So many business owners have asked for a website they can get FAST. They don’t want to invest the time in developing a whole set of pages. Frankly, they say, they just need a simple but professional online marketing presence. I offered a special in November and all spaces were filled. You can see details of the new program here.  

Last month I interviewed Christina Hills as part of the Upside Down Marketing Program (which will soon be available for purchase). We had trouble with the recording and at first I was afraid we had lost the audio.
But … InstantTeleseminar to the rescue! We had a backup.

So I was looking for someone to help me edit this audio but finally said, “Hey I downloaded Audacity a few weeks ago.” And … it worked! I am SO excited: my first Audacity project.

You can listen here. If you know how to make this mp3 file downloadable or easier to listen to, please add a comment to this message.

But…that’s not even the best part! Christina just opened registration today for the next Web Creation Workshop.

Register through my link and I will gift you with a complimentary Laser Marketing Makeover.

Whether you choose this course or not, I highly recommend downloading this sample lesson from the course. We talk about it on the call.

If you’ve been on the Internet for more than 10 minutes you probably know…

…you need a website. Even if you meet prospects live, they’ll want to visit your site.
…most people spend way too much money on their websites.
…you need to be able to make your own changes – fast – without getting a webmaster out of bed when you need to change a seminar date.
…most marketing coaches will advise you to choose a WordPress site.
…Wordpress can be complex to learn but it’s easy to use

Nikki Tallmadge has been online for the past decade. She’s got 4 blogs and she’s set up websites for some of the big players on the Internet.
She’s put together a low-cost course AND added a couple of consulting hours as a bonus when you sign up this week.

Sign up here through my link.

Many people (including me!) get enthused about the ease of using WordPress. No webmaster! No code!

The truth is: WordPress IS easy to set up. In an earlier post I wrote about setting up sites in 15 minutes – and I wasn’t exaggerating.

The better news is: Once you’ve got the WordPress site set up, you can put the platform on steroids (if you like those “steroid” metaphors): make WordPress work harder. You don’t need to learn code either, especially if you use one of the premium themes like Flexx or Thesis.

For example:

WordPress.com vs WordPress.org

You probably know you don’t want to work with WordPress.com. The “.com” version of WordPress is too limited for a business site.

However, you do need a WordPress.com account for ONE thing: your API key to unlock your Akismet plug-in. That’s the best way to manage all the spammy comments your blog will draw.  But  what’s a plug-in? Good question.

Plug-Ins

A WordPress plugin lets you “plug in” some pre-written code to accomplish a specific objective with WordPress. You can find plug-ins – mostly free – to add almost any capabilities you might want. For instance, with just a few keystrokes – and no code – you can set all your posts to show just a few lines and then add, “Click here to see the rest of this post.” You can find plug-ins to manage your comments, so visitors can ask to be notified of future comments. And that’s just the beginning.

Mix and Match: Posts and Pages, WordPress and Traditional HTML

You can combine static pages – pages that don’t change – with blog pages that you change every day. You can set up a page – not a post – as the home page that visitors see first when you come to your site.  You can even link back and forth between WordPress pages and traditional HTML pages, which is what I do on my website.

Sticky post

A “sticky post” is a post that “sticks” to the first page of your blog. Any new posts will appear below the sticky post.  I recommend setting off the sticky post with graphics, such as the blue bar I use on the sticky post of this blog. You can also find a theme that highlights the sticky post in a special frame; however, that’s a lot of digging around. If you find one, let me know!

I recommend incorporating a sticky post or a page at the beginning of your WordPress blog, if that’s your website (and a very brief sticky post if you’ve got a blog). Visitors like to orient themselves when they’re new. You can always direct visitors to specific posts when you promote them on social media.

Customizing headers, graphics and more

A theme dictates the look and feel of your site: type face, number and placement of columns, and more.

I like to say, “Changing a theme is as easy as changing your nail polish.”  And these days, even some free themes will let you slot in your own graphic without hiring a techie. If you don’t know Adobe Photoshop basics and don’t want to learn, many VA’s can shape your graphic to the requisite dimensions. I put this website together in about 15 minutes, with existing graphics and not even a snippet of html: http://www.stagingellisdesign.com/blog

In fact, the opportunities to enhance your blog are almost endless. I haven’t even gotten into topics like applying google analytics, so you can track what’s going on with your blog.

When I work with clients, the challenge isn’t finding enhancements. In fact, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by all the possibilities. As a business owner, your challenge is to choose the features that will contribute to your marketing success. Which plug-ins make sense and why? What should visitors see when they first come to your website?

That’s just one reason I’m recommending Christina Hills’s Website Creation Workshop. Many courses will introduce you to the nuts and bolts of WordPress; you can even buy a manual or two and get going on your own. What Christina does is a little different. She introduces WordPress in the context of business ownership. She helps you make decisions about using WordPress to market your products and services. I don’t know anyone else who does it that way.

If you are interested in this workshop, you can sign up at http://wpreg2010. I feel so strongly that I am making you an additional offer. When you sign up through my link, I’ll give you a gift certificate for $300 to help you create compelling content for your new website. You can apply your certificate to my services, courses or products. And that’s on top of the savings you get from not hiring a webmaster (or knowing just what to ask for if you do hire some help).

Registration ends Thursday, September 23 (and she means it!). Reserve your space today and (as Christina promises) you will be released from webmaster prison.   http://wpreg2010

Back when I first got online, I was advised, “Hire a web designer as the first step.” Today, clients often call me after they’ve hired a web designer…spending thousands of dollars and months of their work time. And recently a prospect told me, “I would budget six months to a year to put together a website and get it up.”

Six months? Try six weeks…or, if you get the content from a copywriter, try six days.

The fastest, easiest part will be setting up a basic website. If you want something quick that just makes a statement, grab a free theme. I did this with my career site, http://www.midlifecareerstrategy.com/

That’s not an active site; I sell products and occasionally get a request for consulting. But the site makes money so it’s there. That took five minutes…okay, make it fifteen with adding the widgets.

Then my client Pam Ellis needed a blog. She already had the graphics. I am not a techie but I used a free theme – no HTML – and set her site up in about 15 minutes. See
http://www.stagingellisdesign.com/blog

My main website, http://goodcatmarketing.com/blog, required a customized header. I got some help setting things up because I wanted a few extras. If I had taken more time and researched free themes it would have been even faster. This site took about a month to set up, including the caricature and header.  That’s the blog you are reading now.

Do these turnaround times sound good to you? Do you wonder where I learned to do this? Then I recommend you take the same course I did – Christina Hills’s Website Creation Workshop. As you read the materials and consider the investment, remember that you’d pay this amount for just ONE website with a webmaster. Additionally, you can return to the workshop as an “alum” over and over, each time fine-tuning your own site and getting updated. Finally, you get a complete marketing course, as Christina discusses your website as a money-making tool…not a pretty museum piece.

Click here to learn more and sign up.  Registration has begun and will end THURSDAY September 23rd.

When you get her course through my link, I’ll give you a gift certificate for $300 good for any of my products and services. Then you’ll get the best of all worlds  – a magnificent website AND hard-hitting, compelling copy.

3 reasons to learn WordPress

(1) You won’t be taken to the cleaners by an evil webmaster.

I’ve heard stories of people who paid $3000, $5000, even $10,000 for web design. That’s not including content – the part of your website that does the work.

With WordPress, you can implement your own site. If you don’t want to get involved, a Virtual Assistant can usually get you set up for a fraction ofthe cost. I sent up WordPress starter sites for my clients – and I’m not a technie. You pay $50 – $1000 for a customized header – even less if you’re willing to take some risks and invest some time.

IF your web developer refuses to create a WordPress site, ask for a refund. A few high-powered applications won’t work in WordPress, but most professional sites will. Ask me for a second opinion.

(2) It’s easy and cheap to get help.

So many people know WordPress! Therefore you can get support from low-end suppliers at Craigslist or Rent-a-Coder. Just be careful when using these vendors; if you’re not experienced, ask a marketing pro to be your go-between or work only by referral from people you trust.

(3) Your site can grow with you.

The WordPress look and feel is based on a theme. Changing a theme is easiesr than changing your nail polish. You can get macro-themes (such as Thesis or Flexx) that are very easy to customize over and over again, so you learn one program for a handful of websites.

How do you learn WordPress? The most extensive program is offered by Christina Hills, one of the most respected names on the Internet. Her next course starts mid-September, 2010.

When you commpare courses, look for value. Christina’s course isn’t the cheapest, but I took it myself a few years ago and still enjoy the benefits. AMong other things, you get to come back over and over again to catch up on the latest marketing trends. The classroom remains open so you can always go back and get caught up  or look up a point that’s newly important to you.

I like Christina’s course because she doesn’t do webinars: she gives you a pdf handout to follow along. THat may seem like a small point, but it means you can go back and listen immediately if you miss a class. It means you can easily find something you missed and look it up, without listening to 30 minutes of something you don’t want.

When you sign up through my link, you get a coupon worth $300 for any of my services: copywriting, consulting, or courses. Just ask! Get a complete copy makeover after you’ve got your site up and you’ll have the whole package.