How much attention have you given to your “about me” page? Not much, if you’re like most business owners. Many either don’t have an about me page or they essentially cut and pasted their resume. Boring!

Your “about me” page is an opportunity. It’s a great chance to connect with your prospects. It’s an opportunity to establish credibility and authority. It can even be a chance to make a sale. Here are a few tips, steps and strategies to create a great “about you” page.

Tell your story. Editors and agents call this your elevator pitch. In a paragraph or less what is your story? How did you get where you are? Why did you choose to become a business owner? What do you have to offer? What makes you unique? That sounds like a lot to fit into a paragraph or two, right?

When you’re writing your “about you” page don’t edit the first time around. Just write from the heart. Make it personal. Share your story and use your voice. If you’re sarcastic then be sarcastic. If you’re sentimental then share what means the most to you.

Write your page in first person, from your perspective. For example, “I have always believed everyone has a story.”

Start your story with what would most interest your reader. Hint, it’s probably not your work experience. Tell them something that benefits them. For example, if you’re the owner of a health and fitness business you might tell them that you used to be overweight.

Share with your reader how you’ve helped people and what benefit you have to offer. For example, you may say that you’ve been able to personally help more than 200 people lose weight and keep it off.

Consider:
* Linking to a separate resume or bio. This way you don’t have to include every detail of your resume or experience on your “about page”. Your about page can be about connecting with your reader.
* Including a call to action. Invite your reader to take action after they’ve read your “about me” page. Invite them to sign up for your email list. Share a website page with them to get them deeper into your site.
* Include a contact form or information. This lets your reader know that you’re invested in them and interested in what they have to say.
* Providing social networking page links. This enables you to connect with your reader in other ways. It helps you build your community and audience.

Set your “about me” page aside for a while once you’ve written the initial draft. You’ll think of other things you want to say when you’re away from it. Jot them down.

When you return to your content, review it with fresh eyes. Look for better, more concise ways to say things. Revise, edit and polish. Then publish your “about me” page with pride.

Perhaps you run a website as part of your business. Or maybe you have a personal blog. If you’re like many website owners, you probably started your site by publishing a lot of new articles during the first few months. You may have noticed that after time it became harder to come up with new ideas.

You’re well aware that having a continuous supply of fresh content on your website is essential to its success. Visitors need to have a reason to keep coming back. Yet creating new posts and articles can take lots of time and resources. Thankfully, you can use RSS feeds from other websites to help supplement your own content creation.

RSS, “Really Simple Syndication,” is a well-established Internet technology. Websites use it to distribute their articles and blog posts more broadly. RSS technology allows websites to publish specially formatted code that an RSS “reader” uses to display new articles. It can also display article summaries. The code can be:

* A stand-alone program.
* An online service.
* A homepage widget.
* Or even just a snippet of code that you run on your own website.

RSS is quite powerful. It is automatically always checking for new articles and posts. It’s a great time saver.  You can use RSS to automatically publish new content from selected websites on your own website.

Getting Started.

Do a web search for “RSS to HTML” or “RSS feed converter.” You’ll find the most up-to-date options for getting this function up and running on your website. If you’re comfortable with customizing and integrating the website code yourself, you’ll find different techniques for integrating the third party feeds directly into your site.

If you’d rather not touch the underlying code of your website, there are also a number of stand-alone programs and “plugins” that you can easily integrate into your site’s existing structure. This is especially true if your website runs on a common platform like WordPress.

Remember that when you automate, you don’t have immediate control over precisely what gets posted to your website. Most of the time this generally won’t be problem. However, if one of the RSS feeds you’re using publishes an inappropriate article. It can get republished on your website. You’re the one that will have to deal with your unhappy readers. To minimize these risks, the best types of RSS feeds to incorporate into your website are generally breaking news, press releases and similar types of content.

If you’re looking for low maintenance content to add to your site, consider adding an RSS feed. There are a number of opportunities. They add value and interest. And they help you make the most of your time. If this is all gobbledegook to you get in touch with Navertech, the digital marketing and IT specialist, at www.navertech.com.

Credibility is important. Credibility helps brand your business. It’s also a primary buying trigger. We buy from people we trust and consider experts. The good news is that with a plan you can achieve or increase your business credibility. Here’s how to achieve credibility as a business.

1. Publish. Publication is perhaps the single best way to achieve credibility. When you provide quality information you position yourself as a credible expert. Create a plan to publish in notable places online. For example, write guest articles or blog posts for an industry leader. Seek publication in industry magazines or newsletters too.
 
2. Teach. Teaching also allows you to establish your credibility. With online teaching technology you can now share your knowledge in a number of ways. You can host online seminars. You can create a forum or membership site. Sharing your knowledge is an excellent way to establish credibility.

3. Be interviewed. Being interviewed can be a nerve wracking process. However, when someone interviews you it also gives you instant credibility. Consider who you might swap interviews with. You can then publish the interviews or make them available on your website.
 
4. Network. It’s not what you know, it’s who you know. In many ways this is true. You can gain credibility just by who you know. For example, if you’re in the crafting niche and you say, “The other day Martha Stewart told me” you absorb some of her credibility just buy knowing her. Of course you also have to work to retain that credibility. Network, not just with industry gurus but also other people in your field. The more you connect with others the more your credibility will build.
 
5. Get good press. Good press and publicity also helps boost your credibility. It puts you in the public eye. And if the media picks up on the story then you earn added credibility.

Finally, it’s important to create a sense of professionalism on your website. This is established by clearly communicating your policies and procedures. Have a clear and effective customer service policy. Treat everyone with respect and courtesy.
 
Credibility is something that’s earned. It’s earned by establishing yourself as an expert in your industry. It’s earned by creating trust with your customers and prospects. It’s earned through consistency, transparency and clear communication. Take a look at your website, your client and customer communications and your publishing opportunities. How can you increase your credibility?

So you have a great business idea. Congratulations! A new business is exciting. It’s a chance to achieve something you’ve only dreamt about before. It’s a chance to make your mark. To make a difference in the world. And to make money on your terms. Launching a new business successfully takes work. If you’re ready to dig in, here are a few tips to help you get your business off the ground successfully.

1. Plan. Many people try to start a business with little more than a few notes scratched on paper. Some don’t even take it that far. They keep their plan in their head. That’s a mistake. In order to get your business off the ground you have to start with a solid foundation. That’s the job of your business plan.

Your business plan is essentially an outline of everything you need to start and grow your business. Please don’t skip this step. It doesn’t need to be a formal preparation. However it should be organized so you can refer to your plan regularly. Keep it on your computer or in a notebook where you have easy access.

Your plan will cover everything from your home office equipment to your sales and income goals. You’ll plan how you’re going to achieve your goals too. Your business plan is your roadmap to success. Create one before you start the launch process.

2. Budget. One of the reasons most businesses fail is because they don’t take budgeting seriously. They don’t pay attention to cash flow. They spend more than they have. Before you launch your business know how much money you have right now to start it.

Know how much money you need each month to maintain it. Know how much money you need to make to grow your business. Also, pay attention to your savings. You may have a few months where you don’t make any profits at all. Do you have money in savings to tide you over?

Budgets are essential. They’ll help you keep out of debt. Debt can pull an otherwise successful business under. Create a budget, stick to it and get your business off the ground successfully.

3. Research. Know your audience. Know your unique selling point. Know who your competition is. Research is an important part of the planning and launching phase. You want to be able to position your company perfectly. Customers will know you exist. Your competition will be a non-issue and you’ll achieve your initial business goals quickly and easily. Spend time researching and planning! It’s vital to your success.

Finally, check your mindset. Mindset is everything. Know you can start and grow a successful business. Visualize your success. Yes, starting a business is work but you can do it. When you are prepared for the process, confident and positive you can accomplish anything.