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After Janice decided to put together her first webinar, she became nervous. She didn’t know what tech skills she needed. But her online business friends shared their favorites and explained how they worked so she could put together an awesome webinar. If you’re ready to create your own webinar, here are the tools to help you rock it…

Webinar Software

Choosing a webinar conference room is all about getting the features you want at a price you can afford. You want a room that allows for full interaction by text and audio.  You want to be able to share your screen or at least co-browse. You also want the ability to record the session.

Zoom allows you to hold meetings with up to 100 participants for free. If you’re creating your first webinar and have under a hundred sign ups then Zoom could be an affordable option for you.

But Zoom isn’t the only tool that’s available for virtual events. You could also use Adobe Connect or GoToMeeting for your webinars. Both websites offer free trial accounts so you can test out their software and see which one is right for you.

Landing Page Software

You need a landing page where you can send traffic to sign up for your new webinar. On this page, you’ll need an attention-grabbing headline, a paragraph that highlights the topic you’ll be covering, and a bullet list that tells visitors what they’ll be learning.

Some WordPress themes come with a landing page template. Some frameworks like the Genesis Framework also contain this feature.  If you’re not using a WordPress based website or if your theme doesn’t have a landing page template, you can use a service like LeadPages or Thrive Leads to create your landing page.

Mailing List Manager

After you’ve put together your landing page, you’ll need a mailing list. When a visitor arrives at your website and likes the idea of your webinar, she can sign up for a special webinar mailing list.

Now that she’s on your list, you can email your attendee before you go live and remind her about your event. You can also follow up with all of your attendees and share follow up information and even exciting offers with them.

If you already have a mailing list manager like Aweber in place, then all you have to do is create a new list and add the sign up form to your landing page. But if you don’t have a mailing list yet, you’ll want to start building one right away. You can do this by signing up for a marketing automation tool like Active Campaign or Drip.

Make sure your welcome email thanks new subscribers for registering for the webinar and lets them know that you’ll be sending access details when the date is closer.

Once your landing page is working, you may want to get some other online business owners to critique it. They can point out problems, suggest additions, and even give you tips on how to boost your conversion rate. When you share your link, make sure you mention you’re looking for feedback so you can improve the page.

Speaking of webinars, if you’re looking for a fun way to stretch yourself in September, why not join the Stretch Yourself Challenge? One of the challenges you can pick from is hosting a webinar 🙂 

Hosting a webinar can be a great way to build your mailing list, position yourself as a leader in your niche and sell your services or products. Hosting your first webinar can seem overwhelming or scary. But it doesn’t have to be. Creating and hosting your own webinar can be fun and easy. You can get started by making four key decisions…

Determine Your Purpose

It’s important to determine the purpose of your webinar as soon as you decide to host it. Ask yourself what action you want your attendees to take after they watch your webinar. Do you want them to sign up for your waiting list? Purchase your latest project? Buy a product you’re promoting as an affiliate?

Don’t go into your webinar with three or four different goals. You want one goal so you can make a strong call to action at the end of your virtual event. Remember, the purpose of your webinar is what will guide you as you create your content.

Choose Your Topic

Start by finding a topic that will meet a specific felt need or answer a pressing problem that your community has right now. You want this to be a topic that you’re passionate about, something that you could talk about for hours on end – because you believe that your advice on the topic can be of true help to others.

If you need help with picking a topic, consider what products or services you’ve released that resonated with your community. If you’ve used surveys to learn more about your subscribers or followers, look over those results. You can also reach out for inspiration from a business friend you trust to support you.

Know Your Talking Points

Once you know your topic, it’s time to think about the key information you’ll want to share. You’ll need six or more talking points so you have plenty of content ideas to pull from during your webinar.

It can be helpful to brainstorm your points by using index cards or sticky notes for this part of the process. Write down one idea on each card or note. When you’re done, you can rearrange the notes in a logical order.

Keep in mind that during brainstorm, you may jot down points that you decide won’t work. You can throw those cards away or save them if you think they might be helpful later.

Pick Your Date

Now, you’ll need to pick a time and date for your webinar. You want to set it at least two weeks in the future so you have time to promote it. But if you really want to create a buzz about your event, you should plan it 4-6 weeks in advance.

As you look to schedule your webinar, keep in mind different time zones. A webinar scheduled at seven in the morning Eastern Time means it’ll be four in the morning for your attendees living in the Pacific Time zone.

Hosting a webinar can be enjoyable and fun. You may even discover you love creating and hosting online events.

Speaking of webinars, if you’re looking for a fun way to stretch yourself in September, why not join the Stretch Yourself Challenge? One of the challenges you can pick from is hosting a webinar 😉 

3 Surprising Facts about PLR Content

Lily built a thriving coaching business. She loved serving her clients but she wanted to expand to offer more services like group coaching without increasing her workload. A friend told her about private label rights content or PLR – content that is sold and you can use as your own, editing or changing it if you like.

If you’re new to the world of PLR content, here are three surprising facts you should know about it…

Fact #1: It isn’t stealing to use PLR content.

Stealing content is finding an article online and copying the whole thing to your own website. It doesn’t matter if you credit the author or not. If you take more than a paragraph or two, you’ve violated copy right law because you didn’t have the right to copy that material.

With PLR content, the seller is giving you the right to copy their material. Most PLR providers even allow you to change the content if there’s a point you disagree with or if you want to add your own opinion to the work.

Fact #2: It isn’t unethical to use PLR content.

PLR content is usually created by a ghostwriter. Ghostwriters create content with the knowledge that their name will not go on the content. They know this upfront and they don’t mind. In fact, many ghostwriters enjoy what they do because they get the chance to educate and inform readers while writing on a variety of topics.

PLR content is also used by many different types of businesses. For example, politicians rarely write their own speeches.  Most athletes don’t write their own autobiographies, choosing instead to work with ghostwriters.

It’s perfectly ethical to use PLR content to serve your community and it’s one of the fastest ways to grow your business.

Fact #3: People you respect are using PLR, you just don’t know it.

Thousands of online business owners use PLR to power their businesses. It’s how they’re able to produce so many blog posts, podcast episodes, Facebook Live videos, and more.

The simple truth is trying to create all of your content on your own can be exhausting. But PLR is an affordable solution that’s easy to customize for your community with just a few subtle tweaks.

How to Make Your PLR Content Unique

Private label rights content is much cheaper than hiring a ghostwriter and it’s faster than creating the content yourself.

One of the drawbacks of PLR is that anybody can purchase it. But this doesn’t have to be a big deal for you. Instead, just customize it for your business by following these tips:

Change the Titles

The very first thing you want to do when using PLR is to change the title. When you search on Google, you can find millions of articles titled How to Choose the Right Lipstick Color or a subtle variation like Choosing the Right Lipstick for Your Skin Tone.

Now Allure magazine could have used that same tired title. But instead they opted to use the headline, The 10 Commandments of Lipstick. This title leaves readers curious. It makes them wonder if they know all ten of these lipstick rules, which causes them to clickthrough to the website.

Rewrite When Necessary

If you’re using PLR in your autoresponder or as an opt-in report, just lightly edit it with references to your target market.

You’ll also want to add in your own opinions and stories to make the content unique to your community. Doing this establishes you as a thought leader in your niche.

Add a Call to Action

PLR content will often lack a call to action at the end. That’s because the PLR seller doesn’t know exactly what you’re focused on in your business right now. So it’s your job to add CTAs to the content you’ve purchased.

Think about where your readers are in terms of your funnel. If this is content that’s on your blog, then you want to include a call to action that invites visitors to become subscribers. If it’s a free report that you’re giving to subscribers, your call to action might be recommending they buy a product or service from you. Regardless of what PLR you use, always add a CTA to encourage your community to go deeper in your funnel.

3 Fun Ways to Use PLR

When it comes to building your mailing list, there’s one secret weapon you should definitely be using: PLR content. It’s a great resource that’s easy to implement. Try using it one of these three ways and watch what happens to your list…

Launch Multiple Opt-Ins

Opt-in gifts are like dangling carrots. They offer something the reader wants and motivates him or her to go deeper into your sales funnel. But having just one isn’t enough. If you really want to grow your mailing list, you need multiple gifts sprinkled throughout your website.

Having multiple opt-ins is especially important if you have several customer avatars. For example, you’re a business coach that helps women create recurring income. Customer avatar #1 is a service provider who’s looking for more passive income opportunities. She might like an opt-in gift about how to add more affiliate marketing to her business.

Customer avatar #2 is a stay at home mom who wants to make recurring income by writing books. Your opt-in gift might be a guide to self-publishing for new writers.

You’re helping these women discover recurring income but you’re also tailoring your opt-in gifts to meet the unique needs of each one.

Come Up with Blog Content + Upgrades

If you already have a few pieces of content that you want to use as opt-in gifts then you can find PLR on these topics to post on your blog. For example, maybe you wrote a short report on how to get started with self-publishing.

Then you’d want to find and purchase some PLR on the topic of Kindle publishing. Rewrite this PLR content and post it to your blog then add a strong call to action inviting visitors to sign up for your short report.

Funnel Traffic to Your Opt-In Page

Another way to use PLR content to grow your mailing list is to break down into social media posts. Look over a PLR article or blog post and take 5 sentences from it. Use those sentences as text updates on social media and link to your opt-in page.

If the PLR seller included images, you can use those too. First, brand them by your adding your logo or website name to them. Then upload them to social media sites. Link your followers to your blog posts to encourage sign ups.

PLR content can help you grow your list quickly and easily. This gives you more time to spend growing your community.

Creating Content Upgrades with PLR

Many online business owners that use PLR, edit it and publish it on their blogs. They spend a few days promoting it then they let that post die a quiet death and they move on. The problem is that while the post may be informative for the reader, it doesn’t invite them to go deeper.

That’s what a content upgrade is all about. It’s a way of building on the blog content so that visitors are invited to become subscribers who will (hopefully) go on to buy your product or services.

But don’t freak out thinking that content upgrades have to be difficult. They’re easy to make. All you have to do is take the PLR you posted to your blog and turn it into an upgrade.

Over at White Label Perks, the PLR packages come with content perks included so this makes it super simple for you to create content upgrades quickly!

Here’s some ideas for creating content upgrades…

Create a Checklist

You know that tutorial you posted to your blog? Summarize each step in just one sentence. Then paste these steps into your favorite word processing software.

You can use the bullet point feature and select squares for an instant checklist. Now just save it as a PDF and you have a downloadable checklist to include with your tutorial.

Make a Worksheet

Take a PLR article and turn it into a worksheet. All you have to do is come up with 3-7 questions. For example if your blog post is about overcoming fear, you may want the first question to be something like: “What were you afraid of as a child?”

Keep asking questions until you help your readers work through their fears. When you’ve finished, save your questions as a PDF and you have a worksheet you can use as a free content upgrade.

Design a Resource List

When it comes to creating a resource list, look at the tools or software mentioned in your PLR content. For example if your PLR content is all about how to make beautiful graphics, it probably mentions websites like PicMonkey or Canva.

All you need to do is open a document and copy every tool listed in your PLR. Be sure to add links where necessary so subscribers can find what they need easily.

Turn Your Post into a PDF

Sometimes, visitors want to keep your post for future reference. This is especially common for tutorials, recipes, and lists. So, make it easy for visitors to access your content again by providing a PDF of your post.

This is a content upgrade that’s deliciously simple. As soon as your newest post goes live, visit a website like Printer Friendly. Once your conversion is finished, upload your PDF to your website and you have another content upgrade ready to go!

Content upgrades can be simple and easy to make. It just takes a few minutes and you can turn any post into a conversion machine.

Taking It A Step Further: How to Reuse Your PLR

Most online business owners make a crucial mistake with their PLR that limits their mailing list growth – they use it in only the format it came in. For example, you bought a PLR report on how to stop procrastinating. You broke it up into blog posts, created content upgrades, and called it done.

But the truth is you can switch up your PLR content by using different formats like changing text to audio. This can make your content stretch even further. Here’s how to use different formats to grow your list:

Turn a Report into Podcast Episodes

You’re probably using at least one PLR report or workbook as an opt-in gift. That’s great for a downloadable gift. But take your text and transform it into audio by creating podcast episodes.

This doesn’t mean you should have long podcast episodes where you read out the entire content. Instead, grab the main ideas from your PLR content and expand on them in audio. Add new insights and opinions. Brainstorm recommendations you forgot to include the first time around.

At the end of your podcast episode, let listeners know they can download the full report or workbook from your website. Then direct them to your opt-in page so they can sign up for your mailing list.

Live Stream an eBook Chapter

If you have an eBook as an opt-in gift, break it down chapter by chapter. Turn each chapter into a live video using a social media platform like Facebook Live or YouTube streaming.

Again, your goal is not to read the entire chapter to your viewers. You want to expand on the chapter by going deeper into it.

If some of the content has changed since you first uploaded it, then talk about that. For example, you might say, “In the eBook I mentioned a graphics website that’s no longer online, now I recommend ABC tool. It has a similar layout and I like that it’s simple to download the images I’ve created.”

When you’re winding down, make sure to mention that visitors can download your eBook in its entirety on your website. Provide a link to your opt-in page in the comments section so viewers can easily sign up for your awesome gift.

Create a Challenge from Your Course

If your opt-in gift is a course, consider turning it into a challenge. This works especially well if your challenge is short (think 7-10 days) and has plenty of action steps that your followers can follow through on.

Create a Facebook group and invite participants to check in daily during the challenge like Kelly does in her Love People + Make Money Facebook group. Let them know that they have to sign up for your mailing list and download the course in order to follow along.

Then show up in the group each day of the challenge. You can do this by starting discussions, creating homework assignments, or using Facebook Live to motivate your challengers.

At the end of each day’s assignment, remind your attendees to sign up for your mailing list so they don’t miss new challenges. Have a special opt-in page for these participants since your challenge can lead to a lot of new traffic and new subscribers.

Don’t fall into the trap of only using your PLR in only one format. You can recycle your favorite PLR pieces again and again.

Speaking of PLR, if you’re looking to master the process of selecting and implementing great PLR that will fill gaps in your content marketing and profitably meet needs for your community, be sure to check out the Brandable Content Workshop.

When you’re an introvert, in person networking can feel scary. But it’s also exciting and can help you grow your business in new ways. Here are some tips to help you network like a pro.

Do I Really Have To Network In Person?

Rachel had always been an introvert. She enjoyed running her online business and participating in virtual conferences and video chats. When she decided to give networking in person a try, she was nervous.

For her first event, Rachel attended a small conference and found she really loved it. Not only did her business grow as a result of participating in the conference, she also discovered the benefits of networking in person.

Magic Happens in Person

If you only do online marketing, you’re often left to guess many things, including the chemistry you have with another person. But in person events give you a chance to discover who you click with.

Often, you’ll discover more common ground at one event than you will in fifty online messages. That’s because messages can be carefully worded and edited repeatedly. While networking in person, you don’t have that luxury. As a result, you’re more likely to make genuine connections based on who you really are.

Partnership Happens in Person

Maybe you’ve had an idea for a new course that you’d like to create that’s been in your head for months. Maybe you’re listening to one of the event speakers while you dream up a new project idea. Maybe you’re participating in a mastermind session and another participant is so passionate about what they’re doing that you know you want to partner up with them in the future.

While it’s true that you can find partners online to share in a project, it can be fun and rewarding to partner with someone that you’ve had a chance to meet in person. You know their personality, their energy, and their style from spending time together at events.

Branding Happens in Person

It’s easy to think that your brand is simply the colors you use on your website or the logo that’s on your social media accounts. But branding is so much more than that. Branding is your personality and the way you communicate it.

When you attend in person networking events, you get the chance to see your brand through fresh eyes. You might discover that you need to tweak your brand’s story so that it resonates with your customers. You might learn that you need to let more of your quirky personality shine in your content.

Choosing Events That Stress You The Least

Networking when you’re an introvert doesn’t have to feel like you’ve just stepped into a horror movie. Networking can actually be fun and enjoyable if you familiarize yourself with the different types of events and know how to pick the ones that will work best for you.

Know the Difference: Single Track or Multi-Track

Single track events have one thing happening at a time. You might listen to one speaker, have lunch, then listen to another speaker. Everyone is following the same schedule, so there’s a good chance you’ll be able to connect with other attendees.

But multi-track events may have several speakers presenting at once so you have to choose between which sessions to attend and which ones to miss. Multi-track events can be overwhelming and make it harder to find time to interact with other attendees.

Whether you choose a single track event or a multi-track comes down to your goals. If you’re looking for a relaxed pace and a chance to connect with others, then opt for a single track. If you’re trying to absorb a lot of information on a particular topic, then a multi-track event might be a better match for you.

Size Matters: Small Events vs Big Events

Networking events come in all shapes and sizes. Some conferences boast thousands of attendees while a beach retreat, like Beachpreneurs, may only have a few guests. Smaller events like the retreat allow for more intimacy and more one-on-one interaction. Since you aren’t trying to memorize dozens of names and faces, you can relax and focus on getting to know other attendees on a more personal level.

Larger events may allow you to meet dozens of people but you’ll have to work extra hard to remember who’s who. This can make it hard to bond with other attendees and form deep relationships. If you’ll be attending a big event, try to choose one with plenty of down time included in the schedule so you can spend time with other attendees and really get to know them.

When it comes to selecting an event, be choosy. Look for one that excites you and makes you feel energized when you think about attending.

Watch The Vibes You’re Sending

Most introverts feel uncomfortable when they’re networking in person. You may feel nervous and hesitant, too. Sometimes, your discomfort can make you seem unapproachable and causes other attendees feel like you aren’t interested in talking or interacting with them. That’s why it can be helpful to keep the B’s in mind when you’re networking.

Be aware of your body language.

Your body language often communicates louder than anything you could say. If you keep your arms crossed during most events, people will assume you’re unfriendly. If you spend the entire event wrapped up in your phone, other attendees will think you’re bored or unapproachable.

Take a few seconds during each event to observe your own body language. If your shoulders are hunched, relax them. If you’re looking at the flooring or ceiling, stop and look up. Meet the eyes of other attendees and give them a brief smile. Adjusting your body language may seem simple but you’d be surprised at how approachable it makes you look.

Be the first to say ‘Hello’.

Don’t wait around for someone else to start a conversation with you. Even extroverts can be nervous in social situations so take the lead. You can start by introducing yourself and asking a simple question. Ask what upcoming projects the attendee is excited about or ask how they got into their profession.

Be fashionable.

You’re not attending this networking event to impress everyone with your runway skills. When you’re uncomfortable with how you look, it’s hard to feel good about yourself. That’s why you should wear clothes that make you feel confident.

Be chatty.

You may feel awkward and nervous when you’re in a conversation with someone you don’t know. It can be tempting to use one word answers or just nod along as the other person does all the talking.

But a big part of the reason you’re at a networking event to socialize. That means opening up and participating in conversations, even if you feel uncomfortable at first. Instead of answering questions with just a word or two, try to provide a bit more detail. For example, if someone asks what you do, don’t answer, “I’m a marketer.” Instead try something like, “I’m a video marketer. I help small companies learn how to use livestreaming and vlogging to get more customers.”

It’s normal to feel a bit uncomfortable at a networking event, especially if you’re an introvert. But don’t let that stop you from socializing and having a good time. Stay approachable and if you see someone alone, don’t be afraid to start a conversation with them.

Create Situations that Suit You

If you’re introvert, you may find networking in person uncomfortable. To grow your business and reach the next level of success, you’ll have to network at some point. But that doesn’t mean you have to drop everything and attend the biggest conferences in your niche right now.

You wouldn’t try to learn how to swim in the middle of the ocean. No, you’d start in a smaller environment, like a community pool. If you’re afraid of the water, you may even start by simply putting your feet in a wading pool. It’s the same concept with networking in person. Start with a small pool and it won’t seem as scary.

Make plans for your meals.

Making a plan to eat a meal with other attendees in advance is one way to slowly wade into the networking waters. Before the event or on the first day, make lunch or dinner plans for the rest of the event, prioritizing the people you really want to have a personal chat with.

These meals don’t have to include a lot of people. If you’re happiest at dinner with two or three other people, make that happen. You don’t have to accept invites to big group meals if the thought makes you uncomfortable.

Don’t hide in your hotel room.

Socializing with other attendees is an important part of networking events. If you don’t know anyone, it can be tempting to hide out in your hotel room. But don’t be a hermit. At the end of the day, invite one or two people to join you for a glass of wine or a snack. This gives you some uninterrupted time to really connect with other attendees.

Ask for what you want.

Don’t be shy if there’s someone at your networking event that you’d like to get to know. Introduce yourself and ask if they have time later to meet up. If the other person agrees, don’t stop there.

Now, you want to nail down the specifics. Try to arrange a meeting in a quiet place where you can both talk. For example, you might say, “I’m excited you want to meet up. Do you think we could get together tomorrow afternoon about three in the lobby?”

If you don’t get down to the specifics, you and the other attendee won’t make the meeting. You’ll go home wishing that you had taken the time to connect, even if it was only for a few minutes.

Don’t let the thought of networking intimidate you. Just focus on dipping your toes in the water for now. Later when you’re ready, you can try bigger pools and eventually, you’ll find yourself swimming in the ocean.

Have a Plan for Retreat and Recovery

Introverts often find prolonged social interaction and busy events draining. If you’re an introvert, you may have noticed that after networking events you feel tired and lack energy. This may not be much of a problem if you attend a short networking event in the afternoon and spend your evening relaxing and regrouping.

But when a networking event is stretched over several days like a conference or seminar, you risk returning home and feeling drained for the next week. But this can be avoided when you have a plan for retreat and recovery during a networking event.

Build in periods of time for rest.

Before you leave for any event, you should check the schedule and see what’s on the agenda for each day. This will give you an idea of when you can plan for some rest and relaxation. For example, you may notice an empty time slot in the afternoon that you could use to decompress.

You can use your decompression time however you like. You might want to go for a massage, read a book, or watch an episode of your favorite sitcom. Doing something that makes you feel good will help you return to your networking event later with more energy and enthusiasm.

Know your limits.

It can be helpful when you’re attending a conference or other networking event to know your limits. For example, attending four sessions back to back might be too much for you. Instead, you can pick the two sessions that appeal the most to you and show up only for those two. In between sessions, you can decompress or if you’re still feeling good, socialize with other attendees that aren’t at the session.

Prioritize what matters most.

Before a networking event, take the time to think about what you’re hoping to accomplish by attending. If you hope to build a network of affiliates that will promote your latest offering, then you know that socializing with others is your top priority. If you hope to find a new joint venture partner, then you know to look around for someone that you click with.

You may simply want to attend a networking event to help you learn something new, like how to do video marketing or how to re-target your advertisements. If that’s the case, then you’ll want to focus on attending sessions that give you the information you need.

Keep in mind that conferences always seem to go by much faster than you think they will. That’s why it can be helpful to have a game plan in mind ahead of time. This lets you build in plenty of time to relax and enjoy your time there.

If you’re looking for a small intimate event to attend, Exposure & Profit 6 is coming up October 11-13th, 2019 in Atlanta, GA.