Ready to Use a Virtual Assistant? 24 Questions to Ask Before Hiring

Ready to use a Virtual Assistant? Great. Once you have shortlisted your potential candidates think about the questions you are going to ask.

Now, don't skip this step. It's really important that you take the time to get on the phone or Skype with prospective VAs. By talking to them, you're going to be able to tell if there's a 'connection' or not. And asking these questions will give you a better idea of where they stand on different things and whether they love what they do or not.

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Here are 24 questions to ask a VA before hiring them:

Nine Benefits of Web Blogging for Small Businesses

Small business owners often ask me, "Should I create a blog?" Or say, "I'm busy enough. And what should I write about?"

For my business, I've seen the difference that blogging makes to building trust, reputation, website visitors, and ultimately sales. And I'm not alone. Clients tell me that they've generated business from blogging as it's an excellent way to introduce your services while providing honest and valuable information.

What is blogging?
The word Blog is a short form for web log and is a frequently updated part of your website. It is a place to provide useful information related to your business, industry, opinions and passions. It's important to be regular and consistent, but don't aim for too much. Create the habit of writing a simple blog post per week or month (or get someone to do it for you) and build it from there.

Why should I bother?
Here are nine benefits of starting a blog for your business. Pay particular attention to the bonus tips at the end.

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1. Build trust. 

5 Steps to Get to Know Your Target Market

There is a big chance that the target market you are looking for is similar to yourself. After all, you are probably into a subject that really rings your bell and that's why you want to spread the word. Like us; we are learning about online marketing and defining our target market so that what we write, actually reaches the people who might find it useful. It really all comes down to these 5 steps to get to know your target market.

1. Who are they?

Since people are all over the place with their interests, and in the online world the common demographics are not that useful anymore, we must think differently. Bring your audience to life in your imagination. A good way to get a first feel for things is to think of their personality traits. For instance, you can use the DISC method to assess yourself and think about what pushes your buttons. Then compare this to who it is you think that will be your audience. See where you are at by finding a free online DISC test.

Keep asking questions. Are they young or old? What is it that makes your heart beat faster? Do they consider wealth and freedom the highest good? Are they more into health or sustainability? Would they have a specific skill set like computer programming, maths, painting, or singing?

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2. What do they do?

Why Is Video Marketing So Big?

Whether you currently possess or plan to start, a business online or off, it would be wise to incorporate marketing video into your marketing plan. Video marketing is taking the business world by storm and is only poised to grow.

Why Is Video Marketing So Big? Let's explore that.

Whatever solution you give, whichever products you sell, you simply should go where the clients are, and they are on the internet in astounding numbers. The internet has grown exponentially since it became a staple in homes in the 1990s. It has become an important, ever-expanding market, giving brick-and-mortar stores a run for their money, if not putting them out of business, sometimes.

Think about video rental stores (Blockbusters for example), along with book stores as well as music shops which have actually all decreased in physical numbers in the face of online competitors. Also, whether your business is housed online or off, chances are good that you have a website. Why does that matter? Websites need traffic, period.

It has been forecast that by the end of this year, three-quarters of all internet traffic will come from consumers watching a video.

Do I have your attention now? Video Boosts Conversions and Sales

In this technologically driven day and age, many consumers who use to read the local newspaper ads for product and price feedback, now look to the internet for pre-purchase information. Research suggests that at least 40% of all consumers will browse the world-wide web before making any financial decision to purchase an item either from online or from a store in your local high street or shopping mall etc.

A video is that influential.

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Top Tools for Optimising All Your Sales Funnels

Ready to start building out your sales funnels? I find that a lot of people are just lost when it comes to building out their funnels. There are a few things you need before you can get started. Here are some of the most popular options when it comes to putting together both free and paid funnels:

Leadpages - when it comes to building opt-in pages, LeadPages.net is one of the most powerful tools you have at your disposal. They've tracked and tested a variety of page styles to determine which ones convert best, and they make it easy for you to build similar pages for your marketing funnel. The reason people like Leadpages is because it has a drag and drop feature that makes building your opt-in pages a breeze. It does come with a fee of $25/month if you pay annually. So before investing, you'll want to be sure you can recoup your investment. 

Effective Email Marketing in Seven Steps

Email marketing is an effective way to keep in touch with your existing customers, prospects, and networking contacts. When partnered with a strong inbound marketing program (including local SEO and social media), it's a great tool to generate new leads and revenue, thereby growing your business.

However, in order to be as powerful as it can be, you'll want to design your email marketing campaign in such a way that it 1) gets through the spam and junk filters of your recipients, 2) is compelling enough to be opened and read, and 3) incites action and qualifies a lead (i.e., a phone call or email reply).

Below are seven easy steps you'll need to follow to make your email marketing campaign a success:

7 Easy Steps for Successful Email Marketing Campaigns

1. Define your campaign objective(s) as clearly as possible.

Business Planning - Do You Make These 5 Marketing Mistakes?

What is the one thing every business wants more of? Money! Are you struggling with how to take your business to the next level? Do you feel like you're stuck in a stagnant place and are unsure of what actions to take to grow? You are not alone! As a business owner, you are busy constantly. There is not enough time in the day for everything. Making mistakes with your marketing efforts can only magnify some of your struggles. Read this to figure out if you are you making these 5 costly marketing mistakes.

Mistake #1: Winging it

Ever hear the expression: Proper Planning Prevents Poor Performance? This ties right into your marketing strategy. If you want results, you have to put in the proper planning and formulate a strategy, then execute accordingly. This is why it is called a marketing strategy. It takes time, effort, and research to develop the necessary marketing plan. This is crucial to the success of your marketing efforts. Too many businesses "wing it" whether it be for lack of knowing how else to attack it or pure laziness. You worked too hard to get your business up and running. Put some effort and time into developing a formalised Marketing Plan. Figure out who your target customer is and the best way to market directly to that target audience. You may already be wasting effort and money on marketing to the wrong audience! Do your homework. We promise... you will save time AND headaches in the long run.

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Mistake #2: Giving Up Too Easily