Category Archives: Online Marketing Tips

Connecting People for Mutual Benefit

The Art of Connecting People

When I attended my first marketing conference in the spring of 2008 there were more than two thousand people in attendance. I knew fewer than a dozen of them and had not met any of them in person previously. To say that I was intimidated would be an understatement. All of my fears rushed towards me when I thought o starting and growing an online business. But I managed to push those thoughts away and started speaking with the people around me.

It was on that first day that I discovered something about myself that I had never realized before; I had a gift for introducing people to others who would be beneficial connections for them in the near future. This happened quite my accident at first and soon I was enjoying the process of connecting people with others.

Allow me to explain this in a little more detail. It begins when I am speaking with someone in person. They say something that sticks in my brain as I continue to listen to them speak. Then I speak with someone else and somewhere deep in my mind I can feel a connection coming together. Then I introduce the two of them, excuse myself after a couple of minutes and leave them to figure out what that connection might me. Sometimes I hear from one or both of them about what they came up with. Many times I hear it from someone else days or weeks later. And in some cases I am still waiting to hear what happened after connecting people I believed were meant to know each other.

Without breaking confidentiality I will tell you that I have connected people within the online marketing space whom have gone on to create great things that benefit many people. I take no credit for this, as I am just acting on a gift from God that is part of who I am. But I do get pleasure from hearing about what has become of a relationship that I helped to initiate.

These days I am always focused on learning as much as I can about the people I meet from all walks of life to understand who they would most benefit from being connected with. If someone is resistant to this type of connection I step away because something in their life experience caused them to lack trust in others. But for those who are open to playing the game of life full out I enjoy the process immensely.

Have you ever connected two people who went on to have a positive and mutually beneficial relationship? What was that like for you? I truly believe there are no coincidences in our lives and that we are meant to connect with other people to further our work in the world. I would encourage you to think more about this concept and see what conclusions you come to about the power of connections and connecting people together.

I’m Connie Ragen Green, online marketing strategist, bestselling author, and international speaker on the topics of entrepreneurship and inner game mind shifts. Let’s connect to see how I may best serve you in the near future.

Positive Attitude: Maintaining This Mindset No Matter What

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Maintaining a Positive Attitude

I’ve been referred to as a “Pollyanna”, a term taken from the title character in a 1913 novel written by Eleanor H. Porter. This girl was an orphan who insists on maintaining a positive attitude and outlook on life despite her circumstances. There is even something known as the “Pollyanna Principle”. This is the tendency for people to remember pleasant items more accurately than unpleasant ones over time.

Even though I have been called out for always looking on the bright side of events and situations, I believe that my positive attitude is one worth fighting for in my life. Think about the implications of thinking positive on a regular basis. Here are some ways this mindset manifests itself in my life on a daily basis.

Many of the people I am around regularly seem to almost enjoy complaining about one thing or another. While I was working as a classroom teacher I had a strict “no complaining” policy with my students. Many of them would even catch themselves or others starting to complain and the complaint was quickly turned into a statement of gratitude, thankfulness, or appreciation. My students lived in the inner city of Los Angeles and were originally from Mexico or El Salvador. A cry of “too much homework!” would transform into “thank you for giving us homework” as they thought about friends, relatives, and neighbors who were now working in the fields instead of in school in the United States. It was a good reminder to all of us to see the joy in the life we have instead of wishing things were somehow better or different.

These days I employ a positive attitude about everything, so much so that people will occasionally roll their eyes or shake their heads when I make one of my positive observations. Raining too hard? I am thankful for the rain during our drought. Car accident? I am grateful no one was injured and that insurance will cover the necessary repairs. Laid off from a job? I appreciate the opportunity to pursue another field or to start a business.

Now I will agree that it may be difficult to see the silver lining in the cloud or the light at the end of the tunnel when someone first happens. Change can be scary, especially when it is thrust upon us suddenly and without warning. But if you can just stay positive and focused and believe that it is a blessing in disguise you will land on your feet more quickly.

Think about a situation in which you were very upset and that turned out to be better than you ever could have imagined. I promise that if you are able to find that feeling and truly know that this current situation and set of circumstances will also work out well you will be pleasantly surprised.

How can this relate to your business? Remember that everything in business is a learnable skill, so no matter what happens all you need to do is to get back to the basics and continue improving your skills. Instead of dreaming of having talent in some area of your business, work to develop a skill that will appear to others as your special talent and take you further than you ever thought possible.

Work Ethics – Inherent, Instilled, or Embraced?

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The definition of the term “work ethic” is based on the principle that hard work is intrinsically virtuous or worthy of reward. This is a noble concept, and it goes much deeper than just the cursory thoughts any of us have given it. But the question I am pursuing is whether strong work ethics are something we are born with and inherent in our personality, something we can instill in our children from a young age, or a trait than can be learned and embraced at a more mature point in our lives.

I was raised in a family that emphasized always doing your best when it came to academics, athletics, and daily life. Even though it seemed at the time to encourage excellence and going above and beyond in all of your endeavors, the truth was that this actually fostered and enabled just the opposite behavior. If you failed a test or didn’t make the team it was alright, just as long as you had tried your best. This is where my quest was mediocrity was nurtured and it became my goal.

It wasn’t until I was in the sixth grade that I learned another perspective on life. My family had moved from California to Florida in the middle of the school year and I was adjusting to new people and customs along with a new climate. When my new teacher, Mr. Hurka encouraged me to not only enter, but to prepare for the grade level spelling competition I gave some serious thought to what he was suggesting.

The same girl, Joann, had won the spelling bee each year since the first grade, and Mr. Hurka told me that many students didn’t enter any longer because they believed that they didn’t stand a chance against Joann. He then leaned in closer to speak in a softer voice and said “I think you can win this year.”

Suddenly my world was tipped on edge and new possibilities were before me. With that one vote of confidence from a teacher I hardly knew I was bound and determined to show him I was made of the right stuff to accomplish the task. I studied the list of more than a thousand words over the next two weeks, making more effort than I ever had previously in my young life. I played this down at home, where once again I was told to do my best.

And on that hot and humid April day in 1967 I did win the fifth grade spelling bee. When my mother picked me up after school and I told her she said “Of course I knew you could win. You’re probably the smartest one in the class”. I pondered this statement for a moment and then changed the subject to something less dramatic.

I’m sharing this story with you here to make a couple of points. One, you can instill values such as work ethics in a child by having the right series of conversations over time. The ones I received the majority of the time did not do that for me, whereas the teacher’s words led me in that direction.

Second, even if work ethic is inherent in your personality, it must be nurtured on a daily basis in order for it to take hold.

And finally, you can develop strong work ethics later in life. I know, because that’s what I began doing when I came online over a decade ago and what I continue to do each and every day. It has changed my life and made many things possible that I never imagined could be a part of my life experience.

Your Sales Offer Funnel – Putting It All Together

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Putting Your Sales Offer Funnel Together

Meeting the Needs of Your Customers

When you put your customers’ needs before everything else, you’ll be able to create a flagship product and all the products or services in between. When you develop an offer funnel, start with the most expensive product or service. You’ll easily see what you should create for your audience that will lead them to the most helpful and expensive product or service.

After all, it’s a lot easier to provide people with something they already want, than to convince them that they need something you already created without studying your audience. A deep offer funnel will make most of this almost seem automatic once it’s set up. Identifying where your audience is in the buying cycle and delivering content, products, and services to them right when they need them will make it seem like child’s play.

Of course, it does take some work to get started.

Putting it All Together

Create your sales offer funnel by knowing your audiences’ needs, motivations, and buying cycle. This will enable you to create your flagship product or service, and then all your other offerings will stem out from there. Based on your products and services you’ll need to create landing pages for each offering, plus an email list for each as well.

Create the flagship product and then a couple midrange products along with freebies or entry-level products each with an email marketing series. Remember, you can reuse and repurpose content for each list as long as it makes sense. So, for example, let’s say you have 10 short mini-courses loosely based on your flagship product of a 52-week course with one-on-one coaching.

Each of these 10 courses offers an entry point into a new list. Each list needs to be separate so that you can ensure the messages make sense but the message is to get the next product down the funnel until they approach your flagship product. Segmentation is important because you don’t want to confuse your audience.

You don’t want to tell people who just signed up for mini-course 1 to sign up for it again, instead, you want to promote mini-course 2 or you might want to promote your webinars that promote your flagship product or service. But, you can re-word the messages to fit with each list accordingly.

If you use your autoresponder software to its full potential you can actually set it up so it automatically moves someone from one list to the next based on whether they answer your calls to action or not. Tip: Good software to consider using is Aweber. These all offer you the ability to segment lists in a way that works for your business and needs.

Once you have created these products that offer new entry points into your sales offer funnel, using your website as the hub for all your products, services, and in-depth information, you can use social media as a way to push it out to others, to build relationships, and get attention. Once it’s set up, it’ll be practically automatic and all you’ll have to do is curate and add new content occasionally based on the season, the trends, and the issues of the day. And, with each new product you create, you make it easier for your audience to find you and learn about your flagship offering as long as you’re staying on brand and on message.

Getting Started

Now it’s your turn. What is your flagship product? Don’t worry if it’s not even created yet. You can create it as you go. Consider that a 52-week course only needs to be created one week at a time. That’s exactly how we created the popular Lights Camera Massive Action 26 week training program. But, you can still make the sales page now, and then use that information as a jumping off point for the rest of your midrange, low price and entry point products and services. As you build it out, you’ll soon realize that your sales offer funnel has and will continue to explode your business in ways that you never thought of before.

Types of Content to Serve Your Community

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Types Of Content

There are many types of content you can create to better serve your community. You may not even think of adding some items into a product package, if it’s not one of the standard items needed. However, often the little odd things draw the most attention. Here are some different items you may want to consider using. And be sure to take a look at my Really Simple Content Marketing training program if you would like to work with me on this aspect of your business.

Blogs – You can put blog posts on your website, as guest blog posts on complementary influencer’s sites, and even LinkedIn. Make sure that each post is unique, relates to the audience, and has a call to action such as sign up for a newsletter, sign up for a free course; download a checklist, sign up for a free webinar and so forth.

Podcasts – These recordings you can list on your website, iTunes and in other places that inform your audience. For example, let’s say you’re a parenting coach. You may want to do a regular podcast about parenting issues in order to show your expertise. Again, always include a call to action so that listeners are reminded about the newest podcast and informed about your products and services.

Video – People really do love video and today there are tons of ways to offer video to your audience. You can appear in webinars, use Facebook Live, YouTube Live, and other means to create a video for your audience. Even if you don’t want to appear on the video, you can record short how-to videos using a screen recorder like Camtasia to show your audience how to do something that they need to learn that helps solve their problems. Include a call to action to share, subscribe, and sign up for your email list by offering a free checklist based on the video.

Interviews – A great way to create content that attracts your audience is to interview not only clients but also interview movers and shakers in the field. Think of who your audience would like to see you interview and try to get them. You can use a service like HARO, Help a Reporter Out to find people to interview or approach people directly using their contact information on their website. Most people are excited and happy to do interviews if you make it easy for them to do.

Newsletter – A newsletter can be email or even print. You can create one right on your website too. A newsletter usually goes out on a regular basis at a regular time each week or month depending on how you set it up. Also, a newsletter usually includes the same sections each time, for example, a case study, a cool article, a recommendation for a product or service, and of course a CTA for your flagship product. Often, the newsletter provides a way to link to the content you’ve put up since the last newsletter thus bringing readers back to your website.

Email Lists – Each entry point to your list is usually associated with a freebie or product. Choosing that item puts the customer on a specific path and email list according to the item he or she chooses. But the products, paths, and lists should change, somewhat, with each decision made.

For example, if a woman and a man choose the same freebie, each chooses it for a slightly different reason or motivation. If with the next choice, the man picks the “Dad” item and the woman chooses the “Mom” item, the list can be segmented or divided into two additional paths – one for mom and one for dad. This makes it easier for you to market to moms’ needs as well as to dads’ because each is added to a different list, specifically to meet that groups needs.

Mind maps – You can create mind maps that are helpful to your audience and offer them as freebies or even in a package for a small price. For example, any mind map you create for yourself might also be of use to your audience, or you can create some especially for the different things your audience needs to do.

Keywords – You may not consider keywords as part of your content but they are. It’s very important to do keyword research in order to help you come up with additional content ideas. Keyword research is imperative to help you come up with the most relevant content for your audience. Keywords help you align your business with your goals so that you can reach out to your customers in the most effective way.

Reports – One of the types of content that you’re likely familiar with are reports. Reports can be long, short, and even turn into books. A report typically covers one topic in depth or it can be an overview of an entire niche. It’s up to you, but creating reports is a great way to distribute information to your audience both free and for sale.

Surveys – This type of content is a great way to ensure that you get feedback from your audience. Plus, when you deliver the survey, your audience will consider your offerings, if you word the survey correctly and include a CTA (call to action) at the end.

Trends – One way to attract your audience is to find out what’s trending and then create or curate various types of content around that trend. Google trends along with Google alerts can be set up to help you follow trends and stay ahead of your competition.

Competition – Speaking of competition, they’re a great resource for content. If you notice your competition running long-term ads around any topic of interest to your audience, then you can be assured that they’re also making a profit. If you can identify gaps in their offering, you can one-up them and make it even better.

Social Media – This is probably one of your most useful forms of content right now outside of blog posts on your own website. Social media engagement helps build trust with your audience. You should always post a link to any content or information that is helpful to your audience along with a blurb on your social media networks. The idea is to lead them back to your website or sales pages.

Webinars – Another very useful types of content today is webinars. Webinars are honestly the “it” thing today and if you want to be successful online, build trust, build a loyal and engaged audience, find a way to do webinars. There are many software choices are available from Facebook Live, YouTube live, and places like Zoom.com to help you.

This list isn’t comprehensive. There may other kinds and types of content such as apps for your audience to help you connect, engage, build trust, and more. And be sure to read Nathan Ellering’s post on “105 Types of Content to Fill Up Your Editorial Calendar” for more ideas. The important part is that the content is planned with your cornerstone product in mind so that you lead the right audience through your offer funnel. As you fill in gaps, you’ll create more content in different forms. These help acknowledge your audience’s different learning styles. They will also help promote your products and services with the idea of leading them to your pilot product.

Doing What It Takes in Life and Business

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Are You Willing to Do What It Takes?

I regularly share that I spent the first fifty years of my life living in mediocrity. By this I mean that over those five decades I seldom did more than simply exist. Yes, once in awhile I did something over and above what was expected or required in my situation, but those occasions were few and far between. I’m not sure why this was how I progressed through those years, but I do know that it was not very satisfying, rewarding or fulfilling to live in such a way.

When I made the decision to change my life completely back in 2005, I gave no thought to what I just shared. I assumed that I would find a new way to earn income and that it would all work out. What I didn’t expect was to have my life turned upside down in a way that would bring me such great joy and rewards. This happened during the first couple of months while I was in my home office attempting to figure out just how I was going to make the transition from classroom teacher and real estate broker/appraiser to online entrepreneur. As I sat in front of my computer I came to the realization that if I wanted to change the outward appearance of my life in terms of time and financial freedom that it had to begin with my changing my thoughts, actions, and habits on a daily basis.

I soon began to think of this mindset shift as one of being willing to “do what it takes” (I wrote a book all about this in 2016) to accomplish your goals. I stopped complaining about the writing being a challenge and the technology being difficult and the marketing being so foreign to my previous experiences. Instead, I began to write a two hundred fifty word article each day, I learned enough technology to be able to outsource most of these tasks, and I challenged myself to become an expert and an authority in the area of online marketing. Each day I was focused on my goals and I did whatever I needed to do in order to achieve them and continue moving forward.

People in my day to day life noticed the change almost immediately. I still had my sense of humor, but it was obvious that I was serious about my new life. I gave up reading fiction from some of my favorite authors (Elmore Leonard and Dean Koontz) in favor of books that could give me the business education I sorely lacked at that time.

I would lose track of time and try to better my best on a regular basis. All of this was exciting and invigorating as my business began to flourish and prosper. And this new outlook on living carried over into my personal life as well. I was on fire! Doing what it takes is good for the heart and soul as well as for your mind.

Take a look at where your life is at today. Are you doing what it takes every single day so that your goals and dreams can become a reality? Do you have a mentor to help you on your journey? How may I best serve you to achieve your goals by doing what it takes?

Time Management and Productivity for Optimal Success

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Time Management and Productivity

If we all have the same twenty-four hours each day, why then are some people able to accomplish so much more than others? That is the eternal question, and I believe each of us has the ability to answer it on our terms when it comes to time management and productivity.

When I set out to write a book on this topic (Time Management Strategies for Entrepreneurs), I took a hard look at my own life experience around these concepts of time management and productivity. After careful examination it seemed to me that I only became expert in these areas after coming online to start my business in 2006. Up until that time in my life I struggled with finding the time to do what I needed, being as productive as I wanted, and being able to honestly say that I had the time to do some of the things that would bring me joy in my life.

Perhaps the responsibility of becoming an entrepreneur later in life was part of the story in my case. After floundering for my first couple of months online, I created a strict schedule for myself and developed the discipline necessary to stay on task each day. This schedule called for working seven days a week, with two of the days – Wednesday and Sunday – being more like half days. Before I went to sleep each night I had already written out my tasks and goals for the next day on a mini legal pad I kept next to my computer. This was where I wrote out what needed to be done and who should do it as a “dynamic to-do list”. This enabled me to hit the ground running when I began each morning.

Will this strategy work for you? You won’t know until you try. I suggest that you first make a list of everything you need to do over the next several days. Then prioritize your list. Now look to see which items on your list can be better accomplished by someone else, at least this time. Then decide what actually doesn’t need to be done this week at all. The items you are left with are the ones that only you can do and must become your primary focus for the day until they are completed.

Over time you will learn how to keep this dynamic list rolling right along without as much effort. Experience and consistency with this system will turn you into something of an expert on time management and productivity. You will also be able to accomplish tasks more quickly if you are organized in this way. For example, it used to take me an hour and a half to write an article or a blog post. These days I can easily do this every single day in less than half of that amount of time. I’m also more skilled at delegating tasks and activities I simply do not need to be a part of, such as shopping for dog food or going to the post office. Learn to manage your time and work more efficiently and anything is possible in your life and business.

I’m Connie Ragen Green, bestselling author, international speaker, and online marketing strategist. Let’s connect to see how I may best serve you in the near future.

Get Started With Live Streaming

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How To Get Started With Live Streaming

It’s interesting to know that to get started with live streaming is the same process as getting started with blogging, social media, email marketing and any other marketing tactic. The first steps and the last steps are generally the same.

What is Your Goal?

What do you want to accomplish with live streaming? Remember it is a good tool to increase engagement, drive traffic, increase awareness and build a list. Decide, in advance, what you want to accomplish.

Where is Your Audience?

Because there are a few different live streaming applications to consider, and more likely to be released, it’s important to know who you’re marketing to. Identify your audience and then you can move onto the next step to get started with live streaming.

Research Your Live Streaming Options

You have your goals and a good understanding about your audience. Now it’s time to compare your live streaming options and choose the one that best fits your needs. In addition to choosing the one where your audience most likely hangs out, also remember to look at the user interface, reviews, and growth. Make sure the channel you choose is one that best matches your needs and goals.

Plan Your Content

Create a content plan that supports you for the next few months. Decide not only what you’re going to live stream but also when and how long.

Sign Up

Sign up with your chosen live streaming channel and work through the settings including your bio, your photo and the name of your show.

Promote It

Start promoting your new live streaming show. Get the word out before your first show.

The last step is of course to host your first live streaming show. Make sure that you have fun. Learn from the experience and move forward. Each show will be better than the last. You may find that live streaming is the best marketing tool for your business.

Live streaming is a great way to interact on a personal level, provide exceptional content, and engage your audience. The internet marketing world is getting more social and more interactive. Leverage it and get started with live streaming now and ride the wave of this new technology.

I’m Connie Ragen Green, an online marketing strategist, bestselling author, and international speaker. Let’s connect to see how I may serve you in the near future.

How to Eliminate Procrastination (It’s Not What You Might Think)

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Over the past decade I’ve written much about how to eliminate procrastination. Though my initial feelings and beliefs around this topic have not changed, I do see it in a slightly different light after working with so many entrepreneurs who struggle to take consistent action in their businesses. At first it was difficult for me to understand why intelligent people who have the desire to succeed would not take action on the tasks and activities that would get them closer to their destination. But these days I approach this issue differently.

One trait seems to jump out at me when I think of each of these people and their businesses and that is perfectionism. I’m a recovering perfectionist myself, so I recognize it more quickly than other online mentors or marketing strategists might in their clients. Perfectionism gnaws at your inner psyche like a dog devouring a bone. To learn how to eliminate procrastination, begin by learning how to eliminate perfectionism.

So allow me to explain how I make the connection between perfectionism and procrastination. The human mind can be tricky when it comes to working with you or against you at times. Just say you are beginning a new task that is foreign and takes you outside of your comfort zone. This describes what I went through when I came online in 2006 and wanted to become a writer. When I would sit down to write I thought about all of the reasons the writing would not turn out as well as I expected of myself. I wanted it to shine, to tell a story, to touch people, to make a point, to teach, to explain, and ultimately to sell my products and courses. In short, I wanted and expected my writing to be perfect.

Of course, this would not and could not be the outcome when I was so new to the writing process. It took months of daily focus and concentration for me to trick my mind into actually allowing me to write, instead of coming up with yet another excuse for procrastinating. When I finally did write a blog post or an article, I once again had to overcome my perfectionism in order to hit “publish” and share my content with the world.

I told myself that the writing would improve over time if I would just stick to it and write every day. I told myself no one would find it online and think less of me because of the quality. I told myself that others were far superior with their writing because they had been doing it longer than I had. All of these thing were true and helped ease the process of turning myself into a published author.

I promised to increase my vocabulary through reading. I promised to write every single day for one hour. I promised to share my writing with the world. I have kept all of these promises and the result is that I am now a bestselling author of more than a dozen books.

So, what are the steps on how to eliminate procrastination? First, eliminate perfectionism. Next, take action on whatever you are procrastinating about. And finally, promise yourself that you will catch procrastination early so that it does not interfere with your dreams and goals.

I’m Connie Ragen Green, bestselling author, international speaker, and online marketing strategist. Connect with me to see how we may work together in the future.