• ‘I could get my baby weight off as fast as those celebs if I had a chef and personal trainer.’
• ‘I could get keynote fees for speaking like that if someone would offer ME a book contract.’
• ‘I would get more done if my spouse were more supportive and helpful (or made more money or _____)’
• ‘My business would be more successful if I had HER email list or HIS twitter followers or _____’
• ‘I could be happy and positive all the time if my life were perfect, like hers.’
• ‘I could ______ if ______’

We are quick to see the social media snapshot, the book cover, the CNN spot and dismiss everything that came before. We believe that online celebs (or offline, for that matter) never deal with confidence blows, insecurity, financial trouble, marriage problems (except that for movie stars this is in the job description), kids that misbehave, traffic accidents, plumbing malfunctions or illness.

• Maybe we want to believe everything is ideal for ‘them’ so we can let ourselves off the hook for the effort to get better results.
• Maybe we fuel our discontent with jealousy, anger and resentment and we’ve fooled ourselves into believing ‘they’ have ‘magic.’
• Maybe it’s just easier to chalk ‘their’ success up to ‘luck & good connections’ than to blood, sweat, tears, time in the gym, acting classes, business missteps and more.
• Maybe we’re not willing to give up who we are for who we want to be and we need someone to blame for that. ‘They’ are handy for that.

Maybe.

I can’t speak for all of ‘them’ – the folks that ‘have it easy’ – you know, those ‘overnight success stories.’ — I can only speak for me. So let me take you back a few years…let’s strip down to some truth.

Carrie at 266 lbs September 2000

This is me. At my heaviest weight. That shirt was a size 26 and those pants were begging to be retired. My shoes were stretched out on all sides from my fat feet and lack of ankles and the day of walking on this tour wore me out. My husband kept having to stop to let me rest. (no, that is not him in the photo.)

Not a pretty truth. But truth.  I am 5’4″ — that is a lot of weight. Oh, and I was just 28 here. I look alot older and felt absolutely ancient.

Furthermore, while doing fair in a part time business, I mismanaged my funds to a degree where I dug us into a crippling six figures of debt, not counting our house & car.

• I tried shortcuts for weight. I failed.
• I tried shortcuts for debt. I failed.
• I tried shortcuts for happiness. I failed.
• I tried shortcuts for business growth. I failed.

I am just like you. I am successful when I do the right things, with the right consistency at the right times. (psssst, I suspect ‘THEY’ are too!)

• The inconvenient truth is that we dug out of debt one day at a time, one dollar at a time, one choice at a time. No bankruptcy or bailouts.
• I dug out of my weight the same way. It’s still a battle…I yo-yo like everyone else. When I quit paying attention or make unhealthy choices, the weight comes back with a vengeance. I am working on that diligently now.
• I still struggle with discouragement and confidence issues, like you. It helps when you string baby steps and small successes together.
• My ‘overnight’ success online came as a result of studying people doing it right and then taking action, quickly. It came as a result of 13 years of overnights. As a result of listening to my market, putting in the hours, sacrificing TV shows and some hobbies. It came as a result of me be willing to mess up and fall on my face.
• I didn’t ‘luck’ into my spouse. I chose him and he chose me back. We work DAILY on our marriage. We choose to stay.

The naked truth is that the ‘successful and highly visible’ people struggle, fail and fall…like you and like me.

• Maybe they string their failures closer together.
• Maybe they choose to fail bigger and fall faster.
• Maybe they put in more hours, take more classes, hang around with positive people.
• Maybe they consider gym time their ‘job time’ if image is part of their paycheck.
• Maybe they write 12 books to every 1 best-seller you hear of.
• Maybe they cry in the shower, so no one sees.
• Maybe they’re looking at you and thinking…I could sparkle & shine like her, if I only ________

Maybe.

It saddens me…to see anyone limit their amazing-ness because they continue comparing themselves to ‘them’ and falling short.

Don’t let that be you. I won’t let it be me.

Leave a comment below if this resonates with you – and please, today I’m asking that you SHARE this on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, G+ and anywhere you know folks need to hear it. Let them know they’re not alone.

Previously in this series, I mentioned that I don’t suggest any business be without

1. an email service
2. a payment processor and
3. a media capture option. Let’s delve into #3, shall we?

3. Media Capture

Why do I feel a variety of media is important to business growth online?

Sooo many reasons, but just to highlight a few, I think you can never underestimate the ‘know, like & trust’ factor in business. There are so many reasons for prospects to DIStrust you these days…that the more you can do to build that trust, the better.

Ok – so to mechanics…I like EASY solutions with very little learning curves. I’m a simple girl with a busy life and I don’t want learning technology to be my full time job. So don’t expect rocket science here. I’m sure there are more bells and whistles and fancy solutions, but I like to stick to a budget and the basics.

So, whether we’re talking about audio or video, at the bare minimum you will need the ability to:

• record interviews, tutorials, rants or educational pieces
• host your recording online
• post the link (or a player) on your site, blog or in email

Just like anything technical, you can find services from the simple to the complex…but some other features I find helpful are:

• simple editing
• royalty free music for top & tail
• broadcast ability for live seminars
• built in players

Audio Toolbox:

==> Audacity by Soundforge: This free software is both Mac and PC compatible. I use this to record straight from my built in mic (or if I’m getting fancy, I use my Yeti, which was about $100 on Amazon. I can also import audio into this program from a conference call or live event I’ve recorded and edit out the bits I don’t like or are unclear. This can be a very effective editing tool, but I mainly use it to clean up the front and back and add music if I want to. I’ve found tutorials on YouTube for everything I’ve needed to learn about Audacity. It is a must-have as far as I’m concerned.

I know many Mac folks swear by GarageBand for the same purposes.

This is just for recording and editing. This will not host your recordings or store them.

==> Audio Acrobat: This subscription service is a web based program that will allow you to upload records (perhaps from Audacity) or to call into your designated ‘hotline’ and record directly from your phone. I have done this hundreds of times for interviews, personal product creation or other purposes when I’m traveling. I also used this more before I had a good mic built into my computer.  This service will also store your recordings and host the players for you that you can send in email, post on blogs or put in your social media sharing.

However, this has a recurring fee monthly and if you have very busy watchers, listeners and sharers – you will rack up extra charges for bandwidth. I use this strictly for phone recording. I tend to use it really heavy for a month or two and then cancel until I need it again. However, if you don’t have many folks viewing your content, this may be the simplest and low tech solution for now!

There is no EDITING feature on this, so be prepared to publish ‘as is.’ *Trial Available*

** Audio Acrobat also has Video features available but I’ve not researched that or played with it, so I can’t testify to the usefulness **

==> Conference Call Lines: You can also use a variety of conference call lines for singular recording, interviews and teleclasses, but that really is a post all by itself, so I won’t try to cover those here. However, if you are familiar with Free Conference Call, Instant Teleseminar, Go Conference or any of those services, you can sometimes skip the above tools and use their built-in tools that you are already familiar with. I tend to come back to Audacity to edit what I do on the conference calls anyway

I am SURE I’ve left some amazing tools out – but again, I’m just reviewing what I know and what I use – share in the comments section below what YOU have had great success with and can recommend.

Video Toolbox:

==> Camera Suggestions: My friend, Perry Lawrence at AskMrVideo.com has always said ‘the best camera is the one you will use.’ So I adhere to that mantra! I love, love, love the FLIP camera and use mine endlessly ‘on location’ from amusement parks, live events, in the car, etc. It’s a push-button content generator and I love that there are no chords. I use the one that is powered by AA batteries so I don’t have to find a computer to charge it when I’m on the run. I realize, however, that this camera is not still being made, so I recommend a hand-held flip-style camera like the Sony Bloggie. Kodak Zi8 or similar.

You may be in love with the quality of video you get from your iPhone or iPad, great. Like I said, whatever works for you is best.

I also love the simplicity of using the web cam that is built into my monitor or laptop. I open up Quick Time and Create a New Video. Simple as that.

==> Editing Software: My first preference is NO EDITING. Yep, I’m that simple. I prefer to Shoot & Share! But if I need to put an intro or some graphics as a ‘call to action’ then there are a couple of options.

• Mac folks, seriously – iMovie is so simple once you go through a tutorial or two that it’s almost FUN to dress up your videos a bit. The templates, music, sound effects, transitions and tools that are built in are excellent!
• YouTube editing – I haven’t played with this much beyond annotations, but I know you can do some simple editing ONLINE in YouTube. This is, of course, free and won’t be as ‘fancy schmancy’ as an offline pro editing software – but hey – we’re all about SIMPLE!
• In Camera Software – one of the things I loved about the FLIP camera was the built in editing software. Super-easy and intuitive. Now that Flip isn’t being created anymore, I’m not sure the software is still being supported – but when you are buying your mobile camera, check to see if there is a camera-specific software included.
• Sony Vegas and others – I’ve invested in these (in the past) and gave up because of the complexity. I just didn’t have the time or energy to get complicated. I know editors that use these with great success and swear by them, but for the price and the hassle, I couldn’t be bothered.

What did I forget?

==> Storage Options: once you create your media, it has to ‘live’ somewhere in order to be accessible online. Again, with the ‘cloud’ and so many evolving technologies, I’m sure the geekarati will come out of the woodwork to let me know what I’ve missed, but I’m reviewing what I use and know

• YouTube – this is STILL my favorite for video. It’s free. It’s searchable. It’s user-friendly. There are loads of tutorials and now that you can set videos to Public, Private & Unlisted…there really is no reason not to use it. I DO suggest you keep a backup of your videos on a harddrive or with Mozy or Carbonite, in case YouTube disappears (yeah, right) but this is a great solution for just about everyone. — and the price is right at FREE
• Adobe Acrobat – I mentioned that earlier – but I haven’t used it for video, so I can’t recommend it personally.
• AmazonS3 – I use S3 for my mass storage of pdfs, audio and video. It’s pennies on the dollar compared to many other bandwidth solutions and I feel pretty secure that Amazon isn’t going anywhere. However, it’s not the most intuitive thing to use, so I use a gateway front service called EZS3 to store all of my media. I LOVE that this service has a variety of player templates for audio and video and make my blog and webpages look professional just by dropping in a line of code. I have all of my media backed up here and couldn’t be happier. I’ve been using them over 4 years now and I have heavy media traffic, as you might imagine. (tutorials & support board are really helpful)
• Your own site storage. You could store your media there, but depending on your hosting, you could max out your bandwidth in a hurry and incur extra costs.

Those are a few I’ve used (still use) and have personal experience with.

I’d love to hear below what you use and love and what features I perhaps left out! I know we haven’t covered ‘calls & tele-events’ yet – we will. And I know I’m not the most tech-genius online…but really, that is my point. I use these tools to function and to be profitable. I’m not a specialist in them nor do I have to be to know how to leverage them for my benefit.

I hope this series has been helpful and I’d love to hear about more tools or ideas below!

==> Click here to read part 1 <==

Yesterday, I mentioned that I don’t suggest any business be without

1. an email service
2. a payment processor and
3. a media capture option. Let’s delve into #2, shall we?

2. Payment Processor

If you don’t plan to sell information, coaching, products or services online, you likely don’t think you need this. However…even if you have a lawncare business or babysitting service, I’d recommend a way to have online invoicing and recurring billing available.

I’ve suggested this to my kids’ piano teacher umpteen times (technical term). I could sign in and she’d be paid directly into her account on the same day each and every month. No rebill. No ‘am I going to continue with lessons’. No ‘I forgot the check’ or bounced checks.

The less ‘friction’ you can provide to getting payment from your client, the better. That being said – this can SEEM like a complicated process and is daunting to some.

If you are going to accept currency online, you need a payment processor (think of that like the cash register at the store.) There are some stand alone payment processors (like Paypal and Clickbank) that don’t require a merchant account. However, if you use a more comprehensive cart solution, you will need a merchant provider behind the cart.

Think of the cart as the cash register and the merchant provider as the bank that will actually scan the credit card and turn it into spendable income for you. (This is not a perfect visual, but might help.)

At the bare minimum you will need your payment option to:

• integrate with your website, blog or email with a ‘click here to order’ button or link
• ensure secure processing and encryption for your clients
• deposit to your bank account either automatically or through your request
• accept major forms of payment such as Visa/MC  (Disc & AmEx are optional)

Just like email services, you can find services from the simple to the complex…but some other features I find helpful are:

• easy integration with my email provider (above) so an automated email goes out confirming purchase and giving ‘next steps, guarantees, contact info, etc.’
• affiliate tracking (this means you are tracking referrals from online partners so you can reward them with commissions later – your software will need to be able to track this) — might not apply for you
• upsell or cross-suggestion features (think like Amazon.com) for additional exposure to what you offer
• intuitive reporting so you can track daily, weekly or monthly sales, returns, popular products, etc
• tracking of returns, refunds, voids, etc
• recurring billing for subscriptions, memberships, payment plans, etc
• coupon codes for promotions, sales and loyalty rewards

Toolbox:

==> Paypal: If you aren’t using this service as a stand alone or in combination with accepting credit cards, you’re leaving money on the table. (I hate that cliche’, but it’s true.) This is a trusted gateway that has been the security standard for many households for years. Even the most ‘online skittish’ tend to trust Paypal. So integrate it into your systems.

Make sure you set up a merchant services account through them to do business with less limits. I love the ‘inventory tracking’ that is available for hard goods and the ease in creating a button using their wizards. I’ve seen that when I offer the option to pay with credit card and/or Paypal — adding Paypal increases my sales by about 30%.

The downside is that this is a payment processor ONLY, not a ‘cart’ solution. This is a start, not a total system. You cannot track affiliates, handle upsells or downsells and I still feel like their reporting is not the most user-friendly. (The merchant fees are a tad higher here too, but if you’re not having to use a ‘cart’ yet – this might be your best solution.)

==> Automation Wiz: I mentioned this one yesterday in email services, but this is also my preferred shopping cart. It does everything I mentioned above and more. What’s really great is that if you choose not to get a merchant account (yet) – you can use Paypal inside of this cart solution. Love that! (see sales increase I mentioned above).

If you want to be able to take other forms of payment, then you will need to apply for a merchant account in addition to the Cart. This cart does everything I need it to and since they’ve been around awhile and are used by thousands, I feel like they stay on top of programming, updates, integration and more. PLUS – the owner of this label, Don Schnure, is a friend and provides great tutorials and customer service! I have zero desire to leave this payment system, ever.

==> Clickbank: I’ve used this for publishing several digital products and I know several online multi-millionaires that do the same. Clickbank will help you track your affiliates, manage returns, accept all forms of payment and cut you a check without fail (as long as you are over your payment thresholds.) There are no monthly fees. You are only charged if you sell something. They offer recurring, pay your affiliates (no remember to set aside funds or write checks) and have detailed reporting. They have upsells, too

So, what’s the downside? Their fees are higher, for one. The other is that you have less control over returns and refunds. For instance, there is an iron clad, no questions asked 60 day refund policy. Your customer doesn’t have to go through you or your office, they request through Clickbank and it’s done.

Also, your product should be instantly available, so you cannot use Clickbank for physical products, merchandise, etc. And I’d advise against using it for service businesses or coaching because of the lax refund policy. Don’t get me wrong – I want my clients to be happy – but if they don’t have to go through my office…how will I know if they’re unhappy?

The setup process can be a little tricky – but once you go through it one time, you should be set. Don’t write it off, but if you have a low cost, recurring product…the fees make it hard to justify using Clickbank for that.

Those are a few I’ve used (still use) and have personal experience with.

I’d love to hear below what you use and love and what features I perhaps left out!

Tomorrow, part 3 of the series — what do I mean by ‘Media Capture?’

Since I work with both start ups and businesses that are clicking along ‘offline’ but want to increase their online presence, I thought I’d mention a few ‘musts’ today.

** I’m going to assume you have a website, a blog or a Facebook fanpage at the very minimum.

Going from there, I wouldn’t consider doing business without an email delivery service, a payment processor and some type of media capture. I’ll explain all 3 in detail and give you some suggestions.

Today I’ll focus just on email delivery and then we’ll investigate the others in subsequent posts. Otherwise this gets wordy and you get irritated

1. Email delivery service

Whether you are online only or a storefront, you are missing out if you cannot follow up in a mass way with your ‘leads.’ Newspaper ads and fliers don’t ‘cut it’ for local marketing anymore. Direct response is where your efforts are best spent.

I’ll save ‘list-building’ for another post, but when you are emailing offers, articles, resources or updates, you simply cannot use your own email service, server or do a bcc or worse, a cc in your email. DO NOT DO THIS.

Best practices call for you to use a 3rd party service for ease in:

• tracking unsubscribes
• fielding bounces
• complying with spam regulations and
• automated ways for clients to update their information

You can find services from the simple to the complex…but at the very least, you want to make sure your provider has the ability to handle the above bullets and also:

• send mass broadcasts to entire list
• send pre-programmed auto-responders so you can set up a customer contact sequence
• update client information from their end without YOU doing anything manually and
• provide a way for clients to subscribe or sign up through a form on your blog, site or stand-alone page

Toolbox:

==> Aweber: I personally use this one for content delivery & autoresponders, I love their tutorials and their blog is helpful, even if you use another service. I wish they’d let me import small lists of names from when I speak ‘live’ or network ‘offline’ – but that is the primary downside to this affordable service. (They have a great deliverability rating too, by the way.) *trial available

==> Automation Wiz: The email service that comes with my preferred shopping cart is also super useful and can be deemed an all-in-one. I’ll be more excited when they add ‘negative logic’ – but it’s a great solution if you want everything in one place. If you’re not ready to add a payment processor (see #2 below) then you can start with just the autoresponder level of service and move from there when you are ready. *trial available

==> Mail Chimp or MadMimi – both have starter accounts that are ‘free’ up to a certain level of contacts. I have clients that use both these services. The do allow imports of lists (with some prescreen), their customer service is grand and they just might have the features you’re looking for. My concern with using these is that with common payment processors, content management systems, templates, etc – they might not be integrated across the board yet. So make sure and check that out before you commit. *trial available

Tomorrow, we’ll delve into Payment Solutions!

I’d love to hear below what email services you’re using and why! Also, what features did I miss?

As business owners, bloggers and content-sharers, we are taught that our content should be “evergreen” which means that the information is as good tomorrow as it is today.  This means that we may need to avoid dates in our titles, instead focus only on a specific keywords, yet we have to also acknowledge certain seasons (holidays, cycles, momentus events) so that we seem like real people and not automated bots while still appealing to search engines and people. Whew! Not an easy task sometimes!

I have personally messed this up before by using URLs that have years in them such as BOSSEvent2011. It is better to use LiveAnnualMarketingEvent.com or something along those lines.

But, there is a way to do it! When you have a special seasonal promotion that you plan to do each year, whether this is to do with a holiday, or part of your product cycle and marketing efforts, one way to do this is to not delete the holiday specific URLs. Instead, keep it there, but edit and update the content on the page each year.

You can make the URL “evergreen” by  not mentioning a date or year in the URL, but rather a topic and keywords that will be just as good next year as this year. Such as “Tax Day Special Offer” or “Christmas Crafts for Homeschoolers” or “Turkey Day Two for One” or “Breast Cancer Awareness Month” or “Labor Day Content Special”, etc… Then each year update the content but keep the URL the same. The content can be dated, as long as you update it each year. Also, you should always keep the old content online, so the page continues to rank, then update it each year to make your calls to action relevant for each year.

By doing this, you are taking advantage of the idea of evergreen content, and the ranking process that is accomplished by search engines, but also recognizing the various seasons of life, both human life and product life. The good thing about this technique is that all your work getting incoming links to that specific URL will never be wasted and in fact will grow each year. Thus, you should get more visitors and more traffic as the URL ranks higher and higher due to the length of time it is up and live as well as the number of links to that URL going up each year.

You can also use a product that is great year-round and put it in a ‘holiday’ or ‘promotional’ bundle. Below is an example I ran across online today.

Just remember to use evergreen urls and if you have date specific offers, make those neutral, put up a wait list or let prospects know to stay tuned to your content for ‘the next’ promotion after it concludes. Don’t make them guess if it’s over or when the next one is.

A ‘next’ step is super helpful. This is why I like to collect emails ‘This promotion has concluded, but for more related blog post with current strategies, check HERE — or even ‘submit your email here for a video on The 7 Benefits of Seasonal Marketing and to be notified of our next release.’

==> And remember – we just ‘happen’ to be in the Christmas season right now – these strategies apply year-round to calendar holidays, product cycles and events that YOU personally create!

For more ideas, tips & strategies – check out my Seasonal Marketing System for Online Business Promotions Here <== This is 50% off for a limited time.

I recognized in my own clients and friends a similar mentality…that in October and November, they were already ‘setting next year’s goals’ and basically wrapping up the year 3 months early! I resisted that and decided that Q4 would be my most powerful quarter each year while everyone else ‘relaxed!’

Now, this doesn’t mean I’m a workaholic – but it does mean that I can leverage seasonal marketing into my strategy – as can YOU! This week, I’ll be focused on this with strategies, tools and tips to carry you into changing holidays, changing seasons and perhaps even changing your mind…

Seasonal Marketing is more than holidays

When you think of seasonal marketing the first ideas that probably pops into your mind are the typical holidays like Easter, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and the other holidays on your calendar, but seasonal marketing is much more than that. Seasonal marketing can involve the four seasons in a year, the typical holidays mentioned above, various causes that are important to you, as well as client anniversaries. Seasons can also mean your particular product cycle.

When you consider all the opportunities open to you when planning your marketing strategy, your content strategy, and your promotions you can quickly realize that you will not run out of ideas very fast. Thinking about the “seasons” as a cycle rather than just dates on a calendar will help you plan for more since there are many cycles besides holidays.

 The Container Store has their ELFA ‘get organized’ event in January. They heavily discount their ELFA shelving and modules each & every year. This is a great example of THEIR product season.

As mentioned above you have the cycle of yearly holidays in which you can use to motivate buying, and you also have your product cycle. A product cycle or season depends upon what your product is, and who your target market is. If you are marketing to tax professionals, your seasonal marketing opportunities are dictated by your market’s tax responsibilities.

If your niche is work at home, home-schooling moms, then your seasons are dictated by what is important to your target market.

By offering discounts, buy one get one free offers, and other encouragement to purchase at the times your target market wants to buy or needs to buy you will quickly see an increase in sales.

If appropriate for your market you can promote products and information on the typical holidays by having special sales and promotions for the calendar holidays but you can also choose to celebrate special customers on their anniversary dates or the date they bought a certain product from you. You can create a brand new season for each client based on their purchasing anniversary. Your client will feel special, and you will encourage retention. (We’ll discuss that more in detail later this week.)

You can also tie your promotions into a cause. For instance, if you have a special cause that is important to you such as  breast cancer awareness, you can simply offer to donate a portion of your customers’  purchases to that cause during breast cancer awareness month only.

I am a big giver to orphanages and trafficking rescue through http://100xmissions.org so I sometimes have a ‘redeem a child’ seasonal offer. I typically do this in October in conjunction with my live event.

The important thing to remember is that your promotions, regardless of season, should be focused and targeted on your ideal client and his or her needs. If your website promotes WordPress Themes, it would not be appropriate to now offer Christmas Decorations for sale, just because it is Christmas. It would, however, be appropriate to offer two for one custom themes as a gift to your customers. Always stay focused, and do not become scattered in your offerings just because the calendar specifies a popular holiday.

Leave a comment below if you’d like to share a seasonal idea that you do without fail or something you’ve seen work with clients or places you SHOP! We’d like to know!

==> To check out the complete Seasonal Marketing System I use (including 50% off this week), go here <==

Tomorrow: How to leverage the shopping patterns of your market…

•  But why are contests effective?
•  Doesn’t that just work for BIG companies?
•  Can small businesses like us afford contests?

I’ve been curious as I’ve seen more and more small businesses (like you) implement these strategies and I wanted to dissect it a bit and see what we could find out (and how you might use in YOUR business!)

1. Use contests to increase engagement & encourage audience members to reach YOUR conclusion!  In this example, Jane Button does a great job on pre-selling her mastermind program by asking her audience ‘If someone offered you $10k to grow your business, how would you spend it?’

Readers were invited to email in their answer (I’d suggest using a Facebook fan page or blog for more public answers and viral engagement) The WINNER would get $10,000 discounted off of Jane’s Mentoring Program!

The goals of this exercise are to educate about the program, increase thinking about the program and lead audience members to understand that a mentor and group program can grow their business much more than $10k in advertising, homestudies or gadgets. After all, investing the experience of someone who has blazed the trail before you is priceless!

(The reason the blog or Facebook page would be powerful is that as folks suggest why the group program or mentoring is valuable and valid – they are providing valuable social proof for others that are considering investing in the program.)

2. Use contests to increase social media sharing & ‘sale’ awareness. Leanne Ely does a great job with contests at her Facebook fan page.

The Saving Dinner audience was tempted with a full-size freezer appliance, Omaha Steaks gift certificates and even a grand prize of Leanne coming to your kitchen to cook! Entries were awarded for purchases of her freezer bundle, Facebook shares, tweeting and more! (Use a contest app like Contest Burner or Wildfire if you attempt a social media contest. Also be aware of the terms & conditions of the social media network you are leveraging.)

The goals here are to increase sales of the freezer menus and to encourage viral sharing by rewarding social media activity with ‘entries’ into the contest! You have to really know your numbers here, so that your sales and increased list size offset the cost of your prize. Better yet, get your prize donated by a company that would love to ‘sponsor’ the contest and get exposure to your audience!

3. Prove that the ‘solution’ you offer your audience works with a transformation contest! This is one of my favorites! Why? Because it’s the same as offering PROOF that your solution or method for __________ works! You see this most commonly in the fitness/weight loss market. I’ll use Tom Venuto and his ‘Go to Hawaii Free’ contest for example.

Tom’s model is great because he can (in the states that allow it) require that you purchase either his Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle program as an entry or require entry into the Inner Circle Forums to participate. This makes total sense, because if you’re going to have results with his program, you need to be aware of what the program IS.

It’s a short period of time (49 days) to show that the process of 1) his program 2) a set time frame 3) extreme motivation and 4) group support make a huge difference in you changing your physique! I’m participating in this myself, and I have to say that the prizes and trips combined with the short time frame were a huge draw for me.

There’s also a ‘shoot for the moon and land among the stars’ element here as well. What I mean by that is – if I participate and adhere to the program, I may NOT get an all expense trip to Maui, iPad or Kindle Fire — but I will lose fat, build muscle and gain some amazing momentum in the meantime! That is attractive to contest participants as well!

This is my favorite model because you are proving your expertise in a compressed time frame, increasing sales, increasing engagement in a BIG way in your community and seeing REAL results for your clients. Tom is a friend and I shot him a few questions about the effectiveness of this in his business:

Carrie, this contest has done more to promote our business, specifically build our ‘social community’ than ANYTHING I’ve ever done in my entire career.

It’s huge, absolutely real & life-changing and anyone can see that who gets into our inner circle, reads our Facebook page or sees the 1,032 comments on my blog from the last few days alone!

Ok — so there you have it — 3 examples of small business owners (like us) that are using contests to reach different goals & motivations in their business!

How can you implement one of these into YOUR business?

And for the record…I’m entering Tom’s 49 Day Transformation and will be keeping tabs on my progress on the blog — if you wanna join me, we’ve got nothing to lose but our love handles!

I unearthed the episode below as I was cleaning out my office today and found a very sweet thank you card from Denai.

In light of her sudden death, November 7th, I thought the front of the card was worth sharing…

Almost as if she is letting us know how we can make sense out of her early exit from this earth…

Anyway I thought you might enjoy listening in to a conversation between friends about life, work, balance, faith and seeing if there is a way to have it all.

You know I love to use video, but I also love to cater to every learning style…and this video combines audio, visual as well as text driven styles.

I love it – and even though it’s a little longer than my attention span usually is…I was riveted!

Note to self: get one of these videos created for Barefoot ASAP!

I hope you enjoy it! (the headline made me especially curious!)

Click the image below to view the video and see what I mean!

Click on the image to see this great use of education & entertainment

Meeting Denai 'IRL' in real life for the first time felt like we'd been friends for longer.

November 7, 2011 was a sad day as many of us lost friend, colleague and networking ‘queen’ Denai Downs Vaughn in a tragic auto accident.

Denai was 37 years young and is survived by her 6 year old daughter and a husband who is crazy about her.

She was a people-connector, a business-builder, a family-lover and so much more.

I could go on and on…but instead – I want to use this space to encourage you to embrace the urgency that is today. There are no guarantees about tomorrow.

We can send flowers, cards and notes…even pen long tributary blog posts…but what Denai would want is for her life, as well as her death, to make a difference.  Below are the details about her memorial service and a request from the family about donations in her honor.

I’d love to encourage…perhaps even challenge…each of you to send $5, $10 or more to this fund. Maybe you didn’t even know her. Send it in honor of making the most of every moment that we are gifted.

In honor of Denai Downs Vaughn ~ There will be a funeral service at 11 a.m. Thursday, November 10th, 2011, at the First Baptist Church of Groom. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that a donation be made in her honor and mailed to State National Bank of Groom, attention Denai Vaughn Fund, PO Box 577, Groom, Texas 79039. All donations will be gathered and given to the Christian Relief Fund

I hope you have the opportunity to participate. I hope this shifts your priorities, your daily urgencies, like it did mine. I hope you will gather loved ones close and realize that everyone you meet is a star in their own right.

So…is the world a little dimmer today for the loss of one of our ‘lights’ — or are the heavens shining brighter for the addition of Denai? I find comfort in holding onto the latter.