5 Key Website Tips for Coaches, Healers, Consultants, and All Solopreneurs

In preparation for my upcoming free tele-class tomorrow, October 19, 2010, "3 Simple Steps to Create High-Results Marketing Messages," (by the way, there is still time to register: http://tiny.cc/trailblazerteleclass), I took a look at some of the websites of those attending to see how they communicate their excellence in business.


One of the key elements of communication that I'll talk about during this tele-class and that I talk about in my brand programs is the importance of clearly communicating your personal brand in ways that express the personality of your business and that directly address who your ideal clients are and how you provide great service for them.


One of the things that I love about working with the women entrepreneurs who I work with is hearing their passion for their work. They all have such wonderful visions for their life and business and they want to share them with as many people as possible, while also growing a more meaningful and profitable business.


However, many times their passion and personality don't clearly shine through in their marketing communications, such as the way that they communicate on their website.


Many times, entrepreneurs only need to do a few little tweaks here and there on their website to more clearly express what they do in their business and what makes them unique.


The following are 5 key tips to a more effective website:
1. You'll want to avoid having a website page that is just one image. I have come across some websites throughout the years that only have a graphic image on the page. Although the graphic has some information about the company, the obstacle that you face is that your website will likely not be picked up by search engines. Search engines pick up text, not images.

2. Make sure that the most important points you want your visitor to look at are "above the fold." What this means is when someone has their browser window open, they are able to see important information without having to scroll down the page.

3. Imagery, colors, and fonts are important to branding your website and help to build your credibility as a brand. It may take some research, but it's important to figure out how you want the visitor to FEEL when they come upon your website. Color theory tells us that we have certain emotional responses to colors. So, in choosing the colors that you use to brand your business, be sure that you're choosing colors that reflect how you want the visitor to feel exploring your website.

4. Have a professionally done photo. This does not mean that you need to go to a Sears studio and take a photo in front of a marble background. You can take a photo anywhere as long as you have a professional photographer who can provide the right lighting. Be creative! If you are a raw food coach, why not take a photo in your kitchen and capture the spirit of your business in your natural setting where you do your best work! 

5. Perhaps, the most important tip to a more effective website is to really think about what action you want your visitor to take. Websites are good for providing information about you and your business, but you'll want to make sure that you're clear on what you want your visitor to do when they get to your website. Do you want them to sign up for your newsletter, contact you, read your articles,...?

These are just a few tips to a more effective website that reflects your brand, who you work with, and the personality of your business.


There are tons more that you can tweak and implement to build your credibility, get more people to your website or blog, and build your list of contacts.


If you know your brand needs an overhaul or a fresh beginning and you want personalized help and support, you'll want to check out the Trailblazer Entrepreneur Series: Unearth Your Brand Excellence Business Transformation Program.

It starts October 25th. In this high-results group brand building/marketing program, you'll have access to me and a group of like-minded entrepreneurs where we will concentrate on:

• transforming your unique traits into irresistible marketing messages
• attracting more of the clients you love to work with
• creating powerful offers to get people clicking the 'buy' button
• getting the guidance and support you need to take the right steps to get results

Be sure to enroll soon; I'm offering the first few people who enroll a FREE 1-on-1 coaching call with me, Lisa, where we'll concentrate 100% on you and your business.






You'll find program details at: http://tiny.cc/unearthmybrand


*Excellence,
Lisa

How to Become an Entrepreneur on the Job

Are YOU an intrepreneur? I love this article by Deborah A. Bailey. She talks about having an entrepreneurial mindset within the corporate environment, which I see many times in my work within organizations.


"An intrepreneur is a person who has an entrepreneur skill set but works within an organisation, enterprise, or venture. This could be within an organization that seeks the dynamisism of forward thinking employees or incubation companies." (Wikipedia)

It is not only about taking control of your career and ensuring job security; it is about bringing more purpose to your work and your vision to the world in your own unique way. What I enjoy most about working within the corporate environment as a brand strategist is seeing each individual brand (aka personal brands) – passion, unique attributes, and strengths of each individual who make up the corporate team.


I have found that when corporations have a team of intrepreneurs (I would also describe these intrepreneurs as those employees who know their personal brand), it has a significant impact on the success of the business. When employees find those things that they are passionate about within their work as well as what their natural strengths are and how they are known to those around them, they become the BEST representatives for the corporate brand.


How to Become an Entrepreneur on the Job
As a direct result of all of the economic realities we’re faced with, more people are looking into starting their own business. For some people this will be a new and welcome direction. However, starting and running a business isn’t for everyone. When an employee wants to apply entrepreneurial traits to their career, they can do so as an “intrepreneur.”

What’s an intrepreneur? I’m sure there’s more than one definition, but one way to define it is when an employed professional acts like an entrepreneur while remaining in the corporate environment. Instead of being reactive and not having any control over your career, you can use entrepreneurial traits to be more proactive in your career.

No one wants to feel that their work has no purpose. It’s hard to get through a day or feel any excitement for what you’re doing if you can’t see why what you’re doing matters. One reason why people go into business for themselves is because they want more freedom over their lives. They’re tired of being in an environment where they spend the day reacting to the decisions of others.

This is where looking at yourself as an intrepreneur can change your entire outlook. If you’re ready to adopt entrepreneurial behaviors such as taking more risks and creating a vision for what you want to achieve, you’ll be less likely to get stuck in a career rut. It means taking responsibility for your decisions and for the results.

Here are tips to become an intrepreneur in your career right now:

1. Take an honest look at your job situation. How do things look in your company and in your industry? Are there growth opportunities?
2. Be open to learning and growing. If your skills have not been updated in years, find opportunities to upgrade them now.
3. What’s your vision for your future? Where do you see yourself in six months or in a year? Are you willing to take steps to reach your goal?
4. Become more of a risk taker. Is there a project that you’d like to work on or a new process you’d like to introduce to your department? Are you willing to share your ideas or make a request for what you want?
5. Learn to trust yourself. If you don’t have confidence in yourself or your ideas, it will be difficult for you to take charge of your career. You have to believe that you deserve to have a better experience and that you do have something to offer.

Whether you stay in your work environment or decide to move out into business ownership, you can transform your relationship with your work. Take charge of your career and go from employee to intrepreneur.


Resource:

Copyright © 2009 Deborah A. Bailey

For more great articles, visit The Secrets of Success Blog. This article originally appeared in Identity Magazine.

Deborah A. Bailey is a writer, communications expert, coach, author of "Think Like an Entrepreneur: Transform Your Career and Take Charge of Your Life" and host of "Women Entrepreneurs - The Secrets of Success," an Internet radio talk show. For more information visit her website at www.dbaileycoach.com.

Three Personal Branding Lessons From Princess Diana

In unearthing your authentic personal brand, one of the steps is to explore your own purpose and mission. By viewing your career on a larger scale in this way, you gain a new perspective that gives you the guidance needed to be more authentic from the inside-out. That, in turn, ensures that you will be more personally fulfilled by your day-to-day work. For that reason, many careerists and entrepreneurs really think deeply about their mission in life.

Of course we all tend to think in that way when some big crisis happens or when we lose our jobs and are forced to reevaluate our goals. But I don't believe for a minute that the majority of professionals ponder this important component during the important process of defining their images and creating their personal brands.

But unless and until you delve into your own personal goals in life and understand what your mission is for the world, it is difficult to generate a truly authentic brand image that really resonates with who you are. While this kind of exercise can require a little bit of soul-searching - and is a challenge for some of my clients - it is one of the most valuable processes for mapping your career based on the bigger picture. Those who successfully engage in this kind of process of self-discovery and professional branding reap the benefits far into the future, and they are usually the people we remember for what they did for others and gave to the world.

I recently attended the Atlanta exhibition "Princess Diana: A Celebration," and while there it became very clear to me that Princess Di knew exactly what her mission in life was. She intentionally and authentically leveraged her power and celebrity status to influence others in a positive way and really help the causes that were meaningful to her. Despite the fact that many people with fame and fortune squander the opportunity because they lack direction or purpose, Diana was passionate about her mission and as a result she left behind a remarkable legacy.

I was especially moved by photos of her holding the hands of people living with diseases like leprosy and AIDS - at a time when those patients were shunned by others. When those photos were first published it shocked the international media. There she was, for all the world to see, a princess who knew the power of touch and used it to convey to the world that those diseases were not contagious.

At the same time she set an example that demonstrated that human compassion and empathy could be contagious -in a positive and healing way. Visiting the sick was one of her humanitarian duties. Her personal missions to help others were often difficult and unfashionable, but she was nonetheless passionate about them. Despite being a highly visible member of the royal family, she still understood how to give and care on an international platform - and she used her time, her wealth, and her other resources to further her mission.

Here are three personal branding concepts we can all learn from Diana:

Know Thy Purpose
To start discovering your personal brand, first take a look at the bigger vision of your life. Why are you here, and what would you like to see possible for the world? How can you leverage the "power of one" to influence a philanthropic cause? Both careerists and entrepreneurs can be involved in something they feel passionate about. If you are a professional and you want to feed the hungry around the world, then getting behind a world hunger project would be great.

If you work in a corporate setting, you could volunteer to organize the quarterly food drive and make a donation on an even larger platform by involving your colleagues. An entrepreneur could donate a percent of product revenues, book sales, or event bookings to the world hunger mission and let people know they support that cause. Leverage your sales while letting people know that you have a heart and want to be a part of something special and charitable. This gives people a glimpse of your philanthropic side. We all like to know that people are giving back to their communities, especially in this difficult time when our fellow man may be worst off than we are. Diana truly knew her purpose and took risks that could damage her reputation among the royal family - but it was her authentic calling.

Understand Your Cause to Chart Your Path
When you have a difficult decision to make or suffer a career setback, having a bigger picture view helps. If you lose your job, for example, but are mindful of what you would like to see happen in the world, then you are more likely to seek out and find another type of work that really fulfills you to help you realize this larger dream. You may decide to go into non-profit work or to work for an organization that values philanthropic involvement. When I worked at Macy's, for example, we could volunteer through the "Partners in Time" events to work on a Habitat for Humanity house or make valentine cards for the elderly in nursing homes.

While we all live such busy lives we also know that once we help our fellow man we better appreciate all that we have. We know that just one single person does have the power to change the life of another. Diana leveraged her celebrity platform to achieve her goals of raising money and awareness for philanthropic causes and being a supportive voice for people in need.

Keep Your Vision Alive
Yes, we are all so very busy today and sometimes finding that balance of work and pleasure or career and personal life can be difficult. But it's important to keep your vision for the world alive. You don't have to donate millions of dollars to an organization to feel that your purpose is evolving - you just need to do a little here and there. We will leave the enormous gifts to well-known and well-heeled philanthropists like Oprah or Bill Gates - those with the really deep pockets. That's part of their personal brand and mission. They are taking a stand to back causes that they are passionate about and to market those efforts every chance they get. If you can think of ways to involve others in giving of their time through a project at church, donating an hour a month on a charitable board, or finding a way to give through your business - you will feel more authentic in your brand messaging.

Tell people why these causes are important to you. Ask them what causes they love and want to support. This allows you to respect and contribute to their personal mission while you give back in an authentic way that says volumes about your image. If you have a great client and know their larger vision for this world, then that is a great opportunity to make a contribution to their cause - versus sending them a holiday gift or a referral fee. It conveys to them that you think beyond the office walls and support their mission and purpose in a personal way.

Diana's brother Spencer is keeping her memory alive by supporting this current exhibition, so that we don't forget that while Diana was the Princess of Wales - she was most of all a passionate humanitarian with a generous heart.

I hope that all of you will think of your larger purpose in life. That's why we are all here. None of us wants to look back over our life or career and realize that we never really discovered our personal brand mission. Seek and discover yours and leverage it for your career or business in an authentic way that conveys an image that you give back to a larger community - beyond your professional and personal life.

Sarah Hathorn is a professional image consultant, certified personal brand strategist, speaker, and author.
Her company, Illustra Image Consulting, works with high-achieving future leaders and large businesses by enhancing their corporate and personal brand image to take their businesses and careers to the next level.
Blog, Ezine & Website: http://www.illustraimageconsulting.com
Phone: 678-528-1239 Email: sarah@illustraimageconsulting.com
Copyright 2009, Sarah Hathorn, AICI CIP, CPBS

Affiliate Marketing - How to Grow With Personal Branding!

I meet many networking marketing professionals, many of whom I have gotten to know quite well. One of the primary things that I hear and see is that although they love what they do and the products that they sell, they are not fully taking advantage of their personal brand. I receive questions about how they can stand out online and in-person and attract more clients and team members. 

This is definitely within their power to do simply by marketing their authenticity and what makes them distinct from others. I am an 'excellence advocate;' I believe that personal branding is the most powerful tool for attracting what you want in your business/career. 

Each affiliate marketer has a different personality, a different way of delivering the information for the products that they sell, and they provide a different brand experience. They may sell the same or similar products, but it is their personal brands that set them apart and inspire others to want to work with and buy from them. 

I saw this article this article this morning and thought I would share it. 

*excellence~

Affiliate Marketing - How to Grow With Personal Branding!

Firstly, what is this animal called 'Affiliate Marketing'?

Affiliate Marketers are those guys and gals who sell other companies' products and services to earn commission payments. The Affiliate Marketers market these products/services either with free or paid marketing promotions - such as adverts, email marketing, weblinks - and make their money back from sales. As a result, the Affiliate Marketing Companies don't have to spend much on marketing themselves - as this is taken care of by the Affiliates. Should be a win-win situation, as long as the Affiliates are selling, and earning well from the sales.

What's good about it?

Well, it's easy money, or should be! The products/services have been created, manufactured and/or stocked by other companies, and in some cases, the Internet Marketing promotional content has been prepared for you as well. As an Affiliate Marketer, you simply have to promote these products/services and as long as customers buy them, you'll earn commission. Usually customers buy direct from the Affiliate Companies (with commission being paid automatically to the Affiliate Marketer who referred the customer), so Affiliates don't have to have payment processing facilities or handle any stock.

What are the downfalls?

Affiliate Marketing Companies will usually take on as many Affiliates as they can, often with the view that the more Affiliates promoting their products out there, the better. Problem is the market (on the Internet) can become flooded with lots of people promoting the same products/services over and over, which might reduce the Affiliate Marketers' chances of being individually successful. For example, if you've signed up to quite a few newsletters or free ebooks recently, you may then be accosted with the same email autoresponder messages, from a few different people, all trying to sell you the same products/services (because they've all signed up as Affiliates promoting the same products/services).

Also, often Affiliate Marketers will use the original Affiliate Marketing Companies' template websites/lead capture pages and autoresponder emails, because it's convenient - these are often pre-prepared by professional copywriters and may be available to the Affiliate Marketers for free or as part of the Affiliate membership package. The Affiliate Companies will often claim high conversion rates with the use of their promotional material/content, which further encourages the Affiliates to use these. Unfortunately this means a lot of the same marketing promotional stuff out there, and no Affiliate will stand out as different from the next Affiliate.

So then - how to stand out from the crowd as an Affiliate Marketer?

Personal branding and offering unique added value is the way to go - if you think about it, your particular personality and skills are really the only things you have that are uniquely different to anyone else on the Internet, so use them to your advantage!

>> Original Post continued at: http://bitURL.net/md

Kathryn Wilson Online MLM/Network and Internet Marketing Mentor, Coach and Trainer; Business Owner and Blogger. My websites are designed specifically to offer information, advice, tips, tools and online business strategies - especially if you're new to, or feeling a little overwhelmed by your online MLM/Network Marketing, Affiliate Marketing or Internet Marketing. Subscribe here to receive free, regular Newsletters packed with important step-by-step info for Internet Marketers:http://www.WorkTheMarket.net - my website which offers a complete information and advice service for online marketers.http://KathrynRoseWilson.blogspot.com - my blog offering short, practical articles and training to help Internet Marketers build their online businesses. Connect with me on: FaceBook: Kathryn Rose Wilson Twitter: AztecNetwork

Recommended Reading for Personal Branding: 

______________


Lisa Hromada


Personal Branding Strategist & Graphic Designer

Reach Certified Personal Brand Strategist  

Certified Online ID Strategist

Certified 360 Reach Analyst

*creative & authentic brand solutions*
"Empowering Women Leaders and Teams of Professionals to Clarify & Communicate Their Brand Excellence"  

Web: http://www.lisahromada.com

Twitter: http://twitter.com/LisaHromada


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Facebook Fan Page: Unearth Your Brand Excellence


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Blog: http://www.lhcreativeidstudio.blogspot.com/

Build Your Brand Online with a Video

If you use video, or plan to use video to market yourself online, you may not want to miss today's (April 8, 2010) interview with Catherine Fennell of VideoBIO. William Arruda, Founder of Reach Personal Branding, will be interviewing Catherine about how to improve search engine rankings with video, increase your visibility online, connect with your ideal audience, and take charge of your messaging for optimal personal branding results.

Build Your Brand Online with a Video Profile
— With more than 29 million online video clips on the Internet, video is quickly becoming the must-have app for personal branding differentiation. Whether you are in a job search mode or looking to promote your small business, videos have preferred...