Be well, love each other, and use the freedom you do have so that those who do not have freedom can live though you too.

Together, we are stronger!
Vicki Flaugher, the original SmartWoman

But, done right, an honest “I don’t know” can be one of the most powerful entrepreneur tools available.

By getting in touch with the place inside of you that holds no judgment, or decisions, or prejudice, you can experience a world of creativity and insight that isn’t available to know-it-alls. By being willing to be vulnerable enough to ask a question instead of always being the one to answer it, you can open yourself up to new possibilities, innovative ideas, and – dare I say it – out of the box thinking.

The key to experiencing the power of a true “I don’t know” moment is rather straightforward – you have to be willing. And, you might have to practice a bit. So, to help you practice accessing that perfect intersection of creativity and inspiration, here are some tips:

Embrace the Value of Mistakes

Most people don’t like making mistakes, but they seem to have no problem forging ahead with their ideas and doing whatever might seem right instead of admitting they don’t know. They are more afraid of being embarrassed about seeming ignorant than they are about going right ahead and proving in action that they are!

If you make peace with mistakes and instead see them as the natural process of learning lessons, the pressure to seem like you know something instead of sitting with “I don’t know” for a bit will ease up. Once you can get past the automatic impulse to “do something” (even if it’s not the right something), the closer you will be to discovering the actual right something to do.

Make Asking Your Mode of Operation

Again, asking another to help you can perhaps feel demeaning, or seem unprofessional, or maybe – heaven forbid – reduce your credibility. But, really, the most successful people in the world, in business and in life, all ask questions much more of the time than they do nearly anything else.

Think of the added benefits of asking from a marketing point of view – it shows that you care about others, it shows you are more focused on them instead of yourself, it allows you to have up to date market data, and it helps you communicate that you are approachable. Even if you don’t want to ask a real, in the flesh person, at least have an open enough mind to entertain others’ opinions from books and training materials. Two heads ARE better than one.

Accept that Vulnerability is Attractive

How many people flock to help a person who knows everything? Nearly no one! People help others that need help. You can pretend you know everything, build a persona of invincibility, and you can have coffee by yourself. Or, if you’re willing to accept that vulnerability is attractive, you can easily draw in others who have much to offer you. Asking questions (and sincerely listening to the answers) can be a tool you use to allow others the saving face to come in and offer their help.

It’s nice to fantasize about being a well-respected guru who has people traveling from all over the world to seek their counsel, and maybe some day you will be that. But even the most famous of spiritual leaders, enlightened political figures, and a host of wealthy, famous people often greet those travelers with a question – NOT an answer.

We can all learn something from others around us, both the known and the lesser known genius minds among us, as well as the ones living now and throughout history. But, lessons don’t get learned if we aren’t already in a state of “I don’t know”, so get there are fast as you can!

Together, we are stronger!
Vicki Flaugher, the original SmartWoman

follow me on Twitter: SmartWoman

For those of you who are actually introverted, I am not pushing you to change your basic personality. I am classified, per all the psychological personality tests I’ve taken, a gregarious introvert. I know it sounds like a oxymoron, but it’s how I feel. I am able to interact fairly easily with someone once I get to know them, but I get energized being in small groups or by myself. Large crowds don’t work as well for me. I enjoy solitude and quiet time. I am a recovering recluse, too, but that’s a different story. What I mean to emphasize is that being an introvert is not a disease or a mistake. If it’s how you are, fine. Feeling shy or introverted is ok.

But, if you are actually not shy but are playing shy and hiding because of a lack of perspective and self-confidence, I am begging you to stop it today, because, contrary to some social programming, hiding isn’t noble. False humility is not honorable, hiding your gifts does not make you more pure, and pretending that people should simply read your mind and know how fabulous you are is a losing business proposition.

Harsh words, I know. I’m sorry if they pinch. But, let’s come to terms with the difference between arrogance and confidence. You don’t have to go out into the market place and hype yourself all up, making inflated promises, hawking your wares like circus goods. You do have to state, with an aware sense of service, what benefits you provide and how your unique expertise can help your clients.

Yes, there is a fine line between being enthusiastic about what you do and how you do it and pushing too hard with empty promises. That’s the key – the word empty.  If you can actually do what you claim to do, it’s not empty. It’s not dishonest so you don’t have to approach it like it’s dirty. The thing to remember is that the more people who know about you, the more your message gets proliferated, the more people you can help. It’s not a popularity contest but rather an opportunity to serve more, to do more good. Good PR is not about satisfying your ego – it’s about reaching people who need you.

How can you help create better PR if you are not yet comfortable with being in the spotlight? Here are some tips:

1.  Ask for testimonials from your clients and other professionals.

Let others speak the words that you feel are too egotistical to say yourself. It’s a great way to be in touch with your previous clients, maybe get some referrals, but also to let someone else toot the horn for you. Ask for feedback on your service, your expertise, your creative problem solving, your pricing, your unique offerings. It might surprise you just how powerful reading that feedback will be for you. It’s touching to know that you affect people’s lives and it’s a very effective marketing technique to use on your website, in your newsletter, in your promotional materials.

2.  Hire a copywriter.

The best marketing includes keywords, benefits, to the point copy, plus graphical emphasis like bullet points and short, direct sentences. Instead of being hindered by a lack of confidence, a hired gun will have a 3rd person, more objective viewpoint to start with. Most copywriters will work to pull out of you everything they can use to featue you in the best light. Let them. Find someone who understands your vision and where you want to go in your business and let them work their magic with words.

3.  Practice.

Sending out press releases or developing a strong introduction ditty (your “elevator speech”) can be a challenge, but it does get easier with practice. Devote some time to learn about promotional strategies, ask your social media network for advice, read some books. For PR opportunities, visit HARO to start offering yourself up as an expert to media. The media is hungry for new points of view and have a 24/7 news cycle to fulfill. Develop a decent PR release using this Press Release Builder template, and just do it. The funny itchy feeling will go away and you will get more business.

Please know that I have every confidence that you deserve to be recogized for your greatness. Hiding just isn’t the answer, so reach out, speak out, and let your light shine! Today, ok?

Together, we are stronger!
Vicki Flaugher, the original SmartWoman

follow me on Twitter: SmartWoman

Some items have a deadline to participate, but most do not.

To go to each website, just click on the beginning link of each listing.

• Blake’s 51 Birthday Gifts: I have had so much fun with this one! All free stuff and a wide variety of fun and incredibly useful things. Seriously great. I am still enjoying the presents he sent.
• Rebuild Your Virtual Business: Free teleseminar coming up on Jan 7th, free no-opt in Internet Myth Busting report, and more! I love these two women – great advice!
• The Attraction Diva: Free ebooks on how to attract more wealth and success into your life from Jen Blackert.
• Create Your Own Reality: 3 mp3 audios to assist you in creating more money, success, and love in your life by Nan Akash.
• KaNani Self-Care Products: Free 15 minute meditation audio to renew your spirit (just click on the link to the right hand side of the page), plus listing of several other of her favorite advisors who also offer interesting free gifts.
• The Art of Seeing the Divine: Transformational booklet to help you move from stuck to success.
• 10 Action Steps to Take: 5 page report the help you market your business with practical how-to steps for blogging, participating in forums, and finally taking action. (go to the opt-in box on the upper right corner to get her report)
• Deborah Dunn, licensed relationship therapist: Sign up for Deborah’s newsletter and post a comment on her blog and receive a free 20 min.phone consult with her. (expires Midnight 12/31/08)
• DotComSecrets Zero to $100 Million Contest: Free training and a charity drive, with the opportunity to win a Corvette and help kids in third world countries.

Here are some goodies I’ve offered on SmartWomanGuides.com before, but just in case you missed them, I wanted to highlight what is already available to you.

• Eldon Taylon Choices and Illusion Bonus Offer: Book launch bonus offer that I participated in. There is a bonus gift for you, just for clicking on the link and reading his inspiring special offer.
• “Building a Business Not a Blog” e-Book: I adore John Cow and he gives very straightforward information here in the 140 pg offering. I use it and I love it.
  
• Your Internet Cash Machine Sampler: Written by Jillian Coleman Wheeler and Joe Vitale (excerpt created by me), this 50 page e-Book takes out select juicy parts of their book on online marketing so you can learn and grow your own business from it.

I intend to continue adding free resources here, so bookmark this page as your favorite and please return frequently. I promise it will only grow and be even better every week!

Happy New Year to all of you and best of success in 2009!

Together, we are stronger!
Vicki Flaugher, the original SmartWoman

follow me on Twitter: SmartWoman

If you’ve ever attended a social gathering during holiday season or election time, controversy very likely arose.

The common wisdom is you never talk about sex, religion, or politics in polite company. The media gets a pass somehow on talking about these things – and get paid big bucks to do it – but we’re supposed to refrain because we might offend someone.

I’m here to tell you that, in marketing yourself, avoiding controversy is not always the way to go.

I’ve always been opinionated but in a business environment, I’ve tended to not engage in controversy because I was afraid of tarnishing my reputation or perhaps saying the wrong thing at the wrong time to the wrong person. Also, some people are just plain mean when they debate and I didn’t like that. I didn’t want to be mean back, so I stayed on the sidelines, above the fray.

One of my favorites on Twitter, @CoachDeb, asserts that jumping into the hot button conversations is a way to engage your audience, to get noticed. She is very good at engaging her audience on social media sites like Twitter and I feel I am less than good at that, so, with her suggestion, I decided I would go for it. I tried some things, and they worked, so I thought I could share some simple guidelines for you shy readers out there that are interested in giving controversy a try.

1.  Attack the issue not the person

Name calling will fly, but you don’t have to do it. In fact, seek out individuals who argue issues, not attack  you, and reciprocate in kind. There are many people out there who enjoy a healthy debate and it’s a mental exercise rather than an opportunity for a “kick the dog” venting on another human being. It’s fun to them to stretch their mind muscle and they like to see other people’s passion. Find those people and engage on an issue.

If you end up getting attacked by someone aggressively rude, disengage and say why. I would say something like “I’m happy to debate issues, but name calling’s not needed here”.  If they don’t back off, stop talking to them, block them, unfollow them, whatever. Don’t back away just because someone gets passionate, but don’t take the bait to be rude yourself. Remember that in complex issues, sometimes you (or someone else) may feel two ways about one subject. Allow yourself and others the room to be complex, complicated, and conflicted. We all are torn about something – at least the person is admitting it when they express seemingly mutually exclusive views. I’d give them points for honesty.

2.  Show your emotions, speak your logic

It’s ok to express your emotions in your controversy style. Be authentic, but if something peeves you, say so. If you have to couch your irrationality in terms of “My mind tells me this shouldn’t bother me, but __________ really makes me mad!” then do that. Or, you can just say, “_____________ makes me mad.”, without apology or equivocation. It’s your choice on how forceful you want to be. Be honest in your feelings but express them. People interested in engaging on controversy basically need to see your heart. If you have the heart of a lion, let it roar! Don’t let your emotions rule you, but don’t stuff them either.

The other component of this is that you can and probably should include logic. If you have facts, figures, and examples that highlight your point of view, feel free to use them. Many traditional debaters (especially men) expect you to honor logic over feelings and will use logical fallacies to twist the argument. They see an argument as a test of skill on the activity of debating in addition to the actual debate of the topic at hand. If you want to engage with that type of debater, learn some tricks, or find a more gentle debater to engage with in the beginning. Logic only goes so far for me, as I think many things are decided by irrational emotion and I use that as part of my argument. There is enough inconsistency in our world to find examples that are on the opposite side of anyone’s arguments. Statistics are a fools game, as numbers can be applied in many differing ways. Don’t get trapped in logic, but use it as often as you can in your debates.

3.  Take a stand for what you truly believe in

I have had some interesting debates about poverty, unemployment, and personal liberties. Those are things I have strong feelings about and a well-developed personal viewpoint on. I believe that food and shelter are a right that belongs to each and every one of us, regardless of whether we have a job or not. There are many who think you have to earn your right to food and shelter. It’s a hot button issue. Ultimately, no one wants someone to be homeless, but the means toward the end is what is at issue. By speaking up about my feelings on this issue, I have attracted attention from other like-minded people as myself. By broadcasting my own believes and positions, others who want companionship in that same position and lifestyle gravitate toward me. Without revealing my view, those people may not have known that I was one of them.

You will find many who take a “devil’s advocate” point of view, who take the opposite side of an argument, especially the most unpopular side of it, just to get a rise out of you, just to create controversy. They either get juice out of pushing buttons or they enjoy the chase. Regardless, if you decide to do that, keep in mind that it demonstrates a certain personality trait and if that trait is not accurate, don’t engage that way. It’s one thing to be passionate about what your heart tells you, it’s another to be a jerk who simply likes to argue. Who would you hire? Probably not the jerk.

By keeping in mind that we are engaging in the social media environment as a marketing tool, as a way to reveal our truest, most authentic, and transparent self, you will make the best choices on how to conduct yourself. Everything you say speaks to who you are, including your willingness to stand up for what you believe in. Simply staying on the sidelines doesn’t show your fierce loyalty to quality, or your determination to give great service, or your confidence in your ability to make choices. By engaging in honest, human controversy and being willing to show who you are, you are steps ahead of someone who prefers safe to real. Get real and have fun with it. It will reap rewards for you.

Together, we are stronger!
Vicki Flaugher, the original SmartWoman

Follow me on Twitter: SmartWoman

As we begin to move into the new year, I’ve been thinking a lot about what I want to accomplish in 2009.

In early 2008, I decided that I would work toward becoming a well-liked, highly regarded, influential maven, a connector of wonderful and varied people doing impactful and interesting things. I committed to move beyond my tendency to be introspective and reclusive, and reach out to develop a social community. I desired to do this because I felt that I needed to facilitate others’ success more actively. I did it because I saw it as a way to deeply enrich my life, both personally and professionally. And, honestly, I did  have a nagging feeling that I “should”. So, I began.

I have made tremendous strides in that arena. I moved SmartWomanGuides.com from a static site to a blog, where I encouraged two way conversation and joint venturing. I have joined a Master Mind group, attended social networking events, become a museum patron, developed a decent network on Twitter, started a radio show, and grew my list. I have met a whole array of amazing people and I am satisfied with my accomplishment toward my goal.

But, there’s another step to my goals analysis. Beyond whether I achieved the goals I set or not, I also like to reflect on how accomplishing those goals made me feel. Did I really forward my business? Did I really find the satisfaction I was seeking? Did I really even need to accomplish those particular goals to be happy? I encourage you, in this current time of outbreath, to ask yourself similar questions.

In my case, my goal of becoming a maven has had benefits that I never even imagined it would. Yes, it has forwarded my business. Yes, it has brought me satisfaction. Yes, it has made me happy. But, one of the surprise benefits is it has helped me see even more clearly my place in this world, in the universe of marketing and entrepreneurship, and the essence of my unique contribution. I needed to see that, truly embrace it. And, it was an unexpected result.

The downside of my blooming mavenship is I’m not very experienced at handling multiple demands on my time. Each offer has its own value, intrinsic to only it, and all are seemingly equally important. How does a maven choose? This is a question I have not answered and is in fact on my dance card for 2009 – how do I successfully manage a growing, ever expanding network effectively? How do I maintain and grow relationships that are worthwhile and authentic? How do I serve my network in the very best possible way? At this point, this is the work ahead for me – I’ll let you know when I figure it out.

As much as I want you to review your year and reward yourself for your successes, I also want you to really be honest about whether the goals you set really gave you what you needed (expected or otherwise). It’s easy to think we want one thing and then when we get it, it’s not really what we wanted. Go deeper into your motivations and ask, as you set resolutions and goals, if the activities that surround your goal are in your highest good. Ask if something new needs to be added, or something old needs to be let go. Be open to change and willing to let the noise fall silent as you explore your purpose and how best to proceed in achieving that purpose.

I thank all of you for being part of my own life and my business. I look forward very much to hearing what you have to say re: your goal setting/achieving experiences. Start or join the conversation below – all are welcome!

Together, we are stronger!
Vicki Flaugher, the original SmartWoman

Follow me on Twitter: SmartWoman

But, even if we don’t give up, one thing we may start doing is playing the Blame Game. We start saying the reason why our business is lurching is because of all those other things – the economy, fear, gas prices, foreign outsourcing, the government – those other people. We quit looking at our processes, our customer service, the quality and relevance of our product offerings, and shift to blaming something else beyond our selves, beyond our control.

I’m telling you now, you need to stop that thinking right away – now – this minute! Not only is it probably not the real reason your business is being challenged but it also is not what a leader would do.  Your family and your employees need you to inspire them to get through this time. You need to be their rock, their light in the storm. You need to step up. Being a visionary is your entrepreneurial duty.

There are real impacts from the economy and from circumstances that you are probably experiencing and I don’t mean to minimize those in any way. But, rather than fall into the deep hole of uncontrollable chaos, here are some tips for you to strengthen your business during these economic times.

1.  Improve your customer service

I’ve been receiving extra services from my insurance company lately.  And, the services they are adding are worthwhile and valuable, things I’d wish they’d always done. That activity is definitely contributing to me not going bargain shopping for another insurance company. Even just getting a letter with tips on how to save money has been helpful and well timed. I intend to stay with them.

So, what services could you be providing that are non-cash or low in cost to you that would provide value to your customers? Would maybe just a personal phone call from you expressing appreciation do the trick? If you haven’t tried it, you don’t know the impact that putting a real face on your business can have on the loyalty of your customer base. But, I’ve tried it and it works.

2.  Ask more questions

Challenging times demand more creativity. Ask your employees what you could do better. Ask them what ideas they have to improve sales and encourage them to take action on their ideas. Ask your customers what they need from you. Ask your suppliers how you can be a better customer. Ask where most of your money comes from and focus on the strong products that are working and diminish the focus on the weaker products. Ask what training you or your employees could gain to take your business to the next level. Ask, ask, ask.

And, once the answers start coming in, listen without judgment or a critical reaction. You might have to shift how you’ve been doing things. By being willing to examine everything and being open to change, you will find what works. If an honest examination reveals that you should shut down your business and move on to something else, that is an answer also. The joy and responsibility of being an entrepreneur is to make those choices. Take heart that you have the intelligence, drive, and personal resources to do whatever it takes to succeed. All of this can shake you a bit, but it’s all worth examining. Ask!

3.  Get back in touch with your passionate purpose

To continue to have the energy and focus to work through your challenges, you need to remind yourself why you do what you do. Think about the lives you’ve positively affected, the families you’ve helped, and the contributions you’ve made to your community by being an entrepreneur. Stoke the fires of passion that led you to start a business in the first place. Take a few moments to feel the gratitude of being in a world that allows you to pursue your dream.

Sometimes you need to step back and take a deep breath to gain a new perspective. Try turning off the doomsday news and doing some volunteer work. Listen to music or sit out in Nature. Take a walk. Where it may not seem that these activities are business related, they are focused on your wellness and balance. And, here’s where you can make a difference, where you have full control. Your balance and ability to stay upbeat even in the face of challenges could very well be the turning factor in your business, especially during hard economic times.

Worry does not solve problems and impulsive actions will more likely exacerbate rather than resolve your issues. By taking time to plug back into your purpose, by asking questions, and improving your customer service, you can begin changing the impact of the real and imagined dangers of being an entrepreneur. And, please, know that you have friends here. Speak up if we can help you in any way – we believe in you.

Together, we are stronger!
Vicki Flaugher, the original SmartWoman

follow me on Twitter: SmartWoman

Here is the latest release of stories about amazing female entrepreneurs and the challenges (and rewards) they experience in building and running their business. Enjoy!

Fione Tan in the Top 10 National Women Entrepreneurs Award 2008
PressZoom (press release) – Amsterdam,Netherlands
Fione Tan, President and CEO of eOneNet, is among the top 10 women entrepreneurs in the inaugural National Women Entrepreneurs Award 2008, …
See all stories on this topic

Minister Guergis Congratulates Women Entrepreneurs
Canada NewsWire (press release) – Toronto,Ontario,Canada
9 /CNW Telbec/ – The Honourable Helena Guergis, Minister of State (Status of Women) congratulates the recipients of the RBC Canadian Women Entrepreneur …
See all stories on this topic

2008′s big buzzword in giving: Micro
Marketplace – Los Angeles,CA,USA
Bernholz: So, a microconsignment program, such as that which is run by Living Goods in Uganda, helps individual women become entrepreneurs, self-sustaining …
See all stories on this topic

Women locked out of Sh700m loans
Standard – Nairobi,Kenya
By Benson Kathuri Women entrepreneurs cannot access more than Sh700 million from the African Development Bank (AfDB) due to unfriendly lending procedures by …
See all stories on this topic

Number of Female Farmers on the Rise
WQOW TV News 18 – Eau Claire,USA
Some women inherit farms or are partners with spouses or others, but a growing number are entrepreneurs. Jane Eckert is chief executive of Eckert …
See all stories on this topic

Kashf awards for 10 women entrepreneurs
The News International – Karachi,Pakistan
By By Our Correspondent KASHF Foundation on Sunday presented ‘Kashf Micro Entrepreneurship Award 2008’ to ten women entrepreneurs from its portfolio at a …
See all stories on this topic

Finance trust eyes microfinace status next year
Daily Nation – Nairobi,Kenya
She said that by the end of this year, KWFT will have disbursed Sh9 billion in loans to female entrepreneurs countrywide. Ms Riria said the money will be …
See all stories on this topic

Guatemala’s Mayan Entrepreneur Women and Christian Children’s Fund …
The Guatemala Times – Guatemala,Guatemala,Guatemala
4, 2008 – The Actively Engaged Mayan Women, or Mujeres Emprendedoras Mayas in the rural area of Tecpan, Guatemala, have accepted a mission. …
See all stories on this topic

Nigeria: NGO Harps On Poverty Reduction Through Micro-Credit
AllAfrica.com – Washington,USA
According to her, “The entrepreneur has all it takes and can make a significant difference to Nigeria’s economic development. Microfinance brings the power …
See all stories on this topic

“India needs game changers In microfinance” Nancy Bar Nancy Barry …
By Lokesh(Abhay)
Enterprise Solutions to Poverty has engaged leading companies in India—including Tata, Reliance, ITC and Mahindra—as well as some emerging entrepreneurs— such as FabIndia, ICICI Foundation and SELCO. These companies are paving the way …
India Microfinance – http://www.indiamicrofinance.com/

As you can see from the stories, microfinancing is a big issue. Be thankful for the opportunities you have and try to help another. Kiva is my favorite microfinancing organization, but there are many ways to get involved. It’s a great way to change lives!

Together, we are stronger!
Vicki Flaugher, the original SmartWoman

The age of the mega-hit is over. In music, in movies, and in our business product offerings.

The Long Tail has me thinking I have to change my approach to my business. I come from the era of the mega hit, although fading from its heyday, but an expectation just the same. It feels almost ingrained in me, from the social triggers and the cultural programming, to “Go big or go home”.

But the essence of the Long Tail is this: the market available for niche products, when you combine them together, is larger (and growing rather than diminishing) by far than the mega hit market. A niche product is one that is focused on a small group of devoted fans rather than attempting to appeal to the masses. You can see niche products in the indie music and movie markets, the gourmet chocolate and food business, and even now in sodas. Instead of attempting to make a product that everyone will buy, like Coke or Pepsi has, instead niche marketers look to appeal to a focused, more customized group, like the lovers of ginger tumeric rootbeer. The marketing tactics are different and the approach to growing your business is different.

So how is The Long Tail affecting you? For me, I have readjusted my product development to include more affordable, more focused, and just plain more in quantity offerings. Next week I will be launching the first of these easy to consume snipits. Rather than focusing on that one big mega product, I am developing a really long tail – a library of specialty topic, widely varied mini products. It still feels a little foreign to me, but the idea of offering specific enough topics that people can pick and choose what part of it they need now rather than forcing them to buy it all even if they don’t need a particular part does make sense.

So, what about you? Do you buy into the idea of this? Or, are you still chasing the big hit? Do you think The  Long Tail is a fad or is it actually a cultural shift as Anderson suggests? I’m curious to hear your answers.

Together,  we are stronger!
Vicki Flaugher, the original SmartWoman

follow me on Twiter: SmartWoman

• Link Building Works

Creating live links that direct back to your site is a great way to promote your site and get more traffic. If you leave comments on other blogs, especially high traffic, relevant ones, you will likely get traffic, and those comments will likely get indexed.  The thing to remember is to engage in the conversation, contribute to the point being discussed, and reveal your personality and purpose in your post comments. Don’t just pitch yourself – Use subtle, keyword rich comments that intrigue people enough to visit you at your site. (I use the free software package  CommentKahuna to find these high ranking relevant blogs. ) You can also trade links, provide articles, guest blog, and do many more things to get links. Get creative and reach out to the meeting places where your target audience hangs out.

• Spiders Don’t Have Credit Cards or Opinions
  

As much as it’s important to implement the suggestions in both Part 1 & 2, it’s even more important to remember that search engine spiders can’t buy anything – nada, nothing, zilch. Regardless of how many keywords you stuff into your copy,  how many links you have coming in, and how many meta-tags you have, it ultimately comes down to reaching people. You have to use full sentences, you have to appeal to human emotion, and you have to be likeable, or at least very compelling. You have to have something to sell, if you’re selling, or have a story to share if you’re working to educate or simply communicate. Don’t forget that the whole purpose of getting more traffic is to affect human beings.

• Traffic Doesn’t Equal Conversion

Another aspect of spiders not having credit cards or opinions is this -Just because you get visitors coming to your site doesn’t mean anything further will happen. You can perfectly design your site to rank #1 in Google for every pertinent word that someone might be using to search for you, but once a person gets to your site, what’s next? Do they sign up? Do they buy? Do they even stay long enough to read anything? Or, do you bore them, make it hard to navigate and click through, or maybe worse still, don’t provide targeted, relevant information that they were expecting to get when they searched in the first place? Become conscious of the limitations of the traffic trap – don’t fool yourself into thinking it’s a “numbers game”. It’s not – it’s an emotions game. Compelling and specific calls to action, moving stories that engage and encourage response, and reasons to return and stay loyal are going to make more of the traffic you do get more likely to benefit you.

• Nobody’s Perfect – Keep Trying!

SEO leads to authority in your marketplace, a great platform, and a solid foundation for your continuing success. It will take time and effort. This two part series is just the beginning. I am an internet marketing fanatic, so we will discuss this again, but there’s so much more to learn. You will find mistakes everywhere, you will find even big players and big companies not doing SEO right, and that’s ok.  Learn what you can and start chipping away at it. You will be in the top percentage if you do and that will set you and your business apart from the people who aren’t doing anything at all. Be patient, keep curious, and get help if you need it. These are some of our articles of faith as smart women and good entrepreneurs, so that’s what we’re going to do. I’ll be with you every step of the way, ok?

As a side note, just wanted to let you know that I am about to launch a SmartWomanRadio talk show, starting December 8th at 2 pm CT.  I’d love to have you join in. Come on over and call into the show!

Together, we are stronger!
Vicki Flaugher, the original SmartWoman