My NY trip has been interesting to say the least. In between the high pollen (which makes my eyes look all puffy) and the hustle bustle I have to say the best part of being a mompreneur is being a mom! Above is a quick pic of me and Chris at Central Park Zoo. While my trip isn't going as well as I expected, I take pleasure in being able to have fun with Chris.
On another note, today I've been working on a few mini projects for my fellow mompreneurs.
1. I decided to bring back the Black Business Starter Kit Promo and make it even better. Between now and May 9th, Mother's Day, you can grab my 15+ marketing eBooks, videos, and coaching for $79. Promo code: 4MOM. Click here to download.
2. I am looking for 30 mompreneurs to feature on Black Business Women Online through out the month of of May. Click here to submit yourself.
3. If you have a Mother's Day sale that you would like to share with the BBWO Community, click here.
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My NY trip has been interesting to say the least. In between the high pollen (which makes my eyes look all puffy) and the hustle bustle I have to say the best part of being a mompreneur is being a mom! Above is a quick pic of me and Chris at Central Park Zoo. While my trip isn't going as well as I expected, I take pleasure in being able to have fun with Chris.
On another note, today I've been working on a few mini projects for my fellow mompreneurs.
1. I decided to bring back the Black Business Starter Kit Promo and make it even better. Between now and May 9th, Mother's Day, you can grab my 15+ marketing eBooks, videos, and coaching for $79. Promo code: 4MOM. Click here to download.
2. I am looking for 30 mompreneurs to feature on Black Business Women Online through out the month of of May. Click here to submit yourself.
3. If you have a Mother's Day sale that you would like to share with the BBWO Community, click here.
Name: Kristal Johnson
Business: Marketing & Social Media Resources for Business Leaders & Entrepreneurs
Business Website: http://keyclientservices.com
BBWO Profile Page: http://mybbwo.com/profile/kristal
Quote / Life Lesson: Don't ask God to guide your footsteps, if you're not willing to move your feet.
Browse the most recent May Mompreneurs. Want to get featured? Click here.
It is a sign of maturity to ask for help and boy could I use some. I have tried to tackle this monster called the internet with help of LaShanda Henry and other greats in the biz , but I honestly give up!!! I need a compentent website for my business but I can't afford to spend much time or money doing it myself. Please someone help!!! I can't concentrate on my consulting firm because I am ashamed of my site. Check it out for yourself. www.blackfamilylearning.com
Name: Gazelle Simmons
Business: Admin Services
Business Website: http://www.admnsrvcs.com
BBWO Profile Page: http://mybbwo.com/profile/GazelleSimmons92
Quote / Life Lesson: That which does not kill us makes us stronger
Want to get featured? Click here.
Thank you all SO much for sharing your words of encouragement with our fellow member who was in need of motivation. I thought we could continue to share the love by sharing our blogs today! Post a link to your blog with a quick description of what your blog is all about. To post your blog details, click here.)
I will start first ... My blog... the official BBWO Blog is sistasense.com: a money and marketing blog for newbie entrepreneurs. I've got a few other blogs and you can find them all on msoynetwork.com.
Did you know that when you blog on BBWO the BEST posts get featured on our Facebook Fan page which currently has over 4,000 fans!
I'm looking forward to reading about your blogs and subscribing to a few as well. Feel free to also browse the BEST black blogs online via the Search Urban Directory.
One last thing... my How to Sell Online Guide with 4 marketing eBooks and videos is currently available for $29. It includes the How to Find Customers Online eCourse for Beginners. Click here for more details.
Alright this is the last ... last thing... here are some of the most recent Sista Sites in the Black Girl Click Ad Network. Feel free to add your site too.
Let's start sharing some link love ladies!
LaShanda Henry | BBWO Founder | @sistasense
Marketing: The Sistah Art Supporters (S.A.S.)
AK Cabell, CABELL PUBLICITY, LLC 443.962.5090 akcabell@gmail.com Twitter: @publicitycabell FB: Cabell Publicity & Creative Services
Malaika Tamu-Cooper, DREADZ N' HEADZ NATURAL HAIR CARE CENTER, www.dreadznheadz.com - ohnappy1@gmail.com
DWANA MAKEBA, BEAUTY ON DE BAYOU, www.beautyondebayou.com, beautyondebayou@yahoo.com, 504.942.5625
What is that one thing?
List Building or building your community.
If you're going to realize any level of success and online business
empowerment you must be actively building your community (list).
One of the most important things in an online business or offline business
is a list of contacts. Just as in any other business, online businesses
also need to build relationships with their customers. Subscribers are
the contacts on your lists that are the most valuable asset of your
online business. Therefore, list building leads to building
relationships, which in turn encourages prospects to visit your
website, sign up and get closer to buying your offer. But people are
not just going to flock to a website and leave their contact
information! To attract them, they must perceive some value. The first
thing they are going to think about is how they will benefit from
giving you their contact details. That’s why every business that does
online marketing must build its own lists, targeted at specific
prospects. It is time consuming. You have to work really hard. But in
the end, you will directly enjoy the fruits of your efforts.
Youropt in list is your treasure. You are always looking for new and
innovative ways to build your lists to keep visitors coming to their
sites continuously. As you participate in this activity you offer
various things to the prospective customer like free reports, ebooks,
software, memberships, services etc. just to get their email address
and other identifiable information. It is essential to keep following
up with people who might be interested in what you are offering. Only
when you have a growing list can you facilitate your users to visit
your site. It grabs their attention and takes them to those areas of
the site that are of particular value to them.
Not everyvisitor buys from the site he or she is visiting. Sure you may have
built a huge database of contacts, but unless each one is a qualified
contact, there is no guarantee that they will take any purchase-related
action when they visit. Even in the offline world, you usually cannot
get a buying decision out of your prospect right away – it takes not
less than 5 visits unless they are desperately in need. Again, if you
deal with more than one product, different visitors may be interested
in different products. That is why you have to get your visitor’s email
address and name as they browse through your site.
There are certain things you need in order to effectively begin building your list.
Let us talk about the basic things you need before you actually experiment with different methods of building lists .
A Website
The first thing you must set up is your website, so that your contacts
have a place to come to and find you. They also need a place where they
can securely leave their email and name. You must ensure that they do
not have any difficulty in the process. Not only that, you want to give
them something of value to remember. I'll be sharing an easy way for
you to start your first website in my Online Business Empowerment Quick Start Teleseries.
Autoresponder
The next thing is your autoresponder. These are a wonderful way to
automate your follow up, when you have to keep in touch with your
customers regularly. You might find it easy to keep in touch with, say
100 or 200 people, but when the list runs to thousands, just imagine
the amount of time you’ll spend, time that you can devote to more
creative activities. Instead, a good Autoresponder can help you
tremendously in keeping up with your reminding and emailing.
*Aweber which can be found here is a good choice for many reasons.
You'll need ways to draw traffic to your site.
You can't expect to build your list unless you bring traffic to your site.
Andyou'll need relevent content. Your users will look for information that
is useful and relevant to them. The quickest way to cause your
subscribers to unsubscribe is if you don’t send them messages that are
meaningful.
Don't get caught up with building your list just for size. You're looking to build
a quality responsive list or community.
I've shared a little bit of information in this post, however, if you'd
rather not try to do it yourself and want to receive support I have a
special offer for you.
Empowerment is a choice. Make the choice for business empowerment today by requesting access to my empowering resource.
Click here to access now.
List Building or building your community.
If you're going to realize any level of success and online business
empowerment you must be actively building your community (list).
One of the most important things in an online business or offline business
is a list of contacts. Just as in any other business, online businesses
also need to build relationships with their customers. Subscribers are
the contacts on your lists that are the most valuable asset of your
online business. Therefore, list building leads to building
relationships, which in turn encourages prospects to visit your
website, sign up and get closer to buying your offer. But people are
not just going to flock to a website and leave their contact
information! To attract them, they must perceive some value. The first
thing they are going to think about is how they will benefit from
giving you their contact details. That’s why every business that does
online marketing must build its own lists, targeted at specific
prospects. It is time consuming. You have to work really hard. But in
the end, you will directly enjoy the fruits of your efforts.
Youropt in list is your treasure. You are always looking for new and
innovative ways to build your lists to keep visitors coming to their
sites continuously. As you participate in this activity you offer
various things to the prospective customer like free reports, ebooks,
software, memberships, services etc. just to get their email address
and other identifiable information. It is essential to keep following
up with people who might be interested in what you are offering. Only
when you have a growing list can you facilitate your users to visit
your site. It grabs their attention and takes them to those areas of
the site that are of particular value to them.
Not everyvisitor buys from the site he or she is visiting. Sure you may have
built a huge database of contacts, but unless each one is a qualified
contact, there is no guarantee that they will take any purchase-related
action when they visit. Even in the offline world, you usually cannot
get a buying decision out of your prospect right away – it takes not
less than 5 visits unless they are desperately in need. Again, if you
deal with more than one product, different visitors may be interested
in different products. That is why you have to get your visitor’s email
address and name as they browse through your site.
There are certain things you need in order to effectively begin building your list.
Let us talk about the basic things you need before you actually experiment with different methods of building lists .
A Website
The first thing you must set up is your website, so that your contacts
have a place to come to and find you. They also need a place where they
can securely leave their email and name. You must ensure that they do
not have any difficulty in the process. Not only that, you want to give
them something of value to remember. I'll be sharing an easy way for
you to start your first website in my Online Business Empowerment Quick Start Teleseries.
Autoresponder
The next thing is your autoresponder. These are a wonderful way to
automate your follow up, when you have to keep in touch with your
customers regularly. You might find it easy to keep in touch with, say
100 or 200 people, but when the list runs to thousands, just imagine
the amount of time you’ll spend, time that you can devote to more
creative activities. Instead, a good Autoresponder can help you
tremendously in keeping up with your reminding and emailing.
*Aweber which can be found here is a good choice for many reasons.
You'll need ways to draw traffic to your site.
You can't expect to build your list unless you bring traffic to your site.
Andyou'll need relevent content. Your users will look for information that
is useful and relevant to them. The quickest way to cause your
subscribers to unsubscribe is if you don’t send them messages that are
meaningful.
Don't get caught up with building your list just for size. You're looking to build
a quality responsive list or community.
I've shared a little bit of information in this post, however, if you'd
rather not try to do it yourself and want to receive support I have a
special offer for you.
Empowerment is a choice. Make the choice for business empowerment today by requesting access to my empowering resource.
Click here to access now.
Required FTC Notice:
I am an affiliate of Aweber and stand to make a small commission should you
decide to use this system.
Reflecting on the past can work in any relationship whether personal or business when situations which call for a crucial decision come up. If you haven’t had a similar experience, try being positive first. It could save you time, money and effort, and a good friend or business associate. A negative response may cause you to have to start all over and lose something or someone very valuable to your life. The following story is a good example of my theory.
Yesterday I was visiting my boyfriend (yes, I have a boyfriend at my age, but that’s for another discussion), and he said something that “hurt my feelings,” and for a moment I froze. I say “hurt my feelings,” although no one can “hurt” your feelings. They are your feelings and you alone control how you feel. He could only direct my positive or negative response, which I also still control.
Anyway, the super-sensitive, low self-esteem, jealous, ejective Paris pulled her head in like a turtle and began to sulk. That was my first reaction and the old me would have been plotting ways in her head to break away from the relationship. She would have become angry and mean, and probably would have said some rather nasty and unladylike things involving body parts and personality traits.
But thank God I remembered a very similar situation from over 30 yeas ago in which the man wasn’t trying to hurt my feelings. He was sharing a decision he had made and an action he had taken which put me at the front of the line. (Ladies, there’s always a line, whether in fact or in fiction (such as the Playboy Channel). So, being the new me, my response became positive, and worked to draw me closer to him rather than to “throw the baby out with the bath water.”
I would have preferred not to know about his actions, but the fact that he was willing to share them with me let me see that he trusts me enough to tell me something which could have caused a very bad reaction. I appreciated his trust, which deepened my feelings.
If I had not have had that past experience, and recalled it, I would have made a very bad current mistake. My wish for you is to live life, love deeply, and laugh often.
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A few hours ago I was approving the newest members on my social network, Black Business Women Online, and I realized we have officially reached the 8,037 members! I can remember when there were no members, when there were a handful of members and now look where we are. Where are you today? Have you reached your 8,000 .... sales goal, dollar goal, subscribers goal, traffic goal? I just wanted you to take a moment and think about the goals you have set for yourself and how far you have come. My magic numbers for pretty much everything I do are 5,000 and 10,000. In some cases I know I've passed my goals and for others, I've got a ways to go but I'm gonna keep going and so should you!
You may or may not know this, but I've gotten this far pretty much on my own, without any real investment capital, sponsors, or direction. I say all that to say that, not having things never stopped me from creating things and getting this far. I've learned so much about stepping out on faith and starting up online and I hope over these past years I've been able to share my knowledge with you. If you want to pick my brain and find out how I built my social following, my buzz, and my business online go grab my Money and Marketing Guide. I'm so excited about reaching 8,000 and helping you reach your goal I've created a new promo code for this guide. It is UMM50OFF. This code will give the first 50 who use it 50$ off the guide.
I never thought BBWO could get to 8,000+ members without outside help. I never knew I was going to get quoted in Essence or become a Disney Magical Mocha Mom ... I just knew if I kept learning, growing, and going ... everything would work out. If nothing else, I hope that's something I can help you learn as well.
Money and Marketing Guide includes eBooks and Videos on Selling on Social Networks, Finding Customers, Social Media Marketing, and building your buzz online. url: http://ecourses.webtechgurl.com
related: audio: Find Out Why Broke is Not an Option … my interview on the Attitude Shift [click here]
Well in case you have not been keeping up I am going in a different direction.
I still would like to help parents who stay at home or parents who want to stay at home but for me to continue to stay at home I needed to make some changes. So this site will follow more of what I am at my core and how I can help you do the same if you would like. A post to come at some future time would be of the money spent trying to be who I am not and market what is not my core, “core” being what I would do if time and money were not an issue.
My parent are from the south and a generation that lived the true home economics class; from gardening and 
canning to sewing and cooking from scratch. I do know that a lot of that rubbed off on me. So that is what I am up to and that is what I will be talking about how to do, when
to do and maybe even where to do. I do not profess to be an expert on any of this but am willing to share what I come across and my successes and failures. I would love for you to chime in whenever you have an idea or technique that you think might work.
As summer is coming up, my focus will be more on gardening and the outside projects. Once fall comes around, I will focus on attempts to update the inside of the home or prep for the garden, etc.
I have added a store which shows some of the resources that I have utilized in my attempts. Should you have any questions, feel free to ask and I will do my best to answer them. In an attempt to update more
regularly, posts may be short but hopefully informative. Take care.
Besides shouting from the rooftops, “We’re engaged!” and spreading the news of your engagement by word of mouth, you have a couple of other options when it comes to announcing your engagement. You can mail formal announcements to your friends and family or you can publish an announcement in your local and hometown newspapers.
Mailing Announcements – To create your announcement contact your local stationary store or an online retailer and have your announcement typeset and printed. You can also design your own announcements using a site like Vistaprint When designing your own announcement you will have the flexibility to choose the look and feel that best suits you as a couple. Keep in mind this will be your guests’ first preview into your wedding. The announcement should convey the overall tone and formality you think you’ll want for your event.
Newspaper Announcements - Call the publication(s) where you want your announcement to appear and speak to the editor in charge and find out the following:
§ The fee for publishing your announcement
§ Are there any guidelines or a standard form you must use?
§Do they accept pictures as part of the announcement?
Mailing Announcements – To create your announcement contact your local stationary store or an online retailer and have your announcement typeset and printed. You can also design your own announcements using a site like Vistaprint When designing your own announcement you will have the flexibility to choose the look and feel that best suits you as a couple. Keep in mind this will be your guests’ first preview into your wedding. The announcement should convey the overall tone and formality you think you’ll want for your event.
Newspaper Announcements - Call the publication(s) where you want your announcement to appear and speak to the editor in charge and find out the following:
§ The fee for publishing your announcement
§ Are there any guidelines or a standard form you must use?
§Do they accept pictures as part of the announcement?
How will you spread the news of your engagement? Answer our poll here.
Guest blogging is the new–or not so new article marketing. The practice of bloggers inviting other bloggers to publish on their blog has been going on since blogging began, but now this somewhat quietly kept practice is becoming more and more popular. If you are an online freelance writer you’re always looking for ways to get more exposure for your writing to attract more clients. The occasional guest blog posting gig can get you exposure with a new audience, confirms your expert status and attracts fresh traffic to your blog.
As bloggers see the fabulous results that they can gain from both guest blogging on other blogs and hosting guests on their blogs, they are engaging in the practice more and more. In this article I want to share five simple tips for getting yourfeet wet so to speak as a guest blogger:
1. Choosing the right blogs
Your goal as a guest blogger is to find a new audience for your writing, to get wider exposure and to attract fresh traffic back to your blog. So, it makes sense to choose blogs that focus on keywords similar to yours, within the same industry and a similar compatible niche.
Choose blogs that are more established and higher ranked than yours for the biggest bang for your time, but don’t neglect those up-and-coming blogs with a growing, loyal following.
Spend the time to regularly visit the blogs in your niche that you would like to guest post for. Make note of their idiosyncrasies, practices and biases. Take notes and keep these issues in mind when you are writing your post so that you don’t slip up and offend your host.
2. Making contact with the author
Compose a simple email to the blog owner explaining that you are offering to do a guest blog post for them. If this is your first contact with this blogger, briefly explain your blog’s topic and include a link.
Let the blogger know what you like about their blog and how your writing will fit in with their blogging style and topic.
3. Establishing a clear, mutually beneficial arrangement
Guest blog posting is a win-win for the guest blogger and the host blogger. The guest blogger gets exposure to a fresh audience, a nice boost in traffic back to their blog and more favorable search engine ranking from the highly relevant link.
The blog host wins because they get some fresh, relevant content that provides something new for their readership, and buys them a bit of time to do other things. But the blog readers also benefit because they
gain exposure to a new writer and a different look at the topic.
Be sure to spell out the terms of the arrangement so that both parties are clear on things like the approximate word count of the post, publication date, number and types of links, ownership of the content, etc.
4. Coming up with the right content for the blog
Refer to the notes you took when you were choosing blogs to guest post on, and write from the perspective of someone who is familiar with the audience. Read through recent posts to get ideas for filling in and
rounding out the blogger’s approach to the topic. Ask the blog host if there is a particular topic they would like for you to cover.
Be sure to always present your best work when guest posting. Do your research, format the post carefully and ask for someone to proofread it for you before you submit it.
5. The importance of follow up
After your post has been published, be sure to check back and respond to the comments. This is a great opportunity to forge a real relationship with another blogger and their readers, so don’t overlook this important
part of the arrangement.
Does your career in this publishing biz stump you sometimes? So much information and not sure what to do next? Need some help?
Suppose you could sit down with the most successful people in your field andjust talk with them to learn what they know.
Well, here is the deal. YOU can learn what they know - and you can probably do it forlittle or no cost! You just have to get your head in the game (quitfocusing on only YOU), be observant, vigilant, coach-able andappreciative.
If you are a novice wanting to learn the book industry or an author needing to learn how to market books better or abusiness/ministry leaders looking to learn a new skill - you can get theinformation you need - sometimes for free - by following the leaders.
I mean really becoming a "student" of the person. That means becoming adisciple and real follower who is disciplined to learn, listen, studyand DO!
It's amazing to me to see folks struggling to do something and there are mentors online all around. In the age of the internet, acouple of clicks on Google and you can find blogs, books, podcasts,webinars and websites or the some of the best and brightest minds on theplanet.
But don't just find their info - and email them. That's the lazy way! That's the way to be put in the spam and "blocked" folderfor real.
So, what do you do once you find a person you feel is the next link in your destiny?
Follow them religiously. Not stalk but become a protege by doing the following things:
1. Be social! Be their Facebook friend, join their groups or be on theirfan pages every day! Read their updates and comment on their statuses.
It's easy to get overwhelmed from the 400 million folks online but zone inon your "fav five" or "top ten." The folks you need to learn from, folksyou admire, model and want to know how they think, operate and livetheir lives. Now, don't copy. And don't "hate on" them. A protegeappreciates a mentor. Learn to give accolades and tell others of thewonderful info you're getting from your online mentor! Spread the loveand it will come back to you!
Be part of every social site where they are - if they are on Twitter, you follow them on Twitter andretweet their tweets. If they are on Facebook or Twitter, make sure youget the SMS updates to your phone. Pick up clues and run with it.
2. Blog. This is the easiest way to really learn from your mentorand get noticed by them fast. Because this is their weblog or onlinediary, you know what they're thinking, doing, working on and can sensethe direction their business is going. Read all their old blog posts.Become a student! Do you homework. Also, click all the buttons and linkson their blog and find out what they're into and how you can add thosesame buttons, widgets or links to your own blog. But the main thing, isto comment on their posts! Be social when social networking!
3. Email. Of course you have subscribed to their email list and readevery email (even if they send something out every day), right? This isthe secret. The mentor's emails are the keys to your next level. Whenyour mentor sends an email to his/her list, they are talking to YOU.
So, pay attention - they would not send a frivolous email, they are a Proremember? That's why you are following them and NOT other way around.
Here's what you can find out from reading, saving and keep up with your onlinementor's emails:
1. Their upcoming events, teleseminars, recent blog posts or media exposure
2. Their style, wording of each email - so you can benchmark youremail campaigns.
3. Their pattern for doing things. What days to they send emails,what times?
4. Their "hot buttons" and what is on the cutting edge in theindustry
If they send a lot of emails, learn to manage it. You want to learn from them? Deal with it. Put the emails in a folder onyour computer desktop or print them out and put in a binder so you canread during your lunch hours - whatever it takes to be a good studentand stay on top of their information - do it!
If the information is coming fast and furious, maybe you're not ready for the level thatyou think you are. Think about it. If you can't read emails from yourmentor, then you probably wouldn't be able to keep up with their pacethey are on. You're just reading - they're doing the writing. Anyway,why would you want to follow an online mentor if their pace was slowerthan yours?) So, suck it up and get organized.
4. Finally, and most important - appreciate and acknowledge your online mentor/coach.This is THE KEY to your success. I find that most people don't do thisand consequently they don't get the results they're looking for or theFAVOR. Most folks are so self-absorbed that they rarely take time to bekind to others. It is great to have focus, but you need a team to makethe dream work.
And a day of favor is worth more than years of labor - any day! So, want to learn from those on the next level? Learnto:
1. Listen. Be observant. Be vigilant.
2. Read. Scan. Speed read. Print and save information.
3. Be curious. Click all the buttons! Do what they do. Model themonline
4. Thank the mentor/coach. Let them know you are watching them andyou appreciate them. Never hate on your help. Don't be a rival friend.You must learn to get rid of jealous feelings and not be envious. How?
By showing gratitude. This is CRITICAL to getting over envy and gettingfavor! Sounds easy? It is. Do people do these things consistently? Only arare few who are ready to get in the game and really win!
Ministry marketing pioneer, Social Media Expert and PR Coach Pam Perry helps African American Christian authors garner publicity andleverage online strategies. As a 20-year PR veteran, she is also theco-author of "Synergy Energy: How to Use the Power of Partnerships toMarket Your Book, Grow Your Business and Brand Your Ministry." See www.brandingsuperstar.com too!
For a free MP3 of "What Every Author Should Know," go to http://www.PamPerryPR.com She'salso the creator of the ChocolatePagesNetwork, a social network forChristian authors and the Chocolate Pages Show at Blog talkradio. Sheoffers free help at her blogsite: http://www.MinistryMarketingSolutions.comwith her monthly Ezine and teleclasses.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Pam_Perry
Over 20 million people have taken up blogging as their new career. According to eMarketer, only 2% do well. Successful bloggers can earn anywhere from $25 to thousands of dollars a month.
If you are interested in making money from home, join the millions of others in the blogosphere!
