Womentorz Members Give Back

I'm so proud to be associated with not only some of the most talented, creative and entrepreneurial women I've ever met, but also the most giving!!!  Many of the Womentorz members give a percentage of their sales back to worthwhile charities.

Lizzie Lou Shoes for the Cure

Sheena Edwards, the creator of Lizzie Lou Shoes, has a new flip flop design that's not only providing high style, but also the fight against breast cancer.  You can feel good about purchasing such a work of art for your feet knowing that a percentage supports CTRC at the UT Health Science Center  in San Antonio, TX  http://www.ctrc.net/.  

Add a little bling to your outfit with the new Texas Pink for the Cure: http://lizzieloushoes.com/store/0037-new-texas-pink-4.html

The Goddess of Hope

Marianne Impal, the creator of The Goddess Box celebrating the gift of young girls becoming women, has also created The Goddess of Hope.  A feminine disease deserves a feminine gift~ The Goddess Of Hope is a gift box dedicated to Women with Breast Cancer.  Inside this gift holds well thought out treasures to help nurture the feminine from within.  All proceeds donated and will be split amongst two local hospitals/researchers: The Healing Consciousness Foundation and Fox Chase Cancer Center.  For more information visit: http://www.raecole.com/Goddess_of_Hope.html

The National Breast Cancer Awareness Foundation

Linda Lewis, the inventor of The Breast Chek Kit, is also the founder of a non-profit organization called NABCAF-The National Breast Cancer Awareness Foundation, Inc. that provides free mammogram's and other health screenings completely FREE to uninsured and under-insured women annually.  www.nabcaf.org

An annual event, Our Passionate About Pink Community Health & Wellness Expo is dependent on the donations and contributions of our sponsors, both big and small. See some of the pictures from this event here...http://bit.ly/buBdKA

While the mammogram's and all the services are free to the women, NABCAF has to pay the hospital for the mobile unit, etc. at an average cost of $135 per woman. While they raised funds last year, her company still had to provide additional funds because of the enormous amount of women that showed up!! Linda is very proud to know that she is providing such a life saving service to women who normally wouldn't have this opportunity.   

They also give a portion of sales of the Breast Chek Kit   to various breast cancer research organizations. 

To make a donation please visit: http://thebreastchekkit.com/about-nabcaf/community/

To purchase the life saving Breast Chek Kit please visit: http://thebreastchekkit.com/shop-here/
 
Pieces of Me By Cindy

Cindy Mpasiakos, the creator of Pieces of Me, gives $50 per piece and $10 per stainless steel piece ordered on the website to the charity of the customer's choice! When you order just name the charity in the comments section and she will do the rest. Spread the love beyond your 6 and donate to your favorite charity!  

 Here's a list of the charities buyers can select from:

• Juvenile Diabetes.
• American Cancer Society.
• American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.
• Grace Cares.
• Wounded Warriors.
• Salesians Missions.
• St. Jude.
• Autism Awareness.
• Feed the Children.
• NYC Rescue Mission.
• A-T Childrens Project.
• Safe Homes.
• Idol Gives Back.
• Alzheimer's Association.
• Arthritis Foundation.
• American Cancer Society
• Autism Speaks
• Juvenile Diabetes Foundation
• Grace Cares
• Wounded Warriors
• Idol Gives Back
• Walkathon for Arthritis 

To purchase Pieces of Me please visit: http://www.piecesofme.net/webpages/products.aspx

Womentorz also supports Sacred Heart Shelter, which is a local charity in the Pacific Northwest providing a safe home for women and children.  We will be selling a cookbook coming soon to the website where 100% of the proceeds will support this charity.  

It's important to give back, and the women of Womentorz are doing their part! 

Using Video to Promote Your Product

Video is hot right now. In fact, if you want to capture the attention of women today, a brief video showcasing the enthusiastic endorsement of believable "real people," is one of the most effective ways to do it.

Recently I met mother-daughter team, Lynn Colwell and Corey Colwell-Lipson. They are known not only for their book, Celebrate Green! Creating Eco-Savvy Holidays, Celebrations and Traditions for the Whole Family, but for the amazing PR they have generated over the last two years. One of their most effective vehicle is the videos they produce for products in which they believe.

They post the videos not only on their blog and YouTube and in their Open Sky online shop, but use them to teach and attract a following to their ideas about celebrating green.

They're so convinced of the value of this method of generating enthusiasm for products that they have developed a special offer for Womentorz members. If they like your product and feel it's a good fit for them, they will make a video for you. (Your product does not have to be green although it helps!)

You can use the video in any way you choose for a long as you choose. You might want to show it in a loop on a laptop at a tradeshow, on your website, on a DVD for the media and of course, on Womentorz!

Cost of a 2-minute video is $500. This includes everything--writing the script, approvals, shooting, "acting," editing and the final file.

Take a look at some of Lynn and Corey's videos and see what you think. Their style tends toward the light hearted as you'll see here and here, but they  also can do more straight-forward videos like this if you prefer.

Then, if you're interested in talking with them, email Lynn@CelebrateGreen.net

10 BIG BENEFITS OF BLOGGING FOR SMALL BUSINESS YOU WEREN’T AWARE OF

By Shlomit Haller owner of www.BabyAnywhere.com innovative products for babies
 

The search market continues to grow fast every year, and blogging is a search engine marketing activity. But there's still a lack of businesses willing to take up the “challenge” of running a blog. Why???

Did you know that the cost of generating traffic from search engine marketing is much lower than traditional media? Search engine marketing has the lowest cost-per-lead and the highest return on investment. It is estimated that the cost per lead is $0.29 for search, $0.50 for e-mail, $1.18 for the yellow pages, $2.00 for banner ads, and $9.94 for direct mail.
 
10 big benefits of blogging:

1 - Quick And Easy
Two words that every business owner and manager loves. A blog is simple to set up even for the technologically challenged. There are a number of free blogging services, and while these aren’t ideal for a business blog they offer a way to start. Setting up a blog isn't like setting up a Web site. In the worst case scenario you'll have to install a software application on your Web site and tinker with a few settings.
 
2 - Inexpensive Setup
The only word more popular than quick and easy is inexpensive. To integrate a blog into the page of your site costs little, especially since someone within your organization can usually do it. Even outsourcing the task will cost only a couple hundred dollars. A blog could become one of the most powerful marketing weapons you have in your arsenal and the money you spend might just pay a salesperson for one day’s work.
3 - Provides Easy Access To Company News
A business blog can be written in one of numerous styles, or a combination of these. One huge benefit is the ability to inform your customers of any changes, new products, latest offers and much more. This, in turn, can lead to direct sales. People love to frequent blogs and pass their time reading the same ones on a regular basis. Captivate your audience with compelling content and you'll receive a growing list of market leads. Remember that individual blog readers generally prefer a personable style but if your operation is a business-to-business one then you'll need to vary your style accordingly.
Typically, companies have used newsletter and e-newsletters to offer this kind of regular contact with their customers and potential customers. Using a blog is easier and it can be updated more regularly than when offering a weekly or monthly newsletter.
4 - Search Engine Friendly
Search engine optimization is a particularly beneficial form of online marketing. It can be used to gain search engine traffic for given keywords or search terms. Your blog offers the opportunity to promote your Web site for hundreds or even thousands of different keywords. Search engines particularly like promoting blogs because they offer a large amount of content that is updated and added to on a regular basis.
5 - Appear Accessible
It doesn’t matter whether you are not, but you and your company will appear to be more accessible especially if you allow freedom for all your visitors to post comments. Accessibility is often a stumbling block for many potential customers that still prefer to deal with companies offline. A blog makes you more approachable and so alleviates this concern.
6 - Appear Authoritative
The appearance of authority is also important to online businesses. Customers will be much more likely to use your service or purchase your goods if they see you as an authority on a particular subject. Give your views on the latest events in your industry, offer reviews of related items and comparisons of several items. Do anything, within reason, that makes you look like an authority on your topic area.
7 - Brand Awareness
The more a customer hears the name of your company the greater the chance of remembering it. It takes, on average, around seven items of direct communication between you and your customers to make a sale. A blog with hundreds of posts gives you the opportunity to mention your company name and ensure that your readers think of you next time they're looking for a particular product or service.
8 - Relationship Building
Another difficult aspect of building a relationship with your customers online is building a rapport with them. A blog enables you to speak more freely and in a more informal and personable style than your Web site does, and your readers will soon feel like they know you. The more they know, like and trust you the more likely they are to visit your main site, click your links and purchase your product.
9 - Gain An Insight Into Your Customers
A business blog enables you to gain insight into your customers. It does this in several ways. Predominantly, by allowing your customers to leave comments on your posts, you get a sense of how they react to what you say. You can also track which posts are being read more often and which generate a greater number of clicks, emails, and much more. As far as market and customer research goes this is important information.
10 - Reduce Calls And Emails
You can use a blog to pre-empt questions that customers might have. By sending readers to your blog you can gain all of the above benefits and you may reduce the amount of niggling questions that you get asked by customers. Of course, you might also receive a lot more orders by email, but nobody wants to reduce those emails.More Benefits for Womentorz Members :
11 - No need to set up your own blog system. Just write and send to Melinda!
For us, the womentorz blog is up and ready to use. No need to pay to have a blog installed or to technically straggle. Just write and send to Melinda! Womentorz blog is your tool!
12 – Womentors blog has many followers that read the blog on a regular basis
Womentorz blog gives you ready made large audience! Use it and write blog posts on a regular basis. If we all write interesting articles, together we will build up even more exposure!
Tips to Maintaining A Successful Business Blog
Regular content is imperative to the success of any blog. This content needs to be informative, accurate, and written in a way that will appeal to your visitors. Every blog demands different content and by producing the right content on a regular basis it will pay dividends.
In some posts you should try to find an opportunity to link to at least one page on your main Web site. Try not to get carried away by placing too many links or linking from all your posts but if you mention a particular product, link the name of that product to the corresponding page on your site. Alternatively include a paragraph at the bottom of the page that includes a link to a related resource, your website’s home page, etc.
Don’t forget to add pictures and videos!
Good luck in growing your sales with blog posts!
 
Shlomit Haller, Owner
www.BabyAnywhere.com
Innovative products for babies

Our Summer Adventure

Over the past year I have put some very long hours into growing my business and supporting Womentorz members.  Many of these hours have cut into quality family time, so it's time to make up for that over the summer now that I'm on a workable schedule.

Prior to summer I would lie awake at night worrying about how I was going to juggle work and my motherly duties once my son wasn't going to be in school.  I'm used to having my two year old at my side, but having both of them needing much deserved attention was going to be a challenge.  I've always made a point of getting up and using the early morning hours to finish important projects and leaving the time the children are awake for running back and forth between them, the computer and phone. 

One of our members, KT Steppers, has a wonderful new blog dedicated entirely to this subject called Master of Multistasking (M.O.M).  This will be a great blog to follow to celebrate all of the Moms who make it happen!

Now that summer is here I have compiled a plan to have at least one full day every week where we get out of the house and spend quality time together.  I've asked my older son Payton to select one town on a Washington map where we learn everything we can about that town during our visit.

Our first road trip will be this Friday, June 25th, where we will be visiting Coupeville, WA on Whidbey Island.  It's about a two hour drive from where we live, which is Edmonds, WA.  Click for more information about Coupeville.

I plan on documenting our fun adventures as some lighthearted and entertaining blog postings in between all of our informational content.  LET THE SUMMER ADVENTURES BEGIN!!!

Questions to Ask Web Developers and Designers Before Hiring Them

I've learned so much over the past year about working with web developers and have shared my experiences with fans of Womentorz.  One of the Facebook postings on this subject became such a hot button that I decided to post the suggested questions developers were leaving on the Fan Page.  I wish I had these questions in the beginning of the development process.  It would have saved me a lot of heartache and money!!!  I know have an amazing developer www.bearcreekweb.com who has completely revamped the Womentorz site, but it was a long road to get to them.  If you are a developer or have experience working with developers please feel free to post comments with additional questions.  

Questions below provided by Revvell P. Revati
http://www.bodaciousliving.com/

Question 1 - Do you do the work or do you send it overseas?

Question 2 - Give me names of at least three people you've worked with and their websites as referrals.

Question 3- Will you be teaching me how to use the back office so I or my assistant can update?

Questions Below Provided By Richard Weiss
www.dmpros.com

Question 1 - Are you the designer and developer of my site? Do you do it all, or will there be others involved? Is your expertise in design or do you consider yourself a developer first and a designer second?

Question 2- Have you built sites similar to what I am looking for?

Question 3 - Who will own the designs after you are paid? (Without a contract, the designer legally owns the design. You must have a contract that gives the design over to the "buyer" once the site is completed.)

Question 4 - Will I have full access to everything related to my site build? For example, will I have ftp access, can I go into the server control panel and work with the database (if any) or setup my own email accounts?

Question 5 - How familiar are you with SEO? Do you know how to build a site that focuses on SEO, or do you build the site and let SEO specialists do that part? Will I be getting a lot for my money if building with you - BOTH the site and the SEO as a combo pack?

Question 6 - How locked in is the price you quoted me? What factors will cause the price to increase? Are there any factors that could decrease the cost? After the site is built, and online, do you charge for any "fixes" that I see now but missed before? What do you charge for further additions and/or edits?

Question 7 - Am I getting any type of Content Management with my site so that I can make my own edits or changes (even add new material) without having to pay you?

Baby Bath Ring – Bathe More Than One and Keep it Fun!

Every parent knows the satisfaction of getting two kids clean at once. It leaves more time for bedtime stories and snuggling! But bathing two can be tricky, especially if one is a baby. Your little one tries to wriggle out of his bath seat while you struggle to give your older child a bath. Enter the Papillon baby bath ring, the soft bath ring with the unique design that lets infants move safely and freely while you bathe another child!

Traditional baby bath rings can be no fun for baby, especially as he begins to sit up and move more independently. Not only is a hard plastic bath seat uncomfortable against his body, it restricts him from reaching for toys, splashing bubbles and exploring the watery spaces around him.

Shouldn’t the bath be a place for baby to stretch his little arms and legs, develop muscles and become more coordinated? He should be splashing and playing in the bubbles, not sitting or writhing in a restrictive bath seat!

Of course, safety comes first during bath time. That’s why you strap baby into a bath ring or bath seat in the first place. But once baby starts moving and exploring, a traditional bath seat doesn’t quite do the trick. Lots of parents can recall a time when baby boldly tried to stand up from his bath seat, only to tumble into mom or dad’s slippery, soapy hands. Imagine how stressful that experience would be if you were bathing another child while your little one was busy trying to escape from his bath ring!

The Papillon is a terrific product that keeps baby safe and stable, but also lets him explore and have fun. Make bath time more fun for baby and relaxing for you with the Papillon. Simply tie the soft, floating bath ring around baby’s waist and let him splash and play while you bathe your older child. Get two kids clean at once and enjoy all the soft snuggling to follow!  For more information click here.

Step It Up For Alex's Lemonade Stand ~ ebay auction

SUPPORTING ALEX's LEMONADE STAND FOUNDATION for CHILDHOOD CANCER RESEARCH. For direct donations visit Lily's Lemonade Stand Page: www.alexslemonade.org/stands/9214

Raising Awareness for Alex’s Lemonade Stands Foundation for Fighting Childhood Cancer, Kt Steppers Introduces Another Charity Stepper, The Lily Stepper!  Designed and Inspired by our 4 year old friend Lily Adkins: http://www.alexslemonade.org/hero/lily-adkins

 
20% of the proceeds will be donated from each Lily Stepper order to Alex’s Lemonade Stand through our site.   Not only does the stepper show support for such an amazing cause, but is fully functional in any house with kids to step up to independence!
This Lily Stepper is up for Auction during Lemonade Days (June 10-13) where 100% of proceeds will be donated : http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=120578142714 .

We need your voice to help reach her donation goal!
Link to purchase one of our Charity Steppers is on http://www.ktsteppers.com/utilitysteppers.html

Greening Up Baby Showers

Written By: Lynn Colwell and Corey Colwell-Lipson

No one deserves more to be celebrated in an earth-friendly way than moms-to-be and their babies. After all, everyone wants the best for their children and the best, as we now realize, is to make healthier choices for people and the planet.

Throwing a "green" baby shower doesn't take extra work, just planning. Start by thinking about the various aspects of a shower and how you can apply the 3Rs--reduce, reuse, recycle. For instance:

• Reduce the amount of decor you buy, the amount of food you purchase, the amount of disposables, whether for wrapping, plates or table covering.
  
• Reuse by repurposing items for decor. For instance, if you're giving the mom cloth diapers, hang them on a clothes line strung along one wall. Intersperse with colorful pieces of cloth, cute dresses or tops or pre-used ribbons. After the party, she takes everything home (including the clothes line).
  
• Recycle everything from the event. Pass on decor items, compost what leftovers cannot be sent home with guests. 
  
  Most showers involve food and maybe some games. But almost inevitably, the focus is on opening gifts. While everyone loves giving and receiving, especially when it comes to adorable baby items, how about a little more emphasis on mom and a little less on "stuff?"
  
  Showering mom (and dad, if he's present), with loving, thoughtful gifts from the heart costs almost nothing and will help her (and him), feel amazing. Some ideas (note that these are alternatives--not every parent or group of guests will be interested in every one):
  
  
• Create an calming atmosphere by dimming the lights, perhaps lighting some beeswax candles, settling mom into a comfy chair, offering her socks or slippers if she'd like. Ask someone to create a CD of mom's favorite relaxing music to be played during the event, then gifted to her.
  
• Offer mom a rosewater footbath or a massage for hands, feet or neck. If the guests are comfortable with this (as well as mom), each one can take a turn offering mom a "touching" gift.
  
• Prepare a selection of drinks--made from fresh organic fruit in summer or organic tea in cooler weather.
  
• Have everyone bring a bead. Guests sit in a circle and string the beads one at a time explaining their choice as they do. Perhaps the color reminds them of the mom's eyes, or a place she loves. Maybe the bead came from a broken necklace inherited from a beloved grandmother. Guests also can write their explanations on a piece of paper that mom can keep with the bracelet or necklace. Encourage mom to wear the item or keep it nearby when she gives birth, or if she's adopting, when she receives the baby, as a reminder of the love that surrounds her.
  
• Make mom a special plate of food. Each item can represent something about being a mother. (Remember to choose local and organic when possible, and of course, respect mom's tastes and/or allergies.) Some ideas include: a carrot representing family "roots," a mushroom representing "shelter," a cluster of grapes respresenting "closeness," blue cheese or another "smelly" one representing some of the distatesful things moms have to do etc. The items can be brought out on a plate, an example of what one represents offtered, then guests can toss out their own ideas.
  
• Ask everyone to bring a stone from where they live. They can write a wish for the mom or baby or write their names in permanent ink. Add the stones to a pot in which a small live tree has been planted. If appropriate, parents can plant the tree with the stones around it as a lasting memory of the event.
  
• Be sure to make laughter a part of the event. Maybe guests will recount cute things their kids have said or the silliest thing they ever did as a parent, or the time they "lost it."
  
• Ask the mom and/or dad-to-be, to bring a piece of clothing, baby book or photo from when they were babies and talk about their childhood memories, how they perceived their parents, and/or the most important things they want to do for and with this baby.
  
• If the parent-to-be's mom or dad is at the shower, encourage them to share memories or humorous anecdotes about the expectant parents as kids.

Eco-tips for choosing green baby shower gifts 

• Select clothing items without chemicals (which are readily absorbed by a newborn's thin skin). Look for organic cotton, hemp, wool or silk.
  
• The safest toys are made from natural, pesticide-free materials such as untreated wood or the fabrics listed above. Seek out products made locally, and/or that are handmade and that will last.
  
• Give a gift of yourself such as preparing meals for the family, driving or doing errands weekly for the first months after the baby is at home, offering to rent a movie and preparing a "parents night in," along with babysitting, or doing a year's worth of car washes.
  
• Choose to wrap your gifts in items that keep giving--baby blankets, crib sheets, towels, scarves or other reusables.
  
• Here's a freebie that would be wonderful to include with any gift. It's a pdf of a brochure, Simple Steps for a Happy Baby, a Healthy Home and a Better World. Download, print out one copy (on recycled paper of course.)

To learn more tips on how to "Celebrate Green" purchase the Celebrate Green book!  It's packed full of green information!!! www.celebrategreen.net/buy/

Lynn Colwell and Corey Colwell-Lipson are mother and daughter and co-authors of Celebrate Green! Creating Eco-Savvy Holidays, Celebrations and Traditions for the Whole Family, available at www.CelebrateGreen.net 

Womentorz is helping businesses across the nation grow their Facebook Fan Page

I spent weeks racking my brain on how I could market Womentorz on Facebook while helping other businesses in the process.  Finally, it occurred to me that sharing and suggesting a Fan Page is such an easy thing to do and most people are willing to do it since it only takes a matter of seconds.  If only a few people suggested a page to their friends asking them to share that same page to their friends that it would be like a Domino effect.  I would make sure to only promote a page a week so it wouldn't be an annoyance suggesting and sharing a new page on a daily basis.  This would also allow 5 days for the "Likes" to come rolling in with the final numbers being posted on Friday.

In my head this scenario would work, but I had never seen it done.  I'm sure I'm not the first to think of and implement this idea since I'm nothing special.  Still, I shared my plan and the requests starting piling up.  Before I knew it I had over 22 weeks booked up and a lot of excitement and buzz over the "experiment".  

The first Monday finally comes where I can start the my first Womentorz Fan Page of the Week for Rooibee Red Tea.  Their beginning "Likes" were at 451.   After just 48 hours they have increased their "Likes" to over 528.  If you know Facebook and how fast your "Likes" increase you know that this is a much faster fan surge than even advertising on Facebook to millions can bring you.  The best part is it's free!!!!  The only request is that the owner of the Fan Page "Like" Womentorz and post a reply under "Notes" with the name and link of their business fan page.  Click here to go to the Womentorz FB Fan Page.
This service is for ALL businesses on Facebook!!!  Happy Social Networking!