Congratulations to Teresa Shepp for winning the Metromom Website Contest! Teresa is the mom of three boys under the age of six starting a business on a shoestring budget. But she has a vision! She wants a web site that will give her the ability to sell information products, training courses, and consulting/coaching services.

Jennifer Haubein and I had a hard time deciding on a winner because we had so many great candidates. We were presented with some really amazing ideas – from baby products, to party planners, to coaches… It was truly inspirational!

Then, the frustration hit me. Too many mom entrepreneurs are stuck because they have great ideas and no budget. I couldn’t award them all with a free website but I do have some advice…

First, if you need a new or upgraded website make sure to sign-up and reserve your spot for our live webinar! Jennifer Haubein and I will be hosting a live webinar on Tuesday July 21st at 8PM EST where Jennifer will build Teresa Shepp’s site in just one hour!

At this webinar, Jennifer promises to reveal to you her secrets…

- How you can get out of overwhelm and quickly take your business online
- Show you how to easily create your f*r*ee offer and why this is so important for attracting customers.
- The one thing you can easily add to your website to double your sales and conversions!
- How to let your website do the work so you can stop working so hard

My second piece of advice is to do something. Don’t wait for the perfect opportunity. Take some action and keep moving forward. If you can’t afford a graphic designer, how about a free template? If you can’t afford a website, how about a blog?

Finally, reach out to other Metromom’s in our Connection Café and get advice on steps you can take to get your business off the ground, despite your shoestring budget. You might be surprised at the problem-solving that goes on when you reach out to other mom entrepreneurs.

(The Connection Café is available to members of the Metromom Community. If you’re not a member of Metromom’s community – please click here to join.).

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 make sure to check out the learning in the Online Success Toolkit)

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