Login to your Aweber account and choose the list you wish to broadcast to by either choosing it from the drop down list at the top of the page or clicking on the list name in the table in the middle of the page.  You’ll know you are in the right list when the list you see beside Managing List: is the one you see.

Click the “Messages” tab at the top of your screen and choose “Broadcast” from the options listed.  Next, click the green “Create Broadcast Message” button in the middle of your screen.  Complete the following steps to send your broadcast message to your subscriber list.

Send On:  Choose the date and time you’d like your message to be sent.

Use View:  If you want to send to all the subscribers on your list (this list only not all lists) choose All Leads, otherwise choose from the options in the drop down list to specify which leads you want to contact.

Include/Exclude Lists: This will tell you which list you have chosen.  If you would like to send to multiple lists you can click the link in the description to choose the lists you would like to broadcast to.

Click Tracking: Check this box if you would like to track the number of clicks that your readers make on links included in your message.

Templates:  You can choose from a variety of templates or use plain text only here.

Personalization Fields: Choose fields from the drop down list to personal parts of the message.

Subject: Insert the emails subject line

Plain Text Message:  Paste your email into this area.  Once complete click the green “Wrap Long Lines” button so your lines and links do not get cut off in your reader’s email programs.

HTML Message:  Add your formatted message (if you would like to send in HTML format) here.

You also have the option check your email against Spam Assassin to be sure your email doesn’t get filtered due to spammy content.

Click the green “Preview” button to see what your message will look like and send a test message if necessary.  Once you’re satisfied with your email click “Save”.  Once you save you’ll see a list of pending broadcasts and sent broadcasts.  In order to send your message you will need to click the green “Queue Now” button.

There are days when working from home can be very challenging. You may be under a tight deadline and it seems that a new obstacle creeps up at every opportunity. Perhaps your business isn’t moving as fast as you had hoped and you’re ready to throw in the towel. Whatever has you ready to give up, don’t let it win. Instead, grab your motivational toolbox and get pumped up.

Your motivational toolbox is your secret weapon against stress and anxiety. These are the trainings, the audios, books, emails, or pictures you keep stashed in case of emergency. Your toolbox can be a digital arsenal stored on your computer or it can be an actual toolbox filled with tangible items.

Audio trainings are great to listen to for motivation. They are quite easy to find on the Internet as more and more people are embracing audio technology on their websites. Another benefit is that you can simply download the audio to your MP3 player and go for a walk, which will get your heart pumping and help lower your stress. There are many Internet Talk Radio programs to choose from.

Save the emails you receive from your clients that explain what a terrific job you performed for them. When you are having a bad day, take a moment to read through some of them. This will be a great confidence booster and get you ready to tackle your next project. If you have a mentor, save the emails that explain any hardships they went through and how they overcame them. You will see that everyone has “down” days and that pushing through them is the only way to get over them.

Looking at an inspiring picture or photo can also help stir up motivation. If you find a picture that inspires you, save it to your computer’s desktop. Perhaps it is a picture of an athlete winning a race or a completing a hike up a mountain. It could also be something personal, such as your high school graduation photo or a picture of one your grandparents in front of their first home.

Hand made cards or pictures that your children have created can also be a great motivator. You may not always feel confident, but in their eyes, you are the best at what you do.

There are many places on the Internet to find inspiring articles and motivational quotes. Reading these can help you find the inner strength you need to accomplish your goals. Everyone has different struggles and different situations, but you might come across the story of someone in a similar situation, or for that matter, someone in a worse situation. Reading about others who overcame their problems can help you think of solutions to your own problems.

As a business owner I have a virtual assistant, her name is Angela Wills. I remember when Angela first started accepting clients inside Mom Masterminds where I met her.

I didn’t need a VA (Virtual Assistant) at the time so I passed by her at the time. Boy was that a BIG mistake. Later on down the road, ah maybe about 2 months later I asked her if she could do some work for my websites. And she had to turn me down!

At the time I didn’t realize what a good VA she really was, so I told her to let me know when things opened up for her.

I think it took a full year for her to get back to me! Why? Because she was so darn busy with her clients, she had no time to take on anyone new.

Angela also quit her J-O-B this year of 2007! And it’s been great seeing her business grow by leaps and bounds. And I’m also lucky that I’m also a client of hers now too.

Put it this way… Angela is GOOOOOD!

She’s quick, accurate, and helps me problem solve when I’m not certain on a decision. This girl is very on the ball and gets back to me within a couple of hours of each email I send her.

So how does this relate to your business???

Let me ask you this.. Do you have a VA of your own?

I really don’t think you’ll be able to get Angela because I believe she may be full. Have you ever thought of hiring a VA for your business?

If you haven’t outsourced tasks like your email, customer service, article submissions, research yet, let me tell you, You are missing out! You have so much more time to market your business when you have someone working on the other tasks at hand for you.

Now let’s flip this for a second…

Are you someone who loves scrapbooking and would love to be a Virtual Assistant for scrapbook business owners? You can see for yourself just how many scrapbooking websites there are online. Every single one of them has email, publishing, marketing, customer service and SO much more to do for their business.

Can YOU fill the gap? You betcha you can!

In the next little while I’ll be exploring with you ways to outsource your business, OR steps you can take to becoming a VA. And I’ll explore with you how to target one part of being a virtual assistant so you can bring expertise and value to your clients.

If you want to discover how to become a VA, you can pick up Angelas new ebook that tells you how she gained 11 clients in 24 Hours!

Christmas is THE season for the entire scrapbook industry although we’re still in July, you should plan now to do a media blast. Really start thinking Big on how you can gain major exposure for your business by using this one holiday season.

Before you start writing a press release, you really need to think about creating the best, biggest, Christmas event you can muster up.

You could join up with other store owners and create a huge event at a local hotel or convention centre. Just because you have competition, doesn’t mean you can’t join up and work together for this incredible day.

What do you want… your regular customers who are loyal to your store, OR a real bang up job and have hundreds of women discovering your business?

So let’s talk about your press release.

First off, you need to create a press release and distribute them locally, and online. This will drive traffic to your site and traffic to those stores that are joining the day with you.

Maybe you’ve never thought to create a press release before, so let’s dig into what exactly a press release is…..

A press release is an excellent way to gain publicity and exposure for your business. A press release is a document containing information that you would like a media organization to feature, such as general information about your business, a special event that you are holding, or a special incentive you are offering.

By having a story featured in a newspaper, magazine, or other form of media, your business will receive publicity and credibility. You can also use the clippings of paper stories and links to stories featured through electronic media as part of your press kit.

You can submit a press release at any time, however you may find that the media features stories about businesses when something special is happening, such as a grand opening, special event, or special offer.

There is a simple format to use when writing a press release. If your story can be published at any time, the words “For Immediate Release” should appear at the top left hand corner. However, if the information should only be released after a certain date, use the phrase “For Release After [insert date]. Under that, include your contact information.

The next area of the press release is the “body”. This is the part of the press release where you include the information you want to publicize. Try to keep your press release under two pages. If it is more than one page include the word “more” at the end of the first page. At the end of your press release insert three number symbols (###).

As you write the body of your press release, keep it focused, clear, and concise. Try to answer the five basic questions – who, what, why, where, and when. Who are you, and what, exactly, are you promoting? Why is your target market interested in this? When and where is this taking place?

Once you are finished with your press release, you will want to submit it to the media. This can be to your local media outlets, such as newspapers, regional magazines, radio and television stations, or media outlets in geographic areas that you want publicity in. If you are promoting a event that will happen on a specific day, submit your press release early enough so that it has time to be received and facts can be checked, etc.

You can also submit your press release to electronic media, such as newswire services, Internet Talk Radio programs, and more.

If your story does not get picked up, don’t give up on press releases. Try a different media source, or rewrite your press release and submit it when you have something to promote. The media receives many, many press releases and cannot publish a story on every one of them. If you keep trying, you will find publicity.

Christmas is the season for holiday pictures, crops, retreats, workshops, events! Don’t let it slip by while planning a regular event held at your store. Venture out, get out there, and make new competitors into friends. You’ll be surprised at how much you’ll add to your bottom line!