One of the coolest and most effective tools we have in our creative marketing toolbox is video. But it can be a little scary right? There’s a lot to think about — like buying professional equipment, having studio lighting, professional hair and makeup, and oh my gosh you’ve got to write a script! WRONG. Seriously, it’s not that hard. You don’t need any of that stuff, and you are perfectly capable of shooting your own video. Plus, with a little help, you’ll end up with an off-the-hook marketing piece!

Today, more than ever, video should be an integral part of your online marketing strategy. And I promise you, it’s not as complicated as you think. In today’s video I’ll give you the real skinny.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=SE9Z6OkriLk

SUPER-COOL OFFER:

For the month of July I’ll take $30 off your first Single Video Editing  & Submission Package (regularly $77) when you enter the coupon code EASY30 at checkout.

Did you read that? You get a complete, ready-to-market video for $47. Done for you!

You can’t afford not to do a video now! So go shoot some video … be creative … show a little personality … you can do it!

Tell me your challenges, ask me your questions, or share your video experiences in the comments below.

How does marketing your business online make you feel? Are you excited and can’t wait to get out there every day to talk about who you are and what you do? Or is the thought of marketing yourself about as appealing as a root canal? If it’s the latter, keep reading.

The hard, cold fact is that as a solopreneur, you ARE your company. You know better than anyone else who you are, what your strengths are, who your Ideal Client is, and the solutions you can provide. You are the only one qualified to market your business.

This is going to be scary, but stick with me here. In an ideal world, you should be publishing a weekly ezine, submitting your articles to multiple directories, posting several times a day on Facebook, Tweeting tips and valuable content even more than that, have a kick-ass profile on LinkedIn and join at least 20-30 groups, blog at least twice a week, create some videos, host a free teleclass every month and attend a minimum of two live networking events every year. Wow! That’s a lot, isn’t it?

Here’s the good news: if you can and want to do all that stuff, great … but you don’t have to. That’s right! I’m giving you permission to do what works for YOU. What a concept, right? I know, the latest guru will tell you that doing all that is the only way you’ll ever get to a successful 6-figure business. But guess what? If you are so stressed out and frustrated trying to doing all these things that don’t feel right, you’ll probably give up before you get there!

So let’s break it down. What one, two or three things in that list of online marketing techniques feel comfortable to you? What feels authentically you? Focus on what feels comfortable and authentic to you, and start there. Chances are that once you get really good at those couple of things, and start to see results, you’ll be more willing to dip your toe into the “not so much” pool.

Need a few tips to get you going? Here’s my top ten:

1. Set realistic and manageable monthly and weekly goals for your marketing. Each day, focus on 2-3 things that move you toward your weekly goal.
2. Schedule time for marketing on your calendar every day. I recommend one hour per day doing something from your marketing plan. Check in on your social media accounts, write a couple blog posts or research groups on LinkedIn … any task that moves you toward your goals.
3. If an hour feels overwhelming, break your marketing time up throughout the day. Work in 15- to 30-minute sessions and use a timer to stay focused, if that works for you.
4. Celebrate your successes — big and small. When you meet your goal at the end of the week, treat yourself to lunch with a friend or a Mint Java Chip Frappuccino. Hit your monthly goal? Go for something a little bigger like a massage, mani/pedi or dinner out. And if you make your annual mark? Well, I’d say that celebration should involve a beach, umbrella drinks and your own personal cabana boy!
5. Focus on what’s working. Which piece of your marketing plan is bringing you the most leads and clients? Focus your energy there first.
6. Outsource and automate wherever you can. You can’t outsource your marketing, but you can outsource some of the implementation. Find a savvy Virtual Assistant to help you pre-schedule some of your Tweets and Facebook updates, submit your articles and post them to your blog, and set your blog posts to automatically pull into Facebook and send out as a Tweet.
7. Get an accountability partner. Whether it’s your partner, a colleague, mentor or coach — write your goals out for the year, month and week, and share it with them. Ask them to check in with you and hold your feet to the fire.
8. If the “in your face” marketing techniques feel icky, find some passive ways to market. Writing articles, publishing an ezine and posting on your blog can be very effective. Connect with others in a complementary market and ask to write for their ezine or guest post for their blog.
9. Spend your time and energy where your Ideal Client is. If you’ve done your homework, you know where she hangs out. If she’s not on Twitter and Facebook, don’t waste your time there.
10. Be authentic. Speak in your Ideal Client’s language, and bring your own unique personality into your marketing. It’s okay to be yourself! In order for your marketing to work, you need to feel authentic doing it.  If your heart’s not in it, it will show and your results will be less than great.

Now go out there and market yourself like no one else can. Your Ideal Client is waiting to hear from you!

©2011 Jackie Cunningham

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You’ve written an article for your ezine or blog … do you tuck it away on your hard drive for safekeeping, or do you leverage that article as part of your marketing strategy?
If you’re not leveraging your articles to promote yourself, your products and your services — you’re missing out on a big piece of the online marketing pie.

Maybe you’ve been hearing the buzz around article marketing lately — does it work or doesn’t it, is it an effective way to build your list, is it worth the time and energy? And maybe you’re feeling a bit overwhelmed about what you should be doing and where and when?

We’re here to help you find the answers and information you need to do article marketing the right way!

Article marketing can (and should) be a key piece of your online marketing strategy plan … but only if you’re doing it right. Without a strategic plan and process, you’ll end up spending a ton of time on hit and miss tactics that get you lackluster results. We’ll show you how to maximize your results and build a core strategy for your article marketing that builds your list and your credibility as an expert in your field.

Jackie Cunningham, CEO of Green Kite Virtual Assistance, has spent the past three years in the online marketing world working one-on-one with clients, helping them bring their authentic voice into a profitable online presence that speaks to their Ideal Client. Michelle O’Grady, is a 12-year online marketing veteran and article marketing expert who helps entrepreneurs publish and promote original, high-quality content that builds credibility, attracts targeted web traffic and grows a loyal subscriber base.

Join Jackie and Michelle for this content-rich, packed-full-of-goodness, free teleclass “Article Marketing the Right Way! 5 Secrets to Bankable Results” in which we’ll cover …

• an overview of article marketing — what it is, and what it’s not.
• who can benefit from article marketing.
• how article marketing can help you build your list, increase web traffic, promote your products and services and build your credibility as an expert.
• PLUS the 5 secrets you must know about article marketing in order to get the results you want.

Are you ready to find out once and for all how to do article marketing the right way?

CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR THIS FREE CALL

When you are following hundreds or thousands of people on Twitter, how the heck do you manage all those Tweets? There are certain folks you want to watch more closely than others and you want to keep tabs on what your clients and friends are saying too, right? The answer for me is Hootsuite. What I love best about this sweet little tool is that it’s web based and I can use it from any computer — my desktop when I’m in the office, my laptop or iPad when I’m on the move — and there is even an app. for my iPhone. Talk about staying connected! And that’s just the beginning. Hootsuite lets you personalize your view by organizing your Twitter stream into columns in which you can create groups for specific users, search terms, keywords – whatever you like. You can also create a column to keep track of when you are mentioned in a Tweet and direct messages that are sent to you. Other great features include the ability to manage multiple social networks (including Facebook, your fan page and LinkedIn), schedule your updates and Tweets, track link statistics and it integrates with Ping.fm. HootSuite offers both paid and free versions. So go check it out at www.hootsuite.com and see what you think.