just means that you need to know a little bit more than the average person.

Have you ever been stuck in your business because you didn’t think you were an expert?

MacKeeper

January 5, 2011 By Lisa Angelettie 4 Comments

MacKeeper – My New Favorite Mac App!

Attention all you Mac geeks, Mac whores, or whatever you like to call yourselves — this is my new favorite Mac application. This award-winning app is fantastic. It’s a way to manage the tasks associated with keeping your Mac clean, reliable, fast, and secure. (Please be advised that I am NOT an affiliate – I’m just lovin’ it:)

I know what you’re thinking — we Mac users don’t have to worry about security! Well there are a few random email phishing bugs that get past our fantastic firewalls – and plus the cleaning up of files that this app does is amazing. I had more than 2600 junk files on my computer which was taking up 1.5 mb of space. All gone and my apps are running faster now. Especially iPhoto. You know how that one can drag!

MacKeeper also schedules backups, data encryption, undelete (which helps recover accidentally deleted files) and has Wise Installer. All this and some kick-butt live premium support. So if you’re looking to clean your Mac up for 2011 – this is the go to application. Hands down.

Don’t worry my PC friends, they also have a version for PC’s called – easily enough – PCKeeper. And no disrespect, but you folks really should look at this and stop using those prehistoric security applications (I won’t name names), but you probably got a free trial for it when you bought your PC. Ugh — too slow!

Did I mention you get a FREE fully functional 15 day trial for either MacKeeper or PCKeeper? So go and clean up my friends, it’s worth it. (They should pay me right:)

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3 Reasons Why I Write