Business Idea: Build About Me Pages for sellers!

I was going to just comment about this on my last post – but decided it probably deserves its own post.

Here is a little side note… but, there are so many advantages to having an about me page – and since there are so many sellers that don’t take advantage of it – this could be a business all in its self!

Learn how to build a successful About Me page and then offer to create them for sellers who don’t have them. Charge $15-20 each. You could even put together a free report about why it is important to have an About Me page that you give away to promote your service… :) Just a thought…

Don’t Let This Happen To You

Ok, the first thing I’m going to share with you has nothing to do with local business per se, it’s a valuable reminder for any business that has a website and relies on that website for income.

Make sure that your website is backed up at all times and can be restored at a moment’s notice. You’d think that someone who has been online for as many years as I have wouldn’t get caught looking the other way.

Yet, while I was in California on vacation, my server was hacked, along with many others hosted with my ISP. I found out about it last week, 2 days after I got back.

Theories abound as to how it happened, but finger pointing and the blame game can come later… the important thing was to restore each of the 76 sites on my server to its original state. The sites looked normal at first glance, but some nasty code had been added to many of the pages that made Google think that we were distributing malware. Not good.

I thought I had prepared for this — daily backups had been scheduled when I first got the server. I made it very clear that backups were important and needed to be done like clockwork. And they were. At first.

Do you see where this is going?

Yes, at some point, somehow, some way, I ran out of space and didn’t have enough for backups anymore. The drive was 60% utilized and the backups are zipped so there should have been enough space, but whatever. The last backup was 2 months old — arrgh!

Ok, well, no use whining about it after the fact. I rolled up my sleeves and went to work. Got the server people to run a script to clean all the pages. It took 3 times, but it finally worked.

Next, the issue of backups. In addition to the scheduled backups on the server, I signed on with an external company so they will be maintained in another place. Daily. Automatically. No running out of space.

Finally, find another hosting company, one that specializes in dedicated servers. That took the longest but I finally decided on a high end hosting company that will actually manage the server for me, keeping an eye on things and making sure nothing like this happens again. And to be on the safe side, I hired an external server management company to fill in any gaps in the hosting company’s coverage.

Yes, it’s going to cost me a couple hundred dollars more a month for all of this “insurance” but if it will keep me from having to endure another week like the one I just went through, it will be so worth it.

And now, I need another vacation!

Business or Hobby?

Some sellers sell on eBay just for extra cash… but many sell to build a business. If you are looking to build a business with eBay – one of the most important pieces you need to be aware of is to have an AboutMe page. eBay is one of the most visited websites in the world… and your AboutMe page is like your own eBay website.

Here are some tips for what to include on your About Me page:

• Remember even though it is an About ME page – it isn’t all about YOU. Make the focus on your customers and include the kind of information they would want to know about you and your business.
• If you sell used items – include descriptions of how you rate your items. For example – define ‘good condition’ or ’slightly worn’ so there are no misunderstandings from your buyers
• Do you sell clothing? Describe how you take measurements. When you measure the length of a dress do you measure from the neckline to the hem? or from the top of the shoulder to the hem?
• Offer your visitors a discount if they sign up for your newsletter… you can include a link to your website and have a discount code in your autoresponder sequence that they can use to save on their winning bids.
• Be personal – but remain professional… if you selling to other moms (ie., selling children’s items) – remember that moms love to connect with other moms. Be sure to be personal and share a bit about yourself – but don’t go overboard! They want to learn more about you and how you manage/run your business… and may not be interested in 20 pictures of your children and pets.
• Finally – be sure to mention your AboutMe page on your listings. This is especially effective if you are gathering email address/leads through an offer for signing up for your newsletter.

It always helps to put yourself in the shoes of your customers… Think about when you are the buyer and you are looking to learn about a seller – what do you like to see on the AboutMe page you are visiting?

Are Your Photos Giving Away Your Product?

Although I happened to notice these cases a while back, today an incident happened that reminded me of this whole affair. While these case studies were taken from eBay, yet you should be cautious that it can happen anywhere outside eBay when selling your digital goods.

Many sellers think, just because a digital product is not sent to someone, that means the customer won’t get the benefit of using it unless they paid for it. But this does not always apply. Depending on the product, people don’t have to download your product from you in order to consume it. What do I mean?

Case Study 1 A seller has is plans (blue prints) for sale. The plans show people how to build a CB radio tower. In his listing he had pictures of his plans that included an enlarged picture. Even though the resolution wasn’t exactly sharp but you could practically see the whole blue print for the tower.

My husband who is accustomed to reading blue prints every day at work says that’s enough information for him to build the tower. All he does is print out that one image. Now, he didn’t do that and went ahead to purchase it. But not everyone will do that.

Case # 2 Seller has a used notebook computer and says he doesn’t have the Windows disk anymore but he has the license key. On the listing, there’s a picture of the license key clear enough you can print it out and use it.

The seller is fortunate here because you can’t use a notebook computer unless you buy it and he ships it to you. But what if he’s selling just the software? Maybe not all buyers will be that savvy but some of them will be. I for one will not be bidding for it even though it’s a really good deal because I don’t want to use an operating system that’s already been unintentionally pirated.

Solution: Either make the picture smaller, don’t put it up at all or better yet, if it’s something you sell over and over, create a cover graphic for it like a CD case cover or a book representation. When you put a picture of your product up, don’t forget to look it over, or ask someone to look it over. It’s easy for us to miss these things sometimes.

Can I Podcast By Phone Alone?

A question from a blog reader: 

Jocelyn asks: “How can you make a podcast without a computer? Can I do it over the phone?”

Thanks for the question! 

Setting up a podcast requires some computer time – but this work can be outsourced easily enough. For example, at Mom’s Radio Network we provide full services to clients that include building a website, setting up and managing the RSS feed, putting the show together and publishing it to the web.  We do have clients who only record segments by phone and leave the rest to us and know that they really enjoy this. 

There are also Virtual Assistants who have chosen to specialize in podcasting who can provide the computer and online services you need to support your show as well. 

There are some interesting ‘live’ internet radio and podcast solutions that record 100% by telephone, but the admin side of things are still managed by the internet so some connection is required – or again, this could be outsourced.  (I’m talking about Blog Talk Radio and Talk Shoe.)

I hope this answers your question.  If you want to podcast and prefer not to spend time on the tech side of things, choose a skilled and reliable support person and just focus on the part you love: sharing your message.

Can I Give Too Much Away for Free?

Wow! My first official post here at IBMoms Expert Blogs and from the looks of things, it had better be a good one, right? :-) These ladies are on fire!Many times I’m asked questions about giving away freebies. A common concern among business owners is that they worry about giving away too much for free, which causes them to wonder if by sharing their knowledge with nothing in return they are actually hurting their business. They worry they are actually working against themselves because people won’t buy their paid information products or even have a need for their physical products because they have given away so much for free.

Let me first say, one of the things that makes a business owner a true “sweetie” is our honest desire to help others. Many of us realize that by giving things (whether product samples, advice or something else) away for free we are fulfilling a need BEFORE our potential customers buy. But that’s not all.

Here are just 2 reasons that giving things away for free is important to your business.

Creates Trust

When you give good information and useful advice, you gain the trust of your readers. And no, you don’t have to have a Ph.D to help people and lead them in the right direction with your experience and knowledge. If you guide them in the right direction they will trust your advice, whether it’s a solution to a problem or a product recommendation.

Generates Buzz & Traffic

By giving something away you are getting your current customers, readers and visitors talking about you and your business. They’ll post your giveaway on their own sites, tell their friends and family and therefore you are bringing in more potential buyers that may never have known about you otherwise.

Now before you go about giving your information away willy nilly…

A Word of Warning

Now, please realize I’m not saying you should be giving away ALL of your physical products or creating all of your information products just for the purpose of giving them away. You can’t possibly create a profitable business if you never sell anything. But, what you can do is build on the things you are giving away. Create more informative or detailed info products that have value and will sell. And, if your business is physical products, create and give away things that will help you sell those products.

In other words – when you give information away, always make sure to include an OFFER. If you don’t ask for the sale, it’s pretty tough to get the sale.

Here’s an example. Let’s say you sell candles. Obviously you can’t give away your full-sized candles as samples every time. But, what you can do is give away smaller votives or tea light samples or create a free newsletter that includes exclusive discounts for subscribers.

Or if you have a course that teaches your customers how to improve their tennis game, give them an introductory course that gives them a few tips on making instant improvements. Then offer them the full course. If they found the initial advice helpful, they’re more likely to act on your offers.

You will inevitably run into freebie seekers who are only looking for something for nothing. That is the nature of doing business. Most people who visit your website, take your freebies, etc., will never buy a thing from you. Focus on those who are your target customer and give them the information they need to make an informed decision about your paid products and you’ll do just fine.

Alice :-)

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Tight Budget? Try Open Source

Starting a business even a home based or online one requires money. A big part of your computer expenses is not the computer itself. It’s in the software. Business grade software like Microsoft Office or Adobe Acrobat to create all those nice PDF’s can cost a pretty penny.

So what can a cash strapped start up do? Give open source software a shot. Generally, open source software is software that’s free to download and free to use. Yes, you can use it for your business.

There are so many excellent software that you can download and use freely. Many of them are business grade and could work better than the popular (and expensive) alternatives.

One such is OpenOffice. I’ve been using it for over a year. It’s an alternative for Microsoft Office. I actually prefer it over Microsoft Office now because it’s got built in PDF and includes a drawing program to help me create nice flow charts and such. I can open Microsoft Office files that get sent to me and create .doc and .xls to send to others too.

But that’s not the only type of software. You can get accounting software, customer relationship managers, audio editors, web site builders and more. Ready to give them a try? Open Source Alternative is a great site to find what’s available.

Copywriting Do’s and Dont’s

Copywriting is one of those things that many business owners just dread. We tend to know the importance of good copy but somehow put this aspect of our product creation aside as an afterthought.

It’s understandable especially if it’s not something you enjoy doing. But it really is so extremely important. Good sales copy can make all the difference between your product failing or exceeding your expectations.

Here are a few tips to help you get started:

The first and main thing is to know your target market. It doesn’t matter how many psychological tactics you apply in your writing or how many power words you use – if you don’t know your target market you’ll miss the mark.

So instead of just saying my market is “women” think “woman” – craft your copy for one person only. Write as though that one person was sitting right there next to you. Now, what type of woman? How old is she? What does she like to do? How does she think?

Dig deep and really get into the mind of your potential customer and you’ll be off to a great start.

Finally, I wanted to point out a few quick words that are often used in copy that can be extremely detrimental…

Learn = I used to use this word myself until I researched and found that is has a very negative meaning. Most people don’t want to “learn” they want things easy and fun. So learn all of a sudden lowers the tone of the copy.

But = This is also a very negative word. Go through your copy and replace any “buts” with another suitable word.

If = Again, not a very good word. It implies that there is a chance your reader won’t do what you want them to do. Instead use “when.” “When They sign up for your course, when they submit their email address, etc.”

I hope these small tips help you tweak your copy a little. I’m putting together some left brain/right brain words and will post those soon. Simply replace the left brain rational word with its more powerful emotion-oriented right brain counterpart.

I’ll post that soon… take care!

Controversy = Interaction = Advertisers?

A question from my mailing list…

“I’d like to ask your opinion about radio shows that deal with controversial subject matter – from a listener and sponsor perspective. My experience is that most people want to add their two cents and can’t wait to do it. This creates more listeners. Listeners are consumers and sponsors are more likely to advertise with you because of it. What’s your perspective on this?”

I’ve never done anything particularly controversial unless you count calling an auto surf program a pyramid scheme ;) (Fond memories there!)

Controversy does create buzz and it will incite strong opinions. You do hope that it would equate into more participation from listeners but that all depends on the group.

Do people really want to add their two cents?

The internet is chock full of opportunities to add your two cents. In fact I often grow tired of being asked to give my two cents. My two cents has been spent – like two hundred dollars ago. It takes quite a bit today to inspire me to give a reaction to something. But – then, I listen to hours and hours of content every day – so it’s just not practical to expect me to have an opinion to share on everything, that’d be a full time job in itself.

Most podcast listeners are not like me though – they are choosing a small number of interesting podcasts to listen to in a week’s time so hopefully they have more pennies in their pocket for spending.

Still, only a tiny percentage of your listener base will ever vocalize an opinion or give you feedback about your program – so in the beginning especially you may be disappointed with the number of responses you get – even with a controversial topic.

As time passes and your numbers grow, your feedback will grow with it so don’t give up too soon – just make it easy for feedback to come to you.

• Use a Listener’s Recording Line
• Provide a Public Email
• Use a Contact Form
• Build a Mailing List – and invite subscribers to hit reply and give you their thoughts when you mail them.
• Put up Listener Polls
• Use Web Surveys

Now, if I understand your full question – you’re asking me if controversial topics will lead to advertisers. Advertisers are interested in reaching a target market and as much of that target market as possible. If you can deliver the numbers, you can sell the ad space. Controversy or no controversy.

Another possible question to draw from your email would be ‘Will a show with an interactive listener base attract more advertisers?’ I would lean towards a yes on that one. If you have two shows reaching the same market, both reporting to reach the same number of listeners, I believe the advertiser would gravitate towards the show that ‘looks more active’.

Thanks for the question!

Starting a Business on a Shoestring Budget

One of my favorite things about a service industry business is that it can be started on a shoestring budget. It usually doesn’t require much money or training. For example, in housecleaning, all you need is you and most often, you can get paid the same day for your labor.

I started my first maid service while I was just a nineteen year old a single mom on welfare in Florida and subsequently, I was able to get off welfare and grow my business to be one of the largest maid services in South Florida.

Years later, I was able to start from scratch again, this time I was homeless with five kids and my youngest was a newborn.

So where do you begin? First of all, decide what kind of service business you want to start. To do that you have to figure out what you like, what you are good at, and what you think you can be successful in.

Next, get yourself a sole proprietor business license from your state’s Department of Licensing. Those usually cost around twenty dollars. I recommend that you use your name as your business name because then you have the flexibility to do whatever kind of business you want and even change what services you offer without having to change your business name. You can always “do business as” another more specific name.

Then you will need to test the market and see if there’s a need. Of course if you are going to start talking to people about offering them a service, you need to be ready with prices so figure out what you are going to charge first.

Call up other businesses offering the same service and find out what they are charging. I recommend that you undercut the market a little bit just to get started, then, once you are established you can raise your rates up to current market prices.

Now you are ready to ask your friends, family, and people in your area, if they have a need for this service. Word of mouth is one of the best methods of marketing your new business and it’s free!

So there you have it, you are off and running. For the cost of a business license and whatever supplies you need to provide your service, you have yourself a business. Next post we will discuss marketing your business on a shoestring budget.

That’s all for now, remember to go do something good for yourself today!

Elaine

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