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As creative entrepreneurs, we want to make our wisdom available to as many people as possible. A great way of do this is to take valuable material we have already created and, through repurposing, present it in different formats. We can be of greater service to others as well as making our own lives easier when we do this.

How can creative entrepreneurs and others benefit from repurposing?

Repurposing saves you time and energy because you don’t have to start from scratch. Instead of procrastinating, you’ll start realizing how much you have to offer, maybe things that you previously took for granted. Here’s an important mindset reminder for creative entrepreneurs – what you know has value.

Another benefit of repurposing is it gives your audience the ability to digest your message on their own terms, not just yours. People take in information in different ways. Some people love to read. Some people prefer to listen. They may be both types at different times. At different times, I’ll grab transcripts or have my CDs in my car. Sometimes I have my iPod and need my MP3 format. Sometimes I enjoy watching something. It really depends on the situation.

If you’re not putting your message out there more in multiple ways, formats and streams you’re not allowing yourself to help as many people as possible. Creative entrepreneurs want to be able to touch people in different ways and give them a sense of who you are. That’s the beauty of what you bring to your business when you embrace the repurposing concept.

So creative entrepreneurs won’t focus on what you DON’T have, but will focus on what you DO have. You might find that you can be repurposing something of real value and touch the lives of many more people. You can also really maximize your limited time and energy and yes, get a lot more done!

What example of repurposing content has worked for you?

So often it’s easy for creative entrepreneurs to get distracted by what others are doing. You start feeling a little envious about your colleague’s new website, info-product, etc. and you think I want that too! Now this isn’t necessarily a bad thing for creative entrepreneurs unless you start spinning in too many different directions at once… and end up going nowhere.

Sometimes it’s about taking a deep breath and saying what do I have right now at my disposal that I can work with, that’ll be easy? What resources do I have already that I can start repurposing and repackaging?

Repurposing is taking what you already have created in one form and putting it out there in a different way or a different format.

As creative entrepreneurs we have so many great ideas we want to use, but this can lead to entrepreneurial ADD – we’re always creating but we’re not really getting things done. Repurposing is the simple solution for creative entrepreneurs.

Here are some other examples of repurposing:

• If you’ve been blogging for awhile, see if you can create an ebook based on a series of tips from your blog.

• If you have a huge newsletter archive but haven’t started blogging yet you don’t have to start writing new content from scratch. Recycle some of your newsletter articles and use them in your blog.

• Here’s one of my personal favorites, repurposing my transcripts. Sometimes I don’t have time to write an article from scratch but I’ll remember having done a teleclass on the same subject. I pull it out and have my assistant make a few necessary edits and voila I have a new article.

• Read and record articles you’ve written in the past and you can quickly create a podcast for your blog.

When you start thinking along these lines, creative entrepreneurs will find a wealth of valuable material that, through repurposing, can be offered to others. Check out my upcoming blog to see why repurposing your content is so beneficial.

You may also want to check out the MP3, transcript and highlights of:  Leveraging Your Knowledge for Profit – How to Repurpose the Content that’s in your Head (or on your Hard Drive) into Powerful Multi-Media Marketing.

When I began my online entrepreneurial business I was not as sensitive as I am now to the HUGE  importance of growing your list (or in language I prefer to use – growing your community).

The fact is without a pipeline of new people learning about who you are and what you do, and how it can benefit them, your business will dry up. Your community are those that follow you, observe what you’re doing, share it with their friends (if they like you) and will ultimately be those that purchase from you.

I have 2 business girlfriends who I want to introduce you to who offer resources to support you to expand your list…

• First is Gina Bell. As the founder of the International Association of Women in Business Online, Gina is hosting a F*R*E*E event called List Attraction Week (starting March 8th) that is devoted to list attraction with a team of expert mentors who will walk you through this essential piece of creating success online. You’ve heard it before and you’ll hear it again… The money is in your list! But what does that REALLY mean?

During List Attraction Week you will discover how to increase your list of relevant and responsive subscribers quickly and constantly so you can save time, get clients and make money! (And… how to do it with authenticity and ethics too!). And the promise of “The Money is in Your List” will finally make sense!

Gina has put together a panel of 12 experts (myself included) that includes Alexis Neely, Leesa Barnes, Wendy Y Bailey and MaryKay Morgan. Together you’ll learn information about…

…auto responders, double opt-ins, squeeze pages, ethical bribes/freebies/pink spoons, ezines, newsletters, virtual events, joint ventures, speaking, article marketing, blogging, social media, follow up strategies and much, much more.

Just one golden nugget of learning (if implemented) can make a huge difference in your list building efforts.

You can get all the details of List Attraction week and register here:  http://budurl.com/LAW10

• My second business girlfriend (and mentor) is Carrie Wilkerson. I first learned of Carrie’s skills around list building over a year ago. She grew her list by 24,000 people in one year with no paid traffic resources, and I wanted to see what she was doing.

I immediately purchased her 12-week Magnetic List Building course, which has suggestions (and valuable exercises) to grow your list.  Carrie has a gift of taking what can feel complicated to making it very manageable and easy to execute. I highly recommend checking her product. It’s very reasonably priced at just 3 payments of $27 and I promise that by executing some of her ideas, the investment will be worth it.

You can get all the details of Carrie’s Magnetic List Building course, visit my affiliate link:  http://budurl.com/maglist

 Community/list building in an ongoing process, and it requires commitment to develop essential skills in this area. There are so many list-building tools that I believe it’s important to just focus on 1-3 at a time so you can do it effectively and not be spread so thin.  Just one strategy that you can confidently implement with consistency can completely transform your results. With both Carrie’s Magnetic List Building course and Gina’s List Attraction Week event, you’ll get dozen of ideas that you can quickly put into work.

I’d love hear what’s working (or not) as you build your community.

How would like to increase your business and reach more people? I want to share with you something that I’ve found to be very effective as a mom entrepreneur in my business, leveraged marketing.

Leveraged marketing is all about repurposing content you already have and transforming it into other forms of media. It’s a simple and easy way to get your message out there to a larger audience. I found this to be a critical component to marketing because people take in information in different ways. Some people love to read. While other people prefer to listen or watch.

You want to be able to touch people in different ways and give them a sense of who you are. It’s one thing to explain who you are in written form. It’s a very different thing when someone gets to hear you in audio and see you in video. That can have a much stronger impact.

The beauty of the repurposing concept is it makes creating audio and video so easy to do! You can turn something you have written and transform it into audio or video. I do this with each of my ezines. I record it and turn it into a podcast. It takes just a few minutes and I now have a substantial collection of podcasts. I’ve also taken one of my popular information products, The 7 Deadly Sins Women in Direct Sales Make…and How to Avoid Them, and transformed the content into a series of instructional videos on YouTube. The options are really endless – and fun!

This is really just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to leveraged marketing. To learn how you can be an expert at repurposing content, download my interview with Caleb Scoville, founder of North Bank Audio. He explains how we can easily repurpose content that will pull in targeted leads and customers like a magnet. He shares a wealth of information in our interview, “Leveraging Your Knowledge: Repurpose the Content That’s in Your Head (or on Your Hard Drive) into Powerful Multimedia Marketing.”

If you have been successful in repurposing information, I’d love to hear your tips as well!

In my last blog I spoke about the first step in creating a website that sells – figuring out your target audience and putting yourself in their shoes. Once you’ve done this homework you can use the next two steps to communicate effectively on your website.

Step Two – Develop a rapport.

The internet is impersonal by nature so there is an even greater need for rapport when you’re selling a product or service online. Here are a few suggestions that will help you establish that rapport with potential customers:

· Make the person reading your copy feel as if you are writing directly to them. You can do this my using the words “you” and “I”.

· Focus on them. Instead of describing the ins-and-outs of your product or service, talk about how they will benefit from it.

· Be authentic and sincere. Don’t be afraid to let your personality shine through. People do business with those they relate to.

Step Three – Have a clear call to action.

What do you want your reader to do? If you’re not sure the reader won’t be either. Do you want them to call or e-mail you for more information? Order a copy of your product? Schedule a free consultation? Sign-up for your tele-seminar?

It may seem obvious but people need to be told what to do, clearly and specifically, and they’ll be far more likely to do it. Make it as easy for them as possible – they shouldn’t have to jump through hoops to figure out how to “order now”.

However, your objective shouldn’t necessarily always be to close a financial sale. A long-term strategy is to entice them to sign-up for your newsletter or download your free report. This allows you to begin building a relationship with them and convert them into buyers. We’ll discuss more of these strategies in an upcoming Online Success Tips.

So remember the three steps on how to make your website work (and sell) for you:

1. Determine your target audience.

2. Develop a rapport.

3. Have a clear call to action.

These three steps will work effectively whether you have a high-tech, sophisticated website or a very simple website. Remember, business is all about marketing and marketing is all about communicating! Read more tips by Wendy Maynard, the Marketing Maven, on how to turn your website into a super selling machine.

(If you would like more in-depth training on any of the tools I’ve mentioned in this article make sure to  check out the additional learning at the Metromom Online Success Telesummit #mtmm09.).

This blog is the final part of a series of online success tips.

No matter what your business is, you need a website. These days it’s not a luxury, it’s a necessity. When you’re in business people expect to be able to learn more about you on the internet. You may be thinking that in order to have an effective website you need to be ready to fork over thousands and thousands of dollars for the latest technology and high-end customized graphics. This is absolutely not true!

I’m not against technology or graphics; in fact I utilize them quite extensively on my own site. BUT that’s not where I invest most of my time, resources and energy and neither should you.

My focus is on communicating with my visitors because that’s where the money is. People do business with those they know, like and trust – this is true online and offline. Which is why I spend my time on articles, blog posts, video and audio recordings – mediums that allow me to communicate my message.

Effective communication doesn’t require thousands of dollars, the latest technology or high-end graphics. So, what do you need to communicate effectively?

Step One – Determine your target audience and how you can help them.

When you’re writing copy for your website you need to be very specific about who you’re speaking to. Who’s that ideal person you want to attract? Man or woman? What age group? Are they parents? What level of education? You get the idea.

Also, get in mind how you can serve this audience. What is their big challenge or problem that you can help them solve? Put yourself in their shoes.

Copywriting Strategist, Lorrie Morgan-Ferrero uses an interesting technique she calls the TARKET FACTOR. When she writes copy rather than writing to a group of people she writes to a single person – her “tarket” – who is a representative of the majority of her ideal customers.

Spend some time analyzing your target market – or tarket – (target market) and watch for my next post about the next two steps to creating a website that sells.

(If you would like more in-depth training on any of the tools I’ve mentioned in this article visit the Metromom Online Success Telesummit. #mtmm09.)

This blog is part 3 of a 4 part series of online success tips.

In my last blog post I spoke about the importance of having your own unique website. You can’t stop there. There are additional tools you need to utilize to maximize the benefits of your site.

Let me share with you a few effective internet marketing tools that you must be using if you want to generate business online:

1. A Facebook Presence is a Must

Facebook is a great place to maximize your results because there are so many people on Facebook – millions actually – who are there to do business. What are the benefits of using Facebook? A good presence builds your online visibility – people and search engines love it. It also builds your online credibility – by sharing information with others, creating articles and providing insightful comments you become recognized as an expert in what you do. Read a blog post by one of my favorite online experts, Nancy Marmolejo to see why social networking is worth your time and energy – Want Social Networking ROI? Read This.

2. Become a Blogger

Blogs are great because they’re very flexible. You can blog daily or weekly, you can post long or short blogs, you can be have informational posts or entertaining ones. A blog is a fantastic way to let your individual style and approach to business shine through. It’s also a very interactive format so visitors can leave comments and/or questions for you to respond to. According to my SEO guy, a blog can be the easiest and most inexpensive tool to drive traffic to your website – another BIG bonus of blogging.

3. Develop Your Own Freebie

A freebie is at the core of your list-building strategy. Most people won’t buy your product or sign-up for your service the first time they visit your site. So you want to persuade them into sharing their email address so you can add them to your list and continue developing a relationship. This freebie can be something as simple as a tip sheet or free report. We all have something we know that the average person doesn’t and more importantly, it’s something that our target market wants to know.

4. Sent out an Ezine Regularly

Once you have a list you need to communicate with them regularly to convert them into loyal customers. With an ezine (newsletter) you’re keeping your company in your customer’s mind on a daily, weekly or monthly basis. To maximize the value of your ezine send it regularly and make sure it contains content that’s of value to them, not just information about you and your products.

So now you have my list of the basic tools for promoting yourself online. I’ve used them all personally so I know they work. They’re also very inexpensive and easy to implement. The next post in this series will provide more in-depth strategies for creating a website that sells.

(If you would like more in-depth training on any of the tools I’ve mentioned in this article make sure to check out the learning at the Metromom Online Success Telesummit #mtmm09)

This blog is part 2 of a 4 part series of online success tips.

I highly recommend that you have your own website. It doesn’t need to be expensive but it does need to establish a relationship with your visitor – right away. Don’t be generic in your approach!

For example, I’ve noticed a lot of mom entrepreneurs who are in direct sales businesses have a “self-replicating” website. When I was just getting started with my direct sales company, I had a self-replicating website, but it was incredibly generic. Yes, it was a way to get in touch with me, but it wasn’t a way for anybody to get to know me.

If you do have a self-replicating website, you can still create your own site. It can be something with a catchy domain name or it can just be your name. In fact, the two websites can work together. You can first direct people to your own personal website and that can then link them to your company’s website.

“Come to this site to learn a little bit about me, who I am and why I do what I do. And by the way, click on this link to learn about my company’s products and how I can support you in learning more about those products.”

If you already have a website, make sure it…

- Communicates who you are and what makes you unique.
- Is clear about the services you offer right on your home page.
- Reflects a design that integrates your style with what your target market likes.

Michelle PW wrote a great blog on How Your Personality Can Grow Your Business that you should check out, because no one wants a boring website!

Many people make a big mistake by investing a lot of time and money into creating a beautiful website and then they stop there. There are additional tools you need to utilize to maximize the benefits of your site…more on these MUST HAVE tools in my next post.

If you want to learn A LOT more about harnessing the power of your website you can learn more at the Metromom Online Success Telesummit. #mtmm09

This article is the first in a series about Online Success.