Solo Masterminds is a support network of female solopreneurs from all over the world. There is most likely someone who has been where you are, where you want to be and where you are going that can give you the support and feedback you need in order to grow your business, reach your goals and be as successful as you want to be.

One of the biggest advantages Solo Mastermind’s has is the support forum where you’ll find discussions going on about…

• Email Marketing and Newsletters
• Traffic and Search Engines
• Networking and Social Bookmarking
• Publicity
• Affiliate Marketing
• Time Management & Automation
• Business Ideas
• Blogging
• Audio, Podcasting & Radio Shows
• Offline, Local and Mobile Marketing
• Websites that Sell
• Providing Services

Under the “Special Resources” section of the forum, there is a topic entitled “Seeking Joint Ventures”. Here you can list your affiliate program, your viral ebook or freebie giveaway so that others who reach a similar market can partner with you.

Then there is the Solo Mastermind Special Offer section. A SMSO is a significant member to member discount or a unique offer not available elsewhere. SMSO offers include anything from discounts off transcription services, ebook formatting, advertising, copywriting and video marketing, wordpress services, and much, much more! SMSO offers are a great place to find services you need for your business at great rates, as well as a great place to offer your services to other Solo Mastermind members.

If you’ve never heard of Solo Masterminds before, or if you have but didn’t realize the advantages being a Solo Mastermind member brings, then why not check it out now. You’ve got nothing to lose and everything to gain.

Sign up for Kelly McCausey's Blog Internship!

The second annoying answer: “Every family is different.”

Let me elaborate.

Many mom bloggers want to make money to help their family. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that. I highly encourage it. BUT [you knew a "but" was coming didn't you?] many moms also struggle with time management. And quite a few struggle with guilty feelings when the housework isn’t done like they think it should be.

My advice is, “Don’t go by your personal feelings.” Talk to your spouse. Talk to your children/family. Are they happy? Are they annoyed? Do they even understand what you are doing?

I’m blessed with a spouse that encourages me to build an online business. In fact, he was the one that bought my first domain name and hosting. He will gently ask, “Are you working or playing?” And if I am playing when I should be working the guilt is justified.

If you don’t have a spouse that encourages you – are you sure they understand what you are doing? Have you told them your goals – what you are trying to do online and why? I’ve heard many couples set a time line, “If I can make X amount by ___ I can continue to do this online work.” Maybe your spouse would be okay with you being online for less time; so set times and work hard during those times. Maybe they really want you to be available during the evening and don’t care if you are online during the day. I’m going to go out on a limb and say that the spouse doesn’t usually complain unless it’s affecting their life in a negative way. Figure out what are top priorities for them. If you keep the kitchen clean and laundry done can you have the rest of the time? Maybe they don’t care so much about the house, but want you to spend time with them. Good online business is not a sprint; it’s a marathon. Take it one step at a time.

My children’s attitudes changed when I explained what I was doing and how it affected them. They don’t have to understand everything I do, but a general explanation goes a long way. When I explained that I was working to get the money for piano lessons and horseback riding lessons they were eager for me to work. When they understood that my why is to help my family they gladly quieted down to let me think. They also saw me plan times to just be with them and not work so they felt important too.

Something Carrie Wilkerson mentioned in Solo Smarts Podcast 14 really stuck with me. She makes sure her business benefits her shareholders – her husband and children. Didn’t we start this whole online thing to benefit our family? Don’t let the flashing things lead you away from your main goal. Our quantity of life is already set so let’s make the quality the best we can.

P.S. You can get the first chapter of Carrie Wilkerson’s book for free.

Sign up for Kelly McCausey's Blog Internship!

1. Video is going to be even more important in the next year.
2. Written blogging is not going to stop.

Building up a presence on YouTube give readers a new way to connect with you, provides a chance for brands to see you in action, and brings your content to a new audience (albeit one with a lot of stupid comments).

Jennifer James is another generous blogger that tells mom bloggers what they need to know and creates a community for them to help each other. She wrote 15 Mom Blogging Predictions for 2012. My favorite part of her prediction:

I am much more apt to watch a mom’s video that she uploads onto Youtube than the glossy stuff that’s professionally produced. … Brands have been toying with video and mom bloggers for a few years now, but 2012 will see an outbreak of video content.

I have not met Holly Pavlika but I think her 2012 Predictions For Marketing To Moms is right on. My favorite part is about….wait for it…video!

Moms are also finding that their personal channels on YouTube can turn them into web celebs, lead to book deals and make them money with the right content. Brands need to jump on the video bandwagon if they want to stay engaged with mom.

Another point Holly made that resonated with me:

She may not be an early adopter, but she is taking the digital landscape by storm while still consuming traditional media like email, TV and magazines.

So they really do talk about other things beside online video, but I love online video so that’s what I focus on. Other themes I’ve seen a lot of in these and other posts are that

• Pinterest is huge,
• moms like mobile,
• moms also like to feel good and do good [duh!] so if the product/marketing helps with that it’s better received.
• and content is still King! [video or written]

P.S. For a win-win situation create video with your mobile device. I recommend the iPhone Video Hero course for further learning.

Sign up for Kelly McCausey's Blog Internship!

Online video continues to grow in the social media world. Learn how to use your iPhone or mobile device as a camera and don’t get left behind as YouTube takes over the world.

The iPhone Video Hero course is made up of short videos that can be watched in between dishes, laundry, feeding the kids, etc.  That’s how I’ve been consuming it…

I’m a hero – even though I have an Android device. There are lots of great tips and tricks included in this training from former MTV and BBC TV Director Jules Watkins. I enjoy seeing his wife and children in the examples; he keeps it real, simple, and smart.

You too can be an iPhone Video Hero today!

Sign up for Kelly McCausey's Blog Internship!

Don’t you hate it when you see someone hire someone else to do what you know they could have hired you to do?

Or when someone hires another coach to help them with what you could have helped them with?

Or when they buy that ‘other’ product instead of yours?

You think – maaaaan, why didn’t they hire me/buy from me?

Probably because you haven’t been sharing your message well enough or often enough.

Kelly McCausey wants to help you ramp things up in this area and her Winter Blog Boost is designed to do just that.

Sign up for Kelly McCausey's Blog Internship!

1. Topics to blog about: Download Your Free BlogEnergizer Calendar
2. Save space on your blog: Download This Free Sticky Socials Plugin
3. Need a new theme? Here’s four free themes we recommend.
4. Find a specific icon in the specific size you need with Icon Finder.<
5. A whole list of free downloads [still good as of 12/11] about lists, target markets, and content help.
6. Free magazine – you can get the actual paper magazine – titled Website Success.
7. You can always get 7 free days in the awesome community/mastermind group that is called Solo Masterminds.

Sign up for Kelly McCausey's Blog Internship!

Today, these brands and companies are seeking out partnerships with bloggers. According to a recent report, almost 80% of Internet users read blogs. And with so many people bypassing commercials, thanks to DVRs, blogs are now one of the best ways to reach consumers.

Plus, bloggers develop special relationships with their readers. Companies and brands know this. The blogger- reader relationship is something not found in traditional advertising.

While those are all great for the brand, you may be wondering what’s in it for you, the blogger. There are actually many benefits to partnering with a brand or company. Here are just a few:

• Increased traffic to your site by conducting giveaways, which allows the blogger to earn more through advertising sales / ad networks
• Free products to review, which can enhance the blogger’s lifestyle and save them from purchasing the product on their own
• Sometimes, a company will pay a blogger to host a giveaway or publish a post

Different brands and companies have different methods for working with bloggers, with reviews and giveaways being the most common.

With a review, the company or brand will send the blogger free product to try and post about. This can be tricky – as it’s important to stay honest and not feel obligated to say something nice about the product.

Remember – if you are not being honest, your readers will spot it a mile away.

In a giveaway, the company or brand will allow you to give one of their products away. This can result in a lot of free traffic. People love to win stuff and will flock to your site for a chance to win. It’s important to make sure that the company will be sending out the prize, though. You don’t want to get stuck paying for postage!

You will have to promote the giveaway, of course, but if you use social media, the offer can easily spread like wildfire. You will be surprised at how much you can increase your traffic by offering giveaways.

Getting free products to review and an increase in traffic is just the beginning! For more tips on how to work with brands, check out this 8 piece “How To Work With Brands And Big Companies” workbook set.

With this set, you will receive two workbooks, an hour-long audio, several checklists, sample emails and more. Normally priced at $34.95, you can grab it for only $27. This is a limited time offer, and it won’t last long.

Sign up for Kelly McCausey's Blog Internship!

SceneChat is the brand behind the contest. It is to help spread the word about their site through the social media channels. You enter by connecting through Facebook and Twitter; I did it and it’s not difficult.

The contest prizes include 1 free year of essential tools that make a blogger’s life easier:

• Dropbox – I personally LOVE Dropbox – and I only have the free version.
• Copyscape – find out if anyone is stealing your content
• Evernote – a great way to organize notes and information
• Spotify – music to keep your mojo flowing
• Pingdom – monitors your blog to make sure everything is ok.
• Remember the Milk – task lists and organization so you don’t have to worry about forgetting stuff

Sign up for Kelly McCausey's Blog Internship!

Free Download: 2012 Calendar

The Blog Energizer Calendar is awesome! [que angel voices] I’ve downloaded it for several years now and it gets better each year! Check out what it has this year:

• Monthly themes at the top. Blog post series anyone?
• Weekly themes partway down.
• Daily themes listed when appropriate. January 13 is “Make Your Dream Come True Day;” that can apply to so-o many niches!
• Birthstones at the bottom – what fun!
• Lots of places to write and get yourself organized.
• Tips & tricks for online businesses and blogs at the bottom. Wow!

Sign up for Kelly McCausey's Blog Internship!

Treat your blog like your home.

Be professional. Keep things neat just as you straighten your house before guests come. You don’t usually show guests the insides of your closet or attic; neither do you need to tell your readers every gritty detail of your life that does not apply to them.

Learn how to do things professionally online and make your site look nice so your guests are comfortable being at your site and sharing your content. You probably wouldn’t  invite guests over when your house is under construction.

It’s fine to outsource; just as it’s ok to buy a dessert – or maybe you go so far as to order pizza. [I like pizza!]

Be personal. Remember your passion/message and share it through your stories. Be authentic by letting readers into your life when appropriate. Guests won’t continue to visit if you don’t let them past the porch.

If somebody comes to your house and is a bad guest you won’t invite them again. If somebody comes to your site and says mean things/attacks you it’s okay to block them.

“If someone comes to your house and purposely breaks things – are you going to let them come back?” ~ Serena Woods GraceIsForSinners.com

Most of all, take care of the guests that are already at your house. Many times we go after new traffic, more viewers, etc. Make sure you are taking good care of the readers and traffic you already have.

“Feed the people at your table.” ~Emily P. Freeman ChattingAtTheSky.com

It is possible to blog professionally and personally at the same time. Do you have a good example of treating your blog like your home? I’d love to hear it in the comments.

Sign up for Kelly McCausey's Blog Internship!

Tip:  For a blog click the category titled “arts, entertainment, sports.”

After you have created your page go to the front of it and click “edit profile.” It will only take you a minute or two to add some info, a couple photos, and maybe even a video. That will help people find you and recognize you.

They recommend that you add the google page link to your website so readers can easily find you. But those urls are cumbersome. This site http://www.gplus.to/ will give you a shortened url that is easier to remember and nicer to look at.

For example I have: [Please add me to your circles!]

• My personal page: gplus.to/jendi
• My business page: gplus.to/ScenesandCinema
• My niche site’s page: gplus.to/SimpleVloggingTips
• My blog’s page: gplus.to/JendisJournal

One warning: Don’t run a contest through your Google + page. At least not yet.

What about you? Will you make a page right away or wait and see what happens?

Sign up for Kelly McCausey's Blog Internship!

To support this mission, my colleague Angela Wills has put together a free, live WordPress webinar where she’ll share with you three easy ways to make a great living with WordPress:

Sign up here: Website Design Mojo It’s tonight!

Angela has used WordPress for years, knows it and loves it! She created a playlist of videos to share with you 10 reasons of “Why WP?”

On her webinar TONIGHT you’ll learn that it doesn’t have to cost you a fortune or take months to see results with your WordPress. She’ll cover the following:

1. Build It – Whether it’s for yourself or for your clients, building a website with WordPress is smart!
2. Update It – WordPress is used by 22% of all new websites… there’s anopportunity for work there (ya think?)
3. Teach It – Angela says she simply can’t corner this market all on her own! Millions of people are using WordPress and they need your help to learn how to use it.

This webinar is provided as a completely free service and a preview to the kind of material you’ll receive in November’s Website Design Mojo course.

Don’t let that stop you from signing up, though. Angela will provide more than enough content for you to take away and use, guaranteed. She also will provide you with a fantastic offer that’s not available anywhere else for those who want further learning via my group coaching. (hint… it’s something else you can make a living with)

The webinar happens TONIGHT Wednesday, November 2nd at 8pm ET. Join us by filling in your name and email at the link below:

Sign up for free: Website Design Mojo

Sign up for Kelly McCausey's Blog Internship!

Starting a blog can be confusing, overwhelming, and just plain frustrating. This Smart Blogging Skills course will help you avoid all of that. It walks you through all you need to know to begin blogging, get involved in social media, and start monetizing.

I know this is a good course from personal experience. I have actually worked through this course twice, and now I’m excited to see how she has updated it! My first time through introduced me to many new things; my second time through gave me a step by step process to begin a second blog.

Smart Blogging Skills is a fifteen week course. After fully completing the lesson plans – you’ll have raised your level of exposure in the blogosphere, added more than fifty pages of content to your blog, built some great relationships and incorporated new profit points into your content.

Here’s some of the information included in the course:

• How to prepare your blog for visitors using good content
• How to be social and be out there appropriately promoting yourself
• Keyword research, SEO, analytics
• Start making money with your blog

In this updated version Kelly McCausey added more affiliate marketing info, a lesson about audio, a lesson about video, and made sure everything is complete and up to date.

When you enroll you can try one or two weeks to see if you like it. You are free to drop out whenever you want; OR – what I think is more likely – you can sign up for the whole course and get a nice discount. Go check it out now!

Sign up for Kelly McCausey's Blog Internship!

You’ve got to have a really good why. Why do you blog?

It’s not enough to…

• just enjoy blogging. Hobbies don’t make money very well.
• want to make friends and be part of a community. Friends change.
• try to stay in touch with family and friends. Life gets busy.
• want to make some extra money. Circumstances flip-flop.

There’s nothing wrong with those reasons and many of us started because of one of them; but they won’t keep you going for the long haul. Your why has to be stronger than those reasons.

Making money is the strongest motivator I listed. Let’s take that one a step farther and look at the stronger “whys” that saying covers.
You want to blog for money…

• because your spouse lost their job.
• to feed your family.
• to own a home.
• to change your [and your families] lifestyle.

The first four reasons can be pushed aside pretty easily. I know – Been there done that. The second four reasons stay right in front of you and push you to stay up late, get up early, write when you don’t feel like it, record a video on a bad hair day, etc. If you want to be a Mom Blogger Pro and consistently blog for a long time figure out your “why.” Figure out your core reason that will propel you through all the “don’t-feel-like-it” days. If you need a visual reminder write your “why” down or make  dream board that has pictures that represent your goals and dreams.

Having a good solid reason that motivates you to keep working at your blog or online business will help you post consistently. Posting consistently will help you get more content out there. Getting more content out there will help you get in front of more eyeballs. See how it works? Having a good “why” will help you blog for a long time.

It will also help in any online business you start. There are many online business ideas you can check out at Mom’s Talk Biz.

Sign up for Kelly McCausey's Blog Internship!

Introducing the October Free Webinar: Start a Mailing List

On Monday, October 17th Solo Masterminds is offering a free webinar designed to reach out to new solopreneur business owners. The topic of the webinar is ‘Starting a Mailing List’ and they will deliver a case study of someone who they helped set up a new mailing list.

Who should attend? Anyone that wants to..

• start a business online.
• grow an online business.
• do more with affiliate marketing.
• monetize their blog.
• have a better, focused, target market.
• set up mailing lists for clients.

October Free Webinar: Start a Mailing List

Sign up for Kelly McCausey's Blog Internship!

Now go and get the book!

Sign up for Kelly McCausey's Blog Internship!

This video gives you tips about taking electronics on trips.

Sign up for Kelly McCausey's Blog Internship!

2011 Brands and Women Bloggers Influencer Partnership Study

Keep in mind that their main purpose is to connect bloggers and brands. They are not attracting VA’s, affiliate marketers, content marketers, or other online business people. I would guess that the majority of bloggers that took the survey are daily life/mommy bloggers.

Here are some of BlogFrog’s main take-aways from the survey:

1. 90% of bloggers surveyed are eager to partner with brands although the majority, almost 60%, have never been approached by a brand or agency to work on a campaign.
2. 95% of bloggers surveyed have favorable views on brand-sponsored social media and blog campaigns as long as they are authentic, represent a quality product, help generate income, and are fun.
3. Social good matters. Campaigns that include an element of social good increase trust levels for 56% of you.
4. 70% of you trust a brand more when that brand is promoted or recommended by someone you know from a blog or social media.
5. Bloggers surveyed indicated that technology, electronics, health/beauty and food were the most desirable campaign categories.

You Are Not As Small A Blogger As You Think

My main take-away is that jealousy is totally unnecessary. Many times I’ve heard and seen a new blogger envious of another “more famous” blogger; and I’ll admit some discouraged feelings of my own. In actuality, there are many bloggers in the same position/level as you. Those at the top of the pyramid have worked hard to get there and are constantly in danger of being unseated by someone new.

68% of those polled are making less than $500. [It doesn't say if that's per year, month, or week.] 58% of the bloggers surveyed have never been approached by any brand to participate in a campaign; and 63% that were contacted only got 1-20 pitches per year. Of course you see the big opportunities by the most popular bloggers; it’s like seeing the advertisements for the newest Disney movie everywhere. But look around, there are many other toys, movies, and bloggers that are doing just fine.

Don’t throw a pity party. Just keep blogging and building good content. If you do want to position yourself to work with brands you can start by being a review blogger.

What did you learn from the survey?

P.S. If you are on BlogFrog please connect with me! Just look for Jendi.

Sign up for Kelly McCausey's Blog Internship!

In the following video I explain how to save a search in Twitter.com, Tweetdeck, and Hootsuite.

Sign up for Kelly McCausey's Blog Internship!

Writing a mommy blog is quite different. You need to have a voice, a uniqueness, even a style.

Where do you find a voice and how do you get it?

The good news is that you already have a voice. Ever hear of voice biometrics or audio forensics where people are identified by their audible voice? All you have to do is take that audible voice and define it in your writing style. No one else can define your voice for you. They could look through your past writings and help you figure out or hone your voice, but in the end – only you can define your voice.

Here’s 5 Tips On How To Define Your Voice

1. Be authentic. Don’t make yourself out to be something you are not. If you love to joke and laugh in real life your writing style should reflect that. If you are a serious person in real life you shouldn’t be adding jokes to your writing.

2. Be sincere. Write about things you care about – and don’t write about things that you couldn’t care less about.

3. Be confident. Don’t worry; this one comes with practice and time. Many start out trying to avoid any spots that are even potentially hot – like religion and politics, but those things are a part of who you are and therefore part of your voice. I don’t suggest looking for a fight by blatantly attacking other’s views, but I do suggest not hiding your own views as they naturally flow through your experiences.

4. Write like you talk. If you don’t generally talk using big words like “idioms” and “blatantly” then don’t put those in your posts. It’s okay to prefer the word “real” over “authentic.”If you have to use a dictionary to see what the word means it’s probably not from your voice.

It’s helpful to read your post out loud before publishing it. Check to make sure that you are comfortable talking like you just wrote. If it’s an instructional post is that how you would teach? If it’s a story is that how you would entertain?

It’s also helpful to think of a specific person that you are writing for. How would you talk to them? Write like that.

5. Be unique. By doing the previous points you will become unique; by being yourself you become unique. There’s only one you. Nobody has the exact same experiences, thoughts, and emotions that you do. So imagine the moment you are writing about; relive it in your mind and convey everything that all of your unique senses remember.

I want to add that I am not against using good quality PLR. I just highly suggest that if you are using it on a mommy blog it needs to be highly edited and rewritten to sound like your voice. [and that's not as hard as it sounds]

When I started my daily life blog I wrote everything according to the grammar handbook and never started a sentence with “Because.” There’s nothing wrong with that, but it’s not the way I talk. I don’t get to use complete sentences very often in real life so why should I use them on my blog? I feel like I’ve settled into my voice and get better responses than when I wrote so properly. I’m not advising bad grammar, misspellings, or crazy punctuation – just a slight bending of the rules.

How’s your voice? Any helpful tips I missed?

Sign up for Kelly McCausey's Blog Internship!