Explode the WordPress Learning Curve: An Evening with the Experts
Get connected with the tools and resources you need at Explode the WordPress Learning Curve: An Evening with the Experts. Your moderator, Miles Austin, leads presentations and discussions that will show you how a WordPress website, combined with savvy social media strategies and solid search engine optimization techniques, can make your marketing and sales so much more successful.
After An Evening with WordPress Experts, you’ll understand:
* why so may businesses are choosing WordPress for their websites and blogs
* how to leverage the power and flexibility of a WordPress website to increase sales
* how easy it is to make the move to WordPress
* 5 techniques for optimizing your WordPress pages for better search engine rankings
* the key features of 3.0, the newest version of WordPress
What’s Included in this Event:
* 3 “mini-seminars” from WordPress experts
* 15-minute break with time for networking as well as time before and after the event
* Extended Q & A panel discussion with the experts-get your questions answered
* Opportunity to meet the experts at the conclusion of the event
* Time to visit the presenters’ tables and exchange information
* Copies of all presentations
* Additional information on useful tips, plugin’s, themes and resources for WordPress users
Speakers at this event:
Moderator Miles Austin, founder and owner of Fill the Funnel, Inc.
Moderator Miles Austin, will serve as your guide for the evening. Miles will set the stage for the presenters, providing an overview of the content, introducing the speakers and facilitating the panel discussion/Q&A session.
Miles Austin is a leading authority on the selection and use of web tools to drive increased sales. He has 25 years of experience in high-profile sales with experience across multiple industries. Miles is a highly-sought out speaker and author of the popular Fill the Funnel blog.
Myself
WordPress 3.0: Better, Faster, Easier
With the release of the newest version, WordPress 3.0, life just got easier. I will have just returned from WordCamp San Francisco, where Matt Mullenweg, the founding developer of WordPress was a key speaker. I’m not holding back. He’ll share all the cool new WordPress features and even a couple of hidden gems.
I am the founder of SavvyWordPress.com, the premier membership site for entrepreneurs looking for all the latest WordPress resources and tools to make their websites and blogs unique, memorable customer magnets. I’m a Mac evangelist and twitter addict who learned life lessons from Curly of the Three Stooges.
Mark McLaren , founder and owner of McBuzz Communications
Get Found Easier: 5 Tips for Better Search Engine Optimization with WordPress
WordPress is your out-of-the-box solution for creating a website or blog that is highly optimized for search engines. Learn how, with just a little extra time and effort, you can take your site to the next level of search engine optimization. Mark will show you five key techniques for optimizing your WP pages and posts for better search engine rankings.
Mark McLaren is passionate about WordPress. He was a speaker at WordCamp Seattle 2009 and presents regularly to Seattle business groups on search engine optimization, blogging, social media marketing and WordPress websites. Business Blogging 101 is his site for free WordPress tutorials and support. Mark is the owner of the online marketing firm McBuzz Communications.
Tom Todd, founder and owner of T2.
The WordPress Advantage: Why Smart Businesses are Making the Switch
Businesses of all types and sizes are choosing to replace their static, inflexible websites for dynamic, WordPress-powered ones. You’ve heard the buzz about WordPress. Now find our exactly why so many businesses are jumping onboard. In this session, Tom will show you how easy it is to switch to a client-attracting WordPress blog or website.
Tom Todd is a lifelong marketer, designer and tech-geek. Founder of T2, he creates customized WordPress websites and provides WP training and consulting services for a range of Seattle area clients, from solopreneurs to mid-sized companies.
About the Facility:
You will enjoy the benefits of a state-of-the-art lecture facillity with sloped floor stadium seating, workspace for your notepad and/or laptop, comfortable chairs and two extra large projection screens and sound system to follow along with the presenters.
WordPress 2.9 Teaser
Okay, just a quick post to let you know a couple of features to expect in 2.9. I just uploaded the beta version and hope to come back soon with more to share.
THE TRASH CAN – When you delete a post, page, category, comment, or any bit of content, it is moved to the Trash where you can decide whether to pull it back at a later date.
IMAGE EDITOR – ALTHOUGH SIMPLE… Image editing will allow bloggers to crop, scale and rotate images from right within WordPress.
Grade Your Website
Recently a colleague suggested I check out the site Website Grader. It’s a free seo tool that measures the marketing effectiveness of a website. It provides a score that incorporates things like website traffic, SEO, social popularity and other technical factors. It also provides some basic advice on how the website can be improved from a marketing perspective.
Interesting results. Out of 100, our site was graded a 92. Whoopee!
Gnomedex 9.0 – Oh, What I Learned…
This last Friday and Saturday, I spent two days immersed in Gnomedex 9.0 in Seattle, put together by Chris Pirillo. It was my first Gnomedex experience. I knew several people who were going to it, and watching the conversation via Twitter, it sounded like an experience worth exploring. So I took the plunge and shelled out the bucks for a full 2-day pass.
The room was filled with geeks and nerds. Okay, maybe not everyone, but definitely more than I had ever seen in one place. Please don’t take this the wrong way, I’m just painting a picture here. So, what exactly did I learn in those two days?
Conversation rules. Whether it was during breaks, at lunch or after the event, as with any community, discussion and life-revealing insights abounded. Stories told, questions asked that spurred deeper thoughts and ideas that will be taken beyond the walls of the conference.
Yes, I am good at multitasking. The experts say it is impossible, that you really do only focus on one thing at a time. But when I found myself posting tweets, following gnomedex on twitter, checking email, setting up a client meeting, etc. etc. and yes, wandering to Biznik.com occasionally, I was in the groove.
I am not a geek or nerd. Yes, I knew this already deep in my heart, and never claimed to be. But until you experience this collective energy that they possess, you will never know. Jokes told where I find I’m one of the few not laughing. Eyes glazing over as a group of young techies at lunch converse in languages unknown to me.
This community has passion. I have been to all kinds of conferences, and sometimes one can be just like another, just a different spin. And although I may not understand every realm of geekdom, I do know that at Gnomedex there was a passion for technology, a passion for knowledge and a passion for social causes. They were there for a reason, and it went beyond the typical conference.
Finally ten other things I learned at Gnomedex 9.0.
1. Attendees are not allowed to go hungry or thirsty.
2. Geeks really like Star Wars.
3. An amazing 3-D printer does exist.
4. I can now blame everything on Drew’s cancer.
5. Hard-core spammers can turn around their lives.
6. Macintosh and PC users can co-exist in the same room.
7. Getting a flask in our swag bag does not mean we can fill it right away.
8. Never be surprised at the interjection of four-letter words.
9. If you leave early, your name will be pulled for a prize.
10. Geeks and nerds are people too!
My hats off to Chris Pirillo and his gang for Gnomedex 9.0 The blend of human and social intereaction, both in person and online, again, shows me the power of the online community.
WordCamp Seattle 09
Just a quick note to let everyone know that WordCamp Seattle on Sept. 26th is open for registration. Sign up before it sells out!
http://www.wordcampseattle.com/2009/08/registration-open-now/
Will the new theme Headway take the place of Thesis?
Just a quick post, as the talk on Twitter, and elsewhere, is the new theme Headway. I’ve yet to really take the time to go through it, but at first glance it’s pretty impressive.
So instead of rehashing what has been said, check out the Headway site and John Haydon, social media marketer, on why he made the switch from Thesis to Headway.
I Survived My 2.8 Update!
Just had to do a quick post as I finally made the move to update to version 2.8. From past experience, I have found it useful not to jump on the bandwagon and update the minute the new version comes out. It’s pretty much my practice across the board with most hardware and software.
I did take the time to read other horror stories via Twitter and LinkedIn, took note of all the disappointments and frustrations, and basically, sat back and waited. Nearly 30 days later, with some of the bugs worked out, on the day after the 4th of July, I decided to take the plunge.
I anticipated similar fireworks and explosions that had been a constant for the past two days.
Fortunately, it didn’t happen.
Like a good WordPress neurotic, I:
- backed up my files (although I do use WP-Dbmanager plugin for auto updates)
- turned off all of my plugins and updated them — several had updated versions for 2.8, lucky me (and yes all 14 plugins)
- clicked my auto install update
- activated plugins again
- and presto, my site worked like a charm, and 2.8 was active
I must note that we do use a premium theme from StudioPress that survived the update without a glitch.
(Heavy sigh). Now it’s off to update client sites. So far 3 updated, and things are good.
If you updated recently, let me know how it went for you!
Get Rid of the Google Landing Page Blues: 5 Tips for Increasing Online Sales with a ‘Portal Site’
Whether you are a massage therapist, dog trainer, executive sales coach, event planner, or someone else, if you are selling information products online, or are thinking about doing it, you might already know how hard it is to get your visitor’s undivided attention.
Your website visitor, who must be convinced to buy a product they might have never heard of, is a little different from the customer who goes to Amazon.com to buy a copy of Seth Godin’s latest bestseller-something she already knows she wants. What you must do, then, is persuade her to buy your product.
On a large, multi-page website, your reader has many choices: click here, go there, do this. If you have several products (e-books, DVD sets, audio recordings, etc.), your visitor can easily become overwhelmed.
To attract visitors and convince them to buy, consider creating landing pages. Also called micro-sites, landing pages are really just sales letters posted on the Web that allow you to target the very people who are most interested in what you are selling, the people most likely to buy.
Great idea. Except for the fact that Google recognizes landing pages as sales letters and does not rate sites with sales copy very highly. So you don’t get nearly as much organic search traffic. Many online marketers get around this by creating a portal site, one central place with valuable free content for the search engines and links to their individual landing pages.
5 Tips for Increasing Online Sales with a ‘Portal Site’
- Create a simple URL/address for your portal site. It helps, especially as you begin to sell more products, to have a simple, central site. When someone asks what products you offer, it’s easy because you just have to remember one site address and direct them to that.
- Create links from your portal site to each of the landing pages for your individual products. You will want to send people to separate landing pages for each product, each with its unique domain name. Choose names that are easy to remember.
- Create sections of your site where visitors can download free content. This is key because it will increase your organic search rankings and drive traffic to your site. Because Google loves content, especially fresh content, include articles, special reports, and other information that is timely and helpful and will bring you lots of visitors. Valuable content will also establish you as an expert and build the reader trust that leads to sales.
- Include a sign-up for your free, opt-in e-newsletter and links to your blog and other social media profiles. It’s a great way to build your list organically, find quality prospects, and get your content out to more people.
- From your portal site, send visitors to separate landing pages with their own unique domain names. Make each page simple, with no menu bar, no confusing options. You want your reader to focus on the reasons she needs to buy your product right now. So just include your sales letter and link to a form where your visitors can buy your product.
A well-thought out portal site linking to landing pages with amazing copy that sells your unique products will go a long way in pumping up your online sales.
To get more tips like these, sign up for our weekly etip, Marketing Hotspots.
Should You List Your Rates on Your WordPress Website?
If your business is service-based, finding your pricing strategy can be hard. And even emotional. Because it speaks both about your work and the value people put on it-and you. How much is enough, a fair price, and how much is too much? If it’s a product, it’s fairly easy. How much did it cost to produce? How much of a profit percentage do I want to make?
But services? Not so much. A lot depends on the specific client and her needs. And after you decide on a pricing structure, you have another decision to make. Should you list your prices on your website?
Believe it or not, even the experts don’t agree on this issue. There are compelling arguments on both sides. Let’s go through some of them:
Reasons to list your prices
- It helps you find your true customers. Listing prices can be a way to pre-qualify your prospects, discourage the “tire kickers,” and attract your true client, the one who is interested.
- It saves you and your customers time. You aren’t dealing with someone who truly cannot afford your service. And prospects don’t spend time listening to your pitch only to learn that it’s out of their budget range.
- Your prospects know what to expect. No guessing. No surprises. You’ll have fewer prospects who mentally “abandon the shopping cart.”
Reasons not to list your prices
- You have not established value and trust yet. This is a big one if your clients need to recognize your credibility as an expert. Your website is a great marketing tool, but not the best one in terms of trust building. You need to establish trust and value first.
- Upfront pricing can be difficult for some businesses. Sometimes, as in the case of website design, there are just too many variables and price depends on exactly what the client’s needs are.
- There is potential for misunderstanding. Some prospects will think to themselves, “”The prices are not listed. They must be high.” Others might look at your hourly fee and wonder if they need one hour or twenty.
Although some of the research shows that sales increase after prices are added, it’s a decision that only you can make. Weigh the pro’s and con’s as they apply to your business. Experiment. Try listing some ranges or perhaps descriptions of past projects and prices.
Before you run to our website and look, no, we don’t list a lot of our prices. The reason? Taking just one example, a client’s website, depending on their needs, can be 2-3 pages of web development, design and copywriting or a complex site, with 20-30 pages, several different products or services, and multiple drop-downs for sub-pages.
Would love to hear your thoughts!
Face Up: Is Your Photo On Your Website
I am a member of a cool business networking community called Biznik.com. On one of the forums, someone asked: “Should you put your photo on your website?”
How did people weigh in? The original poster said she always looks for a photo on someone’s website and doesn’t like it when she can’t find one. She compared it to starting a book and turning to the back inside cover first to look at the author’s picture. She just needs to see the person.
Another poster felt that photos can build credibility. But she also said that someone she met who sold information products online tested with and without a photo and actually sold more without his photo. Assuming the reason wasn’t that he’s incredibly ugly, I’m curious about those results. Are there certain businesses, services, products, where it’s best to go “photo-less?”
Most biznik posters felt it was a good thing to have your photo on your website. I feel, especially for the solopreneur, it can help in your branding, particularly if you have a service-focused business. But if you are selling a product, marketing the solution to your customer’s problem that your product will provide is probably more important than your personal branding. In short, focus on what you are selling —yourself or a product.
We have chosen to put photos on our blog and websites. Why? The Internet is impersonal and there are so many sites out there offering so many services that sometimes it just helps your customers get a better feel for who you are. It makes you more human. When I visit a site, I ask myself: Does this website show me friendly, approachable, solution-focused professionals, or is it a group of strange dudes in the corner of their basement trying to sell me the world?
Our faces are a key part of our personal branding. Our local clients know us as well, if not better, by our photos as they do by our business name. And hopefully you, our online customers and future customers, know us a little better, too.
