Some very exciting GREENish projects:

Lots of new and interesting projects have been keeping Girl Friday so busy she sort of forgot to put out this newsletter…for four months! Geez Louise how time flies:

The Sonoma County GoLocal Cooperative is a very exciting client project I’ve been involved in that will give you the tools to create sustainability in all aspects of your personal, business and community life. You’ll save money, you’ll help restore the environment, and you will directly participate in creating a more thriving local economy. And GoLocal will make it easy for you to do all this so that not only will you benefit, but your family, your neighbors, your local businesses and organizations will, too. Everyone knows that our government, our financial institutions, and our “safety nets” have all failed us. So it is up to us, now and in the future, to re-build a community structure that supports everyone.

Sound lofty? Even a bit idealistic? Well, that’s what Girl Friday loves about this project!! VEveryone can join this marvelous project, so get more information by going to the GoLocal website, or by sending an email to Girl Friday.

Check out another client who is spreading sunshine, laughter, roses and… compost…everywhere she goes. I’m talkin’ Annie, folks. Annie Spiegelman. Also known as the Dirt Diva, she’s a writer with a charming sense of humor and practical advice on organic gardening, mothering, activism, and…making compost. I suspect that as a little girl, she loved playing in the dirt. Just a guess.

Women-on-Air is an on-line radio station run by two amazing women whose mission is to help you “redesign your life from the inside out.” Create an environment that is health and that truly represents who you are inside. Then, leverage that peaceful, powerful place inside and go out and change the world! Women-on-Air does podcast interviews with other amazing women. Very inspiring!

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Hopefully, you are using Inbound Marketing tools like a blog, social media and/or Search Engine Placement to attract new visitors to your website.

And, if you are selling products or services using a Shopping Cart, you can use that cart to boost the effectiveness of your Inbound Marketing plan, too. Pretty nifty, huh?

There are hundreds of on-line shopping carts to choose from, ranging in price from free to wicked expensive. But do your homework, and if you want to utilize your cart as a marketing tool, search for carts with lots o’ goodies in them. Certain shopping cart tools, when combined with your existing marketing, can really boost the results of your inbound marketing plan.

“Like what tools, Girl Friday? you may ask. “And how?”

Make sure your Shopping Cart is Search Engine Friendly, and ask if it contains these marketing tools:

1. Product pages that contain space for keyword-specific product descriptions. So, when someone is searching Google for, say, a groovy pair of carpet skates, they’ll be directed to the shopping cart landing page for Carpet Skates, where you’ll have a fabulous, keyword-rich description of just how cool those skates are! As always, keywords are…the key.
2. Some carts can create a feed from your product catalog to product comparison sites like Google Product Search, Shopzilla and PriceGrabber.com. Millions of shoppers use those comparison sites. This is a just another good way to gain some new visitors to your product pages! Is that neat or what?  I KNOW!! Be sure to ask your shopping cart provider if they have this cool tool.
3. Consider an Affiliate Marketing program – some shopping carts have this module; there are also other ways you can set-up and manage affiliates who sell your products for you by sending traffic to your cart, in exchange for a commission. A good way to create a ’sales force’!
4. Tell-A-Friend capability allows a shopper to send an email to a friend to let them know about your products. That friend can then click on a link in the email and wind up in your cart purchasing that product.

Other tools within a cart can augment your marketing plan. Here are some other questions you might ask a shopping cart provider:

1. Does your shopping cart have a list program you can use for creating/sending newsletters or sales promotions?
2. Can you create forms for harvesting new subscribers to your newsletters/email list?
3. Is there an email auto-responder?
4. Is there Ad Tracking software so you see which ads are working for you?

About Shopping Carts:

1. You can purchase and own the software, do-it-yourself, and “bolt” the cart onto your existing website. This option, best for smaller companies or low-sales sites, requires more of a financial investment up front, but may save you money in the long-run. This “ala carte” approach allows you to pick and choose different modules you can add to use as marketing tools. And this is a good way to go if you have staff or can hire someone to set it up for you and teach you to use it. Girl Friday has done this for clients, and can do it for your company, too. Ask us how!
2. There are on-line hosted shopping cart programs that give you a wider range of e-commerce functionality, and offer embedded marketing tools as well. You pay a set-up fee upfront, then a monthly fee and a percentage of sales. This is a good way to go with higher-volume or speciality products that have compliance or shipping issues (like wine and gourmet foods). Most important, you get reliable customer service, 24/7, reporting, transaction processing, and order/inventory management. Girl Friday has researched and set-up this type of shopping cart. Email for more detail!
3. If you are generating over 10 million/year in sales, you’re probably not reading this!( just kidding). A dedicated e-commerce solution may be the best choice for large companies. These carts are custom built for you and require a substantial investment.
4. There are completely free, shareware shopping carts available on-line. These carts have limited technical support (if any), and do not guarantee software updates; they generally do not have marketing tools embedded within the program. Although they are free, consider  the very large investment of your time, or your staff’s time to research, set up and maintain.
5. You can also use Ebay as a marketplace, in which case they take between 10 – 20% of your sale (via PayPal), or a listing sites like Craig’s List, which is free, and can be used to sell one-off items.Girl Friday is not endorsing Ebay (she’s never used it!).

Girl Friday is committed to helping small-to-medium sized businesses and entrepreneurs impact their customer base and sales using Inbound Marketing techniques. You might even say it’s our MISSION! So, contact us today and get going on your marketing plan…positive action will create positive consequences, dontchya know!

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So, you’ve got your SEO website. Gotchyer blog. You’re posting there regularly. And you’ve got TONS of customers and…..no?? That’s not what’s happening? You mean…you need to do even more Inbound Marketing?

Yes, folks, that is correct! Social Media Marketing is a super important, but easy and free way to bring traffic to your site/blog.

“OK OK what is it, Girl Friday? you may ask. “And is it also truly easy and FREE?”

Today is your lucky day! Social media is cheap AND easy! Now, how often does that happy to you? (I mean that in a good way, of course. This is a family newsletter!)

1. What it is: Social Media Marketing is using on-line communities to create conversation, build credibility, and increase your brand presence to an audience that is interested in your products and services, and to new customers who would not have heard of you otherwise.
2. It IS easy. Here is a simple example: Let’s say you own a small restaurant in Santa Rosa – a routine Social Media Marketing plan might work like this…
   1. Your website contains menus, information about you as a chef, location, etc. And you have an on-line to go menu (a very cool tool, so SEO!).
   2. On your blog, every day, you post the evening’s new menu, or the day’s specials. Or the soup. Whatever. What is important is that since you have to create and print a new menu daily anyway, you simply copy and paste that menu text onto the blog. It takes 2 minutes of your time but builds enormous internet presence, because you are now publishing content on your blog every day. As a result, more customers learn about you, start to check your menu on a regular basis, come in to the restaurant, or click on the on-line to-go menu to order.
   3. You have joined a Sonoma county Facebook group (because that’s where your customers are), where you invite people to your blog to check the day’s menu. You mention your on-line order system for take-out. You toot your horn, baby!
   4. You have a Twitter account under your restaurant name, where you post your blog URL and direct people to your blog and site. Or you mention (in one sentence) the debut of a new, incredible dessert. Short, sweet tweets on Twitter are quick and easy.
   5. You have a profile on Yelp! (the local business site that allows users to recommend businesses they like to the site’s visitors). Your customers rave about your menu, the service, the easy on-line order system, etc. Visitors to Yelp! read those rave reviews, visit your site, order take-out, make a reservation for dinner….you get the picture!
   6. When you get a great review, mention it on Twitter. Post it on Facebook. See how it works? I TOLD you it was easy!
3. What about the FREE part?? Well, it’s free. No money required. What is required is a plan,  your time, consistency.
   
4. Do I have to do this?? I really don’t want to!! (No, but it’s good for you. Just try it, and if you don’t like it, you don’t have to do it. But have I ever given you anything that wasn’t good for you??)
5. How to start?:
   1. Identify your audience by researching blogs and social sites by industry, location, etc. THIS is most important! You can use search tools like Google, Technorati, Google Blog Search, Ice Rocket, Bloglines, Twitter Search, AideRSS.
   2. Sign on to at least one industry-specific group or site, and one social, casual site Better to participate regularly in two or three groups rather than sporadically in eight groups.
   3. Don’t just advertise!! GIVE information: answer questions, respond to another’s post with expert advice, post info about OTHER businesses you like. You’ll gain credibility this way for when you DO post an event, a sale, a product launch.Now…get started!!! Here is a partial list of the most popular Social Media Sites: Digg, Reddit, Stumbleupon, YouTube, Del.icio.us, Propeller, Facebook, Twitter

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“Girl Friday!” you may ask. “What the HECK is Search Engine Placement? How is it different from Search Engine Optimization? What does it do for my website? How does it work?”

What is SEP? How is it different from SEO?

1. Search Engine Placement (SEP) is a paid program that Google and Yahoo provide to businesses and individuals through approved affiliates (ask Girl Friday).  This program places your website on the first page of search results, and you stay on that first page, for as long as you are in the program.
2. Unlike Search Engine Optimization (SEO), SEP does not require that you re-program (or ‘optimize’) your website, or re-design your actual site (although it’s a good idea to do so).

What SEP does for your website:

1. Places your website at the top of the first page on Yahoo!
2. Places your Website on the first page of Google.
3. These are guaranteed placements within 5 to 10 business days of starting the program.
4. You do not pay for the placement until your website URL actually appears on the first page of the engine(s).

That’s amazing! How does it do that?!:

1. It is based on the best keyword phrases for your site (there’s that WORD again!!);
2. When those keyword phrases are ’searched’ your site will come up at the top of Yahoo and/or the first page of Google, guaranteed, because you’ve ‘locked in’ those keywords for your site;
3. You design your own program by selecting as many key word phrases as you like, allowing potential customers to find you on the engine(s) in a variety of ways;
4. The “relevance” and “weight” of those keywords determine your monthly cost (so, you control the budget);
5. It’s NOT pay-per-click: you pay one monthly fee no matter how many people click on your website URL;
6. Once the key word phrases are selected and the program set up, it takes about five to ten days for your site to get top ranking.  It’s almost like magic, except that it isn’t! It’s really more like a technological wonder!

OK, Girl Friday…what does it cost?

1. You pay an initial set-up fee (for Google, Yahoo, or both);  Contact Girl Friday for details
2. Then, you pay a fixed monthly fee which does not change for a guaranteed 12 month period – you can set your monthly budget (minimum of $150/month for 3-month minimum time period).
3. Your site will appear in the ‘sponsored areas’ of the engine’s first Page
4. This is not a “cheap” service but it is relatively affordable; it has high value and high return on investment when you compare it to other forms of advertising, including pay-per-click, AdWords, print advertising, etc.

That’s IT?? Why…It’s affordable, easy, AND guaranteed. Life truly CAN be good again! Thanks, Girl Friday!

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Inbound Marketing Tools and Techniques – Blogs

First in a series of six newsletters

Goodbye, 2008! Hellooooooo, 2009!

I’ll be posting a six-week informational series on Inbound Marketing techniques…it’s the wave of the future, dontchya know!

Don’t miss a thing! Sign up for my Girl Friday Blog’s RSS feed. Girl Friday promises lots of good info!

BLOG, BLOG, BLOG!

Everyone talks about them, but fer cryin’ out loud can’t someone just list what a blog is and how you use a blog to market your business? Here you go!:

1. A blog is an on-line conversation between you and your customers/potential clients. You post “content” (informational text). They read it, respond if they like, and most important, THEY TAKE AN ACTION (like clicking on a link to your shopping cart, or sending you an email asking for more details).

2. You are the expert. Readers need and want your information, expertise, or service. So they actively seek you out by searching for you, your services, your products, in Search Engines like Google and Yahoo! This process of attracting customers to your blog and website is called Inbound Marketing, and your blog is just ONE of the many tools you can use! Nifty, huh?

3. The words that people type into Google to find your blog are called “keywords.” If your blog has unique, specific keywords that very clearly describe your services, and if you use keywords in your blog posts, your blog’s site address (URL) will come up to the top of the Google search. The person searching for your services will then click on that URL and land on your blog, your shopping cart, your website. So, the keywords are like ‘magnets’ attracting searchers to your blog/site. I TOLD you this was nifty!

4. Once a potential client arrives at your blog, provide plenty of links and opportunities for the reader to TAKE AN ACTION.

And there you have it! Inbound Marketing techniques, using your keywords, have attracted new customers to your blog almost like a…like a….dare I say it? Like a spider weaving the World Wide Web attracts and snares a hapless fly…oh MY!!! How NIFTY is that? Got questions? Email Girl Friday Today!

Practical Tips for Starting a Blog for Your Business

DO use your business website address (URL) as your blog URL. In other words, make the blog part of your existing site. You’ll want to host the blog yourself, on the server where your website lives.

That means, you DO use a blogging software that you install on your server.

DO NOT use a blog generator like blogger.com. They host the blog (so you don’t have your company URL address), it’s not as search engine friendly, and, it’s simply not as professional, dahling, and we must be professional at all times, must’nt we?

About Your Blog’s CONTENT:

1. Make your blog informational, NOT an advertisement. That’s a BIG blogger no no! Don’t do that!
2. Make it intriguing, entertaining, fun, colorful…UNIQUE.
3. You are the ‘voice’ for your company. Speak with authority.
4. Additionally, speak in your own voice, so your customers get to know your company’s personality.
5. Welcome comments from your readers, offer to answer questions. Be sure and have a contact email or phone number, and action links within the content of your blog post.

Girl Friday is committed to helping small-to-medium sized businesses and entrepreneurs impact their customer base and sales using Inbound Marketing techniques. You might even say it’s our MISSION! So, contact us today and get going on your marketing plan…positive action will create positive consequences, and we really mean that!

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There has not been a single, documented incident, since the dawn of Mankind, of the sky actually falling out of…the sky.

Based on such irrefutable and scientific evidence, Girl Friday does hereby declare that now is not the time for small businesses to buy into the story of Chicken Little…oh no! This is the time for optimism, courage, and action! Your perception and positive attitude can really help you, and your colleagues and clients, during this economic hiccup. Try to think long term…so, turn off the TV , don’t panic, and take a deep breath, Bonky.

Here’s what you can do today to shore up your business during lean times:

1. You need to cut costs during lean times, but not investments in your brand. Customers are searching for value right now. Let the world know what makes your brand a good value. Your message will be heard above all those who’ve cut back their marketing budgets. You’ll be the smart cookie, that’s for sure!!
2. Bring your new marketing investment into the 21st century by embracing In-Bound marketing techniques (here we go again!). Now’s the time to invest in:
   
   1. A blog – positioning yourself and your company as an expert in your field brings new traffic to your site. It’s cost effective, and, if you are consistent with it, can bring some quick results. Girl Friday recently married her website to her blog. They are living happily ever after in Search Optimization Heaven.
   2. Social Media - don’t underestimate the power of Facebook, Linked-In, Twitter and other social and industry-specific sites and forums. They target your message to like-minded people who are looking for connections. That’s the whole point, Dexter!! It’s very time-consuming, but pays off. And, of course, Girl Friday can help you with it! Just ask her!
   3. Search Engine Optimization – this is a fancy phrase for updating your site. Upgrading the content on the front pages to contain industry-specific keywords is crucial; it’s more important than all the technical stuff that goes on behind the scenes (although that needs to be done, too). This is a long-term strategic tool but pays off in the long-run. Girl Friday performs this service for clients…find out how!
   4. Keep in touch with clients, and ask for referrals: Holidays are coming up. Take the opportunity to send a personal Thank You message, a short blurb about your company offerings/services, and an optimistic statement about the future – in a custom-designed holiday or end of the year greeting card or postcard. Girl Friday can custom design and mail your company greeting cards for you (of course!). A custom-designed greeting card or postcard will stand out from the generic holiday greetings. Make sure to follow up with a personal phone call after the holidays.
   5. Partner with other businesses: – when times are lean, everyone feels it. And no one wins when companies go bust, restaurants close their doors, services are discontinued. If you can partner on projects with other businesses, they will reciprocate. Far better to share the work then try to cut others out. You never know when you might need that helping hand.

Most important: whichever way you choose to invest in your business today, try to stay as upbeat and optimistic as possible. You’re enthusiasm and confidence will encourage your current clients, and draw new clients to you.

For information on how Girl Friday and her business allies can help you Market your way through challenging times, send her an email at: elaine@e-girlfriday.com.

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Save the Bees! Did you know that honey bees are responsible for pollinating every third bite of food that you eat? And that they are responsible for $15 billion in U.S. agricultural crops each year? Wow – those little buzzers are really BUSY as….um…bees! Unfortunately, the honey bee population is in danger, posing a serious risk to our food supply (and recently we hear about food shortages througout the world!) What’s going on? What to do?

• Visit the coolest and most charming site ever in the history of the planet to learn more about the honey bee population collapse: Click here to Help the Honey Bees! The site is educational (great for kids!) and fun – you can pretend you’re a bee – fly around and explore a meadow! Create your own adorable bee and email her (see mine below?)! Turn on the sound to listen to a babbling brook, and the birds and the….bees! Too cute! In FACT, Girl Friday went a little bee-rzerk on this site and made it her bee-utiful screen saver! I’m bee-lerious! Bee-sotted by bees! Bee-witched, Bothered, and Bee-wildered! Someone stop me – I’m one bee short of a hive! (huh?)
  
• Hagen Daas Ice Cream built the groovy bee site – they use all-natural honey in 40% of their products, and are donating proceeds from sales to fund research into the problem. So you get to help by – you guessed it – eating Hagen Daas! I’m making a bee-line for the freezer! Bee-ware! More Honey facts you can try and bee-lieve in:

• Honey is antiseptic, antibiotic, antifungal, and antibacterial — it never spoils! You can’t bee-at that!
  
• Honey is a mild antiseptic and can help to keep external wounds, such as cuts and minor burns, clean and free from infection. By absorbing the moisture around the wound, honey can help to prevent the growth of bacteria.
• Wash with raw honey straight from the jar and enjoy sparkling clean skin. Facial blemishes and acne caused by cosmetics or allergies will clear up quickly using a nightly treatment of raw honey. A small amount needed.
• Of recent interest is the antioxidant content of honey. Honey contains a variety of flavonoids and phenolic acids which act as antioxidants, scavenging and eliminating free radicals. Generally, darker honeys have higher antioxidant content than lighter honeys.
• Girl Friday admits it – she went…she saw…she loved…The Bee Movie!

Got Marketing? YES?? Well, you might need MORE!! Girl Friday is a real….Girl Friday!..she does it all, and if she can’t do it all, she’ll find someone who can! Check out Girl Friday’s on-line portfolio at: http://www.e-girlfriday.com!

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This month’s column will focus on Beauty Products…be a Green Queen! Did you know that Health and Beauty products need only 1 percent natural ingredients to be called “natural?” Darn it, me neither! And don’t get me started on the packaging! Geez, Louise! We CAN look gorgeous AND save the planet:

• Speaking of natural ingredients: Items that claim to be organic on the label may not really be organic, since no official agency checks every product. Look for a USDA Organic seal, which means a product has been certified at least 95% organic.
• The average woman swallows four pounds of liptick in a lifetime. Yuck! Time to search for lip color made from plant-derived ingredients instead of synthetic oils, paraffin and toxic dyes. Girl Friday uses only Jane Iredale make-up and lipsticks.
• You know those lovely smelling “body wash” products and the nylon puff/sponge you apply it with in the shower? Don’t buy it anymore. Bar soap uses much less packaging (buy the paper-wrapped kind) and that silly sponge is made from non- biodegradable, petroleum-based nylon. Use a natural loofah or washcloth! Ah….much better…for you and Mother Earth.
  
• A Girl Friday favorite ‘green’ company is Aveda. They are beauty industry leaders using post-consumer recycling in 89% of their packaging. And their plant-based beauty products are legendary; I LOVE their “Pure-fume” too!

Lastly, Girl Friday long ago threw away all of her expensive, department-store skincare products. They’re full of chemicals, cost a fortune and most are not earth-friendly! I now use a locally-made (Petaluma) line of skincare products called Bennedetta. Product ingredients are Certified Organic, made in small batches, and come in recyclable glass packages. One work: FAB. U. LOUS! Their Hydrating Elixir is the only product I use on my face as a moisturizer. It’s a WONDERFUL spray (nope, not a cream) that soaks right into your skin, is refreshing and cool, and smells good enough to drink. LOVE it! (And no, Girl Friday does not work for Bennedetta…she’s just a big fan!)

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GREEN Cleaning is just a new name for an old fashioned way of cleaning! Using products from your kitchen, you can can have a spotless home and be friendly to Mother Earth at the same time:

• Place a small dish of vinegar beside the stove when cooking fish. It will absorb the odors.
• Water from cooked pasta is filled with nutrients and starch, making it a great additive for house plants .
• Used coffee grounds are high in nitrogen and can be worked into the soil around plants.
• Eggshells are high in sulfur. Crush and mix into soil around plants.
• Softening laundry Fill dispenser with 1/4 cup white vinegar to soften laundry without leaving odors.
• Spray your garden tools with nonstick cooking spray each time you use them. The dirt will be easy to remove when you’re finished. In fact, it should fall right off.
• Spray the front grill of your car with cooking spray before you hit the road. Bugs and grime will wash right off.

What to do with old computers and other e-waste?
Need to find a place to recycle your electronic waste such as computers, TVs, cell phones, etc? Go to this website at California Integrated Waste Management Board where you can search by county for facilities.

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Go paperless if you can! Girl Friday loves trees…well really, who doesn’t? So think before you print: could this be read or stored online instead? Can you email it or post it on-line rather than putting it in an envelope (more paper!) and paying for a stamp (more money!)? Here’s an idea: start an electronic newsletter!! Send me an email and ask me how: info@e-girlfriday.com

Leave a smaller footprint when you do print on paper: Did you know that the average U.S. office worker goes through 10,000 sheets of copy paper a year? Me neither!! WOW!

So why not be a smart cookie and make it a habit to print on both sides or use the back side of old documents for faxes, scrap paper, or drafts. I keep an empty file folder box under my desk, and recycle all 8 x 11″ paper (first I draw a line through the printed side). Then, when I need to print drafts for myself, I load the paper in the printer tray, printed side down, and print on the blank side! Nifty! And if you can, avoid color printing and print in draft mode whenever feasible.

Recycle toner and ink cartridges and buy remanufactured ones. According to Office Depot, each remanufactured toner cartridge “keeps approximately 2.5 pounds of metal and plastic out of landfills…and conserves about a half gallon of oil.” Gosh, I did NOT even know that!

When you receive unwanted catalogs, newsletters, magazines, or junk mail, request to be removed from the mailing list before you recycle the item. Use the Direct Marketing Association’s request form to remove yourself from their mailing list. The list is updated quarterly so it may take a while for you to see results.

Recycle everything you can!
Make it a habit…Just about any kind of paper you would encounter in an office, including fax paper, envelopes, and junk mail, can be recycled. So can your old cell phone, PDA, or pager.

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