This is Jodi, Director of Everything at Get Storied.
As we approach the new year, I want to give you a peek behind the scenes.
Do you want to build a stronger online presence in 2015? Do you have a product or message that needs to reach more people? Here are 5 of my favorite tools for marketing yourself online. These are all systems that we currently use or have used for a long time at Get Storied. I get questions about this all the time. We love demystifying how building stuff online works.
First, let me introduce myself a little more. I live just outside East Lansing, in Haslett, Michigan. That makes me a die-hard Michigan State Spartan. My favorite warm weather pastime is hanging out at the beach with my husband and sons. And I love cooking meals for 20-30 people at a time – seeing people enjoy food I prepare brings me joy.
I’ve been with Get Storied since 2010. I wear many different hats — thus my playful title, Director of Everything. Here are just a few of them: I’m your key point of contact for all things StoryU related. I oversee customer happiness. I coordinate many projects and teams. I manage all our technology, systems, and tools. I co-host our free webinars, alongside Michael. And yes, I too, eat a lot of chocolate.
While it may be the holidays, we’re deep in planning mode of the New Year. You probably are too. With that in mind, I wanted to share with you some of my favorite tools that power everything we do at Get Storied.com. We love lifting the curtain and showing you how we get things done.
What do you say we get our “geek on”?
My 5 Favorite Systems for Marketing Yourself Online
For many of us, the Internet still feels like magic. Creating a website. Building an online course. Automating an email series. It’s all magic — until you understand how this stuff works. This is how you can tell your story while you sleep. Reach a wider audience and find new customers. Good news? The tools keep getting easier and cheaper.
Let me start with the “killer app” that’s really changed things for us. And then I’ll mention a few additional tools you might want to check out.
Disclosure: We receive a few pennies of affiliate commissions if you sign-up for any of these. But we only recommend tools that we swear by ourselves.
1. Leadpages
Building an email list is still the most reliable way to reach your audience, promote your products, and build a deeper relationship. Leadpages provides you with a series of customizable “opt-in pages”, landing pages, webinar pages, book promotion pages, all designed to grow your email list fast.
If you’re new to all of this marketing online stuff, consider signing up for this free course from Leadpages. They teach you about opt-in pages, content funnels, webinars, and more. It’s an amazing resource, and it’s free.
[Sign-up for the free Leadpages course by December 31st to get the latest deal]
2. Mailchimp
What is your email marketing system? That’s the software that sends emails to your list. If you’re just getting started, Mailchimp is the way to go. It puts the buggy and unreliable Constant Contact to shame. Mailchimp is free for any list up to 2,000 subscribers. And their monkey mascot tells funny stories.
[A free account up to 2K subscribers, get your chimp on]
3. OptimizePress 2
Speaking of online courses, here is what we use to host all of our course content and basic membership features. It integrates directly with Wordpress and comes with lots of great templates you can customize. Many other alternatives charge you a hefty monthly fee, or you have to do custom coding. With OptimizePress there’s just a one-time payment for the user license. At a price that can’t be beat.
[Here’s the link to OptimizePress 2, it’s quite impressive.]
4. Asana
This one is for project management, task management, and herding cats. Because if you can’t keep track of the details, it’s impossible to get anything done. Asana is like Basecamp on steroids, and in our humble opinion, really more practical for many types of businesses.
[To herd cats like a professional, check out Asana]
5. Moo.com
The business card. Ok, this one isn’t web related. But there are plenty of times when you just need a business card. You want to make a strong first impression. Moo.com provides “high-end” design templates to brand yourself easily and affordably. Worlds beyond Vistaprint. You can also print cards in 50 card batches for lots of configurations, including custom backs and photographs.
[Make a stronger first impression with Moo.com]
The power of your story grows exponential as more and more people accept your story as their truth. Online marketing is a way to reach a bigger audience.
Get Your Geek-On in 2015
Ok that’s the quick list of our 5 favorite tools and systems. These simple tools can empower you to build a bigger platform of influence.
- What are your personal favorite systems or tools?
- What other categories are you trying to solve for?
- What about marketing online do you want to understand?
Add your questions and comments below.
Isn’t it time you share more of your story with the world?
