WordPress Training Expert

Author: WP Training Expert

  • Promote Your Products and Services By Writing An Effective Press Realeases

    If you run your own business, then writing effective press releases is a good skill to learn as it will help you promote and sell more of your services and products. A press release is like an article, with one main difference: they have to have an element that makes them newsworthy. They will almost always have quotes from someone associated with the information being disseminated.

    After you have written a press release, it can be distributed to offline or online services that specialize in releases. You may have to pay for some of them, but there are plenty of free services available. PRWeb Direct, Free Press Release, I-Newswire and PRLog are some of the more well-known online sites that will accept your releases.

    Using a straight forward, factual voice is the key to writing effective press releases. While most places that accept submissions won’t care all that much about how newsworthy your releases is, you should try to find an angle that is interesting so the places that republish press releases from those same sites will choose yours. In other words, you should be thinking about how interesting your releases is so more people will print it, which in turn gives your business more exposure.

    There is a basic format for most press releases. You will often need to include your personal contact information, name of your company, phone number, and so on. However, some outlets may have specific requirements for submissions, so be sure to follow those carefully if you want them to accept your press release.

    When it comes to writing effective press releases, it’s important to have a strong headline. This is what will get people to read what you wrote. In fact, you may have just written an excellent press release, but if the headline isn’t any good, then it doesn’t matter. So, you should spend a decent amount of time writing, rewriting and refining your headline. “DISCOVER HOW XYX INC. IS CREATING MORE LOCAL JOBS” gives you an idea of a captivating headline. If the service asks for a subtitle, then you could add something like, “Top Executives Excited About Income Potential” would work. After that, the rest of your release should back up and reinforce what your headline and subtitle said.

    You may have noticed that the headline was written in all capital letters, while the subtitle had the first letter of each word capitalized. This is the standard format, but again, be sure to check the formatting preferences of any service you’re using. A length of 350 to 450 words is common, and you should break it up into many small paragraphs instead of a few longer ones. The end of your press release should include an invitation for readers to get in touch with you for additional information.

    As you can see, writing effective press releases isn’t all that difficult. It may take a bit of practice to get it just right, but it’s easy enough to get started. Once you see the positive results they bring, you’ll wonder why you waited so long to use them.

  • How You Can Become a PLR Product Creator

    Since we began on creating quality PLR content, we have come across quite a few people wondering how they could create PLR products for themselves. I think this is a wonderful idea, and feel like the more people creating PLR content should mean the higher quality available to all of us.

    With that in mind, we don’t mind giving people a glimpse at the way we create our high quality products. We do a wide variety of different types of PLR so the exact process is never the same but in general we follow a process much like this:

    1. Identify a Need: The first step we take is identifying what people are looking for. There are a lot of ways to do this. We are active on some forums so we can gauge people’s interests that way. We have a social media presence so we can ask our followers and friends. We belong to online networking groups, so we can poll these groups as often as we want. Lastly, we listen to our customers — We have a forum that allows anyone to suggest a topic or idea for a product.

    2. Brainstorm: Once we have a general topic, we will sit down individually or in a team setting and brainstorm potential product ideas. At this point we will be taking a broad look at our product. We will figure out the main piece of content. It could be an eBook, an article bundle, a video bundle, audio, a system, a report or anything else. At this point we will decide on the topic and delivery format of our PLR Product.

    3. Research: We will then begin our research. All of our products are properly researched and provide the most recent of information (when they are written of course). We will usually let the member of our team with the most experience in a particular topic handle the bulk of the content. Justin is a whiz with personal development, while I like to take on the WordPress products. We also have strategic partnerships with local experts, like personal trainers, masseuses and teachers.

    3. Creatives Time: At this point we will begin creating the basic cover of the product. We do this now, because it can inspire the content creation part of the process. Also, we may need to use the images in some of the content, so best to get this out of the way. We will brainstorm a product title and heading as well as general idea for the cover. We create a flat image in Adobe Fireworks. We edit it and tweak it until we are happy. Then we export as a flat image, editable png and editable psd. We then use software to wrap this flat image in a variety of 3d images (like eBook covers)

    At this point we will also create banner ads and a mini-site, for anyone that wants to start quickly selling or giving away(as an opt-in) our product. We throw in editable images of everything as well as sometimes some additional graphics like buy now buttons.

    4: Content Creation: Now we will take our research from earlier and create our main piece of content. Like mentioned before this could be any number of formats. If the main piece was an eBook we would create the eBook in Mac Pages and then export an editable Word version, as well as a high quality PDF.

    5. Edit Main Content: Important step here – we edit the content to try and make sure it is free of errors. While this is a time consuming step we usually make sure at least two of our team members (and 99% of the time it is Justin and I) edit the product.

    6. Create Add-Ons: Here we get creative. We can now take this product from great to a must-buy by creating a bunch of high impact add-ons. Some of our most popular would be things like an autoresponder drip, posters, infographics, graphics, tweets, lists of resources and etc… We create as many as make sense for the product. We also of course edit theses as closely as the content.

    7. Complete Packaging: At this point we do another once over on the editing, we make sure that everything is included and then we zip it up and upload to our servers.

    8. Send To Members: Our members get first crack at everything we make. We post the product in our members area and then broadcast a message to everyone saying it is available for download.

    9. Launch & Promote: We launch and promote our new offer in a number of ways. This is when the product is offered to the the general public.

    10. Regular Maintenance: Through this whole process we make sure we go out of our way to provide timely support. This is not bragging, this is us giving you advice if you want to sell something. If you sell a product – stand behind it.  Also, since we run a membership site there are  a ton of behind the scene duties that are just as exhaustive as the entire list above. We focused on the product creation side of things for this post, but when it comes to eCommerce that isn’t even half the battle.

  • Essentials of Getting Good Blog Content

    Video: Brad talks about blogging and what makes for good content on a blog.

  • Business Blogging 101: Promoting Your Business Through Writing

    Blogging used to be an activity reserved for writers or people with special interests or hobbies. Now, blogs have exploded and are among the most common type of site found on the web. Most active, current businesses have at least one company blog to keep their customers and prospects up to speed on the latest news, ideas, breakthrough, announcements, etc…

    This short report will cover the most critical items you need to be aware of when it comes to blog marketing for your business.

    Own Your Blog: There are so many different blogging platforms to choose from. Some are free and others are paid-for services. If you are a serious business looking to use a blog as a long term relationship building medium for you and your clients, make sure you “own” your blog. This means that you should host your own blog and have full control over it’s contents. Free blogs are ultimately controlled by the company who provides the blogging service. Treat your blog as you would any valuable company asset.

    Content is King: This saying is almost cliche these days but it remains as true as it has ever been. If you are going to use a blog to market your business, make sure that you only publish high quality content that is representative of your company and your philosophies. Outsourcing your blog writing to someone outside of your industry would not be a smart move. If you are a small business owner, you should have a direct hand in the content creation. You may not write the content yourself but you should provide input and guide the blog. You are the ultimate expert and you need to work with your team to make your blog’s content showcase your company value.

    Regular Updates: Nothing looks worse than a blog that has old content that is not even relevant anymore. If you are going to have a company blog, make sure you also have a regular blog updating schedule. It doesn’t have to be weekly but at least once a month. Make sure that the content is unique and interesting enough the pique the interest of your readers. This is your chance to build long term relationships with customers and prospects. Frequent and useful updates go a long way in this department.

    Content Variety: A blog is your opportunity to be real and interact with your audience at a more personal level. Use your blog as an opportunity to share videos, photos, interviews, interesting presentations, tutorials, demos or even sample training lessons showcasing your specialty. The more variety you build into your blog, the more likely it is that people will return for more.

    Search Engine Optimization: The very nature of blogs lends itself nicely with search engine optimization. Every time you add a new blog post, you are essentially adding a new page to your site that can be indexed in search engines. Each one of these pages can now be found by people searching for what you offer. Make sure that you have proper SEO settings in place on your blog so that you can capitalize on highly qualified prospects who are searching for information that you are qualified to provide. If you need help with SEO, give me a call 🙂

  • Is Your Website Visitor Friendly?

    Many online businesses, in their haste to get up a website as soon as possible in order to start raking in the customers and the revenue, completely forget about the importance of web design when it comes to selling online.

    It helps to think of your website as a physical store. Before you invited the customers in, you’d take care to make sure that everything was organized, the place was easy to navigate for as many people as possible, and that the store was clean. If your store is cluttered, hard to navigate, and dirty, many customers will turn around and walk right out upon seeing the place, without giving a second thought to the products inside.

    Web design is important in the same way. When you present your site it needs to be presented in a clean, clear-cut fashion that draws the customer in and invites them to explore the website more, rather than sending them running due to an onslaught of blinking graphics and clashing colors.

    The best web designs, thankfully, tend to be the more simplistic ones. Make your links obvious and your text a reasonable size with appropriate colors. Note that “appropriate colors” doesn’t necessarily mean that the website has to be in shades of white – in fact, pops of color add interest and make your website memorable – but having a yellow background with pink text is going to shock your customers in a way that you’ll likely find less than desirable.

    Also fortunately, while most of us might not be web design gurus, there are a number of people who have dedicated their lives to the art of website design and maintenance. If you are a person who struggles to put italics into your HTML documents, there’s no shame in admitting that you’re not the grandfather of code. This is one place where outsourcing can be a great idea. Yes, a look at many website design sites might make you reel with the prices they quote, but there are ways to keep the costs low when it comes to outsourcing web design.

    Consider purchasing a ready-made site and then buying customized graphics on top of that as opposed to getting a site made from scratch. You don’t need to reinvent the wheel. Also consider talking with students from design schools – yes, you’ll have to pay them, but they often charge much lower rates, and many students will jump at a chance to build their portfolios.

    Also remember that outsourcing your web design can be claimed on your taxes for an online business. Don’t be penny wise and pound foolish – a good web design will serve you well and pay for itself in no time when it comes to the business of successful business.

  • Essentials of doing SEO Properly

    Video: Brad discusses search engine optimization and what you should, and shouldn’t be doing to get to the top of the search engines.

  • Choosing the Perfect Internet Marketing Software For You

    There is no doubt that online marketing sounds like a great way to advertise your business. While it’s true that it odes have a lot of advantages over traditional marketing methods, it can be confusing and take a lot of time; especially for those who are new to it. The good news is that there is a solution to those problems, and that solution is internet advertising software. But don’t think that such software is only made for, or useful to, new marketers. It can also be beneficial to those who have been involved in internet marketing for a long time.

    It would be next to impossible to make a blanket statement that describes all internet advertising software, but generally speaking, it should be able to streamline and automate a lot of your marketing efforts. You should also expect it to be easy enough to use, and to come with clear instructions for its use. Some software is quite self-explanatory, while some has a steeper learning curve. Even if it takes longer to get the hang of, it should come with a good usage guide, or even videos that walk you through how to use it.

    As long as you are interested in internet advertising software, you should look into what kind of support is offered. At the very least, you should sign up for updates so you will be aware of any new versions or security patches. You can get some idea of how good a company’s support is by contacting them before you buy. Then take note of how quickly they respond, and how professional they are. If you don’t hear from them, or they are rude, before you become a customer, then you can assume you will be treated the same after becoming a customer. In other words, you may want to look at another piece of software.

    Other than that, you should have a good idea of what areas you want the internet advertising software to help you with. For example, if you are interested in robust ad tracking, then getting a piece of software that helps you keep tabs on your inventory doesn’t make a whole lot of sense. Don’t just buy something because it sounds good and you think you may use it “some day”. Get what you need, or what you are sure you will need in the immediate future.

    Before you buy anything, go online and search for reviews. Keep in mind that not all reviewers are being honest, good or bad. So, you will need to consider the source, and then look at the totality of all the comments before using them to help you make your decision. For the most part, you can trust reviews that are made by featured reviewers in well-established outlets.

    There is a lot of good internet advertising software out there. Software that can save you time, money and hassle. Using it can make things that much easier for you, and that means spending less time on the “boring stuff” and spending more on the fun part…which is collecting your profits.

  • How Market On Forums

    You must take the steps after you have registered in a forum, to ensure your success in forum marketing.

    A lot of forums have specific threads designated for welcoming new members, where those who have just registered are encouraged to introduce themselves. Your introductory post should basically inform the other members who you are and why you’ve joined the forum. The reason you give should not be in any way business-oriented. Making a sales-pitch in your first post will definitely be frowned on and may get you banned.

    Do not post immediately. Most forums have at least one, large, close-knit community in it. If you suddenly post on a thread where discussions have been carried on for days, you shall be shunned and ignored. Spend some time going through the archives?figure out which topics are perennial favorites and which users are the unofficial leaders. Also observe the particular etiquette of the forum.

    Whenever there are questions asked that fall within your area of expertise, answer them to the best of your ability. Back up your answers by providing links to trusted sources and answer follow-up questions promptly. If you prove to be a helpful, efficient member, you’re more likely to be paid attention to.

    Do not get involved in heated arguments, no matter what you think of the question at hand. Keep reminding yourself that you’re there to build up a clientele for your business; stay away from topics like religion, race and politics; don’t immediately respond to criticism; make sure the others know when you’re joking; leave discussions when they become contentious.

    Once you’re acknowledged as a respected user, start marketing your products aggressively. Focus on techniques which are likely to prove beneficial to the community as a whole. Offer forum members free samples and/or discounts. However, make sure to obtain the forum moderator’s permission before you start a marketing campaign.

    If you are hiring a marketing agency to run your campaign for you, research their methods. A lot of agencies use robots to spam forums. While spamming might ensure temporary traffic, in the long run, it’ll do you more harm than good. Forum users dislike being flooded with spam and can blacken your reputation if they so wish. So accept the services of only those marketing agencies which will abide by the guidelines set out above.

    If at all possible, you should handle your own forum marketing.

  • Do You Have What It Takes To Be An Offline Consultant

    If you’re looking to go into consulting, remember that the real product you’re selling isn’t your expertise in a subject or your knowledge or even your advice. What you’re actually selling is yourself.

    Who you are is a full package. This means that you need to know yourself from soup to nuts, and understand who you are both as a person and a professional, and what exactly you can bring to the table when it comes to the needs of the client. This requires a great deal of self-awareness, as well as a high amount of business savvy.

    Not only do you need to be knowledgeable, but you also have to be able to be able to sell yourself, as well. This sounds a lot more titillating than it actually is – a lot of “selling yourself” involves getting social networking accounts and schmoozing with potential clients. Never underestimate the power of the schmooze – if you’ve got serious social skills, now is the time to have them shine. If you don’t, now is the time to learn to cultivate some.

    Another thing to consider when you’re going into the business of consulting is how much you’re actually worth. Your mom might say that you’re worth your weight in gold, but it’s unlikely that most clients will say the same. In general it’s a good idea to charge your clients hourly rather than by the job, as it presents a more consistently professional image. It’s more difficult to judge how much an individual job may be worth, too, and if clients believe that other clients are getting preferential treatment, it does damage to the reputation of your company or your name, which is anathema in consulting.

    Remember to take the time to establish a relationship with the client that will go beyond the first sale. Building and cultivating longevity in your consulting endeavors should be one of your most important goals – if you can sow the right relationship in the beginning, it’s very possible you might have a customer for life. Treating clients like long term business partners right off the bat helps – be sure to approach new clients with a professional attitude and a comprehensive plan as to how you are the right consultant for the job. A firm handshake and smile will go farther than you will ever know.

    In short, it’s not just about your ability to think and your expertise in a particular subject that will make you a god consultant. There are of course, millions of people who have the knowledge to be excellent consultants but only a small amount of people are able to make it happen. It’s very important to remember to package yourself as first-class goods and get out there and market – often, it’s not what you know, but whom you can convince that you know enough to get the job done!

  • Interviews: An Alternative Way To Get Fresh Content

    Do you have a blog? Are you looking for new content? Are you having a hard time posting everyday? If you answered yes to any of those questions then this article will show you one method that will ensure you have consistent content. There is no doubt about it, interviewing people is one of the easiest and smartest ways to generate content for you blog. These four points are sure to convince you.

    1. It Is Easy: You don’t have to worry about writing a funny or thoughtful post. You just have to interview someone, and listen to their story. It couldn’t be simpler. All you have to think about are your questions. Once you have a set of questions you can use that as a template for every other interview.

    It is also pretty easy to book people. You can start with bloggers who are in your niche, they are usually open to doing an interviews, especially for a backlink. You can even contact independent musicians and artists for interviews. They can be very interesting and are usually looking for outlets to market themselves. You can also interview local businesses in your neighbourhood. They want exposure and this is a great way to network with people.

    Once you have your interview you just post it – simple.

    2. Many Different Styles: You can choose a couple different ways to display your interviews. For long distance interviews you can post text or audio versions. You can also do video interviews in person. Or webcam interviews over a free platform like Skype. This is great because it adds variety to your blog.

    3. Networking: This is a big bonus. Every person you meet with and interview has the potential to become part of your network. So at the same time you are creating content for your blog, you are also creating a website visitor and possibly a potential lead.

    When you connect with someone in this fashion they are put at ease. There is no sell or anything, you simply want to interview them for your blog. Now next time you call them you have a great opening “Hey, this is Ted, I interviewed you for my blog last month…”

    4. Word of Mouth: One of the most effective ways to market yourself is through word of mouth. every person you interview is going to check out your blog. More importantly they are going to tell their friends to check out their interview. They might even tweet it or Facebook it to thousands of their social contacts. Then every one of those people might tell their friends…you get the idea. Interviewing people is a great way to get people talking.

    This is only one content creation idea but look how many benefits you get. Now that you have read this article you will be able to consistently create content by using interviews on your blog. The benefits are clear, it is up to you to act!