Content Marketing Tips Infographic for a Constantly Shifting SEO Landscape

Posted on October 31, 2012 by ebourne

When things are constantly changing around you it can feel a bit chaotic at times and leave you feeling dizzy and confused. With all of the changes to the Google search algorithm, content marketers can feel like they are not sure where to turn next. Well, today It is my intention to share some tips that will help you feel a bit more stable in spite of it all.

The good news is that there are some things that will never change, and that is the basic fact that Google will always reward you for creating consistently fresh, relevant and well-written content. If that’s the kind of content you produce then you can take a deep breath, wipe your brow and keep on writing.

If, on the other hand, you have been ascribing to the school of cranking out a ton of sub-standard, spun content that’s been written offshore then this blog post has some news for you.

Sekari Search & Social Optimization has come out with a spiffy new infographic that visually illustrates what you should be doing when it comes to content marketing. It covers SEO, conversion optimization, tips for creating highly shareable content and much more.

You’ll discover that Facebook & Twitter are still to most popular social media channels, with Google+, blogging, Youtube.com and LinkedIn following behind.

What you can take from all of this is not really news rather it’s a reminder that best practices still work best despite and all of the changes–you should keep on creating quality content and sharing it in social media, on blogs and on quality content directories.

Pinterest Marketing: 3 Tips for Attracting Pinterest Traffic to Your Blog

Posted on April 18, 2012 by ebourne

Pinterest featue in Metro - 27th February 2012

(Photo credit: Great British Chefs)

Have you been enjoying the guilty pleasure of pinning images and creating boards on Pinterest, but wish there was a way you could use it to benefit your business? Pinterest is the hottest social media property out there right now. It’s gained faster adoption by users than any other social media platform. For example, the InQbation blog says, ‘Pinterest Most Successful Startup Company on the Web in 2012.’ Lemon.ly created an infographic that illustrates the statistics related to this fast growing, social media platform.

Here are some Pinterest stats:

Over 10.4 million users

They hit 10 million unique monthly visitors faster than any site in history

Pinterest generate more referral traffic to websites than Youtube, Google+ and LinkedIn.com combined. Source: lemon.ly

If you’d like to get some insight on how you can leverage all of that traffic and re-route some of your ideal audience to your blog, here are five tips for attracting traffic to your blog using Pinterest.com:

1. Find out what kinds of images your visitors like to pin

Jessica Kupferman, of Badass Biz, wrote this guest post on Denise Wakeman’s business blog, ‘Top 5 Reasons You Need to Use Pinterest with Your Blog.’

I like tip #4, which shares a link that you can use to find out if visitors are pinning images from your website: http://pinterest.com/source/yourwebsite.com (replace /yourwebsite with the URL to your blog.) This will give you an idea of what your visitors are pinning (if at all) and what they are not pinning from your site. Source: http://bit.ly/HHV5YJ

2. Discover what gets pinned and re-pinned the most

Rather than link to a specific article, I’m sharing a link to an entire site that is a fabulous resource for learning about marketing and selling on Pinterest.com. Marketing on Pinterest, is a website authored by marketing specialist Jason Miles, and it covers topics such as Pinterest traffic tips, infographics, and he offers a 10-part video boot camp.

His, ‘Pinterest Traffic Tip #18,’ asks, “What content gets re-pinned the most on Pinterest?” He also includes an image that captures the main points of the tip that can be shared on Pinterest. This illustrates how you can leverage Pinterest’s visual focus even if you’re selling information products. You can create compelling visual images, graphic book covers or product shots and share them with your followers.

3. Customize the images you share

If they are popular and appealing, photos and images can be pinned and re-pinned dozens of times. But this can lead to the link to your website getting lost when visitors do not follow the custom of pinning from the source as opposed to simply clicking that re-pin button. Create a watermark of your logo and/or your website’s URL to include in each image you share on Pinterest. This will make sure that those who are re-pinning your image know exactly where it came from and how to get to your site for more information.

This comes from tip #4 of Michael Chizbuzor’s article, ‘Pinterest and Twitter: 16 Marketing Strategies to Drive Twitter Traffic.’ In this post, Chizbuzor writes about using social media to drive qualified, targeted traffic to your website for free. Always keep his tip #5 in mind when you are doing any kind of social media marketing: Don’t waste your time. Invest your time. Get in, post your pins and get out.

*Bonus Tip: Share other people’s blogs

Ken Pickard has started a Pinterest Blog Roll. In his article on the Empowerment Network blog, Ken shares the concept of sharing other people’s blogs, so that in turn, they will share your blog on Pinterest.com in order to get more exposure and traffic.

Basically, Ken has created a content syndication tribe where the members visit each other’s blogs and share one another’s content. You can read his post and join his tribe, or follow suit and create a special tribe within your niche or network.

Source: empowernetwork.com/kenpickard/blog/pinterest-blog-roll/

Please follow me: http://www.pinterest.com/evelynwrites, and be sure to subscribe to my email newsletter where you’ll get lots of insider tips about writing and marketing online that you won’t ever see on the blog.

Pretty Your Pinterest With This New Photo Hack (mashable.com)
The Marketing Executive’s Guide to Pinterest (socialsamosa.com)
The Power of a Pin: Why Pinterest is a Game Changer (amarketingexpert.com)

Guest Post: Social Media: Balm or Bane for Authors?

Posted on March 12, 2012 by ebourne

photo credit: JupiterImages

Today we’ve got another guest post about how authors can make the best use of social media without feeling overwhelmed. This is a topic that I know many writer’s struggle with including myself, so I hope you’re able to glean some helpful insights from Amy’s article.

Social Media: Balm or Bane for Authors?

By Amy Atwell

How many of you use some form of social media? Facebook and Twitter seem to be the bastions most popular with authors today. But there’s also LinkedIn, Google+, Pinterest, StumbleUpon and more. Social networking is what drives GoodReads, Shelfari and LibraryThing. Even Pandora radio lets you create a profile page and encourages a community of listeners.

Many authors find it all overwhelming. It’s a challenge to find enough time to write fiction, much less post and pin and tweet. So where is the sweet spot? Just how important is social media to authors?
If you’re serious about a long-term writing career, social media will continue to be an important and viable source of promotion and audience building. But, and here’s the key, it’s only going to work for you if—

1. You find at least one of social network that you enjoy.
2. You strike a balance between your online social networking and your writing.
3. You approach social networking with the same imagination and commitment you bring to your writing.

Doesn’t sound too scary, does it?
Here’s why I think it’s important—the Internet isn’t likely to disappear. Millions of people are on it, and millions more are buying smart phones and tablets because they can’t get enough of it. In some ways, our society is growing more fragmented, with less person to person interaction in real life. At the same time, people seek out and savor their interactions on social media.
This is where social media works so well for authors. Most stories have some element of human connection at the core of the story. A hero learning to trust. A heroine returning to confront her hometown memories. A family on the brink of disaster brought whole again.
The readers who love those kinds of stories are out there in social media as squawking and hungry as birds. Keep tossing out birdseed on a regular basis, and those birds will find their way to you. Readers who connect with you and your stories will become loyal fans. They will spread the word for you. Remember the old shampoo commercial? “And they’ll tell two friends, and they’ll tell two friends…” and so on and so on.

That’s the magic of social networking.

You may be a pantser when you write but plotting or, rather, planning ahead will save you a lot of headaches with social media. Make a game plan for yourself so you can make the most of your social networking. And if you’re not published yet, it’s not too early to get a jump start on this. By all means, start to build your tribe now.

1. Study the different social networks and decide which one(s) best match how you want to communicate with potential fans and fellow authors.

2. Secure your profiles on any (frankly, I would do all just in case) social network you plan to use. Ideally, use your writing name.

3. Find an image and write a short bio so your profiles are consistent.

4. Make a list of the topics you will discuss—and not discuss—on social networking. You want to be personable and friendly in your interactions, but remember anything you say can come back to bite you and your career.

5. Start slowly and blend in. Join in other conversations, repeat items of interest, help your fellow authors. Don’t just pop in and shout about your book.

6. Ask questions! Experienced users love to help newbies.

7. Set aside some time weekly, 30-60 minutes to seek out people to follow and friend.

8. Be gracious. Send thank yous to people who repeat your messages.

9. Tend your social network account(s) daily, whenever possible. Each day you miss, you will lose a bit of momentum. 15 minutes is all it takes, really.

10. Be prepared to adapt as the social networks grow and change.

I’ll mention that Facebook is in the midst of rolling out its new Timeline design. Both personal profiles and business (author) pages are changing. You can read a full article on it on Author E.M.S., the online business resource library for authors.

I hope some of that was helpful. I’m happy to field any other questions you might have about social media—so, tell me, what’s your biggest fear or frustration with social networks?

Visit Amy online at her website, Magical Musings, Facebook, Twitter and/or GoodReads.

The Social Media Landscape in 2012 – Infographic (futurelab.net)
The 10 Best Social Sites and How to Use Them (howtospoter.com)
2 Tips on Using Social Media to Get Found Online (morecustomers.wordpress.com)

Pinterest: My Newest Social Media Obsession

Posted on January 28, 2012 by ebourne

In addition to being a writer, I’m also an artist. I’ve got a passion for DIY crafts such as knitting and sewing, I love to cook and I appreciate fine fashion. Now I’ve found a social media site called Pinterest that allows me to indulge in collecting and “pinning’ images of all of my favorite things in one place.

Pinterest is one of the fastest growing social media sites. It’s an online pin board where members can collect, organize and share images of things they love.

Users create boards that they can give unique names to. After dragging the bookmarklet to your browser’s toolbar, you can just click on the ‘Pin It’ button whenever you see an image on a website that you want to add to a Pinterest board.

Pinterest has great potential for marketing when it’s done discreetly. For businesses and brands that have a visual focus such as fashion, food, art, design, etc., Pinterest has obvious appeal. However, even brands that are not product or visual image based can benefit from using Pinterest to communicate the personality and aesthetic of their brand image and philosophy.

If you are already posting images to Facebook and Twitter, you can easily work Pinterest into your routine, and you can even add a cool Pinterest plugin to your WordPress blog. The Pinterest RSS Widget displays the thumbnail images and titles of your latest Pins on your blog using the Pinterest RSS plugin.

Because Pinterest is still in beta testing, you’ll need an invite in order to join. Send me an @ reply on Twitter, @evelynwrites, with your email address and I’ll send you an invite.
Once you’ve joined, be sure to follow me: http://pinterest.com/evelynwrites/

Are you already on Pinterest? Please add me and I will follow you back.

6 Ways To Add Pinterest to WordPress (wpjedi.com)
Pinterest: The Power of Images (impressionsthroughmedia.com)
3 Simple Ways to Use Pinterest (mediaegg.com)

Do You Have Klout? How to Measure Your Online Influence

Posted on October 17, 2011 by ebourne

I have been hearing about Klout.com for awhile, and I’ve been seeing those +K tweets on Twitter and wondering what that was all about. Well, now I have a new social media addiction thanks to my friend, LaShanda Henry of Sistasense.tv. She talked about Klout.com in a the SistaSense Circle group coaching program that I belong to.

Klout is a social media site that measures and identifies your social influence in social media. You can join for free and set up a profile. You give the app permission to link to your Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook profiles and then it uses that information to give you a score between 1 and 100. When I first joined Klout back in July I had a score of 38. Today my Klout score is 51–solidly in the middle of the pack.

I’m not quite sure how I feel about Klout yet, but I am learning about how it works and how I can leverage its features to get more exposure online.

One of the fun features is the ability that I mentioned earlier, which is to give people “+K’s,” which is kind of like the “thumbs up,” that the “Like” button on Facebook represents.

You can give people a +K to show your appreciation if they shared some of your content with their network, or if they shared something of someone else’s that you found useful. A +K can serve as a thank you for being helpful to you, or as an encouragement to keep up the good work they’ve been doing, or if they have influenced you in some way. +K is not about boosting your Klout score. It’s just about providing a medium for users to engage and build community around their topics of interest.

Here’s how to give your peeps a +K on Klout:

Type in the Twitter.com username of the person you’d like to give a +K to

Now you will see their Klout profile. In the area where it lists what that person is influential about, click on the “see all. . .” link. Now you’ll find a list of their topics and you’ll see the “Give +K” button to the right of each topic.

Once you’ve given them a +K you can then Tweet about it, or post a Facebook status update about it.

So far I’m finding Klout to be fun. I guess if and when I manage to boost my score beyond 51 I will see if it does anything to drive more traffic to my site, or increase my social medial following.

If you’re on Klout and want me to +K you, leave a comment. My Twitter username is @evelynwrites if you feel like returning the favor.

Are You on Google+ Yet?

Posted on July 19, 2011 by ebourne

A few weeks ago I finally got a much-coveted invite to join Google+, which is Google’s shiny new social media platform that just came out of beta in early July. Now anyone with a Google account can join Google+. I’ve been having fun playing in this new social media space, getting to know the ‘lay of the land,’ and I’ve been having a great time.

Facebook and Twitter were my first foray into social media marketing, so I am considering Google+ from the perspective of how I use those spaces and what additional benefits it might have to offer me. What I have observed so far is that Google+ so far has been embraced primarily by early adopters—those of us who geek-out on new tech tools and can’t wait to see what the latest tech gadget has to offer. So, I have been using it to connect with other business people who are using G+ because, frankly, my peeps—that is my friends and family are not yet on Google+, nor do they show much of an interest in joining.

Here’s a quick overview of what Google+ has to offer, so that you can decide it maybe you want to come on over and check it out.

+Circles

On Facebook everyone is your friend, on Twitter everyone is a Follower, but with Google+ as soon as you add someone to your network you place them in one of your existing circles, or you can create a new one to add them to. Here’s an idea of some of my circles:

Friends—yes, actual friends that I know and have established a real relationship with whether or not we have actually met in real life.

Business contacts—colleagues, fellow business owners, collaborators

Blogs to watch—As a blogger I have certain blogs that I keep a close eye on for relationship building. I put those in this circle.

Clients
Acquaintances
Relatives

+Hangouts

Hangout is a video and voice chat application that allows up to ten people to do a video chat on whatever topic they choose. You must install a little plugin, and your laptop must have video and a mic in order to participate in a hangout. You can either initiate your own, or visit, http://gphangouts.com, to find a public hangout that you can join.

+Sparks

This is a colossal feed engine that contains feeds from across the Internet on any topic you can imagine. Just type in your keywords and up pops all of this content that you can read and share with the people in your circles.

Google’s +1 Button

The +1 button is separate from Google+, but there is also a +1 button along with your posts. You can think of it as the Google version of Facebook’s ‘Like’ button. Clicking the +1 button means that you think that site is kinda awesome and you’re giving it the ‘thumbs-up’ vote. But another cool thing about the +1 button is that all of the sites that you have clicked +1 for are listed on a page on your Google profile making it sort of like your own de facto social bookmarking site. People can peruse your +1 page to see what you like and recommend, but you can also keep your +1 page to yourself by making it private.

+Mobile

As an iPhone user it’s more than a little bit irritating that the mobile app for iOS is not yet available. But if you are an Android user you can take all of Google+’s features with you on the go with the exception of hangouts , but they may be adding that functionality to the mobile app at some point in the future.

Breaking News: The Google+ iOS app for iPhone and iPad is now available in iTunes

http://mashable.com/2011/07/19/google-iphone-app/

My G+ conclusions

So, for the moment, I’m digging Google+. I use if for business networking, and research primarily. One of my business colleagues shared on G+ that she was going to ditch all of the business contacts on her personal Facebook profile and tell them to look for her on Google+ so that she could reclaim her Facebook profile for actual friends and family. I am watching and waiting to see how things shake out with Google+. I was on Facebook for years before anyone I actually knew joined, so maybe in time G+ will gain more mainstream appeal.

What are your thoughts on Google+? Have you joined yet? What do you like or dislike about the new social media platform on the block? Feel free to leave a comment.

Online Visibility: Are You Ready to Be Discovered?

Posted on January 8, 2011 by ebourne

Online visibility is all about being found online by the target audience who is looking for what you have to offer. With millions of other websites competing for your prospective clients’ attention, your challenge is to find a way to rise above the ‘noise’ or the many distractions on the Internet, and show up consistently where your target audience is already hanging out.

What inspired me to write this post today was a meeting I had this week with a prospective client. He found me on social media and while he has been cooking up his project, he has been observing what I’m up to online. He visited my blog, my Facebook profile, Fan Page and Twitter and then he sent me a Facebook Inbox message to ask about working with me. These days I have not been publicizing my consulting services too much because my schedule is full to overflowing with producing lots of content for my fabulous clients. But part of my vision for the life that I intend to create for myself includes doing more consulting, and speaking. In order to achieve success in those endeavors I must continue to build on my online visibility.

Towards that end I am preparing to be a guest on a radio show called, “Being, with Ron Ash,” on Wednesday, January 19 at 9am EST. Ron Ash is an author and Pastoral Counselor. This will be my third radio appearance, and the previous two interviews came about because the hosts found my website and resonated with my vision and mission. Ron also found me on Facebook.

So, I guess what I am trying to say here is that you’ve got to be relentless about your marketing. Get yourself out there! Write about the topics that you are passionate about on your blog. Take a stand for something that you believe in and defend it. There will be haters out there, but there will also be people who are attracted to your authenticity and sincerity. And to that last point, be who you are. The world does not need any more copy-cats. For so long I felt insecure because I was always comparing myself to other people and feeling like I did not measure up. Thank God I have learned to get over myself, let myself off the hook and learn to love myself for who I am–warts and all.

The best way to get discovered is to be everywhere all the time. Participate in social media, work your Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn profiles. Network with your peers and get on the ‘radar screen’ of those luminaries in your field that you would love to work with. Comment on blogs. Contribute articles to the major publications in your niche or topic. Guest blog for a few of the high profile blogs in your niche. Submit press releases when you are doing something newsworthy, and, oh yeah, do something newsworthy! Submitting press releases is an amazingly effective way to generate buzz, which is what you really want.

While you are getting out there, make sure that your house is in order. Make sure of the following:

Your blog should look great and has lots of valuable content for your new visitors to consume.

If you will be sending our press releases, make sure you’ve got a ‘Press or Media’ page with links to your media kit on your blog.

Put your email list opt-in box above the fold and in the upper-right hand section of your website.

Create an engaging intro video about yourself and post it on your blog.

Create a Facebook Fan Page with a keyword-optimized title and post valuable content there.

Share your friends’ content and they will reciprocate.

Gaining online visibility takes time and commitment. It will not happen overnight barring your appearing on the evening news for some reason. If you intend to get discovered by prospective clients you’ve got to be willing to lay a strong foundation and put in the work required.

Remember, there is no one else out there like you. No one else can do the genius work that you were sent to this planet to do. If God has given you a vision then it is your responsibility to bring it to fruition. You would not be given the desire without also having been given the means by which to fulfill that desire. It is your job to take the first step in faith. Feel free to contact me if you want to talk about me working with you to boost your online visibility.

8 Reasons Why We Love Social Media (thinkup.waldenu.edu)
Can You Have An Effective Online Presence Without Your Own Site? (webpronews.com)

Conscious Business: Get Over Your Fear of the Media and Generate Free Publicity for Your Business

Posted on October 20, 2010 by ebourne

Sue Papadoulis

Please enjoy this guest blog post by Sue Papadoulis, another AES author:

Would you love to be featured on TV or radio, or in newspapers or magazines but feel intimated by the thought of contacting the media?

You’re not alone. In fact, the number one reason most small and home business owners do not use public relations (PR) for marketing and promotion is because they feel intimated by the media.

As a former journalist and public relations executive with my own PR consultancy, I’m here to tell you that getting free publicity is not difficult, complicated or expensive as PR people might have you believe. You can do it yourself, you can attract many new clients in the process, and you can still be true to yourself.

Most people are intimidated by the media. Yet there’s nothing special about a journalist. You must get past the intimidation factor and you do this by establishing relationships in the media. Once you get to know a journalist you’ll realise they are just average people with a job that’s more public than most.

Most people think PR is just the domain of big businesses and government. The only difference between you and the companies you see profiled in the media is that they have contacted the media and told them something about their business, and you haven’t – yet.

Most people fear negative publicity. Unless you’ve done something bad like stealing money from the elderly, or been involved in a scam, then you won’t see a negative story. A journalist wants to make the story the best it can be because they want to entertain and interest their audience.

Many people fear success. That might sound strange – we all want success, right? But what if deep down you hold a fear of success and all that it might mean?

What would your friends and family say if you were featured in the media? Would they be supportive, excited and happy for you; or jealous, envious and point out the negatives?
Do you worry that you don’t deserve to be featured in the media and be very successful? Is there something you’ve done in your life that you’re ashamed of and that you believe makes you undeserving?
Do you worry that if you have a great media profile and are super successful it will mean a change in the way you live your life and so impact on your partner and family?

These are common worries and the self-talk around these issues holds the majority of people back. Here’s how to overcome your fears:

Recognise your fear. If you feel yourself resisting something you know would help grow your business, you need to examine the reasons why. Once you recognise your fears, you can work towards defeating them.
Recognise what fear is. Fear is the result of uncertainty about a situation and the outcome. Fear relating to achieving publicity is the result of not knowing how to deal with the media.
Overcoming fear: The quickest way to overcome fear is to simply figure out what to do in the situation. The next step is to take action in the direction of your goal. Take action to learn the necessary skills and your fear will dissipate

Being a star in the media does not mean pretending to be someone you’re not. To have real impact and cut-through to connect with the audience means being your true self and tapping into your infinite power. A compelling story has the ability to touch lives and create a lasting emotional attachment between the audience and your business.

Sue Papadoulis is a contributing author to Align, Expand and Succeed; Shifting the Paradigm of Entrepreneurial Success. This “just released” book is based on the premise that the world is changing at a very rapid pace. We are starting to see that cooperation brings better results than old style competition. It’s a new era and we need to work together to create success for everyone, not just for a few.

This book is designed to raise the vibration of the planet like never before. Get your copy of Align, Expand and Succeed and enjoy an abundance of gifts with your purchase. http://www.aesbook.com

HOW TO: Earn Some Inexpensive Online Exposure for Your Small Business (mashable.com)

Social Media Optimization: Strategies for Maximizing Your Social Media Presence

Posted on September 24, 2010 by ebourne

Social media marketing can no longer be called a passing fad. If you look at some of the big players such as Intel, Honda, Coca Cola and thousands of other brands both large and small, who are using social media to engage with their audience and increase brand awareness, you’re sure to discover that social media can help you to expand your brand, interact and engage with your target market and grow your presence online.

With social media sites such as youtube.com becoming the second most popular search engine, and Facebook growing larger than the population of some countries it’s time to stop ignoring its impact and start embracing the potential of social media to have a positive impact on your bottom line when done right.

So, what is social media optimization? It’s all about optimizing your online presence to take advantage of social media’s potential to grow your business and expand your brand. Just as SEO optimizes your website to attract organic traffic from the search engines, SMO seeks to optimize your site to receive targeted traffic from social media sites. In this article we’re going to look at some ways in which you can optimize your sites and your profiles to boost both your search engine rankings and expand your reach and influence online.

1. Your Website

If you don’t already have one, create a blog which is optimized for your primary keywords.

Provide an email list opt-in form where visitors can sign up and learn more about who you are and what you have to offer.

Make it effortless for your visitors to share your content on social media by providing sharing buttons, Twitter apps, and Fan Page ‘Like’ boxes.

Provide an RSS feed so that visitors can keep up with your new content.

Use video to educate, entertain and inform your visitors.

2. Your Social Media Profiles

Make sure that all of your profiles are 100% complete. LinkedIn profiles that are complete rank higher than those that are incomplete.

Post a good, clear photo of yourself in your profiles (people don’t create relationships with a logo).

Create compelling content that your visitors will want to share.

Focus more energy on giving and providing value than you do on advertising your wares.

Present yourself as a trusted authority, and people will be attracted to what you have to offer.

3. What is your plan of action for social media?

Clearly articulate what you specifically hope to gain by being involved in social media.

Do you want more traffic to your website?

Are you trying to engage with your audience and create relationships?

Do you want to build a community around your ideas?

Are you trying to provide customer service?

After you establish those goals you can determine how you will measure success.

Go over these items and take an assessment of where you are right now with social media optimization and take a few actions today that will move you one step closer to having an online presence that is optimized to make the most of your connections on social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Youtube.com. Use these ideas to come up with a single goal to start with and then work towards achieving that goal as you expand your vision.

Social media marketing is an effective way to get your brand out there, get found and grow your online presence and your business. Are you making the most of this golden opportunity?

Want to get more involved with social media, but you don’t have the time, or the expertise to do it right? Ask about our social media management services. Contact me at ebb567 [at] gmail [dot] com.

Review: SistaSense Circle Business Women’s Coaching Program

Posted on September 8, 2010 by ebourne

Over the past few weeks I have been attending LaShanda Henry’s SistaSense Circle group coaching program. It was designed to provide focused coaching for women infopreneurs, authors, and coaches who wanted to grow their businesses. LaShanda is the founder of Black Business Women Online, which is an over 8,700 member strong online community. She has been in business for several years so she knows what she is talking about and she has achieved the level of success that I am striving for in my business.

There were ten women in this first circle and we got to know each other over the series of telephone coaching sessions and the online forum. I really enjoyed the focused attention that was made possible because the group was so small. I learned so much and I was inspired both by LaShanda and by the other amazing women in our group.

Here are a few of the little ‘nuggets’ that I learned that I will share in order to inspire you to invest in some coaching:

The importance of sharing our stories
When we visit someone’s website and everything seems perfect and it looks like they’ve got it going on it can never reveal the depth of the struggles that they went through to achieve what they have today. Sharing the story of how you started your business, what struggles you were able to overcome, the lessons learned and the victories won makes your readers catch a glimpse of your humanity. They will find some aspect of your story that they can relate to and they might say to themselves, “If she did it then maybe I can, too.”

‘Marketing moments’ & business blogging
I learned that I have been giving far too much away on my blog and then not tying the content back into sharing about what I do. She taught us about a certain approach to business blogging that balances content marketing with lead generation, and I’ll tell you the very first time I put her advice into practice I got a new client.

Social media conversion
As someone who uses social media daily to market my business, and as a social media manager for my private clients, what I learned from LaShanda about how to bring more of my social media audience to my blog and convert them to clients paid off because right away becuase I signed a new client that first found me on Facebook.

So, if you’re feeling a bit stuck you might consider a group coaching program like the SistaSense Circle where you can learn and grow and stretch yourself as you gain the skills and support to grow your business or coaching practice in a safe, encouraging environment.

If you are just starting out in online business and you could use some guidance, I recommend LaShanda’s, The Beginner’s Guide to Building Your Money Making Business Online, which is a bundle of ebooks, a 7-day course and 15 ‘how-to’ videos.

While the SistaSense Circle has officially ended, I plan to keep in touch with the members of the class so that we can
continue to inspire one another and learn from each other.

Do you work with a stellar coach who has helped you to break through some barriers and achieve new levels of success? Brag about them here in the comments.

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