Archive for the ‘tips and tricks’ Category
Can Social Networks Help Your Business?
Just the other day the question of using social networks as a way to build a business came up in a discussion with my brother. Now usually, he’s a pretty smart guy 
but he just doesn’t understand “this social networking thing.” For him being on Twitter or creating Fan Pages on Facebook was an enormous waste of time that his sales team could be using speaking directly to merchants.
So, that got me to thinking — if this usually forward thinking brother of mine is missing the point, how many others are saying the same thing? It seems a lot. While on the VA Networking Forum, I read one experience posted describing a “discussion” with an editor of a local newspaper. It seems he thinks the idea of a person being able to work without being watched by a supervisor is ludicrous and basically a scam. Wow!
So it seems that while people understand the entertainment potential of social networks, the idea of actually getting paid by using them is still a bit new. So, I’m working on collecting all the things I know about social media and putting them down in blog posts on a regular basis. There so much that can be accomplished by using these networks, if you do it correctly. Social networks make it possible to work and play at the same time.
Now, back to my brother. While I finally got it through my brother’s head that using tools such as Twitter and hash tags to do market research and even find people in the area that are looking for what you are selling, it did take a long time. I wish that I had known about this great free ebook that explains in a plain English how to use social networking to get a job, and in the case of entrepreneurs, secure clients.
The author, Chris Brogan, has made the ebook available on his website. If you’ve ever wondered what all the buzz is about, this is a great introduction to the social networking scene. And while you’re waiting to download that PDF, why not check out the video “Social Networking in Plain English.”
Helpful Tips on Writing Headlines
I really enjoy writing. I think it’s lots of fun and I learn a lot as I ghostwrite articles and blog posts for business owners. But one thing that I absolutely wrestle with each and every time are writing headlines. I absolutely hate it — probably because I’m not very good at it yet. So when this email came to me, I was immediately interested. It has some good points about subject lines (for emails, autoresponders, etc.) and headlines. So here are the tips from that email. If you find these tips helpful (or really lame) please let me know. I need all the help I can get!
One of the numerous ways you can tempt or persuade your subscriber is by providing a well thought out and well written subject. The subject of an email is what is often referred to when a person or a recipient of an email decides whether he or she wants to open or read an e-mail. The subject could easily be regarded as one of the most important aspect of your promotional e-mail.
Your subject must be short and concise. They should provide a summary for the content of the e-mail so that the recipient will have basic knowledge of the content. This is really vital in grabbing the attention of your readers and subscribers. You want your subject to instantly grab the attention of your subscriber and get them to be intrigued to open up your mail. Remember, it is not necessarily true that a subscriber opens up subscribed mails.
A good subject must always be tickling the curiosity of your recipient. It must literally force the recipient to open the mail. A certain emotion must be ignited and get them to open the mail. It is essential to use specific words to get the reaction you need. Keep in mind that the recipient or subscribers spends only a few seconds looking over each subject of the e-mails he receives. You must grab your reader’s attention right away.
There are many forms you can use for your subject. You can provide a subject that says your e-mail contains content that teaches them tips and methods on certain topics. An example of this is using keywords and keyword phrases such as:
- How to
- Tips
- Guides to
Methods in and others like that. You can also put your subject in a question form. These may include questions like:
- “Are you sick and tired of your job?”
- “Is your boss always on your case?”
Try to stay on the topic that pertains to your site so that you’ll know that your subscribers have signed up because they are interested in that topic. This form of subject is very effective because they reach out to your recipients emotions. When they have read the question on your subject, their mind starts answering the question already.
You can also use a subject that commands your reader. Statements such as “Act now and get this once in a lifetime opportunity”, or “Double,triple and even quadruple what you are earning in one year”. This type of subject deals with the benefits your company provides with your product and services.
You may also use breaking news as your subject to intrigue your subscriber. For example, if you deal with car engine parts you can write in your subject, “Announcing the new engine that uses no gasoline, It runs on water”. This creates curiosity with the reader and will lead them to open the mail and read on.
Follow the link below for a full video series on creating great headlines…
http://www.hs-wahm.com/BenBrookVideo
Disclosure: http://cmp.ly/5/yz9z5e
Budding Authors — A Teleseminar You Won’t Want to Miss
This seems to be a busy week for teleseminars. I just found out about another teleseminar that might be of interest to anyone who is an aspiring author. Enjoy!
A teleseminar for authors on Thursday, Feb., 4, at 2 and 7 p.m.
Eastern Time. Steve Harrison will interview Peggy
McColl about the simple blueprint she’s developed
to quickly make many books instant bestsellers
at practically zero cost. This works for all
types of books: fiction, non-fiction, ebooks,
novels, print on demand, etc.
Interested? Register at
http://www.BestsellerBlueprintCall.com/?10011
Cut Through the Clutter, Chatter & Confusion of Social Media
Hi,
I just wanted to alert you to an informative webinar coming up on Wednesday, February 3rd. It’s being hosted by Publicity Hound, Joan Stewart. I first became aware of her while working on a set of transcripts on how businesses can get publicity using free and low-cost methods. This week she’s hosting a webinar to help people who are new (and not so new) to social media to get a handle on how to use it and not get overwhelmed. It’s free to join and I’ll definitely be there.
Here’s the RSVP Information:
Response to my invitation to a free webinar on
“How to Cut through the Clutter, Chatter &
Confusion at Social Media Sites” on Wednesday,
Feb. 3, has been overwhelming, and I encourage
you to claim your seat NOW before registration
is closed.It’s at 3 p.m. Eastern Time (noon Pacific) and
it will feature Jeanne Hurlbert, my new business
partner, and me, offering our best tips on how
to avoid the frustration of participating at
social media sites.If you haven’t already done so, register here:
http://budurl.com/socialmediarxwebinar——————————–
Joan Stewart
The Publicity Hound
3434 County KK
Port Washington, WI 53074
Phone: 262-284-7451 Fax: 262-284-1737
http://www.PublicityHound.com
Basic Transcription Equipment
When it comes to transcription one of the more popular questions is:
“If I wanted to start doing transcription from home, what kind of equipment would I need to buy?”
Thanks to technology the answer to that question is a lot less than it would have been ten or more years ago. Today all you need to buy is the foot pedal (which controls the speed of the audio as well as letting you rewind and fast-forward without taking your hands off of the keyboard), a good headset and perhaps some software. And for those who are interested in medical and legal transcription you’ll probably want to buy the various plug-in dictionaries that will check terms peculiar to your discipline.
You’ll need audio transcription software and there are many different types on the market. However, I like FREE software and there is a great software called Express Scribe that does the trick quite well. To thank them for the free software, you might want to buy your headset and foot pedal from them.
Audio Transcription Requirements
- Download and install the free transcription software called Express Scribe.
- Express Scribe can be controlled with a USB Foot Pedal, preferably the Infinity IN-USB-1 USB Foot Pedal for PC Transcription (available for sale at NCH and PCDictate.com). Or if a foot pedal isn’t in your budget just yet you can use keystrokes, but I don’t recommend it because it slows down the ttranscription process considerably.
- A headset is helpful if you have one — helps to block out the rest of the family’s noise. You can, of course, use your computer’s speakers, but I’ve found the headphones to provide a clearer audio than the computer speakers alone.
- After you setup Express Scribe you’ll be able to choose where to upload your audio files so create a folder to hold all of your ranscription audios.
- Having trouble with the setup process. Then check out this video on setting up Express Scribe: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mo56Ywi1C00
- If you prefer reading instructions, here’s the the link to downloadable PDF http://www.execommsys.com/Express%20Scribe%20Manual.pdf
Video Transcription Requirements
- Download and install the free program VLC. This program will play all audios and video formats. Really cool player.
- Download and install the free RealPlayer. If you are given a link to a video that is already online, RealPlayer will (in most cases) allow you to download the video so that you can watch it in your VLC player for transcribing.
- There’s a free 30 day trial called VLC Foot Pedal Software you can download. It’s about $50 after the trial.
Note: I have a friend who is also doing video transcription, but she and her son have figured out how to get the audio to run through their Express Scribe setup. I haven’t figured out how to do this yet, but you’re a computer whiz you might be able to save yourself $50.
Other Software You Should Consider:
- Microsoft Word is usually preferred, but if your client primarily wants PDFs then you can use OpenOffice’s Write program or Google Docs.
- Software to convert the transcripts into Adobe PDFs. There are some free ones on the Internet such as www.FreePDFConvert.com.
- Internet Explorer/Google Chrome: I download the ttranscription audios from Internet server links my clients provide me. IE/Chrome lets you save the file directly to your hard drive. Firefox automatically starts to play the files for you.
- Abbreviation Expander: This is a software that saves you keystrokes. For example if you want to add the word “laughter” into the expander you could type “lol” and in the next column put the word “laughter”. Now whenever you type “lol” it will automatically change to “laughter” saving you five keystrokes. There are lots of them on the market. I prefer ShortKeys, but if you do medical transcription you might want to look into a software called Speedtype designed for the medical profession. Most software companies give you at least a 30 day trial, so play around with them until you find the software that’s most comfortable for you.
If you’re thinking of making video transcription your focus, you might benefit from DVD Transcription Kit that I saw at PC Dictate. You get the VLC Media Player Foot Pedal Software, Headset and Foot Pedal for $119. Considering a USB foot pedal can cost about $80 by itself, this is a good deal.
So, even starting from scratch, if you want to work from home doing transcription you’ll be able to do so for under $150. Not a bad start-up cost, huh?
http://cmp.ly/5/m4l2iq
Why Would Anyone Hire a VA?
When I tell people that I work as a virtual assistant, many times people are confused. Why would any one hire a virtual assistant when they can easily pick a local person to take care of their needs? How do you know that the person will even get any work done without you standing over their shoulder? And most of all, why would anyone want to hire me to work for them in this capacity?
I wish I had found the resources that are available a lot earlier than I did. One thing that always burned me up when I worked at Morgan Stanley and other large companies was their total inflexibility with even flex-time. Most things that are done in offices can just as well be done remotely, as all the companies who have outsourced to India do happily every day. My beef, even back in the 1990s, was why couldn’t I stay home and do the transcription, Powerpoint slides, etc.? What’s the difference?
Well, my new favorite website is the VANetworking site. And they had this really great calculator that they generously share with other VAs to prove the point that not only are we more cost effective, but we get the job done correctly which is more than I can say for India. (One day I’ll share my husband’s frustrations with his dealings with overseas staffing!) So, here’s one very real reason to consider hiring a VA if you are a small business owner. And it also provides people considering entering the VA arena an idea of just how money they can make from the comfort of their own homes.
Full-time Employee vs a Virtual Assistant Cost Comparison
Want to SAVE over $60,000 in business expenses this year?
If you answered yes, read on …
A cost comparison for a full-time employee
versus a Virtual Assistant
| COST COMPARISON |
Full-time
Employee |
Virtual
Assistant |
| Hourly Rate of Pay |
$20.00
|
$35.00
|
| Fringe Benefits @ 35%
(Health/Dental/Life Insurance, Retirement Plans) |
7.00
|
None
|
| Overhead Rate @ 50%
(Office Space, Equipment & Office Supply expense, UI Insurance, Worker’s |
$10.00
|
None
|
| Total Effective Rate of Pay |
$37.00
|
$35.00
|
| **Hours Per Year |
2,080 hrs.
|
480 hrs.
|
| TOTAL Annual Labour Cost |
$76,960.00
|
$16,800.00
|
Difference = $60,160.00 per year
By hiring a Virtual Assistant …You SAVE over $60,000.00 per year!
Although the Virtual Assistant’s hourly rate is more than the employee’s rate in the first place, you save the cost of benefits and overhead that would have to be applied to the new employee’s wage. And, because Virtual Assistant’s are usually more experienced, more efficient, and better connected than the employee, you’ll need to devote far less time to the project to get the same results, only 480 hours a year versus 2,080 for the new employee.
**Remember, with a Virtual Assistant, you only pay for the time on task by the minute! No more paying for socializing, hour long lunches or frequent trips to the washroom.
Your employee’s 8 hour day can be crunched into 3-4 hours with a Virtual Assistant.
Simply put, you should contract with a Virtual Assistant because it’s more cost-effective and Virtual Assistants go above and beyond the normal assistant’s duties to impact your own productivity. No task is too big or small for a Virtual Assistant to handle. Even if you only have 1 hour of work a month for a Virtual Assistant to do, a VA can (and will) do it.
Visit www.kafellc.com to find out more.
*Source: Virtual Assistant Networking Association Cost Comparison
The Largest Global Network Online for Successful and Aspiring Virtual Assistants
Tax Reductions Are Just One of the Benefits of Working at Home
Would earning tax reductions be a good thing for you? As a home-based business owner or an independent contractor this is one of the benefits waiting for you? Here’s a quick look at some of the perks:
General Office Supplies and Equipment
Items which are used to do your job are also deductible. This includes office supplies, your personal website, phone service, office furniture, computers, copiers and fax machines. You are allowed up to $17,500 a year for such deductions.
Automobile
The cost of maintaining your automobile can be a large deduction, especially with the cost of gasoline these days. The amount of the deduction for fuel and maintenance of your car depends upon what percentage of usage is for business.
If you have two cars and one is used exclusively for business, 100% of the cost of the car used for business is deductible, including gas, oil, repairs, insurance, licensing, parking, etc.
Food and Entertainment
These costs are deductible if you are spending time with existing or potentially new clients. Travel Expenses: Hotels, motels, cab fare, and parking can be deducted if you are traveling for any business-related reason, such as meeting new clients, or attending a seminar or conference.
Education and Self Promotion
Membership in organizations, subscriptions to publications, seminars and conferences can be additional deductible items.
Mortgage
You are allowed to deduct many of the monthly costs of your home if a section of it is designated as your office. The deductible portion is based on what percentage of the total square footage or rooms is designed for business use.
This means a portion of the cost of your rent or mortgage and interest can be deducted, in addition to various types of home insurance, utilities and taxes, including a portion of home repairs, painting and even house cleaning.
If reducing taxes is so easy, why isn’t everybody doing it?
One major reason is that we’ve been conditioned to be employees and not employers, so we never took the time to investigate the two different tax systems that we have in the United States. But never fear, there are quick and easy ways to get yourself up to speed.
Frequently Requested WAH Tools
There are a few work at home tools that you’ll need in order to be considered for work from home positions. I’ve compiled a list of essential software and services that you’ll need whether you work as a teleworker or as an independent contractor.
Of course, when you apply for any position you should check to make sure that they don’t have any additional software/hardware requirements.
You should have as many of these programs as possible (or, at least be familiar with them). It is a MUST that you have the most current versions if you expect to land a work at home job.
Office Software
Microsoft 2007 Professional
OpenOffice (Free!)
Microsoft Frontpage
KompoZer (Free & Easy Web Authoring)
Fax and PBX Programs
eFax
K7 (Fax & Voicemail – FREE!)
Ring Central – Toll Free Number and Fax
Contact Management Software
Remote Access Software
PCNow/WebEx
Meet Me Now
Backpack – Online Intranet
Base Camp (Project Management)
Accounting/Billing Software
Quickbooks Pro
FreshBooks (free!)
Communication
K8 – Toll Free Numbers for Less
Callwave
GoSolo
eVoice Receptionist
Great Membership Site Creation Information
This seems to be the weekend for membership site videos and classes. As I was going though my email I came across not one, not two, but three emails on the subject. After watching the videos I’m starting to get some ideas of my own way about ways to help people while adding a passive income stream to the mix. So, if you have a couple of minutes, why not check out what’s going on in the world of membership sites.
- Educating for Success has the introductory video on how membership sites work and how you can use it to generate passive revenue for your business. There is also a class offered to help you to setup your own membership site, but it’s already in session. So, if you’re interested in taking a class right away, you might want to check out the next bullet.
- The WLM Training and Certification Course is designed for business people who wish to learn more about how they can incorporate membership sites into their business offerings and create a community around your product or service. This class starts on December 2, 2009 and is only offered once a year. So, if you’re interested you should jump on it.
- Learn about The Top 10 Membership Models when you watch this video. I was surprised to learn that some very successful membership sites don’t even have content inside! Amazing.
While I’m still on the fence about when and what type of membership type I would like to organize, one thing that I do know is that I want the software to be compatible with WordPress. From what I’ve heard thus far, membership software can range from free , but very limited functionality (i.e., MemberWing) to $5,000! If you’re a VA who hasn’t worked with membership sites and you’re self-hosting WordPress, you’d do well to download the free plug-in so that you can get your feet wet while you gain the skills to impress potential clients.
I’m leaning towards Wishlist since it’s a low-cost, but fully functioning one time cost. But if you hear of any other good software packages out there, please be sure and share with the rest of us in the Comments Box.
Four Legitimate Work at Home Resources
To begin the transition to working from home can be very frightening. Who do you trust? Where do you apply? How do you get hired? There are many work at home resources out there in cyberspace. There are also services that provide weekly lists of work at home jobs at a reasonable yearly cost. There are also free resources such as Craigslist as well as Google searches and word of mouth. I’ve found places to be upfront and helpful when I first stepped on the road to a non-commuting lifestyle. You should check them out when you get a chance:
Sohojobs
My favorite one is SohoJobs. They have an impeccable reputation and have been around for over five years. Each Monday their staff updates the job listing as well as providing training on how to create a compelling resume and insight into what telecommuting companies are looking for in a virtual worker. You can even get a free sample of their job listings at their website.
Virtual Office Temps
Virtual Office Temps is a good choice when you first begin for many reasons. My favorite reason is that you register for free and they provide job postings for free. (Free is my favorite price!) These jobs are sent to your email as they become available. They also offer a certification program (for a fee) along with other tips and resources.
Check Out Virtual Office Temps
Team Double Click
There is also an agency called Team Double Click. They hire virtual assistants for tasks such as research, word processing, secretarial, data processing, transcription, bookkeeping, marketing, etc. There is no fee associated with joining them. You will be tested on your knowledge and if you do well on the test you move on to the next step, which is a live interview.
For people who aren’t interested in working as a VA, they also have sales positions to help them to grow their business. As with most sales positions in the telecommuting world, you would be an independent contractor that is paid on commission.
Virtual Assistants
Virtual Assistants has been featured on Lifetime Television, Home Office Computing Magazine and several books, CDs and e-books. They provide 100 new jobs each week that range from real administrative, data entry, research, writing, secretarial, web design, customer service, voice operator, medical and regular transcription, medical coding, desktop publishing, coding, programming, technical, translation, instructor, sales, telemarketing, website design and other legitimate work at home jobs.
They charge a membership fee of $59.99/year. Their best feature is that not only do they provide the 100 new jobs per week, but they also advertise your virtual assistant business. If you’ve ever looked into advertising costs you know that’s a great deal for sixty bucks!
