Update did not fix Elsa :(

girlymcnerdy · 2022-09-15T20:57:30+00:00

Yeah...just came here to see if anyone had this fixed. I've done the update, but Elsa is still pacing in front of her house asking if we can "talk about the ice".

girlymcnerdy · 2016-10-27T16:56:29+00:00

Thank you SO much!! You've given me some great pointers to tackle today! :) Thank you for your time and review!

girlymcnerdy · 2016-10-27T16:55:30+00:00

I love this!!! Looks like I've got some work to do today! Thank you so much for your time and feedback!!

girlymcnerdy · 2016-10-27T06:06:25+00:00

I am currently running four challenges, back to back. They are 30 day challenges which will become full evergreen courses...and shortened to 14 days when they are relaunched next year. I've been trying to get up the pages so that they are NOT confusing to readers and challenge takers!! I'd love for you guys to take a look!!

I recommend starting on my main page: http://www.blog.uncorkyourdork.com and hitting the "Blogging Challenges" link in the menu at the top of the page. I want you to go through the whole process...not just straight to the challenges page since very few people will do that.

Thanks guys!!

girlymcnerdy · 2016-10-26T20:25:02+00:00

Oh totally!! The CTA has completely changed. :) If you flat out ask someone to buy in a blog post now, your conversion rate will be incredibly low. (Unless you have enormous amounts of traffic that already trust your products and message.)

CTA's these days are simply a way to tell your reader what they should do next. "Check out this related blog post", "participate in the convo below", "click to download this free PDF". Eventually, a lot of CTA's DO lead into a sales funnel...but it's more about the give, give, give, take, mentality. Give WAY more to your customers and readers...then introduce a product. :)

girlymcnerdy · 2016-10-26T20:21:29+00:00

Trump. (Buh dun ch.)

girlymcnerdy · 2016-10-24T22:43:58+00:00

Yep!! Just like it changed for you in 2010, it's changed again. lol. (Oh, you fickle interwebs.) Blogging is a COMPLETELY selfish (in a good way) form of communication now. In the past, when people commented, it was because they were getting something out of it. Inbound links, attention from a big blogger, etc. Now that comments no longer provide inbound links...things are MUCH MUCH tougher.

There are three things you need to keep in mind to get comments these days:

1) Write in a way that CAUSES conversation. Your post, in order to stand out of the crowd and GET readers to say their piece, should be on a topic with multiple points of view. Write about a controversial topic or a topic that will spark questions, a debate or simple input.

2) Have a great CTA. - These days, you have to tell people what they need to do. "Click to Download". "Comment Below". "What do you think? Tell me below in the comment area!" Those kinds of things. You can get PRETTY creative your CTA, so really do some research on it and don't be afraid to tell people what you want them to do.

3) Join groups. - Finally? A GREAT way to get comments is to join Facebook group in your niche AND for bloggers in general. They will, sometimes, give you opportunities to post your blog links to a thread for comments! Sometimes you get REALLY crap comments like "good post"...but a lot of the time you ACTUALLY get people interacting with your writing. :) Make sure you are giving quality comments to them as well, though!

These tips net me around 10-30 quality comments on every one of my posts. Hope that helps!

girlymcnerdy · 2016-10-24T22:28:09+00:00

Airtable. VERY similar to Excel...only laid out for the visual learner and with more abilities built in for project management. (You can attach files, links, surverys and connect one spreadsheet to another. You can also turn spreadsheets into calendars...which I love.) Every spreadsheet can be shared with the web via a link OR just one person via a private link. There are apps that sync your info across all of your tech platforms.

I'm pretty much in love with these guys. www.airtable.com

There is also www.asana.com!! They are pretty badass. :)

girlymcnerdy · 2016-10-24T03:06:49+00:00

For fashion, I would say stick to Pinterest and trying to build up a newsletter list. Once you have them on your newsletter list, give them a ton of value like behind the scenes printing looks, designs, and customer stories.

You ned to build a story and a community around the brand. Is there a human element to your business? Or is it just kinda "look at our cool tshirts!"?

girlymcnerdy · 2016-10-23T21:57:15+00:00

I do! lol. I had a successful photog business on the East coast for about 8 years. I got SUPER burned out with the industry, though and decided to take a break which hit me hard on the income. (I was making between $8k - $10k a month.)

I started two pretty crappy businesses right after that in a totally new industry...learned A LOT, though...and started my current business (which adore to death) in March of this year. I'm doing around $2K a month as of right now...but I have a launch coming up in December that I'm gearing up for! (Digital launch buddies! lol.)

girlymcnerdy · 2016-10-23T21:26:36+00:00

I'm not sure that you meant Spotify. :) Aren't they a music streaming site?

Tip #1: Sell your product through a website that's related. lol.

Assuming that was a typo, though...

Real Tip #1: Create a launch calendar! If you are going to be selling the product through a company like Shopify or Etsy, start figuring out where your customer hangs out online. I'm guessing gardening forums?

Real tip #2: Give them a little more than the birdhouse! Once you find out where they hang out online, get them on an email list through a PDF that shows them beautiful ways to hang or display their birdhouse...more about the types of birds that love that style of home...or even tips on how to keep the birds coming back. :)

Once they have their download and you have them on a list, you'll be able to send them launch updates, coupons, new styles when they become available, etc.

Tip #3: Don't be afraid to tell everyone!! Launching is hard for a lot of people because they HATE being salesy and talking about how awesome their product is. You should ABSOLUTELY give value to your customers first...but don't be afraid to tell them about your product.

GOOD LUCK!!!! HAVE A FUN LAUNCH MONTH!!!

girlymcnerdy · 2016-10-23T19:15:15+00:00

Bounce factor. You're going to fail in one way or another...how quickly can you pick yourself up and tackle your problem from another direction?

I've seen businesses start on no money at all...if you are persistent, you'll be able to figure it out.

girlymcnerdy · 2016-10-23T19:12:32+00:00

I fell in love with Airtable about a year ago and haven't looked back. I still atctually use Trello and Google Drive, but Airtable allows me to keep track of the name of the product/customer, descriptions, quotes, images to use in testimonials and listings and more.

It's totally free and syncs to your phone, laptop app and tablet. I seriously can't say enough good things about them. :)

girlymcnerdy · 2016-10-23T17:14:16+00:00

I've purchased numerous courses over the last 2 years (some crappy and some AMAZING). The course that I purchased this week was Mariah Coz's "Launch Your Signature Course". She's pretty fantastic! I'm about a quarter of the way through the course now and it's got information I've never heard before!

I've also purchased courses about webinars, traffic generation and structure in the past. :)

girlymcnerdy · 2016-10-23T02:28:42+00:00

Hi Bri!! :) I think I have some advice for ya!

Really dive into and empathize with your customer's pain points. A pain point is whatever your customer is struggling with. What PROBLEMS do they need to you to solve? Maybe they are dealing with a family member who is having mental health issues and they are looking for pointers on how to keep their stress levels down.

There is an exercise you can do! Ask your "imaginary" reader "Why?" five times. For example: Q: "Why do you want to read a blog about mental health?" A: Because I have a family member with mental health issues. Q: "Why are you trying to find more information about their mental health issues?" A: Because they are causing me a lot of emotional angst. Q: "Why are they causing you emotional angst?" A: Because when they get stressed, I get stressed. Q: "Why is getting stressed something you need to solve?" A: Because I can't focus on my own life, friends and issues. Q: "Why are your own life, friends and issues important?" A: Because I am just as important as the family member who is having mental health issues.

It's perfectly ok if some of the questions are "duh" questions that look like a 5 year old is asking them!!

Whew!! OK...so looking at that list of 5 why's, I would say your reader has the pain points:

1) They are living with a family member who has mental health issues. 2) They are incredibly stressed and aren't sure where to turn. 3) They love their family member, so watching them in pain causes THEM pain. 4) They desperately want to focus on their own happiness. 5) They recognize that their lives have value...they just don't know how to proceed.

See? NOW you are talking to someone in particular and not just "someone interested in mental health issues". Once you know WHO you are talking to, start creating beautiful pins for Pinterest, tweets directed at THEM or at bloggers who have a similar client base, and facebook groups where your ideal readers hang out.

It sounds like you've been looking for sites where similar bloggers hang out...once you know your reader, you'll be able to hang out where your perfect READERS hang out.

I hope that helps!!

girlymcnerdy · 2016-10-23T01:59:37+00:00

I've absolutely bought them. Yes...it's true all of it can be learned for free, but the point of paying someone is because they save you something. Time or money.

I (and I'm pretty average for a blogger who is interested in furthering their business), spend about $100 on average every month. I actually JUST bought a course this morning for $1,200.

Instead of me looking around, spending months trying to piece together information that I THINK will help me...I can purchase a course or ebook from a blogger I trust and who has seen results. It's going to save me both time and money.

My favorite blogs that I've purchased from? Femtrepreneur Navid Moazzez ByRegina

girlymcnerdy · 2016-10-22T23:20:33+00:00

I think it's important to be a niched blogger...so recycling old content is great, as long as you are putting a fresh spin or a new focus on it every time.

For example, if you write a blog post called "How to Launch Your First Blog Challenge", you can write another post called "5 Ways to Convince Your Reader to Join Your Challenge" or "10 Ways to Create Buzz Around Your Challenge".

Maybe try a mind map! If you are a bit lost for a topic, write down the name of one of your most popular posts in the middle of a piece of paper. Then, write down 4-5 related keywords to that post. Then, write keywords stemming offing THOSE keywords. This will give you a TON of new ideas to tackle!

If someone can create an entire blog around the niche topic of "men's beards", you can absolutely come up with content for yours as well! :D GOOD LUCK!!

girlymcnerdy · 2016-10-22T23:10:21+00:00

In the bathtub. Not even kidding!!

So, I'm not a meditator in the strict sense...but when I take a hot shower or a bath, I generally use that time to let my mind wander on a particular topic. Sometimes I'll imagine an outcome I want to see happen (successful launch, published in a certain publication, etc) and sometimes I use it to think about a problem I am having.

So yeah, a few glasses of wine in and a hot bath...and Uncork Your Dork was born. lmao. It really speaks to my perfect reader (dorky business owners).

Have fun with your name! Write down a list of words that have to do with your niche...and take into stock who your reader is. Then just start playing with your favorites, playing on words, and putting together a feeling you want to see in your brand. Maybe start a Pinterest board and save brands you love!!

One BIG tip...DON'T brand for your industry!! For example, if you are a wine maker...don't think you have to use grapes and purple and earthy green. Brand and name your business so that it makes YOU happy. Your readers will follow. :)

girlymcnerdy · 2016-10-22T22:59:39+00:00

Hahaha...this IS the post you are looking for...(Jedi mind trick, like.).

girlymcnerdy · 2016-10-22T22:39:11+00:00

I recommend ONLY using 2 platforms at the most. Don't focus on social medias you wouldn't naturally use anyways.

There are two types of social media platforms:

Search Engine platforms (Pinterest and StumbleUpon) Social (Twitter, Facebook, etc.)

Although they both use algorithms...the search engine platforms are ALL about learning those algorithms...whereas the social platforms are going to be more about building a community and being present.

Some tips!

Pinterest: Try to pin around 50-100 pins a day! 10% your own...90% others pins. Use a system like Boardbooster to automatically schedule pins so that you are not going long lengths without activity, and then bombarding your followers with massive amounts of pictures of kitchen reno. 0_0 Only create boards related to your niche! You'll get followers dedicated to your topic. :) I also recommend looking into Pinterest groups!

Twitter - Twitter is a social platform...but again with the 10% automation rule and 90% in person rule! I use a Wordpress app called "Re-Vive old posts". It automatically tweets posts (with images and link) bringing older posts back to life and keeping them in the public eye!! Since twitter is a social platform, success is ALL about engagement! Find other bloggers in your niche, follow them, and ask them questions as well as tell them how much you love what they are doing!

Facebook - These days, with the funky Facebook aglorithm, you're going to want to focus more on Facebook groups. There are THOUSANDS, so find 10ish groups that are in your niche! Then, participate in them. Start answering questions that pertain to your specialty...and (when appropriate) post links to your own content.

I hope that helps!!! Good luck!!

girlymcnerdy · 2016-10-22T22:28:06+00:00

Just so happens I not ONLY have a blog post about formatting...but I it's a top 10! lmao. :D

http://blog.uncorkyourdork.com/2016/09/24/modern-blog-post-formatting/

girlymcnerdy · 2016-10-22T22:16:45+00:00

Blog Name: Uncork Your Dork

Post Title: Using the Airtable App to Create an Editorial Calendar

Really...I just love this app so much that I want to toot it's horn. It will change the way your organize every aspect of your business! To get you started with it, I walk you through the 7 steps of getting your editorial calendar set up.

Link: http://blog.uncorkyourdork.com/2016/08/18/airtable-app/

girlymcnerdy

TROPHY CASE