BUCKEYE V.A.

Archive for January, 2010

Have you ever taken the time to research your niche online? It’s an interesting and grounding experience when you do. Even though you are unique, when you are looking at your niche like the rest of your audience does. like through a Google search, you see that you are not so unique after all. That is, you are not “standing out in the crowd”. There may be one million returns on your niche or you may be on the first page of google, but how will you capture that potential clients attention? Better yet, how will you gain the trust of that person?

There are a few tried and true internet marketing techniques that the experts have been using to reach out to their potential clients, not only for marketing purposes but also to build a relationship. Perhaps, you may find some or all of these tips useful for your business as well.

1. Article Submission – Article marketing works. But make sure they are able to find your article by using your keywords/keyword phrases in your title, first paragraph and Author’s Box. Also, use an unique url in your Bio to invite your readers to a specific area on your website that pertains to that specific article.

2. Press Release Submission – Make sure your Press Release is newsworthy and submitted to only the specific newspapers that your target market readers read. Taking the time to research what your target market reads will bring you a ROI (return on investment).

3. Teleseminars – You have two choices; either host your own or you can send a request letter to some possible Joint Ventures.

4. Networking Online – Create a Facebook Fan Page and make a point to converse with your friends on a regular basis. Build those relationships.

5. Networking Offline – Join your local entrepreneur club, Chamber of Commerce, Toastmasters. Seek speaking opportunities in your community.

6. Newsletters - Share your expertise instead of selling it. Make your newsletter something that your audience wants to read every time you send it.

7. Outsourcing – Have your virtual assistant help you with a campaign, or manage some of your business tasks to help you get and stay on schedule.

8. Podcast Radio - You can host your own podcast and seek to interview others. You can create (or outsource to a virtual assistant) a letter seeking to be interviewed.

9. Video Marketing- Give a testimonial about how your services helped a client or better yet, ask one of your clients to send you a video testimonial! An upcoming event that’s sure to be seen as a must-attend for your clients. Don’t forget to add your opt in page url and perhaps your facebook and twitter connection information.

10. Volunteering- Volunteering in your local community and online gives you an opportunity to build relationships with others that you may not have met otherwise. You may be permitted to wear your business logo attire, which is a great way to market your business.

Each of the above internet marketing techniques should have a call-to-action, meaning, you need to invite your readers to take some type of action to communicate with you. Such call-to-actions can be:

• Leave a comment on your website/blog
• Join your forum
• Share their thoughts about your newsletter
• Connect with you via Social Media
• Buy your products or use your services

The more interaction you have with your readers the more likely they will come to know and trust you enough to become a client and refer you to their colleagues.

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Stephanie Fish, owner of Buckeye V.A. is a social media marketer and online marketing assistant for small business owners who are ready to stand out in the crowd. Stephanie works with life coaches, authors, virtual assistants and work at home parents who want publicity for their online businesses. Being over worked is no fun, try outsourcing to Stephanie to know first hand how freeing it is to outsource your marketing, learn more here http://www.buckeyeva.com/services

Social Media Marketing is crucial to your businesses growth, you already know this!  What is the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the term “social media”? I immediately think of “TIME”! Who’s got the time for more marketing??

Since marketing is a tool you use to get your products and services out to your consumer group, you really have to take the time to setup a clear marketing plan that includes your favorite social media outlet.

Just keep in mind, that although you can successfully outsource your marketing efforts to a social media marketing manager, you need to be involved on a personal level with at least one specific social media outlet on a regular basis. This is great way to build real relationships!

Marketing with personality, purpose and on a real-life level will help you with all of your marketing efforts, including:

• Article Submissions
• Press Release Submissions
• Teleseminar and other online classes

If you find yourself out of “time” before you can accomplish this weeks marketing goals, then I welcome you to contact me for a free 30 minute consultation.

I’d love to hear your thoughts, please leave a great comment!

If you’re looking to outsource your marketing please contact me!

I need back links! That is the one statement that I hear daily, and for a good reason. Back linking to your website isn’t difficult, but it is time consuming.

Basically, back linking is when you find a website that your target market frequents, and you leave a quality comment with a link (http://www.url.com) back to your website. Finding websites with a high PR is a good strategy, but only if your target market visits.

Remember, quality over quantity works out every time!

Did you know that linking from your website to another website, helps with search engine ranking? There are 2 great ways to get backlinks and build relationships. Here’s what you do:

1. Leave a Comment! Find a blog that you like to read and leave a ‘good’ comment. Be personable.
2. Guest Blog! You can either invite someone to be a guest blogger on your blog OR you can request to be a guest blogger on their blog. Perhaps you can be part of a book review blog tour or even a product review blog tour.

The idea is the help your business while helping others with their business, this is really what building online relationships is all about. My friend, Nicole Dean, has a great post that goes into more details about website traffic and links. Read it here

Good Luck and please leave a comment! If you would like to guest blog here, drop me an email and I’ll see if we are a good match!

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Stephanie Fish is a Social Media Manager and Marketing Assistant. Twitter and Facebook Assistant.

After fidgeting with my website design for more than 3 years, I finally really, really like my website! I’ve always liked pink/grey but couldn’t find a good balance of the two colors to represent my professional services business. That is until Kim came along and made it all happen! I found that Kim is an excellent website designer with knowledge of marketing, she was able to make my website SEO friendly PLUS reader friendly.

About Kim!

In my 10+ years of experience in working with small business website design, I have learned a couple of things:

• Your website should reflect your personality or that of your business.
• Each site is as unique as the owner and should be treated as such.

For the purposes of example, I will be using Buckeye VA and the owner, Stephanie Fish to explain a little of the process I use in designing a site tailor-made for each business. Stephanie was using WordPress already, which is almost always my first recommendation because it is so user-friendly and versatile. Almost anyone can handle blogging and updating a website built on the WordPress platform, with a little training.  If you can work in Microsoft Word, you can do it!

Since Stephanie already had a website, my first step was to analyze what she had and see where we could make improvements.  I asked her a few questions, such as:

• What is the feeling you want to evoke from your visitors when they visit your site?
• Who is your target audience?
• What colors do you like?

The previous design was a very dark background with white in the center and in the sidebar.  It seemed a bit cold to me and Stephanie also mentioned that she wanted to soften it a little.  Realizing that many of her clientele are women, this worked out just fine.  So, instead of black, I went toward a grey pinstripe–still very professional, but when paired with some pink accents and swirl glares, it turned out feminine, but very professional and business-like.

A simple photo to the right in the header graphic balances the swirls on the left side of the background and shows a professional in action on a laptop.  The laptop gives the impression of up-to-date technology and the woman typing shows that this is a serious business focused on action.  It instills a sense of trust in the competency of Stephanie’s work.

So, as you can see, design is important.  Stephanie’s new design–apart from whatever her site says in the content–tells us:

• She is feminine, but professional
• She is knowledgeable about the current technology
• She is confident in her abilities and you should be, too.

I always love to hear feedback about my designs and this is no exception.  You may leave a comment below or contact me at webmaster@dramatic-design.com

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Kim Smith is the owner of Dramatic Design, a Michigan Web Design (Grand Rapids) Company and the creative behind this new site design.  She focuses on helping small businesses succeed with web design and marketing consultation.

We see all kinds of products for stretch mark removal, in the physical realm, but what about the business realm? Did you know your business has stretch marks? Maybe this isnt’ a real pretty picture to paint, but it gets the point across.

Stretch marks show growth and if your business is growing there should be proof. What steps are you taking to insure that your business is growing?Think back to the first year in your business, you didn’t really have any task to outsource. You probably didn’t have a need for a bookkeeper or an accountant.Now think to your second year in business; you feel the “time crunch” on certain tasks, you can’t keep up with your own record keeping, you don’t have time to write your own articles anymore let alone submit those articles to all of the submission directories.

Now you’re into your third year of business, you find that you really need help and NOW! But where do go to find help? What do you begin to outsource?

Besides doing your basic internet research for “virtual assistant” or “virtual assistance”, why not ask fellow entrepreneurs and online business owners for their recommendations. You can visit virtual assistant forums and see what virtual assistants are frequenting the board.

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Stephanie Fish owner of Buckeye VA www.buckeyeva.com offers a one time 30 minute consultation to new prospective clients. To request your consultation to see if my services can help your business grow, please contact me by email at buckeyeva@gmail.com

Press releases are a great way to get plenty of free exposure for your business. Simply put:

1. You write a newsworthy story about your business into a certain format
2. Send the story to various media outlets.
3. If they’re interested, they may publish your press release or interview you.

A story that the media picks up will be far more valuable than a paid advertising spot. Having the media do a story about you is like a personal endorsement of your website and business. You can tell them about the launch of your new website or business; your expert opinions on a topic in the news; fundraisers or anything else the media might be interested in.

That sounds easy enough, but how do you put a press release together? Here are some tips to get you started:

Appropriate Press Release Format

Your press release should have six basic components and they are:

1. Release Instructions

“For Immediate Release”;
“For Release Before [date]” or
“For Release After [date]”

Use one of the latter two if your press release is of a time sensitive nature. For example, if you are holding a public speaking event, you will want to use the “For Release Before [date]” and make sure you input the final date for registrations. If you are using the “For Release Before [date]” ensure you are sensitive to media deadlines. Send your release out well in advance.

2. Headline

Write an attention-grabbing headline. Make it benefits-oriented (why would it be of interest to people?) and descriptive. Avoid hype and promotional language ~ remember, this is a news story.

3. Contact Information

Include as much information as possible here. Make it easy for the media to contact you. Include your phone number, address, company name, fax number, email and website URL. Include the hours you are available at the listed phone number and add an after hours phone number, if applicable.

4. Summary

Before you get into the body of the release, write a sentence or two to summarize your press release. Make it interesting, you want the recipient to keep reading.

5. Content

This is the meat of your press release. Again, write a benefits-oriented story. Think of the target audience as you are writing. Your target audience is partly the editor or reporter who will be reading the release. Ultimately, however, your target audience is that editor or reporter’s readers or audience. You need to write a story that will be of interest to them.

The first paragraph should answer all the important questions – Who, What, Where, When, Why & How?

Add some quotations to add credibility and to break up the story. Quotations can be from you about the topic. Testimonials or commentary from your customers are very effective as well.6.

6. Signify the End of Your Release

The end of your press release is shown by a few simple characters. Place ### at the end of your release.

For more ideas on when to send a press release and how to write one that’s sure to demand the media’s attention, grab your free Mom’s Talk Biz Guide to Press Releases. http://www.momstalkbiz.com/press-release-ebook.html

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Stephanie Fish, owner of Buckeye V.A. enjoys assisting online business owners with their social media and article marketing business tasks. If you’re looking for a virtual marketing assistant, please contact Stephanie at Buckeye V.A.

Did you know that online internet marketers need professional editors and proofreaders? If you’re a mom who wants to work from home using your editing skills then starting your own proofreading and editing business might just be the business for you.

The written word is a big business. Just walk into your local bookstore and browse the latest selections, and it’s easy to see that there are new books being written all the time. But that’s only the tip of the iceberg.

In addition to the vast selection of fiction and non-fiction titles that hit the market every week, there’s the Internet. New web pages, and even entire new sites, are cropping up every day. Then there are newspapers and magazines. And let’s not forget all of the technical manuals and product instructions that are needed to accompany software, electronics, and even that new piece of furniture.

All of that adds up to a lot of written words, which have to be written by somebody. And smart writers know that they need someone else to look over their work. Fresh eyes can catch mistakes, misspellings, and typos more readily than the eyes of the person who wrote them.

Sure, most word processors come packaged with spelling and grammar checking programs. But those are limited in their capabilities. There are many words that sound the same but are spelled differently and have different meanings, and spell checkers usually do not pick up on the improper usage of those words. And grammar checkers, while worth using to catch obvious mistakes, are also not completely reliable.

Have you ever read a website or instruction manual that was riddled with mistakes? It doesn’t make a very good first impression, does it? In the case of the instruction manual, you may find yourself wondering if you purchased the best product. A poorly written website often leaves visitors with a bad taste in their mouth, and it could even cause them not to return.

These problems could easily be prevented by having the writing proofread by someone with a good eye for spelling and grammar. Those who do not recognize the need for quality writing are often informed through customer feedback and lack of sales. Still, even those who are keenly aware of the value of proper spelling and grammar sometimes don’t know where to find a good proofreader.

The need for proofreading and editing opens a door for those with an excellent grasp on the English language. Proofreading and editing jobs can be found online and locally. Simply getting the word out about your services and demonstrating the ability to produce results could be all it takes to start getting clients. And those clients will often recommend a good editor to their colleagues, providing even more opportunities.

There is abundant demand for proofreaders and editors, and that demand provides an excellent opportunity for work at home moms. Starting your own proofreading business could provide you with a steady income for years to come.

To find out exactly how you can start your own proofreading business from the comfort of your own home How to Start A Proofreading Business

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Stephanie Fish, owner of Buckeye V.A. enjoys assisting online business owners with their social media and article marketing business tasks. If you’re looking for a virtual marketing assistant, please contact Stephanie at Buckeye V.A.

Working from home is an exciting journey, but like all journeys, there can be some set backs. Such set backs are temporary and may include not knowing exactly what business you want to start!

The work at home trend has produced many options for moms who want to spend more time with their kids. But the fact is that a lot of these options require you to do at least a small part of the work away from home. There are, however, some exceptions. One of those is proofreading and editing.

Advertising your services online and in publications can provide you with work. That work can be done in the comfort of your home, on your computer. In most cases, the work can be transmitted electronically, eliminating the need to mail or delivery of the finished product. But the ability to do the majority of the work from home is just one of many reasons that proofreading and editing are great for moms.

Proofreading and editing do not require a specific degree. While many publishers that hire on-site editors require a college degree, most freelance work does not. Gaining clients and demonstrating the knowledge and ability to produce quality work can help convince new clients that you are worthy of the job. Even large clients will often consider experience in lieu of a degree.

Flexibility is one of the most desired qualities of a home business. A proofreading and editing business can deliver lots of flexibility. While you will often be working with deadlines, you can work the hours of the day that are best for you. Whether you prefer to work early in the morning before the kids get up, during the day while your school-aged children are in school, or late at night when everyone else is in bed, you can do it. Proofreading is quiet work, so you don’t have to worry about waking anyone up.

Those trying to work at home with small children often have a hard time scheduling phone time. Interruptions can make it difficult to have a productive conversation, not to mention that they make a bad impression. There is little phone work involved in proofreading. An occasional chat with a client may be necessary, but it’s not one of those jobs that require you to be on the phone a large portion of the day. Any calls that must be made can often be put off until the children are napping or some other convenient time. Questions can even be sent by email to most clients, cutting out the phone altogether.

Editing and proofreading provide a profitable and enjoyable home business opportunity. The services are in great demand, and providing them allows for great flexibility and minimal travel. These traits make proofreading and editing an ideal business for moms. If you consider good spelling and grammar and attention to detail some of your strong points, you could do well with a proofreading business.

To find out exactly how you can start your own proofreading business from the comfort of your own home click here to instantly access your step-by-step guide.

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Stephanie Fish, owner of Buckeye V.A. enjoys assisting online business owners with their social media and article marketing business tasks. If you’re looking for a virtual marketing assistant, please contact Stephanie at Buckeye V.A.

The need for general transcriptionists is good. This is due in part to the fact you’re able to take on a variety of different clients. Some transcriptionists choose to niche into a specific field such as real estate, insurance or marketing and still have plenty of work to keep them busy.

Whether you chose to concentrate on one specific field or transcribe for various fields, there are always plenty of opportunities to find clients.

As with many other service-oriented businesses, many of your clients may come from recommendations from past clients. By providing a high quality service and meeting the needs of your clients, you’ll greatly improve your chances for success in this type of business.

Here are just a few people may need your transcription services:

” College Students – Students will often record lectures on hand-held recorders. Many times they like to have these lectures and recordings transcribed.

” Social Work Agencies – Government agencies often times record their meetings and need these transcribed. Some agencies have “on the record” interviews with legal witnesses or parents who are being investigated by the courts and will often need these recordings transcribed so the transcripts can later be used during legal proceedings.

” Realtors – Realtors may record a variety of letters which then need to be transcribed.

” Insurance Companies – Insurance companies need an accurate record of all claims made. The loss adjustors will often record notes about the claims and you will need to go through a standard template and transcribe these notes for the client’s records.

” Charities and similar organizations – Many charities make an audio recording of their meetings and then like to have these transcribed for their official records.

” Book Publishers – Although book publishers often have personal letters and meetings they like transcribed, they also often have work to be edited. Good transcriptionists are also good at editing as it goes hand in hand with the job. Book publishers need people with a keen eye for detail to help edit transcripts.

Internet Marketers-Life coaches, business consultants, online marketers and speakers are just a few more busy professionals who also need transcription services. Many of these people like to maximize their content and will have their speaking events or client coaching sessions transcribed. With online marketers, there are tele-seminars, coaching events, and audio products which can all be transcribed too.

As you can see, there is a lot of general transcription work available; the key is to know how to find it and how to approach potential clients.

Grab your
Moms Talk Biz Guide to Starting a Transcription Business – Step-by-step instructions, resources and inside information to start your own transcription business from home.

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If you are an internet marketer that needs a virtual assistant to transcribe your mp3 recordings, youtube videos, or coaching calls, please let me know!

Stephanie Fish, owner of Buckeye V.A. enjoys assisting online business owners with their social media and article marketing business tasks. If you’re looking for a virtual marketing assistant, please contact Stephanie at Buckeye V.A.

Article Writing Tips from SpongeBob SquarePants
By Nicole Dean

Wisdom can be found in the most unexpected places. Today, wisdom bubbled up from a pineapple under the sea. I suddenly realized that everything you’d want to know about writing articles for your website can be taught by SpongeBob SquarePants and his friends.

When you write for your newsletter, blog, or website, which character are you most like?

Mr. Krabs: This crustacean is focused on one thing and one thing only, making more and more and more money. Only a cartoon could actually have dollar signs drawn in his eyes. He thinks of no one, only how he can benefit. Are your articles focused on you or on the reader? Are you providing information or do you have blinders on, thinking only about how you can make money from the article you are writing? If your article reads like an ad or is self-serving or full of affiliate links, you might write like Mr. Krabs.

Plankton: The smallest creature in the sea is also the sneakiest. He’ll do anything and hurt anyone to steal someone else’s work (the Krabby Pattie secret formula). Write your own material. Don’t be Plankton. Don’t copy and paste someone else’s work, edit it, and try to pass it off as your own. You will be caught, and it just isn’t worth it. Take the same amount of effort and work on your own thoughts and ideas. Plankton never gets away with his schemes, either. He’s on Plan “Z” and is still pathetically failing at his attempts to steal the secret formula.

Patrick: SpongeBob’s best friend, the starfish, has a good heart, but isn’t the brightest creature in the sea. Do your articles make you sound like an expert? Are you providing valuable content or just pushing out sloppy articles as fast as you can? Always double check for typos and grammatical errors. If you’re challenged by spelling and grammar, hire a Virtual Assistant or Copywriter to proofread and submit your article for you. Or slow down, set your article aside for a day and then reread it before you click the “submit” button.

Squidward: Squidward is B-O-R-I-N-G. When writing articles, are you a Squidward? Do you just get the words down on paper or are you finding a fun twist to entertain your audience and keep them coming back for more? Take time to make your articles stand out from the thousands of other dull articles out there by including personal stories or just having fun while writing. For instance, this article could be entitled “How to Write a Good Article”, but would it stand out from the hundreds of other articles about article writing? Probably not.

SpongeBob: This little guy always tries to do the right thing, and is a hard worker. He may not always end up getting the results he hoped for, but he bounces back and tackles his work with a renewed vigor. SpongeBob works very hard, he’s a good friend, he always thinks of others, and tries to have fun no matter what he is faced with. Hardworking, friendly SpongeBob is the guy to be when writing articles.

Although this is a silly lesson in article writing, I hope you’ll remember the important messages our underwater friends have taught us.

1. Write articles to help others, not with dollar signs in your eyes.

2. Write your own material. Don’t copy others.

3. Proofread your articles carefully, and provide valuable information.

4. Be entertaining. Not boring.

5. Be a SpongeBob! Hard work and persistence pay off.

Before you know it, you’ll develop a following for having informative and entertaining articles and you’ll be King or Queen of the sea.

Author Resource – Nicole Dean is published all over the web, under numerous pen names. She welcomes you to visit EasyPLR.com to get started using article marketing to boost your business today.