Shotcallers #25 - August 2021

10 Tips for Writing Better Business Emails 10 Ways to Reduce Customer Acquisition Cost Should Pinterest Be Part of Your Social Media Marketing Strategy?

How the Busy Working Woman gets it all Done

6 Proven Ways to Improve Your SEO Rankings 5 Tips for Successful Content Marketing The Best Types of Content to Post on Pinterest Infographic: 5 Tips to Increase Your Online Conversion Rate

Amanda Frances Puts Money in Its Place MotivationandSuccess.com August 2021 FREE

INSIDE THIS MONTH’S ISSUE Marketing Calendar- pg. 3 10 Tips for Writing Better Business Emails pg. 4

This month, we’re not just going to talk business—we’re also going to get personal with some great finance talk with money queen Amanda Frances!

Amanda Frances Puts Money in Its Place pg. 7

Many of us had high hopes for normalcy in 2021 that simply aren’t coming true. Whether this is having a big impact on your business, your personal life, or both, your goal right now should be to strengthen your business for the rest of the year while preparing for whatever 2022 has in store.

5 Tips for Successful Content Marketing pg. 19

We’re going to help you do that by sharing six proven ways to improve your SEO rankings and five tips for successful content marketing. You also won’t want to miss our articles on writing more effective business emails and reducing customer acquisition costs. Then, we’ll tell you everything you need to know about the social media site Pinterest, including whether it should be part of your social media marketing strategy.

Then, we’re going to get personal with Amanda Frances, the number one bestselling author of “Rich As F*ck” and host of the podcast, “And She Rises.” Amanda talks to us about that old myth about money not buying happiness, how she tapped into the wealth-creation mindset, how to get empowered about your finances, and so much more!

To your business, Dennis M. Postema Founding Editor & CEO P.S. Want to get a back issue or help a friend sign up for a free subscription to SHOTCALLERS? Visit WEBSITE today!

The content in Shotcallers Magazine is made available on the terms and conditions that the publisher, editors, contributors and relatied parties; shall have no responsibility for any action or omission by any other contributor, consultant, editor or related party; disclaim any and all liability and responsibility to any party for any loss, damage, or disruption caused by errors or omissions, whether such errors or omissions result from negligence, accident or any other cause; are not responsible in any way for the actions or results taken by any person, organization or any party on basis of reading information, or contributions in this publication, website or related product.

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motivationandsuccess.com (855)694-4426

6 Proven Ways to Improve Your SEO Rankings - pg. 15

10 Ways to Reduce Customer Acquisition Cost - pg. 22 Should Pinterest Be Part of Your Social Media Marketing Strategy? - pg. 25 The Best Types of Content to Post on Pinterest - pg. 28 How the Busy Working Woman gets it all Done - pg. 30 Fun Facts - pg. 32 Infographic: 5 Tips to Increase Your Online Conversion Rate - pg. 33

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Marketing Calendar Plan your marketing messages around these upcoming holidays and proclamations.

August Children’s Eye Health and Safety Month Foot Health Month Happiness Happens Month Medic Alert Month Motorsports Awareness Month National Golf Month National Immunization Awareness Month National Eye Exam Month 1st - Friendship Day 1st - Girlfriend’s Day 1st - Spider-Man Day 3rd - Watermelon Day 4th - Chocolate Chip Cookie Day 5th - Oyster Day 6th - International Beer Day 8th - International Cat Day 9th - National Book Lovers Day 10th - S’mores Day 10th - Spoil Your Dog Day 11th - National Son and Daughter Day

11th - Mountain Day 12th - Vinyl Record Day 13th - International Lefthander’s Day 14th - Bowling Day 14th - Financial Awareness Day 15th - Relaxation Day 16th - Roller Coaster Day 18th - Serendipity Day 19th - World Photo Day 20th - Radio Day 21st - Senior Citizen’s Day 21st - International Homeless Animals Day 21st - World Honey Bee Day 24th - Kobe Bryant Day 24th - Waffle Day 26th - Dog Day 26th - Women’s Equality Day 28th - National Bow Tie Day 30th - Beach Day 30th - Frankenstein Day 31st - Eat Outside Day

September Hispanic Heritage Month Baby Safety Month Self Improvement Month National Cholesterol Education Month National Suicide Prevention Month World Alzheimer’s Month Sep 6 - Labor Day (U.S.) Sep 11 - Patriot Day (U.S.) 4th - National Wildlife Day 4th - Bacon Day 4th - World Beard Day 5th - Day of Charity 5th - Cheese Pizza Day 7th - Day of Clean Air 7th - Beer Lovers Day 10th - World Suicide Prevention Day 10th - 401(k) Day 12th - Grandparent’s Day 12th - Video Games Day 3 13th - Hug Your Boss Day

13th - Peanut Day 13th - Celiac Disease Awareness Day 14th - Eat a Hoagie Day 17th - Citizenship Day 18th - Cheeseburger Day 18th - Batman Day 18th - Clean Up Day 19th - Wife Appreciation Day 21st - Puppy Mill Awareness Day 21st - World’s Alzheimer’s Day 21st - Day of Peace 22nd - Autumnal Equinox 22nd - Ice Cream Cone Day 24th - Heritage Day 25th - Cooking Day 25th - Daughters Day 27th - Google’s Birthday 28th - Drink Beer Day 28th - Good Neighbor Day 29th - VFW Day 29th - World Heart Day 29th - Starbucks Day

10 Tips for Writing Better Business Emails

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The email revolution has changed the way people communicate in business.

It has virtually eliminated the need for writing letters and replaced many of the phone calls that used to be made.

in business. But it is easy to give the wrong impression in an email.

And the ease and speed of delivery mean that you have little or no opportunity to reconsider the content of an email.

Undoubtedly, email has improved efficiency

You have probably criticized other people’s

business emails.

Perhaps some were too wordy, some sounded rude, and others were undecipherable. But have you ever considered how people react to your emails when they open them? Read these ten tips to ensure that you aren’t making any of the typical business email mistakes.

1. Use the Subject Line

businessperson.

The subject line should indicate the email topic and express the need for urgency, if there is any.

Most business users get many emails every day, so use the subject line to get the recipient’s attention.

Keep the subject line brief and to the point, and never leave it blank.

It is also best to avoid any terminology that might suggest that the email is unsolicited spam.

Including keywords in the subject will also help people locate your email in their inbox.

3. Keep It Professional

2. Get to the Point in the First Paragraph

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People often skim-read their emails to prioritize which ones get read in full first. So, it would be advisable to summarize the reason for your communication in the first sentence or paragraph.

This opening paragraph may repeat some of what you included in the subject line. Still, your emails will get read sooner if you get the point quickly. Plus, a longwinded introduction will likely only irritate a busy

It is best to keep the tone of business emails professional. A business email is not a personal message; it is on behalf of the company you represent. So, avoid talking too much about personal matters, and don’t use things like smiley faces, exclamation marks, or excessive capitalization.

Even if you know the recipient personally, they may need to forward your email to other people in their company. It would also be advisable not to send anything that could cause embarrassment to or from a business email address. Business emails may be read by other people, such as an IT (information technology) administrator.

4. Be Personable Although it is best to keep business emails relatively formal, they don’t need to be written in a legal document tone. You will probably build better business relationships if you try to connect with the people you deal with

at work. It would be best not to get too personal in a business email, but opening with a phrase like, “I hope you had a good weekend,” will make you appear more personable.

5. Keep Business Emails Brief The people you are emailing are probably as busy as you are, so try not to waste people’s time with lots of preambles and too much unnecessary detail. Breaking up emails into paragraphs will also help the recipient find the information they need. Any detailed explanation of points, or supporting figures and documentation, can be included in an attachment.

6. Be Specific Try to avoid sending emails that require further clarification. Instead, be specific about the points you are raising or the request you are making.

Business emails are best kept brief. However, you want to avoid the need for someone to respond to an email asking for further clarification. Suppose

you were requesting an employee to complete a task, for example. In that case, you would include when the job needs to be completed and any other background information they would need. Long chains of emails going back and forth waste time and are annoying.

7. Refer to Attachments Don’t rely on the recipient noticing that there is an attachment to an email. Explain what the attachments contain in the body of the message. Describing the attachments’ contents will tell the recipient if they need to open and read the contents now or if it is something for later reference. Not mentioning an attachment in an email might lead to something crucial in the message getting missed.

8. Include a Call to Action

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Use a call to action (CTA) to clarify what you expect the recipient to do next. Your CTA might be something like, “I look forward to hearing from

you soon.” Or, in a sales message, the CTA might be more specific, like “Click here to save 50%”.

The crucial thing is to avoid the recipient being left wondering what your email’s point was and what they should do next. If the email was for information only, then this too should be clearly stated.

9. Sign Off with a Thank You Business communications tend to be more formal than personal messages, but it is best to remain courteous. So, remember to say thank you at the end of your emails. That might be thanking the person in advance for their cooperation or thanking them for what they have sent you.

Ensure that your contact information is included in all your business emails, too. Sometimes an email may elicit further communication via another channel. Making it easy for the recipient to find all your contact details will improve the likelihood of getting a speedy response.

10. Proofread Business Emails It is all too easy to type and send an email and later discover that you made an embarrassing mistake. It’s also not a great idea to send a business email when you are angry with the recipient. It is advisable to proofread even the shortest business emails before you send them.

If the message is crucial, it can help to save an email as a draft and read again an hour or two later before sending it. Typos can be embarrassing when you are trying to be professional, and messages sent in haste or anger can backfire on you.

To sum up, the perfect business email is concise, gets to the point fast, and contains a clear call to action. Simultaneously, the email will be courteous and contain sufficient pleasantries to avoid being too formal. There are no hard and fast rules about writing business emails.

But hopefully, the above tips will help you compose professional emails that achieve the desired results.

Amanda Frances Puts Money in Its Place

Welcome to Shotcallers, brought to you

by Motivation and Success TV. Today, it’s a special honor to have the one and only money queen and original Boss Lady, Amanda Frances. Amanda is the number one bestselling author of “Rich As F*ck” and host of the podcast, “And She Rises.”

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Dennis Postema: I’ve done a lot of courses on wealth, but your approach and your delivery is so different from everything out there. Why do you think that is?

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Amanda: One of the first moments I knew I was on to something that people weren’t getting is when I quit my Ph.D. program and I no longer had the stipend from my Ph.D. I was working as a life coach and a cocktail server Amanda Frances: Thank and doing all these things, you! I think that is an and I had the exact same outcome of really knowing amount of money as I had your subject matter, really when I was on the stipend. knowing your topic.

I made up for it somehow, When you know it really and I thought, can I really well, you don’t sound like imagine having less than anyone else. You don’t say this? Do I have some it like anyone else when kind of standard around you’ve integrated it and money? Do I have some embodied it for a long, kind of energetic set point long time. It is going to around a minimum and a come out differently, in maximum in my life? your own words, with your own spin and your And I was like, there is own stories. That’s the something to this. How difference between a is it that in my adult life, regurgitator and a true I’ve gotten a little bit nicer teacher because there apartments at a time with are plenty of people who a little bit more rent but regurgitate information, haven’t ever been short and they may do very well on my bills? I haven’t for themselves, but when necessarily had more you really know it and you money each month. Then really live it and it’s really I thought, how is it that part of you, you are going I’ve paid off a chunk of to have a unique take. credit card debt, but it came right back to that Dennis: Did you have same number? What is an actual moment that? Why do I seem to that was like your aha have a maximum around moment when you the credit card debt, but truly understood wealth it also never seems to creation and the wealth fall below a set point? mindset?

Something in me is okay with this. From there, I

just started noticing that with everything in life, we all have set points and standards around how things work for us.

I realized that I had never heard anybody talk about this before, and it was happening with my clients and my friends.

That was the moment that was probably career changing because now a lot of people talk about energetic minimums and maximums, and I know I made that up.

Dennis: One thing I noticed about you is the amazing amount of emotion and feeling you get when you talk about money and the subject of wealth. I’ve never seen anything like it. How do you get in that mindset?

Amanda: I really like money. I actually really like it, really adore it. That’s not possible unless you know that money is not bad.

There’s nothing bad about money; there is nothing wrong with money.

Money is neutral. Money is a resource. Knowing this, I think I allow myself to really love it and be passionate about it with no shame or stigma, obsession, or guilt or whatever.

If I have nothing negative around liking money, then I can just be in love with this thing that I get to work with and use and teach about. I do have a lot of passion coming through, and I think you get in that state by removing your shame and guilt around money being bad. I think probably everyone likes it because it enriches all our lives. We’ve made it so much more complicated than that.

Money means all of these things, because so many people in the world use it in fucked-up ways. But that doesn’t mean that we have to use it in fuckedup ways. When we allow ourselves to have it, we can always use it for good.

Dennis: I love that you say in the book that money is required and to stop asking God or the universe for all the money and different things that you want.

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Amanda: When we think God and the universe has to grant us something, we go through life essentially asking for permission, trying to be good little boys and girls who are worthy of a blessing from God or whatever. It’s such a disempowered state. Yes, I believe God can bless

me, and yes, I believe the universe is full of good, but waiting on someone to do something for me keeps me perpetually in the energy of waiting, and the energy of waiting is not the same as the energy of receiving or expecting or knowing or trusting.

I think once we take responsibility and we believe it is up to us to make the money, then we give God and the universe something to get behind, instead of asking for permission. It becomes, “Here’s what we’re doing, thank you for

putting these desires in my heart, God. Let’s do this thing!” I’m willing to fulfill the calling God put on my heart, but God can’t do that for me. We have to be an active participant in the creation of our lives.

It’s such a disempowered place to say, “I asked God and I didn’t get it. I guess it wasn’t God’s will.” It’s much more empowering to say, “This is the desire of my heart. God gave me the desires of my heart. I am walking this path now.

God, thank you for your guidance, let’s do this.” It’s fundamentally different.

Dennis: What’s your response to people who say that money can’t buy happiness?

Amanda: Money is a complicated thing. I think everyone has an idea of what it’s going to be like to have money, but actually having money is probably different for all of us. Like, I have definitely had experiences that left me wondering, is this it? I can buy cooler stuff, I can do better things, but is that it?

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Money can’t fulfill a deep longing in your soul, but if you’re oriented toward doing good things with

your life, money can only move you forward. Money can’t buy happiness, but money sure does make it a lot easier to fulfill what it is that will create happiness for you.

I don’t think money changes people, I think money amplifies people.

And there’s room to shift and pivot. You can get money and find yourself starting to be snotty or snooty or annoying or demanding in a way you

don’t like, and you can go, “I don’t like this about myself.” But it’s not like you get money and your personality changes.

Dennis: Right, it doesn’t all of a sudden mean you’re a different person.

Just because I like my shoes more doesn’t mean that I am any different.

Amanda: No, but you sure do feel good when you’re walking around in those shoes, and that doesn’t

hurt anybody.

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job of reminding people that I’m human. Someone Dennis: As an influencer, will say something horrible I know you’ve found that on Instagram, and I’ll reply, not all the feedback you “Hi, it’s Amanda. Thank get from others on the you for that very helpful internet is positive. How advice. In case you didn’t do you deal with haters? know, I am a human being.

I do feel what you just Amanda: It’s a fucked-up said to me.” I want people part of our culture. I don’t to know we’re all human, know why the second you we all feel things, and that have fame or influence or doesn’t mean we’re not celebrity, all of a sudden, grateful or thankful for you’re viewed as less what we created. human.

I also do a lot of ignoring, Like, fundamentally less deciding what gets my human. time and energy and what doesn’t. It’s important not It’s no wonder so many to let what people think celebrities have so many about you mean anything issues and get so reclusive about you. My therapy and don’t let people in. It’s background helps me with like, you’ve been projected that. You’ve gotta take it in about and speculated stride. about and had the whole world put their issues on What you can’t do is sit you, like every negative around ruminating about thing they think about it. Even Oprah said, when life or money or fame you’re getting a lot of and success, and they’re criticism, the first thing is putting it all on you and you read nothing. You go telling you about yourself internal and decide what all the time, and you’re you need to do for you supposed to feel good and and what you know to be functional and normal. It’s true about what you’re a little bit crazy. here to do, and you go forward in your purpose.

But when you start saying, Because people are always “Hey, fame is actually gonna say something. hard,” everyone says, “Oh, you’re ungrateful.” And that It gets to you at different doesn’t go over very well. times, depending on what I think I do a pretty good people are saying or what

they’re speculating or what they’re making up. It can hit you in a different way at a different time. I think a truth in life is that if something is bothering you and hurting you, then you have work and healing to do. If I find that I know that what they’re saying is untrue and unfounded, it can slide off my back much more easily, because I know it’s laughable. If I’m worried that there’s some truth to it or that somebody can believe it, it’s going to stick more, it’s going to hurt more, and I’m going to have a harder time with it.

Dennis: I know you come from a small town in Oklahoma. Did you find that the saying, “A prophet is not accepted in his own town” has some truth?

Amanda: I really need to create a podcast or something on this, because I feel what you said. I mean, Jesus wasn’t received in his hometown.

I grew up in Cyan Springs, a tiny, tiny town outside of Tulsa. One time I was back in Tulsa and I went to a small store and talked to a woman behind the counter who knew me from my work online. She

asked me what it was like to be back, and I explained that all the people who’ve known me my whole life didn’t seem able to wrap their heads around what I do as being meaningful or real or important to people, because I’m just Amanda who they’ve known forever.

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which of your courses should they start with?

Amanda: I would say, if you’re liking me and liking the vibe and you want to know more about money, how money can work for you and support you and how to heal your relationship with money, starting with “Money And it’s not that I need Mentality Makeover” is their praise, but it’s completely fine. But it only almost like I was receiving opens about twice a year, rejection for being so and it is a very progressive different from them and course that takes you from for pursuing a different life. money manifestation The woman behind the basics to next-level wealth counter said, “Jesus wasn’t consciousness principles. received in his hometown.” It’s seven modules and I never forgot that. twenty-two hours of bonuses. So, if you find out Yet, just the other day, a about me and that’s open girl I’ve known literally and it feels like a good fit my entire life but haven’t for you, you could totally seen since sixth grade jump right in. commented on a random person’s Instagram and However, I understand that tagged me and said, that’s not digestible for “You really need to read a lot of people, so I have ‘Retrospect’ by Amanda two smaller things: “Drop Frances. It’s a great book.” the Motherfucking Money So you have to assume Struggle Bundle” and the that there are some “Energy and Frequency of people who follow along Money.” Those cost way and are really cool with less than “Money Mentality it. I guess it doesn’t really Makeover.” Everyone in matter that much. I’m just my two smaller money gonna live my best life in bundles gets coupons Bel Air. with their money back toward “Money Mentality Dennis: If someone really Makeover,” so that they can wants to dig into wealth start now with something and increase their wealth, that’s a bit more digestible

or obtainable or feels a bit more accessible or the price point doesn’t freak them out. And they can do the money course later, if they want, or they might feel complete with the smaller offering.

Dennis: What advice would you give a twentyyear-old Amanda?

Amanda: Oh, man. I would say, “Hey, listen. It might be rocky for a little bit.

You’re gonna have some things to sort through and figure out, and you’re gonna try some different paths and you just need to know that all those different things are going to add up for what you’re ultimately here to do. It won’t necessarily be easy, and it won’t really make sense to anyone else, but it will completely work out.” I’d also tell her, “You’re right. The things that are on your heart to do, the things that you really want to do, you are meant to do those things. It’s just not conceivable yet.”

When I was starting my career, coaching wasn’t an industry yet. So much that was on my heart wasn’t conceivable, but I just had to take my steps as it all unfolded and made sense over a lot of years.

Find out more about Amanda and sign up for her courses by visiting https://www.amandafrances. com. If you visit the website today, you can get the free Boss Lady Meditation series and sign up to receive emailed inspirational content. You can also tune in to her podcast, “And She Rises.” Her bestselling book, “Rich As F*ck,” is available at Barnes & Noble and on Amazon.

Getting Comfortable on the Edge Money is circulating all the time, so it’s really my job to increase what I believe is possible and what I align myself with over and over again. It’s such a process and it’s such a journey.

I feel like I get it more and more all the time. I am an expert teacher, and I’m still in my process. I am still up against my own edge all the time.

I am making a $1 million investment into a fund that I really believe in that I think is going to move important things forward in our world, like artificial intelligence, but releasing $1 million at once was the new edge.

It’s never really like you’ve arrived. If you want to keep expanding financially, you’ll always be learning about something, either spending more than you’ve ever spent before, receiving more than you’ve ever received, or investing more. There’s always an edge that you’re up against.

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6 Proven Ways to Improve Your SEO Rankings

Search engine optimization is more than just a set of skills and tactics; it is also an ever-evolving science. What worked five, ten, or even twenty years ago may not work today. Changes are made by search engines all the time, and every so often those changes can throw your site into a tizzy.

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arrange page elements differently based on the size of screen the user is using to view your site.

Check with your website developer to find out if your site is built on a responsive platform. If so, your site should pass Google’s test of your site to make sure it is mobile Make Your Web Content friendly. If your site is not responsive, check to Mobile-Friendly ensure you have a mobile version of your site setup Mobile use is growing globally, and this trend is for any visitors that are on set to continue. With this a mobile device. in mind, it is essential to While most browsers offer make sure that people a “mobile view” option, can access your website from any possible device. it is not always accurate in terms of the layout, so it is best to make sure It is not surprising that that your site is designed Google has recently announced that it will be specifically for smaller screens. taking the mobile-first approach in its algorithm Technology is changing rankings - meaning at an incredible rate. websites that are not Today, it is essential to optimized for mobile keep up with the times. devices will get pushed down in search rankings. Mobile-friendly websites are one way to do that.

So, it is crucial for your website to have a mobileImprove Your Website’s friendly version. You Load Speed should be aware of the different breakpoints and make sure that your In today’s online world, high speeds are a mustwebsite is responsive at have for any website. any point.

The ability to load a page quickly is crucial for the A responsive site will SEO has a lot of moving pieces, but there are some tweaks and optimizations that you can do today that will improve your rankings very quickly. Here are six time-tested techniques that will help you gain more natural traffic.

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success of any website or application.

It is no secret that faster websites are perceived as more professional. There are many factors that affect a user’s experience when they load a website, but one factor that can have a huge impact is how quickly websites load. The more quickly a user sees your content, the quicker they will be able to act on it. That means you have an opportunity to grab users and convert them into customers before they have even had a chance to see everything on your site.

Let’s face it, people are getting less and less patient as the speed of modern life continues to increase. No one wants to wait. So, in order to capture customers and convert them into your loyal followers, you must have a fast website.

Often times site that have a large amount of functionality can have slower load times.

An experienced web designer can identify elements that are causing

a delay in your site’s load time and provide recommendations. If your site is built on the WordPress platform, there are third-party software plugins that can dramatically improve the speed of your site load times. Check with your webmaster to see how your site can be improved.

Console installed if you want to use them effectively.

include some keywords from that list in your title tags.

A well-designed XML sitemap with accurate page information will only take a few minutes and will help your website’s ranking tremendously!

Create an XML Sitemap for Better Indexing

Every experienced webmaster knows that it is crucial to optimize the title tag for their website as it can affect how high they rank in search engines.

Title tags are best when they offer a user-friendly summary of the page’s content so that people can decide whether they want to delve into your page or not based on their titles alone.

This can also affect rankings in Google’s search algorithm, because Google may give preference to pages whose titles promise more relevant results.

In order to make sure that your website is going to rank in the search engines, you need to create an XML sitemap. It is a necessary step for search engine optimization, and it will guarantee that your website will rank higher in the search.

So what exactly does an XML sitemap do?

Basically, it includes all of the pages on your site so that crawlers can index them better.

XML Sitemaps should be submitted to each major search engine individually, and they should be updated regularly, so make sure you have Google Search 17

Optimize Title Tags to Boost Rankings

Use Keywords

In a nutshell, a title tag is what appears at the top of the browser window.

It is one of the most important metadata tags for SEO as it builds up your site’s credibility with the search engine.

The importance of keywords in search engine optimization is hard to ignore. They can help you target the right audience so that your content is relevant to their needs.

To write a suitable title tag you need to think like your target audience and include keywords that they are likely to use when finding your page.

For example, if you are a store selling footwear think about what people might search for when looking for shoes and

You can use tools such as Moz or Google Keyword Planner to find the top ranking terms related to your site’s topic and keyword research tools for finding related longtail keyword phrases. The more related keywords you have, the better chance you have of

increasing conversions and getting higher rankings on search engines such as Google or Bing.

affected, and it may even lead to lower traffic.

However, make sure to refrain from using oversaturated keywords that may have already been taken by other more popular websites so you can avoid serious competition.

Content is still the king, and it is necessary for your business and brand to stand out from the crowd.

Produce High-Quality Content

to think about how you can add value for them.

Write more, write better, and produce more topnotch content, and eventually, people will notice you.

SEO optimization can seem a tricky and timeconsuming task. However, it is a crucial part of The internet has changed any online marketing the way people find, campaign, whether it is consume, and share for your blog, business, or personal website. At the The most important thing information. Today, your website has to offer end of the day, if you can about keywords is to something more than take the right actions, you use them correctly and just a mediocre product can reap the rewards of not stuffing keywords your success in the long everywhere. Keep in mind or service. If you want run. that this can result in your visitors to stay with you for a long time, you need website’s ranking being

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5 Tips for Successful Content Marketing Content marketing is a great method for gaining more brand exposure, organic traffic, and conversions using search engine optimization.

When done incorrectly, however, these benefits may never materialize.

This is not only a waste of 19

time but also a significant waste of opportunity because the content produced for this kind of marketing strategy has flow-on benefits beyond itself.

Quality content can serve to gain more traffic from many channels beyond

only organic traffic from search engines if leveraged correctly.

So how do you use content marketing effectively? Read on to discover five tips to improve your strategy and reap the rewards.

Research Accordingly

as much as possible, however. Keywords that No matter how good your have a higher search volume but also higher content is, it’s worthless competition aren’t if no one is interested in necessarily the most it. An effective content effective choice if your marketing plan needs website doesn’t yet have to target topics that the authority to outrank are relevant to your that competition. If no business and can deliver one is searching for your a significant amount of content, or they are search traffic. but you can’t rank it on The only way to determine the search pages, your strategy won’t be effective. whether this is the case is to research before Use Evergreen Content producing any content.

This ideally begins with a Evergreen topics are the thorough understanding most valuable for use of your niche so that you in content marketing can ascertain the most because it’s content that likely information people will continue to bring in want to know. What kind of questions do they often organic traffic over a long period of time, or even ask? What problems do indefinitely. This represents they need to solve? a much better return on the time spent creating Once you have an idea the content but also has of what you can write other benefits too. about, the next step is to decide how to frame As evergreen content ages that information based and continues to bring on search volumes and traffic to your website, it competition. Each piece of content should answer also continues to accrue what the reader wants to backlinks, social shares, know, using keywords and and other signals that help your website as a whole to context they will use in a perform better in search search engine. engines.

You should also aim to Updating this older minimize competition 20

content a little over time allows you to continuously improve and grow each piece in a way that it can consistently rank high but also act as a dependable source of traffic to shuttle towards newer content.

Create Content Rich in Multimedia A picture is worth a thousand words, but a contextually relevant video is worth even more.

Diverse and original multimedia serves to increase the value of your content in the eyes of search engines. It is also a great way to boost engagement in your articles by breaking up walls of text with other media that keep visitors interested and excited about the content.

Furthermore, images and videos are ideal things to share on social media and they make your content itself more likely to be shared. This serves to grow your social media following without having to create new content specifically for a social media campaign or doing much extra work.

Diversify Over Multiple Channels While organic traffic is incredibly valuable, it’s not the only kind of traffic you can gain from the effective use of content marketing.

A good content plan also gives you bonus content for social media and the ability to diversify over multiple other channels using it. Posting and sharing on social media brings in traffic, but it also helps to increase the perception of value that search engines place on your content by showing that it is popular and shareable.

engines and to help give you return visitors whenever you post new articles.

Always Relate to Your Business Organically

want to convert the traffic from your blogs and other content streams into purchases, you need to use a soft touch.

Don’t try to tell your visitors how your offering can meet whatever needs Content needs to be they expressed when they beneficial to visitors searched for your article, in some way, but it is but rather ensure that ultimately a marketing what your customer wants strategy at its core. This and what you’re offering is means that you need to be able to link every article a perfect match from the beginning by choosing back to your business. your content areas carefully. It’s better to write Whether you use a particular piece of content about a less popular topic to gain more subscriptions with close specificity than to try to convert traffic to your newsletter or that just isn’t interested in to directly persuade what you’re providing. people to buy a product or service, conversion More importantly than As with any marketing that though, you can gain of some kind is the end goal. The increased traffic strategy, your content additional benefit from marketing plan needs you can garner to your your time by expanding to have actionable, website through content onto platforms like achievable goals and a marketing isn’t worth YouTube or through way to track your progress. podcasts. Another option much if you aren’t doing Knowing what you want something with it. to squeeze out even to achieve and having the more value is to use email means to do so through Linking back to your subscriptions to build a analytics is key to making business needs to be more lasting relationship done organically, though. the most of your time with the visitors to your and being successful in Today’s internet user is content. largely blind to advertising whatever you do. These tips, combined with an and will ignore obvious All of these things give analysis of your progress marketing attempts you a greater return on can help to greatly the same piece of content, unless they are already considering your business improve the results of your but also act to boost the marketing strategy online. for some purpose. If you effectiveness in search 21

10 Ways to Reduce Customer Acquisition Cost How much does it cost you to acquire each new customer? The answer to that question is to be found in the equation ‘total sales and marketing expenses / total number of customers acquired’.

But the result of that equation provides much more than an interesting statistic. Your customer acquisition cost is a measure of the 22

effectiveness of your marketing.

will increase.

Reducing the customer If you don’t monitor your acquisition cost does customer acquisition cost, not mean slashing your marketing costs your marketing could get out of control, budget. Instead, it and you will be unable means increasing the to track the effectiveness effectiveness of your sales of your marketing and marketing efforts. campaigns. But, if you can So, here are ten ways reduce the acquisition that you can reduce your cost without impacting customer acquisition cost new sales, your net profit to improve profits.

1. Narrow Your Target Audience

a marketing campaign generates is irrelevant.

Instead, it would be best It’s a bit of a cliche, but to focus on the indicator you must know who that matters: conversions. your target audience to So, direct your marketing maximize the return on budget towards investment in marketing. campaigns that yield the So, develop a profile of highest number of sales your typical customer, rather than those that including where these generate an influx of leads people hang out, their that go nowhere, because interests, and where they every sales lead that does will most likely see your not convert is costing you advertising. Then, you money, both in terms of can focus your marketing the initial marketing spend spend on campaigns most and the time wasted likely to reach the right qualifying out the lead. people.

2. Increase Organic Acquisition Advertising will undoubtedly generate leads. But even welltarget advertising can be costly. So, divert some of your marketing spend to increasing the sales leads that are generated organically. Increasing your expenditure on search engine optimization (SEO), for example, could increase sales acquired via organic search. Building strategic partnerships with other businesses in your sector could generate free referrals.

3. Quality Over Quantity 23

The number of leads that

4. Implement Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Software Customer relationship management (CRM) software will help you manage the sales process and guide salespeople through a predefined sales process. And a CRM package will enable you to automate some tasks and so save time.

Setting up CRM can seem a bit daunting. But the software can help you reduce the cost of customer acquisition. The software can also improve relationships with existing customers, which will help increase customer retention.

5. Increase Inbound Marketing Inbound marketing, such as social media, blog posts, eBooks, and Webinars, is a long-term strategy.

But it is a strategy that can yield a high return on investment in the long run. And this type of marketing also helps to generate brand awareness and increase trust. So, consider diverting some of your marketing spend to inbound strategies to decrease the total cost of customer acquisition gradually.

6. Encourage Customer Referrals Encouraging customer referrals will bring you pre-qualified leads already primed by your existing customer’s recommendation. So, people who have been referred to you by customers will be faster and cheaper to convert.

Spending time and money on building relationships with customers will increase customer retention and encourage more referrals. You can also encourage referrals by offering incentives, such as discount coupons and special offers.

7. Qualify Leads Hard It will save you money in the long run if you qualify all your leads hard. So, be sure to ask pertinent qualifying questions early in the sales cycle. For example, you need to know when a customer is likely to come to a buying decision and how much they are willing to spend. And it will help to understand what the motives are that are driving the purchase.

Asking these types of questions will enable you to filter out the timewasters faster, and then you can focus your efforts on the leads most likely to close.

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following up dead leads.

Even so, closing leads that failed to convert the first time around will reduce your overall customer acquisition cost.

keeping, the savings on marketing will outweigh the additional admin cost

Reducing customer acquisition costs can be a means of reducing total 9. Consider Alternative marketing spend. Or it Sales Models can enable a company to target its marketing Selling direct to customers expenditure in the most is not the only sales model effective marketing that exists. There are other campaigns. Either way, ways to sell products the cost of acquiring that rely on other people new customers must be bearing the marketing managed just as tightly as costs--for example, affiliate you manage the cost of marketing, selling via products and overheads. distributors, and multilevel marketing push the So, the first thing to do marketing spend out is calculate the total to third-party resellers. customer acquisition That means you do not cost and analyze the bear the cost of failed acquisition cost across marketing campaigns. the various marketing 8. Don’t Discard All Dead Instead, you pay a channels. Then, focus Leads commission, which only marketing efforts on becomes due when a sale the most cost-effective occurs.

Leads that don’t initially marketing methods, convert may buy later. channeling more After all, if someone visited 10. Monitor Return on resources into the most your website or requested Investment productive ones. Ensure a quote, something about that your sales processes, your offering appealed It is crucial to track the such as lead qualification, to them. So, it could help costs of marketing are as efficient as possible. reduce your customer channels and campaigns Then, you will be able to acquisition costs if you and calculate customer maximize the benefit of do not immediately write acquisition costs for each every marketing dollar you off leads that go cold. one. Then you can divert spend.

Instead, retarget them funds to the most costwith automated online effective methods and ads or follow-up mailers. drive down your total Of course, you may not acquisition cost. Although want to spend excessive this might involve more amounts of money on admin and record-

Should Pinterest Be Part of Your Social Media Marketing Strategy?

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Users of Pinterest are also primed towards making purchases, as one of the key reasons people use the platform is to get ideas for products or styles they want to try. This makes it easier to gain conversions from your effort, as the people who view your This is often more effective content on the platform than simply explaining the already have an intent to buy. benefits of a product, or how it can be used. With Finally, the ability to Pinterest, customers can get a firsthand impression place ads that look quite natural and blend of how items of clothing Strengths of Pinterest could be pieced together into other content is beneficial for any social Pinterest is a highly visual into interesting outfits, media campaign. The or how a beautiful piece social media platform modern internet user is of furniture could fit into with a predominately becoming more blind to their own home. female audience, and advertisements than ever this tends to reflect what before, making many kinds Other visual social media content performs well of ads ineffective. Ads that networks like Instagram on the network. It has look less like ads alleviate can accomplish this a few unique strengths, this problem and offer too, but Pinterest is including: significantly more effective higher value for money. because content posted • Highly visual format to the platform can remain Of course, with how the platform works it’s relevant for much longer • Audience primed for fairly easy to gain from it periods of time. Users making purchases can continue to find your without spending on paid • Long-lasting content content as well, making pins in searches or on visibility Pinterest a good choice for your boards and shared low-budget campaigns. on the boards of others • Paid ad placements into perpetuity, while an Should You Use It? The nature of the platform Instagram post will fade from prominence and be makes it well-suited buried by new content far Given the unique benefits for showcasing visually that Pinterest holds for sooner. appealing content. For social media marketers, it’s this reason, content Pinterest is a great social media network to leverage as part of your social media marketing strategy, but it’s important to understand when this network is an appropriate choice and what its individual strengths are before you choose to use it. Certain niches also perform particularly well on Pinterest while others are better suited to other platforms.

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from niches like beauty, fashion, and decor is very successful. Showing attractive examples of your brand on Pinterest not only acts to advertise it but also inspires potential customers with ways they can use your products.

definitely a consideration to keep the platform in mind, but unfortunately not all kinds of content perform well on Pinterest.

To leverage Pinterest successfully, you need to have offerings that are visual in some way.

Users of the network aim to build boards that are aesthetic to look at, and content that doesn’t fit these criteria won’t garner much attention. This also limits the kinds of niches that will work on the platform.

It is also a platform where

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you benefit greatly from content volume. If you can churn out a large number of original pins featuring beautifullooking products, you will achieve greater success on Pinterest. This means you need to be able to create content for your brand or have a team in place who can do this for you.

around this by using the platform to showcase the same product in many different ways instead, and this is definitely something to consider.

Otherwise, if none of this is possible, adifferent platform may be a better consideration and offer a greater return potential. In any marketing campaign, If you only have access to it is important to plan a limited number of media accordingly around what you can use, visibility is available to you and on Pinterest is greatly consider all opportunities limited, making it less before locking into any effective for brands with one option. limited products. There are creative ways to get

The Best Types of Content to Post on Pinterest Most brands now realize the importance of having a strong social media presence, but it’s crucial to know which types of content to post. Pinterest is an excellent platform for visual content, but it can also be complicated. We offer the following tips on the content that performs best on the platform.

1. Inspirational quotes

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Whatever sector your brand is in, quotes are a safe option. Ideally, it’s best to tie them into your industry. However, if that becomes too difficult, posting the best-known quotes is a good option that should see your Pinterest profile grow.

Remember, you can share content from other Pinterest users on your

most relevant board, find quotes online and create your own. As ever, you should strike the right balance between original content and sharing posts from others. Quotes are great, but don’t overdo them, because they should only be one part of the content you share.

2. Infographics

impact can be significant for your Pinterest profile.

This social media site is perfect for this type of content because the image dimensions usually fit perfectly, and you can add it to your most relevant Pinterest board.

3. Blog post graphics

All websites need quality content, but it can be Infographics present an hard to ensure it gets innovative approach to read without the right displaying information promotional strategy. and data. However, Therefore, blog graphics they need to be posted are necessary to post somewhere for maximum across various social exposure. The excellent media sites. Sometimes it’s news is Pinterest is the possible to create these perfect site to upload your within the content itself, infographics. which you can pin directly to Pinterest.

Although putting your infographics together can However, you can also be time-consuming, the create the graphic and

upload it to Pinterest, including the link back to the content. Pinterest can direct a lot of traffic back to your website in this way if you get it right.

Your success will be even higher if your content covers one of Pinterest’s most popular categories, such as fashion, food or fitness.

4. Product Examples If you’re selling products, sharing photos of your products are very effective.

You can show your product in a variety of ways, including staged photos or photos of your product in use. If you’re staging some photos of your product, make sure to take notice of the lighting. Your product should be clear and not in any shadows. Don’t have strong shadows around your product either. You may need to setup several lights to avoid this.

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To showcase your product in use, make sure the item is well positioned in the image. Don’t use photos where it is hard to see your product. For example, if you sell custom shirts, make sure the image showcases the shirt, that the shirt is close enough in the photo to see the detail

of the design, but still incorporate some of the person wearing the shirt and the surrounding area.

Don’t zoom in too close so that only the design is showing. The more natural the photo looks, the more attention it will garner.

to occasional treats.

Remember to get the balance right between original content and sharing pins from others.

Your brand may be able to grow fast on the platform to focus on niche ideas that have a wide following, 5. Fitness tips such as vegan food. If you are a fitness brand, As mentioned, Pinterest this will combine very can be more relevant to well with fitness tips and some brands than it is to motivational quotes. Of others. For example, health course, it’s a great idea and fitness content tends to tie all of your content to perform exceptionally together if that’s possible. well on the platform.

For this reason, fitness The majority of brands bloggers and wellness now need to be active on brands tend to be active social media, but digital on the site. marketing success is never as straightforward Therefore, if this is relevant as it may initially appear. to your brand, it’s good to Pinterest is one of those share health and fitness platforms that provide content. Remember, there excellent rewards but is a wide range of what can seem complicated you can share in this area, when you are new to it. from fitness tips to quotes It’s essential to post a lot to full meal and exercise of content across at least plans. Decide what is most 10-15 boards to succeed. relevant to your brand and The preceding article has create a suitable Pinterest looked at some of the board to pin your updates. best content to share, so remember to focus 6. Recipe ideas on quotes, infographics, blog post graphics, Pinterest is a superb product showcases, platform to share food fitness tips and/or recipe and recipe ideas. Food is ideas depending on your such a vast area that you business type. can include everything from healthy options

How the Busy Working Woman gets it all Done As busy working women, I know we desire and strive to get it all done.

Sometimes we can, and at other times it can seem overwhelming. Here are some tips to help Working Women get things done: Mind dump. One of the things I like to do at the beginning of the week is a huge mind dump. Many of us have a to-do list, and it starts here. What you do I simply take a sheet of paper and just write down all the items you need to do and focus on for the week. Everything.

Items can include calls to clients, work on proposal, clean office, organize database, send out reports, go to grocery store.

After we list all the items, we can then start to prioritize and schedule when we will do them based on your needs of each day. I like to take it day by day and identify my “Big 3” – these are the three items I must do each day; the Big 3 doesn’t mean I only do 3 items, but what it does is helps me gain clarity on what truly MUST get done and it keeps me from getting overwhelmed and more items get completed.

Look to others. Success leaves clues.

That is a mantra I follow. When I am struggling to be more purposeful and productive, I look to others who I feel are having success in those areas.

Maybe they are having success with The Mind-Dump is important because it time blocking, delegating or leveraging gets all the items out of our head so our relationships. It is important to look at the patterns of successful people minds freer to think, process and focus.

When we have too many ideas, our brain because they can teach us how to grow becomes overworked and confused; this in our areas of challenge. causes us to be busy but not productive.

It can also cause us to spin and freeze in One area I think many women in business struggle is in delegation; it is our ability to move forward. hard to both identify the needed items 30

to delegate and trust that when you off load items things will get done. I find it to be helpful to ask others how they got started. What were some of the first steps they did and how did they grow the skill of delegating? If you nee to hire someone, ask others for help in hiring and looking for an assistant.

What actions did I do to take care of today’s business? Plant seed for Tomorrow’s business?

Get honest about how you are investing your time. The truth is that none of us has more time, its all in how we use it. When you focus on how you are showing up and if you are using your People like to help, and many are happy time to its highest and best use, you will to share their journey to make it easier for see the return of your investment. others. Do not be afraid to lean in and Step away. Just as much as we need to ask for guidance. work, we also need to step away. When I start to feel overwhelmed, confuses, Track your time. Time can get away or burned out, I find it is best to step from us. We need to do a better job of learning how we are “investing” our time. away. This allows me time to reflect and When you look at time as an investment, re-energize. It gives me time for a fresh perspective and renewed energy. you protect it more. You start to ask – am I getting a return back on this Stepping away can be a day off or investment? vacation but it can also be turning off I encourage you to track your time. Take your computer or phone, taking a walk, working out or playing with your kids.

2 minutes in the day to assess: how Just taking time to step away from the many hours did you work that day stress and noise of the moment. and how you invested that time. Ask questions like: We do a lot. And in many ways we love Did I really work during this time, or that and want to keep giving our all. Just remember that there is a cost to giving. just show up?

Protect yourself from burnout and set yourself up for success. You are destined Did I work on activities to build my for greatness – go after it the right way. business?

Clara Capano “Strategist for the SMART Woman” is an Best Selling Author and Award Winning Educator. Executive Producer/Creator – the Working Women’s Channel https://www.youtube.com/ channel/UC7HkFgvq4S9bdB3LygEo0Sw Clara has been featured on: NBC, ABC, CBC and FOX. She is contributor with Forbes.com and the Forbes Coaching Council. Watch Clara on Season 3 of AmazonPrime’s Speak Up. Visit Clara’s website at www.claracapano.com 31

August was named in honor of Augustus Caesar. It has 31 days because Augustus wanted as many days as Julius Caesar’s month of July had.

They took that extra day from February.

August Milestones: • August 1st, 1981 - MTV network debuted on cable television, playing music videos 24 hours a day. The Buggles’ “Video Killed the Radio Star” was the first video shown.

• August 7th, 1782 - George Washington ordered the creation of the Badge of Military Merit to honor soldiers wounded in battle. It later was renamed to the more poetic Purple Heart.

• August 6th, 2012 - NASA’s Curiosity rover landed on the surface of Mars.

• August 12th, 1990 - Sue, the largest and most complete Tyrannosaurus Rex skeleton found to date, was discovered by paleontologist Sue Hendrickson in South Dakota.

• August 16th, 1954 - The first issue of Sports Illustrated was published.

• August 21st, 1911 - The Mona Lisa was stolen by a Louvre employee, Vincenzo Peruggia. It was returned in 1913.

• August 27th, 2003 - Mars made its closest approach to Earth in nearly 60,000 years, passing just 34,646,418 miles away.

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