You’ve just returned from a conference, and you’re excited, motivated and feeling great!

The party’s not over just because you’re no longer wearing a name badge! Resist the urge to get “back to business” the minute you walk through the door – now is the best time to harness that positive energy and put what you’ve learned into action. Here are a few steps to help get you started.

1. Don’t turn the conference into a “shelf help” event, where you leave your materials and notes on the shelf when you return and go back to the old day-to-day. Create an action plan right away to implement what you have learned. If it seems overwhelming to create a whole plan right away, then take the one most important or interesting thing you learned and run with it.

2. Follow up with your new contacts; E-mail all the folks whose business cards you received, along with any of the conference staff, host, or speakers with whom you made a connection at the event. Even sending a short “nice to meet you” note is great. Perhaps you met someone with whom you would like to collaborate? Someone else who can refer your business to others and vice versa? Note one personal recollection from your interaction with that person – how you hope they enjoy their upcoming vacation, or have a successful product launch – let them know you were really listening to them and have an interest in what they had to say. Or, maybe there is someone you would like to thank – the speaker who inspired you, the host who welcomed you – a simple act of appreciation can turn them from acquaintances into allies.

3. Find your new contacts on Facebook and “friend” them. They may also have a presence on Twitter, Linked In, Plaxo, or other business and social networking sites. Perhaps you belong to a Facebook group you think would be of interest to one of them, or have friends to suggest to them?

4. Take action on the home front. Make sure you have marketing materials or products ready to send out to new contacts, customers or potential clients, and that your website/shopping cart are updated and able to handle lots of traffic! Now is also the time to determine how things went with your team or staff while you were away, and make any changes or improvements if necessary so your business can handle more regular time with you on the road.

5. Finally, give yourself a frank performance review. What kind of a first impression did you make? Was your business pitch refined and natural, or do you need to work on your confidence or public speaking skills? Did you hand out as many business cards or meet as many new faces as you had intended at the event? Make an honest assessment of the way you interacted at the event, and make notes of how you can make the next one even better.

Donna Toothaker is CEO and founder of 1st VA the highly sought-after online marketing and consulting company. 1st VA specializes in providing online marketing support and services to entrepreneurs and solopreneurs who wish to effectively build or improve their online presence. Visit http://www.1stva.com to sign up for our valuable weekly ezine and receive a free special report, The Top 5 Essential Tasks for the Ultimate Online Promotion of Your Business.

I just got off the phone with my friend, AnaMaria Herrera of Practice Building Institute.  We talk “biz” every week or two, and today she told me how she’ll be moving her contact list from Aweber to 1 Shopping Cart.  She knows that she’ll potentially lose quite a bit of her list if they don’t opt-in again.  What she said to me was, “I wish someone had told me when I started to choose 1SC, even though I wasn’t ready for all it’s functionality”.

I feel for AnaMaria.  I tell everyone who asks (and probably many who don’t) – to not start with Aweber or Constant Contact (or other) in order to save money in the short term.  Everyone eventually moves to 1SC – do it now so you don’t lose some of your followers later when you make the move.  Some listen – some don’t.  But I can’t count the number of times we’ve imported lists for clients into 1SC from their former, smaller broadcast/autoresponder services.   [We have a great system for doing this - ask me about it if interested - but we don't expect to ever see a 100% confirm rate - it just won't happen.]

Don’t get me wrong – Aweber and Constant Contact have their places, and if you never, ever plan to sell a product, or have affiliates – then these are great systems.  But if you’re starting out building your list and choosing which program to use – go with 1SC now so you’re not sorry later.  Though most entrepreneurs and small business owners do manage wonderfully for years with 1SC – for the larger, more profitable businesses – Infusionsoft may be the place to start.  However, a move from 1SC to Infusionsoft is more seamless than a move from Aweber to 1SC!

Either way – remember the saying – make decisions based on the business you expect to have, not the business you have now.  Good luck!

~Donna

We’ve been getting a lot of questions about our Online in a Month program so I thought I’d post the answers here in case more folks have the same questions.

Q.  I already have a website, I’m just not happy with it.  Is Online in a Month appropriate for me?

A.  Yes!  We can rework your current website or revamp it completely as part of the Online in a Month program.

Q.  One month sounds fast to create all of this for me – how do I know I’ll get something custom?

A.  ALL of our work for Online in a Month is custom.  This isn’t a ‘cookie cutter’ online presence that will look and feel like all of our other clients.  We work with each client individually to create an online presence that will for them their business and their goals.

Q.  I have some social media profiles set up, I’m just not sure what to do with them.

A.  Online in a Month is the perfect opportunity to have your profiles optimized for your business and social media goals and to get detailed information on how to make the most of them once they are maximized.  You can’t have an online presence using social media sites alone, so Online in a Month is a great way to make sure you’re making the most of ALL opportunities online.

Q.  It took my web designer 12 weeks just to create my website – how can you get everything in Online in a Month completed for me in one month?

A.  We have a team of highly specialized, highly experienced and skilled people each handling their own area of expertise.  Our team works together like a well-oiled machine to get all pieces of this program into place for you within one month.

Q.  When I have my complete online presence in one month – will you really instruct me how to maintain it and work it?

A.  Absolutely – just as communication is open throughout the month we’re getting you online – communication is open after you’re online and getting used to managing it yourself.  You’ll receive printed instructions on every aspect of your online presence and we’re never more than a phone call or email away to answer any questions you have.

Q.  Do you have other payment plans besides just the 2-month payment plan?

A.  We’ve been known to be flexible about a 3 and 4-month payment plan so don’t hesitate to contact us.  We’ll likely be able to work something out.

If there any questions that I’ve missed – please don’t hesitate to ask and I’ll be happy to answer them for you.

Here’s to your online success!!

~Donna

Donna Toothaker is CEO and founder of 1st VA the highly sought-after online marketing and consulting company. 1st VA specializes in providing online marketing support and services to entrepreneurs and solopreneurs who wish to effectively build or improve their online presence. To discover how 1st VA can help your business – visit http://www.1stva.com.

If you haven’t signed up for Ali Brown’s groundbreaking SHINE
Event yet, NOW is the time. Why? Early bird pricing ends today. That’s $500 off the full price registration rates! Today, Wednesday, August 5, is the last day to enjoy these discounts.

I’ll be there! And I want to meet you in person!

Peek at Ali’s new SHINE website, learn more about the event, and
register here!

This dynamic woman is paving a new road for entrepreneurs -
especially women. The important thing to know is that Ali’s
methods work – she’s helped everyone from home-based moms to
millionaires double or triple their revenues by ramping up their
businesses.

SHINE is not just any seminar where you leave with a notebook
and your head full of ideas, but nothing concrete to implement.
You’ll complete the weekend with your business and income
strategies mapped out and ready to go! Yes, REALLY.

Ali’s SHINE website has all the details. Click here!

REMEMBER, early bird pricing ENDS today, so NOW is the
time to learn more and reserve your seat.

Won’t you join me in November?

~Donna

“Why do I need an ezine?”

Everyone and their brother has an ezine. You probably receive several of them every day. You know you should have one for your own business, but you’re wondering WHY, and if it’s really worth the time and effort. The answer is YES, — it most definitely is!

Building a list of past and previous clients, colleagues and others who are interested in your services, and staying in touch with them on a regular basis, is crucial for the long term positioning as you roll out new offerings, host events, or make news.

So now you know you need an ezine. Now you ask, “Where do I start?”

First: choose a service to publish your ezine. Deciding on a newsletter service may be as simple as just factoring the cost. There are several good services; some offer monthly rates as low as $15/month. Aweber and Constant Contact are two such ezine services, and are widely used. A service such as 1 Shopping Cart can handle other functions as well, such as autoresponders, e-commerce, and more.

Next: decide how often you want to publish it. You need to take a realistic approach as you decide how often you wish to publish, and then stick to that schedule. If you set up an expectation to publish a weekly ezine, and then barely send it out every other week, you’ll lose credibility with your readers. If you know that you just won’t have the time for a weekly ezine, send it bi-weekly. Monthly ezines just aren’t cutting it anymore. They end up far too long and it’s proven that people are more apt to read short weekly ones than long monthly ones. On the flip side, sending e-mail blasts more than once, or perhaps twice a week, unless absolutely necessary (”breaking news”), may annoy your readers and shower you with spam reports.

Now, choose your content. There are three main pieces that are all you really need. 1. A personal opening, 2. A relevant article that provides value to your target market and list, and 3. A special offer, your newest product – whatever it is that you’re selling or want to promote that week.

Simple enough? Don’t get caught in the “where to start” overwhelm. Follow the steps above and within minutes you can be on the way to publishing your ezine.

Donna Toothaker is CEO and founder of 1st VA the highly sought-after online marketing and consulting company. 1st VA specializes in providing online marketing support and services to entrepreneurs and solopreneurs who wish to effectively build or improve their online presence. To discover how 1st VA can help your business – visit http://www.1stva.com.

Here are three things you can do immediately to start building relationships, become known as the expert in your field,  and create the “know, like, trust” factor.

1. Ezine: Most businesses already have an ezine.  BUT – many are not utilizing it to its fullest potential. If you’re not in front of your readers on a weekly basis at MINIMUM – you’re missing the boat.  Monthly ezines don’t work like they used to.  You MUST stay in front of your audience more regularly.

Your weekly ezine should be brief. A personal introduction, an article of relevance on your area of expertise, an “about you” section and a recommendation are all you need.

You need to show your personal side in your ezine.  People want to know YOU and get a sense of your personality and values.  Often I talk about my family in my ezine because family is my number one value.  People will resonate with that, or they won’t, but the point is, I’m sharing what’s important to me and people want to buy from people with similar values.

2.     Blog regularly: Sure, most business owners have a blog, too.  But it’s important to be blogging regularly.  People won’t subscribe to ezines quite as much anymore due to email overload so it’s important to blog.  Posting three times per week is ideal – but at a minimum you should be posting once per week. There are other benefits such as SEO (search engines LOVE updated content) but for the scope of this article the primary benefit is relationship building.  Blogging is another avenue of building “community.”  Having comments open will allow people to ask questions, and share their own opinions.  Blogging is another way to show your personality.

3.     Social media: This is one tool that is not so regularly utilized yet, but should be.  Every business owner MUST be on Facebook, LinkedIn and twitter. If you’re not – you are missing out in a big way.  Social media marketing is so important for building new relationships.  From these new relationships you’re able to generate activity to your website, create interest in your products, and become known as the expert in your field.  Not only might you generate new business, but you may create some joint venture opportunities.  Social media isn’t what “the kids are doing,” it’s what serious business owners are using now to build important relationships.

Don’t wait for people to find your website – get active online, build new relationships and watch the sales and new opportunities come rolling in.

Donna Toothaker is CEO and founder of 1st VA the highly sought-after online marketing and consulting company. 1st VA specializes in providing online marketing support and services to entrepreneurs and solopreneurs who wish to effectively build or improve their online presence. To discover how 1st VA can help your business – visit http://www.1stva.com.

Fabienne Fredrickson is up to something really cool.  If you remember, this past April I flew out to LA to spend 4 days at her Marketing and Mindset Breakthroughs Workshop and it was AWESOME.  I learned a ton, became clear on my vision and values, changed the direction of my business and now things at 1st VA are rocking like never before – more clients, more business, better systems, more delegation.  The same can happen for your business – check out this new free call she’s promoting.

Do you ever wonder what makes SOME people succeed, wildly
succeed, while others are just scraping by, trying to make
5-figures or barely break 6-figures?

If you really want to know what’s going to get you from where
you are in your business now to a TOTALLY different level,
here’s the secret…

The secret is actually a COMBINATION of several key
techniques (like a combination lock) that, when applied in a
particular order, create phenomenal results in your business
AND in what you make. In fact, these techniques can help you
make more in the next 12 months than you’ve made in the last
12 years COMBINED.

For herself, She’s always interested in looking for more ways
to take charge of her OWN life and her OWN business. That’s
why I was intrigued by Fabienne Fredrickson’s new free
teleclass on Wednesday July 1st, called “What It REALLY Takes
To Be A Winner In Your Solo-Business And Make More Than
You’ve Made In The Next 12 Months Than in The Last 12 Years
COMBINED.”

Click here to sign up!

And Fabienne is ready to reveal it ALL to you, step-by-step,
without holding anything back, on a FREE Teleseminar
happening Wednesday, July 1st.

Will you join me? I can’t wait to have you with me.

Sign up now!

1st VA’s own resident Social Media Specialist, Kathy Colaiacovo, was recently interviewed for the Nova Scotia – Come to Life program website. Kathy provides information about her own business, what she does for some social media clients and what she likes about Nova Scotia.

We have a special interest here at 1st VA, as I was also interviewed for ‘background information’ for the article about Kathy. You can read the article, here.

Also read as Kathy talks about the program, and the interview, here.

We’re so proud of Kathy and delighted she’s part of our 1st VA team!

We quietly launched an exciting new program back in April – Online in a Month. And with all the kinks and bugs worked out, we’re ready to announce it loudly and in a BIG way! This program is very unique and (might I say?) incredible! We’re taking folks who aren’t online, yet know they need to be but don’t know where to start, and we’re creating for them a complete online presence and in 30 days! This includes a blog site, ezine, 1 Shopping Cart set up, custom headers, – the works! There are several awesome bonuses included and we’re not just sending folks away with an online presence – we’re giving them instructions on how to maintain it themselves for the long haul.

You can read more about this exciting program here at www.onlineinamonth.com!

To help us spread the word on this extremely needed program – we’re offering a ridiculous (good ridiculous!) affiliate commission of 20% for any referring sales. That’s almost $1000 just for telling someone about this program who then signs up!

Think about your friends and colleagues who have been saying they need to get online, or need to improve their online presence and then sign up for our affiliate program. You’ll be helping them out and making some good money, too!

You can sign up for our affiliate program here.
https://www.mcssl.com/SYS/?m=119454&c=s

Learn more about Online in a Month!