Recently Added to the Download Section of the Rev….
- We’re continually adding things to the Rev that are not available anywhere else or things that you’d have to pay for elsewhere.
Recently added are:
- Adding RSS Feeds to Wizz RSS (Firefox Addon) — Video Tutorial — 7.5 minute flash based video giving a quick and easy tutorial for adding RSS feeds to Wizz RSS which is a FireFox add-on. The video tutorial was done by Becki Noles for one of her clients, but Rev members can benefit from knowing about the add-on as well.
- 15 Quick Blogging Ideas — Not knowing what to blog about is one of the most common ailments for bloggers. For some, this has caused them to abandon their blog. Others are afraid to start a blog because they fear they won’t have enough to share. To help you jump start the process, here are 15 things you can blog about.
- 21 Strategies for More Response From Your Email Marketing
Yeah, we’ve all heard it.
“The money is in the list.”
“The money is in the list.”
“The money is in the list.”But that’s really only part of the story and here is the real truth:
“The money is in a targeted list of people that you create a trusted relationship with and successfully sell stuff to.”….and none of those 3 things (building a list / trusting relationship / selling) are that difficult to do because:
a. You don’t need a huge list to get a great response.
b. Gaining trust is as simple as being honest and having your audience’s best interest in mind.
c. Using the strategies in this guide will show you that selling is a natural thing.To help you reach that ultimate goal, here are 21 strategies that you can use every single day.
To access these files, simply log in and download!
What? Not a member? Why not join today and get these files as well as many more, worth far more than your $25 monthly membership!
Until next time…
Heather
I can sleep tonight!
I did something completely outside the box…for me. But it took a few major “boos boos” before I managed to “get with the program!”
More is always better right? Un unh!
That’s a NO!
Over the weekend I ran into “issues” with my anti-virus software, anti-spyware, internet security-ware and some other stuff relative to opening and closing my browsers and programs. Somehow, I had all my anti-bad guy software so that none of it could talk to itself or to each other, and do the job right. Because, among other things, several months ago I tried to uninstall one software application.
But, it didn’t go away. After all!
Consequently, I experienced a whole litany of computer ills; including the almost demise of Firefox. It would not open. I also spent an inordinate amount of time trying to correct the problem by turning my computer on and off. Then my Outlook wouldn’t open, nor would Word. Or if it did, it wouldn’t load properly. When an internet page would open, it wouldn’t load entirely.
And the “error” messages I received looked like a cross between Japanese, Chinese and chicken scratcheese.
Oy!
So the big questions became how do I get this fixed? Do I take my computer to a computer fix-it person? Or do I call someone to come in to take care of it? In either scenario, how do I choose someone? And do I really want to clean house to get my computer fixed?
In one of the rare moments when I was able to get Firefox to open–by the way, IE didn’t work so hot either–I decided to do a search of computer repair/tech shops in my local area. In the process, I eventually came up with a really great idea that worked for me!
I decided to choose a company that provided “remote assistance,” having found two specific places that I felt could fit my needs and my pocketbook. I called one of the places Monday morning, although I could have completed the transaction without a call, via the web. The technician connected with me remotely and two hours later (give or take a few minutes) with my “tutelage” (I watched him work the whole time—it’s one of my fun things to do on a Monday morning), my programs and browsers were working. The offending “bad guy” software was gone and a few other adjustments were made to things I had done over the couple years since my computer had been in my ownership. Things I didn’t even know about!
And now I’m good to go
Moral of the story is two-fold. I really don’t have to have every piece of anti-spyware, anti-virus software made, and when I don’t want to clean house, look for online solutions.
Register for the Online International Virtual Assistants Convention
If you are unable to attend industry conferences and forums this year, don’t fret! OIVAC is right around the corner. For 3 days, Thursday, May 15 through Saturday, May 17, 2008 (US), 8 a.m. to 12 midnight EDT, we’ve scheduled 38 seminars, conducted by professional VA and non-industry experts. Convention attendees can network with friends and even make new acquaintances; participate in the annual industry workshop and browse the exhibitor halls. In addition, visitors can join in the International Virtual Assistants Day(IVAD) celebration, witness the awarding of the Thomas Leonard Virtual Assistant of Distinction and Janet Jordan Achievement awards, and be eligible to win enough prizes and giveaways to fill a suitcase (if we were traveling, that is).
OIVAC 2008’s theme, “Pathways to Successful VA Practices: Using Communication & Technology to Enhance Business”, highlights various communication and technology resources virtual assistants can use to enhance productivity and increase profits.
This “live” yet virtual environment can be experienced from the comfort of your own home via any Internet connected computer. Imagine attending a world class event without incurring travel/ airport hassles, airfare costs, hotel bills, fatigue or exorbitant registration fees or most important, precious time away from your home, family and business!
And everyone is invited!
This year’s schedule includes topics both emerging and veteran VAs can benefit from. We’ve assembled experienced and knowledgeable speakers, offering informative presentations that can positively impact productivity and increase business. For example:
Jonathan Bailey ~ Dealing with Plagiarism: A Realistic Guide to Fighting Content Theft. An overview of how to protect your writing, images and other media on the Web including techniques for preventing, detecting and stopping copyright infringement.
David Beard ~ Insurance Guide for the VA. Participants will receive a how to guide to the essential insurance coverages required by professional VAs to make sure they stay in business and maintain their incomes when faced with the unexpected.
Anita Bruton ~ Creating a Company & Personal Profile that Attracts Clients. Learn five important points that will help create an engaging and polished profile as an effective, attention-grabbing marketing tool.
Jeff Herring ~ The Article Solution - Endless Waves of Prospects, Publicity and Profits. Discover how to write, submit and market your articles for endless streams of prospects, publicity and profits.
Christina Hills ~ How to Automate Your Business (or Your Client’s) with Autoresponders. Learn how using email marketing with Autoresponders and Broadcasting can help you automate your business by letting the computers do your follow up for you.
Annie Jennings ~ Create A Website To Showcase Your Talent, Land BIG New Clients & Build A Powerful Community. Annie Jennings shares the secrets of creating a website designed to propel you to the next level of success.
Andrea Kalli ~ Offering Podcasting and Audio Services to Your Clients. Learn why you should offer podcasting and audio services to clients for business marketing purposes and the various ways clients can use podcasting for their business.
Paul Wagner ~ 7 Smart Ways that Outlook Can Save You 4 Hours. This webinar will show you how to better serve your client by using more of the amazing power of Outlook to build and grow both your businesses.
Kathryn Williams ~ Providing Virtual Assistance to Corporate Clients. Participants will learn how to access the lucrative corporate market and practical strategies that they can apply in they own businesses.
And many, many more.
Visit the Speaker’s List for a complete breakdown of presenters and topics. Visit the OIVAC Seminar Schedule for dates and times.
OIVAC 2008 is right around the corner. Register now, you won’t want to miss it!
How to Leverage your Corporate Blogging Strategy
By Chris Baggott
I came to blogging in 2003 the way most marketers did. I was looking for something to build my personal credibility as an expert in my industry. I wanted to get speaking engagements at conferences, be a voice for best practices in my industry, and if I was lucky, get invited to write a book.
By 2006, all of those things had come true. I was presenting at nearly 50 events a year and was invited by the Wiley publishing company to write a book, “E-mail Marketing By the Numbers.”
The blog was very helpful to me personally, and the industry visibility clearly drove more opportunities to my company. But along the way, I found a benefit to corporate blogging that was unanticipated and much more powerful.
The blog ranked well in organic search. Not only did it rank in the top of search results for select keywords, it also converted at a higher rate than the ads my organization was paying for.
The reality of blogging is this: The more you do it, the more opportunities you have to engage in dialog. This is the epiphany that led me to study blogging as a measurable marketing tool.
Generally, as organizations come to realize the SEO benefits of blogging, blogs will move from a C level activity to something that is widely encouraged among all employees.
This influx of human generated content will help with search optimization by creating increasing volumes of fresh, updated and keyword-rich content. Widespread employee blogging also helps increase conversion. If the social networking phenomenon has taught us anything, it’s that people want to deal with people a lot more than they want to deal with institutions. Of course empowering employees to blog has an element of risk that will need to be controlled, and that might ruffle some feathers of more traditional bloggers.
In the short history of blogging there has been almost a snobbery of what the right way to blog is.
What’s right for citizen journalism, however, is rarely right for organizations. The real challenge will be whether corporations can take a tool like blogging and adopt what’s right and good about it (as well as unbelievably effective) without corrupting it into just another spamming tool.
Chris Baggott is an award-winning blogger and the co-founder of Compendium Blogware, an Indianapolis-based company that helps organizations improve their SEO through its simplified blogging software. He can be reached at chris@compendiumblogware.com.
Don’t Forget Your Sweetie!
Valentine’s Day is this Thursday, February 14th. If you are self employed it is very easy to get caught up in working late hours. Let’s be honest here, when you own your own business, there is always something that needs attention. Well this Thursday, February 14th…Valentine’s Day, I’ve decided that it’s my husband that needs my attention. He’ll probably be shocked to see me away from my computer. I have a really nice evening planned. While I was planning this great evening, it dawned on me that my husband and I used to have a weekly date night and well once the baby came and I started the business, our date nights just weren’t high on the priority list. Well…I’m reinstating them not just because it’s Valentine’s Day but because I want to. So when was the last time you had a night out with your sweetie? If your business has been getting more attention than your loved one lately, now is the perfect time to make a change. The calendar will help you out this Thursday, but the they rest of the year is up to you!
“Work” From Home Really Does Mean Work!
So often people think because I “work” from home that I don’t actually work. Well that could not be further from the truth. I’m sure I’m not the only one who has had to correct this line of thinking. I run a successful business. I have clients and colleagues that I speak with on a daily basis. I have projects with deadlines that must be met, phone calls that must be returned. I also have my own business maintenance that must be done in order for me to stay organized and proficient. The list of things I do goes on and on. I can tell you what I don’t do. I don’t sit on my couch in front of the television eating “bon bons”. I don’t sit around polishing my nails while chatting on the phone with my girlfriends.
I think people forget that just because I don’t leave my house to go to work, doesn’t mean I don’t have real work to do. Sure my day isn’t a typical 9-5 which works out great when I have a sick child and need to go to the pediatrician’s office. But that doesn’t mean I don’t have to make up the time some where else in my day. My typical day starts at 7am and I’m lucky if I get bed before midnight. Am I working straight through? No I am not. I may meet a friend or client for lunch, attend a networking meeting, do some much needed grocery shopping or take the car for an oil change and believe it or not I sit down at my computer and do actual work that I get paid to do. I also don’t want to give you the impression that when I am away from my desk I’m not working. My smartphone actually allows me to be mobile and still be in contact with my clients. I can take a call, schedule a meeting, review and edit a file and send and receive email while I’m away from my office.
So I may not work traditional 9-5 hours at an “away” from the home job. But I do work in the traditional sense of the word. I have a great business and I love what I do…I only wish I had more hours in the day to do it.
We’re getting close!
Our beta testers are in there now and picking out the things that we missed or overlooked, making sure that everything is working properly.
Be on the look out for a special announcement in your email today!
Until next time…
Heather
The Power of Synergy and Group Dynamics
One of the best things about joint ventures is synergy.Think about this.
If I put person A in one room and person B in a different room and gave them each the same topic they would come up with various ideas on their own, some of which could overlap.
But when I bring persons A and B together they are able to feed off one another’s ideas and coming up with even more ideas.
That’s what happens when Becki and I get together. We’ve been known to have four hour phone calls brainstorming and the energy is amazing! (Thank goodness for unlimited long distance.)
You’d be surprised at how the VA Revolution started. Just a passing thought and then it grew and grew and grew and before you know it, we’ve got a page up counting down, people interested in what we have to say, and creating content like mad.
We found the motivation behind this. It started so small and there’s so much momentum behind it now. I’m excited about April 1st and to be honest, I want to open the doors right now. Unfortunately, we’re just not ready.
I’m a firm believer that we all have the ability to come up with awesome ideas. It’s simply a matter of being able to bring them out. It’s easier for some than it is for others and that’s one of the reasons behind the VA Revolution. You all have the capability of doing big things, but it’s a matter of stepping outside of your comfort zone, taking chances, and thinking big.
On the subject of thinking big…
Becki and I talk every day and this morning I awoke to an email sent in the wee hours of the morning and she was going on and on and on about this Revolutionary Vision Call. I kept thinking what is she talking about? So I had to call her and when she told me of this latest thought I about fell over. I’m very excited about it.
What’s even better is that I recorded our conversation (I didn’t tell her until we were done but you can see how we think (if you’re up to it… 
)
You can listen to the call at the bottom of the page
The Revolutionary Vision Call is going to rock! I can’t wait!!
Until next time…
Heather
PS. you’ll notice I use BYOAudio.com for my audio — Becki and I both do. But if all you want to do is add an audio message to your site, it can be pretty expensive. Members of the Revolution will get the opportunity to record a greeting for their website on us! Details when you join!!
Busy little bees!
Becki and I have been working overtime pulling together all of the things that we have to offer. Some of them are no brainers — I just uploaded my book, Making Dollars Out of Cents: 101 Tips for the Frugal Marketer last week.
But we had other information and resources that we’ve kept close to us — that is, up until now!
Some of the information we’ve reworked and some we’ve put together from scratch. Some is in a rough draft form and some we could sell tomorrow.
I digress…
I just uploaded a special report on how to add affiliate marketing to your VA site and make some side money, a special report on the success strategies of blogging and a blog submission directory. This list has over 145 sites where you can submit your blog to gain additional exposure.
We’ve got a lot more that just hasn’t been uploaded yet, so we’re still working.
We’ll see you on the 1st!
Until next time…
Heather
Welcome to the Revolution…
We went about this all wrong!
We set up the autoresponders, but…well it’s long drawn out and complicated!
Therefore, you’re still going to get some motivational articles from us, but we’re going to direct you here when we’ve added new stuff. That way EVERYONE knows that’s interested.
(Basically, if you signed up on the 30th for our updates, you wouldn’t get some of the updates until the end of April!)
Pass the link on to those you know…
and remember…the Virtual Assistant Revolution opens at 12 EST on Saturday, April 1st…
Until next time…
Heather
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