Too often I hear stories of people stuck with website designs they don't like, doesn't work right or at the mercy of an overworked, grumpy web master/designer who decides to hold their website hostage. "Pay me XYZ or your website is mine to do as I wish." (I've been there!)

The way of the future is to be able to creatively control (read: no need to go through a web master or designer) to make the simplest changes on your site.

Now I am NOT advocating that you design your website and do it all yourself. I don't think that's a good investment of your time. If you're making over $100 dollar an hour to work with clients, it's well worth to pay $50 per hour for a web master. That's just good math.

Having said this, if you should have more time than clients (or money) or you enjoy (like me) having creative control of your website, WordPress is the way to go.

WordPress is a free blogging platform (techie-talk = open source software) that allows you to make it look like a real website by adding regular looking web pages. If you know how to operate a WORD document, than you'll know how to use WordPress.

You can make it look as fancy as you want by hiring someone to create a customized template for you (there are tons of designers who specialize in this - I recommend Chris Jernigan of Sawcy.com), or you can do what I did, which is choose from one of the many existing FREE templates, customize the header and then you're good to go.

However, there are quite a few ins-n-outs to learn about setting up a professional looking WordPress website. For example, I didn't use the free templates available at WordPress.org and WordPress.com. I bought the Semiologic version which comes with a few bells and whistles for running a business, though at the cost of the variety of beautiful templates on WordPress.com/WordPress.org. (You don't have to do this).

The good news: my husband and fabulous coach Drew, being the leader in all things technical in our house, decided to put together a step-by-step guideline for setting up a WordPress site in about an hour.

You can get this here.

But before you start scrolling the WordPress templates, be sure to understand this: The content of your website comes before site design. Most people get this backward. How can your web designer ever match who you are and what you do if you don't have a clear message, tone, feel, emotion and words to match all this. Message first, design second. It's easier to make a site match a message versus changing a site to match your message.

Here's that link again for instructions on setting up a low-cost, easy to manage and great looking site.

Please note, if you're coming to my workshop on Discovering Your Niche in July, you'll get this resource in your goodie bag!

Hope this was helpful!

Karin

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Wellness, nutrition, acupuncture, all of it is damn boring to your clients.

Many of my clients are surprised to hear this.

Wellness is supremely interesting to… guess who? Wellness professionals!

IMPORTANT DISTINCTION: What IS interesting to your potential clients is your approach, your style of counseling, your personality, who you are, your lifestyle, your life experience, the results your services deliver and how people FEEL when they're around you.

Please read the above sentence again.

Facts, figures, your credentials, training and professional experience is to BACK UP what makes you and your work interesting.

Solution: Add mojo to your business image and brand.

Mojo Example 1: Your Approach Melts Resistance

So many people have pre-conceived notions of what it's like working with a nutritionist, yoga teacher or coach. And this creates resistance. Is how you work different from other people in your field? Is your approach to your modality fun, down-to-earth, or pampering? Let people know. Create a "My Approach" page on your website. Another way to do this is to write up a FAQ page to answer all the questions that people would like to ask, but don't. This begins to melt resistance to making healthy changes.

Mojo Example 2: Let People FEEL What it's Like to Be Around YOu

Got charisma? You better have. This doesn't require you to be loud, pushy, or overly-enthused. You can be charismatic and soft-spoken. Put personality in your writing on your website. Let your personality shine in your classes. Flaunt your quirks, hobbies, and special things you do for clients. Show people you aren't a health-nut robot. Show them what it's like to live a vibrant, healthy life. Don't sell them on vibrant living. (That doesn't work!) Show them what it is. The people with whom you'd work best with will find this very attractive.

Example 3: Your Lifestyle, Your Reality Show

Are you a busy mom who has figured out how to get her family on a healthy diet? Show pictures in your blog and/or website of you and your family walking their talk. Show your potential clients what you love about your life in your blog. Favorite week-night recipe? Post that. Finally got your kids eating veggies and your new kid-friendly dip. Post that picture. Kids putting away the dishes. Tell them how you managed to to that. Chances are you're life is infinitely more balanced than your potential client (even if you don't think so). Be willing to share about your life and watch how people are drawn into your authenticity. The easiest way to do this is with pictures and quick, insightful tips from your daily life.

Here's to adding some mojo to your brand,

Karin

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Most marketing materials - websites, brochures, flyers - have no FLOW. Meaning, they do the equivalent of asking the reader to get into bed with them now. How rude!

If you were to look at marketing like dating, there is a natural order and flow to creating a good, mutually beneficial relationship.

Just like it's rare for a life partner to immediately want to marry you, it's also rare for your potential client to want to start working with you right away. (Especially if your one-on-one programs are pretty high-end.)

So here's a way to remove that awkard and frankly, creepy energy of "call me now and let's start working together even though we just met."

You need to add a bit of FLOW to your marketing materials.

Here is one way to do this:

Break down the steps someone takes to working with you privately.

Here's what usually happens in professional wellness services (notice how it's a lot like dating): Your potential client meets you (referral, word-of-mouth, networking event, reads an article about you), agrees to hear from you again (signs up for your newsletter), maybe decides to go on a date with you (come to your free/low-cost tele-class) and depending on the person, they may need to "date" you a bit more (read: attend more of your classes, read several issues of your newsletter, purchase something from you without too much of a commitment like a book or tele-class series),  and they'll probably need to hear good things about you from others (read your testimonials), to warm up to the idea of handing over a lot of money and trust to you.

So break down the steps on a piece of paper and then make sure your marketing materials honors this natural FLOW.

For example:

• Always have something to invite people to such as a tele-class, in-person class for people to get to know you
• Show your potential clients you care by keeping in regular touch with them through your ezine, post cards, etc…
• Give your website visitors super-clear direction, on each page, as to what is the next step in the "get to know each other" process
• Give them free and low-cost ways to "try on" your services such as a free tele-class now and again and other low-cost (relevant to your market - for some markets $59 is low-cost for a class and other's too much) class series
• Instead of asking people to call you right away, invite them to visit your website for a special free gift or to start receiving your great ezine tips

And just like in dating, there will always be people who will never be ready for a long-term commitment. (Ladies - we're all too familiar with this one! This shows up in your business as those who just like to get your free stuff and that's it. That's fine. It's part of life and it's a part of business too.

Here's to building great relationships in your business,

Karin

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One way to look at marketing is that it shows your clients that you care about their needs, challenges, dreams and desires.

Not marketing consistently is showing your clients you don't really care. You don't care about your business and their well being. And that you don't care about your business. While that may not be the truth, it's what people think.

Consider how you might show up differently in your business by seeing your marketing efforts as a way to express your loving care toward those you serve.

Here is a simple way to show your clients (and potential clients) you care: Send Out Cards

Cards are perfect for those in transformational work. There are lots of ups and downs, self-doubts, celebrations and most of us work with people over a period of time so there is lots of life stuff that happens. Sending out cards helps you AND YOUR WORK stay present in your clients' (and potential client's) lives and essentially creates connection.

It's so simple. So thoughtful. Yet few professionals do this. Why? No systems in place to make this a regular part of your business. To show you care and do so consistently, you'll need to make this systematic (read: organized process that doesn't require too much energy).

Example 1: Low tech version: Next time you go to Target or your local card shop, stock up. Buy $50 worth of cards - select a variety of birthday, sympathy, congratulations, and whatever inspiring cards are appropriate for your business model. Now you've got your own little card shop at the ready for all the events of a client's, friends and associates life. Keep it handy in your office with a roll of stamps, favorite pen, and return address stickers all in one area. Repeat this process when your supply dwindles. If you wait until you need to get a card, it's a waste of time (I live in the country so running to the store is a big deal) and usually doesn't get sent (or shows up weeks late).

Example 2:  Get Cards that BRAND YOU: Again, next time at Target or Papyrus, purchase several pacs of blank cards that match the color of your business and marketing materials. Alternatively, pick up a neutral, high quality card stock with the first initial of your name or business name. The idea is that it's speaks to tone, feel and look of your business brand.

I have very simple, elegant, blank red cards that I can personalize to any business situation - a referral thank you, a note to a client,  follow-up, etc… My little packet of red blank cards and red thank you cards are at the ready on my desk, with pen, stamps and return address labels. They are on my desk because connecting with people I work with and those I could potentially work with is very important to me. (I'm an old fashioned girl in that way. I love receiving cards so I love to give them too.)

Example 3: High tech version: Sign up for Send Out Cards.com. I haven't done this yet but I have heard great reviews. It's an online membership site that automates all of the above for you.

One of these examples, implemented consistently, is a super simple way to show you care while promoting your services.

To your continued success,

Karin

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I've gone back to sending text-only version of my email newsletter (ezine).

I can send it out faster, easier and more consistently without all the fuss of HTML version (pretty looking ezines that have pictures and graphics).

And connecting with my readers consistently tops all over variables in my book.

Here's a little tip to make your text-only ezine look a bit sharper.

Go to http://www.Formatit.com and copy and paste the text of your ezine into the box and click "submit."

Then copy the reformatted text and plop it into your email broadcasting system to send out your ezine.

Your email will then be sent with 50 character wide margin, making each of your paragraphs narrow in width and thus easier on the eye to read.

Super simple and it's free.

Hope this was helpful!

Karin

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The top part of your website, also known as "the header" in web-speak, is like the top of your letterhead. It should say who you are, what you do and your name.

Here are some of my favorite dos and don't's for this part of your website:

1. Don't change the design or the color of the design with each web page.

I see this often on wellness professionals' sites. In an effort to be pleasing to the eye, each page offers a different look, background color or favorite quote. Don't do this.

This has your header competing for your reader's attention with the message and direction on each page. Your readers are already scanning your site and over stimulated by tons of stuff on the web. Don't add to this.

Do choose one clean, attractive and simple design and stick to it on each page.

2. Don't put quotes in your header by other people.

If you suffer from quote lust, do put a quote written by YOU in the header and keep it the same on each page of your header.

3. Don't try to find the perfect background image or logo to express your work.

Sometimes this works fine. But the process of trying to find an image or create a logo can be a long, tedious and often fruitless effort. I prefer that you put a picture of YOU in the header and brand yourself. As a wellness professional, people hire you because of what you can do for them and also your approach, style and whether they trust and like you. Don't make it a secret who is the woman/man behind the magic. Put your picture in the header and brand yourself. Come back to your logo when it comes together really easily.

Hope this was helpful!

Karin

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How in the world do you begin to put transformational work into words?

I love quotes, affirmations and inspiring literature as much as any self-improvement professional would. I even have several post-it notes with my motivational saying du-jour stuck to my desk, right next to my computer. However, where you’ll never see quotes is in my website design. Website, brochures and presentation kits are not the place to display them.

Educate people on how to send you referrals.

• Start the document with someone like this (I lifted this off my own referral guide sheet - feel free to use it or adapt it to your liking):

• Then describe three easy-to-remember types of CLIENT SITUATIONS (problems and challenges) which you can solve and that your referral partners can easily identify.
• Tell them the most effective way to refer you clients: IE - send them to your website, call you directly, sign up for your monthly class or whatever works best for you and your business.
• Include how you’ll follow-up with their referrals so they can rest assured that you will take good care of their friends and colleagues.
• Also consider adding that you're available for speaking engagments as an alternative way to refer you and your services and list one or two of your favorite topics to speak on, if this is appropriate to your business model, as another way to introduce you to their network.
• And don't forget to include your contact information

Give this to people who have expressed interest in supporting your business growth - past clients, current clients, friends and colleagues. Don't send them out in a mass mailing. Hand them out as you go along when the time is right. I give them to clients as we wrap up our work together, when a friend or colleague asks me what's new in my business or when meeting with a potential networking partner. 

This is a very simple, low-tech marketing material piece but it really works to make it easier for others to help you grow your business. When people like your work they want you to succeed and will be grateful for a step-by-step guideline for how they can best do this.

To your success,

Karin

Learn more about revamping your message, marketing materials and being seen as an expert by signing up for my newsletter. Get the details here.

Another alternative is to use the results of your ezine as the title in the brackets. For example,

Learn more about revamping your message, marketing materials and being seen as an expert by signing up for my newsletter. Get the details here.