January Newsletter: Free 3-Month Marketing Planner | Online Marketing 101 Webinar | News | Soaring

I now have three online training offerings all of which you can do any time, anywhere at your own pace. Each has a few sessions and I'm in the process of adding many more - shooting for 1 per week all this month:

• Web Labs - project-based presentation where you learn via video and can learn as you go with downloadable worksheets. 
• Webinars - video presentations covering a wide array of topics like SEO, search engine marketing, etc. More of a lecture format.  
• Weebly Online Training - FREE videos showing how to do the most common tasks (there are a little outdated, I'm working on a big refresh).​

Web Labs and Webinars are available individually but if you think you'll want to do a bunch the Season Pass provides a nice discount and the All Access Pass saves $400. New sessions coming this week: I'll be posting two brand new sessions - iPhone Video Web Lab and SEM Webinar. See descriptions at Web Labs | Webinars | Weebly Training. 

I created my Website Workshops as a way to share knowledge and empower clients to do more with their websites. I can't think of a better holiday to reflect that idea than Martin Luther King, Jr. Day so in honor of MLK I'm offering a free Webinar pass to the first 5 people to sign up. The pass can be used for any webinar, although I heartily suggest you begin with the first one this Wednesday 1/18/17 which is "Holistic Approach to Online Marketing". It provides a great overview for anyone just getting started. To get your FREE pass just select Add to Cart on the Webinar Pass page and enter the coupon code MLKDAY at check out. I hope you'll take advantage of this free offer and join me online. 

Following on the success of last year I'm offering my live, online webinars again this year. These 1 hour presentations are designed to quickly get you up to speed on topics like Search Engine Optimization (SEO), social media marketing, blogging for business, using Facebook for business, the most effective ways to maintain your website and much more. These sessions are also valuable for small business people and nonprofit professionals who need to know enough to avoid internet scams and over-priced services. For example, what are the deliverables you should get in a search engine marketing service? What is Google Analytics and why should it be a part of any SEO package? How often and what sort of content should you be posting on social media? All that's required is to be online with your favorite device, if you want to participate in the question and answer period you'll get best results with a computer and headphones (or earbuds). There are 12 sessions in all and if you miss the live session on Wednesday night you can log in and view a video replay afterwards. As with my Web Labs I'm offering a nice discount for a Season Pass. While individual passes are a great value at $15 each, a Season Pass is just $144 which saves you $34. With a money-back guarantee you have nothing to lose and as professional development it's even a tax write-off.  See the full webinar list and sign up. 

I think we can all agree that imagery can make or break a website. Compelling images draw us in and support the site's call to action. Low quality, pointless, unappealing images are an instant turn off. Remember that first time visitors will give your site 5-20 seconds before clicking away and your imagery is what makes that decision. But what are the technical and conceptual keys to a good photo, illustration or image? Here are my top ten tips, based on over 20 years of building websites and marketing collateral: