Secrets to business online2016

Online Business Success

Marketing is only the tip of the iceberg

OnlineBusiness

The system and tools to help your business grow and thrive

Barbara Saunders

Solo Pro Success

SoloProSuccess.com

The Kayak Business Model

The Solo Pro Business Model

A Strategically Built One-Person Craft

What You Need To Know

❖ Who your ideal client is❖ What you’re delivering and how

❖ Your business model❖ How do you want to be paid

❖ Where do you want to end up❖ The lifestyle you want to live

One More Thing You Need To KnowYou must invest in your business for it to survive.

The Systems of Business

The structure of a 21st Century business

Well-defined systems keep your business running.

Kayak Business Model Structure

Your Business

Income

Back End CustomerOffer

Your Expert Personality

Your Lifestyle

Build in PhasesPhase I: Concept and Brand

Phase II: Community Outreach

Phase III: Profile Polishing

Phase IV: Offer Testing

Phase V: Website Development

Investment

Your Business Solar System

Think beyond a digital brochure

A world of business possibilities.

Your Home BaseBack-End Systems

Your Satellites

The cocktail parties, barbecue and water coolers of the online world

Find people to invite to your Home Base.

Manage your online reputation

Polish Your Profiles

Branding and positioning start with your core message carried through your website and social media profiles.

Note: Don’t rush out to hire a Designer! Target, Structure & Functionality firstThen messaging - then design.

Tools Streamline Your Business

Automate. Delegate. Delete.

The jobs you need tools for

Basic Back-End Business Centers❖ Market, connect and communicate❖ Team up with others❖ Integrate with other services❖ Create and deliver❖ Invoice and take money❖ Track and report❖ Manage time and resources

Modular Web Platform for Business

WordPress Themes & Plugins❖ It’s powerful and user friendly

❖ Grows with you❖ Modular and customizable

❖ Secure❖ Tons of possibilities

Add Web-Based Tools

❖ Extend capabilities❖ Automate and integrate

❖ Connect with your email service and social media profiles

❖ Streamline your business process

Make Your Site Safe and Easy to Find

❖ Akismet Plugin - anti spam

❖ WordPress Security❖ WordPress SEO Plugin by Yoast

❖ Google Analytics for WP Dashboard❖ Google Analytics plugin to add your

tracking code to your pages

❖ Backup Buddy by iThemes ($80)

Essential Plugins for Everyone

Online Business Growth Phases

Strategic phases puts structure in place for the next phase

The phases reduce false starts and wasted resources.

Tailor Your Business

Concentrate on this first!

A custom-tailored suit enhances your assets.

Phase I: Concept and Brand

Tools For Your Expert Personality Block

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Build the business that fits YOU



❖ People Powered Experts❖ The Motivator (Speaker, Author)

❖ The Teacher - (Coach, Counselor)

❖ Promoters, Sales & PR Pros❖ The Connector

❖ Process / Outcome Focused Pros❖ Analytic Advisor

❖ Creative Problem Solvers

❖ Experience Facilitators

❖ Skilled Creators❖ The Artisan

❖ The Professional Creator

❖ Expert, Curator, Intelligence Center❖ The Industry Insider

The Client is Essential

You are NOT your client.

You must know who you’re talking to for them to trust you.

Phase II: Community Outreach

Don’t skip over this!

Creating Connections

Customer Block Marketing and Communicating

Social Media

Keeping Your Best Face Forward

Branding, Positioning, Messaging and Content Development

It’s the first impression that stays on the web forever!

Phase III: Profile Polishing

Create a Master Profile

Include a good pic:• Friendly• Professional (not sexy)• Up to date (no high school pics)• Use .jpg or .png NOT .gif• Zero in on eye contact• Remember: relationship building

Tip: Do this once and update it, keep it on your hard drive.

Profile Tips

• Be candid; show some personality • Be the expert; not a job seeker• Accomplishments and goals; not tasks• What makes you different• Include personal endeavors• Include a link to your website, blog• Write like you would talk—Do not

write to show how smart you are• Keep it short: Think sound bites

Each platform is different

Your Sales Force

Online Profile Management

Social media is the outreach tool of the 21st Century.A well-crafted profile builds credibility and builds brand recognition.

Join Groups

Pathway to Connection

CommentBlog Post

SurveyFree Offer

Collect Emails

Email

Email Services

❖ Aweber

❖ MailChimp❖ Vertical Response

❖ Constant Contact

Integrated Social Media Tools

❖ Automate posts to multiple platforms

❖ Pre-schedule posts to run on autopilot❖ Enhance reach and engagement

❖ Live chat

Integration Examples

❖ Buffer

❖ CoSchedule❖ HootSuite

❖ MeetEdgar❖ TweetLater

❖ SproutSocial❖ LeadPages

❖ Outsource tasks

WordPress JetPack❖ Adds customization, traffic, mobile,

content, and performance tools to your site

❖ Comes with most WP installation - just activate

❖ Multiple features you activate:

❖ Customize site’s features (widgets…)❖ Share content

❖ Create forms❖ Engage Visitors

A Word About Content

You MUST create content

Learn to talk to your clients in different mediums

Content Strategy is King

Productivity Tip: Editorial Calendar

❖ Every business type needs to create content

❖ Plan content themes by quarter❖ Bite-sized ‘sound bites’ regularly

❖ Schedule through out the week or month

Schedule Appointments | Plan Events❖ Editorial Calendar Plugin: create/schedule posts

❖ Events Manager Plugin: display events, sell tickets and market

❖ Appointment/Booking Scheduler Plugins Clients can book appointments through your site

❖ Web-based Options:

❖ Schedulicity

❖ TimeDriver❖ Appointy Plug in for Wordpress

Content Funnels Process

Make your tools work together to grow your business

An example

Content Funnel PathwayAwareness on Social Media or in Person

The visit your website or Facebook page

You have a special offer for some free content in exchange for email.

Integration:Email ToolWebform

Leadpages Box

Schedule CallMake Apt

Buy ProductHire Me

You send estimate You get hired or they buy a product

Create a relationship with them through content: Newsletters, blogs, status updates, etc.

You get paid.You send an invoice if you’re hourly.

Offline Visibility

Think Solutions

People buy on emotion and rationalize with facts

One good solid offer can be repurposed in multiple ways.

Phase IV: Offer Testing

Offer Block

Services, Programs, Packages and Products

Transition AWAY from hourly work to grow your income.

Use Your Site To Create Income Generators

❖ Membership programs

❖ Online courses❖ Downloadable information products

❖ Online events and conferences❖ Podcasting/radio

❖ Blogs to books publishing

❖ Affiliate Programs

Your Business’s Home Base

Your website can run all the systems needed to make your business thrive.

This is where you invest

Phase V: Website Development

WordPress Themes

❖ Think FUNCTIONALITY, not design

❖ Clean, not cluttered❖ Go responsive

2016 Web Design Trends

Design Tip #1: Fonts

Distinctive - but readable - type is part of your branding and tone.


Design Tip #2: Flat

Flat design focuses on your content. Don’t get fancy.


Design Tip #3: Hover

When you scroll over the navigation bar or even some of the buttons, the different buttons change colors letting you know where you are on the site. Incorporating drop downs lets you get more info on a page while remaining uncluttered.


Design Tip #4: Scroll LinksYou click a link and it brings you to a different part of thepage. These are called ‘Anchor Links’.

Scrolling is a better option for a visitor's usability. Instead of clicking from one page to another to get all of the information, everything is on one page. No need for multiple pages to load. The content is in the order that makes the most sense for the visitor.


Design Tip #5: Big PixBig pix reinforce benefits of a feature (or service) by having the opportunity to point out valuable pieces.

It keeps the visitor thinking about the product with the visuals. We skim text, but the large product images give a solid idea of the product features.


Design Tip #6: VideosUse in-depth product (or service) videos to talk about the benefits.

92% of B2B customers watch online video and 43% of B2Bcustomers watch online video when researching products and services for their business. (Source Inc, Magazine)


Design Tip #7: IdeasStop over designing and start thinking about deliveringof ideas.

Back-End Block

Tools to connect your team

Avoid paper to keep everyone updated

Strategy First

Don’t obsess over tools

Tools support the strategy

Google Toolbox❖ Communicate

❖ Gmail

❖ Hangouts

❖ Calendar❖ Google+

❖ Store

❖ Drive

❖ Collaborate

❖ Docs

❖ Sheets

❖ Forms❖ Slides❖ Sites

❖ Manage

❖ Admin❖ Vault

Web-Based Collaboration Tools

❖ Asana

❖ Trello❖ Basecamp

❖ Orchestra❖ Flow

❖ Evernote

❖ WorkBoard

Your Income Block

Add functionality with plugins - or integrate outside

Sell and receive money through your website or a mobile device.

Payment Gateways

❖ Paypal❖ Stripe

❖ Square❖ ClickBank

❖ Authorize.Net❖ BluePay

eCommerce Plugins

❖ WooCommerce and Add ons

❖ OpenCart❖ WordPress eStore Plugin

Integrated eCommerce Solutions

❖ SendOwl.com - Sell digital products

❖ Shopify - Complete managed store❖ ClickBank

Take Payments in Person

❖ Paypal

❖ Square❖ Shopify

❖ Intuit

Invoices and Estimates

❖ WP Invoice: create and send web-invoices and setup recurring billing

❖ Sprout Invoices: Create estimates and invoices within your WordPress site

❖ Invoice King Pro: Invoice King Pro makes invoicing simple.

Integrated Invoicing Options

❖ FreshBooks.com

❖ 17Hats.com❖ Harvest (GetHarvest.com)

If you’re charging by the hour or have contractors

Time Tracker

A simple way to track your billable time for you, your staff and 3rd party contractors.

Web-based Productivity Tool | 17Hats.com❖ Contacts/clients database❖ Project Management Tool❖ Syncs with email❖ Calendar that syncs with your desktop❖ To-Do task list organizer❖ Invoicing by project❖ Time tracker

❖ Workflow organizer

❖ Bookkeeping feature - links with bank accounts and Paypal in real time, runs reports

Foundation Block

YOU are the most important asset in your business.

Tools to support your lifestyle.

A System of Mutual And Public Support

Bringing freelancers together to build smarter solutions for health care, retirement, wage security, and other broken systems.

Community, Benefits, Insurance, Discounts

Develop Your Community

Connect with others

Clients, Partners, Collaborators, Other Solos

Barbara Saunders (503) 616-3188

Solo Pro Success

SoloProSuccess.com

If you need help or have questions . . .