by Amber Miller | Sep 2, 2016 | Blog, Entrepreneur, Marketing
Hi there fellow entrepreneurs! We’ve got a special treat for you this week! We thought we should share a post from one of our clients (below) about launching your products and services. A lot of people get super anxious and overwhelmed when it comes to launching a new product or service, but it doesn’t have to be that way. Read the post below and get in touch with us with any questions, concerns, comments, or if you just want some help getting things moving!
Your dream scenario…
Every time I offer a new service, program or product, it’s like the entire world lines up to give me their credit card.
No matter what I offer, my ideal clients eat it up and then come back for more.
Often the reality…
I have an idea, bumble around putting it together, bumble even harder to plan how I’ll get it out into the world… feel frazzled instead of dazzled with my results.
Truth…
Look, babe, you’ve got a great idea. If you were excited when you conceived it and it’ll solve a top-of-mind problem for your peeps, you’re probably headed in the right direction.
Celebrate!
But before you head into hibernation to create that puppy, here are five questions for ya:
- How will your new “thing” fit in with your other offerings. Does it support and elevate the others?
- Will you be thrilled to produce, market and fulfill on the new service, program or product?
- Are you willing to put in as much thought into your marketing plan and execution as you did in creating your idea?
- Are you willing to learn new skills to see your “thing” successfully change lives?
- Will you invest money and time into creating a launch for your product or service, that will be more intentional and reach more people than anything else you’ve done to date?
If you answered 100% yes to these five questions and you feel nervous and excited about stepping up your game, then you’re ready to proceed.
And if you’ve never truly had a successful product or program launch, for the sake of your future, get help from mentors and other professionals to show you how.
Wouldn’t it be worth it to invest $5k, $10k or even $20k if you knew there’d be a $50k, $100k or even $150k payday shortly thereafter?
Yeah, I know that may feel like a bit of a stretch for you, but what’s the alternative?
You don’t want to create something that stays hidden in the shadows, right?
Market first, create later. I’ve followed that rule the last 20 years and I’ve always made money before I ever created or delivered a darn thing.
So tell me in the comments . . . what is most helpful about this info for you and your biz?
Jeanna Gabellini is a Master Business Coach who assists conscious entrepreneurs to double (and even triple) their profits by leveraging attraction principles, proven strategies and fun. Grab her FREE audio on dialing in your biz here: http://masterpeacecoaching.com/freecd
by Amber Miller | Aug 25, 2016 | Blog, Social Media
Let’s be honest here… Using Facebook to market and grow your business has become incredibly challenging over the past couple of years. Most of the time, if you don’t pay to boost your posts, only those who like or engage with your content on daily basis will see posts going forward. Facebook has done an excellent job at cutting out a lot of business socialization on the timeline. Bleh.
But alas, there are still a number of things you can do on Facebook to ensure growth and engagement in a multitude of ways. Here are five to start…
Use your header image as a virtual billboard!
Many people think the header image is there to showcase your company… Why not use it to showcase your sales, products, and promotions? You can update your header as often as you like – use it. Just make sure you use a professional graphic designer or use a Facebook header image template so you don’t block any important content with your profile image or contact tabs!
Completely fill out that about section you lazy bum!
When you set up a business page on Facebook, you’re given a lot of opportunities to add A LOT of information about your business. Take the time and actually fill it out! This means writing up a great summary of your business, adding your phone number, address, website, setting up your custom URL (don’t stick with what Facebook gives you!), etc! Not only will this information help customers learn more about you, but you will show up in searches more often.
Don’t post boring stuff about your company or products all the time!
Do you follow a company that posts nothing but information on their products and services? Get’s kinda boring doesn’t it? Yeah… Make sure to have a healthy mix of quality information on your products, services, industry news, inspirational quotes, and more! You need a good joke every once in a while right? So do your customers.
Don’t rely JUST on Facebook to grow followers!
Did you know it’s super easy to add Facebook widgets and apps to your website? These widgets allow customers to follow you directly from your own website AND share your business with the world – all with just the click of a button.
Spend a lil’ money and increase engagement!
One of the best ways to spread the word about your business on Facebook is by using Paid Ads. They are a great way to showcase new products, services, industry news, and can also be used to build email marketing list and direct customers to landing pages.
Now that you know how to take advantage of Facebook, get on out there and get social! And never forget, if you need any help getting started or just need some advice on what you’re already doing, shoot us an email. We love talking to people about social media management. 🙂
by Amber Miller | Aug 19, 2016 | Blog, Delegating, Entrepreneur
A lot of the time, business owners believe hiring a full time personal assistant is the only option, when they could easily hire a virtual assistant. What many people don’t realize is that it takes forever to find the right person. In addition, employees oftentimes cost a lot more than their salary. Keeping people busy during their daily eight hour shifts can be a lot harder than you might think!
Any one of the following things describe you?
- You’re overwhelmed by meetings, emails, and phone calls.
- Tasks are falling through the cracks.
- You’re getting sick of all the repetitive tasks that come along with growing a business.
- Your personal errands are getting in the way of becoming more productive.
What if I told you there was an easy way to avoid a lot of the frustration and heartache of growing a business without having to hire an internal employee?
Yeah, I know… Sounds way too good to be true.
But listen up, virtual assistants are the perfect solution because you can hire them to do literally ANYTHING for your business without having to hire them outright. Accounting, data entry, marketing, web development – you name it, virtual assistants do it.
Think about it this way… You could hire a VA take over managing your business phone (kind of like having a personal secretary, and who doesn’t want one of THOSE?), schedule, and even your inbox. There goes all the frustration with trying to keep up with everyone yourself.
Need someone to update your social media a couple of times a week, manage your email marketing campaigns on Infusionsoft or MailChimp? Virtual assistants can do that too. There goes the frustration that comes along with those repetitive tasks and other important things that have been falling through the cracks.
So, how the heck do you even hire a virtual assistant? There are a number of great sites out there that can help match you to potential companies or candidates. Another way to find out about good assistants is by asking friends or family who own or work for companies that utilize VA services. There’s really nothing better than a personal referral!
When hiring VA’s, make sure to always double check references, portfolios, web reviews, etc and always make sure to be clear and concise with your expectations and what you need the VA to accomplish.
If you have any questions on how our virtual assistant services can help your company grow, contact us!
by Amber Miller | Aug 8, 2016 | Blog, Customer Service, Infusionsoft
We encountered a rather large issue between Leadpages and Infusionsoft and felt we needed to share our findings since many of our customers use both of these programs together.
Referral tracking is not supported with Leadpages’ API integration into Infusionsoft.
This means Leadpages will only report clicks, not optins. The dashboard will only show you how many clicks you get on different pages but will NOT show the actual optins or attach them to Infusionsoft contacts for affiliate credit. This is because Infusionsoft handles referral data differently than a webform would, the API integration does not communicate properly. Keep in mind, this issue is contained to the Drag and Drop builder.
Luckily, there is a way to avoid the majority of these issues by implementing the Copy/Paste integration features into the drag and drop builder to allow the direct use of webforms. By doing this, referrals will be reported correctly within Infusionsoft.
If you are running across any integration issues or have any questions about this issue, please contact us!
by Amber Miller | Aug 3, 2016 | Blog, Social Media
Instagram is fast becoming a mecca for businesses to gain new subscribers and build awareness for their brand. As of April 2016, there are a recorded 400 million users on Instagram across the globe! That’s a huge group of potential customers; right at the tip of your fingers! So… how do you create a strong brand image amongst all those other businesses trying to compete for the same 400 million people? Below are four tips and tricks to get you started…
Create compelling content that is worthy of sharing (don’t forget the video!)
We all know the saying, “A picture is worth a thousand words”… It’s true and you always need to make sure your brand is conveying the right ones! Be CLEAR about your brand and create content that your customers want to see. Not sure what to post? Take a look at what your competitors are posting, check out niche blogs and other websites to see what popular topics consumers are talking about, and take advantage of the many tools already available to you on social media i.e. insights and analytics. Always double check your work to see what’s working and what’s not!
Don’t forget the video. Instagram offers up to 15 seconds of video recording… All the time you need to get your point across 🙂 Here are some quick tips and ideas on how to utilize videos on Instagram:
- Answer FAQs
- Showcase Your Company Culture and Style (Get employees involved!)
- Use videos to engage followers to submit videos for contests, events, and more! (Don’t forget the hashtags)
- Create a video portfolio of your work
- Showcase special offers and sales
Use your Instagram bio to convert followers into subscribers
Unfortunately, you only have one opportunity to have a clickable link on Instagram… and that’s in your bio. Use this opportunity to link to targeted pages or your company website. Since there’s no cap on how often you can update your bio, you can use this link for targeted marketing campaigns to sell products or grow your subscription list. Don’t be pushy; make sure to create a bio that’s interesting, unique from other bios, keyword optimized, and includes your company name and what you do.
Balance fun images with pictures from your business
Your followers really don’t want to sift through your images and see nothing but self-promoting, salesy product images. ZzzzZzZZzzzZz Share other items like quotes, facts about materials or ingredients you use, cute puppies (if your niche calls for it lol), whatever… don’t always share pictures of your company and products.
Follow your followers back (sometimes)
You’ve got some die hard fans? You should absolutely follow those people back… maybe. While it’s important to show your biggest customers just how much you care by reaching out to them on social media, their presence might not always be beneficial to you. Make sure to stick with users who post content that is appropriate and relevant to your business (for the most part). In addition, make sure to follow other people who share relevant information and interest you, partners and business associates, and others in your industry who use Instagram and learn from them (watch what they do, what works, what doesn’t?). Get yourself out there and engage with others – that’s the only way you’ll be heard!
Oh, and one more tip for the road…. HASHTAGS! HASHTAGS! HASHTAGS! You are allowed to use 30 hashtags on Instagram, take total advantage of it. (Click here to download a FREE infographic on how to post on Instagram)
While these four tips and tricks will definitely give you a strong starting point; there are countless other ways businesses can utilize Instagram to make the most out of the social network. Contact us if you would like to talk about a customized approach for your business and how we can help you make it happen.
by Amber Miller | Jul 12, 2016 | The Team
1) I burn everything I cook. My husband says I can burn water.
2) I have a mini horse and a mini donkey as family pets.
3) I hate to be cold, and I really hate the snow.
4) My favorite dessert is warm apple pie with vanilla ice cream. I could eat that everyday!
5) I am an only child. Growing up I felt more at ease in a room full of adults than with the other kids.
6) I have permanent eyeliner. It was a pretty blue, now it has faded to turquoise. It hurt so bad I don’t want to go have it darkened.
7) I love to go to antique stores. I love finding unique things or old treasures.
8) My dream vacation would be on an Alaskan cruise. Not sure I could handle the cold weather though…
9) I’m addicted to coffee. Everyone around me knows if I haven’t had enough…
10) The craziest thing I have ever done was to go and get my belly button pierced during my lunch break with my sister-in-law. I don’t think they thought we would do it. That lasted two years until I got pregnant with my 3rd child. 
by Amber Miller | Jun 24, 2016 | Blog, Customer Service, Marketing
We wanted to let you know about an import update!
We have found out today that Gmail and Microsoft are set to adopt strict email deliverability policies similar to Yahoo and AOL. Word on the street says the policy will be enforced by June 30, 2016.
This will impact any email service provider including Infusionsoft, MailChimp, and Constant Contact.
What does this mean to you?
Basically, users who use an email address from any of the below email domains as the “From” email address when sending any type of email from these email systems will no longer have their emails delivered.
Impacted email domains: @gmail, @hotmail, @yahoo, @aol, @outlook, @live, @msn.
You will need to be sure any emails you send are coming from a domain email account such as yourname@yourdomainname.com (note – this is really best practices anyway!).
Our team has been made aware and we are making sure we are on the lookout for you if we are supporting you with email marketing.
If you have any questions please reach out!
by Amber Miller | Jun 12, 2016 | The Team
1. What you wanted to do as a kid?
(A) I grew up in a really small town and I think with most kids from a really small town, you have big dreams to grow up and enter the “big city life”. I always thought I would grow up and be an attorney. I pictured myself living in a eclectic loft overlooking the Plaza. Funny thing is that I live
10 minutes from that small town, which I would never want to leave today. I live on 20 acres with my family and would never want to be an attorney today!
2. Siblings
(A) I have one younger brother, Rick. He lives in Minnesota now, but we go visit him each summer. He is a professional Walleye Angler and placed second in the U.S. a few years back. He was ranked as one of the worlds top Ironmen in his sport 3 years consecutively. I am so happy that he gets to live his dream and he is a great uncle to my boys.
3. Wisest thing anyone ever told me was?
(A) I was once told by a good friend that you have to look at life like you looked at college. You go through life to learn and when you make a mistake, that’s your tuition, pay it, and keep learning.
4. My role model is, because?
(A) My role model was my grandparents. Salt of the Earth people who instilled in me the importance of honesty, treatment of others, love of family, dedication, hard work and always doing what was right, even when it was hard.
5. Where you were born?
(A) I live on the Kansas/Missouri line, on the Kansas side. There is a sort of rivalry on both sides of the state line. Kansans always say that Kansas is the better place and Missourians say Missouri is. My mom had traveled over into Missouri for the day and went into labor with me, called my grandparents to say she had to go to the nearest hospital in which my grandparents thought was a joke as I was born on April Fool’s Day. So, I am officially known in this area as a “Missouri Puke” or a “Missouri Jack***” Yes, it’s true! Feel free to google and you will get a great lesson on Missouri history!
6. Your favorite food?
(A) My favorite food, well, It’s a toss up between Fettucinni Alfredo and Jose Pepper’s (local KC restaurant) Chips and Salsa.
7. Scariest thing to you is?
(A) Scariest thing to me is I am scared to death of any spider of any size. Second runner up is flying. However, I have flown a time or two.
8. Favorite movie or tv show?
(A) As of now I love to watch The Big Bang Theory
9. Favorite Music?
(A) I like a lot of different genres. Country, pop, rock, christian rock, some rap. It does bother me just a little that 80’s music these days is being called “classic”!
10. The best gift I ever got was?
(A) My children. I truly never understood the magnitude in which a child changes a persons life until I had my first child. I realized then if I never earned another thing in my life it was okay, because I truly had all that I needed. Beyond my children I recently received a gift in which a wonderfully sweet girl went and collected old barn wood in which she sanded down herself, glued together, took some small nails and made a heart shape with them, ran red string from nail to nail making a beautiful heart. I was awestruck at her thoughtfulness. The gift is beautiful and sits in the heart of our home.
by Amber Miller | Jun 12, 2016 | The Team
(Q) How big is your family?
(A) I was born in Longview, WA. I’m the youngest of 5 kids. YAY – the baby! The one that was spoiled the most. I moved to Arizona when I was 19 with a couple of friends and could never move back after realizing there are places where it doesn’t rain 10 months out of the year!! I got married when I was 23 and have two adult children who live nearby. Thankfully, my son still stops by weekly to do his laundry and my daughter visits often usually dropping off her dog while she is off on some adventure! I am begging, begging for grandchildren – but doesn’t look like it will be happening anytime soon. So, my daughter’s friend has a 5 year old girl and she visits us and calls and us grandma and grandpa, and we shop, play games, bake cookies – we love her as if she was our granddaughter!
(Q) What is one of the craziest thing to happen to you?
(A) I’ll start with one of the craziest things that ever happened to me – when my husband and I were dating we were at a park playing frisbee and he threw it too far and I ran to catch it and wrapped my entire body around a gigantic saguaro cactus! Had to be taken to ER and they contacted poison control because they had never seen so many needles stuck in a person. I was still pulling out needles weeks later that were embedded in my skin!! (Husband proposed to me shortly after that incidence—I’ve made him pay for it ever since!)
(Q) Do you have pets?
(A) After watching our daughter’s dog a few times, we fell in love with the boxer bread and now have two of our own. One is a boxer mix (not sure what the mix is) her name is Merlot. The other is all boxer—100 .lbs of boxer and his name is Brut. We got him as a puppy and he fits his name! We have learned when we leave them alone to shut all doors and put everything up high so they can’t reach it. Came home too many times to things shredded all over the living room!
(Q) Do you like cooking?
(A) I have never liked to cook. During the time we were raising our kids, my husband did all the cooking. I don’t know exactly why, but suddenly I started watching some cooking shows and wanted to chop things. For the past 3-4 years now I have loved cooking. I find it very relaxing. The hubby is happy to come home to a dinner that’s not chicken nuggets and fries anymore!
(Q) Favorite Television Show?
(A) I am addicted to reality TV. I know – it’s so wrong!! I can’t stop myself from watching any of the Real Housewives shows, Kardashians, Deadliest Catch (my FAV), Southern Charm, the list goes on and on….. I know, I know – my family says I need to seek help!
(Q) Favorite Restaurant?
(A) I love In and Out burger restaurant! Thankfully there is not one too close to me or I’d probably be there everyday and if you’ve seen me that would not be good!!
(Q) Do you like Movies?
(A) I love going to movies (I’ll be honest – it’s for the popcorn w/the white cheddar salt)! Since working at home the past few years – I love a slow afternoon when I can sneak away and go enjoy a good flix when there’s hardly anyone at the theater. Never thought I’d go see a movie alone, but I actually don’t mind (I know you’re thinking probably because you don’t have to share the popcorn … and you’re right!)
(Q) Favorite thing to do on the weekend?
(A) My brother-in-law has about 300 acres about 3 hours north of us and we love going up and camping on the weekends. The dogs love running free and I spend time reading and cooking…. And of course enjoying a little vino!
(Q)What is your favorite food/drink?
(A) Oh, speaking of vino – I have a love (well, maybe I should say major love) for wine that started from many business dinners with a previous manager who insisted that I needed to start drinking red wine. It’s healthy she would say. When I tried it I hated it – had to add ice to get it down. Well, I’m a red wine lover now – maybe too much, lol. Hence the name of my dogs! Even my kitchen is wine theme. My mother is moving from WA to AZ (a couple miles from my house) in the next few months. I have a feeling I’m going to need to start buying wine in BULK!
(Q) Tell us a little about your work history.
(A) I worked for 2 large financial institutions in the past 25 years and held various marketing roles. I have been working for Amber a little over a year and love learning the virtual assistant world and working with such great people. I look forward to many years to come!!
by Amber Miller | Jun 12, 2016 | The Team
There’s a lot more to Britney than the awesome experience she brings to our team. We’d like to take a minute here and talk about 10 more things you might want to know about our admin star!
(Q) Favorite thing to do on the weekend?
Spending time with family and friends! We just moved to Mesa, Arizona from San Diego, California so taking the kids to the beach or the zoo was my favorite weekend activity. Now that we are in Mesa we are still looking for fun weekend things but I love sitting poolside with a good cocktail!
(Q) Where is your favorite shop or place to shop at?
I’m kind of obsessed with Target! They have everything, plus Starbucks and a dollar section.
(Q) Where was your favorite vacation?
Growing up our family vacations were spent floating on the river in either Laughlin or Havasu. My husband just got out of the Navy after 12 years. During those 12 years, he deployed three times, we moved seven times and lived in four different states. We really haven’t had time to take a real vacation. Now that he is out and we are settled I hope to change that!
(Q) What food do you dislike the most?
Seafood! I can’t stand the smell, flavor or texture of anything that comes from the ocean (except fried calamari!)
(Q) What is your favorite music?
Rock and Country. I am super excited to finally see Metallica in concert this year!
(Q) Do you like Movies?
Yes. My three-year-old daughter Emma usually has control of what movie we watch. We have watched Moana every day since it came out! (My husband and I can’t say “You’re Welcome” without singing it like Maui!)
(Q) Favorite Restaurant?
BJ’s Brewhouse – they have the BEST chicken tender salad and strawberry martini!
(Q) Do you have any favorite pets?
Before my husband and I had kids we had a Siberian Husky, Gretzky. He was our first baby and the BEST dog! We lost him in 2013 due to kidney failure. We are hoping to add another husky to the family soon.
(Q) The BEST gift you ever received?
My pink glitter KitchenAid stand mixer!
(Q) You love people who…?
Make me laugh!
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