Scheduling Social Media Posts

Ask Me Anything, Segment 19

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In this segment of Ask Me Anything, I answer a question about scheduling social media posts. I share the main tool I use to schedule my posts and give my biggest tip on using scheduled posts.

Summary here:

I use Hootsuite to schedule social media posts ahead of time
Scheduling some posts ahead of time is a good way to have a continuous presence on your social media sites, however it is critical to regularly interact with people in real time.
Be sure to be social when you interact with people. Ask questions, join conversations and contribute useful ideas.
Takeaway: You can use Hootsuite or any of a number of apps to schedule some of your social media posts ahead of time. However, make sure to actually put some time in where you are interacting and engaging people in real time.
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To make sales, you have to make offers!

Ask Me Anything, Segment 17

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In this segment of Ask Me Anything, I fill in the final piece of finding coaching clients. You have to make offers! If you don’t actually give your audience a chance to say yes and make a purchase, it’s much harder for them to say yes to working with you. This is Segment 17 of the Ask Me Anything Series.

Summary here:

In this video, I cover the importance of making offers for your coaching services and for other products or services.
It’s not enough to just have a website and hope people will visit and purchase.
After building an audience and regularly communicating to them with valuable content, you have to actually make an offer for which they can pay you.
Some offers are for a free item such as a webinar or teleseminar, however at some point you must make a paid offer in order to make money.
Takeaway: After taking the time to grow an audience and nurture your relationship with them, you have to make clear and specific offers for your coaching services.
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How to communicate with your audience

Ask Me Anything, Segment 16

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Once you start building an audience for your coaching, consulting or service business, you’ll need to communicate with them on a regular basis to build credibility and demonstrate your ability to help. This tip talks about how to communicate with your audience. This is Ask Me Anything Segment 16. Link mentioned in video: www.michelechristensen.com.

Summary here:

This is Segment 16 of the Ask Me Anything series, and it’s a continuation of segments 12-15, in which I answer the question of how to find coaching clients. You will get the most out of this video by watching segments 12-15 first. You can find all segments of Ask Me Anything here.
In previous segments, I taught how to build an audience for your business and how to attract just the right people to that audience. In this video I talk about how to communicate with that audience.
The short answer is that the best way to communicate with you audience is however they like to receive information! However, email is the go-to tool for my own business and for most of my clients.
Specifically, I am referring to building a list of people who have signed up and actively said they want to receive emails from you.
Never add someone to your email list without their clear consent. It’s annoying, it’s against the law in many countries, and it makes you look like you don’t know what you are doing.
Once you start a list, you can start establishing your credibility by delivering valuable content to them.
You will also need to make offers at regular intervals so people can actually buy from you.
With an email list, you’ll never have to try and sell your coaching services to a “cold” audience. You can keep in touch and demonstrate your worth before you ever offer something for sale.
Having a list lets you control the timing of when people hear from you, and lets you take full responsibility for making sure you stay in touch. You don’t need people to remember you and your website in order for them to see what you are offering.
Takeaway: Keep in touch with your audience regularly in a way that is appealing to them. Email is a great tool for making sure you communicate with your audience regularly.
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Use the right language to attract your ideal clients

Ask Me Anything, Segment 15

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One of the best ways to attract the right people to your audience is by using the right language for them. This may not be the same language you use when talking about your work to people in your field or people who aren’t interested in the results your work brings.

Summary here:

This segment of Ask Me Anything is on how to attract just the right people to your audience
Use the language your clients use when describing your work
Don’t use clinical, technical or industry terms
Don’t focus on showcasing your incredible vocabulary! Instead, focus on communicating in a way that makes your ideal client feel like you completely understand them and can help them.
Takeaway: By using the language that your ideal clients already use, you’ll attract those people to your audience
If you liked this tip, go to www.michelechristensen.com and enter your name and email address, and I’ll send tips and strategies like this for solopreneurs right to your inbox!
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What kind of clients do you love to work with?

Ask Me Anything, Segment 14

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When building an audience for your coaching business, it’s important to focus only on attracting those people who you love to work with and who get great results from your work. In this video, I teach how to spot those people. This is Segment 14 of the Ask Me Anything Series.

Summary here:

This video goes further in answering the question “How do I get coaching clients?” It’s a continuation of Ask Me Anything Segments 12 and 13. If you haven’t read or watched those, I suggest you do before reading or watching this segment because you will get more out of it. Click here for Segment 12.
In the last segment of Ask Me Anything, I talked about building an audience of people interested in the work you do. In this segment, I help you get very focused on a specific subset of those interested people, your ideal client.
There are lots of terms you could use to describe the people you really want to work with – people use target market, niche, demographic, etc. but your ideal client is a specific subset of these terms.
I could teach an entire series on describing your ideal client, and some people do, but in this video I’ll present a short list of characteristics to think about in describing your ideal client.
Your ideal clients are the people you love to work with. For me, that is super-creative “right brain” people. I’m very concrete and linear, so working with right-brain people creates magic!
They get great results when they work with you.
They have a specific challenge that you totally geek out on! They struggle with the one thing you love to talk about.
They value you and your expertise.
They are able and willing to pay for your service.
They follow your advice and love the results they get.
The final and very important characteristic of your ideal client is that you like them! Don’t fill your practice with people you don’t like. Neither of you will get good results.
Now that you know what kind of people you are looking for, in the next segment I’ll teach you how to attract those specific people.
Takeaway: Get really specific about the kind of people you want to attract to your coaching business.
If you liked this tip, please go to www.michelechristensen.com and enter your name and email address, and I’ll send tips and strategies like this for solopreneurs right to your inbox!
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Your solopreneur business: one big experiment

When you are trying something new in your business, it’s almost impossible to get it perfect on the first try. That’s why I suggest that you always be experimenting with your business. Even if a new idea that you try works out great, it’s valuable to learn why it worked and how to repeat it.

There is no limit to the number of things you could be doing in your business. If you are randomly doing new tactics and not stopping to measure your results, you are probably wasting time on things that aren’t working.

Before you start anything new in your business, know what you want from that effort. If it’s a new product, you probably want sales. If it’s a listbuilding event, you want people to sign up for your email list. If it’s a social media campaign, you may be trying to make new connections or grow your influence. The point is, always have a goal in mind and a way to measure if your efforts are working.

In the book “The Solopreneur’s Success Strategy: Use Metrics to Know What Works,” I teach you how to get started with metrics, or measuring results in your business. Metrics is the only sure way to know what works for your specific business, and you’ll have everything you need to get started in this book. Grab your copy in the Kindle store! (Note you do not need a Kindle device to read Kindle books. You can get a free Kindle app for your device or desktop.)

Write a daily to do list just for today (To Do List Tip #4)

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In this video, I teach you the practice of writing a small to do list that is just for today. It’s inefficient to pick from hundreds or thousands of tasks every time you need to make a decision about what to work on. Instead, make a smaller to do list just for today. Link mentioned in video: michelechristensen.com/daily.

Summary here:

In this video I teach you why it is important to write a daily to do list just for today and how to do it.
If you have a solid habit of writing things down either electronically or on paper, you may end up with hundreds or even thousands of tasks on you to do list. There may be a mix of small tasks and huge projects.
Make it a daily habit to create a to do list just for today. Once per day, scan that huge list that holds all your tasks and select just a few for today based on what your day looks like.
You can write your to do list at night, as a way to wrap up the day and be ready to go in the morning, or in the morning as a way to start your day.
The real value in this practice is that is saves you looking through those hundreds or thousands of tasks every time during the day you need to move to the next task. Instead of picking from a big number, you can pick from a small number of tasks that are relevant to today.
You can feel more confidence that you are working on the right thing right now.
The takeaway: Set aside a few minutes every day to write a to do list that is just for today. You’ll work more efficiently and confidently throughout the day.
If you like this tip, go to michelechristensen.com/daily and get your free copy of my special report “The Five Biggest Mistakes Solopreneurs Make in Writing Their Daily To-Do List and How to Avoid Them.”
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Book Review – Launch by Jeff Walker

This post is a review of the book “Launch: An Internet Millionaire’s Secret Formula to Sell Almost Anything Online, Build a Business You Love, and Live the Life of Your Dreams” by Jeff Walker. In short, this book is great and has everything you need to follow his launch plan. You’ve probably seen product launches using his formula and just didn’t know it. That’s the beauty of “PLF” or “Product Launch Formula” style launches – they deliver great value whether the potential customer buys or not, and can be done without hype or aggressive selling tactics.

For an investment of less than $10, you really have everything you need to launch PLF style. There are a variety of case studies in very different niches, and these case studies had me continually saying “I can totally do this!” The case studies are a great way to show you the information in the book in action, but also a way to show you how different people use the PLF for their launches.

There are several types of launches presented in the book, but one of the most useful is the Seed Launch. This is, in my opinion, the most useful because it assumes you are truly starting from scratch. You don’t need a finished product, a list or even a website. Of course if you have any or all of those things, your launch will be much easier but the Seed Launch chapter demonstrates that you don’t need any of them to launch your first product. In fact, a seed launch can help you create your first product, start your list and make some money if you need it to get your website built.

One of the errors I see business owners making in launching is thinking that if they put something for sale that somehow people will find it and want to buy it. Once you realize this isn’t true, you are left with a problem of how to let potential buyers know you have something for sale and why they might want it. If you are like most people, you don’t want to sound like too pushy or sales-y. The Product Launch Formula gives you a step by step method that overcomes all of these problems. You’ll also have plenty of time and space to say what you need to in order for people to understand your product or service.

In short, this book delivers huge value for the money and has earned a spot on my Solopreneur Reading List. Grab a copy on Amazon here.

Image of Launch Book cover from Amazon.com

Discover the hidden gold in your email list!

Today I’m sharing some wisdom on email marketing from one of my personal mentors, PJ Van Hulle! Enjoy, and be sure to check out List-a-Palooza which starts today!

You’ve probably heard that, “the fortune is in the follow up,” but if you’re like most of the 1,000’s of entrepreneurs I’ve worked with over the last 14 years, your follow up systems leave something to be desired.

Here’s why “the fortune is in the follow up,” and what that looks like…

According to my friend and online marketing expert, Vrinda Normand, in most niche markets, or the specific group of people you serve:

3% are actively shopping for what you offer

7% are aware and open to your services, but not looking

30% are not aware of their problem or your solution

30% may know you exist, but it’s not the right time

30% are simply not a fit

This means that if you’re not following up, you’re leaving behind the 67% of people that might be ready to sign up for your products or services down the road!

When you follow up consistently, you will stay in front of these people. Maybe they’re not ready now, but when they are ready, you’ll be at the top of their mind and therefore you’ll be the one they hire over someone that didn’t follow up.

Imagine how much more money you could put in your pocket just by staying in touch with those 67% of people who may need you in the future.

The easiest and most effective way to follow up and nurture those relationships is to build an e-mail list of clients and potential clients who have “opted in” and given you permission to send them e-mails.

A good rule of thumb for monetizing your list is to shoot for $1 per subscriber, per month. So if your goal is to generate $10,000 per month in income, focus on growing your e-mail list to 10,000 subscribers.

With a profitable e-mail list you can:

● Attract more clients and sales

● Turn current clients into repeat clients

● Fill your seminars and programs

● Promote other peoples’ programs that you believe in and earn $1,000′s in affiliate commissions

Building your list is like taking advantage of compound interest. The sooner you start, the better. And the longer you nurture your list, the more profitable it will be.

To quantum leap your e-mail list to the next level, I recommend participating for FREE in the List-a-Palooza 90 Day List-Building Challenge.

Register Now for FREE

PJ Van Hulle works with speakers, authors and coaches to grow their e-mail lists so that they can attract more clients and sales with less time, effort, and stress. She’s the creator of the List-a-Palooza 90 Day List-Building Challenge.

Bright, Shiny Object Syndrome

Ask Me Anything, Segment 10

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It’s really easy to get sidetracked by the next big thing or the next bright, shiny object. It’s critical to stay focused and finish projects before moving on to the next one. You can find the entire Ask Me Anything series on my blog or YouTube channel under Ask Me Anything.

If you prefer to read instead of watch, here are the notes for this video:

Bright, shiny object syndrome is a funny name for a very real problem faced by entrepreneurs. We can get distracted by the next new idea before we take time to finish what we are working on.
New ideas are especially tempting to entrepreneurs because we love new ideas and like to take action and try new things.
One of the things that separates the superstars from the middle of the pack is the ability to persevere and finish projects even when they get boring.
Learning can be a huge bright, shiny object. Make sure to take the time to implement what you learn before moving on to learning something else.
One of the things I can help you with is finishing what you start. I can help you to know exactly what to be working on. I would love to be one of the people you learn from. Click on the green “Send Me More” button below the video, enter your name and email address, and I’ll send you tips and strategies just for solopreneurs.