AdWords Campaign

Merry Everything, Everyone!
I am just jotting down a few notes before finishing up my last minute shopping, probably like the rest of the US of A! Any way... one of my clients recently asked me if I knew anything about launching an adwords campaign. At the time, nope, didn't know a thing, but after reading up on it; I did know something after all. And after that wonderful introduction, here's what I know!

Adwords campaign is in my definition, buying search words from google. Whatever do I mean by this? When a user goes to google and types in "web design" there is a listing of websites in a block form at the top of the search results and at the side of the search results. Adwords campaign means buying those spots, when people search for whatever keywords your buying time for. So if I were to buy/bid on time for the words "web design" (top bidder $ wise, gets the top spot) and anyone who typed in web design, would see my listing in either of those boxes. This is a way to generate more traffic to your site.

Google's (I should really get commission for using their name so much, but I don't!) adwords campaign url is http://adwords.google.com. Yahoo also has their own version of this as well.

Now the drum roll, please! Do I think it's worth it? I guess it depends on your company. If you feel like you need more people directed to your site, then by all means, go for it! Again, as I've said before in other posts, there are other "free" ways of getting traffic to your site, but I don't think google's adword campaign is useless either. I guess the room is divided, and you'll have to go with your gut on this one!

Enjoy your Christmas and make sure to make it count!

Merrily yours,
Misty

Blog, Blog, Blog...

Happy Blogging Everyone!
Recently I have been asked "What exactly is a blog?" A blog is by definition A frequently updated journal or diary usually, often hosted by a third party. It seems to me that everyone and almost all of their brothers have a blog for all sorts of reasons. I have two, this one which is my more professional stuff and then I have my personal one that I get to post the thoughts and feelings of a passionate graphic mind... The fun thing about the blog is you can post nearly anything you want up there. I get to post and people get to subscribe!

That brings me to my next topic, how does one subscribe to a blog? There are RSS Feed Readers out there. These RSS Feed Readers will allow you to collect your favorite blog in a very plain format, so when you receive the email from your reader it will not have a lot of other information besides the text from the chosen blog. You can check it out more at http://www.google.com/intl/en/googlereader/tour.html. The googlreader is, as Martha Stewart would say, a good thing!

I hope you will all get to subscribe to my crazy blog and be watching for an updated website of mine: www.mistylinc.com. I am hoping to launch for the New Year!

Happily Blogging,
Misty

Searchable?

Howdy Entire Web Community,
Today I really want to focus on: are you searchable? Does your website use the right words to promote you to your customers? I get asked my trade secret on this one, constantly, so I am going to let it all hang out here. Most simply, because (again) knowledge is nothing without sharing it.

So let's talk shop for a minute. There are a few things you should know about a website. Within the code of the website there are "meta-tags," and this is where you supposedly put your words like "inspiration branding" and a few others that are within my code on my website (www.mistylinc.com) I believe the theory to be that this is what some search engines use for their "creepers." These creepers go out and find sites and log them based on their keywords.

Although the theory is great, from my research a lot of creepers don't use the meta tags at all, they use the actual page content. This means we all have to do a few things to make the creepers find us more easily.

First of all, do still use the meta tags, just in case technology decides to prove us all wrong! My trick is I google the exact words I'd use to find a particular service/person/part and then I look at their meta tags (IE - View Source, usually the first few lines and it will say Meta Tag Keywords) and then I decide what is useful and I use similiar words on my own meta tags.

Secondly, put in blind data. Your pages don't need to be so overwhelmed with text to make sure you have absolutely covered every single aspect of your business. Just add some blind or hidden text behind your graphics, in the same color as the background. This will give the creepers something to find on your site without going through your meta tags.

And last but not least, my recent agent in this dirty deed of keywords is Google Analyatics. Brilliant, by google once again! The link for this is https://www.google.com/analytics/home/ This web based software allows you to track your website. You simply put a snibit of text at the bottom of your code and ta-da you have a tracking device! Then once signed up with google analytics, you can go in and view who's been watching, viewing, returning, what keywords their using, everything but whom they are. I can't rave enough about this FREE service! If you use this service correctly you will be able to modify your website's content to reflect what people are searching for. This has been my biggest advocate for keywords.

I hope these tips have been helpful to the general public out there. Best of luck to you!

Intenet Sincerely,
Misty

Domain Names & Hosting (Parking Managers)

Greetings Fellow Citizens!
In this day and age it's pretty hard to keep up with technology, but we do have to at least try, right? Does everyone know what it takes to run a website?

Running a website is a residual thing. There are two areas of thought here. One is hosting, which is a parking manager, and the other is domain registration, which is your parking spot's name.

A company will charge you (on a monthly or yearly basis) to park your website on their server. So think of hosting as your parking manager. Pretend your website is a car. You need a place to park your car, and there are some of us out there that are lucky enough to have free parking, but for the most part we all have to pay in some way to park our cars. Now apply that knowledge to hosting your website.

There are a ton of hosting companies out there, and often I get asked what's the best one or what package is right for my site. Honestly, I am hooked on Ihoststudio.com. they are professional, always on-line and reliable, so in other words they always have parking spots available in the shade, but close to the elevator. Now they don't pay me to post on my blog about them, so no brownie points for sharing my opinion, but knowledge is nothing without sharing it with others.

Now as far as which package suits you, well that is based on how big of a parking spot you want. Do you have a 24 seat van that takes up three spaces, or do you have a mini coupe that only takes up 1/2 a space? It depends on how big your site is going to be as to which package will suit you best. Most people get away with the bare minimum of packages, which will run you on average $15-$20 a month, but there are tons of other options for shopping carts, ezine management, and hoards of other stuff.

What about the domain registration you ask? Domain registration is your website's (or parking space if you will) name. It could be from employeeofthemonth.com to geeksrus.com and everything in between. This is what people will type in the URL of a browser to get to your site. Like mine for instance is www.mistylinc.com, that's my domain name. Most companies (I use Ihoststudio) charge from $7 to $40 a year for domain registration. Most will offer some phishing software to go along with your domain and I highly recommend you buy it. It keeps the predators off your site. Tips for choosing a domain name:

• Stick to .com instead of .net or even .org. People are stuck on .com and if you have to tell them .net then they won't remember you site..
• Choose something short, sweet, and simple.
• Acronyms work great, but stay away from abbreviated words as everyone abbreviates differently and you will have to explain yourself a lot.
• It doesn't have to be your company's name, but it is preferred.
• If you have spent enough time branding then your name will be unique enough to find the domain name you want.
• Domains.com will give you other options to choose from, sort of like synonyms for your first choice.

Now go out there and sign up for your electronic parking spot! In other words, your website!

Peacefully yours,
Misty

Today in History!

Well folks, let's talk about a big day yesterday, in history. I know this may sound strange, but Drew Carry took over for Bob Barker on the Price is Right! I think that is a very interesting tactic. For those of you who are familiar with the Price is Right, you know that Bob has been the host for more than 30 years... Drew Carry, in my humble opinion is an interesting person of choice. Drew has had many sitcoms on TV and seems to be likable, but I still think he will have a hard time taking up such big shoes. With Bob's charm and tiny microphone, how will Drew prevail? It's like watching a political campaign? It will be very interesting to see how it comes out!

This brings me to my blog topic for today. American History. If you really consider how far we have come in just the past 50 years it would knock your socks off! We have accomplished so much in our society that's it amazes me every day.

When I was a child (this really dates me...) I had a pen pal in Russia and I remember writing her telling her I couldn't imagine anyone being president other than Regan, as he had been president most of my childhood and at the time of writing my pen pal it was time for a new president. Now I am not a true political person, and I know so many people are really funny about discussing their beliefs on political topics, but I do got to say would we be anywhere but in the dark if our founding father's had not created the constitution and the American Brand? I don't think so...

Do you think that they sat around and debated whether or not the American Brand should it have a song, should it have colors associated with it, or should we just let it happen how it is supposed to? Nope! They took charge, made it happen with colors and a song and a belief that any dream was possible and without that brand, we would not be the American people we are today.

We are not afraid of change, however you cannot effectively change if you don't have a foundation to stand on? That American Brand has brought us to the chance that there may be a woman as president, very soon. Now I am not discussing the political party of Hillary Clinton, I am discussing the realization of how far we have come? And in comparison to other countries, American women are so well respected and have knocked every one's socks off, including their own! This is the day we should say wow what a country and I HAVE to say, I am proud to be part of it!

That's all the opinion I have for today, other than Go Drew! :) Have an inspirational day on me!

Misty

Prosperity Game

Yesterday I attracted a new client, and she has posted on her blogger (http://lorraine-x-pectmiracles.blogspot.com/) a link to this game called the prosperity game! I would love for everyone to visit this site and try it out! It is so much fun to imagine having all the money in the world and being able to do whatever it is your heart desires....

The greatest thing is that once you begin to play you begin to imagine, you begin to attract. You start to think hard about all the things you want in life, material, or non-material and you begin to attract them into your life. There is a serious gravity pull here, it lies within each and everyone of us. We just have to tap into it, believe it and overcome the obstacles that get in our way.

I hope everyone gets to play this game! I am! http://www.choosingprosperity.com/game/index.php

Enjoy!

People are Watching!

This week I was told that people do read your blog, so update often and make it count! As a true believer in talent, I am posting to my newly remodeled blog and hope all of you out there are listening. I haven't any complaints to write about, which is remarkable, not because I am a person who complains (those of you who know me well...) a lot, but because I cherish every single second I can!

What do you do for relaxation, to take time for you? Here I am taking my own time posting to the blog, and you might ask why? Because writing is a gift that most of us possess and hopefully it is as universal as the movies? Or maybe it's a lost art, either way I love it! It flows from me like inspiration for a new site or a change that I want to make to mine, it just simply flows. Here I am with writing diarrhea again, and I am not ashamed to say I love to converse. It's an art and I truly appreciate others who can do the same.

In my relaxing moments, when not in knee deep in work, I love to watch movies, and I thought I would post up here the latest movie I was fortunate to watch. It is called the Ultimate Gift. My husband, even, was unsure what he had got himself into, but after watching it, said it was worth the few tears shed. It was a tear jerker, no doubt, but it was also one that touched my soul. It looked me right in the eyes, reached down, grabbed my heart as it lay limp and electrified me back to my savoring life! It was really a neat story about a guy who had to receive many "gifts" from his passed grandfather before he could receive his huge inheritance. One of the gifts was about learning the value of money, and another was to find one true friend even when the money is gone... All great life lessons!

The value of money is an interesting one for me, personally. I would definitely say that there has always been this burning fire in me to do better then my parent's could provide for me, do better because it (whatever "it" is) was/is all going to be mine someday. This notion had nothing to do with greed or feeling sorry for myself, it was more of a challenge; a motivational thing for me to push myself harder and harder and harder until I feel like I have reached what I desired. I still believe that if you want it, it's there, you just have to want it bad enough, and know how to ask for it! You can't quit because it's hard or it's not EXACTLY what you wished for, you have to be smart enough to know the difference between these two and figure out what you have to do to get past the barriers and into the next realm. I do have to say that a close friend gave me an article regarding treating your relationships with immaterial things as people instead of just material things. This has drastically changed my life! I had a dream (as Dr. MLK would say so himself!) that my "money person" was Jack Nicholson and I needed him to be Harrison Ford. If you think about it, what's the first impression you have in your imagination about Jack? He's ruthless? Maybe he careless and carefree? Surely doesn't appear to be mild mannered or civil, more like wild and crazy? How about Harrison Ford? He's more refined, distinguished and more responsible? He's trustworthy and decent? That's the relationship I have to have with my money. I was never to wild and crazy, but my opinion of me was that I was truly that! Now that I have my head around the idea of Harrison and not Jack, I understand more, I make better decisions because I care for my money as if it were a person, not just a thing. You should try it sometime, you might be surprised how it can change your life?

Well until next time, dear readers.. I hope I have been fluent in your heart language and enjoy your moment of sanity doing whatever it is you enjoy!

Inspirationally yours,
Misty

Life Laws

Good rules of the game. YOU ARE WHAT YOU THINK!

Life Law #1: You either get it, or you don't.
Strategy: Become one of those who gets it.
Life Law #2: You create your own experience.
Strategy: Acknowledge and accept accountability for your life.
Life Law #3: People do what works.
Strategy: Identify the payoffs that drive your behavior and that of others.
Life Law #4: You cannot change what you do not acknowledge.
Strategy: Get real with yourself about your life and everybody in it.
Life Law #5: Life rewards action.
Strategy: Make careful decisions and then pull the trigger.
Life Law #6: There is no reality; only perception.
Strategy: Identify the filters through which you view the world.
Life Law #7: Life is managed; it is not cured.
Strategy: Learn to take charge of your life.
Life Law #8: We teach people how to treat us.
Strategy: Own, rather than complain about, how people treat you.
Life Law #9: There is power in forgiveness.
Strategy: Open your eyes to what anger and resentment are doing to you.
Life Law #10: You have to name it before you can claim it.
Strategy: Get clear about what you want and take your turn.

Understanding a Brand!

I have always known exactly what a brand is, however recently I have been so enlightened to know the "science" behind it. Marketing is a vast world of magic and smoke, that's for sure. There is so much more to a brand then just the logo, the website, the color, the experience, there is substance beyond belief there! It's like the foundation for a building. If the concrete is not square, or if there are pivots caused by nature, then there is a chance that the building will one day fail because of it. Same goes for a brand! I look at the world of marketing in a whole new light, I see it fuller and richer, and almost as if I were a detective of sorts. Now it is a puzzle for me to solve, what is that company's core values, what does their logo represent, who is their audience?

I find this process rather exciting and had to share it with the rest of the world. There are tons of examples I could give, but the best for me, is Wal-Mart. Everyone has been to a wal-mart, or at least seen a commercial for them on TV. Their motto is We sell for Less, period! Wal-mart, has been beaten to death by some people who don't believe that their bulling is fair to the little guy, but most of those people who have beaten, are almost guaranteed to have bought something from Wal-mart because it's cheaper then the competition? But let's get back to their brand here, Wal-mart has been very effective in achieving their brand that has recognition. When we all think of Wal-mart we think of cheap, hence their "We sell for Less," motto. This is their brand, it's not just that they color their stores blue, or the fact that their stores are almost all identical, or that they offer decent insurance to their workers, it's that you know just by thinking of Wal-mart, they sell for less. You know when you go there, that the store will most likely look like any other Wal-mart you have been in, and that they will offer a multitude of items for less, without even seeing their store, you KNOW this. That, my friends, is brand recognition!

I am engulfing in this process myself and I hope that all of you get from brand, that my core values are: integrity, intuition, and creativity.

My core value statement is: A vibrant brand is similar to a picture being worth a 1000 words.

Misty

Not the Desitnation, but the Journey

I have heard these few words in a lot of conversations lately, and I have to say they resonate with me. Lately I have attracted so many amazing things, I am not always sure of how to process them. I am talking life altering changes, from my husband's chance of renewal with a new job banging at his door, to my website design business growing and being part of the inspiration I am part of; to my son growing and counting to 10 before he's two. These are all life altering and roller coaster rails in my journey and boy what a journey!

I have to share what one of my clients put on her page because it just simply brought tears to my eyes. Inspiration is not a thing that should be taken lightly. http://www.nowsthetime4u.blogspot.com/

Every step, every rail, everything will come around and fall right into place where it belongs.

I am a magnet!

This universe is a really strange place. Have you ever really just thought of something, and then it happens? There is a lot of buzz out there on the "law of attraction," and after careful (okay not really) consideration, I have come to the conclusion that I AM A MAGNET! I get to wake up each wonderful day and say this is what will happen today. Guess what it actually works!

What about the statement "be careful what you wish for?" There is also truth to this. Your subconscious mind will wander and you have to learn to focus and take out the trash. There are so many comments, good and bad, that go through one's wandering mind. How can you really be here in the moment if your mind is thinking about how to pay the bills, or how to get from here to there? Focusing in on your gremlins and realizing that you can separate yourself from them, has been my biggest hurdle. What can I say, I have a wandering mind! I try to focus and realize it isn't working, but then something resonates with me. A friend let me borrow a movie, called "the peaceful warrior." And in this movie the guy says "Paradox, Life is a mystery, don't try to figure it out!" This is what resonates with me. Let me be a magnet and let me attract the type of life I want instead of me standing on the cliff trying to figure out how, why or when I got here, and most of all, what am I doing here! Let me just be here, in the moment, focused on the importance of this moment!

This is today's lesson, I am a magnet, no matter what!

Today I am a magnet!

What's my story?

Really I want to see a show of hands, who wants more? Whether it be money, time, family, life, who wants more?

The entrepreneurial mind is a terrible thing to waste and here's the reality of my business! Truly, when my two year old son recognizes the Geico Car Insurance Lizard and calls him "Bucka," because he cannot say the word "lizard," this tells me a few things. First of all, Geico has done their homework, they are pulling a marketing stunt so to speak. Second of all this tells me that Geico has achieved a higher rate of excellence: association by brand! Thirdly, my son watches too much TV!

No really, the point I am trying to get across is wanting more for your business and your life is a real expectation, a real desire. Otherwise why would you have started your business in the first place?

The biggest card that I have to play and what makes my services different then all the rest, is that I am a wee bit crazy! I don't know what the box looks like so I am unable to think inside of it. I want people to succeed, and knowing who they are and what brand they want to be associated with is a talent of mine! I want to share my talent and help you discover who you really are, who is your ultra ego business personality, and what does the rest of the world see?

I wish I could say that people don't judge a book by its cover, but I can almost guarantee that 90% of the population base their spending habits and life on the "cover of the book." If you can't peak their interests in the first 5 seconds, your probably not going to. This is where I feel I can help you. Let's make this life more interesting! Check out my website, my portfolio, and let me help you put your mark on the world!