Two weeks ago I unveiled the first issue of my brand new ezine, Spark Online Success!  One reader, Michelle C. wrote, 

“Excellent job Marian! Love the ezine, particularly the Twitter tips.” 

I appreciate Michelle taking the time to give me feedback!  Even I need sparks to keep doing what I'm doing! :) 

Family comes first!  It’s one of the main reasons why I left my six-figure corporate job to build a business from the ground up.  Some of you know that my father was terminally ill at the time.  And last week served as a reminder…

I had a family medical emergency that resulted in two trips to the emergency room, minimal sleep and the inability to fulfill my business commitments.

So my Discover Twitter for Business ebook and interview series are on the back burner, while I focus on stabilizing home life.  

But that also got me thinking more about the importance of augmenting your direct services (coaching, training, consulting, etc.) with information products.  With these profit centers in place, your business is working FOR you, even when you’re not.  That’s why I’m excited about attending the Info Profit Success Bootcamp on April 23rd.  I can't wait to share new insights and key takeaways when I return! 

Enjoy today’s online success tip and a resource to help you build an additional revenue channel to augment your service business.  

I invite your comments, suggestions and topic ideas. Just send me an email or fill out the comment form on the blog!

You can also read the online version of the ezine here.

Warmly,

Marian Sparks!
Success Strategist & Action Mentor
Helping You Get from Where You Are to Where You Want to Be in Your Business 

I’m joining my Twitter friend and Six Figure Design Professional, Melissa Galt (Twitter: @ProsperbyDesign) in Anaheim next week.  I can’t wait to reconnect with her live as well as some of the other folks I’ve met along my business-building journey: Bob Jenkins, Mari Smith and of course, Adam Urbanski. And since I’m an information junkie (*smile*), there will be lots to share.  Check out my tweets during the event (@MarianSparks). And let me know if you’ll be there, so we can connect face to face.  [As of this writing, there’s still room to join us ->> Discover Info Profit Success]

I'm conducting a series of teleseminars and interviews to help you harness the relationship-building power of Twitter for your business.  You'll learn specific strategies and tactics to help you achieve your business objectives. Twitter is much more than just posting status updates and following people.  It's about building relationships that matter!

NOTE – Due to family medical emergency, this series will be rescheduled as soon as possible. Please sign up for the Priority Notification list to receive updates as they unfold and how you can get your hands on my soon to be released Twitter ebook (30 pages so far)!

Working directly with clients is extremely rewarding. You feel you’re making an impact when you coach, train or consult. Now imagine extending your reach and impact when more people consume your expertise in the form of an information product. You create valuable content once and reap the benefits from automated access and digital delivery. If you can write an itemized list about your topic, then you can build your online information empire.

Let’s say you’re a productivity expert.  Jot a “grocery list” of 7 or 10 tips. Write 2-3 short sentences for each item.  Add a title that captures attention, like “7 Ways to Deliver More During Your Client Sessions.” Introduce your seven tips in 2-3 sentences.  End the article with 2-3 sentences inviting the reader to learn more from you. And include a link to your website or blog. Voila! – YOUR 7 Tips Article is ready for you to post in your blog, newsletter, eZine or free article directories. 

Remember the 7 tips you just wrote?  Turn each tip into its own 300-word article.  Add a title, intro and end with an invitation back to your site.  Now you have 7 new articles ready for consumption.

Many people love to learn “how to” in bit-size pieces.  Take one tip.  Explain it.  Close with a special call to action or homework activity.  Repeat the process for each tip.  Now you have 7 days’ worth of action tips.  Have your autoresponder deliver each written tip over 7 days. I use Aweber.com for all my email and blogzine marketing.

You have eight 300-word articles (from #1, #2). Repeat what you did adding more tips.  Add a table of contents at the beginning so people can navigate the document.  And close with an invitation to get more information and continue the relationship (Are you seeing a pattern here?). Read the document for flow and tweak where necessary. 10 pages is a mini-guide or 30 pages, an eBook. 

Use your 7 Tips article (see #1) as your outline for the teleseminar.  Expand upon each tip, leveraging content from #2 or #3. Use a free bridge line to deliver and record the call. My favorite is FreeConferencePro.com because you can customize the welcome greeting.

Offer your teleseminar recording to those who registered for the call.  Or make it a freebie to entice your market to join your email list.  It can also serve as a bonus later when you sell a higher-priced, related product.

Your teleseminar was a hot topic!  Transcribe the audio and sell it alone or bundled with the audio.  Use a virtual assistant or a service like Verbalink.com (formerly escriptionist.com) or Castingwords.com. As with any service provider, select the vendor who will meet your unique business needs. 

Build on the success of your teleseminar.  Probe your market first.  Then expand your single teleseminar into an 7-module course delivered with teleconferencing or web conferencing technology.

Lots of ways you can do this. You can create 2-minute video segments of you explaining a tip. Now people can hear AND see you.  You’ll need a web cam for that or a Flip video with a tripod. Once you’ve created the videos, post a couple on YouTube.com, Viddler, Vimeo, etc. to drive traffic back to your video course (see #5 but in video format) or online course (#8).

Love to use mindmaps?  Lay out your 7 Tips in a mind map.  Capture your screen and record yourself explaining your mind map using free Screentoaster.com or Camtasia.com.  My favorite mindmap software is Freemind.  The name says it all.

So now you know a variety of ways beyond direct consulting, training and coaching to extend the reach of your expertise and create an income stream when you provide relevant, valuable content.  Now what would happen if you took action on one or more of these in the next few days?

Copyright 2009 Marian Sparks and SparkActionNow.com

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR EZINE OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this complete blurb with it: Marian sparks strategic action that moves busy solo-preneurs, independent professionals and small business owners from where they are to where they desire to grow their business. If you’re ready to jump-start your success, get your FREE tips, tools and recommendations now at http://sparkactionnow.com

WANT TO SEE MORE ARTICLES LIKE THIS ONE? See Marian's Spark Action Now blog.

Ever wondered how to syndicate your “voice” so that others can listen to you through iTunes?  How about learning how to monetize your voice?  Now you can learn directly from my mentor Alex Mandossian and his partner Paul Colligan. This is their third year, teaching Podcast Secrets.  And last week’s preview call was the #5 trending topic on Twitter. The most popular question asked by listeners was “how do you create a podcast?”  So Alex and Paul delivered a bonus webinar on “How to Create 3 Podcasts in 30 Minutes”. If you’re considering adding an additional revenue channel, delivering a radio show or simply extending your reach beyond your current business strategy, grab both the replay and the bonus webinar here:  Discover Podcast Secrets.  It will help you determine whether podcasting is right for YOUR business this year.   

The 6-week training program starts April 22nd.  Register for Podcast Secrets 2009

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The resources below are services and products that I use so I know they work. Please check them out.  And learn more about how they can benefit you as you design your business around your strengths and services.  I'm just an email or Tweet away to any follow on questions you may have about these.

With 250+ usernames and passwords, I'm thankful for my Roboform password manager. I can generate secure, "strong" passwords and auto-fill forms.  No longer do I have to click the "forgot password" link on websites. And neither do you. Log into websites easier.

This is the service I use to create and deliver this eZine as well as the Spark Action Now blogzine. They provide excellent customer education and an easy to use web interface.  It's a popular choice by many independent professionals, solo-preneurs and small business owners. Learn more.

Already using Aweber but want to learn how to get the most out of it from an online entrepreneur's perspective?  Then I recommend you grab Bob the Teacher's Discover Autoresponders video workshop. Aweber's education team does an excellent job of teaching how to use their tool.  But Bob teaches you a system to put it all together so that you can build trust and revenue in an automated way.  When you watch the video tutorials you'll hear me ask a few questions. And should you join, friend me up in the support forum! Discover how autoresponders work and what you must learn to use them effectively for business.  Grab the free introductory lesson (audio + transcript).

Leverage your time and serve more people in one hour through training, interviews , masterminds and coaching. Teleseminars help potential and existing clients get to know you better so they can purchase your services.  I took Alex Mandossian's 8-week course in 2007 and he consistently over delivers.  Now you can access 4+ hours of teleseminar training, including audio and transcripts filled with actionable tips to expand your business.

I prefer listening to conference calls and teleseminars through my computer (feels like surround sound).  And what's wonderful about Rick Raddatz's service is that about 60% of attendees will choose the webcast option versus the phone line - especially those calling outside of the U.S.  The question feature makes it simple to capture what's on your audience's mind before, during and after the call.  Give it a whirl with the 21-day trial.  But only when you're ready.  I want you to get the most out of your $1! Get details on the 21-day $1 trial.

Marian "Sparks" Hodges MBA is an independent success strategist, action mentor and consultant.  She sparks strategic action that moves busy solo-preneurs, independent professionals and small business owners from where they are to where they desire to grow their business.   

Marian is passionate about helping service professionals build an information empire from their expertise and talents, so they can experience the livelihood, lifestyle and legacy they desire now. She's particularly adept at helping clients cut to the chase, connect the dots and chart a course that plays to their strengths. 

Marian has a Master's in Business Administration from the MIT Sloan School of Management.  In her client work she leverages her knowledge and experience as a former Fortune 50 hi-tech executive in business strategy and operations, customer experience and product marketing.  

An American born and raised in the Philippines and Japan, Marian acquired a unique perspective for sparking change and making an impact.  Her favorite activity is to exchange ideas and collaborate on how to make an impact, build a legacy, while enjoying as many laughs as possible along the way! Because business is supposed to be fun! 

Sign up for the "Spark Online Success" eZine to learn about my latest projects and group programs underway.

For a wealth of action strategies to jump start your success, browse Spark Action Now and sign up for blog updates by email.  You'll receive a complimentary subscription to my "Spark Online Success" eZine published every other Thursday.

For more frequent updates or if you simply want to reach out, connect with me directly on Twitter.