You know you want to quit your soul sucking day job in favor of the freedom of self-employment, but you aren’t clear on the steps to take.

You want to take an exotic vacation, but you aren’t sure where to go—or how to make it happen.

You want to grow your business, but aren’t even sure what that means.

The truth is, with ambiguous “goals” such as these, in five or ten years, you’ll still be stuck right where you’re at today.

But with a little clarity, you can achieve any goal you can conceive—and even some you cannot yet dream of. And the first step is to simply visualize what you want.

How Vision Boards Work

A vision board is a planning tool that allows you to unleash your creativity and daydream in a tangible format. By collecting images that represent your biggest goals and keeping them within sight, you’ll be better able to focus on the next steps to take to reach them.

Not only that, but vision boards can serve to keep you inspired when boredom strikes (as it inevitably will), and remind you of why you’re working so hard when all you want to do is take a nap.

How to Make a Vision Board

Creating a vision board is easy—and fun! You can create yours with paper and other art materials, or digitally using one of many online apps, Pinterest, or even Microsoft OneNote or Evernote. While digital boards are definitely more portable, physical boards are often more inspiring. There’s just something about engaging all your senses that makes a tangible vision board more effective.

To create your board, start by collecting images that represent your biggest goals and dreams. Photos from a favorite family vacation, ads for an expensive dress you want to buy, a playbill for a Broadway show you want to see, or even a dollar figure representing your desired bank account balance are all good ways to visualize your goals. Add them to your new vision board.

Next, be sure to include phrases and quotes that inspire you and keep you going even when things get tough. Sometimes a few words of wisdom from someone you admire is all it takes to get you back on track after a rough spot.

Finally, remember this: Your vision board is a living document. Your dreams and goals will change. Some you will achieve and remove from your board to make room for bigger and better dreams. Some you will decide don’t matter so much anymore, and you’ll trade them for some others. It’s your vision, and it’s completely up to you what dreams you choose to follow—just be sure that you do follow them.

The post Getting Clear on Your Business and Life Goals appeared first on ReviewsPop.

While you may be intimidated by these big name brands using these chatbots, don’t be. Dozens of companies offer a specialized platform that creates these bots for nominal monthly fees. While they all have basic free accounts you can start with, if you want more robust features you’ll have to pay a monthly fee, anywhere from $10 – $99 per month. These platforms and these costs are also for do-it-yourselfers who will customize their own bots. Each company has a support team waiting to help you and answer questions, but keep in mind this is a DIY project unless you have a larger budget to pay one of their specialists to do it for you.

Analyze If You Need a Bot

Before you sign up for a free chatbot account, determine if a chatbot is necessary for your business. Bots primarily handle customer service and sales inquiries, so first examine how many customer service calls or emails you handle. Do you receive multiple calls a day or just once or twice a month? Do you get other calls or inquiries that are not customer service or sales related? You can probably create a bot to handle those calls.

Can you afford a monthly fee? Again, you can start for free with most of these companies however you’ll have access to fewer features and some companies place a watermark on the messages associated with a free account. So, what features do you really need and how professional will it look to clients or prospects to have another company’s watermark on your chatbot? It appears that each of these companies have tiered pricing and allow you to upgrade as you need it.

Do you have the time to create these conversations? You’ll have to play mind reader a bit to anticipate what questions your prospects will ask and you’ll want to craft a warm welcome message. All this takes time unless you hire a ghostwriter to do it for you. Writing will also take you away from your coaching and marketing tasks so you’ll need to determine if writing your bot conversations is the best use of your time.

Can you see the value in having a bot or is this “bright shiny object syndrome?” In other words, are you drawn to purchasing products or trainings because it’s the latest and greatest thing or because it will add value to your business? Investing in a bot – no matter how big or small the price tag – is only worthwhile if it gets used.

Making a Plan for Your Chatbot

One of the best ways to determine if a chatbot is a good investment for your business is to make a plan of action. With my latest planner, Close Sales with Facebook Messenger Bots, I’ll walk you through the process of choosing a chatbot company (including recommendations), help you set a goal for your bot, and give you some writing tips for crafting your messages. Every chapter has exercises for you to complete since your business is unique from other coaches and you’ll have a much better understanding of how bots work and how they can work for you. [INSERT PURCHASE LINK HERE]

Is a Facebook Messenger Bot Right for Your Business?

Have you heard of these Facebook Messenger bots or seen them in action? It’s a very interesting technology that allows a brand to connect directly with their consumers to help them with a problem. You can order a Domino’s Pizza from their bot or select a bouquet of flowers to be delivered from the 1-800-Flowers bot. Or you can look up a quick recipe on the Whole Foods bot and know which ingredients you need after work. Other big name brands that use bots include Uber, Lowe’s, Volkswagon, and Budweiser.

While you may be intimidated by these big name brands using these chatbots, don’t be. Dozens of companies offer a specialized platform that creates these bots for nominal monthly fees. While they all have basic free accounts you can start with, if you want more robust features you’ll have to pay a monthly fee, anywhere from $10 – $99 per month. These platforms and these costs are also for do-it-yourselfers who will customize their own bots. Each company has a support team waiting to help you and answer questions, but keep in mind this is a DIY project unless you have a larger budget to pay one of their specialists to do it for you.

Analyze If You Need a Bot

Before you sign up for a free chatbot account, determine if a chatbot is necessary for your business. Bots primarily handle customer service and sales inquiries, so first examine how many customer service calls or emails you handle. Do you receive multiple calls a day or just once or twice a month? Do you get other calls or inquiries that are not customer service or sales related? You can probably create a bot to handle those calls.

Can you afford a monthly fee? Again, you can start for free with most of these companies however you’ll have access to fewer features and some companies place a watermark on the messages associated with a free account. So, what features do you really need and how professional will it look to clients or prospects to have another company’s watermark on your chatbot? It appears that each of these companies have tiered pricing and allow you to upgrade as you need it.

Do you have the time to create these conversations? You’ll have to play mind reader a bit to anticipate what questions your prospects will ask and you’ll want to craft a warm welcome message. All this takes time unless you hire a ghostwriter to do it for you. Writing will also take you away from your coaching and marketing tasks so you’ll need to determine if writing your bot conversations is the best use of your time.

Can you see the value in having a bot or is this “bright shiny object syndrome?” In other words, are you drawn to purchasing products or trainings because it’s the latest and greatest thing or because it will add value to your business? Investing in a bot – no matter how big or small the price tag – is only worthwhile if it gets used.

Making a Plan for Your Chatbot

One of the best ways to determine if a chatbot is a good investment for your business is to make a plan of action. With my latest planner, Close Sales with Facebook Messenger Bots, I’ll walk you through the process of choosing a chatbot company (including recommendations), help you set a goal for your bot, and give you some writing tips for crafting your messages. Every chapter has exercises for you to complete since your business is unique from other coaches and you’ll have a much better understanding of how bots work and how they can work for you. [INSERT PURCHASE LINK HERE]

The post Is a Facebook Messenger Bot Right for Your Business? appeared first on ReviewsPop.

Cela dit, il y a des moments où être trop patient peut être dû à de la procrastination

Alors, quand est-ce que le fait d’attendre ne relève plus de la patience et peut être assimilé à de la procrastination ?

Être patient peut parfois, consciemment ou inconsciemment, être confondu avec la procrastination. Certaines personnes justifient le temps qu’elles attendent pour réparer un objectif ou pour terminer une tâche donnée par de la patience alors qu’en réalité elles procrastinent. Nous connaissons tous de telles personnes dans notre entourage, et peut-être même que vous faites partie de cette catégorie.

Nous attendons parfois sans agir dans l’espoir que quelqu’un d’autre prend les devants ou que la tâche qui attend d’être accomplie disparaisse par elle-même. Ou bien alors nous prétendons que nous attendons que quelque chose de mieux arrive pour que l’on puisse accomplir une tâche donnée. Par exemple, au lieu de nous efforcez à remettre le rapport dans les plus brefs délais, on préfère viser le deadline, et parfois à ne pas dépasser trop la dépasser.

Peut-être hésitons-nous à faire un geste ou à dire quelque chose parce que nous attendons patiemment que l’autre personne bouge. Au final, nous gâchons la relation parce que nous avons choisi d’attendre. Au lieu de sauter sur une opportunité qui se présente, nous avons peur de prendre une décision où nous ne sommes pas sûres, nous tergiversons et nous attendons. Bien souvent, nous utiliserons l’excuse facile de la patience, quand vraiment nous remettons à plus tard la prise de décision.

Un autre problème avec la procrastination est qu’elle peut résulter en la prise d’une mauvaise décision, tout comme lorsque nous prenons des décisions hâtives. Puisque nous avons mis de côté cette tâche pendant un trop long moment, quand nous prenons finalement une décision, c’est souvent une décision hâtive faite à la dernière minute. Nous avons manqué une opportunité à cause des tergiversations que nous avons pu avoir, alors quand la prochaine décision à prendre arrive, nous agissons sans trop réfléchir. Comme dans toute chose dans la vie, nous devons trouver le bon équilibre. Il ne faut pas trop attendre au risque de laisser passer une opportunité et il ne faut pas perdre patience et agir sans réfléchir.

The post Comment éviter que la patience ne tourne à la procrastination appeared first on ReviewsPop.

Le syndrome de la page blanche toucherait particulièrement les écrivains en mal d’inspiration. Toutefois, il pourrait atteindre le peintre, le journaliste, le compositeur ou encore l’architecte autrement dit tout individu dont l’ouvrage nécessite une part de créativité ou d’innovation.

Bien que cela soit vrai pour la plupart des emplois, l’écriture est certainement un travail où la créativité et l’inspiration sont particulièrement importantes ; encore plus s’il s’agit de fiction. C’est pourquoi le syndrome de la page blanche est un tel problème pour les auteurs. Quand ces derniers se retrouvent face à une page blanche et qu’ils ont une date limite pour remettre leur première ébauche, comment peuvent-ils surmonter cela afin de créer leur chef-d’œuvre ?

Même si vous n’êtes pas un écrivain, votre travail impliquera probablement un minimum de capacité d’écriture, que ce soit pour écrire un texte de présentation pour votre site Web ou pour écrire une lettre à un client. Pour cette raison, il peut être intéressant pour tout le monde d’apprendre quelques techniques pour pallier au manque d’inspiration.

Techniques pour surmonter les blocages

Une méthode pour surmonter le syndrome de la page blanche consiste simplement à commencer à écrire. Cela peut aussi dire que vous deviez écrire tout ce qui passe par votre esprit sans se soucier du rendu. En d’autres termes, il est préférable d’avoir quelque chose sur la page, qui pourrait être bonifiée plus tard, que de faire face à une page blanche.

Et si malgré cela vous n’arrivez toujours pas à écrire, même si ce que vous allez écrire est bancal, alors vous pouvez écrire quelque chose de différent à la place. Essayez d’écrire une lettre ou un e-mail sans importance, ou même une histoire courte juste pour le plaisir. Vous constaterez alors que cela réchauffera votre cerveau et que les mots recommenceront à émerger de votre esprit.

Autres problèmes

Mais n’accusez pas toujours votre manque d’inspiration. Le syndrome de la page blanche est un phénomène réel, en effet, mais il fait aussi un très bon bouc émissaire quand on ne sait juste pas quoi écrire ou quand on est juste pas d’humeur. Si vous écrivez de la fiction par exemple, la raison pour laquelle vous n’arrivez pas à mettre en action votre imagination est peut-être due au fait que vous trouvez ce chapitre ennuyeux. Au lieu de vous forcer à l’écrire, demandez-vous comment vous pourriez animer un peu plus les choses. Après tout, si c’est une corvée pour vous à écrire, imaginez un peu ce que cela va être pour vos lecteurs ?

De même, il se peut que vous soyez fatiguée, que votre environnement vous distraie ou que vous ne soyez pas à l’aise. Essayez d’aborder le problème par tous les angles possibles, plutôt que d’un seul, pour mettre toutes les chances de votre côté !

The post Comment surmonter le syndrome de la page blanche appeared first on ReviewsPop.

Knowing the keywords you’d like to be known for is critical for attracting “organic” traffic to your site, but that’s only one part of the equation. You also have to use your keywords strategically.

Page Titles or Subjects

If you’re tempted to use cute, clever blog post titles, keep this in mind: The subject is the keyword field to which Google and other search providers give the most weight. Don’t waste that space with a clever turn of phrase. Instead, be clear and concise, and say exactly what your article or post is about.

Sub-Headings

Everyone today is in a hurry. We rarely read an entire article from start to finish. Instead, we “skim” it for the most important points before deciding if we want to invest the time in a more complete reading. If your post or article is more than a few paragraphs long, be sure to include sub-headings to give the skimmers an overview.

Not only are you providing time-pressed visitors a birds-eye view but sub-headings also tell the search engines what your content is about. Be sure to use your keywords strategically in your sub-headings so Google (and others) know how to classify your posts.

Image Titles and File Names

Search for nearly anything on Google, and you’ll see images appear at the top of the search results. These images will almost always have file names and titles that correspond to the keyword you’ve searched.

You can—and should—make use of your chosen keywords by naming any images appropriately and setting the titles and alt attributes to clearly describe what the image is.

Meta Descriptions

The meta description is the snippet of text that shows up below a listing in Google and other search engines. With WordPress, you can either explicitly declare a meta description with the use of a plugin such as WordPress SEO by Yoast or let Google decide what to use.

While the meta description itself has no weight when it comes to your search results placement, it can have a great deal of impact on whether or not someone clicks through to your site. Take care to write a compelling description that contains the keyword you want to be found for.

Inbound Links

As you’re creating new blog posts and pages on your site, it’s a good idea to link from one to another. This serves two purposes: it helps readers learn more about a subject, and it helps the search engines find and explore other content on your site. In both cases, it’s helpful to use keywords as the “anchor text” for these links. It’s a clear declaration to both human and non-human readers that the content linked to is about a specific subject.

Content

It should go without saying that including keywords in your content is important not only for search engines but for readers, too. But don’t make the mistake of using the same phrase over and over again. Doing so will turn your readers off.

Instead, use variations of your keyword throughout the text of your article. You won’t bore your readers, plus you’ll reinforce your main point with the search engines, which are now smart enough to recognize synonyms and rank your content accordingly.

Don’t worry if you don’t get your SEO perfect right out of the gate. It can take time to properly optimize a website for search—and some would argue that it’s a never-ending job—but do keep these 6 areas in mind for every post you make and your site will be much easier to find in a search.

The post 6 Places to Use Keywords to Make Your Content More Visible appeared first on ReviewsPop.

You’re not alone in that thinking, but the fact is, copywriting is more than just sales messages. In fact, as an online business owner, most of the content you produce could be called copywriting at least in some sense. After all, if you’re creating content with the ultimate goal of selling something, that is by definition copywriting.

Facebook

Sure we all like to hang out on Facebook and chat with friends, catch up on the latest funny videos, and enjoy a mindless “quiz” or two. But for coaches, Facebook is much more than that. It’s a place to connect with potential clients, and that means that when you’re sharing your latest blog post or program with your business friends, you have to keep good copywriting in mind.

LinkedIn Profile

What makes you stand out from the other coaches in your niche? Your LinkedIn profile is where you share what makes you the best person to solve your ideal client’s problems. It’s where you shout about your credentials and let your ego run the show. Think of your LinkedIn profile like a resume, and be sure to list your most impressive credentials.

About Page

Here’s your chance to have some fun while blowing your own horn. It’s important to know that the about page is often the most visited page on a website, so it’s a critical piece of your overall brand and message. The purpose of your about page is to entice people to want to learn more about your services, so be sure to include a call to action on the page.

Blog Posts

All blog posts have a job to do. Maybe they’re meant to lead your reader to a sales page. Perhaps you’re asking for readers to subscribe to your mailing list. Maybe your blog post is designed to start a conversation. Or maybe it’s just sharing great content and inviting readers to learn more by clicking on related posts. Whatever the job, it’s copywriting that entices your reader to take that next action.

Twitter

One hundred and forty characters is precious little space for creating compelling content, yet that’s exactly what you must do if you hope to use Twitter as part of your overall marketing strategy. Think of tweets like email subject lines, and craft them to convey as much information as possible while still enticing readers to take action.

Email

Whether you’re sending an email about a new product or service or simply letting readers know you have a new blog post up, your email definitely qualifies as copywriting. In fact, even the personal emails you send to prospective clients contain what we would call copywriting.

The fact is, copywriting is everywhere in your business, from your sales pages to your invoices. Whenever you ask a reader to take some action, you’re writing copy, and the more comfortable with the idea of it, the better (and more natural) you’ll become.

The post Seven Surprising Places You’re Using Copywriting (And You Probably Don’t Realize It) appeared first on ReviewsPop.

Myth #1: You must use every single social media platform.

Expanding your reach is certainly a goal for business owners and coaches as that yields more sales and personal clients, which equals increased income. However, the real question to ask before signing up for every platform is: where is my ideal client? Using Facebook just because it has over 1 billion users doesn’t mean those 1 billion users will find you and start purchasing. Identify your ideal client and find out where they hang out. Those are the platforms you should use.

Myth #2: Aim for every post to go viral.

It’s always fun to see a post go viral as they are usually entertaining or thought provoking but of the viral campaigns you’ve noticed recently, could you say what company sponsored them? I can’t either. Aim to provide value in your posts mixed in with some of your personality as opposed to aiming for shock or entertainment value. Your ideal client wants to learn from you so your valuable lesson will be heard and remembered long after the latest viral video fades away.

Myth #3: Having a large number of followers equals increased profits.

It sure is an ego boost to see a large number of social media followers but are these followers interacting with you? Are they liking or sharing your posts? Are they leaving comments? If not, then chances are they are not your ideal client and chances are they will never purchase one of your packages. Evaluate your own posts; it’s quite possible they’re boring and that’s the reason for no response. Be more creative with your posts and watch for audience interaction. This directs back to the need for niching down to your ideal customer. You’re not appealing to everyone; you’re appealing to a small fraction of the world’s population. Pay attention to finding that demographic and the number of engaged audience members will follow, as will the profits.

Develop Your Personalized Action Plan at Social Media Bootcamp

Dig deeper into your business and develop your unique social media plan by joining my Social Media Bootcamp. In this home study course, you’ll receive 4 modules that focus on the important steps necessary to craft a strategic social media plan. Work at your own pace; no pressure from me! Each module has thought-provoking exercises plus Action Plans to use as to do lists for making things happen in your social media world. Invest in yourself and you’ll see a change in your audience and your engagement. JOIN THE CLUB NOW !

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That said, here’s the number one thing your readers are looking for: solutions to their problem. It’s ultimately why they’ve joined your list in the first place. Your opt-in incentive solved a problem they were having and now they’re counting on you to continue to provide the solutions they need.

These solutions can take many different forms, including:

Straight Information

This is similar to a blog post or article. It answers a question (much like this blog does) your readers have and gives them the info they need to move to the next step.

Maybe you’ve discovered an easier way to track conversions on Facebook ads, or gathered some interesting stats on content marketing for coaches, or learned a new method for promoting Kindle books.

Share with your readers. Don’t ask for anything in return; just send them the info they need. By offering these information only emails, you’ll show your list members that you’re not just another marketer trying to sell them something. Instead, you’ll be seen as a valuable source of information (and your open rates will improve, too).

Offers

Of course, that doesn’t mean you can’t ever sell anything to your list. You’d be shooting yourself in the foot if you did that. Not to mention you’d go broke pretty quickly!

In fact, since your readers have trusted you to provide them with the very best information available in your niche, it’s important that you DO create and send them offers. They need your:

• Coaching programs

• Self-study training

• eBooks and guides

• Private coaching and mentoring

So be sure to include these offers in your mailings from time to time.

Tools and Training from Others

As we’ve already said, your audience is depending on you to find and share the best information in your niche. Sometimes, that will take the form of an affiliate offer for a new tool, specialized training, free webinar, or other offers.

If you’re new to list building, it might be helpful for you to remember that these offers are meant to help your audience, not sell to them. Even though you might earn a small commission, it’s likely not your primary goal. When you approach your email from the standpoint of being helpful rather than being a sales person, it’s much easier to get past that “what should I mail” question.

The post List Engagement: What to Mail appeared first on ReviewsPop.

Whew! That’s a lot of jobs for a single website to do. If you choose a versatile content management system such as WordPress though, you can easily incorporate those tasks and so much more.

Fast and Easy Website Setup

In the time it takes to finish your morning coffee, you can have a website created and live on the Internet using WordPress. Most hosting companies offer “one-click installs” for WordPress, meaning it will take only about 5 minutes to create your website. From there, it’s a matter of choosing a theme and adding content.

Even if you’re not technically inclined, WordPress is simple to use. And with a huge, helpful community of users, you can quickly find the answer for everything from “how do I install WordPress” to “how can I create a membership site” with just a Google search.

Your Site, Your Style

With thousands of free and premium themes available, it’s easy to find a look that’s just right for your brand and business. Want something more customized? Many themes offer easy, drag-and-drop editing of layouts, colors and more, but if you want something designed just for you, there are thousands of capable developers to build you a custom design.

Plugins Add Greater Flexibility

Originally designed as a blogging platform, WordPress earned its early popularity by making this rather technical chore easy for thousands of new bloggers. Today it’s no longer known as just a blogging tool. Instead, site owners use WordPress as the basis for:

• Shopping carts

• Membership sites

• Sales pages

• Wikis

• Personal journals

• Online directories

• Non-profit fundraising

• Video blogging

• Podcasting

• News sites

• Recipe blogs

• Photography sites

• And dozens of others

The combination of themes and plugins—small software add-ons that install directly into your WordPress site—make the possibilities nearly endless, so no matter what you need a website to do, chances are good that WordPress can handle it.

The post The Only Website Builder You’ll (Probably) Ever Need appeared first on ReviewsPop.

A blog is an easy, cost-effective method of being found by the exact people who most need, want, and are willing to pay for your services. But only if you have a good strategy in place first.

Know Your Keywords

These are the search terms your ideal client is using to find answers to her questions. When you know what your keywords are, you can easily create blog posts that will:

• Attract the right visitors to your site

• Position you as the expert in your niche

• Make it easy for your ideal client to find—and get to know—you and your services

Write for People

While it’s important to know and use keywords in your blog posts, it’s even more important that you write your content with people in mind over search engines. Your blog should be engaging, informational, and even entertaining, but above all else it must be readable.

Be Consistent

Content marketing—and blogging, by extension—is very much a numbers game. The more content you produce, the greater your results will be. That means setting—and sticking to—a content production schedule is a must.

For most websites, a weekly schedule is both attainable and sufficient to build a steady stream of traffic.

Keep Long-Term Goals in Mind

Blogging is not a fast business-growth strategy but it is excellent for long-term sustainability. Those posts you write this month will continue to work for you many years from now, bringing in more and more traffic and potential clients.

Use Good SEO Practices

Aside from keywords, great bloggers know there are many techniques you can use to bring in more readers, including:

• Link out to authority sites from within your blog

• Link internally to other, related content on your own sites

• Use graphics and sub-headlines to break up long text passages

• Take the time to write compelling meta descriptions

• Create content that other sites will link to

Get the Word Out

Each new blog post is an opportunity to be seen, so take the time to share your content socially, and encourage your readers to do the same. Share your post on your Facebook page, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest and anywhere else your ideal client is likely to see it.

Mix It Up

Not every post has to be a 3,000 word article. Include other types of content as well, such as:

• Video

• Infographics

• Curated content

• Short opinion pieces

• Audio

Have Fun with It

Above all else, have some fun. Inject your personality into your blog. Not only will you more easily attract your ideal client but you’ll enjoy blogging a lot more if you use your authentic voice. And the more you enjoy it, the more likely you will remain consistent as well.

The post Blogging Basics: How to Get More Eyes on Your Website appeared first on ReviewsPop.