Welcome to The Healthcare Marketing Connection! This week we are talking about one of the most basic components to growing your business and having a web site. Do you have this one simple thing? I am not going to tell you what it is here, you need to read the feature article to find out.

This weekend we took our kids sledding. The kids were going down in two's and taking turns (there's three of them) when my youngest two - who were flying and laughing - crashed. I saw them start to wobble and I knew it was coming. I saw Bailey (10) grab tightly onto Madilynn (6) as they tumbled sideways. Madilynn took a breath, then stood up and cried. I waited for her to walk up the hill to me (she needs to be tough and as the youngest is coddled a little bit) but when she got close to the top I saw she had blood all over and her face was pretty scratched up. These cries were real. Needless to say we went right home and Madilynn say's she's never going sledding again.

As a parent it can be hard to know when to draw the line between being tough and teaching life's lessons and comforting a hurt kid that needs some love. The same can be true as a marketer or entrepreneur. It can be tough to know when it's worth taking a risk and when you should take the safe route with a new endeavor. Does anything make these decisions easier? Experience? Intuition? I think we all learn by making mistakes along the way. And just like I make mistakes in my business and keep on going - Madilynn is going to get her butt back on that sled next time it snows.

To your success!

Kelly

PS - I am teaching my first and probably only class on finding the right niche for you this Wednesday. It will include the live teleclass and a brand new guidebook with personal exercises and tips on where to go for industry research on your niche before you choose it. The class is recorded for those that can't make it. Check out the special offers section below.

The one thing your web site must have

If you are at all interested in building a client base, in creating an atmosphere of trust with prospects, in creating a system that enables you to consistently have a list of prospects that are interested in your services, and want to get to know more about you and what you stand for - there is one thing you HAVE to have on your web site:

A big button or box (that stands for out) that asks visitors if they would like to hear from you again.

Now I know a lot of you reading this have your own web site. You may have a web site that is just there as an online brochure. You may have a web site that is there to give basic information about yourself and that’s it.

And that's fine if you want your business to stay exactly where it is. That's fine if you are not interested in building an ongoing relationship with prospects. That's fine if you're not interested in easily attracting clients and repeat purchasers that refer you to others, and give you their permission to keep talking to them.

I know not everyone reading this has a business like mine. I sell products and services from my web site. I have a newsletter I send out every week that has an active and growing subscriber base. I am happy and having fun, and my subscribers are learning and happy. And yes, there is some effort that went into getting this system set up, but it was well worth it.

Now I'd like to share with you a rather embarrassing story.

I have been working as a volunteer for the last two years with a marketing organization and have been slightly involved (but not much) with the redesign and update of their web site. I am now the President of this organization and have been thinking of ways to grow the membership and of how to attract more prospects to the group.

One of the other board members, Joe at TMA Guild, was talking about managing customer relationships, building a prospect database and giving something away for free - stuff I teach every day - and a light bulb went off.

And frankly, as soon as that light bulb went off I was quickly very embarrassed.

I teach and coach entrepreneurs this basic information every day. Creating a funnel and putting marketing systems in place - like getting permission to talk to people electronically - is marketing 101. But because this is in a different environment and serves a different purpose I did not think to apply the same principles to this group.

Shame on me.

Then I started thinking about where else I had probably screwed up. I began to think about what types of organizations the principles I teach would NOT apply to, and I can’t think of any. Actually, the only one I can think of is people that do not use the internet or email at all, which is a shrinking number of people.

Do these principles apply to you?

Would your business benefit by capturing email addresses - even if you only contact people twice a year with a simple email?

And my second question which is even more important ----

Are you asking for that information on YOUR web site?

(c) 2006, A Marketing Connection

Want to use this article in your e-zine or web site? No problem! Just let me know at info@KellyRobbinsLLC.com. I'll send you a short bio to include at the end of the article.

"How To" Teleseries being offered to the public starting December 13th. To register for the individual classes click on the title, or when you register for all four classes you save 10% (http://www.kellyrobbinsllc.com/howtoclasseslive.html)

"How To" Develop the Right Niche For You - Wednesday December 13th 1-2pm Mountain Time

In an ideal world our work is effortless, fun and we work with friends. Friends LOVE the work we do and are more likely to refer us to other people just like them more than anyone else we work with. Kelly starts this audio program off by discussing exactly what a niche is and the benefits to having one versus not having one (and being a generalist). Kelly then walks you through a proven process for choosing a niche that you are comfortable with and that is most likely to work for YOU. Creating the life and business of your dreams starts with you knowing what it looks like, and who you want to work with. You have to know who your ideal client is before you can find them.

"How To" Start a web site, Wednesday December 20th 1-2pm Mountain Time

Perfect for the entrepreneur that has never had their own web site before; Kelly walks us step-by-step through the process of creating a web site from scratch. Many business owners procrastinate getting their web site started because they are venturing into the unknown. Megabytes and daunting blank pages cause us to not get started with our business or not get started getting that business. Kelly tells us who you need to work with when you start a web site and more importantly, what questions to ask them to make sure you get everything you need for now and your future growth. Kelly ends with 20 copywriting tips for writing great content for your web site.

"How To" Get an Ezine Started, Wednesday January 10th 1-2pm Mountain Time

Kelly starts by walking us through the many benefits to having an ezine and how to determine if one is right for you. She then walks you through who you need to work with to get one started and what questions you should ask (both of them and yourself) to make sure your ezine is perfect for you. Kelly offers ideas on what to put in your ezine, why people subscribe and what they expect from you, and ends with some best practices and general management tips so you publish with minimal effort and great consistency.

"How To" Grow Your Ezine list, Wednesday January 17th 1-2pm Mountain Time

You've got your ezine up and running, you've even published an issue or two. The next step is to get your target market to actually read it! You've got the systems in place - now you need to get out there, find your target market, and get their permission to market to them. This hour long audio program starts off with Kelly walking you through the process your subscribers take when enrolling and making sure everything is in place. She then offers several tips and best practices for going from zero subscribers to thousands quickly and cheaply - exactly how she did it.

Each class will have an accompanying guidebook. Registration for each individual class is $29.95 and as a participant, you will receive instructions to log on to the live call, receive a copy of the audio recording, and a copy of the guidebook. Buy all four live classes as a package and save 10% (total of $107.82) - Click here to register now!

Mom as CEO-Tips to Help Manage Your Busy Life!

If you are a busy mom trying to balance a business, a personal life and a family, then you need to take advantage of this fr ee teleclass taking place on Tuesday December 12 at 1200 noon EST.

Join Peggy Porter and Lynne Kenney by registering here:
http://www.frombrieftothong.com/teleclasses.php

This week Kelly recommends www.womenforwomen.org. Women for Women International helps women who are in war-torn regions by giving them financial and emotional support, job skills training, rights education and much more to help them rebuild their lives. I chose to sponsor a women every month. We will exchange emails (they are translated) and share things as she begins to rebuild her life.

If you have any other great resources you'd like me to share with everyone, let me know and I'll check it out. kelly@KellyRobbinsLLC.com

247coaching.com - Tuesday December 12th 10:00 MT - "How to get your ezine started"
Interviewed by Pamela Harper, founder of University of Masters.com Tuesday December 12th at 7:00 pm MT
"How To" Develop the Right Niche For You - Wednesday December 13th 1-2pm MT
Copywriting E-course with Kelly Robbins and Terri Levine - 10 week course, next class starts January 9th. Learn more and register here
Steve Slaunwhite puts Kelly in the hot seat in a special interview - Thursday February 22nd 1:00pm MT

To learn more about healthcare copywriting and marketing, visit my Web site at www.KellyRobbinsLLC.com/article_archives.shtml. There are tons of fr ee articles on a variety of helpful topics.