Let Your Website Do The Work!

Create More Websites Traffic, Boost Your Credibility and Create Buzz with Video

Did you know that a day's worth of video is uploaded to YouTube every minute? It's not a surprise that every speaker at the online marketing conference I just attended talked about video. It's truly amazing the power video has in your marketing tool box. Maybe you're already convinced video has a unique power, but you're just trying to figure out the technology. Or maybe you're wondering why everyone is talking about video. Or maybe you're nervous like I was about putting yourself out there for the world to see.

I know it's hard to believe, but my video camera was just sitting around for a few years because of my perfectionism. I knew how to technically make videos, but for some reason I was being camera shy. But then I met Perry Lawrence, Ask Mr. Video.

Perry pushed me to get out there and just do it! Your first video will not be perfect so strive for 70% and then they will just get better and better.

But why is everyone talking about video and how can it help your business?

 

  1. Traffic- Who doesn't want to be on the front page of Google for your keyword? Who doesn't want more website or blog traffic? With video all of this is possible! Using a website such as www.TubeMogul.com you can send your video everywhere on the web with just a few clicks of a button.

   2. Boost Your Credibility- Video gives you instant expert status and increases your credibility. If you're an authority or expert in your field everyone will be rushing to work with you or buy your product. Because most people are still not using video, if you use video in your business you will certainly stand out.

   3. Make Your Business Buzz Worthy- If you create a viral video, heartfelt video, or really any type of video your business becomes buzz worthy. People forward your video to others and people start to take notice because you're doing something different.

   4. Build Your List- Add a video to your squeeze page and see what happens. You will see a big bump in the number of people signing up for your offer. Because video builds the trust you don't normally have on the web.

   5. Builds Your Relationships- With video you become intimate with your website visitors and start creating those relationships. Of course in person networking is the best, but you can't network with everyone. So you let your video do the networking for you.

Tips for Using Google Analytics

Google Analytics is a free software service that helps to track the goals of your website.  Once all of the information is gathered, the program then turns that data into information that you can use to see if you are reaching your goals.  This information is presented in the form or reports. 

The first step in using Google Analytics is to set up an account. 

There are four basic questions that you should consider when setting up your Google analytics account.

1.  How many people are visiting your site?

2.  Where are your visitors coming from?

3.  What would you like for your visitors to do while they are on your site?

4.  What are your visitors actually doing? 

Once you have your account set up, you can then choose what type of information you want to track.  Some important numbers to look at are: 

Visitors: This is the number of people interacting on your site.

Bounce Rate: The percentage of people who left your site instantly.

Time On Site: This is the amount of time your visitors spent reading content on your site. 
 

You can also track how your visitors got to your site.  Direct traffic arrives at your site by typing in your web address.  Referring URLs are other sites that are sending you traffic.  Search engines include Google, Yahoo, MSN, and all of the other search engines out there.   

There are over 100 different reports that you can run on your site, you select them depending on what information you want to acquire. 

Once you run the reports and get the numbers, you can then see what is working on your site, and what needs to be changed.  If there are certain areas on your site that are receiving high traffic, that means your readers find your information useful.  If there are certain pages on your site not receiving as much traffic you may want to adjust your content accordingly. 

Google Analytics is a great tool that can help you improve both the traffic and the content on your site. If you're looking for more tips on how to create a website that actually works, you won't want to miss my upcoming event with James Wedmore. I'll show you how easy it is to create a website that actually works and attracts you all the customers you can handle! To see more details click this link: http://www.TinyUrl.com/JenniferH

 

 

Websites 2 Grow Tonight!

Are you starting your new business, but need some tips on how to get your website up and going?  If so, you do not want to miss this special event.  Tonight I will be building a website LIVE in 60 minutes, on the launch of Websites 2 Grow.  Tonight live at 8pm CST/9pm EST/ 6pm PST, I will be building a website for an entrepreneur re-starting his business as a photographer.   

Not only will you get to see me build a site in 60 minutes, but you will also learn some of my great website secrets and find out who the remaining winners are of the “Get Your Business Online” contest.  I will also reveal my number one tip on how to use your website to pull your customers toward you.   

We all know that when you take the plunge and finally start the business that you have dreamed about, it is so important to have a web presence.  However, creating that web presence can be very time consuming and can actually take valuable time away from your main focus, which is the launch of your business.  Websites 2 Grow has the solution! With Websites 2 Grow you can easily create a website to grow as your business grows.   

So be sure to join me tonight as I build a website LIVE and share with you how you can easily do the same.  Make sure you don’t miss out on this power packed event by visiting Websites 2 Grow, and signing up for the live event.  I will see you all tonight.

What My Son's Swing Set Taught Me About Online Marketing

Carrie is the marketing genius behind this dynamic duo and Perry is the video/techy genius! In fact, I Mastermind with them and have known them for almost a year now. I had dinner with both of them when they were speaking in Houston and my life has not been the same since!!!

They take the scary out of video! I encourage you to check out their website for some free videos that will show you a super technique that will help you attract more clients, get more leads & gain more credibility no matter what your niche!

We're All A Twitter!

We were all a Twitter on Websites 2 Grow TV! I could talk about Twitter for hours. Yes, I'm a self proclaimed Twitter geek. I asked Danielle Miller, TheToolboxTeacher.com to join me as we chatted about why Twitter is such a powerful tool for relationship and business building.

Also, I announced the Grand Prize winner of my Websites 2 Grow contest, Scott Kapich. You can follow him on Twitter at @ScottK75. He won a free website desigined and built by me LIVE on my Ustream show.

Enjoy!

Twitter and Ustream Combine Forces

Combining your efforts is always a wise move.  To truly gain the most from your UStream shows you should combine the forces of Ustream with Twitter.  Unlike using the Ustream chatroom that only reaches those who choose to enter, Twitter on the other hand has extreme reach, which helps to multiply your viewers in a matter of minutes.

Ustream just recently changed the look of their website and created a wonderful integration between it and Twitter. You can login to Twitter right on the Ustream website and send messages directly to the host of the show. How cool is this!!

By broadcasting your live Ustream link to Twitter you are able to pick up new viewers in minutes.  Have your Ustream viewers tweet about your live show and broadcast the link as well gaining more and more unique visitors that you'd never reach on your own. 

An added benefit is that by having your Twitter friends bring in their friends to watch you live you are likely to gain new friends and Twitter followers as well. 

Why not see how many new friends and viewers you can gain, much like I did last week with my live show and how @unmarketing did with his unplanned live coffee shop ustream show.  With no notice Scott had 140 viewers to his show! Scott is the master of viral video and he demonstrated how Ustream and Twitter can work nicely hand in hand. Websites 2 Grow TV, my Ustream show, is live Thursday at 8pm CST at www.Websites2Grow.tv. See ya Thursday! 

Photo credit: rspres

Websites2Grow TV Recorded "Let Your Website Do The Work"

For anyone who missed it, I recorded Websites2Grow TV and wanted to share it with you here. I talked about Lemonade Day, why you need a website, letting your website do the work, and blogging. Enjoy!

How Do You Know If Your Online Business Has What It Takes

So you've decided to start an online business or take your offline business online. Maybe you're tired of your corporate job? Maybe you're a Mom, like me, looking for a way to take care of your kids while you work from home? Or maybe you already have a business, but tired of trading hours for dollars? 

You have a story, you have passion, and you are hoping you have a business idea. I love when business owners have passion for what they're doing. I'm such a passionate person and it makes going into your office so much more enjoyable when you've got passion for what you're doing. But unfortunately passion alone won't create a successful online business. The key to a booming online business or any business for that matter is passion plus demand. Without demand you have no customers and thus no business.

It's easy to just tell your friends and family about your new business idea, but you are going to need a little bit more market research then this. So where do you start?

Google Keyword Tool- Find out how many people are searching for what you're passionate about. Go to https://adwords.google.com/select/KeywordToolExternal and type in a phrase people would enter to find what you're selling. Take a good look at the numbers that come up and how many people are searching for it and how many competitors there are. Now, I can't tell you exactly how many searches there needs to be to succeed. But the more searches and the fewer competitors the better. Also, you if you know your top competitor's website, you can enter their website address and find out the top keywords. This can really help if you're unsure of what keywords people are searching for to find your product. You can let your competitor do the work.

Google Trends-http://www.google.com/trends If you're looking for some quick website traffic via search engine optimization, Google Trends will be a great resource for you. It tells you what's hot and being searched right now. For example, if were one of the first ones to notice the iphone as a new trend you would be doing very well right now.

Create a free offer- Another great way to test the market is to create a free irresistible offer and see if anyone is interested in it. By setting up a one page website, a squeeze page, you can test the demand. The most important thing to keep in mind though is you must send traffic to this website to get accurate results. If no one is signing up for your free offer you might want to tweak it or you might need to move into a different niche.

 Check out the bookstore- If your business idea has a huge section in Barnes & Noble and several magazine racks you're onto something. Also, I just got this great tip from one of my Twitter friends @NormLanier. Head on over to the personal development section and check all of the Chick Soup book titles. There is a reason these books are so successful and there are over 100s of subjects they focus on.

So even if you've already started your online business, it's not too late to do your market research. You might find a niche you never thought of. And if you're just getting started remember to combine your passion and demand and you'll easily create an online business that has what it takes. 

Three Things You Need to Build a Successful Business and Thrive During a Recession

With our current economy, you've probably been hearing a lot of bad news lately. Well, I want to share some good news with you. Women entrepreneurs, especially moms, are harnessing the power and flexibility of internet marketing to design businesses and lifestyles on their own terms. They're making millions of dollars working-at-home on their own schedule.

Take a look at a recent article in Time magazine about our changing times, "At no other time in recent history has it been easier or cheaper to start a new kind of company." The article goes on to discuss the advantages of Web-based businesses that cost almost nothing to get off the ground and can turn into great moneymakers.

Whether you want to get a new business off the ground or just want to use the Internet to expand your current business income, you need more than great ideas. Basically, there are the three things you must know in order to grow your business and maximize your time and energy.

• You need to know which internet marketing strategies will work best for your business.
  
• You need to be building your team because you can't go it alone.
  
• You need to start implementing proven systems that will get the money pouring in.

I'm thrilled to be speaking at the Metromom Online Success Summit! If you're serious about taking your business to the next level I hope you'll join me for on May 1st & 2nd for the FREE Metromom Online Success Summit. It really is FREE to listen to 18 online marketing experts share the latest techniques and creative ways to build your business and thrive in this new economy.  During the Summit you can listen to what you want, when you want (completely around your schedule) so there isn't a single reason why you shouldn't check it out here.

How To Stand Out Online- Using Contests & Buzz Marketing

I finally was recording my Ustream show! Last week I only caught James Wedmore's video marketing tips, but missed my portion of the show. So I made sure to hit the record button this time. I modeled  my new MILT (Mom I'd Like To Tweet) t-shirt. What I am calling geek chic :)

And I talked about my new contest "Get Your Business On-line" and my twitter party I'm having tonight. Then I shared how others are using contest and buzz marketing to stand out in their marketing.

If what you're doing in your biz doesn't put butterflies in your stomach sometimes, then you're not playing BIG enough.

So do you have butterflies?

Details on contest and twitter party can be found here.

 

And here's my show with James Wedmore of Reality Mastermind sharing his video marketing tips.