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How To Create Valuable Blog Content Your Readers Will Eat Up

by on February 22, 2012 in Marketing

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Traffic, comments, & social sharing.

That’s what you really want when it comes to your blog, but it’s not happening.

Now stop & take a good look at the last 15 posts you’ve written. They’re a mess, right? They’re not published consistently, they cover a number of topics, & you can’t even read through them without getting jumbled up. Besides that, they read more like a daily journal entry than a blog post.

This isn’t what you had planned when it came to your blog.

Think back to the beginning when you decided to start blogging for your business. You dreamed of a beautiful blog that people wanted to visit every day. You thought about the great things you’d talk about & the conversations you’d have with your readers at the end of every post. You just knew that this was going to be a great marketing tactic for your business

But that hasn’t happened, has it?

You have less than 50 visits a day, a handful of comments on posts, & your social sharing buttons are still reading “0″.

What happened?

You’re Not Providing Value

The problem is that you’re not providing valuable content. You’re not writing things that your audience wants to know about. Things that will help him or her fulfill a need or want.

If you don’t give your readers something to talk about, they won’t. You’ll continue writing for yourself & having a serious lack of engagement.

You Don’t Know Your Reader

Writing valuable content really comes down to one thing.

Knowing who you’re writing to & what they find valuable.

People are visiting your blog & they’re looking to get something there. It’s usually to learn something, find inspiration, or to join a group of like-minded people. No matter what the reason may be, you have to provide what they’re looking for if you want them to stick around & talk with you.

In order to know what your audience finds valuable you have to narrow things down a bit. You can’t possibly write enough to keep everyone who comes across your blog happy.

You need to focus on the one type of person that reads your blog most. The type of person that you have something to offer. That person is called your “ideal reader”.

It’s exactly the same thing as knowing who your ideal customer is. More than likely, your ideal blog reader is going to be the same person as your ideal customer, or at least someone very similar if you have a business blog.

In order to know what they find valuable, you have to know who they are & what they like. You want to know them as if they’re a friend you talk to on a regular basis.

The Solution: An Ideal Reader Profile

Creating an ideal reader profile is how you’re going to get to know them.

A reader profile consists of two to three paragraphs that tell you all about your reader. Sort of like a profile bio. This is going to be how you know what sort of things they’re interested it. It will let you know what they like & don’t like, why they’re reading your blog & what they want from you. It will help you make sure you’re on the right track to delivering the value they’re looking for with each post you right.

Creating Your Reader Profile

So I’m sure you’re wondering how you can create this profile.

Below are the 2 easy steps that will take you from not really knowing your readers to really knowing them. {Psst… you can use this for your customers too!}

  1. Print this worksheet off & fill it out
  2. Take all of your answers & write out your profile like the one in the example in this ideal customer profile.

Now you may be thinking, “Why do I need to know all of this just to write a good blog post?”

The key is to think of your reader when you’re planning your blog posts & again when you’re writing them. The more you know about your customer, the more capable you are of giving them the value they’re looking for. You can talk directly to them. They are the “you” in your posts. You can relate to them. You can converse with them. You can write to them, for them, & about them.

That will make your readers feel like you’re talking directly to them. What you say will resonate with them. They’ll click on your links when you tell them too. They’ll answer your questions in the comment section. They’ll go like your Facebook page. Eventually they’ll even buy some of your products, share your posts, & invite their friends to come check out your site.

Win-win. All the way around!

Now do me a favor. If you thought this post was valuable, please share it via the share buttons! Thanks!

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Get To Know Me Tuesday: Chore Charts That Keep You On Track & Your House Clean

by on February 21, 2012 in About Me

Ugghh! I hate to admit it, but I’m never going to win the “cleanest house” award…ever!

It’s definitely not my strong suit. In fact, I hate cleaning & I’d love to pay someone to come in & clean my house for me every week. I’d do it too if I didn’t think my husband would think I was being downright lazy…which I guess in a way I am.

Anyway, I love when my house is clean. It makes me feel good about it & I really feel like I’ve accomplished something. Keeping it clean is another story. Neither my husband & I are clean-freaks {no offense if you are one} & with two toddlers & a newborn, you can imagine that it doesn’t stay nice & neat long.

So what do I do to keep on track. Well, if I’m on the cleaning bandwagon, then I always use a planner…a chore planner.

I know, I know. How little kiddish is that of me. It’s like needing your mom to make you a list of things you need to do. Who cares though! It’s obvious I’m not alone because there are tons of them out there & people love them.

So today, I’m giving you a list of planners that I think look fabulous… including the one I currently use… just in case you’re like me & you need a little something extra to keep you on track & your house clean. Enjoy & here’s to a decently clean house!

The Everything Planner

The Cross-It-Off Chore Calender

Motivated Moms Planner

{This is the one I use & I love it!!}

xo, Meagan

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10 Distractions To Nip-In-The-Bud Now

by on February 20, 2012 in Time Management

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Do you ever look up to business owners that seem to have it all together & wonder how they get so much done during the day?

I know I do. I’ll see the Etsy “Quit Your Day Job” posts or the “Featured Sellers” posts & I’ll wonder about how they make it work for them. How do they get it together & stay on track? What are they doing to be so successful? What big breaks have they had that got them recognition?

I’m sure you’ve done the same thing!

So I’ve come to the conclusion that one of the biggest things they do to benefit their business is that they try to discipline themselves to stay focused. What I mean is, they keep themselves from getting distracted too easily.

This is something that I personally struggle with! I start doing too many things at once & I forget what I was trying to do. Sometimes I’m worse than others, but this is an area I’ve really been trying to discipline myself in. I create a work schedule for each day & I don’t overwhelm myself. I set “work hours” & when I start a task, I don’t move on until I’ve finished it! It’s working well so far!

Today I’m going to share 10 common distractions that a lot of creative entrepreneurs struggle with {including me} that you need to nip-in-the-bud now!

Email

I have this habit of checking my email over & over during the day. Why? Because I feel like I need to respond to everyone the second they send me an email. It’s crazy. Do you do this too? So, I’ve decided to set email times. I check my email when I wake up, after lunch, & before bed. Only three times a day & I don’t have those stinking ding sounds that tell me I have mail. This has helped so much. It really frees up time to get the other things I need to do, done!

Online Shop

I also, for some reason, check my Etsy shop a lot. Did I get any new views, any new favorites, was I in a treasury, etc. More craziness! This too has been limited to three times a day. Morning, noon, & night. The only time I’m there more is if I’m working on something in my shop like listing a new item or working on photos, descriptions, or SEO/Relevancy.

Social Media

Do you check your social media sites constantly through the day…just in case you miss something? I know I sometimes do. That’s one reason I like Hootsuite so much…it meshes all my sites together, but it can still be habit forming. New mentions, new links, new comments. Yes, it’s important build relationships & chat with people, but we don’t need to spend all day there. 10-20 minutes 2-3 times a day should be sufficient to do some relationship building, promoting, & sharing.

Phone

Are you always available? Don’t be. It will distract you! Set your phone on silent or turn it off during your work hours & leave it there until work is over. Telemarketers, friends, you wonderful mom, whoever is calling you can wait. You have caller ID right? You can see when you’ve missed a call right? Okay, so when your done working for a certain period of time, turn your phone back on & return calls if you need to. ***Obviously you need a way of being contacted in case there’s an emergency. What I’m talking about here are all those not super important calls that can wait.

Kids

If you’re a mom trying to work on your business while your kids are around, you’re bound to be distracted by them. This is definitely my #1 distraction! Don’t get me wrong…I love my kids, distractions or not & I wouldn’t trade them or my life as a SAHM for anything! This is my main priority in life. Yes, even over my business, but that doesn’t mean that I can’t do anything to decrease their distractions while I’m working.

I try to set work hours which happen mostly when they’re asleep, but a lot of the time I need to work when they’re awake . In order to decrease the distractions I may face, I try to wait until Dad can play with them or if it’s during snack time & tv. Something where they’re occupied & safe. Then I’m free to quickly work on something that I need to get done!

Long To-do Lists

If your to-do list is a mile long, you know you’re not going to get it all done. You’re only keeping a running list of all the things you need to do & you’re probably marking things off as you complete them. But instead of your list getting shorter, it constantly gets longer. Stop!

Start by choosing the 5 most important things on your list & scheduling the things you need to do to get only those things finished into your day. Also, check out my Time Management Series too or review it if you think you’re struggling in this area!

The Clock

Yes! The clock can be a distraction! It’s smart to set times for things so you stay on schedule, but when you start to focus on the time too much you’ll end up making it more of a hindrance than a help.

Forget the clock! If you’re going to work for one hour on a new project or on a blog post, set a timer & put it where you can’t see it. Work away & stop when the timer goes off. Resist the urge to keep looking at it or focusing on the actual time.

Competition

Yes you need to keep an eye on your competition, but don’t let them become a distraction. You want to be competitive, but you don’t want to spend all your time chasing after them. Stick to the goals you’ve set for your business, accomplish them, & as time goes on you’ll either catch up or surpass your competitors. Definitely know what’s going on with them & learn or be inspired by them, but don’t play cat & mouse. Do your own thing. Be aware & watchful…but from a distance!

Blogs

I love keeping up with my favorite bloggers, but honestly it can be  a real distraction for me at times. I have to be diligent to only read certain blogs at certain times. I can’t imagine how long it would take me to go through all the new blog posts I have in my reader each day while commenting & sharing at the same time. I have to be a bit organized in this area or I waste so much time!

For me personally, I sort the blogs I follow into categories…business, personal, creative, relationships…& I only read certain categories at certain times. I usually leave the creative & personal blogs to the weekend when I’m not working & I try to stay up-to-date with the business & relationship ones on a daily or every other day basis. It works for me!

Other Responsibilities

You have responsibilities other than your business like house work, cooking meals, & social functions, but those responsibilities don’t have to become distractions. They become distractions when they creep up on you & catch you off guard because you forgot about them. If you plan ahead, they won’t catch you by surprise & they’ll be just another to-do on your schedule for the day.

So get into a routine & build good habits. Don’t let these 10 things continue to distract you from your business. Organize your day, keep things simple, don’t take on too much, & stick with it. Your hard work will pay off & one day someone will be looking at you & your business wondering how you did it!

Comments { 7 }

Free Digital Guide – Steal the Show 2012: A Series on Making Your Mark on the Craft Show Scene

by on February 17, 2012 in Creative Business 101

As you know, I ran a craft show blog series here at the end of January called “Steal the Show 2012″ which was all about making your mark on the craft show scene this year.

I had 9 creative business owners come & share their tips & experiences on workin’ it at craft shows so that you could learn & benefit from their wisdom. {Me too of course!}

So today, I’ve got all of the posts from the series compiled into a simple downloadable digital guide just for you. I wanted you to have this so that you didn’t have to bookmark a bunch of posts to refer back to time & time again, but you’d have it all in one nice, neat place.

This digital guide is in the form of a PDF file & you’ll need Adobe Acrobat to view it {the free version}. Click here to get it!

All you have to do to download your guide is to share it with your fans & followers on Twitter or Facebook. Super easy!

 

If you like series like these that actually teach you something & give you lots of ideas… be sure to sign up for my weekly newsletter so you can get more of it!

And if you’re new here, jump on over to my About Me page & learn a bit more about me & what MeaganVisser.com is all about!

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Biz Challenge: Create Some “White Space”

by on February 16, 2012 in Time Management

Today I’m challenging you to create some “white space” in your life.

White space can refer to many different things, but I’m talking about mental white space. Now before we get to that, I want to give you an example of “white space” that has nothing to do with the mental aspect, but it relates to it.

In school, you’re taught to write using paragraphs, bullets, & bold or colored lettering to separate thoughts, ideas, or topics. You see examples of this when you read a book or a blog post… hopefully. By formatting your writing this way, you are creating “white space” around each thought, idea, or topic. You’re making what you say stand out, easier to read, & scannable.

This works the same way for our minds. We need space. We need things to stand out, to be easier to remember, to be scannable.

It’s no secret. We’re all busy. Life is full of things pulling our attention this way & that way especially for those of us trying to run a business & a household at the same time. Not to mention adding in other responsibilities like work, friends, hobbies, errands, etc. Our minds are FULL of things we need to do. That’s why creating mental “white space” is so important. It will help you not feel so overwhelmed & it will help you prioritize what you need to do.

This is not a one-time thing by the way! You should do this as often as you need to. Daily if necessary.

So in the following steps, I’m going to teach an exercise on how to create this “white space” in your mind so you can separate your thoughts & ideas & make life a little more manageable for yourself.

Creating Mental “White Space”: An Exercise in Clarity of the Mind

  1. Get a blank piece of paper, set a timer for 5-10 minutes, & write down everything you’re thinking of. EVERYTHING! Business thoughts, work deadlines, dinner plans, friends you need to get in contact with, church responsibilities, dates with your man, plans with your kiddos, household chores, etc. EVERYTHING!
  2. Look at your paper & cross off anything you can’t control. Those things that are out of your reach or unrealistic. Forget them!
  3. Next put a #1 next to the things that you can accomplish, start to finish, in 10 minutes or less. Put a #2 next to the things you have to get done today. Put a #3 next to the things you need to get done this week. Put a #4 next to the things you need to get done this month. Don’t go any further than that.
  4. Now turn your paper over or get a new one & put all your #1′s together followed by #2′s, #3′s, & #4′s.
  5. Get started on the #1′s. Don’t skip ahead. Once your finished with #1′s, move on to #2′s. 
  6. Once you’re finished with today’s tasks, get your planner or calender out & schedule #3′s & #4′s in the appropriate places.

Now you’re finished with this exercise! You should have a lot of white space in your mind. You shouldn’t feel overwhelmed. Everything should be nice & neatly organized in your planner.

Again, do this as often as you need & remember… keep it simple sweetheart! Life is better this way!

Do this quick exercise & tell me how it worked for you in the comments below! I want to know if it was helpful or not!

Oh yeah, help a friend out & share this post via the buttons below. Everyone needs some “white space” in their life!

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One Easy Way To Make A New Habit Stick

by on February 15, 2012 in Time Management

print by The Big Harumph on Etsy

Do you ever wish you could create a good habit that you’d actually stick with?

You recognize the habit you need to make, you start off strong, but then somewhere along the way you completely abandoned it.

If so, then I have a solution for you!

You Can’t Possibly Remember Everything

One reason you may not be able to stick with the new habit is because you forget about it. You know you need to make a change, you’re motivated to create your new habit, but somewhere along the way it falls to the wayside.

It could be a lack of motivation. It could be that you don’t have a clear direction of where to go. Maybe it’s that the habit you’ve set for yourself is unrealistic or too complicated.

All of the above are reasons for not sticking with your change, but forgetting about it is at the top of the list too.

You Have A Lot Going On

You’re busy!

Not only are you a business owner that’s trying to grow your business, but you are a wife, mother, daughter, sister, & friend. You have responsibilities at work, around the house, & in the community. Perhaps you even say yes too much.

With all you’ve got going on, you have a lot on your mind & a lot you need to remember. When you’re trying to stay on track towards creating a new habit, it can be easy to forget about it among your day-to-day activities.

Let me give you an example of a good habit that I’m CONSTANTLY forgetting about.

I know that drinking water is soooo healthy for me. I want to get in the habit of drinking it throughout the day, but I always forget about it. I’m the worst when it comes to drinking anyway! Not just water, anything! I’m just not a very thirsty person, & I don’t think about drinking something until I’m eating. So even though I really, really want to develop this good habit in my life, I don’t because I have so many other things to think about throughout the day that I just forget about it.

What You Need Is A Reminder

You need something that will trigger your memory when you see, hear, or do it.

It’s called an action trigger, because whenever you come across your trigger, the lightbulb goes off in you head, & it triggers an action from you.

The key here is to plan ahead.

When I say “plan ahead”, I’m talking about looking over your day & finding things you do over & over during the day. If you want to get in the habit of doing something repeatedly throughout the day, then knowing what you already do repeatedly during the day is a great starting point.

You already have things that come second nature to you. You probably eat 3 times a day. You go to the bathroom several times a day. You check your email a few times a day. Maybe you’re like me & you have a newborn that you have to feed during the day.

How Action Triggers Will Change Your Behavior

What you need to do to get your new habit to become a permanant habit is to piggy-back it onto something else you already do… like feeding the baby.

Babies eat a lot during the day. If every time I fed the baby that triggered my memory about drinking a glass of water, then at the end of the day I should be doing really well with my water intake.

You see, feeding the baby becomes an action trigger. It reminds me to take action… to drink my water. It helps me not to have to remember it all on it’s own & eventually my good habit will be set & I won’t have to think about it anymore.

Let’s look at another example.

Let’s say you struggle with productivity & one of the things holding you back is checking your email too often. In order to decrease the amount of time you spend in your inbox, you need something to signal when it’s time to check it. If you decide that checking it 3 times a day is sufficient, then your action trigger could be meal times. You eat breakfast, you remember to check & respond to emails. Same goes for lunch & dinner. After a month or so of following your meal time action trigger, you’re more than likely be over your bad habit of constantly checking your email & into your good habit of only checking it 3 times a day.

In Conclusion

It takes 30 days to make an action become a habit. It’s easy to start off strong, but staying strong is the tricky part. No matter what habit you want to create in yourself, it helps to have something that reminds you of it during the day & action triggers can be your key to success!

What new habit do you want to create in your business or life this month? Share with me in the comments below & we’ll see if we can’t come up with an action trigger for you.

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Get To Know Me Tuesday: Valentine’s Day Plans

by on February 14, 2012 in About Me

Print by Jenzet on Etsy

I love Valentine’s Day! I guess it’s because I love my man so much! I don’t know if you think this about your man or not, but I think mine is the bestest hubbie in the world! I sure hope you think that about your guy!

We usually try to get away each Valentine’s Day & do something special with each other, but I’m not sure that’s going to happen this year… having a newborn & all. Uriah eats every 3 hours so mama has to be pretty close to him… unless I prepare ahead!

So as for what the man & I will do for V-day this year, well we’re heading out to dinner at a nice little restaurant in town. We’re gonna enjoy good food & probably some delicious dessert & coffee. After that we’re off to see Nicholas Sparks new movie “The Vow”. I’ve not even seen previews for it yet, but it’s Nicolas Sparks… more than likely it’s going to be good.

What are we doing with our little men? Well one of Dean’s younger sisters is babysitting the older two & Uriah is staying with my mom for the evening. I LOVE having a big family! There’s always someone to help when you need them!

What are your V-day plans with your man??

Comments { 3 }

Increase Your Productivity With High Leverage Tasks

by on February 13, 2012 in Time Management

The Bermuda Triangle of Productivity by Fuchsia Macaree

No offense to those who define high-leverage tasks as “investments of time that save you time in the future”, but that just doesn’t cut it for me.

It’s too relative & broad & mainly, it doesn’t do much for motivating my impatient self . “Save time in the future! I want results now!”, I say.

Now that may be one way to define what high-leverage tasks can be, but my definition of high-leverage tasks is “tasks that get you quick results”.

Let me explain.

We all want to be productive because we don’t want to waste our time. The longer something takes us to complete the more chance of burn-out we have. We loose interest or we get distracted. So one way of combating that is to fill our day with high-leverage tasks.

Now I understand that a lot of things you want to accomplish are going to take some time. That’s why breaking these long term goals down into smaller pieces is important. These smaller, bite-sized goals can be accomplished using high-leverage tasks. Tasks that are going to get you quick results & keep you feeling motivated because you’re actually getting something done which in the end gets that big long-term goal checked off your list.

Routine High-Leverage Tasks

When it comes to your business, have you taken the time to see what tasks you repeat on a regular basis? If not, take 10 minutes & do it now. Write down everything you do repeatedly in your business.

  • check & respond to emails
  • automate social media updates
  • write blog posts
  • make new products
  • read blogs & comment
  • take product photos
  • meet with business coach or mentor

Next you need to evaluate that list & decide what things will  get you the best results with the least amount of work.

Some things to consider would be:

  • Money – what’s gonna make you money in the next 30 days
  • Time – what can you accomplish quickly
  • Stress – what is easy for you to do & causes the least amount of stress

From the list above making products & improving photos will lead to money within 30 days. Automating social media updates will save time so you don’t have to do it repeatedly throughout the day across all your social sites. Meeting with a business coach or mentor can decrease stress because you can get advice, tips, & encouragement from them.

Each of this things would be high-leverage tasks. They’ll get you results.

Email doesn’t have to be checked & answered 5 times a day. Commit to checking & answering emails twice a day. Then & only then. No more, no less.

You don’t have to spend 2 hours reading blogs & leaving comments. Reading blogs can be great for business. You can learn a few things from the blogs you follow & you can develop great relationships with the bloggers that way, but it’s not a priority task. Same with leaving comments. Schedule time for those things once or twice a week. Say one hour on Tuesdays & Thursdays. Pick 6 blogs that are in your niche & 4 blogs that will help you improve your biz, subscribe to their RSS feed so you can have them all in one spot {like Google Reader}, & when it’s time to check them, set a timer for 1 hour. Read one post at a time & if you feel led, leave a meaningful comment & share the post. Easy-peasy!

You also don’t have to spend a lot of time on your blog everyday. You can schedule working on your blog as a weekly task. Take 2 hours & write your posts for the coming week. Update your pages or your graphics. Make sure your site is easy to navigate. Whatever needs done, limit it to the time you set aside for it.

All of these things have their place, but they don’t have to happen first thing in the morning, several times a day, or even on a daily basis. When you figure out what tasks are high-leverage, you’ll know what to focus on first.

Occasional High-Leverage Tasks

Now that you know which of the tasks you do on a regular basis are high-leverage & you’re focusing the majority of your time there, you’re probably feeling a bit more productive on a daily basis. You can now take a look at tasks that you do on an occasional basis.

  • writing guest posts
  • updating product packaging
  • creating a digital product
  • taking a business e-course
  • updating your “about me” page
  • creating something for your studio
  • bookkeeping

These are all important things & more than likely you’re working on things like this each month, but the same concept applies to monthly tasks as it does to daily tasks.

From the list above, creating a digital product is gonna lead to money quickly. Taking that business e-course is going to benefit your business by teaching you something that you can apply to your business… therefore leading to money. Writing a guest post will increase your traffic & expertise in your niche.

These are the high-leverage tasks to focus on first.

Updating product packaging & your “about me” page is important, but it’s not gonna get you money, save you time, or significantly decrease your stress quickly.

Creating something for your studio is going to exercise your creative skills & make your studio a nicer place, but it definitely doesn’t lead to quick results.

Bookkeeping is extremely important & a great task to spend time on each month, but it should take precedence over one of the other high-leverage tasks. This is a task that should be scheduled for the end of the month.

To sum it up

You are running a business & you have A LOT of things to do. Too many in fact!  But the fact of the matter is this. Business can be overwhelming & overwhelm is not good for your business. Figuring out how to be productive will help prevent you from getting overwhelmed because you’ll be accomplishing things & moving forward. Knowing the difference in high-leverage & low-leverage tasks can make all the difference!

What things are standing in your way to productivity?

Comments { 12 }

And The Winners Of The SEO Quickie Biz Coaching Sessions Are…

by on February 12, 2012 in Creative Business 101

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Thank goodness for Random.org! That’s all I have to say.

There were soooo many of you that fit the bill when it came to the things I was looking for when deciding on who the winner would be. I seriously couldn’t decide. So I narrowed it down a wee bit & let random.org do the rest!

Below are the winners of the giveaway & below that I’m sharing another goodie with you that you’ll definitely want to take advantage of quickly!

So, the 2 winners of the SEO Quickie Biz Coaching Sessions are:

  1. Kelly of Kelly Lulu
  2. Marissa of SeaFlower Studios

Congratulations Kelly & Marissa! I’ll be contacting each of you to schedule our weekly 30 minute sessions where we’ll work on the SEO in your shops & I’ll also be emailing you 5 Steps to Etsy Shop SEO & Relevancy as well.

Now, for the rest of you…

I want to let you know that this week is the last week you’ll be able to get 5 Steps to Etsy Shop SEO & Relevancy. I’m discontinuing that program because I’m making it bigger & better… & not just for Etsy shops.

So let’s talk about this deal first.

This week I’m dropping the price from $37 to $27. Yep, you can get the whole program… workbook & all for only $27. After Friday though, it’s gone so if you’ve been looking at it & thinking about it, now’s the time to get it. You can buy it here.

The New Program

SEO works the same way, no matter where it’s at online. If you read my latest guest post on Handmade Success you’ll have seen where I talk about using keywords in certain places of a web page… any webpage. That’s the majority of SEO & it works for websites & blogs as well.

So that being said, I’ll be giving 5 Steps to SEO & big face-lift. It will include SEO for those of you that don’t have Etsy shops & it will have a new name & new look.

When will it be ready?

I’ll keep you updated  on the re-launch date & yeah, it will have a sweet pre-release deal for those of you on my newsletter list. That’s just one of the great benefits of being on my list! If you’re not on it, click here to join the club.

Plus…

If you buy the program now, you’ll have the chance to upgrade to the new version when it’s released if you want the new info. You do not have to pay full price for the program since you’ve already purchased part of it.

One last thing

I’m gonna give you a sneak peek inside of the program today… just so you can get a glimpse of what it’s like. Below is the first page of Step 1… optimizing your Shop’s Title.

Step 1: Shop Title 

You need to start with setting up your shop title for SEO since it’s the first place a search engine looks to see what your page is about. It’s called a “title tag”. By using the best, most relevant keywords in your shop title, you will be found more easily by people searching for items using those particular keywords.

The goal is to optimize your shop title using one primary keyword & 1-2 secondary keywords. You’ll understand more about this the further along we go!

Google  Keyword  Search  Tool

Google’s Keyword Search Tool is the place to begin your quest for finding the perfect keywords for your shop title. {You’ll need Worksheet 1 for this part!}

First thing’s first! Type in one of your 10 keyword phrases from question 1 & hit search. Then go to the left side of the page under “Match Types” & check “Exact” instead of “Broad”. Let me explain what these mean so you’ll understand why it’s important to use “exact”.

Broad Search

If you use the phrase “sterling silver butterfly necklace” with a broad search, it’s going to pull up skewed results based on searches for “silver car”, “leather necklace”, “migrating butterflies”…along with “sterling silver necklaces” & “butterfly necklaces”. It gives you results that you don’t need.

Now if you want to check more out about this program, go here to see exactly what all is included & remember, this is the very last week this program will ever see $27 again. Don’t miss it. Buy now!

xo, Meagan

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4 Ways To Get More Online Traffic

by on February 10, 2012 in Creative Business 101, Marketing

Online Traffic via PaulMaddalena.com

You are running a business & in order to do that you need to make money. In order to make money you have to have customers. In order to have customers you have to “get out there” & be visible.

There are four main ways to make yourself more visible & increase your online traffic… guest posts, referrals, advertisements, & SEO.

Let’s look at each one… what it is, how it works, & how you can get in on the action.

Guest posts

Guest posting is a great strategy to use to increase your traffic. When you write a blog post for a blog other than your own you’re getting yourself & your business out there in front of another blogs audience & that will help to send traffic back to you.

All you have to do is find blogs that your ideal customer reads, research some basic info about the blog, & pitch your post idea to the owner. Afterwards, you wait for the bloggers answer. That’s it. 3 simple steps that lead to a guest post.

Depending upon how many guest posts you write & how often, they’re a great way to get exposure to your shop or blog & reach a larger group of people. Not only does it get you more recognition, it establishes you as more of an expert in your field… meaning that people know that you know what you’re talking about & you’re worth checking out.

Referrals

Referrals are when your business or products are suggested to a potential customer by someone other than yourself.

Referrals will bring in new traffic to your shop or website, but first you have to have people out there that are recommending you to their contacts… preferably with a high recommendation.

You can get referrals by developing a good relationship with your customers & other business owners, by providing value {something your ideal customer wants/needs}, & by becoming an authority in your niche. If you’ve delivered value & people trust you, they’re likely to refer you to their connections when the need arises.

Referrals also come in the form of blog features. If a blogger likes your products & thinks they’re a good fit for his or her audience, then they’re likely to run a feature on you & your biz which can bring traffic your way. It’s like their personal stamp of approval! So what are you waiting for? Get going! Research blogs where your ideal customer hangs out & pitch your products to the blogger! What do you have to lose?

Advertisements

Ads are graphics that briefly highlight something about your business to those who see it, & I highly recommend advertising specific products over advertising your business as a whole. People are more likely to click an ad that promotes something specific rather than one that’s general or vague.

Ads can be very effective at bringing you more traffic as long as you target the right people & the right places to put your ads. You also have to take the way your ad looks into consideration because people are so overwhelmed by ads these days that you really have to “get in their face” to be noticed & get their attention.

SEO

Search Engine Optimization is how search engines rank you in their result findings & are one of the best ways to increase your online traffic if you do it right.

Basically there are specific places that search engines look at on web pages. They take the information they find there, analyze it, & use it to determine what that page is all about. Once the search engine decides what the page is about, how relevant it is, & how much of an authority it is on that subject, it will decide where to place it in result findings among all other similar web pages out there.

Did you know that Google.com is the most visited website online? That means that when people what to know something, the majority of them head to Google & search for it. Were are you ranking in a Google search?

Speaking of SEO. Today is the last day to enter into the big SEO giveaway. Don’t miss your chance to win free 1-on-1 coaching with me to improve your Etsy shop SEO!!

In Conclusion

Each of the above areas can increase your online traffic, but they do take some work. Nothing worth having comes easy! You have to work to get people to come to you.

FYI… if you’re not signed up to receive my weekly newsletter, you’re missing out on learning how to market your business effectively so that you can increase your traffic & establish a loyal customer base! Jump on the list today! It’s worth it!

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