Online Brochure for an Offline Business Part 2
admin | Aug 19, 2009 | Comments 0
The most common question I get asked when people ask me about marketing online is this:
“I know nothing about programming so how can I build a website?”
Enter WordPress.com…
WordPress is the largest and most respected blogging platform on the web. Created as a means of allowing the ‘Average Joe and Jane‘ to post their thoughts online, WordPress has become one of the top line resources of internet marketers and businesses in general. From IM gurus like Frank Kern and Jeff Walker to celebrities and businesses like Oprah and The New York Times, WordPress solves a tremendous amount of problems for the Offline Business Owner who wants to, quickly and easily get started on the internet.
I will go into a brief description of WHAT you need to do to get started using WordPress to create your ‘Online Brochure‘ but the First Step you need to take is to go to the right of this page and sign up for the FREE video program I’ve created to help you get up and running with WordPress. I use ‘Screen Capture Video’ tp go over everything from setting up a hosting account and choosing a domain name to installing and setting up your first blog. You will watch over my shoulder in REAL TIME and see how I do it. So rather than rehash it all in this blog post, I encourage you to sign up for that BEFORE you continue reading.
That means NOW…
…Really, I Mean it
Okay, now that you’ve accomplished that step I’ll walk you through the key steps to getting yourself online quickly and easily.
1. Hosting Your Website: I recently had a request to do some SEO and Social Media Tweaking on a client’s new blog. However I quickly discovered a rather substantial snag… They were hosting it at WordPress.org. That’s right, WordPress will actually host your blog for you. “Fantastic“, you say, “Why would I pay for hosting?!“ Let me tell you why. Remember when I told you that WordPress was created so average people could put their thoughts (think public diary) online. Well that is pretty much ALL WordPress.org will allow you to do. Want a custom theme? Sorry. How about professional plugins? Nope. Well, I can customize it for SEO right? Wrong. If you want a blog on WordPress.org, be my guest, but you may as well stop reading here, because I can’t help you any further.
Okay, so you’re interested in making money? Fantastic… This is my FAVORITE host to get started with:
Host-Gator. These guys are the ones you want if you’re interested in the simplest installation possible for everything from ‘viral friend generators’ to custom php applications. They have replaced Dreamhost as my #1 Choice.
2. Installing Your Blog: HostGator uses CPANEL, which is quickly becoming an industry standard and you can install a WordPress blog with literally 1 click!
3. Customizing Your Blog: This is where you need to refer to the FREE course I had you sign up for. I walk you through this part Step-by-Step.
If you want to use a Custom Theme (like the one I’m using for this Website) I recommend the following companies:
Solostream: This site uses the WP-CLEAR Theme: Click here to view more details
I LOVE the WP-Clear Theme as it can be customized like crazy very easily from the control panel inside WordPress, including inserting ads (you DO want to make money don’t you?) and the subscription form for building your list.
If you plan to use more video than text:
He also sells his themes in a ‘Complete Package’ so you can get ALL of his themes FOREVER for around the price of a lousy ‘Website Template“.
4. Get Yourself A LIST Manager: The answer here is pretty much AWEBER. There are others I use, like SendPepper (Which is great if you want to do Post Card mailings as well), but AWEBER is the most respected name in the industry and my Go-To for email.
And that is pretty much all you need to get started. Just go through the video course Step-by-Step (I walk you through choosing a domain name and signing up, so no worries) and you’ll be well on your way.
It’s YOUR move,
Phil Hughes
Filed Under: Online Marketing for Offline Business
