A dialed-in pricing strategy will not only help you sell your products or services in the short-term, but will also increase your profits over the long-term. It’s incredibly important to understand the basics of pricing and what value you offer to your target audience. Let’s take a look at the factors and techniques that will help you determine your rates.

(Psst! This post is a an excerpt from my Pricing Perfection Guide.
Want to learn more about creating the perfect pricing strategy?
You can grab the full guide right here )

Consider Cost

A major pricing factor to consider is cost. Cost is the amount you spend to produce your product or carry out your service. Cost-plus pricing is where you start by determining your costs and then add the additional amount for desired profit.

When considering cost, you have to take into account everything that goes into a product. This includes:

• Materials: The plastic, wood, metal, ingredients, etc that form the product.
• Labor: The time, work, energy and skill required to convert the raw materials into the finished product.
• Instruments of labor: Things that are needed by the product creator to create the product. These could be actual physical tools or premium software programs that require some investment.
• Overhead Costs: This includes things not directly related to each product but to the operation of your business such as rent, insurance, employee benefits, and extra money to cover slow sales periods.

There are two kinds of costs to consider, fixed and variable costs.

Fixed costs are those that stay the same no matter how much or how little you sell. Examples would be the rent you pay for your office or the salary you pay your employees.

Variable costs are those that change. Most variable costs rise as your sales increase; examples include raw materials (you need more of the raw materials to meet rising demand), extra labor (you have to hire additional workers) and shipping. Take into account that variable costs will change and make allowances for that.

Income Targets and Profit Margins

One way to decide how to price products or services is to set income targets. With this method, you start at the end and work backward. Start by deciding how much you want your business to earn in a certain period of time. You can then use the number of service hours you expect to provide or how many units you expect to sell and price each individual product or service accordingly.

For example: Emma needs to make $500 per week to cover her costs and she wants to make $350 in profit. So Emma needs to make $850 in gross income every week.
She expects to work 30 service hours each week, so she needs to charge at least $28.33 per hour to reach her goal of $850 gross weekly income.
$850 divided by 30 hours = $28.33 hourly rate

You can use this hourly rate to price packages and projects based on the estimated time it takes to complete.

Important: Remember to use your amount of service hours you can work each week when calculating your hourly rate. Time spent updating your website or internal admin tasks are not billable time. You may be working 40 hours per week between client work and internal tasks, but (using the example above) only 30 of those are bringing in income for your business.

Deciding based on profit margin is similar but uses the product rather than the overall business. This is easier for many businesses. Decide how much profit you’d like to make on each product and price accordingly. Make sure that you make some allowance for the other cost factors on your end such as labor cost, overhead costs, etc.

Value-Based Pricing

This model has the potential to bring you great profits but it’s the hardest to gauge because there are so many subjective factors involved. It starts with the value customers place on a product based on the power of its positioning. In other words, you charge what your customers are willing to pay.

All pricing is, to some extent, value-based pricing since the price has to match the customer’s perceived value. But what makes value-based (also called customer-based) pricing different, is the flexibility.

In this approach, you gather information about your customers. This data could come from observation of their behavior (such as buying behavior or sharing their opinions online), or asking customers directly either in-person or online through surveys. The goal is to find out what they are willing to pay.

Value-based pricing also involves some psychological tricks marketers use to influence the customer’s perception of a product’s value. An example of this is penetration pricing, where a company offers a new product at a low price in order to drive sales.

Competitor-Based Pricing

This model starts with an analysis of your competitors and market conditions and sets prices accordingly. It’s effective because it takes into account market conditions (the “going rate”), which are also related to value. If customers are currently buying a competitor’s similar product for X amount of money, this tells you that this price is what they’re willing to pay.

There are a number of ways to base your pricing on your competitors. One method is to undercut your competitors. This means offering a similar product as they’re offering but at a slightly lower price. This is effective for driving sales in the short-term, but low price isn’t a value in and of itself. What can happen is a race to the bottom, where competitors keep undercutting each other until it’s no longer sustainable. No bueno, my friend.

Another competitor-based pricing strategy is to offer your product at a slightly higher price than your competitors, but really drive home the value your product offers. Brands that sell luxury or high-ticket items often do this. They brand their products effectively and customers don’t mind paying extra for the added value, which could be higher quality, better customer service, speedier service, more trustworthiness, etc.

Service-Based Pricing

Two popular options for pricing services are using an hourly rate or a project based rate

Hourly Rates

An hourly rate is advantageous for the service provider because you’re guaranteed that your labor costs will be covered by the buyer. While some buyers prefer hourly rates, some see it as disadvantageous because it’s hard to budget for. The buyer may not know how long a project will take to complete, or it might be hard for you to guarantee that it will only take X number of hours.

For example, you might settle on $40 an hour for web design work. But how long will the website take to complete? If you’re a design pro, you can accurately estimate, but it could cause the buyer unexpected problems if it takes longer than expected.

Project Based Rates

Project rates are easier for buyers. There is one simple price for the completion of the project that includes everything, no surprises. But the service provider needs to calculate how long the job will take and give the buyer an accurate quote in order to ensure that they will make their target for labor costs.

In this case, you might determine that a web design job will take three hours, and then quote the buyer at $120 (based on your $40 hourly rate). They pay and are satisfied, but if it takes you longer than three hours to complete, this is a loss for you.

Pricing Tactics

Your pricing strategy will undoubtedly be a combination of the strategies mentioned earlier in this post. Which strategy you rely on will depend on the type of product you’re offering and your target market.

Whichever strategy you choose, here are some pricing tactics that can be used to influence buyer behavior and sales:

Discounting

Offering specially reduced prices can drive sales very effectively. You can offer a clearance discount to move products, encourage multiple purchases of similar items with discounts, or offer discounts for bulk orders. But you should be careful with discounting because if you offer too many, your customers may come to see your full-rate pricing as expensive. Constant discounting can also backfire by decreasing your products’ value in the eyes of your customers.

Freemiums

The freemium model is especially common for digital products like software, content, apps, games, web services or memberships. It offers a free version of the digital product and also a premium version that has more features. You can also offer a free digital product that then advertises other premium products. Customers can get a taste of the value the product offers firsthand with the free version, leading them to purchase the premium version.

Bundling

Bundling involves selling a package of goods or services together at a lower price than they’d be if bought individually.

High-Low Pricing

High-low pricing is where a company positions its products as higher quality or higher value than those of competitors, and charges a higher price accordingly. To bring in new customers and introduce them to this superior value, they offer occasional promotions, advertisements or coupons that sell the product for a lower price for a limited time. Customers buy the lower-priced product, realize its superiority over similar products by competitors and become loyal buyers of the company’s higher priced offering.

Odd Value Pricing

This is a classic pricing strategy where companies choose an odd price such as $19.99 rather than $20 because it looks like a lower price. While it seems obvious that one cent is an insignificant difference, companies have used odd value pricing for a very long time because it works.

Underpricing vs. Overpricing

You should be careful about pricing your products too high or too low. Although price has a major impact on every business’s sales, don’t overestimate price as a motivation for your customers in making buying decisions. Customers usually buy because of value, not price.

If customers based buying decisions on price only, underpricing would work all of the time. But when products are priced very low, this can hurt the perception of their value in the eyes of customers. Why would a company offer its product or service so cheaply? Cheapest doesn’t communicate value.

Overpricing can also be disastrous. Pricing products too high can drive customers to your competitors. You can price yourself out of your market. If you want to charge more for a product or service, you really have to communicate its unique value well to your customers.

(Psst! This post is a an excerpt from my Pricing Perfection Guide.
Want to learn more about creating the perfect pricing strategy?
You can grab the full guide right here )

The post Pricing Your Services and Products for Maximum Profit appeared first on Summer Mae Consulting.

Working as a virtual assistant can be an excellent way to boost your income. You set your own hours, work from the comfort of your home and can even work in your PJ’s if you really want to. I’ve been working as a VA off and on for a few years and often get asked how I got started. If you want to learn how you can become a virtual assistant, read on and I’ll share my advice for starting your biz, planning, and finding your first clients. But first things first…

What is a Virtual Assistant?

A virtual assistant (typically abbreviated to VA, also called a virtual office assistant) is generally self-employed and provides professional administrative, technical, or creative (social) assistance to clients remotely from a home office. -Wikipedia

What are the benefits of working with a Virtual Assistant?

Virtual assistants can handle tasks that clients don’t have time to do, or don’t have the know-how to do, allowing them to focus on building their business and giving them more free time.

Since VA’s are independent contractors and not employees, clients don’t have to pay for benefits, taxes, or training. Plus, everything they pay a Virtual Assistant is a deductible business expense. This can be a cost-effective way to get work done without hiring more employees.

Some services a viritual assistant might offer:

Travel Arrangements
PowerPoint Presentations
Data Entry
Purchasing – Gifts, Equipment, Supplies
Research
Event Planning
Transcription
Proofreading and Editing
Payroll
Bookkeeping
Email Management
Calendar Management
Website & Blog Design
Website & Blog Maintenance
Blog Posting
Ghostwriting
Social Media Marketing
Social Media Management
Graphic Design
Search Engine Optimization
Newsletter Creation & Management
Book Launch Support
Product Launch Support
Course Creation
Course Launch Support
eBook Design and Publishing

Business Planning

The first major step in starting any business should be your business plan. You may not think you need one, but having one in place can help set a clear path to your goals. It doesn’t need to be some crazy 50-page document, but having some sort of plan in place can help keep you and your business organized and on track. Check out the SBA for some awesome resources for entrepreneurs and small businesses.

Take some time to research other virtual assistants to get an idea on the many different niches, ways to do business, what to charge, etc. Take lots of notes, then decide what works best for you.

Some other things to plan and document before taking on client work include:

Rates / Pricing structure – Will you charge per project? Offer monthly hours packages? What hourly rate do you need to make to cover your expenses and be profitable?

>>RELATED: Pricing your Services & Products for Maximum Profits

Services to offer – A great place to start here is to research other VA’s to find out what services they offer. Then, make a list of the skills you have. Write down everything. Skills you learned in college, on the job or as a volunteer, or as a parent. Now, narrow down that list to what you are really good at and, more importantly, what you enjoy doing!

When you’re available to work – it’s a good idea to have business hours and set clear boundaries. It’s okay to be flexible, but don’t burn yourself out! Set days and times of the week that you’ll work on client work, and times that will be for behind the scenes stuff, like website maintenance, bookkeeping, marketing, etc.

Invoicing and Payments – What forms of payment will you accept? What software will you use to invoice your clients? I use Quickbooks Online, but there are tons of options out there – Wave Accounting and Freshbooks are 2 popular options.

Choose a business name and structure

There are pros and cons to each different type of business structure. When you’re just starting out, you may decide to be a sole proprietor, but as your business and client base grow, you may decide that an LLC is the better option.  The Small Business Administration has a ton of amazing resources for entrepreneurs and can help you decide which business structures is right for you. I also recommend speaking with an attorney and /or accountant before deciding on your business structure.

There are a few things to consider when choosing your business name – has it been claimed by another business? Is the name trademarked already? Is the domain available? This is another instance where the SBA can help.  Check out this page for tips on choosing a business name.

Set up business accounts

Bank accounts – Keep your business accounts separate from your personal account from the start. This will make tax time much easier on you and your accountant.

>> RELATED: 4 Essential Bookkeeping Tips for your Small Business

Email – having an email with your own domain is a plus, but minimally, you should have a separate email account for your business (gmail is fine and free if you don’t have your own domain yet).

Social Media – Set up profiles on all the major social networks. You don’t necessarily need to be active on all of them, but social media is often the first place people look for information and it just makes it easier for potential clients to find you. After your initial setup, I recommend choosing a couple networks to be active on and focus on those. Pinterest and Instagram are the two I focus on, as well as being active in a couple Facebook groups (more on that in a minute).

Dedicated Business Line – Skype or Google Voice are popular and inexpensive options

Email Marketing Service – Mailchimp, Mailerlite and Convertkit are popular options. You don’t need to start sending newsletters all the time, but have a way for readers to subscribe. Your mailing list can be a HUGE asset when selling services or products.

Post Office Box 

Related: The Ultimate Blog + Biz Starter Kit

Build a killer website

It pays to invest in a professional site with a professional name.  The most popular website platforms today are WordPress and Squarespace. For a small investment, you’ll get your own domain (you don’t want to have .wordpress or .blogger as part of your URL) and have access to better features for designing and protecting your site.

I’ve used WordPress for many years and love the features it offers, but it does require some tech knowledge to get a fully customized look. If you’re less tech savvy and want to do it yourself, you may want to go with Squarespace.

>> RELATED: Plan and Create Websites that Convert

Finding your first clients

There are  many different avenues you can take to find clients for your VA biz. Here are a few that I found to be most helpful:

Facebook Groups –  Facebook groups can be a great way to connect with potential clients. Join groups where your ideal client might hang out. For example, you might join a group of online entrepreneurs if you’re looking to work in graphic design or website maintenance. Chime in on conversations, give advice, and be an active member of the community, but son’t be spammy. Most FB groups don’t allow self-promotion. One of my favorite groups is Alison Marshall’s Creative Superheroes. 

Here’s a few examples of what to post:

• Ask for feedback on your website, social media, or new service
• Post a picture of your workspace, family, pet and ask for members to share theirs
• Share a struggle or victory
• Share a goal and ask members for their goals
• Share a tip or tutorial

When people start seeing your face everyday and hearing the helpful advice you give, they’ll be more inclined to look into you and your business.

Local Businesses – Building a name for yourself in your community can be a great way to get referrals. Try stopping in or emailing managers and owner’s of local businesses to introduce yourself. Create a one-page fact sheet about your services and the benefits of hiring a VA vs. an employee.

You never know, maybe they’ve been putting off that website redesign and you could be just the push they need to get started! Don’t be afraid to put yourself out there.

Related: Creating A Welcome Packet For Your Virtual Assistant Business

HireMyMom – Fantastic job board for work at home moms. Membership is $29.95/quarter or $99/year and is worth every penny. This is where I found my first client.

Upwork – A worldwide online workplace. Employers post jobs and you submit a bid or proposal if you think you’re qualified. You can take tests to showcase your skills and potential employers can invite you to interview for their jobs. One drawback is that these are global websites, so they can be highly competitive.

>> RELATED: How To Write the Perfect Pitch for your Freelance Services

Questions?
Drop them in the comment section below and I’ll respond right away!

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The post How to Become a Virtual Assistant – a guide to starting your VA biz appeared first on Summer Mae Consulting.

Back in the days of Angelfire and Geocities (I know, dating myself… ), bloggers generally wrote for themselves. Blogs were more of an online journal and you wrote about your opinions and personal experiences, and if people read your content it was a bonus.

Today, blogging is so much more sophisticated and focused on the reader.

Whether you are experienced or a new blogger or business owner, the biggest thing you can do to improve your blog or biz, is to research your audience.

Creating An Ideal Reader Profile

The best way to understand your audience is to create a persona or profile. This should be a detailed description of your ideal reader or customer, as if they were an individual person. Treating your audience as one individual helps you to identify their most common characteristics. You can then tailor your content to this single person, making it sound more authentic and relevant.

If you have segments of your audience that are wildly different, you might want to create separate profiles. But the main idea is to look for trends among your readership and not try to nail down every single thing.

Step 1: Demographics

The first step is to define your audience’s demographics. Demographics include things like:

• Age
• Geographic location
• Language
• Gender
• Income level
• Education level
• Religion
• Marital status
• Occupation
• Family composition (married or unmarried, and number of children)

You can discover some of this demographic data by looking at Facebook Insights and other metrics on social media. If you’re already getting some traffic to your blog, you can also get data from Google Analytics. For example, if you browse through “Geography,” it will give you language and location results.

Step 2: Psychographics

Demographics are the hard facts about your reader. Psychographics are their psychological aspects. These include:

• Personality
• Attitudes
• Values
• Hobbies
• Lifestyle
• Behavior
• Goals
• Challenges
• Image of self
• Pain points (areas where they’re struggling)
• Needs and desires

Psychographics are harder to discover than demographics. The only way to understand these aspects of your audience is to observe your and interact with them. You need to see how they behave and listen to what they say.

Aside from understanding your audience’s values, attitudes, and other psychological aspects, you also need to understand how they buy and use products, services, or topics like yours. Pay especially close attention to how they interact with products.

Ask yourself these questions:

• Why would a reader want to know about your product, service, or topic?
• How knowledgeable are they about what you have to offer?
• What questions do they have about your product, service, or topic?

You may be able to discover some psychographic data from metrics, but a better way is by looking at forums or groups. Try searching for your topic as a keyword plus “group” or “forum” in Google or Facebook.

Aside from just reading what your audience says on these sites, look at the topics or subjects that are popular. Which are voted up, voted down, liked, commented on, not commented on, etc.

This will give you a good idea of what your audience likes and doesn’t like, which will allow you to create better content for them.

For demographics and psychographics, you can also conduct a survey with your existing subscribers or readers. Create a short survey using a tool like Google Forms or Survey Monkey. Response rates tend to be low, so you may want to offer an incentive such as a gift or discount for completing the survey.

Once you’ve collected as much data as you can, talk to a few of your readers to get firsthand knowledge. You can add a question at the end of your survey asking if they’d be willing to chat so you can help them further on your blog. Then schedule a short, 20 minute call and ask questions about who they are, their aspirations, challenges, and other open-ended questions that will give you a better understanding.

Step 3: Learn about Your Reader’s Behaviors and Preferences

Since you’ll be creating content for your audience, you should also learn about how they read and engage with the content they like. Here’s a few things to consider:

• How do they search for and find content to consume? Pinterest? Facebook groups? Youtube?
• What content formats do they like (video, text, etc.)?
• How do they consume content and what do they do with it (share, comment, etc.)?
• What is your audience’s taste in terms of length and depth of content? (*Although the trend is toward longer content, keep in mind that this depends on the audience and yours may not necessarily prefer long content)

A good way to discover this information is to go back to the groups and forums you searched out and look at the content that is most popular. Which content gets the most comments or votes? See which topics get the most engagement.

You can also look at social media platforms like YouTube, Facebook, and SlideShare to see which videos, posted links, or other types of content are getting the most engagement.

Your current analytics can give you some ideas as well. Analytics allow you to see which content is viewed most, and bounce rate, which tells you how long readers are staying on a particular piece of content.

Google’s Keyword Planner can tell you what types of questions your audience is asking about your topic. This tool is part of Google AdWords and you have to have a Google account, but it’s free to use.

From the Keyword Planner homepage, select “Search for new keywords and ad group ideas.” Here, enter keywords related to your topics or products and it will show you which questions are being asked.

Lastly, follow industry influencers and watch how they interact with their audience. You can gain tons of insight and get ideas this way.

Step 4: Create Your Ideal Reader Profile

Now, take all of the information you’ve gathered through the first three steps and put it together as a profile of your target reader. Give each target reader a fictitious name and treat them as individuals. Add a picture or create an avatar to make the image clearer.

Paragraph 1 should be for demographics. Paragraph 2 can focus on psychographics. For the third paragraph, describe the reader’s behavior.

For example:

Jen is 34 years old. She is married and has two children. She lives in an urban setting, has a college degree, and makes about $45,000 per year.

Jen’s main concerns are personal health, family health, and maintaining a work-life balance. She reads quite a bit about work-life balance and is particularly interested in tips and strategies that real families use to stay healthy. She finds it a challenge to manage her time with her kids’ activities.

Mary reads medium to long form content (1,000 to 2,000 words) that’s mostly text. She also likes personal stories and video interviews with other mothers. She’s active on Facebook and does a great deal of commenting on other people’s posts. She often asks questions and gets a great deal of engagement.

Now it’s your turn. Create your own ideal reader profile and create some killer content just for them!

If you found this post helpful, I’d love it if you shared, pinned, tweeted or stumbled! Thanks so much! xx

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The post 4 Steps to Defining Your Target Audience appeared first on Summer Mae Consulting.

Disclaimer: This post includes some affiliate and referral links.
If you make a purchase or sign up after clicking my link, I might earn a few bucks.  Thank you!

Sell Digital or Physical Products

If you’re serious about making a full time income from home, digital products are the way to go. You invest some time to create a digital product ONCE… and now you’ve got passive income that keeps rolling in.

Online marketplaces, like Etsy, Shopify, and Creative Market, have made it so easy to sell your own digital and physical products. You don’t even need to have your own website to do what you love and make some $$$.

I created my Virtual Assistant Welcome Kit more than 3 years ago and it brings me steady income every. single. month. Even while I’m out sipping beers and throwing back oysters! I call that a big fat WIN

So, what kind of digital product should I create?

So. Many. Things.

Online courses are huge right now, but you can start small and create smaller digital products like guides, templates, and eBooks. Courses and ebooks not your thing? Platforms like Creative Market allow creatives to sell products such as stock photos, graphics, logos, fonts, and website themes.

Freelancing

Freelancing is simply selling a service without a long term contract. This gives you the ability to pick and choose the projects you work on, how much you make, and whom you work with.

You can offer any number of services – writing, graphic design, transcription, editing, and photography can all be offered as a freelancer.

You may need to set up your own website or Facebook page to promote your services, or you can even start by working for small businesses in your community or friends and family. Many online entrepreneurs will hire freelancers or virtual assistants to complete social media, bookkeeping, or blogging tasks.

Check out the Online Business BFF’s Facebook group or Upwork for freelancing opportunities.

Learn more about becoming a virtual assistant: How To Become A Virtual Assistant.

Affiliate Marketing

Generally, affiliate marketers create a website around a niche topic and use content to build an audience and drive traffic to their website. In their content they promote, review, and link to the sales pages of the products or services they represent, and earn a commission on any sales generated through their links.

I use Shareasale and Amazon Associates’ affiliate programs. When I recommend tools, resources, and products that I use and love, I’ll include my affiliate link. If my readers make a purchase after clicking these links, I earn a small commission.

If you you’re a food blogger, why not make a few bucks by including affiliate links to your favorite kitchen tools, or ingredients? Taken a course or read an ebook you love and recommend? See if there’s an affiliate program and make some extra cash off your recommendations!

Many bloggers will include affiliate links in their newsletters. This can be a great opportunity if you have a large mailing list with a targeted audience.

Depending on the amount of traffic to your site or the size of your mailing list, affiliate marketing could be a great way to boost your income.

Shopping Online

This is one of my favorites for obvious reasons.  I use Shop.com to shop at my favorite stores (Macy’s, Home Depot, Staples, and Old Navy to name just a few) and earn cash back for every purchase made through their site.  You earn anywhere from 1% – 50% cash back on qualified purchases. To date, I’ve earned over $400 just by shopping for things I would have bought anyway. If you shop online, why not earn some cash back while you do it?

Digital Earning

Earn cash and gift cards by completing surveys, signing up for offers, internet searches, polls, watching videos and more! Swagbucks is my favorite.  Redeem your Swagbucks for great gift cards (Target, Amazon, iTunes).  You won’t get rich doing this, but you can make some extra cash pretty darn easy. I’ve redeemed my Swagbucks for a $25 Amazon gift card, a $25 Visa gift card, and $10 to Target.

Direct Sales

Companies like Beachbody, Jamberry Nails, Lularoe, Younique, and Pampered Chef are always looking for new sales reps.  You put in as much or as little time as you like selling products at home parties and online.  Usually you start by hosting a party of your own or you can purchase your start up kit for a small fee.

I used to be a consultant for Partylite and loved being able to make extra cash by partying with great people and selling a product I love, not to mention the great consultant discount!

The flexibility is a huge benefit of direct sales, but if public speaking isn’t your thing, this may not be the best route for you.

How are you making money from home? Let’s chat about your money making tips below!

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The post The Best Ways To Make Money Working From Home appeared first on Summer Mae Consulting.

Let’s talk blog design. The first thing readers will notice when they get to your blog is the design. Is it easy on the eyes? Easy to navigate? Or is it hard to read or too busy? If the latter, readers won’t stick around. I know I have left blogs without reading any content if I have a hard time reading the font or if there are ads screaming at my everywhere I look.

Encourage readers to stick around just by tweaking a few design features on your blog. Altering your blog’s design can be simple and there are things you can do yourself, without hiring outside help. It’s often a matter of simplifying and toning down, rather than adding anything complex or fancy.  Less is more, people! Follow these 5 Tips for a smarter blog design.

Easy Navigation

Your website should have easy navigation that makes sense to anyone who visits it. You don’t need to link to every page from your nav bar. I like to include links to my Home page, Blog, Contact, and About Pages, and to my Shop.

You should have a main home page with links to your blog, shop, contact, and about pages. Everything should be just a link or two away from that main page. It makes it easy for the visitor if you have links for navigation on each page. Don’t do anything fancy. Put yourself in your least web-savvy visitor’s shoes.

Declutter Your Sidebar

When it comes to your sidebar, less is more. Flashy ads can take away from your killer content and cause readers to leave your site. Keep the ads and affiliate banners to a minimum.

Move network and blog buttons and awards to your About page, unless they’re from a large publication.

I like to keep my sidebar pretty simple; A search bar, opt-in, social media icons, a list of popular posts, and an ad or two. That’s it.

If you really want to include your Pinterest profile widget or Insta feed, more ads, etc. don’t forget about your footer widgets (if your theme allows them)! Keeping each widget area simple is my best advice. There’s no need to throw everything you’ve got all in one place.

Easy on the Eyes

Color choice can make a tremendous difference in how a blog performs. Colors that are too loud or that contrast too sharply can make your blog hard to read.

Never put a light colored text on a dark background. White text on black is a great way to kill your readership and raise your bounce rate.

Spend time testing it yourself by reading your blog entries. After a few minutes of reading, you’ll really get a sense of how easy it is on the eyes.

Large and Clear Fonts

You may have a quirky font that you love to death, but refrain from using it, or only use it for headlines or graphics. Plain fonts that are large and easy to read work best. Sample a few fonts and choose the one that’s simplest. To be on the safe side, and this may sound silly, but choose a font with your grandparents in mind. If they can read it, all of your readers should be able to.

At the same time, think about the nature of your blog’s content and who your readers are. If they are professional business people, look for fonts that are more traditional (like Arial or Times New Roman). If your readers are young hipsters, you’ll probably want a font that’s a little trendier and interesting. However, it still has to be easy to read!

The Call to Action

The ‘call to action’ or CTA is a part of every blog that’s often misunderstood. It doesn’t have to be something such as ‘Buy Now’ (yuck!). Calls to action can be very subtle, simply telling the reader what they need to do in order to receive the benefits you’re offering, whether it’s a place to get more information (your email list!), a resource that’s helpful (your killer freebie!), or a product you’re selling.

Your call to action needs to stand out and be clearly understood, but it shouldn’t sound like sales hype. One good place for a call to action is on the sidebar where you’re making your offer or requesting their email addresses. Another location is the very end of each post, often in a P.S. section.

Try to avoid mixing your calls to action into your main content unless you can manage to do it with great subtlety. Remember that you want your readers to see you as helpful, throwing in a few offers and recommendations here and there, not a pushy salesperson.

The Magic of Split Testing

The best way to discover what truly works and doesn’t is to split test your blog design. Create two versions of a page or post with only the design features changed. Then, check your analytics, whether it’s through Google Analytics or any other program that allows you to do split testing. The analytics will tell you which design features your readers prefer, and you can then implement them on your blog.

Have questions about blog design? Let’s chat in the comments below!

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The post 5 Blog Design Tips for Beginners – Plus a FREE workbook! appeared first on Summer Mae Consulting.

Adding “Write blog post” to the 4,932 other tasks on your to-do list doesn’t cut it if you don’t have a strategy in place. Inevitably, your blog post will get pushed to the back burner, and three months later, you’ll realize that you haven’t updated your blog.

To help you remain consistent in your blogging, you need a clear strategy. I have 5 that you can mix and match until you find the combination that works for you. After all, discovering what does and doesn’t help you blog consistently is trial and error.

a guest post by Ardelia Lee

Use the Habit Loop

If you don’t know about the habit loop, you’re missing out on a great way to change bad habits and create new ones. The habit loop is basically the breakdown of the three different stages of a habit.

First, there’s the cue – something that sparks the desire for the behavior. After that comes the routine. The routine is the actual behavior that you want to create or change. Once the routine is complete, you’ll experience a reward, usually a positive feeling (at least for a while).

For someone who goes shopping when they’re stressed, the habit loop would look something like this:

Cue – A stressful event happens (like a big presentation at work or being passed over for a promotion).

Routine – The person goes shopping.

Reward – For a time, at least, the person feels less stressed.

To use the habit loop for yourself when it comes to blogging, all you need to do is fill in the cue and the reward of the habit loop. You know what the routine is – It’s blogging.

First, think about what you want your cue to be. What should trigger your desire to blog? You could use a particular spot in your house as a “blogging only” spot and condition yourself to think about blogging once you’re in that place. Once you have your cue figured out, move on the reward.

Undoubtedly, the reward is the best part of the habit loop. You can choose whatever you want as the reward for blogging. How does a piece of chocolate sound? What about 30-minutes of playing your favorite video game? It’s up to you, but choose a reward that you really want.

It’ll likely take a week or two to get into your habit loop, but the longer you use it, the easier it should be to blog consistently.

Create a Blogging Workflow

If you’re putting off blogging because it takes you 4 hours to write, publish, and schedule a blog post, it’s time for you to evaluate your blogging steps and create a workflow. A workflow really helps you streamline your process and see where you’re spending most of your time.

First, write down all of the steps you go through when you write, publish, and schedule a blog post. Next, circle the tasks that you usually perform together. If you write and edit your blog post all in one sitting, then draw a circle around those tasks. If you create graphics for your post and then format it in your editor, circle those tasks.

The idea here is to create task bundles. You want to have your tasks separated into groups. Then, you can track your progress through your workflow and ensure you’re doing all of the tasks that need to be done before you publish your blog post. Need help creating your perfect blogging workflow? Check out my Blog Post Workflow Cheat Sheet.

Schedule Time in Your Calendar

To really amp up your workflow, schedule it in your calendar. Use something like Google Calendar to do this – it syncs across all your devices, and it’s easy to update in a pinch. Block off time each day to work on a particular part of your workflow. If you only have 20 minutes on a certain day, then choose a task bundle that takes about 20 minutes to complete.

You just need to keep in mind that you need to place your task bundles in a logical order on your calendar. You can’t format a blog post if you haven’t written it yet, so be aware of what bundles you’re scheduling when. Don’t just rely on the time factor.

You may find that you blogging process is spread out across the week. If that works for you, then great. If you prefer that your workflow be more compressed, and you only spend a day or two on it, then figure out how that would work in your schedule.

Related: Grab this 18-page planner for bloggers and Lady bosses FREE

Find an Accountability Buddy

If you know that you just won’t blog consistently unless you have someone looking over your shoulder, find an accountability buddy. Use the collaboration threads in Facebook groups for bloggers or online business owners to find someone who’s willing to hold you accountable.

To make sure you get the most from your partnership, try outlining your expectations for each other. You can even create a check-in schedule, complete with specific milestones that you’re supposed to have met by then.

If you have a check-in on Wednesday to ensure that you’ve done your first two task bundles and a check-in on Friday to ensure you’ve done the next three bundles, you’ll be more likely to actually complete the work. It’s easier to say “I want to have my blog post written by Friday” but then Thursday comes around, and you realize that you haven’t written your blog post. Cue panic and staying up all night to finish it.

Scheduling out your deadlines for your task bundles can help you stay on track with blogging consistently and avoid pulling an all nighter.

Be Strategic About Blogging

Consistently blogging will have a positive effect in your online business and your authority in your industry. Blog posts are great for attracting potential clients and building an audience that could turn into customers, but in order to do that, you need to blog regularly.

The reward is well worth the effort, and now you can go into your blogging routine armed with 5 different strategies to help you remain consistent.

Ardelia Lee is a content roadmap engineer and copywriter who helps small business owners create and strategically share goal-oriented content that supports long-term business growth. When she’s not scheming with her clients, you can find her reading long fantasy novels and drinking warm coffee. Ready to streamline your blog post process?

Click here to grab her free Blog Post Workflow Cheat Sheet.

Find Ardelia Lee on Twitter and Pinterest

The post 5 Awesome Strategies for Blogging More Consistently appeared first on Summer Mae Consulting.

a guest post by Bonnie McConaughy

Be genuine and authentic!

This is the most important step. Be you and show your true personality whenever you post on your blog, social media pages, email correspondence, and collaborations.

Show that you care about your audience by asking them questions, reaching out to them, holding giveaways or sweepstakes, and generally engaging with them on a regular basis. This is so important because when people realize that you are being true to yourself, and thus being true to them, you are proving to them that they can rely on you and come to depend on your posts providing them with quality!

Make sure you are posting regularly on your pages

Posting on a regular basis, whether it be your blog or your social media pages, is the basis of your consistency for your business. Pick certain days of the week that you want to write and schedule posts and stick to those days to the best of your ability! For my blog posts, I like to post on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and bonuses on Saturdays if I choose to. Some days I miss Thursday too, but I do my best to get those first two posts of the week in no matter what.

This is another way to help your audience learn to rely on you because they will know that they can count on your blog posts on a certain day, something to help them learn or to help them get through the day.

When it comes to social media, similar things apply. Try posting once a day if you can, but once every other day is good too.

It’s important to not go too many days without posting so that your audience doesn’t lose interest in what you have to say. You can even pick certain days of the week to specific questions or topics. For example, I would post a question about what were my readers’ intentions for the week on Sundays or what goals they want to accomplish. Then I would follow up with them halfway through the week or on Saturday to see how it went.

Check in with your audience, ask them what they’re up to, how they’re feeling, or what they’re struggling with. Then do your best to help them out! You will build a relationship with them which is always a beautiful thing to do in your business!

Related: Grab this FREE printable planner to help keep you on track!

Don’t forget to share content from other people in your niche

If you’re not already, find quality people or pages to follow that are in your business’s niche. Share their content as it applies to your social media pages. This cultivates a relationship with the other people or business owners, and allows you to offer even more quality to your audience as well. I love sharing others’ content that I find will enhance what I provide my audience, and in turn the people who own that content appreciate the exposure.

You don’t have to have a huge following to support other people or businesses in your niche and build relationships with them. Who knows, you may end up collaborating with them down the line and you have set yourself up for that by sharing their content!

Engage with those who comment, ask questions, or message

Engagement is key. So when your readers comment, ask questions, or message you, make sure to respond to them. Even a simple thank you for reading or I look forward to hearing your thoughts, can make a world of difference and keep them coming back for more. If they don’t hear from you after leaving a comment or sending a message, they may feel ignored and not want to come back to your site. Not only that, but engagement adds more quality to your business!

What do you think, are these things that you can apply to your business to help build consistency and thus help it grow? They are all relatively simple and easy to implement in your daily business activity. Stick with it and you will see the growth!

Bonnie McConaughy is the owner and founder of Inspire the Best You, where she writes about weight loss, healthy living, self-love, and personal growth. If you are interested in those topics, stop by and read her blog! She is also a freelance and ghostwriter at bmcconaughy.weebly.com.

The post 4 Simple Steps to Building Consistency in Your Business appeared first on Summer Mae Consulting.

Disclaimer: While I have some experience with my own business taxes and have worked closely with accountants in my experience as a bookkeeper, I am not an accountant. It’s always best to speak to an accountant about your specific tax situation. 

Q: When do I need to file my taxes?

The deadline for filing your 2016 taxes is April, 18, 2017. Depending on your situation and income, you may be required to make quarterly estimated tax payments. Failing to make these payments can result in a penalty when you file your tax return.

Q: Do I have to report my income, even if it’s less than $600 or I don’t get a 1099?

Yes. All income should be reported, even if you don’t receive a 1099. If you are a sole proprietor, you will report your income on Form Schedule C.

Don’t freak out – you can offset some of this income with business expense deductions.

Q: Which small business expenses are tax deductible?

There are tons of expenses you can deduct as a blogger or online business owner, and some you can’t. In order to deduct any expense, it must be “reasonable and necessary to your profession” and they need to be used exclusively for your business (not personal).

Fees

• Transaction and listing fees for online shops
• Paypal and credit card processing fees

Subscriptions

• Stock Photo Subscriptions
• Membership Sites
• Resource Libraries

Website Expenses

• Domain purchases and renewals
• Hosting
• Framework (like Genesis)
• Website Themes and Plugins

Professional Services Fees

• Accountants
• Attorneys
• Bookkeepers
• Graphic Designers
• Virtual Assistants
• Blog Coaching or Consulting

Supplies 

• Office supplies – pens, paper, toner, etc
• Materials if you make a physical product

Education

• Courses, Classes, Workshops
• eBooks

Equipment

• Office equipment – Desk, computer, printer, filing cabinet
• Camera
• Microphone
• Cell Phone

Home Office Expenses

If you use a home office exclusively for business, you may be able to deduct expenses for the business use of your home.

Read more about the Home Office Deduction here.

Advertising

• Ads – Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, Print, Sidebar, etc.
• Giveaway Items

Travel

• Airfare
• Hotel Stays
• Parking
• Meals (during business related travel)

Miscellaneous Expenses

• Software
• Headshots

Shipping

• Postage
• Packaging Materials

Q: What happens if I spent more money than I made?

You can claim an operating loss if you had more expenses than income. However, this should not be regular practice. If you are just starting up, or had a rare bad year, claiming a loss is acceptable. Many business won’t turn a profit their first year, or even first couple years.

However, in order to continue to use business deductions to offset your income, your business activities need to actually be a business, and not a hobby. An activity generally qualifies as a business if it is carried on with the reasonable expectation of earning a profit.

Consider the following factors to help determine if your business qualifies as a business and not a hobby:

The IRS states that “The IRS presumes that an activity is carried on for profit if it makes a profit during at least three of the last five tax years, including the current year”

For more information: Business or Hobby? Answer Has Implications for Deductions

Related:

Tax Tips For Bloggers

What are you doing to prepare for tax time?

The post Taxes and Deductions For Bloggers and Online Businesses appeared first on Summer Mae Consulting.

Going to the zoo today! #zoo #animals #daytrip #cantwaittoseelions #dayout # giraffe #elephant #savetheanimals #animallover

Yes, hashtags can be super annoying. BUT, they can be an easy way to expand your reach beyond your followers. Let’s check out the wonderful world of hashtags.

What is a Hashtag?

In simple terms, a hashtag is a hash or pound sign immediately followed by a keyword or phrase. By adding the # symbol to the beginning of your keyword or phrase, you are instantly turning it into a searchable link. This allows you to categorize the content you share by keyword.

Say you share a post about your new giveaway and tag it #giveaway. Your post will now show up in search results for #giveaway, on that platform.

On Twitter, you can join chats and conversations using hashtags. You can click on the hashtag for a twitter chat and see all the tweets related to that topic in real-time.

How do I use Hashtags?

There are a couple ways to use hashtags. You can use them as a word in your copy – “New post on the #blog today!”

Or you can put them at the end of your post – “New post on the blog today! #blog #blogger”

They key is to make sure you’re using words that your target audience would be searching for. You want them to be popular keywords for your niche, not just popular words.

For example, I write about online business and blogging, so I might use the #ladyboss hashtag instead of just #blog.

At the time of this posting there were over 16,000,000 posts tagged with #blog on instagram and a little more than 800,000 tagged with #ladyboss.

Using a vague and popular hashtag like #blog, you’re post is more likely to be lost in a sea of other posts than it would be if you used the more specific #ladyboss tag.

Where can I use Hashtags?

Hashtags started on Twitter, but have spread to other social media platforms over the years. Here’s a quick rundown of how to use hashtags on different platforms.

Twitter – Data from Buddy Media shows that tweets with hashtags received 2 times more engagement than those with out hashtags. BUT… only use one or two hashtags per tweet. Buddy Media’s data also suggests that tweets with more than 2 #’s showed at 17% drop in engagement.

Instagram – Love #hashtags? Instagram is your jam. Research shows that posts with 11 or more hashtags receive the most engagement. Hashtag away, my friend!

Facebook – I personally don’t usually use hashtags on Facebook. Maybe one #, once in a while. That’s it. The general consensus, backed by this report from BuzzSumo, is that posts without hashtags perform better and get more interaction.

Google+ – You can add hashtags to posts and comments on G+, which doubles your chances of being found in a search. Plus, Google automatically adds them to your posts, based on the content. You can edit them or add your own.  

Pinterest – There’s no need. Pinterest is basically a search engine and will display results for the tagged keyword whether you use the # or not. Pinterest actually recommends not using them.

Time saving hashtag tips

Especially if you’re active on instagram, these time-saving tips will be super useful.

Tip #1 Check the list below to find the hashtags you think you’ll use most. Then, create a note in your phone with these tags. Instead of trying to remember and type every hashtag every time you post, you can just copy and paste the whole list and you’re done!

Tip #2 If you’re an iPhone user, you can use your phone’s Text Replacement feature to create a shortcut that, when typed, will insert all of your hashtags. Here’s how:

Go to Settings > General > Keyboard > Text Replacement

You’ll have two sections to complete. Under “phrase”, enter all your hashtags. Under “Shortcut”, enter your simple shortcut text. I used SMChashtags.

Hit Save and you’re done!

Which hashtags are best for my blog or biz?

Methods for finding hashtags – one simple way to find hashtags relevant to your niche is to check out the posts of other influencers in your niche and see which hashtags are they using.

Or you can use hashtag tools to find and track which hashtags perform best for your blog or biz. Check out Hashtagify.me, Keyhole, and RiteTag.

Gaining Followers – I don’t recommend using these tags. While you will most likely gain a few followers, they won’t be part of your target audience and may unfollow you if they realize they’re not really into the type of content you share.

#f4f #follow #followme #ff #like4like #likeforlike #followforfollow #follow4follow #instafollow #follows

Most Popular – I’m not a big fan of these either. Just because a tag is popular doesn’t mean it performs well. Think about what your target audience is searching for. Would they search for #cute? Probably not. Move on.

#love #instagood #hot #cute #selfie #photooftheday #fun #tbt #beautiful #happy #blessed

Blogging

#blogger #bloggervibes #blogsociety #blogbffs #bloggersofinstagram #bloggerlife #ontheblog

Entrepreneurs

#entrepreneur #ladyboss #girlboss #bosslady #bossbabe #boss #business #ladypreneur #fempreneur #womeninbiz #entrepreneurlife #womenwhohustle #savvybizowner #dowhatyoulove  #sayyestosuccess #solopreneur #smallbiz 

Creatives

#creativebiz #makersgonnamake #calledtobecreative #chasinglight #flashesofdelight #creativepreneur #designingthedetails #makersmovement #puruepretty #thatsdarling #ohwowyes #livecreatively #etsy #etsyshop #etsyowner #handmade #supporthandmade #createmore #iamcreative 

Travel Bloggers

#travel #wanderlust #fromwhereistand #beautifuldestinations #tasteintravel #instatravel #travelgram #tourism #passportready #ilovetravel #travelblogger #travelwriter #traveltheworld #postcardsfromtheworld #getaway #travelblog #travelpic #aroundtheworld #traveler #darlingescapes #girlswhotravel #travelgram #lovetotravel #traveldiary #viewfromthetop #simplyadventure #ABMTravelbug #WeAreTravelGirls

Food Bloggers

#food #foodie #yummy #yum #noms #nom #nomnom #delicious #forkyeah #foodgasm #foodoftheday #eats #indulgence #instayum #dairyfree #veggie #vegetarian #vegan #fooddiary #recipeoftheday #foodporn #chefmode #hungry #cleaneating #eatclean #glutenfree #paleo #healthyfood

Mom Bloggers

#momblogger #mommyblogger #mompreneur #wahm #sahm #momlife #parentingblog #pregnancyblog #momitforward #letthembelittle #motherhoodunplugged #momproblems #mommyproblems #mytinymoments

Fashion Bloggers

#style #fashion #swag #fashionista #ootd #outfitoftheday #fashionblogger #instafashion #fashionaddict #styletips #lookbook #streetstyle #styleinspiration #outfit #outfitinspiration #stylefile

Beauty Bloggers

#beautyblogger #beautyblog #beautytips #beautyguru #instabeauty #makeup #nailart #makeupartist #makeupaddict #makeupmafia #makeupfan #instamakeup #hairgoals #hairinspiration

Fitness Bloggers

#fitness #fitnessblogger #fitnessblog #trainhard #fitspo #getstrong #fitspiration #transformationtuesday #girlswholift #training #personaltrainer #noexcuses #fitnessgoals #nopainnogain #gainz #youcandoit #crossfit #exercise #yoga #yogi #running #girlswhorun #marathon

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The post Understanding Hashtags | How, when + where to use them appeared first on Summer Mae Consulting.

Writer’s block doesn’t mean you can’t write, it’s just that whatever you write feels all wrong. It’s not about finding any words, it’s about find the right words.

Everyone suffers from writer’s block from time to time. Even the world’s greatest writers have dealt with it, except William Faulkner, who once famously said, “I only write when I am inspired. Fortunately I am inspired at 9 o’clock every morning.”

For those of us not as lucky as Faulkner, however, writer’s block doesn’t have to keep us from expressing ourselves in a blog, book, or tweet. What can you do when the words don’t appear (besides crying or screaming)? After 20 years as a professional writer, I’ve developed a few strategies to get unblocked.

Walk away

Staring at a blank screen won’t magically make words appear (I know because I’ve tried more times than I can count). In fact, it can make me so frustrated and frazzled that it actually becomes counterproductive.

When I’ve looked at a cursor blinking on a sea of white so long that my eyes glaze over, I shut my laptop and leave the room. Whether I take a TV break or go outside for walk, sometimes a change of scenery or some fresh air is all I need to get my creative juices flowing again.

Force your hand

Taking a break can be helpful, but pressing deadlines demand immediate action. Need to buckle down and get shizz done? Try a few tricks to make yourself stay focused.

First, eliminate distractions. Turn off your phone and close all other windows on your computer (consider installing a Chrome extension like StayFocused if you are prone to cheat and check Facebook). Then make yourself write something—anything—for 25 minutes before allowing yourself to take a break. Rinse and repeat until you finish your project. This is called the Pomodoro Technique, and it’s a simple but powerful way to accomplish almost any task.

Use prompts

Whether you are trying to write sales copy for a launch, a blog post, or the next Great American Novel, you may find value in using writing prompts. These creative ideas are designed to trigger the imagination.

There are thousands of sites and apps that offer writing prompts for free or for a very small cost (you can start here). They may sometimes seem silly and irrelevant, but give yourself over to the exercise. You might be surprised what ideas it dredges up.

Talk it out

Can’t write? Try talking instead. Pull out your phone and start a voice memo. Let yourself ramble about the topic at hand. Approach it like you’re explaining the subject to a friend, and keep it conversational. Don’t worry about stammering or even making sense, you can edit out or rework everything when you later transcribe your diatribe.

If you’re someone who’s intimidated by writing, you may find you’re better able to express yourself verbally and then transcribe what you’ve said. Also, this approach is helpful for perfectionists who may find it easier to make mistakes when they aren’t staring you back in the face.

Bribe yourself

If all else fails, use the carrot-and-stick strategy. Promise to treat yourself to something special (a massage, a new purse, a margarita) if you write a certain amount by a set time. It can help to make this pledge public, like announcing it on Facebook or to your biz bestie, for some accountability.

You can take it a step further and commit to a punishment if you fail to meet your writing goal. Maybe you’ll pay your biz bestie $20, do your husband’s least favorite chore, or give up cocktails for a month. Pick something that hurts just enough to motivate you.

I know all too well how debilitating it can feel to have a deadline looming and suddenly have no words, but don’t give up. It won’t last forever (it never does), so just keep pushing through the discomfort and frustration. It’s always more rewarding to finish something than to quit. Happy writing!

Becky Mollenkamp helps established B2Bs spread their message by writing compelling content that educates, inspires, and activates their target market. She’s owned her business for 12 years, and now helps new entrepreneurs find success by offering 1:1 and group coaching, as well as facilitated mastermind groups. Learn more about her and her offerings at beckymollenkamp.com or on her social media channels.

Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest | LinkedIn

The post 5 Tips to Banish Writer’s Block appeared first on Summer Mae Consulting.