Update: This contest has ended – winners announced below!

This is a quick post to announce a new giveaway from the generous folks at UPrinting!

What You Can Win

• Two readers will each win 500 FREE die cut business cards
• Die Cutting Options:
  Rounded Corners, Leaf, Rounded One-Corner, Half-Circle Side, Circle
• Paper Type Options:
  14pt Cardstock Gloss, Matte, or High Gloss; 13pt Cardstock Uncoated
• Color Options:
  4Color Front, Blank Back; 4Color Front, Black Back; 4Color Both Sides

How to Enter

• Leave a comment at the end of this blog post, describing what you would use the free business cards for

Contest Rules

• Comments will be open until April 23, 2010 at 5:00pm (GMT-5)
• You must include your real name and email address with your comment, so that we can contact you if you’re the winner
• Two winners will randomly be selected using Random.org
• Winners in the United States qualify for FREE shipping
• Shipping fees will apply to winners in Canada
• Contest open to residents of the United States and Canada only

About UPrinting.com

UPrinting.com is a leading online printing company that provides high quality printing  at the most affordable prices. For more information on

Big thanks go out to UPrinting for sponsoring the giveaway, and Good Luck to the contestants!

Update – Winners Annouced!

A big thank you to everyone who entered this week’s giveaway, and most importantly, thank you to UPrinting for sponsoring the prizes!

And The Winners Are…

• Tracy Bennett
• Cynthia

Congratulations to you both! I will send your email addresses to Uprinting, who will be contacting you shortly with details on the prize.

Winners were randomly selected using Random.org’s True Random Number Generator.

Update: The contest has ended – winners announced below!

I’m happy to announce a new giveaway on the blog today!

BizCard, an Eco-Friendly online printer, has recently offered me 1,500 business cards to giveaway to three of my readers. That’s right, three of you are less than a week away from winning 500 business cards!

Eco-Friendly Printing Solutions

What’s unique about BizCard is that they specialize in Eco-Friendly printing. With today’s focus on going green, it is nice to come across a printing company who helps you promote your business by printing your marketing materials – all while being responsible to the environment.

So, what’s in it for you and how can you win?

What You Can Win

• Three readers will each win 500 FREE business cards
• Winners can upload their own design or select one of the many designs that BizCard has in their catalog

How to Enter

• Leave a comment at the end of this post, describing what you would use the free business cards for.

Contest Rules

• Comments will be open until August 21, 2009 at 10:00am (GMT-4)
• You must include your real name and email address with your comment, so that we can contact you if you’re the winner
• Only one entry / comment per person
• Three winners will randomly be selected using Random.org
• Winners in the United States and Canada qualify for FREE shipping. Shipping fees will apply to winners outside these areas

About BizCard

BizCard is an online printing company. It offers small businesses and individuals products such as business cards, calling cards, postcards, letterheads and related print products. Users can browse a catalog of hundreds of design templates to find one matching their professional image. They can also upload their own artwork.

From its inception, BizCard has opted for environmentally friendly printing procedures (using recycled paper, eliminating the usage of harming phot processing chemicals, etc..).

The company plants a tree for every order it receives.

• Learn more about BizCard’s Eco-Friendly Printing Solutions
  

Update – Winners Announced!

Sending out a big “Thank You” to BizCard for their gracious offer of 1,500 business cards to three of my readers, and of course, thank you to everyone who entered and who helped spread the word about the contest.

And the Winners Are…

• Michael
• Mary Yeager
• Brian Okken

Congratulations to you all! I will send your email addresses to BizCard, who will be contacting you shortly with details on your prize!

Winners were randomly selected using Random.org’s True Random Number Generator.

Update: The contest has ended – winners announced below!

It’s sometimes difficult to believe how quickly time flies…

One year ago today, I took the plunge towards running my own web design business full time, by giving my two weeks notice at work. In two short weeks, I’ll officially be celebrating the one year anniversary of being a full time freelancer!

To commemorate this milestone, I’m hosting a giveaway!

I was approached last summer by UPrinting with an offer for free business card printing, in exchange for a sponsored review. Just starting out on my own full time, it was perfect timing for a new set of business cards to help promote my business.

UPrinting has contacted me again with a similar offer – but this time I’m able to give back to my readers by offering a giveaway!

What You Can Win

• One reader will win 1,000 FREE custom size business cards
• One reader will win 1 FREE 18×24 rolled canvas print

How to Enter

You can enter in one of two ways…

• Leave a comment at the end of this blog post, describing what you would use the free business cards and/or canvas print for. This gets you 1 entry.

– or –

• Write a post on your blog, linking back to this post and to www.uprinting.com -  then leave a comment here linking to your own post. This gets you 2 entries – twice the chance to win!

Contest Rules

• Comments will be open until June 13, 2009 at 4:00pm (GMT-4)
• You must include your real name and email address with your comment, so that we can contact you if you’re the winner
• Two winners will randomly be selected using Random.org
  
• You can choose from any of UPrinting’s stocks for the prize items
• Die cut not available on business cards
• Winners in the United States and Canada qualify for FREE shipping. Shipping fees will apply to winners outside these areas

About UPrinting.com

For over 25 years, UPrinting has been a trusted leader in Online Printing, featuring its signature easy-to-use website and the famous free file review, a complimentary proofing service which requires no upfront payment. UPrinting offers convenient marketing support services such as design, lists, and direct mailing to help grow small and medium-size businesses nationwide.

UPrinting.com’s high quality printing services include Canvas Printing, Business Card Printing, brochures, postcards and more, all at the most affordable prices.

Design Inspiration

To help inspire… you can view some amazing business card and canvas print design inspiration on Flickr!

Update – Winners Annouced!

First and foremost, I want to thank everyone for the congratulations on reaching my first anniversary of being a full time freelancer! It’s been an amazing first year, and I can’t wait to see what is in store for my second year!

Of course, it goes without saying that I’d like to thank everyone who entered the giveaway, and UPrinting for sponsoring the prizes.

And The Winners Are…

• Melissa – 1,000 FREE custom size business cards
• Rose – 1 FREE 18×24 rolled canvas print

Congratulations to you both! I will send your email addresses to Uprinting, who will be contacting you shortly with details on the prize.

Winners were randomly selected using Random.org’s True Random Number Generator.

A few months ago, Jon Phillips of Freelance Folder posted a review of Uprinting.com‘s printing services. I was impressed with what I saw and left a positive comment on the post.

Not long after, I was approached by a representative of Uprinting.com asking if I’d be willing to accept a similar offer – free printing of 1,000 business cards in exchange for a sponsored review.

How could anyone say no to an offer like that?

As I was in the process of changing my business address, I knew that I would be needing new cards fairly soon – so I immediately said Yes!

The (Not-So) Fine Print

So, first the disclaimer – yes, this is admittedly a sponsored review. But, as with Freelance Folder, and also with Jeremy of Papertree Design who was given the same opportunity – I will say that it is a truthful review.

I’m quite happy with my new business cards!

Oh My God, It Even Has A Watermark!

Of course, with new business cards comes the opportunity for a re-design. There were a few changes I wanted to make to my old card, so this was the perfect chance to do so.

My first step was getting some design inspiration, which was quite easy thanks to Flickr. In addition to doing a simple search for “Business Card” I also stumbled upon Daily Poetics Business Cards Set which has some amazingly beautiful and unique business card designs.

I also found great inspiration on UCreative, Faveup and OMG It Even Has a Watermark which got it’s name from a scene in the movie American Psycho.

I’d call this scene a classic that I’m sure any designer can smile at.

So, thanks to great feedback that I received on Twitter and Flickr, I finalized my design and started the process with Uprinting.com.

A Mini Business Card Design Tutorial

There are several things that are important to keep in mind when designing your business cards and preparing your file(s) to send to the printer.

I started my design career with print / graphic design, so these were all second nature to me… like riding a bike – you just don’t forget this stuff!

But for someone new at design, or who is strictly a web designer, it’s important to take note of these steps.

• Be Sure to Work in CMYK
  This is the standard for print work, as it uses standard ink colors of Cyan Magenta Yellow and Black, as opposed to designing for the web which utilizes RGB – the colors of Red Green and Blue which make up your monitor display.
• ALWAYS Work In High Resolution
  When designing for the web, low resolution – 72dpi – is the standard. However for print, you ideally want to create files at 300dpi. Slightly lower resolutions are sometimes acceptable – I’ve seen 150dpi and 266dpi used on occasion. However the higher the better, so try to stick with 300dpi. This ensures the best possible quality of the final product.
• Don’t Forget About Trim and Bleed
  The final size of a business card – the Trim Size – is 3.5″ x 2″. However if you have a background image or color that extends to the edge of the card, the file you create needs to be bigger than this to accommodate Bleed. This is an additional 0.125″ added to all four sides of your card – making the final document size 3.75″ x 2.25″. This is to ensure that when the card is cut (or trimmed) any slight shifting won’t leave a white border around the outside of your card.
• White Space or the Safe Margin Is Important, too
  As with possible shifting on the trimming on the outside bleed area of your card, you want to be sure no crucial information on the inside of your card gets cut off, either. That’s why it’s equally important to take into consideration the Safe Margin, which is 0.125″ all around the inside of the Trim area. This is the equivalent of the Print Margin if you were using a word-processing program such as Microsoft Word. I personally like to be sure I’ve got a lot of white space, so I doubled this for my own business cards.

Free Proofing and File Review

Luckily Uprinting.com is great about providing all of the file specifications, as well as letting you download templates for various file formats. Very helpful to say the least!

Even better – if you have any questions while creating your cards, you can also speak with their Pre-Press Specialists for help.

Once you’ve designed your cards and ready to send the final files to be printed, you are able to take advantage of Uprinting.com’s free proofing services. With this, you are able to select the size, card stock, and quantity of your cards – then upload your files and select the option to get a free online proof.

I went with the standard 3.5″ x 2″ cards on a 14 point matte card stock – the thicker the better, as it gives your card a good sturdy feel. Options range from 14 point matte, 14 point glossy and even 13 point  recycled. If you have no idea what these mean or look like, you can order a free sample booklet which shows you sample card stocks and finishes for business cards, postcards, brochures, etc. I ordered a sample myself, and received it in less than a week.

As for the proof, it wasn’t more than four hours after submitting my files, that I received an email from another Uprinting.com representative, letting me know that my files had been received, and that a proof was available for me to approve of online.

The proof itself was a high resolution PDF file that showed all of the crop marks. As you can see from the image above, it also showed the location of the trim – including the rounded edges that I had requested via email.

Through their online proofing area, I was able to approve of the proof so they could begin the printing process. All the while, I was able to log in whenever I wanted to check the status of my order.

1000 Cards – All Shiny, Bright and New

With my cards being provided for free (in exchange for this review), I selected their longest turnaround time. I didn’t want to take advantage and request a 2 day turnaround time, since I wasn’t actually paying to have these cards printed.

So I opted for the longest time – 6 business days – but much to my pleasant surprise, my cards were shipped only 4 business days later via UPS ground. A few days later I was opening a box of 1,000 fresh new business cards!

I must say that I was very pleased with the entire experience with Uprinting.com. Everyone that I was in contact with at the company was very nice and helpful.

They delivered ahead of schedule, and the print quality is good. What more could I ask for!

Are You A Blogger? Get Your Card Featured!

While we’re on the topic of business cards, I wanted to let you know about a feature that Brian Yerkes is running on his blog, called Business Cards of Bloggers.

If you are a blogger with a business card, head over to Brian’s web site and check out the business cards of other bloggers like yourself. At the least, it’s another good source of inspiration. But if you have your own card, you can also get a bit of exposure and link juice by adding your card to the bunch, too.

All you have to do is mention the feature on your own blog, and of course leave a comment on the original post, too. Then send in a picture of your card, and it will be added to the mix, as well.

I’m headed over to send in my card right now!

We’re finally in the home stretch of the Get Clients Now! – Filling the Pipeline program.

I have to be honest… I’m falling back on my old ways again! When I started the series, I mentioned that one of the primary reasons I started posting my process on the blog is that I get all “gung-ho” at the beginning… do GREAT for the first two weeks… then completely slack off at the end. Apparently the old me has returned!

I should clarify though, because this is making me sound like a total slacker – which is far from the truth, LOL. My continuing problem of focusing so hard on client work, makes it difficult to focus on marketing efforts. I’m having a bit of a time juggling the two, which is why my scores (below) for last week are very low.

Success Ingredients – Week 4

If you read my post last week on the business benefits of social media, you’ll know that I’ve definitely done my homework for that particular Success Ingredient.

I’m still in progress on Description of Services and Web Promotion Strategy. I probably took things too far, but I’ve been analyzing my current web site and have a whole new game plan.

Currently, my primary web site is a static (html) site, which uses WordPress for this blog, and CRE Loaded eCommerce software for the Services section. I’ve been working on updating my services, when I realized that no one really uses the shopping cart. They do get rates, but the majority of my clients come to me first requesting a proposal – if they like what they see, I prepare a contract and invoice and we get started!

I realize that most people are not just going to plunk down $1k (or more) through my shopping cart (paying by PayPal no less) without at least talking with someone (aka me) first. Almost all of my clients pay by check anyway (only clients with smaller to mid-range services pay via PayPal – those getting complete site design and development almost always pay by check).

I’m also so completely in love with WordPress and all of it’s features, that I decided it’s time for a BIG change on the main site. I’ll be using the same design, but will be completely re-developing it using WordPress as a CMS (Content Management System).

As for the shopping cart, I’ll be doing away with that, in favor of just providing information on my rates and services through WordPress. While in this process, I’m doing a bit of re-organizing and weeding-out of infrequently purchased services, etc.

I’d like to say that I’ll have this done by the end of the week, but that’s just not realistic. I’m going to have to give myself at least a month for this one. At least this is a major marketing step, but not so much filling the pipeline. More of a re-building the backbone of the site. After all, as a web design company – I need to have the best site possible to entice more customers. If that means re-thinking and updating things in the process, that’s fine by me!

Another huge benefit to making this switch to WordPress, is that it is a GREAT tool for SEO (Search Engine Optimization). WordPress by itself has some great features, but when you add in some SEO related plugins, you have that many more options.

So, this is one combined effort, as far as updating my services, as well as working on my web promotion strategies. All in one (very big!) shot, LOL.

1. Networking Venues – Progress: 100%
   by July 4, 2008
2. Description of Services – Progress: 80%
   by July 18, 2008 – This will roll over into next month…
   
3. Web Promotion Strategy – Progress: 20%
   by July 18, 2008 – This will roll over into next month…

Daily / Weekly Actions – Week 4

I was completely swamped with client work last week, so my progress here was VERY poor last week. I have a feeling my numbers will be equally as low this week… I’m going to try my best, though!

I know if I’m not working on client sites, this week – I’ll be working on re-vamping my web site. Good for the SI item – “1 hour a day on SI” – but not so good for the other actions. But hey… if I’m spending 4-5 hours in a day on an SI, can that count for more than one “Y” – Please? LOL

Oh – and I’ll fess up that I actually had two “0″ days last week, so I did a tiny bit of GCN work over the weekend to make up for it a little bit…

• Total (# of 10)
  7 – 6 – 6 – 4 – 3

Program Goal – Week 4

Without a doubt, I set my sights way too high this program. I knew so in week 2, but throught if I aimed high it might happen.

No such luck… only a tiny bit more progress than last week. I haven’t been giving my marketing efforts 100% attention this time around, though, so I am not surprised by the low scores.

Again, I’m wishing I stuck with my goals last month (which were for 10 new prospects / 2 new clients) because then my percentages would be MUCH higher than they are now, LOL. Oh well!

• Program Goal
  20 new prospects / 4 new clients
• My Progress
  40% – 8 new prospects / 25% – 1 new client

Will You Reach Your Goals?

How are things looking for you now that we’re in the last week of the program? Are you closing in on your goals, or do you have a bit of work to do next time around? Please leave a comment below!

Read More Posts In This Series

• View All Posts Tagged with “Get Clients Now!”

Welcome to the “other side” LOL – the 2nd half of the Get Clients Now! 28 Day Marketing Program aimed at Filling the Pipeline.

Last week was a good week for me, however I’m really seeing how much WORK marketing really is! I admit my daily scores are not as high as I would have liked. Lack of time is something that continues to surprise me, now that I’ve taken the freelance plunge and have so much more time to spend on marketing efforts…

However, I’ve always had a problem with putting client work ahead of my own – and even now working for myself full time, I’m still putting my clients first. This is great for customer service, of course! And fantastic for meeting (and exceeding) my client deadlines… but not so great as far as marketing goes.

Success Ingredients – Week 2

I’m very happy with my progress on the Networking Venues Success Ingredient. Now, I must say this is something that will probably never truly be complete – this goes for all of my Success Ingredients – as they are something you must constantly be improving upon.

As far as Networking Venues, though, I’ve reached 100% of my goal in that I have narrowed down exactly which social media sites that I think will be of most benefit to me, and which ones I want to pursue the most. I have a blog post scheduled for later this week that will link to all of my profiles, as well as explain some of the benefits that I’ve found by participating in social networking.

1. Networking Venues – Progress: 100%
   by July 4, 2008
2. Description of Services – Progress: 75%
   by July 11, 2008 – I’ve back-tracked my progress here, as I realize I have a bit more to do than originally planned, including re-arranging my services and creating several new packages that will make things easier for potential new clients looking for information on my web design services…
   
3. Web Promotion Strategy – Progress: 20%
   by July 18, 2008

Daily / Weekly Actions – Week 2

Not nearly as good as last week, here (and I did give myself a complete day off for the 4th of July! which is why I had a big fat ZERO that day, LOL). I really need to work harder at my daily/weekly actions this week!

• Total (# of 10)
  6 – 7 – 7 – 7 – 0

Program Goal – Week 2

In all honesty, I’m thinking that I set the bar too high on my program goals this time around. I’ve got a long way to go (and I’m wishing I kept my same goals as last time… doubling my goals was quite a bit ambitious, and I’ll honestly be pretty surprised if I reach them.)

It’s always good to have strong goals to aim for, though. I’d say these count as an attempt towards a “scare yourself goal“. We’ll have to see what I can pull out of my hat in the last 2 weeks of the program!

I received quite a few inquires last week. It’s fun to track where these came from – some are from my blog commenting and forum participation. Some are referrals, and some are unknown. I’m wondering if a few of the most recent inquries came to me from my interview on Sparkplugging (I hope you’ll have a look – Wendy Piersall asked me some GREAT questions about the process I went through in making the move to running my business full time).

• Program Goal
  20 new prospects / 4 new clients
• My Progress
  35% – 7 new prospects / 25% – 1 new client

Half-Way Through… Where Are You At?

How is everyone doing at the half-way point? Are you right on track with your program goals? Too ambitious… not ambitious enough…? Please leave a comment below and let everyone know how you’re doing!

Read More Posts In This Series

• View All Posts Tagged with “Get Clients Now!”

Here we are at the 2nd week of the Get Clients Now! 28 Day Marketing Program aimed at Filling the Pipeline. I hope everyone had a productive first week!

I’ve been doing a lot of work on my Success Ingredient items (specifically Networking Venues). I’m seeing a huge difference this time around as far as being able to spend MUCH more time on the program specifics… maybe a little TOO much time, LOL, but good none-the-less.

Success Ingredients – Week 1

I seem to be putting off the Description of Services (repeat of last month…) this time in favor of the Networking Venues. I’ve done a great deal of work in this area, updating some of my unused social media profiles, and setting up a lot of new ones. I’ve got a post on social media in the works for later this week where I’ll link to all of my profiles…

1. Networking Venues – Progress: 75%
   by July 4, 2008 – Swaped this with Description of Services
2. Description of Services – Progress: 90%
   by July 11, 2008 – Swaped this with Networking Venues
   
3. Web Promotion Strategy – Progress: 10%
   by July 18, 2008

   I mentioned last week that I’m reading Itty Biz’s new eBook:
   SEO School: How to Become an SEO Ninja to help with this Success Ingredient. If you haven’t bought the eBook yet – today’s the last chance for you to get the $9 discount – so consider getting it at the discounted rate today!

   Get $9 OFF until July 1st with the Discount Code: MovingDay

Daily / Weekly Actions – Week 1

I did great last week as far as accomplishing items from my daily / weekly action list. I’ve been able to spend SO much time focusing on my marketing efforts, since taking the “freelance plunge” in order to run my business full time.

• Total (# of 10)
  7 – 9 – 8 – 8 – 7

Program Goal – Week 1

I’m off to a slow start as far as reaching my program goals, but I’m only 1 week into this program, so I expect this will pick up.

On the new client front – I now have new work from an existing client, and am wondering whether or not I should include that in the New Client count?

It generally does take less work to get new work from an existing client, however there is still work involved, which is why I’m considering including this in my Program Goal Progress. I’d love to hear your thoughts on the matter!

I’m on the verge of adding a NEW client to the list, but have to wait for the paperwork to come in before I can count this as official.

• Program Goal
  20 new prospects / 4 new clients
• My Progress
  10% – 2 new prospects / 0% – 0 new clients

How Was Your First Week? And A Question…

I’m anxious to see how everyone last week! Please leave a comment below and let us know about your progress. Are there any specific challenges you have been facing with the program?

And a specific question: What are your thoughts as far as including New work from an Old client in your “New Client” list?

Read More Posts In This Series

• View All Posts Tagged with “Get Clients Now!”

For those of you who have been following along with the Get Clients Now! posts, you know that I’ve just started a 2nd program this weekend.

If you don’t know what I’m referring to, please see the Intro Post on the series – basically, I’m making myself accountable for my marketing efforts by publicly posting my goals and progress on the program found in the book Get Clients Now! A 28-Day Marketing Program for Professionals, Consultants, and Coaches by C.J. Hayden

This Month’s Focus

Get Clients Now focuses on the Four Stages of the Universal Marketing Cycle:

• Filling the Pipeline
• Following Up
• Getting Presentations
• Closing Sales

Although my first program focused on Filling the Pipeline. At the risk of being repetitive, I’ve decided to focus this program on on Filling the Pipeline again.

I’m doing this because primarily, with my last program, I was still juggling both a full time day job while running my business part time (approximately 20-30 hours a week on nights and weekends). With only 4-5 hours a day to spend on my business, it just wasn’t realistic for me to dedicate 1-2 hours a day of that time on marketing. So my marketing efforts were often put on the back burner.

This time will be different! I’ve just finished up my first week running my business full time (I recently took the freelance plunge, and am LOVING that I can spend so much time focusing on my business and my clients, etc.) Last week was amazing to say the least – I got so much accomplished, and really do have to wonder how I managed before. I still have so much to do (both in house projects, as well as client work).

Anyway, my last program was hugely successful, despite the fact that I was only able to spend about half of the time that I wanted to on my marketing efforts. This time around, I will be able to dedicate the proper amount of time and effort to the program, and I’m very excited about the potential that will bring.

So, without further ado, let’s begin the program!

Action Worksheet – My Program Goals and How I Will Obtain Them

Below are my program goals for my second Get Clients Now! program. If you are joining along, you can download the FREE marketing plan worksheets from the Get Clients Now web site.

Although I’m working on Filling the Pipeline again, the book has so many suggestions, that I will be varying my program specifics greatly this time. Yes, some elements are the same, but there are some new ones thrown in as well. I’m also doubling my program goals from the last time.

Start Date

• June 21, 2008

What strategies will you use?

• Networking and Referral Building
• Writing and Publicity
• Advertising

Where are you stuck or what needs the most work?

• Filling the Pipeline

How much business do you have now?

• $X,XXX / month
  Yes, I’m still keeping the dollar amounts private
  

How much business do you really want?

• $X,XXX / month x 2
  I’d like to double my monthly business income

What would that get you?

• Enough of a monthly income to not only replace my old paycheck, but to save up for a new computer, as well.

What is your program goal?

• 20 new prospects / 4 new clients

What will be your reward?

• New office/computer/organizational supplies
  $50 maximum
  

Success Ingredients

1. Description of Services
   I got a big head start last month, but still have some finalizing to do. I also want to re-structure my shopping cart so the services are listed in a more user friendly format. As-is now, it’s more suited to other internet professionals who know exactly what they need. I’d like to put together more packages that would be better suited to web newbies.
   by July 4, 2008
2. Networking Venues
   Something else I got a head start on last month, but need to finalize. I’d like to narrow down which social media sites I plan to utilize the most, maximize my profiles on these sites – and start using them!
   by July 11, 2008
3. Web Promotion Strategy
   This might involve some paid advertising, but my primary goal here is to work on Search Engine Optimization. By the end of the month I want to narrow down a few sets of keywords and keyphrases that I plan to target, update my search engine optimization techniques, and re-submit my site to the search engines.
   by July 18, 2008

   By the way – as part of my web promotion strategy, I’ll be reading Itty Biz’s new eBook: SEO School: How to Become an SEO Ninja. If you like Naomi’s writing style on her blog, you’ll love it in her first eBook – it definitely does NOT feel like school. If you decide you want a copy, you can get $9 OFF until July 1st with the Discount Code: MovingDay

Daily / Weekly Actions

1. Daily: Spend 1 hour on my Success Ingredient Projects each day
2. Daily: Post 2 blog comments each day
3. Daily: Make 2 message board posts each day
4. Daily: Post 1 Q/A Answer each day
5. Weekly: Post 1 Q/A Question each week
6. Weekly: Publish 2 posts on my blog each week
7. Weekly: Make 1 new community contact each week
8. Weekly: Select / maximize 2 social media profiles each week
9. Weekly: Find 1 new place to submit my web site to each week
10. Daily: Plan my day each morning (or the night before)

Special Permission

• I Deserve to be Successful!

A Few Changes

Now that I have 40 hours a week to spend on my business, I’ll be putting a big focus on my marketing efforts. This time around, my goal is to accomplish at least 7-8 daily/weekly actions every day (I had some much lower numbers last time around).

One thing that I found mis-leading about scoring your daily/weekly actions is that C.J. Hayden suggests giving yourself a Y for weekly items that you might not have done on a given day, as long as you had not planned on working on it. I find that to be misleading, because I could just not plan on an item all week, and give myself five Y’s. Some days my scores were elevated because of the freebie Y’s this method gave me.

I’m going to try to be more accurate this time, and only give myself a Y for items that I actually completed. Yes, that means I’ll get some N’s because I have several weekly items that I don’t need to complete on a daily basis. I feel this will be a much more accurate representation of my true marketing efforts, though.

Care to Join Me?

I received some interest from the last program – and I see a few sales of the book in my Amazon Affiliate account, so I’m hoping that means there are more of you out there ready to join me in this round. As you’ve seen from my first program, the book has great suggestions, and I saw great results!

So, if your doing a program, I hope you’ll join along and help create some accountability for yourself! If you just started on Saturday, great! Please post your program goals and daily/weekly actions, etc. below. If you started recently (say a week or two ago) then you’ll be a bit ahead of me, but please feel free to post your program information from your first week, etc. You’ll actually be ahead of the game, but can post your progress from the relevant week.

Good luck to everyone! I hope this is a very successful month for us all!

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Can you believe it’s already been 4 weeks? Time has gone so quickly, and we’re finally at the end of the first Get Clients Now! 28 Day Marketing Program program!

I’m looking forward to seeing how everyone did. Overall, I’m very happy with my progress! I admit that it’s been difficult for me to get as many weekly and daily actions completed as I would have liked. Up until just last week, I was juggling both a full time job, as well as running this business on nights and weekends.

If you didn’t read my big announcement post, however – I finally took the freelance plunge last Friday!

I’m really looking forward to starting a second GCN program, because I will finally be able to devote the proper amount of time to my marketing efforts.

Success Ingredients – Week 4

Unfortunately, last week was such a whirlwind for me that I did not make a lot of progress on my Success Ingredients. Something that I will definitely be concentrating on the next round.

It is such a difficult habit to break, as far as pushing your own work behind that of clients. Something that I made big improvement on this last month, however I know I can still stand for much improvement here.

1. Description of Services – Progress: 90%
   by May 30, 2008
   Missed deadline – Still In Progress
   
2. Networking Venues – Progress: 60%
   by June 6, 2008
   Missed deadline – Still In Progress
3. Blog Concept / Topics – Progress: 50%
   by June 13, 2008
   Missed deadline – Still In Progress

I’ve done best with the Description of Services – I actually have everything written up, but still have to add my new services to my main business web site. There are also several changes that I want to make to the shopping cart – basically a re-organization of services and categories, etc. that will make the cart more user friendly.

All of this is on my schedule for the week, so Description of Services should NOT be one of the items on my Success Ingredient list for the next GCN program. This is my last ditch procrastination effort, LOL. Obviously it is an extremely important item – time to start putting myself first for a change, though, so I have several blocks of time set aside this week for completing this item.

As far as Blog Concepts and Networking Venues are concerned – I’ve done quite a bit here. I have a tentative blog schedule created for the next month. I gave myself such a low percentage score, however, because there were several blog posts that I had intended to write, and they are still sitting incomplete in my Drafts folder. Yet another example of putting your own marketing efforts last (which C.J. Hayden stresses in the book that you should always make marketing the First thing that you do!)

On the Networking Venues, I’ve joined several new social media outlets this month, including Plurk which is the “new Twitter” LOL. My goals for the next program include really taking a good look at all the services I’m setup with – narrowing down which ones I feel will be most beneficial to me, and really start using them to their full potential!

Daily / Weekly Actions – Week 4

My daily actions were about average this week – some good/ok days, and a couple poor days in there as well. Several of the higher scores were again to do with C.J. Hayden’s suggestion of giving yourself a Y for an item as long as it wasn’t on your to do list for that particular day.

Overall, throughout this program, I feel my daily/weekly scores could have been a bit higher. Definitely something to improve upon next time around!

• Total (# of 10)
  8 – 5 – 7 – 7 – 6

Program Goal – Week 4

As for the most important part of the program – the final program goal numbers, I’d say Get Clients Now! definitely delivers! Throughout the entire program, I’ve been doing great with bringing in new prospects – in 4 weeks, I’ve received inquiries from 16 new people! If that doesn’t count as Filling the Pipeline, I don’t know what does!

As of last week, I didn’t think I’d reach my “new clients” goal, but some good Karma (no, not the Plurk kind, LOL) must have come back at me, because I signed 2 more clients last week, with a definite yes from a 3rd (just waiting for the final paperwork to come through to make it official – I’m counting it here, though, because all of the hard work of working with this potential client was done during my GCN program).

• Program Goal
  10 new prospects / 2 new clients
• My Progress
  160% – 16 new prospects / 200% – 4 new clients

How Did Your GCN Program Go?

Now I want to know how YOU did? Did you enjoy the book? Was your first GCN program successful? Would you recommend it to other small business owners?

I definitely enjoy and recommend the book (look at my program goals above – numbers don’t lie, LOL).

If you’d like to give Get Clients Now! a shot, I’ll be starting a second program on Saturday. I’m actually on the fence as to whether I should do another Filling the Pipeline program, or if I should move onto Following Up. I think I could greatly benefit from a different stage of the Universal Marketing Cycle:

• Filling the Pipeline
• Following Up
• Getting Presentations
• Closing Sales

However, now that I will actually have TIME to market myself properly, I am very curious to see how the program will go for me if I spend the proper amount of time on my Daily / Weekly Action Items for the Filling the Pipeline program.

Needless to say, I’ll be reading up on the Following Up information, and will make my final decision by the end of the week. I hope you’ll join along!

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I’m very excited to announce that Naomi and Jamie of Itty Biz have just released their very first eBook:

• SEO School: How to Become an SEO Ninja
  

Note: There’s a discount code at the bottom of the post…

I was lucky enough to know about this eBook well in advance of it’s launch day (today) so I already purchased my copy last week! I can’t wait to start reading it and implementing some if not ALL of the tactics to my web site and blog.

I’ve hired Naomi twice already, with another consultation setup for tomorrow afternoon, so I have no doubt whatever expertise she’s able to share through an eBook will be invaluable to say the least.

Here are some of the things you’ll learn in SEO School:

This is direct from the Itty Biz web site below – I figured it would be best to tell you exactly what’s included rather than try to paraphrase. Naomi is, after all, a marketing expert!

• How to figure out what you want to rank in Google for (it’s not what you think)
• How to maximize the number of people searching for your keywords while minimizing your competition
• When you want to optimize, and when you don’t
• Where to find free tools — what you should pay for and what you shouldn’t
• What to do about the Google sandbox
• How to get creative with your SEO — it’s not just stuffing a bunch of keywords in and crossing your fingers
• How to tell whether your niche is profitable — will you ever be able to rank for what you want?
• Black Hat SEO vs. White Hat SEO — it’s not just for Westerns anymore
• How to capitalize on long tail search terms — the ones that the big guys aren’t even trying for
• Competition reconnaissance — how to know what you’re up against (Hint: ninjas are involved.)

In addition to the background stuff, you’ll come away with concrete, actionable ideas for what you can do to improve your Google ranking TODAY:

• 8 critical optimization tricks you can start using on your own site right now. Even if you don’t know anything about SEO. Even if you don’t know anything about websites.
• 6 ways to maximize the power of your inbound links, the thing Google looks at first

There are also two special sections at the end:

• For Bloggers Only: The 3 reasons you NEED a blog, even if you can’t write – 7 blog-specific ways to improve your SEO
• The Future of Google: What to know and do now so you don’t have to redo this stuff again every six months for the rest of your life.

Special Offer – $9 OFF until July 1st

For a limited time – until July 1st, 2008 – you can get $9 off the eBook with Discount Code: MovingDay

You can’t go wrong with that, now, can you? Be sure to get your copy of SEO School: How to Become an SEO Ninja today!

Welcome to Week 4 of the Get Clients Now! 28 Day Marketing Program!

We’re in the home stretch now! Just 1 more week left to finish up on those Success Ingredients, and to reach your program goal. How is everyone doing this time around?

Success Ingredients – Week 3

Although I’m continuing to make process on all of my Success Ingredients, I have not yet accomplished my goals for these items on time! I’ve got 1 week to finish up, so I know I’ll be a busy little bee this time around!

1. Description of Services – Progress: 90%
   by May 30, 2008
   Missed deadline again – Changing goal to June 13, 2008
   
2. Networking Venues – Progress: 60%
   by June 6, 2008
   Changed goal last week to June 13, 2008 to allow time for #1 above
   
3. Blog Concept / Topics – Progress: 50%
   by June 13, 2008

Daily / Weekly Actions – Week 3

Not bad this week. I almost feel like it’s cheating when GCN lets you give yourself a Y for an item you didn’t do, as long as you hadn’t planned on doing it that day. Again, I’d say this is a motivational tactic. Anyway, not too bad last week in terms of my total number of completed daily/weekly actions.

• Total (# of 10)
  8 -7 -6 -7 – 7

Program Goal – Week 3

Going by my results on the “new prospects” portion of the goal, Get Clients Now! definitely delivers! I’m always amazed by how the daily and weekly actions in my “Filling the Pipeline” program does SO well!

• Program Goal
  10 new prospects / 2 new clients
• My Progress
  140% – 14 new prospects / 50% – 1 new client

As far as new clients, I’m half way there – good, but I’d love to get 1 additional client this week, so I’d be at 100% on this area, too. What I realize is that the goal of signing a new client really is more for the other stages of the Universal Marketing Cycle. Specifically the area on Closing Sales.

• Filling the Pipeline
• Following Up
• Getting Presentations
• Closing Sales

I will be focusing my next program on Following Up, however, as I want to learn as many techniques as possible from all 4 stages. Anyway, the numbers above definitely show that the program works to help Fill the Pipeline by bringing in new prospects!

I’d say the numbers speak for themselves, as far as whether GCN actually works or not! To be honest, what I really need to do is focus on the other stages of the Universal Marketing Cycle.

How Was Your Week 3?

For those of you following along this time around – how did you do last week? Do you think you’ll reach your program goal by Friday? Please share in the comments below!

By the way, the next program which will be starting on Saturday, June 21st – so you still have a few more weeks to decide if you like what you see and want to get the book and give it a shot, too!

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Welcome to Week 3 of the Get Clients Now! 28 Day Marketing Program!

Now that we’re halfway through the program, how is everyone doing? I think Nicole is the only other person joining along on the actual program, lol – but if you’ve been reading our progress thinking about joing in on the next program, I wonder what your thoughts are?

Success Ingredients – Week 2

Something I neglected to write an overview on last week (oversight on my part) was my success ingredients. One of my deadlines was Friday, and I missed the boat… I’m 85% on that item, so I know I have to play catch-up this week.

Overall, I’m making progress on all of them, though, so I still think I can reach these goals by the end of the program.

1. Description of Services – Progress: 85%
   by May 30, 2008
   Missed deadline – Changing goal to June 6, 2008
   
2. Networking Venues – Progress: 35%
   by June 6, 2008
   Changing goal to June 13, 2008 to allow time for #1 above
   
3. Blog Concept / Topics – Progress: 25%
   by June 13, 2008

Daily / Weekly Actions – Week 2

I suppose I don’t need to bore you with the specifics of each daily item, lol – the totals should speak for themselves…

• Total (# of 10)
  10 – 8 – 5 – 2 – 6

I’m happy to say that I rocked it on Monday! Of course, that was a holiday, which meant I had all day to market myself. Thursday was obviously a very poor day in terms of GCN. There was a LOT going on that day for me, though (announcement on that in the weeks to come, so stay tuned!)

Program Goal – Week 2

As for overall progress of my Program Goal… I’m doing great! Way past the half way mark!

• Program Goal
  10 new prospects / 2 new clients
• My Progress
  110% – 11 new prospects / 50% – 1 new client

I’d say the numbers speak for themselves, as far as whether GCN actually works or not! To be honest, what I really need to do is focus on the other stages of the Universal Marketing Cycle.

• Filling the Pipeline
• Following Up
• Getting Presentations
• Closing Sales

I’m more than right on with new prospects, which is my goal with this program – Filling the Pipeline. Actually signing new clients are more along the lines of Closing the Sale, which is the last program.

For those of you following along, my next program will be geared towards Following Up, as I want to work through each of the stages in the Marketing Cycle. But of course, you can do any of the programs – whichever is the area you feel most necessary to furthering your business. In my case I did several Filling the Pipeline programs.

That’s the beauty of the program is that you can custom tailor your program(s) to exactly what you need.

How Did You Do In Week 2?

Please post an update below to let us know how you’re doing at the half way point. And if you’ve been reading along – what do you think? Does it seem like a worthwhile process?

I hope you’ll join along in the next program which will be starting on Saturday, June 21st.

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Welcome to week 2 of the Get Clients Now! 28 Day Marketing Program!

How did everyone do last week? I hope it was a productive week! This won’t be a long post today – basically just a quick checkin to show my progress and see how everyone is doing.

Daily / Weekly Actions – Week 1

Below are my selected Daily and Weekly Actions that I setup in Week 1. Under each item is my Yes or No status, as far as whether I completed the item on a given day (I’ve tailored my program as suggested in the book – with my action days being Monday – Friday… if your schedule is different, you can adjust this to your most productive days if necessary).

1. Spend 1/2 hour each day on my Success Ingredient Projects
   N – Y – Y – Y – Y
2. Spend 1/2 hour each day on reading or writing
   N – Y – Y – Y – Y
3. Send 1 letter or email to a new person each week
   Y – N – N – Y – Y
4. Make 1 new community contact each week
   Y – N – Y – Y – Y
5. Post 1 Q/A Question each week (on LinkedIn or Work It, Mom!)
   N – N – N – Y – Y
6. Post 1 Q/A Answer each day (on LinkedIn or Work It, Mom!)
   Y – N – Y – N – N
7. Post 2 blog comments each day
   Y – Y – Y – N – N
8. Post 2 message board posts each day (new and/or response)
   Y – Y – Y – Y – Y
9. Publish 2 blog posts each week
   Y – Y – Y – N – N
   
10. Plan my day each morning (or the night before)
    N – Y – Y – Y – Y

Overall not bad – lots of Yes’ in the list above. However there are also quite a bit of No’s… My totals for the week are:

• Total (# of 10)
  6 – 6 – 8 – 7 – 7

Ideally, you want to average about 8 Y’s per day. So I can see I need improvement. The beauty of this program is that you are able to customize it to fit your needs. If you find that it’s nearly impossible to accomplish one (or several) of your Daily / Weekly items, you can always adjust it.

For example, change your 2 blog comments a day goal to 1 blog comments a day. Judging by last week, that is something I might need to adjust. But I am going to leave my list as-is for the moment and see if I can’t just increase my performance next week. If I find my daily totals are still on the low side, then I’ll reconsider adjusting my Daily / Weekly Actions next week.

A Little Bit of Grey

As far as judging your progress, I find there can be a bit of grey area, because some items are a bit tricky to keep track of. For example, #5 above “Post 1 Q/A Question each week” – I posted 2 questions this week, and gave myself credit for those days.

In GCN, CJ Hayden says that if you had planned to do a weekly item, but didn’t – then you get an “N” for that day. However, if you did Not plan on doing an item, you can credit yourself with a “Y”. So I have a few freebie points in my list from that. Kind of misleading in a way, but I think it’s more to help motivate you – at least as far as sticking to your plans.

Now, take #9 “Publish 2 blog posts each week” – I failed on this one in that I did not publish 2 posts this week. But I gave myself Y’s on Monday and Tuesday because I worked on the posts (even though they have not yet been published). This is where there’s some grey area, LOL.

Program Goal – Week 1

As for overall progress of my Program Goal…

• Program Goal
  10 new prospects / 2 new clients
• My Progress
  40% – 4 new prospects / 0% – 0 new clients

Not bad for just 1 week. I’m almost at 50% of my goal for Prospects after only 1 week! I know actually getting the clients will be more difficult than getting prospects. But I at least have my foot in 4 new doors, LOL, so it’s a start!

A note about how I’m judging these, by the way…

Before starting the project, I already had 5 prospects (so hey – I’ve technically currently got 9 prospects! That’s GREAT!) As far as prospects go, however, I’m only including a potential client in my GCN project goal if they became a prospect AFTER I started the program.

On the other hand, actually converting a prospect into an official client obviously requires a lot more work – much of which is ongoing during the program (for example, I sent out 3 proposals last week). If any of my prospects (pre-GCN or post-GCN) becomes a paying client, then I will include them in my “2 new clients” goal.

Your Turn!

So, enough about me! I want to hear how YOU did this week! I’d say I’m off to a good start, and I hope next week is even better for all of us.

If you’re following the program alongside me, please do leave a comment below, and let me know how week 1 went for you. Are you making any changes to your program goals or daily/weekly actions for week 2?

If you’re not in on the program yet, I still wonder what your thoughts are? Do you think this is something you’d be interested in doing in the near future?

I plan on starting a 2nd program on the blog in June, so you have plenty of time to prepare by getting the book and reading up on it (you don’t have to read the whole book – only about half of it for preparation… the rest of it you read as you follow the program).

Best of luck in Week 2!

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Welcome to Week 1 of my first public Get Clients Now! (GCN) program…

If you don’t know what I’m talking about, lol, be sure to read the first intro post in this series. Basically, I’m publicizing my progress in going through the 28 day marketing program found in Get Clients Now! A 28-Day Marketing Program for Professionals, Consultants, and Coaches by C.J. Hayden.

Class In Session (Or A Preview)

The program itself is starting today, but if you don’t have the book, don’t worry! Just follow along this month to see what you think… if you like what you see, you can pick up a copy of the book, and join in on the next round!

My thoughts being that by posting my process on this blog, it will help make me accountable for my actions – making sure that I actually complete the program and make the most of my marketing efforts.

In doing so, I’m also hoping to have as many of you as possible join in on the process – nothing like a group of peers to help support each other!

And yes, I realize this might not all make sense if you don’t have the book, but this series should at least give a general idea as to what the book entails.

Put Yourself First

As I mentioned in my previous GCN post, I have started 3 programs in the past, but each time I got too caught up in client work that I put my own marketing efforts on the back-burner.

Perhaps the most important quote from the book, and one we as small business owners should live by…

“Make marketing your first priority
instead of the last thing you do”

I’m guilty of putting my own projects and marketing efforts last, whenever client work comes in, so it was very good to read someone else stressing how important marketing is – that it should come first.

I’m starting with that new mantra today!

Program Focus

The book is built so that you can create as many plans with different focuses as necessary, depending on your particular marketing needs:

• Filling the Pipeline
• Following Up
• Getting Presentations
• Closing Sales

In my previous GCN programs, I focused on the first step in the Universal Marketing Cycle – Filling the Pipeline. I plan to complete this program by continuing to focus on this stage.

For those of you joining in on the program, please feel free to design your own program on any of the four stages above.

Action Worksheet – My Program Goals and How I Will Obtain Them

Below are my program goals and planned ingredients and actions for the next 28 days. Don’t forget you can download the FREE marketing plan worksheets from the Get Clients Now web site.

Start Date

• May 17, 2007

What strategies will you use?

• Direct Contact and Follow-up
• Networking and Referral Building
• Writing and Publicity

Where are you stuck or what needs the most work?

• Filling the Pipeline

How much business do you have now?

• $X,XXX / month
  some things you don’t have to post for the whole world to read, LOL

How much business do you really want?

• $X,XXX / month x 2
  I’d like to double my monthly business income

What would that get you?

• Extra money to pay off credit card debt… aka Less Stress!

What is your program goal?

• 10 new prospects / 2 new clients

What will be your reward?

• Me Time / A complete day OFF!
  No work! Sleep in late, take a nap, have an at-home girly spa/pamper day complete with manicure, pedicure and candle-lit bath… aka Relax!

Success Ingredients

1. Description of Services
   This is mostly complete, but I need to tweak existing rates and services, as well as add new WordPress and eCommerce services.
   by May 30, 2008
2. Networking Venues
   I especially want to focus on maximizing my social media profiles by making the most of existing profiles and creating some new ones.
   by June 6, 2008
3. Blog Concept / Topics
   I need to focus on this blog as a business networking tool, mainly by producing quality posts on a more frequent basis, at least twice a week as a starting point.
   by June 13, 2008

Daily Actions

1. Spend 1/2 hour each day on my Success Ingredient Projects
2. Spend 1/2 hour each day on reading or writing
3. Send 1 letter or email to a new person each week
4. Make 1 new community contact each week
5. Post 1 Q/A Question each week (on LinkedIn or Work It, Mom!)
6. Post 1 Q/A Answer each day (on LinkedIn or Work It, Mom!)
7. Post 2 blog comments each day
8. Post 2 message board posts each day (new and/or response)
9. Publish 2 blog posts each week
10. Plan my day each morning (or the night before)

Special Permission

• I Deserve to be Successful!

Now It’s Your Turn

What are your program goals? What do you hope to accomplish over the next 28 days, and which daily actions are going to get you there?

Please feel free to post your Action Worksheet on your own blog, or in the comments below. This will help make you accountable and ensure you actually get this done (and if you don’t we’ll be here to motivate each other to continue).

Best of luck to you this month! Let the marketing begin!

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Back in January, I started reading Get Clients Now! A 28-Day Marketing Program for Professionals, Consultants, and Coaches by C.J. Hayden.

This book walks you through creating a 28 Day Marketing Program to help promote your business. It’s particularly aimed at service based businesses, but I’m sure the techniques could be adapted to those selling products as well.

With a title like that, the book instantly caught my attention. That and the rave reviews I saw on Amazon. (Yes, that’s an affiliate link above… if you plan to buy the book anyway, I hope you’ll help a girl out by clicking the link, LOL)

From the first few pages, I was very excited to get started with the 28 day program. I believe I share a lot in common with many small business owners -we love what we do, but we are designers or writers or [insert job title here]… not necessarily marketing specialists!

As a small business owner, though, you end up wearing many different hats – including that of a sales man (or woman).

The Universal Marketing Cycle: A Brief Overview…

Get Clients Now! focuses on the four stages of the Universal Marketing Cycle:

• Filling the Pipeline
• Following Up
• Getting Presentations
• Closing Sales

C.J. Hayden explains the strategies and ingredients necessary for improving your performance on the stages above. As part of the 28 day cycle, you are able to put together your own program, selecting the specific ingredients, techniques and daily actions that appeal to you.

The Importance of Self-Promotion

I’ve found this to be a very motivational book, and I can honestly say that I have accomplished a LOT because of it. I’ve completed several success ingredients, and have been networking through this blog and other social media. I’ve met a lot of great people, and formed relationships that I never would have if not for this book.

Some of the contacts I’ve made through the networking suggestions in the book have turned into qualified leads, too (and that is the point of the book, after all…)

Now, I love the concept of the 28 Day program… BUT – and there’s always a “but” – I’ve started 3 programs so far, and I have yet to actually complete one!

Although I always hit the ground running, I end up slacking off before reaching the final week (or two). I hope that doesn’t reflect poorly on the book itself, it’s just the side of me who ends up putting clients first, before my own business.

Avoid the Feast or Famine Cycle

Unfortunately, this throws me right into the vicious cycle of feast vs famine.

In other words, when business is slow, I market like crazy, which is great! But when things pick up and I’m juggling several clients at once, I feel I “don’t have time” for marketing.

This is most certainly NOT the smartest approach to take – because although you will not notice it during the busy times, you will most definitely feel the consequences “next month” when the work you were doing is finished, and there are no new clients on the horizon.

It’s important to keep planting those seeds, so you have a steady stream of work sprouting up.

Enter a NEW Month… and a NEW 28 Day Program!

So, this post is all about creating some accountability for myself. This time will be different, as I’ll be posting weekly updates right here.

Nothing like putting it all out in the open to help make you accountable!

Care to Join Me?

I’m planning on starting a new program very soon – a little over a week from now, on Saturday, May 17th.

The book suggests starting the program on a Saturday, but otherwise you have weekends “off” while you do the majority of your program tasks during the work-week. Of course, if your schedule is different, you can easily re-arrange the dates to better suit you. Point is… it’s 28 days of marketing and self-promotion.

You can’t go wrong there!

A Book Club, of Sorts…

I’d love to open this up to anyone else who has the book; have been planning on getting the book; have never heard of the book, but your interest is now peaked… well, you get the idea, right?

I’ll be posting weekly updates as I go through the program. It might not all make sense to you if you don’t have Get Clients Now! but you can get a general idea of what to expect if you do eventually want to try it for yourself.

Are You In?

So, if you want to participate, please make a comment below or post on your blog, etc. It would be great to have a group of people to help hold each other accountable. What’s there to loose – your business could (and likely will) benefit from it!

For those of you joining in on the fun, you can download the FREE marketing plan worksheets from the Get Clients Now web site.

Have You Already Completed A (Several) Program(s)?

I’d love to hear your thoughts… Has it worked for you?

Do you have any suggestions?

BTW, like Naomi’s recent small business game post…

…this is NOT a meme! LOL

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This week’s find is a great one, and should be of particular interest to anyone trying to get their small business off the ground!

Naomi Dunford over at Itty Biz has recently posted a number of topics in a new series titled Marketing School. Naomi has a great writing style – it certainly does NOT feel like school, lol. She teaches many important aspects of starting (or beefing up) your business, including topics such as:

• What is a USP (Unique Selling Point)?
• How to Build Your Own USP
• Identifying Your Target Market
• and much more…

It’s definitely worth a read – I’ve learned a lot from the articles so far, and am anxiously awaiting the next post. I believe there will be approximately 30 articles to the series once it’s complete.

I’ve got a great find for you all today! Wendy Piersall of eMoms at Home has recently been looking into issues with Google, Page Rank and paid text ads. More on that story here.

What I wanted to point at today, though, is her recent article: 27 Website Promotion Sources That Have Nothing To Do With Google or SEO.

Of course SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is still important for bringing traffic to your site. Wendy points out, though, that it is best not to depend too much on the search engines for traffic to your web site. There are so many other sources of traffic – at least 27, lol – plus some other good ones in the comments below the article.

I’ve finally started dabbling in a few of these – such as Social Bookmarking and Social Networking. I have a lot more to do though to utilize all 27 suggestions.

Definitely worth a read, and certainly worth bookmarking for future reference.

Thanks for the suggestions, Wendy!