Tele-seminars

Blogging for your business is not an option anymore, but does it work better that Email Marketing?

How do you make the these two marketing strategies work together to create a powerful tool to boost your small business or professional practice?

On Wednesday, February 11, I will be asking ask Denise Wakeman and Patsi Krakoff, the dynamic duo also know as the BlogSquad, some tough questions:

• Is blogging an option for any kind of business?
• How to use blogging to strategically market a business?
• How to choose which blogging platform to use?
• What are some of the pitfalls and how to avoid them?
• I have a web site – why do I need a blog, too?
• I already have a web site – how do I connect my blog to it?
• I have an email newsletter – how do I use my blog to generate more subscribers?
• What is RSS, FeedBurner, FeedBlitz – and do I need to be a tech geek to create and maintain a blog?
• How do I blog without having a blog of my own?

These are a few of the questions Patsi, Denise and I will answer for you.

This is a FREE tele-seminar, LIVE on Wednesday, February 11, starting at 3pm EST

There will be no pitching or selling on the call, just pure content.

Seating is limited, so register for your chance to jump start your blogging efforts in 2009, or if you’re already blogging, to find out how to make the most of business blogging to promote your business.

If you can’t make the live event, a downloadable MP3 recording of the call will be available, so register now:

http://www.ibizacademy.com/blogsquad/

See you on the call!

Boris Mahovac – Email Marketing Coach

There are two main players in this arena: Audio Acrobat and Audio Generator.

(UPDATE: A third contender has recently entered the arena, called TalkStream. I haven’t had a chance to try it out yet, but I have a feeling it’ll be quite good, considering it is the latest offering by none other than GetResponse, the Email Service Provider that I use and highly recommend. It includes support for both audio and video for $19.95 per month, which is the same as Audio Acrobat. TalkStream’s main advantage is it offers a toll-free testimonial-recording line.)

These service providers offer fairly similar features and benefits for those of you who are either too busy to tinker with your own home-made solutions that the software programs provide, and don’t mind paying a monthly service fee ($20-$30), or simply need the extra features that are available.

Both Audio Acrobat and Audio Generator offer a full spectrum of features that may be appealing to your particular line of business. Here’s a quick list of the main features:

• record and store unlimited number of audio messages;
• record messages by phone, microphone, or upload existing recordings;
• record your tele-seminars or other conference-type calls (Audio Acrobat only);
• use audio on any number of web sites and web pages;
• send audio messages by email (audio postcards).
• record customer testimonials by phone, regardless of where they are located.
• powerful statistics on how your audio messages are played
• add video to your web pages and emails (included with Audio Acrobat, extra with Audio Generator)

I advise you to visit both web sites and compare them directly, as features and pricing plans change as both technology and the marketplace evolve. Both Audio Acrobat and Audio Generator offer a trial period during which you can explore the system to see which one fits your needs and budget the best.

My personal preference and recommendation is Audio Acrobat because it’s cheaper and includes video. However, Audio Generator has a tremendous feature called “Super Testimonials” which you have to see in action to understand how powerful it is.

One last note: If you decide to go with one of the Service Providers, back up your recordings often in case you decide to cancel your account, or your service provider encounters technical problems, or goes out of business. This is especially critical with irreplaceable content such as live tele-seminars and client testimonials.

In conclusion

Use audio (and video) to attract more clients and customers, describe your services or products, or in many other creative ways. Audio is so powerful, that one test shows that placing audio on an order page increased the conversion rate by more than 300% – I am sure, this alone may be reason enough for you to consider using audio on you web site today!