kO′ch VA adj. 1. a highly specialized and niched virtual
assistant who is in tune with their coaching clients and customizes solutions based upon their individual needs and goals 2. differs from a general virtual assistant as they only partner with members of the coaching industry [syn: 
Archive for Social Marketing
Why You Need A Website
Posted by: | Comments
Believe it or not, there are still many business owners who do not have websites. The Internet has dramatically changed the way people communicate, send and receive information, and shop. If you do not have a website, you are hurting your business.
A website makes you look like a professional. If you wanted to do business with someone, especially if it was business done long distance, you would expect them to have some type of website that gave you information about the type of services they provide. The costs for registering a domain and building and hosting the website are very inexpensive. Without a website, your business can look second rate.
Another reason why you need a website is so people can find you. If someone is sitting at home trying to find a good copywriter, they will more than likely turn on the Internet and perform a search. If you are a copywriter and you don’t have a website, they cannot find you. And if they cannot find you, they cannot hire you.
Even if you decide to build your business locally, it helps to have a website. You can distribute resumes, business cards, and flyers with your phone number, and you may receive some phone calls. However, if you have a website where people can get a glimpse of what you do, you will earn more business. Plus, some people would rather pop onto your website and email you versus picking up a phone and calling you.
Your website will also let people know exactly what type of services you offer and how much you charge. People do not want to wait for that information. They want to know things now. You can also include an online portfolio where prospective clients can view work that you have completed and read past clients’ testimonials. This can help them decide if you are the person who can handle the project they need completed.
Having a website will also allow for automated ordering. If you sell cosmetics and one of your clients is having a bout of insomnia and decides to surf the web at 2:00 in the morning, they can happily shop for your products at home. They do not need to wait until the next day to call an order in to you.
Websites also allow you to do business globally. Instead of focusing on your local area, people from all over the world can view your site and do business with you. This opens up a whole new base of clients and opportunities.
Having a website, even a simple one, will only help your business. Without one, you are going to be losing out on many prospective clients and sales.
The Wonderful World of YouTube
Posted by: | Comments
Do you enjoy using the internet as a source of education and entertainment? If you do, there is a good chance that you know what YouTube is. In fact, you may even be an active member of the YouTube community. With so many YouTube members and site visitors, there are many individuals who wonder what exactly it is about YouTube that makes it so popular. If you are one of those individuals, you will want to read on to figure out why.
Perhaps, the greatest reason why YouTube is so popular is because of all that you can do on the website. For instance, if are looking for entertainment, you can choose from an unlimited number of YouTube videos, many of which you are sure to love. If you want to do more than just watch YouTube videos, you can even make your own. YouTube allows all registered member to post an unlimited number of videos on their website. Whether you want to create a video blog, a comedy skit, or an educational video, you can easily do so.
Another one of the many reasons why YouTube is so popular is because it is free to use. Any internet user can simply visit the YouTube website and start viewing videos. Although it is advised that you register for a free YouTube account, this isn’t required to watch YouTube videos. With that in mind, if you would like to rate videos, leave comments or upload your own videos to YouTube, you will need to register for an account. Registering for a YouTube account is free and it only takes a few minutes.
When it comes to uploading videos onto YouTube, it is relatively easy to do. That is another one of the many reasons why YouTube is so popular. Even those with a minimal amount of computer experience can make and share videos. All you really need is a video recording device, such as a cell phone with video recording capabilities, a camcorder, or webcam. Most computers already have movie editing software programs installed, but you only need to use movie editing software if you would like to edit your video before sharing it within the YouTube community. When it comes time to upload your videos, you just need to follow YouTube’s uploading instructions and then your videos should be available for viewing within minutes.
As for watching videos on YouTube, it was stated above that you have an unlimited number of videos to choose from. This is another one of the many reasons why YouTube is such a popular platform. No matter what you like, whether it is romance, comedy, or educational pieces, you should be able to find whatever you are looking for. Popular YouTube videos include video blogs and comedy skits. Finding videos to watch is easy as well. YouTube allows you to browse through all of their videos or you can perform a search to find something in particular.
Is Your Marketing Getting You Noticed?
Posted by: | CommentsIf your marketing campaign just isn’t working, or you’re just getting started, take a long look at what you’re trying to do. Is it exciting? Is it eye catching? Is it unique? If not, you’re campaign is likely too bland to get anywhere.
It used to be that simply advertising your business could get you more than enough customers, but this is normally no longer the case. Look around you. There are advertisements EVERYWHERE.
There are commercials, print ads, billboards…your mind is overrun with images every day. And if you run the same old marketing campaign, you’re just going to blend in with everyone else. If you want to get business, you need to get noticed, which means you need to stand out from the crowd. And just being good at what you do is probably not enough to get that done.
The trick to getting noticed is being creative. It may be how you advertise, what your ads look like, or the deal or gimmick you’re offering. Whatever it is, something has to stand out if you want to get noticed. Coming up with a great idea doesn’t always happen in an instant. It takes thinking, research, and lots of brainstorming. Whether it’s taking a few days to work on it, or simply setting aside some time at the end of every day, you have to put some oomph behind it if you want to get results.
Believe it or not, while it may take some creativity and crazy thinking, you may find that the crazy thinking has already been done for you.
An example? Instead of sending out a boring old mailer, there are companies that make unique mailers like messages in a bottle and coconuts. Sure, other people have access to buy this stuff and use it too, but if you’re doing a mailing campaign, what are the changes you’re competing in the same market with someone who uses the same product? Slim to none.
Plus, if you get two coconuts in the mail, are you really going to read what’s inside one and ignore the other?
When it comes to marketing, flashy isn’t always better. Sure, you don’t want to be boring and blend in, but the key to standing out isn’t different fonts, bright colors, or making claims you can’t back up or keep.
The real key is being unique and different. Often a simple eye-drawing headline is enough to get people to notice your ad, catching their attention without blinding the customer. People want to do business with someone they can trust, not just someone who can yell the loudest.
While it may take effort and some amount of investment, if you come up with a good marketing campaign, the end results will likely be more than worth the effort.
How to Use Twitter
Posted by: | CommentsTwitter is in the lead of the popularity board when it comes to social media sites.
Now twitter serves the basic purpose of every social site and virtual community out there, and that purpose is to connect the users, or to provide the hub or gathering place for its members to communicate.
Twitter specifically gives your friends a way to keep up with what you’re doing immediately. Your friends and fellow members of twitter subscribe to receive updates about what’s going on in your daily minute by minute life.
There are countless ways you can use this tool other than to just let buds know when you’re off to the salon, or hopping on a plane. I figured the best way to show all the capabilities of Twitter would be to just list them for you. So without further explanation here are some amazing possibilities of Twitter:
1. Of course, you can use it to keep up with what your friends and competition are up to
2. You can use it to update your friends on every little thing
3. To announce a special event – like a child’s party or a business seminar
4. To announce special offers – like a discount on one of your products or services
5. To do a pre-release campaign for a product or service your about to launch
6. To request feedback on a new site, product or survey
7. To direct traffic to an opt-in page
8. To build a relationship by giving a free offer like a contest or give away or free product
9. To build a network of business partners
10. To recruit for a charitable cause
11. Or to collect donations for a cause
12. To build your friend-base by directing to a myspace or facebook page
13. You can update you status in many ways including your IM program or cell phone
14. To make connections for a joint venture project
15. Add it to your blog or other social site profile page to have automatically updated content
16. Use the twitter wiki to keep up with applications and other advancements made by the twitter community
17. And many more
Those are just some of the ways my friends and I have discovered to use twitter in business and in life. This is a fantastic resource and I recommend you take a look, and test a couple options on this list. Here’s to your success!
About the Author
Melissa Mangrum
I am a seventh year internet marketer with my wonderful husband Jason, and our 3 little, irresistible noise makers. I have a life-long background in acting, music, and writing. I have written a salesletter that generated a quarter of a million dollars in less than two weeks. Also I put a product in the genius book of world records as the highest price auction ever ran on ebay. For more information on the many uses of Social Sites you can check out the new book at: My Social Marketer
