If you’re still up in the air about attending the OIVAC, have you ever asked yourself these questions?

Is there a secret to increasing my bottomline?

Can I really make money while I sleep?

Why do I really need to have a target market and niche?

Follow up, Shmollow up, why does it matter?

Is it really possible for me to sound like a Fortune 500 company?

All these questions and more will be answered and addressed at the Online International Virtual Assistants Convention (OIVAC) and registration ends today. So hurry and go to http://www.oivac.com/register-seminars.htm and register before midnight ET (New York, USA) to attend this one of a kind event. This event was designed with every budget in mind.

You’re also invited to attend the International Virtual Assistants Day celebration on Friday, May 16th at 5:15 p.m. ET (New York, USA). This year’s special guest speaker is motivational speaker Paddy Spruce. At the event, the OIVAC will present both the Janet Jordan Achievement Award as well as the Thomas Leonard Virtual Assistant of Distinction Award to two deserving virtual assistants. Stay for the entire International Virtual Assistants Day celebration because there are prizes…and lots of them! **Please note that there is no charge for the VA Day celebration, however seating is limited.**

Registration ends today, so secure your spot immediately by going to: http://www.oivac.com/register-seminars.htm

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Sessions available at the OIVAC convention include:

Kate Bacon - How to Design a VA Business to Fit Your Life

Jonathan Bailey - Dealing with Plagiarism: A Realistic Guide to Fighting Content Theft

David Beard - Insurance Guide for VAs

Anita Bruton - Creating a Copy & Personal Profile that Attracts Clients

Janice Byer - How to Respond to Requests for Proposals (RFPs)

Andrea Cannavina - Working Virtually with the Right Technology

Di Chapman - Enjoy Promoting Your Website with Web 2.0

Laurie Dart - Increase Your* Income by Establishing Yourself as an Expert with Article Marketing

Christina Favreau - Designing a Compelling 30 Second Intro

Tina Forsyth - Playing a Bigger Role with your Clients - Becoming an Online Business Manager

Cindy Greenway - Coaches - What they Want and Need from Their VA

Barbara Hemphill - Virtual Assistants and Organizing Consultants: Together We Are Better

Jeff Herring - The Article Solution - Endless Waves of Prospects, Publicity and Profits

Christina Hills - How to Automate Your Business (or Your Client’s) with Autoresponders

Pam Ivey - I Want to be a Real Estate VA

Annie Jennings - Create A Website To Showcase Your Talent, Land BIG New Clients & Build A Powerful Community

Andrea Kalli - Offering Podcasting and Audio Services to Your Clients

Terence Kierans - How to Stay in Business - When the Sky Falls In

Jan B. King - Authors are Asking for You! Pat Lynch - PR for VAs and More Carmen McDougall - How to Work Your Business and Achieve Financial* F.r.e.e.d.o.m.

Liza Magcale - All You Need to Know about Booking Appointments & Calendar Management

Jamie Lee Mann - The Importance of Follow-up

John Messingham - Using Mambo, Joomla! and other open source software in your business

Carolyn Nelson - How to Provide Transaction Management Services in a Changing Real Estate Market

Becki Noles - Creating Multiple Streams of Income: Affiliate and Internet Marketing in a Nutshell

Dale Noles - Target Markets and Niches: The #1 Success Ingredients

Jodi Rosenberg - Fast Forward Challenge: How to Get Your Life Moving Faster Forward by Challenging Yourself

Dick Schiferli - Virtual Assistant Software for Skype

Felicia Slattery - Increase Business by Communicating Your Credibility

Victoria Santiago - How To Make Your Ho.me.Ba.sed Business Sound Like A Fortune 500 Company

Tawnya Sutherland - SEO, Let’s Rank It!

Kathie Thomas - How a Blog Can Help Your Business Profile

Paul Wagner - 7 Smart Ways that Outlook Can Save Your 4 Hours

Yvonne Weld - Setting Up Processes for Your Business

Kathryn Williams - Providing Virtual Assistance for Corporate Clients

Sharon Williams - Be Your Own Brand and Stand Out from the Crowd

*** Remember, registration ends today, so secure your spot by going to: http://www.oivac.com/register-seminars.htm ***

Look forward to seeing you there!

What is a Press Release?

A press release is a newsworthy story about your business that you submit to various media outlets ~ newspapers, magazines, website, radio, television. This is a wonderful way to get free promotion for your website. Any story that the media picks up will be far more valuable than a paid advertising spot. Having the media do a story about you is like a personal endorsement of your website and business.

What is the Appropriate Format for Your Press Release?

Your press release should have six basic components and they are (Visit http://www.internetbasedmoms.com/freedownload/samplerelease.pdf for a printable version of the release that got InternetBasedMoms.com featured on the local news):

1. Release Instructions

“For Immediate Release”;
“For Release Before [date]” or
“For Release After [date]”

Use one of the latter two if your press release is of a time sensitive nature. For example, if you are holding a public speaking event, you will want to use the “For Release Before [date]” and make sure you input the final date for registrations. If you are using the “For Release Before [date]” ensure you are sensitive to media deadlines. Send your release out well in advance.

2. Headline

Write an attention-grabbing headline. Make it benefits-oriented (why would it be of interest to people?) and descriptive. Avoid hype and promotional language ~ remember, this is a news story.

3. Contact Information

Include as much information as possible here. Make it easy for the media to contact you. Include your phone number, address, company name, fax number, email and URL. Include the hours you are available at the listed phone number and add an after hours phone number, if applicable.

4. Summary

Before you get into the body of the release, write a sentence or two to summarize your press release. Make it interesting, you want the recipient to keep reading.

5. Content

This is the meat of your press release. Again, write a benefits-oriented story. Think of the target audience as you are writing. Your target audience is partly the editor or reporter who will be reading the release. Ultimately, however, your target audience is that editor or reporter’s readers or audience. You need to write a story that will be of interest to them.

The first paragraph should answer all the important questions - Who, What, Where, When, Why & How?

Add some quotations to add credibility and to break up the story. Quotations can be from you about the topic. Testimonials or commentary from your customers are very effective as well.6.

6. Signify the End of Your Release

The end of your press release is shown by a few simple characters. Place ### at the end of your release.

Other General Formatting Tips

- Always remember that your press release is not an ad. It is a newsworthy story.

- Address your release directly to the appropriate reporter or editor. The media receives many press releases each day. A release addressed to a specific person is more likely to get attention than a general submission.

- Keep your release to about 1 page (or 2 pages maximum).

- Number your pages 1 of 2, 2 of 2, etc.

- Use active verbs.

- Do not use excessive adjectives ~ they sound like hype.

- Tweak your release when sending to different medial outlets. If you are sending to the local paper your content may be slightly different than if you are sending it to a trade magazine.

- If you are sending your release by mail, use 8 1/2″ x 11″ paper.

- If you are sending your release by email, never send an attachment. Copy and paste your release into the body of the email.

Where to Send your Press Release

You need to build a media list and this will likely take some time. Start local and small. Local and/or small media are most likely to be interested in your story and it’s the perfect way to hone your release writing skills. Besides, a lot of the larger media outlets scan the little guys to find stories to pick up.

Try newspapers, trade journals, topic specific magazines, websites, radio shows, television show ~ whomever would be interested in your topic.

Again, always remember to get specific contact information for your press release. A release address to a particular person will get a lot more attention than a general release sent to the media outlet.

About the Author
Alice Seba thrives on helping others build profitable online businesses. Claim your Internet Marketing prescriptions to success at http://www.aliceseba.com.

As a professional copywriter, I’ve seen my share of copywriting mistakes. One that seems to be particularly common is writing copy that’s “upside down.” When you do this – when you don’t relay your message in the correct order – you lose your audience’s attention, and the sale!You’ve probably seen copy that reads something like:

Professional Virtual Assistant Services
For over seven years, we have been providing virtual assistant services to the global community. With a proven history of excellence, you are guaranteed quality when you select ABC Company for your virtual assistant needs. You’ll find your load lightened, your schedule freed, and your business day more organized so you can spend your time making money instead of chasing your tail. Virtual assistants allow you to do more of what you love to do!

What’s important in this paragraph? Yes, experience (“…over seven years…”) is necessary. And quality (“…you are guaranteed quality…”) is vital. But what is it that will catch the attention and deliver the true message about virtual assistants?

It’s this section: “You’ll find your load lightened, your schedule freed, and your business day more organized so you can spend your time making money instead of chasing your tail. Virtual assistants allow you to do more of what you love to do!” So – if this is the most important part – why is it at the end? Because the copy is upside down, that’s why!

Let’s rework this section of copy and turn it right side up so it will grab the reader’s attention and make him/her understand what virtual assistants *really* do.

Professional Virtual Assistants Lighten Your Load
Tired of running around, feeling like you’re out of control? Have too much to do and not enough time to do it. Those are the situations where virtual assistants are a lifesaver! By using a professional virtual assistant, you’ll find your load lightened, your schedule freed, and your business day more organized. You’ll be able to spend your time making money instead of chasing your tail. Virtual assistants allow you to do more of what you love to do!

For over seven years, we have been providing Virtual Assistant services to the global community. With a proven history of excellence, you are guaranteed quality when you select ABC Company for your virtual assistant needs.

See the difference? We’ve hit a nerve. We’ve gotten the readers’ attention right up-front by appealing to their emotional needs and wants. We’ve shown them the end result of using this virtual assistant service, and then backed it up with facts.

I know I say it over and over, but it’s a true statement… Most buying decisions are emotional so your ad copy should be, too.

When writing any type of advertising copy, remember to place your best information up top (right side up), instead of at the bottom (upside down) where it may, or may not, be read. When you do, you’ll get greater readership and more sales!

About the Author
Most buying decisions are emotional. Your ad copy should be, too! Let Karon write targeted copy and ezine articles for you. Visit her site at http://www.ktamarketing.com, or learn to write your own copy at http://www.copywritingcourse.com. Don’t forget to subscribe to Karon’s free ezine at http://www.ktamarketing.com/ezine.html.

When you market to a client, it is imperative that you answer the question “What’s in it for me?” (WIIFM) because, let’s face it, we are in a society where we have been conditioned to take care of Number 1 first (and why not … we all deserve that!!). If you want your potential client to take a serious look at the service or product you are offering, they need to know that they are going to get some value from purchasing from you. Even more importantly they need to be reminded constantly of the value they are continuing to receive.Marketing Materials
The very first place that your client will be looking to answer WIIFM, even before they agree to do business with you, is within your marketing materials. If the front page of your website does not speak to their pain or entice them to look further, you have lost your opportunity. If your business card doesn’t quickly explain to a client what you do and why they need you, you have lost your opportunity. If your 30-second infomercial, doesn’t tell that potential client why they can’t live without you, you have lost your opportunity.

Give your potential client a reason to keep looking and to keep listening. Speak to their pain and answer how you can ease that pain. Tired of suffering from backaches? You need a chiropractor. Struggling with paperwork? You need a Virtual Assistant. Don’t know a debit from a credit? You need a bookkeeper. Make sure all your marketing materials and your infomercial answer your client’s questions and entice them to want to hear and/or read more. Keep them excited and interested in what you are going to offer them to make their life easier.

Making the Sale
So you’ve gotten the potential client to hear how you can make their life easier and they are interested in what your product or service has to offer them. Now what? Now it is time to close the sale and “seal the deal” as they say. When you are “closing the sale”, make sure that you ask probing questions that you know your product or service can solve. Be ready and know ahead of time what the usual objections are to your product or service and then answer the questions before they are asked. Give the client every reason to know that they cannot live without your product or service because life with your product or service is going to be so much better. Paint them a picture of how life will be once they make that purchase.

Service and/or Product’s Value
So the client has agreed to make the purchase … now is the time to make sure that your product or service delivers. Make sure that you deliver on every promise you have made. This is the best way to get your clients talking about you and referring others to your product or service. A client is more likely to talk to others about a product or service that has made their lives better, easier or more exciting. If your product or service excites, eases or enhances, then you are sure to get your clients talking.

When you answer your client’s question “What’s in it for me” they will be sure to spread that word when they hear of other’s with that same question. If you take it one step further by following up and thanking that client for their business you will truly create a thriving business and even more importantly a base for referrals!!

About the Author
Yvonne Weld is the owner of ABLE Virtual Assistant Services and offers administrative and bookkeeping support to busy solopreneurs. She is also the author of The Ultimate Guide to Creating a Thriving Business and Managing Your Thriving Business for Success. For more information and for your free downloads, visit her Web site at http://www.yvonneweld.com