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How to Promote Your Online Business on Quora by Veronika Vaghina of @x_cart

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by Veronika Vaghina

Let me guess: you are an online business owner who is always looking for a new way to promote your online store or a person who is only thinking of starting a shop. Well then, you’re in the right place as today I want you to consider Quora as a part of your content strategy (spoiler: it’s free & effective). Let’s start!

What Is Quora?

Quora is an American Q&A site where everyone can ask anyone any question and get a decent answer.

If you have never heard about this website, you need to check this link out first. There you’ll learn how this website works, where you find your topics, why people adore it so much and how you can benefit from using it.

How to Promote Your Online Business on Quora?

Create a Quora account, fill in the information, add a link to the website you want to promote in bio.

Choose topics that reflect your niche and your target audience’s interests. Subscribe to the topics to see the new questions and answers, follow questions and subscribe to the users already registered on Quora. In other words, join the community.

Think of the information that you could share: your blog posts, tutorials, or just something you’re good at.

Then look for the questions where this information could be used as an informative answer that actually helps people. This is the key point of Quora marketing: it doesn’t matter how desperate you are in your attempts to promote your business. The first thing you should care about is being useful. People will upvote a good answer and, let’s be honest, it helps not to get banned.

Add links to your website and mention your brand in the answers you write. You should be careful here as it’s easy to get banned. So make sure this exact link is in the right place and brings real value. A seamlessly added link does not make you think for even a moment that you just want to promote your business.

Create a content plan. The more often you answer, the more views you get. Try to answer at least once a week.

Add examples & pictures. These answers get more upvotes and also appear in Quora Digests more often. (To find out what Quora Digest is and how to get in there read the article mentioned above).

Repeat the steps, notice what works better for your business. Change your plan on the go if necessary.

I’ve described an affordable way to get more traffic to your website. Of course, there’s an opportunity, too (but I’m not talking about it this time). It’s up to you now — to follow the tips or to wait for another opportunity. Good luck!

 

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Veronika is a Marketing Manager at X-Cart. The company provides X-Cart, an open-source eCommerce platform, along with the full range of services for online business. In her spare time, she enjoys hiking and reading.

How to enhance your finances using your feminine gift? by @MoneyCoach_AR

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by Alejandra Rojas

For so long in my life, I’ve watched the money field being dominated by masculine attitudes. I recalled watching coworkers yelling to the other one “I’m killing it” when investing under excitement and buying items to feed their masculinity.

I remember having a conversation with a coworker about the future. You know the “What have you plan for the future?” conversation. He asked me what I’d planned to do in a few years, but almost without space for an answer, he started to lecture me about what to do with my money.

He didn’t bother to ask what I wanted for my life, what made me happy; he was just in a rush to give me indications on what I needed to follow to succeed. He went from investing in the stock market to applying for the X credit card that gave me cash back on trips and restaurants. And of course, he emphasises I had to spend as much as possible on it so I could upgrade my status on it.

The thing is that the situations didn’t resonate with me at all. The idea of extravaganza/ “I can rule the world” because I have money, was definitely not what I wanted to focus.

Instead, I needed to bring the best value possible to my life using the tools I’ve studied for, finances. I thought about money as something that should be meaningful for our soul and not just a superficial item, knowledge or action.

As a woman who appreciates the things for the value they can bring in our lives, I was determined to find how money can mean something more than what people are used to.

That coffee conversation for me was crucial to understanding that, of course, we do have different perceptions and understanding about the ways to live and manage our lives. But, as women, we have a fantastic strength inside us that enables us to live a more meaningful money journey, and we need to use it.

So, ever since that coffee talk, I started to work on finances with that female feeling based on a purpose. I was asking myself what role money should play in my life. And I came across with five things that enhanced my feminine gift to bring meaning to my life.

1. Setting up goals with my soul.

If I wanted to change something within my environment, I had to start by changing myself. I was not any longer willing to pursue a vague and vanish success goal for anyone else but me.

I had to close my self and be the most selfish that I’ve been for years to think about what made me and just me happy. What was the success I wanted to seek and how that would contribute to be the person I wanted to be.

I was not any longer looking to satisfy someone else ideal life; I was decided to look inside my head the dreams and ideas that encourage my soul to make them happen.

2. Being grateful for what I have.

Starting my day by saying three things I’m grateful for, connects me with myself.
Part of being more intentional and bringing purpose to my life was to recognise everything that I’ve achieved so far. Without starting my days without being grateful, I just continued with the practice of asking for more without appreciating what I already had.

Not recognizing what I had made me lose sight of the moment, and the whole essence of what I was working for was wasted. I was determined to use my feminine sense to recognize the essential things I had in my life.

3. Setting up boundaries to talk about the money.

I get it! I work on finances, I need to see money most of my time, but there is something else more significant than the money I had to focus.

While discovering that something, I took my home as my safe place to reconnect with myself and find the purpose I was looking for.

I set boundaries within my home and myself to have money points free zones. Areas at home that should be just to connect with myself and with the dreams I had.

I was determined to take power out from money and drive happiness and joy to my life beyond everything.

4. Focus on transmitting my happy thoughts.

It is not really a thing that we often do, but it is that feminine side of positivism and acting from a place of happiness what got me to start sharing all my happy thoughts. Because I do believe we are what we talk. By speaking, we can transmit what we think, and what we believe is what define us.

I focused on transmitting happy thoughts instead of going on circles over problems or money matters. If I couldn’t change the past, then I had to make sure I learned my lesson to avoid the same mistake twice. But crying o braking my mindset over it wouldn’t change anything.

People say women are quick learners, and once we’ve learned the lesson, we are ready to move forward in any aspect of our lives, so I figured money should not be any different.

5. Expressing my point of view.

Later on, I understood I had contributed to keeping the masculine understanding of money on my environment.

Well yes!! if every time people were talking about it, and I just limited myself to listen without expressing my point of view, I was just letting that masculine point of view flowed all over the place.

Honestly, nobody will notice your different ideas if you don’t speak up. I was determined to stop that! Besides, if a woman is determined to be heard, she can sure do it.

So I took a step forward on the conversations and started finding my voice about money issues within my self, my family and the public.

But you know what I found? More people, many women and men, resonated with my ideas every time more. It was just incredible how people felt a lot more comfortable talking about their dreams, their happiness rather than the numbers on their bank account.

 

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Alejandra Rojas is a financial coach who helps millennial women unlock their wealth potential through mindset and money management techniques. Access Alejandra’s Free Finance Roadmap and get started achieving your dreams.

3 Easy Steps to an Expert-Based Business

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by Cheryl Garrison

So you want to start a business but you’re not sure what type of business to start and how to get it started. You’re not alone. I get tons of inquiries from women, especially those over 50, who are ready to assert their independence and become their own boss but can’t seem to find the business they want to start. They dabble in and out of network marketing or direct sales and find that they don’t truly have a passion to build a team or host parties! The idea of having a business becomes more and more frustrating and they are at the point of giving up on this long-held dream. Does this sound like you?

Good news. More and more women are finding that the business they’ve been wanting to start is literally inside of them. It’s their talent, knowledge and passion – the thing they love to do and can do with ease. It’s called starting an expert-based business.

According to market trends, over 33% of businesses started are businesses that evolve from prior experience. This includes businesses like freelancing, independent contracting, consulting and virtual assistance. Many of these businesses are started at home and are more likely to succeed. Personally, I ran a successful consultant business from home for over 15 years. It was based on my work experience and passion as a corporate and technical writer. I was able to raise my three children (now adults) and earn a significant high five-figure income annually.

How did I do it and how can you take your expertise and passion and turn it into a viable and successful home-based business? Below I share three steps you can take to get your expert-based business started and get you on the road to success from home.

Step 1: Be clear on the type of business you wish to start – Many people are knowledgeable about something. In fact, most of us have multiple talents and passions and it is sometimes hard to narrow them down and know your true expertise. Do a quick expertise inventory. Simply get a sheet of paper, draw a line down the middle and on one side write all the experience that you have. It can be from current or past corporate jobs, hobbies, volunteering, and education – just brainstorm all of your experience. On the opposite side, write all the things you are passionate about, the things you LOVE to do. You might be very knowledgeable about accounting but truly love teaching. This might lead you to creating an online class on how to keep accurate accounting records in a small business. This exercise has led many people to start lasting businesses.

Step 2: Position yourself as the expert – As I said earlier, most of us are experts at something. But, until someone knows our expertise, our unique and special gifts remain unknown. How do you get people to know that you are knowledgeable in a certain area? You tell them. You tell them online, offline, every chance you get. Some of the most notable ways people are establishing themselves as authorities or experts in their field include:

  • Writing a Book – Writing a book about your field of expertise is instant credibility. Luckily, in today’s digital world, it has gotten easier to get your book on the market through self-publishing, vanity press and ebooks. Decide on the book you want to write and then get busy writing it. ‘
  • Hosting an online podcast/FB LIVE – Establish your expertise by hosting weekly or monthly podcasts/FB LIVEs where you can share “how-to” tips. This is merely a way to keep your message in front of your audience and allow them to see you in the position as expert.
  • Obtaining speaking engagements – Get on the stage as much as possible to establish your credibility. Your local chamber of commerce has opportunities as well as women groups and conferences in your community.

Step 3: Share your Story – The final step is to create a platform for sharing your knowledge with a pre-defined audience. How will you deliver the message? You might decide to create an online course, do live webinars, or conduct one-on-one coaching.

How will you reach them? You might decide to create a social media strategy for Facebook and Instagram. Your offline strategy could be attending networking events.

The three steps referenced here are a quick overview of ways to get your expert-based business started. Remember, starting any business requires clarity, planning and a no-excuse attitude. Follow these steps and you will be well on your way to being your own boss. To your Success!

 

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Cheryl Garrison is a business coach, speaker, author and champion for women over 50. Her desire is to help women re-invent themselves through business ownership. She encourages women over 50 to take their decades of skills and expertise and turn the into a thriving business. For more than 30 years, Cheryl has been an entrepreneur and has earned well over a million dollars from her various ventures. As a business owner, she was awarded numerous Business Excellence awards.

She has been a featured speaker at several women’s conferences and networking events. She is the author of two books: Re-Invent Yourself and From Expert to Entrepreneur. Most recently, Cheryl published her first magazine for women over 50, 50Something Lifestyle Magazine.

As a coach, Cheryl works one-on-one with her clients in addition to group training and masterminds.’

Cheryl created 50Something LIfestyle to help women deal with the “now what”.  Just because we are 50Something, it doesn’t mean that we are ready to be done. We are strong, vibrant women ready to create the lifestyle of our dreams?

The day when I realized It’s not all about “The End results”

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by Shaheena Shaikh

27 October 2019 I attended a networking event at hotel Jury Inn Oxford, the purpose of the event was to celebrate 3rd anniversary of OMPEG. At this occasion the company also honored some of the achievers, and to my surprise I was awarded with the honor of “Dare To dream” award for my brand Falcon Fashion. The moment was filled with surprise, and emotions. I have no hesitance in saying that more than the award I was impressed by the title written on it, “Dare To Dream”, which persuaded me to look back in to the journey from a dyslexic, shy and timid girl turning in to a business woman.

That day brought so many memories back of the struggles throughout my school years, the journey of womanhood and motherhood, till the dream which started few years back, of setting up my own fashion brand. I always knew my journey is not going to be easy with having responsibility of a young daughter and taking care of household. I worked tirelessly and passionately and at the same time ensuring not to disturb my day to day responsibilities and overall not losing the pa-tience and desire to achieve my dreams. When I achieved my first milestone of receiving BA honors degree, I announced my entrance in the world of Fashion.

There were moments of frustration and the days when I couldn’t see beyond, but always had a will to go on.The journey from a weak girl to a strong woman is filled with so many challenges, pain, and ups and downs that I cannot write in few pages, but dream does not become reality till we have a courage to pursue it with sweat, hard work and perseverance.

The path is still long and it’s just the beginning, but one thing I realized that success is not all about making monetary profits, success is over all a expedition. From taking a first step to challenge yourself, coming out of your comfort zone, and most of all where you are and where you want to be, each small achievement is a accomplishment and each failure adds a brick to strengthen the wall of your success.So hold fast on to your dreams, because future belongs to those who believe in their dreams.

 

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Falcon Fashion was established in February 2018 by founder Shaheena Shaikh, who felt that there was a need to empower women through the use of ethnic and expressive apparel. The brand is a fusion of Eastern and Western inspired garments that enables the creation of bold prints and colours for women that aren’t afraid to stand out.

Why Co-Working is Vital to My Business and my Well-Being by @katelynstanis

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by Katelyn Stanis

When I left my corporate 9-6 gig to turn my side-hustle as a wedding vow and toast writer into a full-time business, I felt a surge of excitement and serotonin. But after just three days working alone in my home office, the extrovert in me was pleading to get out—literally. I had to get out of the house.

I forced myself to schedule at least two outings per week. From coffee dates to networking events, I would attend anything that gave me a reason to put on pants and mascara.

Despite my best efforts, I was starting to feel depressed. Many days, the only time I left my apartment was to walk my dog and I felt elated when the doorman wanted to talk for five-minutes.

My lackluster attitude began to slowly eat away at my entrepreneurial spirit and I didn’t feel inspired or motivated. After 10 weeks, I had officially lost my ability to make working from home work for me. It was time to consider a co-working space for my vow writing service.

Being in located in New York City, co-working spaces are about as common and trendy as matcha tea spots. I toured three spaces and chose a women-focused space—The Luminary.

Joining this workspace has been the biggest game changer for me. If you’re considering a space, here are the immediate benefits that I’ve experienced:

  • I have a real routine again. For me, routine equals productivity.
  • I have made new friends. Belonging to a co-working space with a focus on community means forming connections with amazing women who not only help on the social front but are valuable business mentors too.
  • There are a ton of monthly professional development events that happen each month. Investing in myself means investing in my business.
  • I’m inspired! It’s important to surround myself with things that give me fuel. For me, that’s being around people and in a place that reignites that fiery entrepreneurial energy.

Being a solopreneur can feel isolating and uninspiring at times but it does not have to. Consider your options. Explore spaces. And choose a place where when you walk in, you feel ready to rock your business and your life.

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Katelyn Stanis is the owner and creator of Wedding Words, a wedding vow and speech writing service. She helps tongue-tied couples from across the world tie the knot through her one-on-one custom vow writing service and speech writing service.

With a BA in Journalism, Katelyn has always adored asking people the right questions to unearth their own vibrant story. Today, she uses that same passion to discover the details of a couple’s love story and collaborates to put their heart into words.

Katelyn has been featured in The New York Times, Forbes, Brides, The Everygirl, Bridal Musings, and Wedding Chicks.

Everything You Need to Know About the Power of Eye Contact [Infographic]

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Graphic courtesy of Rory.com.

Humans are social animals, and we can tell a lot about one another just from the way we make eye contact. Developing a strong and confident gaze is one of the most important skills you can achieve, both in your professional and in your personal life. People who make strong eye contact are perceived as capable, dominant, and approachable, while those who break their gaze frequently are seen as shy and submissive. As women especially, it is important to be conscious of the way we make eye contact and practice holding our gaze. Luckily, this is a skill that you can work on, and here is a guide from Rory on methods for improving eye contact in specific situations.

 

Everything You Need to Know About the Power of Eye Contact

How to Find Freelance Film Gigs

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by Lena Strothe

Being a freelancer is both incredibly freeing and nerve-racking. Choosing your projects and determining your own schedule is a luxury, but it is also a constant grind to find your next lead or client. The entertainment industry is especially notorious for its competitive and cutthroat nature when it comes to staffing. With that in mind, here are a couple of helpful tips for finding your next gig:

USE SOCIAL MEDIA TO YOUR ADVANTAGE

Social media is an absolute must for freelancers, especially for those of us in audio/visual fields. Update your Twitter with work availability, post pictures of your latest project on Instagram, and be on the lookout for Facebook groups that are specific to your field. I have gotten a lot of my leads just by periodically checking on 10-20 production resource groups. Personal favorites include “Freelancing Females” and “I Hella Wanna Be On Set.”

USE INDUSTRY SPECIFIC TOOLS & JOB BOARDS

There are tons of great ways to look for gigs online nowadays, but ideally, you’ll want to stick to sites that cater to our industry. Mandy, Production Hub, and Staff Me Up are all good examples of this, although it can be easy to get lost in the sheer amount of applicants. Try to be as specific in your search and in your profile (union affiliations, genre experience, special skills, etc.) as you can. For a smaller, more vetted community, you may also want to check out Wrangle, an invite-only community and staffing platform for media freelancers that rely on recommendations, user feedback and a verifiable professional work history when selecting for members.

CONSIDER CO-WORKING SPACES

For a lot of industry folks, a good amount of time is spent networking, prepping, budgeting, and pitching for the next project. While these are all tasks that can technically be done from your home desk or – let’s be honest – living room couch, I would urge freelancers to consider spending some of this time at a coworking space. Each city has different options, but popular hubs like WeWork or the more women-centric community The Wing are a fantastic way to meet likeminded creatives while writing, working or grabbing coffee at the communal kitchen. Another plus: they offer great networking events that may help you widen your client base!

Alright, best of luck out there ladies. Network, promote and co-work your way to the next dream production gig. Break a leg!

 

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Lena is an LA-based Content Producer, specializing in Film Marketing. Notable theatrical campaigns include Aquaman, Ocean’s 8 and Marvel’s Jessica Jones.

How to Merge your Work and Everyday Wardrobes by Megan Moran of @stylefoundrycle

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by Megan Moran

Minimize Your Closet to Maximize Your Wardrobe. This is a phrase I toss around a lot but on the surface can be a little confusing. What I mean by this is that you need to get rid of the pieces you don’t love and make better use of the ones you do…. Easier said than done, right?

One of the reasons people struggle to “maximize their wardrobe” is because they have a separate one for work and everyday. (Raise your hand if that’s you!) Not to worry I’ve got an easy system to help you merge the two so you have fewer pieces that are making more outfits for you:

1. First and foremost get excited (not scared) about the trend towards a Business Casual. Most companies (and therefore your clients) are leaning this way which is GREAT when it comes to maximizing your wardrobe. It’s so helpful because while you want to look put-together and dressed up for your meetings, you also want to match your client’s attire. With this change from business professional (jacket required) to a more relaxed look you’re expected to dress less formal- just like you do when you’re outside of work.

2. Focus on your tops: Having the right tops are the key to merging your work and everyday wardrobes. Your closet should be mostly filled with polyester blouses or classic sweaters because they can easily be dressed up or down. i.e. For work, you can wear your blouse with your dress slacks + heels + a statement necklace. But then on the weekends you can wear that same blouse with jeans + casual flats + and a simple long necklace. One piece working for both aspects of your life.

3. Keep your bottoms neutral: By keeping your bottoms neutral and letting your tops do the talking, you can more easily mix and match what you own into many different outfit combinations while limiting the pieces you can’t wear all the time. I suggest at the very minimum you have dress pants in: black, navy, and gray and jeans in: white and a dark wash.

4. Accessories make a difference: Accessories are the other key to transitioning your looks. A statement necklace can give your outfit that dressier edge and make your look pop whereas a long necklace can help tone down an outfit and make it a bit more casual. The beauty is that these relatively inexpensive pieces help you take one top and make it wearable for almost every occasion.

5. Remember: Every piece you own should make at least 3 outfits. I say this time and time again but it really helps you understand if a piece is too limiting in your closet. When you’re looking at a top or sweater think about how you could wear it to work, then on the weekends, and then for a date night. If the piece can transition throughout those activities and you love it- then it’s a keeper. Now granted not every single piece (like that sparkly top you only wear during the holidays) will be approved by this rule of thumb- and that’s ok! Just keep it in your mind as a general tip.

 

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Megan Moran, owner and wardrobe stylist at The Style Foundry, has spent the last 10 years helping busy business women take the stress out of getting dressed. From her one-on-one styling services to her virtual courses to her speaking engagements and TV appearances- if you’re looking for fashion help she’s your girl. Her goal is to help you streamline your closet, create unique outfit choices, and shop stress-free, so you can save you time, ease frustration, and feel confident in your clothes. Need help with your wardrobe? Let’s chat: megan@thestylefoundrycle.com | www.thestylefoundrycle.com

Leadership Lessons a Road Trip has Taught Us [Infographic]

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Sometimes we do not recognize or accredit the lessons we learn from the adventures in our lives. It can go unnoticed the skills we gain from life’s endeavors. There are many ways to begin to see the lessons we have learned, including through a road trip. Road trips have taught us valuable skills that we can start applying to our daily work and personal life.

When we hit the road, we have to make a plan on how we will get from point A to point B, that’s planning. Sometimes, the unexpected comes along and your tire pops, that’s adapting. We also have to communicate with our co-riders to make the trip successful, that’s collaboration. CarRentals has put together 8 leadership lessons learned from the road that you can see in full detail here. Check out an overview of each skill the road has taught us below.

 

Leadership Lessons Learned From Road Trips

Gender Differences in Online Video Consumption by Rena of @teambiteable

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by Rena – Biteable social media marketer

Consider this: users view more than 500 million hours of video each day on YouTube. After Google, YouTube is the second most trafficked site on the internet. With that amount of traffic generating that many millions of hours, it can be tricky to discern who is paying attention to your online video content.

There are lots of factors to consider when crafting your online video content for the right audience. Age, social media platform, and location are all obvious indicators that can help direct your video content. A less obvious element? Gender.

Online video consumption trends between genders vary widely. Here’s some background on gender differences in video consumption — and some things to consider when creating content for a specific audience.

 

Women Vs. Men: Who’s Watching?

Historically, women have shown more engagement in online social networks than men. A study by comScore in 2010 discovered that social networking sites reach a higher percentage of women than men: 76% of women visit a social network, versus 70% of men.

More significantly, women spend an average of 5.5 hours each month on social media, compared to 4 hours by men. This suggests that women are more engaged with the content being shown on social media — and more often than not, the content is video.

A more recent study verifies this trend. In 2014, another study measured gendered differences in Facebook engagement. This time, the trend was even more clear: 54% of women view photos and videos on Facebook, compared to just 39% of men; in fact, women consume entertainment posts at a rate of 43%, almost 10 points higher than men.

 

Online Video Consumption Trends

Overall, video consumption is on the rise in a major way. One estimate anticipated that 74% of all Internet traffic in 2017 will be video. Driven by mobile marketing, video is king. The takeaway here is that these statistics seem to suggest that more women engage with online video content than men. And this is true, but there are underlying trends that content creators should note.

Women and men have different preferences in the kinds of content they seek out. One study found that women generally prefer visual platforms, like Pinterest, Facebook, and Instagram — platforms where video is king. Men, on the other hand, are more dominant on text-based sites like Reddit or Digg. Some sociologists believe this difference is rooted in traditional gender roles: mothers have been historically responsible for taking family photos, and visual content online is the next evolution of that trend.

When it comes to marketing, however, the trends shift. Video advertising sees more traction with men than women: in fact, in one study, 50% more men than women interacted with video ads. What this suggests is that women consume content for personal and social reasons, while men look to videos for knowledge, and to learn about products and brands.

Check out this infographic for deeper trends in video consumption.

 

How to Craft Your Video Content

Your content should be true to you and your audience, rather than crafted for a specific gender.

Generally speaking, content that is inclusive, rather than exclusive, will always perform better. Certain video best practices will always reign supreme: clear visuals, an engaging narrative, and keeping your video short and to the point will lead to better views.

There are different types of video you can make for your business as a lead magnet. With this background, an explainer video or promo might do better with men than with women. Conversely, a behind-the-scenes or review video is going to score better with women.

Most importantly, where you post your video often matters more than what you put in your video. Social networks like Facebook and Instagram are video-friendly platforms that are sure to reach lots of women. If you want men to view your video, prioritize YouTube and LinkedIn.

With these platforms guiding your content strategy, you’ll be able to storyboard your video to reach the right hearts, minds, and eyeballs.

 

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Rena, Biteable social media marketer

Rena is a social media scientist in the Biteable Lab. Out of the office, Rena likes late nights and good coffee.