Just found out I was chosen as this month’s Applause Award winner at WAHM-Articles.com

The Applause Award was created in 2009 to recognize the significant contributions our wonderful authors make to the members of the online work-at-home-mom (WAHM) community. (more details here)

Denise shared some really nice comments:

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Credit: Cool knitting photo from http://www.flickr.com/photos/the-a-team/sets/72157594573683373/

Links are important since they help us get more traffic to our sites and better search engine rankings.  Targeted links are the ones that really count though!

What is a targeted link?  A link from a site that reaches your target market.  8-)   For example, if you sell bowling balls, a link from a site about cats isn’t targeted.  But a link from a site that discusses bowling technique, lists bowling ball reviews, or sells bowling shoes would be a good targeted link for you.

If you’re a crafter or artist, stop by these 9 crafting or arts sites and request your free link!  Some may require a link back while others don’t.  Just check the terms as you submit your info to see what’s required for each.

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I’ve not posted to my blog for a while. It’s been one of those months. Well, actually about 6 of those months. But then again, isn’t life always challenging? The last week I’ve spent dealing with some medical issues in our family, among a lot of other personal issues, and it’s been tough. I’d like to just sit and cry. We all have those days. Just feels like a breakdown is the only option. Something’s got to give.

This morning I realized I can choose to breakdown, or I can choose to stick to it and breakthrough. It means doing all I can, being at peace that it’s the best I can do, making changes and just trusting that things will work out the way they’re supposed to.

A couple of inspirational quotes to share for anyone else dealing with a challenging time right now:

“It’s not whether you get knocked down; it’s whether you get up.” -Vince Lombardi

“If you are going through hell, keep going.” -Winston Churchill

“Never, never, never give up!” -Winston Churchill

Note from Michelle: Just 24 hours left to grab some great gifts from this giveaway (no opt-ins required, but some great info if you choose to sign up). Here’s the scoop, straight from Solo-E…

It’s a one-of-a-kind event … yet couldn’t be more timely!

Whether you admit it or not, the word resolution goes hand in hand with the start of a new year.  Whether you make your resolutions in the form of business goals and priorities, or actual resolutions …. By mid to late January, you’re likely tired of forcing yourself to follow-through on what you set out just a few weeks ago.

In comes Terri Z at Solo-E, a virtual learning resource for solo entrepreneurs, with the Post Resolution Hangover Giveaway. This isn’t your typical giveaway…each item is a true gift, not available anywhere else for free! The value of each item is the price at which it sells today. How cool is that?!

The gifts include ebooks, audios, home-study packages and more, on topics including: 101 Ways to Attract Clients, 7 Things You Must Do to Get More Clients, The Facebook Fan Page Intensive, The Online Video Playbook, 5 Psychological Triggers to Turn Prospects Into Clients, Abundance in Business, and The Finding Time Quick-Start Guide.

Solo-E has partnered with several key experts to offer these incredible resources for online based business owners.  For 12 days only – January 25 to February 5, you can download all these gifts at absolutely no cost (and no strings). That’s right…you don’t even have to give up your email address!

An incredible group of Experts are participating in the Post Resolution Hangover Giveaway, including:

Alicia Forest, Ann Ronan, Loren Fogelman, Tracey Lawton, Allison Babb, Tina Forsyth, Rebecca Zwar, Christine Gallagher, Lou Bortone, Heather Dominic, Laurie Weiss, Laurie Mandato, Zahra Efan, Hazel Palache, Laura West, Eva Gregory, Alicia Smith, Michele PW, Nina East and Paula Eder

Take a few minutes to see what all the fuss is about, and cure your Resolution Hangover! You’ll get access to fantastic resources that you can download and review at your convenience.  Visit http://www.solo-e.com/PostHolidayHangoverRemedy

Reprinted with permission from Christine Gallagher’s Communicate Value Newsletter

These six steps were born out of common frustrations I hear from people about understanding how to market online.

Does this sound familiar? “I know I need to figure out all of this social media stuff, but it’s all piecemeal now and I just don’t know where to start!”

You may have noticed how some small business owners seem to attract clients and customers almost effortlessly–while others struggle to keep their business afloat. The reason is that they are following a proven business model to market their business.

The six steps outlined here not only incorporate that proven model, but show you how you can supercharge it by adding social media tools and techniques–leading to more clients, customers and sales.

Without further ado…
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The Website Spa is almost ready to launch and I’ve decided to offer my friends, readers and subscribers a pre-launch special offer!  Get 25% off any service on the site from now through Tuesday.  Get your website makeover (and converted to WordPress), grab a new logo design, get custom business cards designed, or your own rockin’ ezine template at a discount.  The code to use at checkout is prelaunch and you can pay securely through PayPal with your account or a credit card.

Check it out at www.thewebsitespa.com and take the free quiz at http://www.thewebsitespa.com/resources/does-your-website-need-a-makeover to see if your website needs a “spa day”!

Hope you enjoyed the special 7 Simple Steps to Transforming Your Website report I sent out last week and found it helpful.  If you’d like some support in implementing those steps and direct access to me to help, keep your eyes open for my regular newsletter this Tuesday.

Note: This is part 1 in a 7 part series on how to transform your website to attract your ideal clients.

Who is your ideal client? Does your website make clear exactly who you serve or support?

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This month I’m also part of a wonderful gift event.  It’s being coordinated by Kim Reddington of Cereus Women and here’s what she shared with me about it (to share with you all):

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Do you track which pages/posts/products on your website are the most visited?  You can learn a lot by watching your statistics.

For example, by watching what my visitors are most interested in I can see the topics trend and consider whether to write more about the popular topics, introduce my own information product or tutorial about the topic, or find an affiliate product to promote.

It also works the other way.  I can see what topics weren’t of interest.  I can avoid topics that my readers don’t want help with and instead focus on giving them more content about what they want to learn.

Curious what others are reading?  Here’s a quick list of the top 15 posts from my site in 2009.

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A little inspiration is always a good thing.

Check out these inspirational magnets (photo at left)!  They come in lots of different words/nature scenes, and also with inspirational phrases/colors.

I just connected with the crafter behind them on Twitter and love them. I ordered a couple sets to use in my office. They’d make great gifts for clients, colleagues, or your virtual team members.

Get your own at http://www.morethanstuff.com/zen.html (disclosure, this isn’t an affiliate link, I just really like these magnets and wanted to share)