WordPress Wednesday: Press This Tool

The more I learn about WordPress the more I realize I have to learn. The “Press This” tool is quite a tool, to not have to think about logging into your site in order to do a quick post may be exactly what is needed to get your blogging habit back on track.

For my bookmarks toolbar I use Xmarks which you can sync across computers and different browsers. Hmm, I”m sensing another tutorial….

Thanks to Andy Traub for introducing me to this cool little tool!

Do you have the right tools for your business?

Over the weekend I made a purchase I have been putting off, simply because I didn’t want to spend the money and even more… I didn’t want to go through the hassle yet. At least not until I had some time (have you heard that excuse before?). Thankfully, I changed my mind!

I have been a huge fan of the eMachine computers (I know… don’t laugh too hard!). They have been awesome computers for me, just outgrew my 2nd. Rarely had any problems and both lasted for a long, long time.

But the poor little guy was getting old, I needed way more space and a quite a bit more computing power. In comes the granddaddy of a computer… an HP with a 1 TB hard drive and a wonderfully huge 6 GB RAM. Woohoo! Now this might not seem like a big deal these days but consider that my desktop pc was chugging along with only a 160 GB hard drive and 1GB RAM, it was a trooper each day, especially with what I was putting it through!

Using it has been a dream, at least it was after I got everything transferred over, that took a long time and I still have a few programs that need to be installed. I am faster, more efficient and I’m no longer wishing for greater speed or wondering what I can delete or uninstall to give the poor computer some breathing room.

So this got me thinking, what other areas in my business have I put off, or ignored, getting the right tool for? It hit me the other day that I have not been taking advantage of the help of other VAs. Yes, I have been ignoring the very thing I tell my clients to do. So last week one of the VAs I had worked with earlier this year, got in touch to say hello and check in and my goodness what excellent timing! I realized right then and there that this was a tool I needed to have in my business and keep in my business. Good ole’ fashioned help. (Not to generalize virtual assistants as tools… really more of an asset but I think you get the drift)

By bringing on another virtual assistant to help me out in my own business, I am going to become even more efficient, the to-do-list and want-to-do list is going to start being tackled (it already is!), and I am going to be able move some of my projects forward. Wow novel idea!

So I am taking a closer look again at that to-do-list and see what other areas I can have her take on so that I can keep moving my business forward and tackle some of those wish list items that seem to keep falling to the bottom of my to-do-list.

What tool do you need today to keep your business moving forward?

If you had an assistant, what could you tackle and cross of your to-do-list today? This week?

P.S. If you have ever considered bringing on a virtual assistant onto your team check out our FREE special report “How To Find And Hire A Virtual Assistant”. Sign up for it here on our site for instant access.

Cleaning House – Clearing the Inbox

So how many free reports, telesememinars, training programs and newsletters have you signed up for lately? Probably more then you realized.

I just spent some time going through my inbox that was way overcrowded with emails that I was not reading, or barely glancing at. It made me realize that I could start cleaning house and cutting way back on the number of emails I receive on a daily and weekly basis. What a relief!

There is no fun to be had with a full inbox filled with newsletters and announcements that you just haven’t had time to read and keep putting off reading. Ah the sweet sound of the delete key.

Not only is this a great way to clear up the inbox it is also a way to gain back control of your time, effort and focus so that you can use your time wisely and effectively.

Mistakes Coaches Make When Setting Up A Website – Part 3

In the first 2 parts of this series we covered the pros & cons of the All-In-One Package for coaches and the awesome pawesome custom designed WordPress site… until it isn’t so awesome.

The missing piece, not thinking long term

Now I don’t want to target coaches only with this problem, just about every entrepreneur out there when they are getting started, have this issue. It’s also perfectly natural.

You are getting started in your coaching practice, you have a million things to consider, organize and set up. You are most likely bootstrapping your business and every dollar counts. So you look at the very short term and set up only what is absolutely essential right here, right now to get you up and running.

In many areas this will work, you do what you can then, add features plus all the bells and whistles you need, as you need them. But are you looking ahead 1, 3, 6, even 12 months down the road? Have you laid out an action plan of steps and needs as you grow your coaching practice? This is essential for your online presence: Website, Social Media, eCommerce.

When you don’t take that peek down the road a bit it is very easy to get caught in a trap of a solution that “Will work for now”. I can’t tell you how many times that has come back to haunt many entrepreneurs… and yes I’m including myself in that statement. Of course watching the $$ is vital but when you skimp in important areas such as shopping cart, list management and website it will hurt you in the end more then it helps up front.

Your website will become your home base on the internet and it needs to have a strong foundation in order for you to grow and expand, without needing to re-do the entire thing in a few months time. As mentioned before, a self hosted WordPress site is my favorite foundation to get started with.

There are many who think a WordPress site is too “bloggy” looking and I can see that point. You want your site to stand out, be noticed and not look like everyone else’s. But you also want and NEED a site that can be up and running in a short period of time, is something that you can be comfortable working with and does not cost you an arm and a leg in the process. A WordPress site can do that for you… can your current site do all this:

• Easily change the look by installing a new theme
• Let you easily update the site
• Allow you to easily add new marketing mediums, blogging, video, podcasting & social media
• Expandable and adaptable website to allow you to add to new products, programs & features as you add them
• Need a membership site? No problem WordPress can handle that with WishList Member or Digital Access Pass
• Easily integrate your shopping cart and/or list building  into the site
• Add a forum in a matter of a couple hours… at most!

So make sure to plan

Take some time to look down the road and review the goals you have in place for your business. What areas of the business will you be developing in the next few months, what role does your website need to play? Will you be venturing into new forms of marketing? What features will you be needing with the new products and/or programs coming up in the next 12 – 18 months?

Do you feel you have a strong foundation in place to get started and grow with? If not contact me today for your FREE consultation and we can see if WordPress might be a good solution for you.

Mistakes Coaches Make When Setting Up a Website – Part 2

Site looks perfect – how do I add a page?

Okay you have totally awesome graphics, you love the look and feel of your website! You have it uploaded to your site either as a traditional HTML website or as a custom blog design. It looks great, you are getting great comments on the look of your website. Great that is what you were hoping for…

After a few weeks you realize you need to add a page or remove a page. You need to add some sub pages that appear when you hover over the navigation tab. Then it hits you, uh oh I don’t know how to do that!

You check with the designer and you find out that your entire menu is a graphic. So in order to add a page you will need a new graphic made, have it installed and linked to the new page.

Now I am not a proponent of the coach doing it all. Coaching, website guru, designer, bookkeeping, customer service etc. In fact I think that is the fastest way to burnout. BUT I firmly believe that you the coach needs to be able to quickly and easily jump into your site to make minor changes. That sentence that you REALLY want to tweak or add a new page, drop in a video etc.

In order to get that small little thing that is staring at you from your to-do-list you need to be able to jump in and take care of it in just a couple of minutes.

Your site looks incredible… content? I don’t remember what it was about.

You have your design in place and it looks great you are getting comments on how nice your site looks… but where are the comments on your content? On the great blog post? There may be a few mentions but not nearly as many as you thought.

Take a look at you design – is it overwhelming and taking away from the content? A nicely designed, professional looking website is a must but there is also such a thing as “Simple is Best”. When your content is getting lost in the beautiful design it may be time to reconsider the design.

I have seen some gorgeous websites and I get caught up in the design details and then have to scroll down to the content.  Not good! You are establishing your online presence to have people get to know you and what you offer, not how wonderful your designer is.

Don’t get me wrong I think a designer is an important part of the team and the right designer who gets what you are trying to accomplish can create something for you that looks incredible but does not take away from your content.

What can overwhelm your content?

• A header section that is wide and moves the content to the bottom of the screen or below it sometimes.
• Sidebars that have huge loud graphics so that your eyes bounce from sidebar to side bar missing the juicy content in the middle.

So what do you need to consider before having a custom design created?

• What is my message? What do I want to convey right away when a visitor arrives on my site?
• Will my content and headlines be visible right away or does the header move it all to the bottom?
• How many sidebars do I really need? Will 1 be enough or do I need 2? What can I do to keep the important info displayed but not overwhelm?
• Can I add and delete pages without needing a new graphic made?
• Are there different page styles available? Full page (no sidebars), Left or Right Sidebar only (only 1 sidebar) etc.

If you have a website for your coaching business is there anything you would love to change right now? If so what  and why?

Mistakes Coaches Make When Setting Up A Website – Part 1

When starting your coaching practice you know one of the first things you need to to is set up your presence on the web a place to start getting your name out there. It is an important piece of the puzzle so make sure you take the time to think it through.

The All-In-One Website for Coaches

Actually, I almost have a hard time calling this one a mistake. This is a great concept and can be a very inexpensive way to get started. It will have all the features and tools you need, all under one roof.

• Website
• Blog
• Shopping Cart
• Newsletter
• Sometimes even a membership site

And the best part? One login! Nice – that is probably my favorite part

But here is the bad part… as your business grows, as you expand your products and services – 9 times out of 10 this type of set up will not grow with you.  You will be limited by template options, number of pages, tool, features and bandwidth. You can always upgrade to get a bit more of what you need but by that time you are probably paying an arm and  a leg.

So next you start looking for new options for your website… here comes the ugly part.

All of a sudden you now need to go get hosting, shopping cart, newsletter service and set up a membership site. Oh but wait now you need to move all of your content over, but what about ALL your blog posts? Sorry their blog software is not compatible with WordPress, Blogger or Typepad. So either your lose all the content or start moving over each post one by one. Now you are hearing and feeling the big ouch!

So what should you do? Ask your colleagues, check on the coaching forums you visit, ask on Twitter! Find out what is working for your fellow coaches, what they like, what they don’t like, what they wish they had done different or features they find helpful. The feedback you receive will give you a starting point in your research.

Here are a few things you need to keep in mind:

1. Scalable - will the site grow with you?
2. Adaptable – will the site allow you to install new features and allow you to show video, podcasts, social media updates?
3. Manageable – can you go in and change that word or sentence that is driving you nuts without waiting for your web designer or virtual assistant?
4. Customizable – will it allow you to add color, styles, design options that fit you, your brand and speak to your target audience?

My personal bias is WordPress – scalable, adaptable, manageable and customizable.

Start with what you need:

WordPress – Free

Theme / Design – There are tons of free and low cost options available.

Hosting – You can easily can find something for under $10.00 per month.

Domain – Usually $10-15 per year.

Newsletter Service – From Free to under $25 per month, lots of options to consider.

When you are ready… you can easily add a shopping cart, membership site, forum, social network… your options are wide open.

Are you a DIYer? Check out my resource pages for recommendations and options. I’m adding more as I find tools that may help you, feel free to check back often.

Not so much a DIYer? Not to worry, feel free to contact me and we can set up a time to go over your options and figure out what will work best for you.

What questions do you have about setting up your coaching website?

WordPress Wednesday – Pretty Permalinks

Not only will setting up your permalinks help in your SEO efforts but it also gives your blog posts and website a more professional look and feel.

Here is the information from WordPress on different style of permalinks you can use:

http://codex.wordpress.org/Using_Permalinks

WordPress Wednesday – Favorite Plugins List

The beauty of WordPress is that there are so many different options out there that add a tremendous amount of functionality to your site. Plugins are fun! Here is a quick list of some of my favorites:

1. Akismet – Control the spam comments that bloggers get attacked with. Akismet works great for my sites.
2. Audio Player – Great option for adding a simple player for your MP3 files to a post or page.
3. Exclude Pages from Navigation – Simple way for you to manage which pages do and do not show up in your navigation bar.
4. My Page Order – If you want a simple drag and drop way to organize your navigation bar, this is a great tool to have on hand.
5. Sociable – Make it easy for your subscribers and visitors to share your blog post on social networking sites.
6. Subscribe to Comments – Allow your visitors to get updates when you reply to a comment or a new comment is started. Great way to keep the conversation going.
7. TweetMeme – Super duper easy way to retweet your blog post, probably one of the more recognizable features on a blog these days.
8. Twitter Tools - Sorry to say but this has been mostly replaced by TweetMeme and Sociable but still a great option to connect your Twitter account and keep it updated as new posts are published.
9. What Would Seth Godin Do? – Love the name… offer an easy way for your visitors to subscribe to your RSS feed.
10. WordPress Automatic Upgrade – Keep your WordPress up-to-date with a simple upgrade option.
11. WordPress Database Backup – Keep your content safe and set up a weekly back up of your site.

There are so many different plugins to choose from. These work great for me but your site and needs may be different and most likely there is someone somewhere with the same needs who has created a great solution. Check out the plugins directory here.

How to choose a WordPress Theme

Choosing  a theme for your site is hard, at least it is for me. I get caught up in looking at alllllll the options and the possibilities. If you were sitting next to me you probably would hear a lot of, “Oh that looks cool”, “Oh yeah those colors work”, “Oh neat feature, how could I use that?” and on and on….

Like most I have waded through my share of the free themes on WordPress.org looking for just the perfect theme. In time I learned a few things…

1) I really like working with WordPress and that in order to do the things I wanted to I was going to need to get some training. Which I did and became even more hooked!

2) Many of the free themes were incredibly frustrating to adapt to what I needed and had little to no support… usually no.

3) The code many times was sloppy and not well organized – making a simple change to even the font size could be a messy business.

It didn’t take me long to get the clue that the Premium Themes were with the moolah. I could find a layout I liked and could use and adapt it with my colors, logos, styles etc. It was a dream! At that point I could concentrate on setting up and customizing the code and not spend half my time wading through code that would make little to no sense.

That is when I discovered Brian Gardner and some of his earlier Free themes – on the recommendation of one of my blog training courses.  This opened up a whole new world. That soon led me to purchasing a Premium Theme package from Brian Gardner’s Studio Press. Then I was sold! Since then, I have looked back and refer to them often. In working with my clients I have also used iThemes with great results, features and support.

This is definitely a case of you get what you pay for.

So what should you look for in a WordPress Theme?

1) As with any theme – layout is important.

2) What page options do you have? Full, 1 Column, 2 Column, Blog etc.

3) Reputation of the designer – do an Internet search on the designer’s name or the business name, you will get a clue fairly quick on their reputation.

4) Is their an active support system. Do they have a help desk? Do they have forums – active forums? This will also give you a good idea on the responsiveness of their support and a chance to find answers to your questions… usually with solutions or new ideas.

5) Most importantly…. do you like the designs offered?

There are TONS of premium themes out there, which is good, a lot of options for you. Just make sure to take the time to research the options first and feel free to ask!

Your Virtual Assistant Partner

This is an interesting concept… one that has different connotations for different people.

Last night I was researching and surfing the net for ideas and ran across this article from Karyn Greenstreet with tips and ideas on finding and working with a virtual assistant. In this article she talks about the idea of the Virtual Assistant as a partner, it made me stop and think.

“Some VAs are taught that they should be a “partner” with you in your business. On the surface, this sounds great. However, I have heard too many horror stories about VAs who did things without asking permission, from modifying website text to changing established class titles”

When I am talking with clients, both perspective and current, are we clearly defining that role together?

Personally I consider myself to be a partner in the success of my clients business. But! I think that the term partner needs to be defined.

I like this definition of partner from Wikipedia:

“A friend who shares a common interest or participates in achieving a common goal.”

And this one from Dictionary.com:

“A person who shares or is associated with another in some action or endeavor; sharer; associate.”

Each of these definitions include the word share and that is a key part of my own personal definition. As a virtual assistant my role is to support you, my client, using my skills and expertise. For some clients that means an occasional project here and there and for others it means stepping up to a bigger role of working in their business on a daily basis.

Being a partner also means getting to know your business and being able to say, “Here is what I can do for you” and not just asking, “How can I help?”. There is a difference.

As a virtual assistant who works closely with a client you see and understand the dreams, the goals and the overall big picture. When you commit time and resources to that big picture you have a vested interest in helping them succeed.

You understand their vision, you see what needs to happen and can create a suggested plan of action to get them there. As a VA, this is an exciting place to be.

It does not mean the VA takes over and makes the decisions,  it does mean we tap into our education and knowledge to share with you tips and strategies that we see would make a positive impact on bringing that vision to life. Together we decide if this is a course of action that will work.

The word partner is a collaborative word, not an independent word.

How do you define the word partner?

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