The Fast and Easy Way to Create Online Video

Two billion video views per day. And that's just on YouTube.

Despite the stunning numbers and the data proving online video is not only here to stay but is one of the most powerful tools you can use to create awareness and connect with your audience, there are still holdouts. 

I understand. Though I've been creating videos since 2006, I was reluctant too, at first. Getting started with video can seem overwhelming and confusing. And many find it complicated or quite simply, don't want appear on camera.

If you're a solopreneur, consultant, coach, speaker, author or trainer and you've been reluctant to use video to create content as way to reach your clients and blog audience, there is an easy way! 

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How to Increase Online Visibility for Your Business [video interview]

Recently I was interviewed by Torrey McGraw about increasing online visibility for your business. Torrey hosts video interviews on his blog Grind & Thrive, where he features articles and interviews with successful entrepreneurs to help others thrive in their own businesses. 

Torrey McGraw and I spent about 30 minutes discussing the ins and outs of boosting visibility on the web for your business. With Torrey's permission, here's the interview…

If you prefer to download the audio file for your mp3 player, or read the transcript of the interview, you can download both files on Torrey's site.

What tips for increasing online visibility for your business would you add?

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3 Simple Keys to More Profits, Less Stress and More Visibility

This is a guest post by Sydni Craig-Hart of Smart Simple Marketing.

3 Simple Keys to More Profits, Less Stress and More Visibility

Building your business and growing it to support the lifestyle you want is the whole point of becoming an entrepreneur.
 
The first step in doing so is to define what success means for you.  Perhaps it means that you work a certain schedule. Have the ability to travel extensively. Or maybe it has to do with the amount of income you generate. Be OK with whatever success means to you and resist the urge to be influenced by what the "gurus" say you should be doing. Instead, focus your efforts on bringing your vision of success to life! This means taking action to works towards your goal.
 
Remember this quote:
“There is something more important than believing; ACTION! The world is full of dreamers.  Those who are successful will move ahead and begin to take concrete steps to ACTUALIZE their vision” (- Unknown).
In order to build your business, you will need to do just a few things very well:
 
1. Market Consistently:  This can be a challenge when the majority of your time is spent working with clients and running your company. However, you cannot market sporadically or only when you need clients and expect to create a successful business. You'll get the best results by focusing your efforts on just a few strategies that fit your target market and your goals…

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How to Use Social Buzz to Build Your List

I can't think of one business that has a presence on the web, that doesn't need a bigger mailing list. Big list, more business. Sounds obvious, I know. And while you can do well with a small, dedicated and very loyal following, generally, the more people who opt in to get your content, the more opportunities you have to demonstrate your expertise and win over some of your prospects — turning them into clients. Three things need to happen though:

  1. To build your list, you need people to see your opt in offer.
  2. For people to see your offer, you need traffic.
  3. To get traffic, you need to have a visible presence on the web.

You've got to be found and seen by the people who make up your ideal audience and this is the point where so many clients I work with are frustrated. They know they have to produce great content on a consistent basis, but how to get more eyeballs on that fabulous message they're sharing? Maybe you've experienced this frustration too.

I've been experimenting on a new site that has a lot of potential to help solve this problem. I am seeing an increase in traffic and conversions to my email list and it may work for you too.

A couple weeks ago I signed up for a trial membership of the Social Buzz Club, a new membership club designed to help you get more visibility for your content.  In a nutshell, as a member, you commit to sharing five pieces of content and then you can submit a link to one of your own (or a client's) articles to be shared and buzzed by other members. The more you share, the more your content will be shared. This is a great model for collaboration and the 5/1 ratio ensures no one is spamming the members…you've got to give to get.

This does two things:

1. You establish yourself as a trusted resource and a filter for the best information on the Web in your niche because you pick the content that's relevant for your audience and share it on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Digg and/or StumbleUpon. 

2. Your content is shared by a very fast growing group of social media savvy professionals. You extend your reach to their networks and get more traffic and readers on your site.

There's been a noticeable increase in traffic and social sharing on my blog posts in the last two weeks. I read every article before I share it. I find there are 1-2 articles almost every day that I will share, usually on twitter. That means every couple of days I can submit one of my own articles and extend the life of that post.

Here's what else happens…

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Effective Communications – It’s At The Root of Your Business Success

Did you know that June is Effective Communications Month? It's a real holiday listed in Chase's Calendar of Events. It's no secret that the better your communication skills as a business owner, the more successful you will be financially.

When you think about it, everything you're doing online is about communcation: your blog posts, your articles, your tweets, your Facebook status updates, your videos, your PowerPoints, your press releases, your ebooks, your teleseminars and webinars…

And every point of contact is an opportunity for you to convey your important message and transform more lives. The challenge for many, including me at times, is crafting a message that is effective, inspirational and motivates the receiver of your message to take action.

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How to Breathe New Life Into Older Blog Posts

You spend a lot of time crafting the perfect blog post. You do your research. You include your keywords. You find the perfect images to illustrate your points.

You publish and syndicate your feed to Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.

You get some traffic, retweets and Facebook likes, and some comments in the first day or two. Then what?

Unless you have a wildly popular blog, that's probably the most visibility and engagement you'll get on that post. Sure, you'll get organic traffic trickling in as people find it in their search results, but wouldn't it be nice to get more eyeballs on your outstanding content?

You can get more visibility and breathe new life into your evergreen content…

Two WordPress plugins you can install immediately revive older posts are Tweet Old Post and Yet Another Related Post Plugin.

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