If your a blogger, website owner, SMB and have been wanting to get new designs, 
 here's the giveaway for you!

Designs are very important to our everyday posts and sometimes you just need some banners that will be great headers and eye catching to what  you are announcing. These can be evergreen or can be seasonal or just that one time sale/event you want to jazz up!

This giveaway is designed to let you try for the not just one, but TWO banners, up to 350x350 in size! It's open world wide to all participants who have a blog, website or a small business! 

Hope to see you WIN!

Our good friends at www.cwahm.com have written this fantastic article that i had to share! I myself struggle with getting traffic and some of these tips I've used and some I was grateful to be reminded of!

We all know the importance of regularly blogging or updating your website. But so many entrepreneurs and work-at-home moms have problems in being consistent and doing it regularly as they run out of ideas on what to do. To be effective, it’s important to be consistent and do it regularly. These tips should help you master your blogging and adding website copy.

Top Tips to Get More Traffic to Your Blog or Website

1. Start a Series
Trying to find new ways to get more traffic on your site and to keep them coming back can be challenging, but one idea we came up with recently was to start a series and post daily on that topic. We chose to keep it simple and write a series called “70 Creative Ways To Make Money From Home” that we felt would appeal to our audience – made up of those who already work from home and those who don’t. This series led to the highest traffic ever on our website and we’ve just started a brand new series about saving money from home.

2. Run a Contest
Contests are a great way to get traffic to your blog, as long as you’re giving away something that people want. Take a hard look at your readership and make a list of products that you think would appeal to them. Next, contact companies and publicists and ask if they will partner with you to run a large giveaway on your site – they provide the products, you provide posts, reviews, and social media messages to your audience. Also, mention on your site that you frequently look for giveaways, and those products might come to you too.

3. Give Something Away
Another great way to build traffic is to write an ebook, super-article or report on a topic of interest to your website visitors and then give it to them for free. The key is to ask for something in return – such as to sign up for your newsletter. Giving away something of value to get people to sign up for your newsletter is so much better than just saying, “Sign up for my newsletter”

4. Be Controversial
When interesting topics in your area of expertise come up in the news, don’t be afraid to write about them, especially if you have a controversial opinion. Don’t do so in a cruel manner – be sure to address the topic calmly and rationally, but don’t shy away from talking about current events and giving your opinion. Allow for comments and feedback from your readers (within reason, of course.)

5. Remind You Readers – Refer back to Previous Postings
With new content posting regularly, it’s easy for your website readers to miss items that you post. Make a point to refer back to posts and articles often on your social media channels. (Just be careful not to overwhelm them by posting the same things over and over every week.)

6. Don’t Neglect SEO
In these days of WordPress and Facebook, it’s still important to be intentional about SEO, Search Engine Optimization. Add the right keywords in your content and titles. Be consistent and post those same keyword phrases multiple times and on multiple occasions. People then become familiar with you and know what to look for and how to find you in the search engines.

7. Don’t Be Afraid of Questions
Website owners often avoid questions because it takes a lot of time and effort to respond to every request. However, the more available you make yourself to your readers, the more connected to you and loyal they will feel. Take the time to both ask questions and answer questions. Let others know you will help them out by offering to answer any questions they have. It’s a great way to build discussion and community.

8. Use Video
Video is IT right now. We added video posts to our blogs a little more than a year ago and it has brought in lots of extra traffic. Allowing your readers to see you via video helps them to connect with you and feel like they know you a bit better; it helps you build trust. Video is also a great way to invite your readers to participate in your website. Ask them to record a video on a certain topic and send it to you. Choose the top submissions and post them on your website. Not only does this give you fresh content, it will extend your reach when those video authors share your website with their readers.

9. Make Connecting Easy
Another way to build trust with your readers is to make sure they have an easily available way to contact you. Make your contact information readily available and be sure to let them know how to connect with you on social media.

10. Never Stop
When it comes right down to it, the best thing that you can do to increase traffic to your website is to write often and constantly be updating your site. The more you do that, the better your target audience and the search engines will respond.

See how easy it is to do? The more you get use these tips, the better your results. Blogging should be fun and when done right, not only helps improve traffic, but also helps you connect more with your targeted audience and build those vital relationships. These tips should help you do just that.

Jill Hart, Founder of Christian Work-at-Home Moms http://www.cwahm.com and Diana Ennen, President of Virtual Word Publishing, http://www.virtualwordpublishing.com have teamed up to write “So You Want to Be a Work at Home Mom: A Christian’s Guide to Starting a Home-Based Business” http://www.soyouwanttobeawahm.com. Start or expand your business today with their help. Article is free to be reprinted as long as bio remains.

Is this your day? For the IM team mates- This is SUPER useful to us! PM if you need more tips! Let's have a GREAT 2013!

Courtesy of onlineschools.org

Have you ever felt “stuck” when it comes to making decisions or stalled on a project that needs to move forward? It’s an unsettling feeling that can prevent you from realizing your big ideas, dreams and goals. I’m working on my first book for Smart Women and recently, I’ve been feeling stuck on the title so I can relate.

The good news is you have the gift of creativity and possibility thinking inside of you – we all do. These gifts have to be nurtured and coaxed a little- they don’t operate like a smart phone with an on or off switch!

I have five easy, guaranteed tips and tools to help you get the creative juices flowing. I use these regularly and encourage the women I work with to use them as well.

1. Art Expression – There’s nothing like free-hand drawing, sinking your hands into some cold, wet clay or grabbing a brush to dive into some colorful paint to aid you in reframing decisions in your life. I signed up for an art class this week in my community and it felt good to give my creative brain a workout.

2. Journaling – If getting your thoughts out on paper appeals to you, this is a great way to peel back the layers of what’s possibly holding you back from moving forward on that big project. I keep my journal in a special place and turn to it frequently. If you have never kept a journal before, here’s a quick tip: Get a journal that has a cover that makes you happy when you pick it up. Choose lined or unlined paper (I prefer unlined) and grab a pen that feels great in your hands. Set a timer for five minutes and start writing – about anything that comes to mind for the full five minutes. You will begin to feel a lot more clarity if you do this consistently.

3. Meditation – Sitting quietly each day for a short period of time can enhance your creative spirit. This one tool has become a daily staple in my life. Find a quiet time each day (mine is early morning while my family is still slumbering away) set a timer for 5-10 minutes and then move away from all electronics or anything that may distract you. You will be surprised what 5-10 minutes can do for your day and your life long-term.

4. Coaching & Mentoring – You may find that having a “thinking partner” help you sort through different ideas and options works best for you. I became a coach because I truly believe with all my heart that it changes people’s lives. I have my own coach and this has made a tremendous difference in how my life and business decisions have played out. I suggest you interview several coaches and choose the one that feels like the best fit for where you are in your life now.

5. Masterminds – Joining a group of like-minded people that meet regularly can be a boost to your creative process and also assist in holding you accountable to your goals. The key is to look for a group that feels right for you and offers conversation around the areas where you need the most support.

Feeling stuck is common among us all – no one is immune. The key is to take inspired action by using some or all of the tips above. I promise if you choose just one, you’ll find your creative channels begin to open and new ideas flowing freely.

Anything is possible. Everything is waiting for you.


Joy Chudacoff, ICF, PCC, is the founder of Smart Women Smart Solutions®, a Professional Certified Coach to 1000’s of women, Motivational Speaker, and Entrepreneur.  She publishes a weekly buzz generating ezine, Reflections On Life and Business for Women Entrepreneurs.  If you’re ready take your life and your business to the next level, get your FREE Tips, 2 FREE Reports and FREE MP3 now at Creating The Spark .

Website traffic is for many business models, the key to profits. The more traffic you have, the bigger your bottom line. Whether you’re launching a new product or just want a quick influx of cash, sometimes you need tons of traffic quickly. Here are 5 fast solutions to drive traffic to your website.

#1 Social media. Social media works quickly and if you have a large following on any of the social media sites, you can generate a ton of traffic to your website quickly. The key is to create attention grabbing posts that arouse curiosity, make people laugh or stir up a controversy. You want to generate click throughs to your website. 

Make the most of your social networking tactics and use technology to get the job done. For example, one StumbleUpon post can be integrated with both Facebook and Twitter profiles so you’re making waves on all three social sites at once.

#2 Article marketing. Article marketing works well when you concentrate your 
efforts on quality article marketing sites with large audiences. One well written and informative article, rewritten a few times, and submitted to a handful of directories can generate the traffic you’re looking for. Be sure to include a bio box that includes a call to action and a link to your website to motivate click throughs.

#3 Blogging. Post on your own blog or be a guest blogger on a blog with a large number of subscribers. Like social networking, if you offer an informative, controversial or entertaining post, you’ll have people clicking through to your website like mad. Of course, if you also promote this wonderful blog post(s) via social media, you can double your traffic results.

#4 Video content. It’s amazing how quickly a video can go viral. Like print content, videos that entertain, stir up a bit of controversy or offer tremendous value cause a buzz. They’re forwarded to friends and downloaded on laptops and mobile devices around the globe. A good video can generate all the traffic you need. Again, integrate a bit of social media to promote your video, blog about it too, and you can multiply your traffic results.

#5 Partnerships. Partnering with a relevant or compatible business can work quite well to generate traffic fast. The key is to come up with a mutually beneficial agreement. Find people in your industry that are willing to work with you and help each other drive traffic. A partnership may include guest blogging on each other’s sites, swapping advertisements or even promoting one another in your ezine. 

It’s possible to drive a ton of traffic to your website fast. The trick is to have a plan in place, know your audience and your goals, and take action. To your success!