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11 December

How To Monitor Your Online Reputation With Google Alerts

Erika Madden | Business Tips, PR, Reputation | 23 Comments

How to monitor your online reputation with Google Alerts. A step-by-step guide to setting up alerts so you can protect your business, blog, or personal brand. | Olyvia.co

Tell me truthfully: do you ever think about monitoring your online reputation?

I know a lot of you probably hear me say that and think that sort of thing is for Fortune 500 companies, Angelina Jolie, and Presidential hopefuls.

And yes, you would be right.

But I wouldn't be doing my job if I didn't tell you that you're also dead wrong.

That's because monitoring your reputation on the interwebs is not just for the already powerful, rich, and famous.

Please believe me when I tell you that if A) you exist in this world and B) hope to have any sort of successful public presence that brings in an income or other opportunities (I'm talking to you entrepreneurs, business owners, freelancers, bloggers, actors, artists, authors, models, executives, and those who have a career of any kind), you need to know what's being said about you on the internet.

What I'm going to share with you today is an easy, free way to start doing that using Google's alerts capability.

It's not a full-fledged, comprehensive option for catching everything that's said online, but it will get you started. I think you'll find it helpful, and (good news!) it's not going to require any real maintenance from you once you set it up.

(Though I would go back and tweak them every so often as you or your brand develops.)

Here's my step-by-step beginner's guide to monitoring your online reputation with Google Alerts:
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03 December

The 5 Reasons You’re Being Ignored On HARO

Erika Madden | Business Tips, PR | 28 Comments

The 5 big reasons your publicity efforts are being ignored by Help A Reporter Out, + how to fix that.

When people first hear about Help A Reporter Out (HARO), they freak.

"You mean I can get quoted in The Huffington Post or CNN with no PR firm or marketing budget? Where has this BEEN all my life?!"

Shortly thereafter they usually embark on a binge emailing session, cranking out response after response to the dozens of journalists' queries landing in their inbox (in full -- yet deeply misguided -- expectation that by the next day they'll be #BreakingTheInternet along with Kim Kardashian).

But after about a month of this, a new reality sets in. And it sounds wayyy different than the first:

"Why are none of my responses being published? Why are reporters not contacting me?! Is this HARO thing a scam or what???"

The problem, of course, is not with Help A Reporter Out.

The problem is with the way people approach the reporters.

So with that, here are the top 5 reasons why people are not getting published on HARO.

Whip out your fanciest pen, my friends; it's time to take some PR 101 notes!
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26 November

November Blog Traffic And Income Report: $92.44

Erika Madden | Blog Income Report | 39 Comments

The inaugural Olyvia blog income report for November 2014: $92.44. Watch and learn how to monetize your blog from the beginning!

Be honest. How many times have you asked yourself, "How in the world do I make money with this here blog?!"

All. the. time., right?

In my early years of blogging I was head-over-high-heels enamored with the concept of making money online. The concept seemed so alluring. Just write about whatever and watch the cash pour in?

Sign me UP!

Yet, while there seemed to be a lot of talk of "blog monetization," not many people were openly sharing how they made that money (or how much they actually made).

The only advice people tended to give out was to install Google Adsense ads. Somehow it would bring in hundreds, even thousands, of dollars!

So, I tried it on this little -- and I mean teeny -- personal hobby blog I had.

I made a pitiful 15 cents.

Not surprisingly, I quickly came to the conclusion that making decent money with a blog was outright ridiculous.

But as the blogging community grew and a few more people began to open up their monetization successes and failures, I began to understand the fuller picture of what making an income off a blog really entailed.

I learned that:

1. nobody begins by making $1,000, $2,000, or $10,000 dollars

2. you need people coming to your blog in order to make any money

3. just relying on one thing usually won't pay the bills (+ daddy said not to put all your eggs in one basket)

4. while it may become easy, passive income eventually, it does take A LOT of work up front

When I started Olyvia, I decided that once I got to the point where I could begin monetizing, I would share the process openly with my readers.

Because A) I want you to learn how to do it for yourself, B) I want you to see a blog income report that starts at the very beginning, not after it's already bringing in thousands of dollars, and C) because I know the accountability will make me work harder. :)

So with that, here is my very...

20 November

Olyvia Works: An Interview with Kirsten Thompson of Sweet Tea And Saving Grace

Erika Madden | Olyvia Works | 22 Comments

Olyvia Works: An interview with Kirsten Thompson of http://sweetteaandsavinggraceblog.com/

Every time I see Kirsten Thompson of Sweet Tea And Saving Grace pop up in my email or on my social media accounts, I am left in the best. mood. ever.

Her combination of southern charm, humility, and plain ole hard work is seriously irresistible!

And that's why it was a no-brainer that I had to feature her on Olyvia Works. :)

Kirsten holds down a full-time job while also working as a Virtual Assistant, running her successful blog, and being wife + mom. (You're already in awe of her, aren't you? I know I am!) In today's interview she shares:

Why she walked away from her blog for 6 months
What it was like to completely rebrand + tips to make it easier
How to avoid (or bounce back from) burnout
Tips on monetizing your blog
Her best blog organization strategy
3 must-have blog + biz tools

Her stuff is GOOD, so I'm going to stop talking and let her take it away!
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05 November

7 Minutes To An Irresistible Opt-In Box

Erika Madden | Business Tips, Email Marketing, Olyvia TV, Website Design | 41 Comments

How to get more email subscribers in 7 minutes or less (a smart video tutorial for bloggers + entrepreneurs)

Today I have one simple question for you.

Do you have an email opt-in box in your sidebar that nobody seems to notice?

Trying to encourage people to subscribe to your newsletter can feel a lot like trying to herd cats, even if you have an excellent free opt-in gift (aka: "lead magnet") that you've spent weeks carefully crafting and designing.

(You hear me, right? I mean, let's be really, completely, 100% honest here. At times growing our email lists can be excrrrrruciating.)

But WHY? What's going on that makes sidebar opt-in forms so notorious for blah performance?

1. First of all, everybody has those little boxes in the sidebar of their website. They’re easy to ignore because they're nearly all the same. Common layout elements condition people to be "opt-in blind."

2. In an effort to be pretty, too many people try to blend the opt-in box into the rest of their theme by choosing neutral colors and making it diminutive. As a result, the opt-in area doesn't compete for anybody's attention. Rather than saying, "Look over here!" it says, "Oh, don't mind me...