Geeks and Freelancers for Hire

If you're like most professionals, you don't have a staff of technicians on call. But here's the next best thing: Outsourcing.

Freelance programmers, writers, web designers and other technical professionals are all a few clicks away. Find them at online freelancing hubs such as elance, rentacoder or guru.com

Here's how it works: Register at the site. Select the category of work you want done and write a detailed description. You can specify price range, country (e.g., one of my friends has had good results with programmers from Romania), time frame and feedback rating.

Hiring someone unknown can be scary. That's why these freelance hubs have rating systems, with comments by people who have used the services. You can browse the categories to find the top producers.

Finally you click to put your job up for bids. Within a few hours you'll start getting offers from all over the world. (Bidders don't have your email address. They respond to your job description on the website, and their bids are forwarded to you.)

You'll probably notice that bids from America and western Europe are higher than those from other parts of the globe. That reflects the cost of living more than the quality of the work. Respond to the bidders that you want to follow up on. You will probably want to see some of their previous work and check references.

When you are ready to hire one of the bidders, you go to the website and click to accept the bid. Your bidding is then closed.

To think about when hiring an overseas project worker

• If you choose to hire someone whose first language is different from your own, then you need to be especially articulate in stating exactly what you want done. With a language barrier, the problem is not usually the technical jargon, but rather the everyday idioms and slang that could be misinterpreted if translated literally. Be as concrete as possible in your communication.
  
  
• Another potential problem with hiring someone overseas is the time difference. It's pretty cool to think that they're working while you sleep, but when you need to talk to them, or when you need a quick email reply, it can be complicated. I recently had to online-chat with someone in China, which meant some very late nights for me.

Rentacoder is geared mainly for programming and other technical work. Elance and guru offer a variety of services, including technical, legal, marketing book-keeping, ghostwriting, translating and administrative support.

Check them out. If you have any of the above skills (or know someone who does) you can sign up to be a service provider and bid on work yourself.

3 quick tips to boost your online presence

Got an email address? Got a website? Great. But that’s just the beginning.

If you want to get more visibility online, you need to do a little more to build your Web presence. Here are some tips that will help sprinkle your name all over the Internet – and they won’t cost you a dime.

1. Start a blog – even if you have a website. Why? Because search engines love blogs. Each time you add an entry to your blog, Google and other search engines view this as new content, and they notice it. Thus, 5 little blog entries get the same attention from Google as 5 new web pages! – which translates into higher ranking for you on Google’s search results page.
   
   You can set up a blog in a few minutes (OK, maybe an hour if you’re really fussy about how it looks) at blogger.com or wordpress.com.
   
   
2. Leave comments on other blogs and on news sites. Blogs and news sites invite readers to comment, usually at the bottom of each item. If you find an article stimulating, or if you have something substantive to add, type in your comment. At the end, add your full name and a link to your website or blog. If you have written a book, include the title.
   
   You can start right now, by posting a comment to this blog entry.
   
   When other readers see your comments, they may respond and/or click on the link to your website. You may also get the attention of journalists who wrote news stories to which you commented. If they like what you said, they may want to interview you for a future news story.
   
   Here's a comment that I recently posted to the New York Times.
   
   
   
3. Write brief articles and submit them to article directories such as ezinearticles.com, selfgrowth.com and goarticles.com. Be sure to include your name, website and link at the end of the article. Your article is added to their database. Website owners, ezine and newsletter publishers search these databases for interesting items to post in their own publications.
   
   If your article is picked up, you don’t get paid, but you do get in front of audiences that you would not otherwise have access to. You never know where it’s going to turn up. My articles have appeared on gardening websites, celebrity blogs, and other unlikely places.
   

Want to learn more? I'll help you connect the dots in getting better name recognition online. My 5-week distance-learning course starts Jan 14. Click here to get your 25% discount for early registration.

Writing articles? Leave 'breathing room'

One of the best ways to show people that you're an expert is to write articles and post them online.

If you want to make them easy to read (besides using good grammar and conversational language) make sure that you don't post a block of dense text. That's very hard on the eyes, and most people won't make the effort to read it.

Give your text 'breathing room' by breaking it up into short paragraphs.

Here's an excerpt from Alice in Wonderland, presented as a solid block of text:

The rabbit-hole went straight on like a tunnel for some way, and then dipped suddenly down, so suddenly that Alice had not a moment to think about stopping herself before she found herself falling down what seemed to be a very deep well. Either the well was very deep, or she fell very slowly, for she had plenty of time as she went down to look about her, and to wonder what was going to happen next. First, she tried to look down and make out what she was coming to, but it was too dark to see anything: then she looked at the sides of the well, and noticed that they were filled with cupboards and book-shelves: here and there she saw maps and pictures hung upon pegs. She took down a jar from one of the shelves as she passed: it was labeled “ORANGE MARMALADE,” but to her great disappointment it was empty: she did not like to drop the jar, for fear of killing somebody underneath, so managed to put it into one of the cupboards as she fell past it.

Here's the same excerpt, but broken up into paragraphs. Notice how much easier it is to read:

The rabbit-hole went straight on like a tunnel for some way, and then dipped suddenly down, so suddenly that Alice had not a moment to think about stopping herself before she found herself falling down what seemed to be a very deep well.

Either the well was very deep, or she fell very slowly, for she had plenty of time as she went down to look about her, and to wonder what was going to happen next.

First, she tried to look down and make out what she was coming to, but it was too dark to see anything: then she looked at the sides of the well, and noticed that they were filled with cupboards and book-shelves: here and there she saw maps and pictures hung upon pegs.

She took down a jar from one of the shelves as she passed: it was labeled “ORANGE MARMALADE,” but to her great disappointment it was empty: she did not like to drop the jar, for fear of killing somebody underneath, so managed to put it into one of the cupboards as she fell past it.

Eye-tracking studies show that short paragraphs are more likely to be read than long paragraphs.

And what about text size? Surprisingly, if your text font is very large, people will tend to scan rather than read.


Pauline

Are you promoting features or benefits?

One of the biggest marketing mistakes that professionals make, is that they emphasize their training and background, their unique experiences, their publications, their philosophies.

Visit the websites of various psychologists, coaches and consultants. Near the top of their home pages you'll see lots of phrases similar to these:

• "I work with couples and families."
• "I use a cognitive-behavioral perspective."
• "My training has prepared me to work with a wide variety of people."
• "The difference between a therapist and a coach is..."
  

All of the above are important. It's just that it's not the most effective way to get people interested in you. In the marketing world, these are called features. Talk about them later, not first.

Instead, lead with benefits. Address typical issues that your potential clients have. Communicate to them that you care about them and how you will help them.

My listing in the therapist section of the Psychology Today website has more than paid for itself in referrals. Maybe it's because of my cute picture ;-) But I like to think that it's due to the way it's written. It starts by addressing the readers' problems, not my style or my qualifications.

The kind of work we do seems mysterious to some. The general public does not know the difference between, say, psychologists, coaches, counselors, therapists, consultants, Ph.D, PsyD, MD, MSW, etc. But do they care?

Probably not. More likely, they want to know: Can you help me with my problem?

For a better understanding of the difference between features and products, consider how you buy some electronic product, like a computer. Most of the ads list features: 2 GB DDR RAM. Intel Core 2 Duo. Do you really know what that means? Do you know why you need it?

The more effective computer ads tell you that you can have 6 different programs running without your computer slowing down; or that this type of processor will keep your laptop cool while it's sitting on your lap.

See what I mean?

All your promotional materials, speeches and other marketing communications should answer this question (from the point of view of your potential clients and customers): "Why should I care? What's in it for me?"

Want to learn more ways to show people that you can help them with their problems? Registration is now open for my distance-learning course. Click here to take advantage of the early registration discount and lifetime access to future presentations of this course.

2 types of articles that show your expertise

One way to communicate that you are an expert is to write articles. There are 2 basic kinds of articles that you should be writing:

1. Evergreen - Articles on general topics that can be used over and over. For example, my holiday-themed article, "For a joyful family gathering, leave your inner brat behind" has been around for several years, and is reprinted all over the Internet. Similarly my articles on New Year's resolutions and Valentine's Day are used over and over by website owners, ezine and newsletter publishers.

Evergreen articles need not be seasonal. They can also have a general theme, such as anger management, weight loss or other issues that people are concerned about year round. My article, "Are you always late?" is one of the most-read pieces that I've written.

2. Timely - Articles or press releases that address current events. Example: In the aftermath of multiple news reports of athletes behaving badly, I wrote an article, "Are sports heroes more trouble prone?" This got the interest of news media, as well as web publishers.

Timely articles are great at positioning you as an expert. People are already interested in the news event, and when they read your expert commentary - especially if it helps explain or debunk what's been reported - they will see the value of your knowledge and experience.

You can also write your article as a press release and submit it to PRWeb or other online press release publisher.

Pauline

p.s. Check out my upcoming distance-learning course, on more ways to promote yourself as an expert.

Where to find your target audience online

Have your online marketing efforts have produced disappointing results? Maybe it's because you're not reaching the specific groups of people who are most interested in your services and products.

One strategy is to hang out where they do. For example, if you want to connect with baby boomers with aging parents, look for online groups and forums that cater to these people.

Another way is to write articles and post them where your target audience will find them. Article banks such as ezinearticles.com are convenient and provide exposure to thousands and thousands of people.

For several years I've been teaching skills on how to find what you need on the Internet. My new distance-learning course addresses how to get people to find YOU.

I'll take you by the hand, step by step, to help you:

• Get in front of the very audiences who are interested in what you have to offer
  
• Show them that you are the go-to professional when they need help
  

The slide show below gives you an idea of what the course is about. I'm so convinced that you'll find it valuable, I'm offering a money-back guarantee just for trying the first class. Here's a link to a free preview teleseminar on Nov 29

What does your email address say about you?

As a professional, don't underestimate the importance of a professional email address. Think about it from your clients' and prospects' point of view. If you were looking for a someone to help you get you unstuck in your life or business, which of the following would you contact first:

1. 2cute4U@hotmail.com

2. Kendra456@aol.com

3. KendraThompson@reachyourgoals.com

Your email address is part of your professional identity. Make sure it reflects the image you want to project.

AOL, Hotmail, Yahoo mail, and gmail are not professional email addresses. They announce to the world that you don't take your business very seriously.

Instead, get set up with an email address associated with your website or domain name. It will cost you less than $10/year to register your own unique domain name, e.g. nameofyourbusiness.com.

Even if you don't have a website, you can still use the email address associated with your domain name - e.g., John@nameofyourbusiness.com. If you register your domain name at GoDaddy, they offer live phone support in case you need help setting up your email.

Once you have your email address set up, you can have it forwarded, if you wish, to your AOL or other email account. You can also set up your Outlook Express or other desktop mail program to send messages from your professional account.

Thus, while still using your familiar email interface, you can send and receive messages using your professional email address. Your recipients see only your professional email address.

Bonus hint: Make the most of the "From" line in the messages you send out. Check out the "From" field in your inbox. In the list of messages you'll see mainly people's names - sometimes first name only, sometimes first and last name. Do you see how they all kind of blend in with one another?

Here's a tip to make your messages stand out in other people's inboxes:

Go into the account setup of your email program. Find where you list your name in the From field. Insert a space, hyphen and space just before your name. Save the change. Next time you send a message to someone, your name in the From field will be indented and will stand out from the rest.

Here's how mine looks:
- Dr. Pauline Wallin

Also, see below, in an earlier post, more tips on making the most of your emails.

Find new audiences

Here's a summary of a presentation that I gave at the American Psychological Association convention last month. If you'd like to get more in-depth knowledge and skills on how to reach new audiences, click here to sign up for a preview of my distance learning class.

SlideShare Link

4 ways to get people to open your emails

When emailing someone you don't know, it's quite likely that your message will end up being deleted without being read.

Here are 4 tips to increase the chances that your recipients will open your emails:

1. Use plain text, rather than HTML. Many email programs are set to assume that HTML messages from unknown sources are spam, and send them directly to the trash folder, so that your message doesn't even make it into the recipeient's inbox.
   
   
2. Make your subject line short, but intriguing. For example, which of the following would you open first:
   
   News article
   
   News about beating procrastination
   
   
3. Use your recipient's name in the subject line. When people see their own names, they pay attention. In either of the above examples, if you simply add the recipient's name, they will at least stop and notice. And if the subject line is interesting, they'll feel compelled to open the message.
   
   
4. Make the most of the "From" field in your message. Open the setup screen of your email account, where it asks you to type your name as you want it to appear in the "From" field of your recipients' inbox. Instead of just your name, try changing it (temporarily or permanently) to something like: Joe Blow, ADHD Expert. This gives your message an added layer of authority.
   

Welcome to my blog!

Welcome to my Marketing blog, where you'll find tips and strategies for positioning yourself as an expert.

I want to share with you my 30 years of experience in marketing psychology and in working with the media.