Nov 09

Review: Wordcamp Sacramento 2015 for WordPress Users, Designers and Developers

wordcamp-sacramento-name-badge-rick-cooperI had the great opportunity to attend my first Wordcamp on November 7, 2015.

It’s been on my to-do list for about 3 years now. Wordcamps are hosted around the world, so when I heard that one was planned for Sacramento, I knew I had to attend!

One of the things I liked about the days leading up to the event was that I received daily emails containing WordPress blog posts about the event. There were posts about the speakers and posts about the Beginner vs. Advanced Track. There was a lengthy post about what to expect at the event. When I arrived at the event, I felt prepared and that was a nice feeling.

What is Wordcamp?

First, let me explain that you are not going to learn how to use WordPress at a one day Wordcamp. It is not a training program designed to teach you in a Step 1, 2, 3 fashion.

Wordcamp gives you an opportunity to learn some WordPress basics, as well as some advanced insights. And it is also an environment for learning about complex and obscure WordPress Developer topics.

A WordPress Developer is essentially a computer programmer that specializes in writing PHP code. That’s an oversimplification but you get the idea. I am not a developer although I would like to learn some PHP coding skills in the future.

I consider myself to be more of a WordPress Website Designer. That’s one of the hats I wear in my business. I am also a coach and trainer who specializes in working with coaches and speakers. I teach classes on online marketing and social media. I write copy for clients and build WordPress websites, lead capture pages and sales pages.

My Wordcamp Sacramento Experience

wordcamp-sacramento-program

Click to View the Program

I walked in realizing I wasn’t going to walk away with a degree in WordPress, but hoping I would gain some useful insights and tips. That I did, and much more.

It was nice to hear other people talk about WordPress for a change. I teach a class about  WordPress and know what I teach. I wanted to hear it from someone else’s perspective.

I attended about 9 presentations in about 7 hours. I was on maximum overload, but in a good way.

I got value from listening to the speakers. I also received value from talking with other participants. More on that in a moment. I also enjoyed attending the After Party.

Wordcamps share common elements like the Happiness Room, where you will find snacks and be able to on connect with speakers and other attendees.

And the After Party is a crowd favorite, giving WordPress nerds  (me included) a way to decompress, chat about what we learned and have fun.

Connecting with Wordcamp Attendees

ben-ilfeld-wordcamp-sacramento-speaker

Ben Ilfeld

One of the benefits of attending was building relationships with other WordPress users, designers and developers. I made a few new friends and solidified relationships with people I already knew.

It has also opened the door for getting active at the local Sacramento WordPress Meetup Group.

I also found that many people have attended multiple Wordcamps. For some, it’s an annual event. Others travel to other cities to attend Wordcamps there.

I could see the close-knit relationships of people connecting at the event. You can tell that this is a global community of talented people.

My Biggest Takeaways:

peter-chester-wordcamp-sacramento-speaker

Peter Chester

  1. Adopting a Developer Mindset

I wanted to get a better sense of what it’s like to be a WordPress Developer. I wanted to understand workflow and process better.

I got some great insights that provide a starting point or jumping off place.

I got to hear a few developers talking about their experiences working on WordPress projects.

In particular, I liked Peter Chester’s presentation on Coding with a Team. He explained a few different Developer workflow processes and how to optimize your workflow.

  1. Back to Basics

It’s a good idea to come back to basics periodically. There is so much to know when it comes to building websites. Technology changes rapidly. You need to take a step back periodically in order to move forward.

This was a good chance for me to check what I already know against what is current today. And it allowed me to identify areas to explore.

  1. Go Deep

If you learn a subject area, you need to go deep. You need to read blog posts, listen to podcasts and watch videos. You need to read books and attend classes.

I learned that attending a Wordcamp may not solve the one problem you are facing today, but it will give you a storehouse of information, ideas and resources to solve tomorrow’s problems.

I would highly recommend Wordcamp for anyone interested in learning more about WordPress. Just understand you may not understand everything you hear, but you will walk away knowing more about WordPress.

Special Thanks

wordcamp-sacramento-organizers

Wordcamp Sacramento Organizers

I want acknowledge the Organizers for Wordcamp Sacramento…

Click here to read more about the organizers.

I want acknowledge the speakers for Wordcamp Sacramento…

Click here to read more about the speakers.

Watch here for reviews of each of the presentations I attended.

Dawn Pedersen – Content Design

Chris Lema – WordPress Membership Plugins

Peter Chester – Coding with a Team

Jason Cosper – Way of the Future

Ben Ilfeld – Ad Revenue 101

Bernice “Be” Lee – WordPress Hobbyist to Freelancer

John Locke – iThemes Security Plugin

Alex Christensen – Ecommerce Plugins

Russell Aaron – Forms Plugins

I want acknowledge the Sponsors for Wordcamp Sacramento…

wordcamp-sacramento-sponsors

Wordcamp Sacramento Sponsors

Click here to read more about the sponsors.

I want acknowledge the Venue for Wordcamp Sacramento…

Wordcamp Sacramento 2015 was hosted at the Art Institute of California, Sacramento. They have a beautiful campus and it was nice to spend time there. I felt inspired by some of the artwork and quotes on their walls.

Click here to read more about the venue.

I want to acknowledge Chipotle who catered lunch for the event.

The food was great and it was nice not to have to leave the venue to find a restaurant for lunch. Having a catered lunch creates a better experience for participants.

By the way, I am looking forward to Wordcamp Sacramento 2016!

Rick Cooper
Online Marketing and Social Media Trainer

Nov 09

Dawn Pedersen Talks about Content Design at Wordcamp Sacramento 2015

Topic: Content Design: Getting The Most From Your Content And Images

Speaker: Dawn Pedersen

dawn-pedersen-wordcamp-content-design

Photo Credit: William Mead

The first presentation I attended at Wordcamp Sacramento was a primer on writing effective content for your WordPress website.

Keep in mind, I have been blogging since 2004. This was part of the beginner’s track. I remembered something I read in one of the email announcements I received in preparation for the event. It said, come with a willingness to learn. Pretend like you don’t already know everything. That was a great suggestion. You should always approach learning with an open mind. That way you are receptive to learning something in a new way.

I got some great insights from Dawn. She had a great presentation and I wrote several pages of notes.

Here are 3 great ideas I learned about content design:

1. People don’t read. They scan.

Most people won’t read your blog posts from top to bottom. They will jump around. Be sure to make your content easy and inviting to scan.

2. Break text into lists

Avoid creating the “dreaded wall of text”. Instead, use bulleted lists to share salient points with your audience.

3. Optimize image files

New options are coming in WordPress that will allow images to optimized automatically for different platforms (desktop, laptop, tablet, smartphone).

In the meantime, shrink image files down to an appropriate size. Don’t upload a 3,000 x 4,000 pixel image for a 400 x 300 pixel spot on your blog post.

Dawn delivered a lot of information quickly to the audience. As someone who teaches a class about WordPress, it was good to see how someone else presents the material.

About the Speaker: Dawn Pedersen

dawn-pedersen-wordcamp-sacramento-speaker

Dawn Pedersen first learned a morsel of HTML in Y2K, and it was the sunrise of a beautiful love affair. Her passion for great user experience has led to a career as the webmaster (how’s that for a Throwback Thursday word?) for Sacramento City College, and as a web design teacher at Art Institute and other colleges. Her fondness for WordPress began with a little self-hosted blog in 2004, and she has been a WordCamp fanatic since 2011. She holds degrees in art and education, and loves science to boot. Dawn lives with her husband and their son in West Sacramento.

Twitter: @bluelobsterweb

Topic Description: Content Design: Getting The Most From Your Content And Images

This session takes you beyond the cut and paste addition of content to your WordPress site, and digs into the details of content formatting and image management to create beautiful pages and posts visitors actually want to read.

You’ll learn:

  • Best practices to make your content feel easy, fast, and interesting to read
  • Tips on working with images to attract attention and keep page load speed fast
  • Visual considerations the best content designers take into account that give their site design and content presentation an edge

Presentation Slides

Click here for Dawn’s Presentation Slides

Read my Full Review of Wordcamp Sacramento

Click here to read my full review of Wordcamp Sacramento

Rick Cooper
Online Marketing and Social Media Trainer

 

Nov 04

The Importance of Gratitude

Gratitude and CollaborationWhat is your mindset in business?

I love that entrepreneurship is a team sport. You can’t do it all alone.

You need to find other people to collaborate with. It’s much more fun that way.

In order to build a successful business, you need to put a focus on your relationships.

What are you doing to build and cultivate relationships in business?

I strive to add value and make a personal connection with people in my network.

Whether it’s reaching out and making a call, sending an email to share a tip or express thanks, or supporting someone on social media, I work to let people know that I appreciate them.

Develop a mindset of gratitude in business. Think it, feel it and express it!

Here are 3 quick ways to show your gratitude:

1. Call someone to say thanks

This is such a simple strategy, yet how often do we call people just to say thanks.

I want to challenge you to do this at least 5 times a week. That’s only one call per day.

Can you commit to doing that?

2. Send a private message on Facebook to say thanks

How many friends do you have on Facebook?

I have over 3,600 friends.

Make a habit of sending private messages to your friends on Facebook. Thank them for being your friend. Or, thank them for sharing a timely message.

Reach out to your clients on Facebook. Send them a private message to say thanks.

It’s easier and faster than you might think.

Can you commit to sending 5 messages a week?

Could you attempt to send 5 messages a day?

3. Send an email to say thanks

Here’s another simple strategy. Just send an email to one person to thank them for something.

You could thank them for being a client or for making a recent purchase.

You can thank them for making a referral or providing a testimonial.

You can thank them for being there when you needed them.

Gratitude is easy to do, but it’s also easy not to do.

Who can you thank today?

If you made a habit of thanking people, how do you think that would make people feel?

It’s worth the effort!

Rick Cooper
Online Marketing and Social Media Trainer

Aug 19

Effective Strategies to Follow Up on New Leads

There are two very important things you need to do in your business:

  • Take care of customers
  • Follow up with prospects

Follow Up New LeadsIt’s that simple, you see.

But, for whatever reason, business owners tend to get sidetracked. They tend to focus on everything else, except that which will most bring more money in the door.

What do you need to be doing more of in your business?

I’m guessing it’s probably something to do with serving customers or reaching out to prospects.

Are you making it a priority?

Let’s focus on following up with new leads.

First, what is a lead? It is simply a new prospective customer or client.

Here are 7 action steps for following up on new leads:

  • Send an email
  • Autoresponder
  • Make a phone call
  • Send a direct mail message if you have an address
  • Send an invitation
  • Teleseminar, webinar, event
  • Continue to follow up

It’s not enough to follow up once. You need to follow up over and over. Be patient.

You also need to prioritize. Not every lead is created equal.

Do you have a plan for developing your leads?

Do you have a plan for developing your customers?

If you don’t have a plan, then maybe now is a good time to think about how you want to follow up with leads over time.

Think about how you can automate some of your communications using autoresponders.

Use systems to track your leads to help you identify who to follow up with next.

If you follow up consistently on your leads, you will increase your sales. It’s as simple as that.

Rick Cooper
Online Marketing and Social Media Trainer

Aug 05

3 Incredible Reasons to do Radio Interviews

Jim Palmer Stick Like Glue PodcastWould you like to attract more people online?

One of the secrets to get your message out there and reach more people is to use interviews.

I have given interviews many times over the years.

I was interviewed by world-renowned Marketing and Business Building Expert Jim Palmer on his Stick Like Glue Podcast. I received several benefits from doing that interview.

And you can also benefit from doing interviews.

Here are 3 reasons to do radio interviews:

1. Free Publicity

Publicity is kind of like free advertising, but not really. Publicity creates recognition but it doesn’t usually allow you to promote your business. It establishes credibility and authority.

Authors are often featured on TV news programs. The author’s book is mentioned and that creates demand for the book. So, publicity can sometimes have a direct impact on your business.

In most cases though, it just increases exposure. People get to know who you are.

2. Lead Generation

With radio interviews, you have an opportunity to add value. You are the expert. You have information to share. People want to learn. Be educational and informational. But, also be entertaining.

This will build trust and rapport with your audience and it will create interest that may cause them to seek you out.

You should always share your social media links with them. Tell a story and then encourage people to connect with you on Twitter, for example.

And you might even have a chance to share a free offer at the end of the interview. Many internet radio hosts will allow you to share a link to a lead capture page where you have a free offer.

During my interviews, I often encourage listeners to download my free report on 10 Ways to Monetize Social Media.

3. Precession

There is an interesting phenomenon recognized by Buckminster Fuller. It is known as precession. It is a side effect to taking action. Whenever you take action, you often get a direct, expected result. But, you also receive precession. Something else happens that was unexpected.

For example, someone might email you and ask you to speak at an event. That was unexpected but it came as a result of someone listening to you on the radio.

Bottom line, radio interviews are a good thing. And they’re easy to do if you know the formula.

I encourage you to set a goal to book a few radio interviews per month. Radio hosts are always looking for guests. If you can convince them you can add value, you will fill up your calendar!

Rick Cooper
Online Marketing and Social Media Trainer

Jul 29

Rick Cooper Talks about Video Marketing on Black Belt Selling Radio

Anna and Stephanie SchellerSocial Media Marketing Expert Rick Cooper was featured on Black Belt Selling Radio on Friday, July 31st 2015 at 10:30am Pacific. The show is hosted by Anna and Stephanie Scheller.

About Anna Scheller:

Anna Scheller is a dynamic speaker with a heart to help people create more sales. As an educator for over 20 years, Anna has the skills to provide learning in a fresh and engaging perspective.

Anna has a unique style that combines sales with training, As a 2nd degree black belt in TaeKwonDo, Anna combines the black belt mindset with sales training to provide engaging and though provoking training.

About Stephanie Scheller:

Stephanie is a dynamic speaker with eleven years of public speaking experience including countless sales presentations, persuasive and informative speaking engagements and countless on-stage appearances before large audiences. She has appeared at a multitude of venues from Otterbein University in Westerville Ohio to the Paul Poag Theater in Del Rio Texas.

In addition to her extensive public appearances, she has more than nine years of teaching experience under her belt and has been recognized by Hearst Media Services for excellence in sales and public speaking at company-wide events. She is passionate about sales and public speaking and pours that passion and enthusiasm into every presentation and training.

Black Belt Selling Radio Show

Click here to tune in to the radio show

On the show, Author and Speaker Rick Cooper will be sharing tips and strategies to use video marketing to increase your sales. He will also share lead generation strategies to leverage video.

Rick is the author of “Seize your Opportunites”, “Marketing Magic” and “Extreme Excellence”. He helps business owners around the world to leverage their expertise to attract clients online. His content rich training programs deliver high value strategies focused on helping business owners increase their presence online, generate leads and increase profits.

Jul 25

Leveraging the Power of Video to Generate Leads Online

It’s amazing how few small business owners are tapping into the power of video to attract new clients.

It’s a great strategy for lead generation. And let’s face, every business needs more leads.

Watch my Video Now to Learn More about Leveraging Video

Online VideoHow many videos do you watch each week? If you are like me, you probably watch at least 2-3 videos per day. Now granted, not every video you watch is probably educational. Some are purely for entertainment.

I’ve heard that CEO’s and executives like watching videos because they condense a lot of information in a short amount of time.

And not only that, people these days are a little bit lazy. Many people would rather watch a video than read a book.

Do you have a YouTube Channel?

If so, then tweet me with a link to your YouTube Channel. Mention this blog post.

I will retweet you!

Click here for my Twitter Page

Rick Cooper
Online Marketing and Social Media Trainer

Learn How to Create a Lead Capture Page

Looking for a simple way to build a Lead Capture Page?

Download my Free Report on 7 Steps to Create a Lead Capture Page.

Jul 17

Jim Rohn Video Explains the Seasons of Life

Jim RohnOne of my favorite speakers is the late Jim Rohn. He was an amazing inspiration.

One of the great lessons he taught was the Seasons of Life. In fact, he wrote a book about it. He explained how Winter, Spring, Summer and Fall relate to your life. It is a story of inspiration and hope.

I have included 2 versions of Jim Rohn explaining the concept. The first video is short and just gives you an overview. The second video is much longer.

The Seasons of Life (Short Version)

Over the course of your life, you will probably go through periods of time when you are doing well. And you may also encounter times where you face a lot of challenges and can’t seem to make progress.

Jim Rohn referred to this as the Seasons.

Winter – Life is tough and you are beset by challenges.

Spring – You plant the seeds of opportunity.

Summer – Life is going well. Opportunity is taking root.

Fall – You reap the harvest of your seeds of opportunity, but winter is looming on the horizon.

This is the time to celebrate, but not for long.

Where are you in your life right now?

Everyone is in a different place.

Some people are stuck in winter for years.

The Seasons of Life (Long Version)

NOTE: Jim was a frequent speaker for Herbalife. In this video, he mentions the company multiple times since he was speaking at a company event.

What experiences have you had in your life that you can relate back to one of the 4 seasons?

Please share your thoughts in a comment below.

Rick Cooper
Online Marketing and Social Media Trainer

Jul 11

Rick Cooper Interview on the Fit Pro Business Podcast

Andy Salazar

Andy Salazar

I was featured recently on the Fit Pro Business Podcast hosted by Andy Salazar.

Andy Salazar is a Fitness Expert, an Author and a Business Coach for Fitness Trainers.

His goal is to provide daily useful sales, marketing, and fitness building tips that are working in the fitness industry and that have helped him build a thriving semi-private personal training studio for over 10 years now.

Andy has 10 years of experience running a $100,000+ Personal Training Studio. He is Published Author and Monthly Fitness Columnist For Direct Magazine. He runs and operates 4 websites.

Andy’s goal is to provide daily useful sales, marketing, and fitness building tips that are working in his industry and that have helped him build a thriving semi-private personal training studio for over 10 years now.

Listen to my Recent Interview on the Fit Pro Business Podcast

Andy interviewed me on how to leverage social media to attract more clients online.

Get access to podcast episode online.

Click here to listen to the audio recording

Rick Cooper
Online Marketing and Social Media Trainer

Jul 08

Tips to Identify Failure Points in Your Business and How to Overcome Them

Failure PointsThere are areas in your business where you are likely to fail.

Do you know what they are?

Taking time to evaluate your business systems might reveal potential problems and allow you to improve them.

I call these areas failure points.

Here’s a quick story to explain the point.

One day, I went shopping for a new coffee maker. The last one broke and the one before it broke. The handle broke off on one. The dispenser began leaking on another one.

Those were the failure points and they often occur because of the quality of the product.

The handle on one of the coffee makers was not very strong. And while working with it, the handle broke right off.

When we brought the new coffee maker home, I immediately looked for the failure points.

I identified the two weak spots in the design. Both were on the tray the holds the coffee grounds. I will bet that when the coffee maker breaks, it will probably break because of one of those two failure points. Or, when I accidently drop the glass carafe. (Done that before. What a mess!)

But, this message really isn’t about coffee makers. It’s about your business.

What are the failure points in your business? What processes are broken? (Anything that you have an intention to do consistently, but do not do for whatever reason is a broken process.)

For example, do you have an email newsletter? Do you send it out consistently? Most business owners don’t. They are hit and miss in their approach.

Do you have an intention to post on social media every day? How often does it happen?

Here are 3 steps you can take once you identify a failure point:

1. Look for temporary fix

Once you identify an area where you are failing, see what you can do to improve the situation. For example, if you realize you are not doing enough to generate leads online, then simply create a web page and put an opt in form on it. Give access to your email newsletter. It’s not a sexy offer, but it will do in a pinch.

2. Identify a long-term solution

It may take time to come up with a good solution. And sometimes, you may need to implement a new technology system. That takes time and effort.

3. Take action

Get into action. Do something. Brainstorm ideas. Sometimes, you can come up with a few solutions that will improve things. If you are trying to reach more people, you might decide to start calling more people. And to find people to talk to, you could schedule a teleseminar. That will give you something to share on social media and attract more people.

What is the biggest failure point you have in your business right now. It reminds me of that game show. What was the line? You are the weakest link. Goodbye!

Rick Cooper
Online Marketing and Social Media Trainer