In this episode of Adventures in Visibility, I take on two notification bar tools: Hellobar and the Foobar plugin for WordPress.
You’ll also witness me in all my experimental glory as I was distracted by my own voice coming in to my headset with a 10 second delay. At the moment, I couldn’t figure out how to turn off the audio so I carried on. A strange experience. And, that’s why I call these Hangouts “experiments” and “adventures” in learning how to use visibility tools. I’m learning right along with you.
Back to notification bars: Hellobar vs Foobar
As I discuss in the video, I’ve used Hellobar and I currently use Foobar. Both are excellent tools to use on your site to build visibility:
- Display time-sensitive notices
- Invite readers to opt in to your list
- Invite visitors to follow you on social media
- Promote specific blog posts
- Promote your products and services
- Promote a your new book and/or a virtual book tour
- Promote a sale
- Promote webinars, teleseminars, Hangouts and other events
- and more…
The possibilities for the notification bars are only limited by your imagination.
If you are using a notification bar or dive in to try one of these two tools, feel free to post a link to your site in the comments below so I can check out how you’re using it.
To get reminders about when Adventures are scheduled and when replays are posted, you can get on the list and/or follow me on Google+. Be sure to let me know you want to be added to my Adventures in Visibility Circle so you get the invitation directly through Google+.


Respond to readers’ comments
Adding images to your blog posts makes them more attractive and engages your readers. Such images will increase the likelihood of people reading through your post and possibly asking a question or sharing a comment. Adding images also makes it easier for people to share your post on Pinterest, thus broadening your reach. Be sure to include a photograph of you smiling with each blog post, as well as an image of your book. These additional steps will grow your branding and allow your readers to identify with you.
Create a template file you can use for each of your posts. To do this, open up a Word document and compose your blog post signature. Typically, this signature block includes 100–150 words, where you can include things like your name, credentials, book title, blog URL, how you help people, and a compelling reason why people should visit your blog. Offering people a free chapter of your book is an excellent strategy. Once you’ve created your signature file, save this as a template so you can easily copy and paste the content to the bottom of each of your blog posts.
During a conversation with my business coach, we were discussing what happens to entrepreneurs and business owners in the Summer months. We both were getting a sense that business owners, particularly solo entrepreneurs, tended to back off on their marketing during the late Spring and Summer months.

The joys of technology. In the second Adventures in Visibility Hangout, I invited Dr. Rachna Jain of 

A lot of people are blogging for business because (when done right), it’s a proven way to establish authority, to stay top of mind in social media and to generate new sales leads.












