Posts Categorized: Helpful links

8 Ridiculously Helpful Links For Bloggers + Creatives + Business Owners

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It’s the end of the month!  Let’s look at some of the helpful, smart things other people wrote on the internet!

Oh my, but this is timely.  10 ways to switch your brain to writing mode when working from home.
Walk around the block
If you work at home, it can be tempting to work from the couch in your pajamas. And while that’s definitely one of the perks of the business, it doesn’t really help your productivity. Get dressed, walk around the block and pretend you’re walking to “work”. Grab a cup of coffee on the way into your office, sit down and start your day.

A lot of people ask me how to get their start freelance writing.  I’ve been getting paid to write since I was 20 and from now on, I’ll just be pointing everyone who asks about it here.

Alex Franzen strikes again!  Her favorite (free) tools for writing, creativity, self-expression, and what not.

If you, like me, are still using Blogger for your blogging platform, it’s still possible to SEO your posts without all those fancy plug ins. Here are 7 SEO tricks for Blogger.

What’s the difference between doing what you WANT and doing what you SHOULD?
Can you just not do it? I personally believe you don’t have to do anything you don’t want to. If you’re in a bad relationship (with a client, a toxic friend, a significant other, a business partner) can you simply break up? If you have a day job you hate can you quit or just not go in today? If your answer is “No. I can’t just not do it…” ask yourself “why” a few times and soon you’ll get to why you choose to take on this duty or responsibility.

Remember how Allison told you that you can totally forgo the fancy DSLR and use iphone photos on your site?  Kara has an iphone-specific photography e-course!

Yes!  2014 Reboot: Blog Overhaul.  Tons of great ideas about how to fall back in love and get re-excited about your blog this year.

So interesting!  The Notecard System: the key for remembering, organizing, and using everything you read.

What awesome things did you read this month?  Leave links in the comments. 

photo by sailor coruscant // cc

8 posts for smart-working, creative-types

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Friends!  Some helpful links before you dive headlong into Christmas debauchery.

Did you launch something?  And it didn’t go quite how you would have liked?  Here’s how to regroup.
The truth is, most product launches don’t go viral. In the normal world, those occurrences are the outliers in the statistical universe. For you, it’s probably going to take a little more time, a little more effort, and a lot more patience.After all, there is a ton of behind-the-scenes work that goes into an overnight success.

Is it time to rebrand?  3 questions to ask yourself.

So helpful!  The Small Business Year-End Checklist.

Does SEO make you want to scratch your eyes out?  Here are some totally doable, non-overwhelming basics.

Want to increase your rates in 2014?  Here’s how.
1. You’re in charge of your business and your rates–not your client. So act like you’re in charge. That means communicating the information directly and with confidence as if it were the most natural thing in the world—and your client will have confidence in your decision. Communicate with hesitation, however—meekly asking what they would think if, or how they would feel if—and the client will see it as an invitation to negotiate.

One of my favorite time-effective ways to engage in ‘professional development’ is to put on Social Triggers videos while I’m making lunch or fold laundry.  Tons of helpful info that I can listen to in the background!

Yet another alternative to Paypal.

I do all of these - do you?  10 things to do to each blog post before you click ‘publish.’

Hope you had a lovely, calming holiday, friends!

photo by blupics // cc

8 Super Helpful Posts About Self-Employment + Small Business Awesomery

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Helpful links for you, dear creative/freelancer/small business owner!

A reminder that the words on your website are often more important than just about anything else.
Think about all the things you could communicate with a simple page like this. If you’re a businessperson, you could sell something. If you’re a teacher, you could teach something. If you’re an artist, you could show something you’ve made. And if your words are good, people will read them.  If you’re a web designer, or a client who is working with one, I’d like to challenge you to think about words first. Instead of starting with a style guide or a Photoshop mockup, start with words on a page.

Want to know all the different ways you can monetize your blog?  Listen to this.

Another good podcast - this one about content marketing.

If you’ve ever had clients, you’ve probably gotten angry at them.  A reminder that amateurs get angry with clients - professionals educate them
But the truth is, we deserve the clients we get. Bad clients aren’t the result of some cosmic force working against us, they’re more likely the result of our own actions. Frustrating clients are the result of some misstep we’ve made along the way. To do our best work and work with the best people, we need to be diligent in our relationship with our clients.

I cannot believe I didn’t know about Explore. Create. Repeat.  A gorgeous website full of helpful content for creatives, makers, and the self-employed.

Do you have a virtual assistant?  And you’re pretty sure you could be making better use of their time?  Here are 101 things you could have them work on. 

9 habits that make freelance life hard + 9 counter-habits that will grow your business.

Helpful! 20 things to do when business is slow.

What great things have you read recently?  Leave links in the comments!

photo by andertoons // cc

7 Time-Saving, Money-Making Posts For Bloggers + Businesses

Office Posture Matters: An Animated Guide from Flikli on Vimeo.

It’s the end of the month!  Let’s look at interesting, helpful things from all over the internet!

Oh, we should all read this a million times: 5 tips for launching a product without annoying your readers. (P.S. did you know about my app and my calendar that are coming out?)
Continue to deliver high value to readers during the launch period that is outside of the launch. So while we’re certainly promoting the eBook during the above launch there’s also the normal level of blog posts going up on the blog about other topics.  On a typical week on dPS I publish 14 tutorials – during a launch week it remains at this level. The same thing is true on social media – we continue to share great content on social that is not related to the launch. So anyone who doesn’t want to buy the eBook still is getting other value out of the site during the launch.

Whoa!  Tons of free photos for bloggers!

Need visual inspiration?  Here are five great resources.

This is The Most Helpful: 37 tips for writing emails that get opened, read, clicked.
Stop talking about your list. Stop talking about subscribers. Write as if you’re emailing one person only. It instantly makes your emails more personal.
Quit wasting people’s time. Only email when you have something truly valuable or helpful to say.
Be useful. Don’t just email when you need something from your readers. Be helpful. Be generous. Be friendly. Be like real friend.

Some out-of-the-box ideas to get traffic to your site.

7 ways to avoid small business burnout. (#6 x 1,000)

Need to install social media icons on your blog?  Here’s a super easy tutorial.

What awesome things have you been reading lately?  Leave links in the comments!

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7 Insanely Helpful Posts About Your Business

Wait!  Before we get to links I have something else I want to talk to you about.

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It’s late September and I’m talking about the holidays. 

Puke.  

Okay!  Now that that’s out of my system, let’s also acknowledge that 80% of Americans buy gifts online. And wouldn’t it be lovely if they bought those gifts from your Etsy shop/online store/blog?  Yeah, I think so too.  

But what if your online space isn’t quiiiiiite ready for an influx of visitors?  Dude, I can help.  

Each month I help small businesses and creative entrepreneurs with their online presences through my Solution Sessions.  It’s an awesome (and big) consulting package, filled with lots of different takeaways - none of which I offer a la carte.  Until now! (please read that in your best monster trucks announcer voice.)  

Here’s the deal: 

* You buy a Holiday Presence package
* You send me your URLs (blog! shop! social media profiles!)
*  I stalk your online life and send you 15-20 actionable, profit-increasing, awesome-i-fying suggestions
* You spend October implementing said suggestions to make your online presence as amazing a internet-ly possible
* In November, your ad goes up on Yes and Yes, introducing your products (and your newly improved online space) to 11,000+ people and 3,000+ newsletter subscribers
* You make waaaa more sales and enjoy lots of traffic and new readers
* We send each other internet high fives.  Yes?  Yes.

Sound like something you’re interested in?  Fantastic!  Check out my traffic stats here and then drop me a line at sarah (at) yesandyes (dot) org.  

Okay.  Onto the links!

20 quick tips for writing great blog posts.
Mix up the length of your posts – short can be sweet but long can be epic!
When an idea strikes – drop everything and capture it!
Do everything you can to understand who is reading your blog – it will make you more useful to them

What’s the difference between flat rates and hourly rates? And which should you use?

If you’re tired of hearing about marketing funnels, then you should read this post about the much more fun-ly named ‘salesnado’.

Did you know that super successful people share a lot of the same habits?  Let’s steal 9 of those habits!
Talk is cheap and meaningful customer relationships are built on promises. Same goes for your personal life, right? Well, maybe. Success is built on mutually trusting relationships with just about everybody. If you say you’re going to walk the office dog? Well, you’d best walk the office dog.

7 timeless principles of creative management

Holy helpful!  Bookmark this ish NOW. Startup Toolkit: the best tools for entrepreneurs

NBD.  My True Story: I Waited Till Marriage To Have Sex post was on the front page of the Subreddit: Sex board and I still get heaps of traffic from it.  Want to get a link on the front page of Reddit?  Here’s how.

Have you read anything particularly helpful lately?  Leave links in the comments!

photo by kennymatic // cc

7 Posts That Smart, Excited-About-Their-Work People Should Read

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Do I know a decent amount writing and social media and interneting? Yes.
Are there lots of other people who know just as much (or more!) about those same (and other) topics? Also, yes.

In fact, here are a few links about said topics!

When I discovered She Takes On the World I spent at least an hour watching videos and taking notes. Prepare to surrender your evening.

Do you have a 404 page for your website?  Add a bit of personality to yours!  Here are the best, funniest error pages on the web.

Don’t quit your job to chase your dreams - until you read this
You owe it to yourself to chase your dream – but not at the expense of those around you.  Too many times have I seen men and women chase dreams in ways that put their family in the way of harm. I can recount a number of new bloggers who quit their jobs to become full time bloggers only to find that their family no longer had an income stream or health care. I’ve seen marriages break down and tragedy strike as a result of chasing dreams without a safety net or backup plan.

Whoa!  This is an SEO mistake I didn’t know I was making!

I love listening to podcasts and webinars while I’m making dinner/driving/cleaning.  This webinar about monetizing your blog is great!

For fun: what’s your business’s spirit animal? (I think I’m an otter - though that’s not one of the choices.)

Another great podcast - this one from Copyblogger - about content marketing.  They talk about using content to drive traffic to a product or service,  creating content that attracts enterprise clients, and becoming recognized as an expert in your field.

Have you read anything awesome lately?  Share links in the comments!

photo by jd hancock // cc