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How to Get More Value from Your Conference Dollars


Halona Black #pericon #catapultme17

As a coach, speaker, author, and expert, you should be attending a conference at least 2 to 3 times per year. Conferences are great opportunities for you to learn, connect with people, as well as create new opportunities for you to share your message with those who are looking for experts like you.

The challenge with conferences is that most people show up unprepared to take full advantage of the opportunity. The truth of the matter is that conferences are way too expensive nowadays for you to show up half-assed. Think about it… Between the conference attendance costs, hotel, taxis, food, and other gadgets, t-shirts, books, upgrades to new programs, etc., you can easily spend a few hundred dollars to even thousands of dollars depending upon how you roll.

I had an opportunity to attend PeriCON (now rebranded as #CatapultME17) on April 21st and 22nd and wanted to share a few realizations about the value of conferences courtesy of Jai Stone, the conference’s founder and Master Brand Coach.

Relationships are powerful. Jai Stone is very careful about who she connects herself to. Why? Because she understands that her reputation is the foundation of her business. When she decided to organize her first conference, she made it clear that she wanted speakers whom she could vouch for. What does that mean? That means that if you called her asking if you could be put on the stage, you probably got rejected if she couldn’t vouch for you as a business professional and a person.

Great businesses are built on powerful connections. How are you building your network? Click To Tweet

Know what is valuable about you. When you ask for something from an influencer, what do you have to offer in return? I look at many of the major speakers on the conference roster and I noticed that many of them have a high number of ACTIVE community members connected to their business. Mario Armstrong has the #NeverSettleClub. Aprille Franks-Hunt has the Coach, Speak, and Serve Lounge. LaShanda Henry has her SistaSense Power Circle. Lamar and Ronnie Tyler of Black and Married with Kids have Traffic, Sales, & Profit. Many of these speakers have shown up on each other’s conference stages, telesummits, or online trainings. That means that they have a working relationship with one another. Rather than sitting back and wishing that someone with a bigger name would recognize their work, they focused on creating their own presence first, then have people come to them.

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Find out if your online presence is working for you!

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When you ask an influencer for a favor, what do you have to offer in return? Click To Tweet

Giving is a great way to increase your visibility. One of the best ways to be seen at a conference is to get on the roster as a speaker. Speaking gives you instant credibility, no matter if you were doing a keynote speech or a small breakout session. Many of the speakers were very generous with the amount of information they shared during their session. They gave information that we could all go home and implement immediately. However if you missed the opportunity to apply to be a speaker, here are a few things you can do to increase your visibility at your next conference:

  • Volunteer. Conferences are always in need of people who can do the seemingly small, but highly important tasks that keep it running smoothly. Time keeping for the speakers, people who answer questions and manage the flow of traffic in between sessions, passing the mic around during Q&A time, etc. — these are all jobs that are generally done by volunteers. If you make the decision to volunteer, be sure to anticipate the needs of the conference organizers and go above and beyond what you were expected to do. You can’t volunteer, complain about being tired, then sit on the sidelines and still expect a reward.
  • Ask questions. There is always time for Q&A at the end of each session. Be brave and ask as many relevant questions as possible using the microphone. Why? Because people always remember the ones who have the courage to grab the mic and speak.
  • Implement and follow up. Did you hear something at the conference that was useful in your own business? Make it a point to implement within a week after the conference is over — then tell the person you got it from about your success. If you have further questions, be sure to take the time to ask. Send this info via email, tweet, FB message, etc. This is a legitimate way to connect with influencers who are often too busy to get a hold of. However, they love to get real testimonials from people who are action takers. They get a real life example of how their strategies work, and you get to start building a relationship with someone you admire. Everybody wins!

Always give more than you get when attending a conference. That is the best way to increase your… Click To Tweet

Attending a conference is a great way to advance your coaching, speaking, and writing business — but only if you decide to make an active decision to participate.

What conferences are you attending this year? Leave it in the comments below so we can share information.

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How to Use Your Book — Or Your Book Idea — to Brand Yourself on Social Media

Social Media Branding, Dr. Will Moreland, Halona Black

I just got finished being interviewed by one of my mentors, Dr. Will Moreland, on Blab. If you are not familiar with him, I suggest you connect with him immediately on Periscope. This is where I first got to sit at his feet, so to speak, and get a daily lesson on leadership through entrepreneurship.

One of the things that I admire about Dr. Will is that he is the author of 40 books (YES, you read that correctly!) and has used his status as a best selling author and leadership expert to book speaking gigs and fill up his one-day masterminds across the country — among other accomplishments. So if you ever needed any inspiration to get your ONE BOOK done, you may want to check out Dr. Will’s example.

#Livestreaming apps like Blab are great tools to make real connections with influencers, grow your… Click To Tweet

Dr. Will has recently started a project on Blab called 50 Days of Genius where he is talking to everyday geniuses and their journey to becoming an entrepreneur over the course of 50 days. He simply sits down at one of his favorite coffee shops with a laptop and a good internet signal and has a conversation for 30 minutes. I wanted to point out that this is something each of you who is a coach, speaker, author, or expert can do to grow your own brand.

The concept of the 50-day series was taken from one of his books, Genius Potential: Learn How to Identify, Develop, & Release Your Genius. So whether you have a book in hand, an ebook, or just a book idea — you can do something similar on your own branded show using a live streaming platform like Blab.

Have you started to use live streaming to brand yourself as an expert? What’s stopping you from starting?


Author Solution: Are you wondering how experts like you get booked onto podcasts, internet radio shows, and live streaming shows using apps like Blab? Easy Publicity for Authors: How to Grow Your Business Using Interviews is a 1-hour audio e-course can help you to learn how to pitch yourself as an expert so you can start building your email list and connecting with other influencers who can help you make sales.



Create Your First Online Course with Janet Kafadar

How to Create Your First Online Course

If you have ever wanted to create a course using your book content — or even just your book idea — then you want to pay attention to today’s post. I just hosted a wonderful teleclass with the awesome Janet Kafadar, an Online Course Specialist. She works with coaches, speakers, and experts like yourself who are ready to touch more lives using an online course.

Why an online course?

I love courses because they allow you a fantastic opportunity to go more in-depth into what your clients need from you. Think about it… While you may have some wonderful books in your library, you may not have fully grasped some of the concepts until you further engaged with the content. This can include…

  • having a discussion about the book with your friends
  • reflecting on your thoughts and feelings using written journal exercises
  • watching other videos about the topic
  • creating a project based on what you learned in the book
  • use acronyms to help you remember complicated terminology (…anyone remember, “Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally,” when learning order of operations in middle school???)

Honestly, creating courses (much like writing a good book), can get a bit complicated if you don’t have the right support system in place to do it right the first time.

If you have questions like…

  • What should I do first — the book, or the course?
  • When is the right time to create and release a new course?
  • Should my course be a short challenge, a live course, or even pre-recorded course?

…then you definitely want to stop what you are doing and listen to Janet’s teleclass on How to Create Your First Online Course Using Your Book Content — RIGHT NOW!

Janet was also gracious enough to share some goodies. You can grab her free Course Creation Starter Kit & Planner.

If you know that you are ready to move forward with your course, I highly advise that you connect with Janet Kafadar in her Facebook group and request a 1-on-1 session with her.



Are You Using Facebook Ads to Boost Your Business?

Are you using Facebook ads to build your business

I have been learning to use Facebook ads to connect with more business owners who are ready to publish and profit. Since August 2015, I have used ads for everything from webinar signups, to my 7-Day Best Selling Author Platform Challenge, and generating more traffic to blog posts.

There was a time when I just didn’t get the whole pay for Facebook thing. I was thinking with my consumer brain instead of thinking like a business woman. You can only do so much with free tools. Eventually you have to make an investment into your own business so that others will believe you’re serious about what you do.

Facebook is a platform that was built to help you make money (OK, Facebook is making money too…). And if you are not using it to generate income, you are missing out. Not only have I been able to grow my email list, but a percentage of those people on my list have become paying clients. These are people who probably would not have known about me had I not used Facebook ads.

The cornerstone of any successful Facebook ad campaign is to set up your Facebook business page. This is NOT your personal page, but a page that you use strictly for business purposes. Don’t have a Facebook business page yet? Here is a useful tutorial from Facebook on how to create one immediately.

Once you get your Facebook business page running, you then want to spend some time getting people to LIKE your Facebook page. You can LIKE Digital Well Publisher here. You can get started by simply asking your other connections on Facebook to LIKE your new page. The last time I checked, you needed a minimum of 30 LIKES before you can actually start running ads — which isn’t hard to do at all.

If you are interested in how you can start to use Facebook to market your books, your expertise, and your business as a whole, book a 1-hour consultation with me so you can get started!



What’s an ISBN — and Do You Need One?

What’s an ISBN???

There are so many little odds and ends to publishing a professional book — and I look at it as my job to help demystify the whole publishing process for you.

I made you a short tutorial on what an ISBN number is to help get you out of your overwhelm and get you publishing.

What do I cover in the video?

  • What is an ISBN?
  • What purpose does an ISBN serve?
  • Do my ebooks and print books need an ISBN?
  • Where do I get an ISBN?

So hopefully, this should answer all your questions as it relates to getting an ISBN for your published books.

Got questions about ISBNs — or any other part of book publishing? Leave it in the comments below.



Is Your Health Website Mobile Ready?

Have you heard the news? Google will start rolling out a new update to its search algorithm on April 21, 2015 having to do with mobile ready websites.

If your health website is not mobile ready starting on April 21st, then your site risks the possibility of being dropped in the Google search results.

What does “mobile ready” mean?

Mobile ready simply means that your website has the ability to be easily viewed on mobile devices, including smartphones and tablets. If you have never bothered to look, take a moment to look at your site on your laptop or desktop computer. Next, upload your site onto your smartphone or tablet. If your site is mobile friendly, then the layout of your website may look slightly different from that of your laptop or desktop computer. In particular, the menu should be much easier to maneuver from one page to another. The site should also fit comfortably onto your mobile device without having to scroll back and forth a lot to read the information.

Why should I care if my health website is mobile ready?

Two reasons…

  1. It’s a good idea to stay in Google’s good graces so that people searching for your books, products, and services will be able to find you. Getting dropped lower into the search results may mean that you won’t be visible to potential clients and patients.
  2. People often use their mobile devices to look for health information on the go. This could be while making a purchasing decision between 2 health food products at the grocery store, while seeking medical help during a medical emergency, looking up prescription pill information at the pharmacy, asking a question in an online health forum, etc. If your health website is not mobile ready, you miss out on lots of opportunities to receive traffic to your website.

How do I know if my site is mobile ready?

The good news is that many sites today are already mobile ready If your health website is built on a WordPress theme, then your site is more than likely already built to be mobile friendly. If you are using a free website, I suggest you double check with the company you are using for yourself.  You can easily verify if your health website is mobile friendly by checking out this Google Developers’ site: https://www.google.com/webmasters/tools/mobile-friendly. You simply plug the address of your website into the designated space on the page, click on “ANALYZE,” and let the tool do all the work. If someone else designed your site for you, you can always go back and ask them if you’re confused.

The good news is that either your website is mobile ready — or it is not. There is no real list of parameters you need to stick to.

Halona Black is a Writer & Book Coach who works with wellness entrepreneurs who are ready to share their million dollar story. You can find her at DigitalWellPublisher.com.

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Evernote for Nonfiction Writers

Welcome to the first installment of #healthtechwriter Tuesday! Technology is proving to be so important to a writer’s life that I wanted to give you some of my own suggestions on what tools you can use in your health and wellness business to help you remain productive.

Evernote for Nonfiction Writers

You may have heard of Evernote (unless you’ve been living under a rock…). But in any case, Evernote is a great productivity tool for wellness business owners who want to keep their writing on track.

Evernote is an online notetaking and archival system that can be used for organizing anything from your healthy recipes, to your wellness blog posts, to even your ideas for writing your book.

How I Use Evernote on a Daily Basis

Inspiration for a blog post or a future book can hit at any moment. And you want to make sure you are ready to capture these moments or risk losing them forever.

Evernote for Nonfiction Writers - DigitalSelfPublisher.com

What you see in the above photo are a few of the notebooks I have kept in the year 2014 alone. All those brilliant brainstorms archived with a simple pad and paper. I’ve got a notebook for my daily to do list. I’ve got another notebook for my women’s health blog, Still yet another notebook for personal thoughts.

The problem comes when I get ready to actually RETRIEVE some of those brilliant brainstorms. Sometimes I date the pages — most times I don’t. So then I am left sitting around thinking where was I when I was writing these thoughts — perhaps that will help to jog my memory. But it never works.

Evernote helps me to retrieve those brainstorms. What Evernote does so brilliantly is that it takes away the need to purchase separate notebooks for every project you work on. With Evernote, you are able to create a “new” notebook in the same way you would create a file folder on your laptop. You can see how the pile of notebooks (seen in the above photo) turn into a list of neat notebooks I can easily retrieve when I get ready to use them (see photo below).

Evernote for Nonfiction Writers - DigitalSelfPublisher.com

I’ve got a “notebook” for my copywriting coaching program with Ed Gandia called B2B Business Launcher. Then I’ve got notebooks for my blogs. Then there is a general notebook for random thoughts. Then, of course, my daily to do list.

There is no “wrong” or “right” way to organize your notebooks. Feel free to organize your notebooks any way you see fit.

How to Use Tags to Organize Your Notebooks

Evernote allows you to use tags in the same way you would use in WordPress or a bookmarking system would. Tags are keywords that you can use to help you find notes that are similar to each other. For example, I may want to retrieve all my notes pertaining to book ideas that may be spread across several notebooks. As long as I tag the post with the keywords, “book ideas,” I will be able to pull it up. So much simpler than trying to go through pages and pages of written notes.

Other great uses for evernote

For those of you who are big on developing recipes, then you will love Evernote. You can upload your photos and create a notebook for all the different types of recipes you create.

If you are conducting interviews for your blog or book, you can upload video and audio interviews into its own notebook (or however you choose to organize it) along with notes from your session. Got an audio transcript? Throw that in there too!

See a blog post or a website you’d like to share at a later date? Save it in Evernote!

Want an easy way to keep track of your business receipts? Evernote can save it for you.

Do you need to take notes from a white board or even a handout? Take a photo of it with your phone and upload to Evernote.

Can Evernote Replace Pen and Paper?

For me, Evernote will never replace pen and paper. I love using pen and paper for big brainstorming projects. There is something about using my hands to do the rough work of just getting my thoughts on paper.

However when I get ready to take those ideas and organize them into a neat package, Evernote becomes my step #2! Again, the ability to retrieve these brilliant brainstorms is where I see the most value in Evernote for nonfiction writers, whether you are blogging or writing your next book.

How to get evernote on your device

If you are ready to give Evernote a try, you can head over to their website. Sign up for an account there and immediately get to work (did I tell you it’s FREE?). You can also download it to any of your devices like your phone or tablet so you can access it on the go.

How do you see Evernote helping you to write your health and wellness books and/or blog posts?