Askpat 2.0: A Weekly Coaching Call On Online Business, Blogging, Marketing, And Lifestyle Design

Today’s question comes from Victoria, who asks about how to social media to build her subscriber base. Victoria’s site is https://sillysparklessensory.wordpress.com/. I mention LeadPages, for which I am an advisor (http://askpat.com/leadpages). I also mention the great social media scheduling tools Buffer (http://www.bufferapp.com/) and Edgar (http://meetedgar.com/), as well as Tweriod (http://www.tweriod.com/). If you have additional advice, share it using #AskPat264. Do you have a question about using social media to grow your business? Record it at http://www.askpat.com/. Today's sponsor is Freshbooks. Go to http://www.GetFreshBooks.com and enter "Ask Pat" for more information.

Today’s question comes from Josh, whose website is still new. What can he do to build traffic to his site? Joshua’s site is http://www.joshuapcornwell.com/. Do you have a question about how to improve your website? Record it at http://www.askpat.com/. Thanks to our sponsor, Lynda.com. Try out all of Lynda.com's courses for free for seven days. Go http://lynda.com/AskPat to get started.

Today’s question comes from Michelle, who wants to make a fun site for a serious topic. How can she accomplish this? I reference my niche site, Green Exam Academy (http://www.greenexamacademy.com/). Do you have a question about finding the right tone for your website? Record it at http://www.askpat.com/. Today's sponsor is Freshbooks. Go to http://www.GetFreshBooks.com and enter "Ask Pat" for more information.

Today’s question comes from Kris, who doesn’t get a response when he reaches out to audience members individually. How can he get his audience to realize that these emails are individual and not bulk? Kris’s site is http://successfulperformercast.com/. I recommend the tool Rapportive (https://rapportive.com/) for integrating social media with your email account. Do you have a question about engaging your customers? Record it at http://www.askpat.com/. Thanks to today's sponsor, AWeber. Your email list is your most valuable asset—get started today. Go to http://www.aweber.com/askpat

Ryan is looking for advice on formatting an ebook, and he noticed that my ebook, eBooks the Smart Way, is formatted in three columns. Would I recommend that he do the same? Find eBooks the Smart Way at http://www.ebooksthesmartway.com/. Do you have a question about ebooks and giveaways? Record it at http://www.askpat.com/. Check out my new podcast with Chris Ducker at http://1daybb.com/.

Today’s question comes from Joshua, who has a question about how to manage multiple domains with a single host. Joshua’s site is http://informationtechnologytraining.biz/. The hosts I recommend are Bluehost (http://askpat.com/bluehost) and if you have the traffic that requires a dedicated host, Linode (https://www.linode.com/). Use #AskPat259 to share your advice on shared hosting. Do you have a question about managing your websites? Record it at http://www.askpat.com/. Thanks to today's sponsor, AWeber. Your email list is your most valuable asset—get started today. Go to http://www.aweber.com/askpat

Today’s question comes from Warren, who would like to start a podcast but is worried that he won’t sound natural. How can he work to improve his communication skills? Warren’s site is http://www.thesuperblife.com/. Do you have a question about podcasting? Record it at http://www.askpat.com/. Thanks for your support of both my launches this week! For podcast creators, check out the Smart Podcast Player (http://www.smartpodcastplayer.com); for podcast consumers, check out my new podcast with Chris Ducker (http://1daybb.com). Thanks to our sponsor, Lynda.com. Try out all of Lynda.com's courses for free for seven days. Go http://lynda.com/AskPat to get started.

Today’s question comes from Guillermo, who wonders if the sample of his ebook is hurting his sales. Do you have a question about promoting your products? Record it at http://www.askpat.com/. Thanks for your support of the new 1DayBB podcast, which features my buddy Chris Ducker and I tackling one small business owner’s most pressing problem. Find it here: http://1daybb.com/ Thanks to Zip Recruiter for sponsoring today's episode. Go to http://www.ziprecruiter.com/pat to get started posting jobs today.

Today’s question comes from Andrew, who is trying to find an ethical way to stand out in a crowded market online. Here’s the link to Brian Regan’s comedy bit about “the me monster” (http://youtu.be/vymaDgJ7KLg). Do you have a question about getting noticed by your target audience? Record it at http://www.askpat.com/. Today's sponsor is Freshbooks. Go to http://www.GetFreshBooks.com and enter "Ask Pat" for more information.

Today’s question comes from Alyssa, who ask about the balance of content frequency versus depth. Alyssa’s site is http://www.earnyourspurs.com/. The podcast editing services I recommend are Music Radio Creative (http://musicradiocreative.com/askpat) and TwentyFour Sound (http://twentyfoursound.com/). I talk about Derek Halpern, who you can find at Social Triggers (http://socialtriggers.com/). Check out the Smart Podcast Player plugin for WordPress, which my team and I launched today! http://www.smartpodcastplayer.com/. Today's sponsor is Freshbooks. Go to http://www.GetFreshBooks.com and enter "Ask Pat" for more information.

Today’s question comes from Talia, whose audience shies away from public engagement and purchasing online products. What should she do? Talia’s site is http://www.partyinmyplants.com/. Do you have a question about engaging with your audience? Record it at http://www.askpat.com/. Today's sponsor is Freshbooks. Go to http://www.GetFreshBooks.com and enter "Ask Pat" for more information.

Today’s question comes from Katie, who is planning to target a broader audience than before. How should she prepare her mailing list for this change? Katie’s site is http://katiedavis.com/. In this episode, I talk about Infusionsoft (http://www.infusionsoft.com/) which is an email service provider and customer management system. Do you have a question about managing your email list? Record it at http://www.askpat.com/. Thanks to our sponsor, Lynda.com. Try out all of Lynda.com's courses for free for seven days. Go http://lynda.com/AskPat to get started.

Today’s question comes from Brooke, who has an idea to get started. She knows it will be successful, but is worried that a large company will take her idea and out-compete her, and she would like to know my thoughts on this. I’ve had some experience with this over at my niche site, Green Exam Academy (http://www.greenexamacademy.com/). Share your thoughts with #AskPat252. Do you have a question about getting started? Record it at http://www.askpat.com/. Thanks to Zip Recruiter for sponsoring today's episode. Go to http://www.ziprecruiter.com/pat to get started posting jobs today.

Andy is starting a site to help people pass an exam. Is it better to focus on writing a few evergreen posts for his site, or should he write a blog on an ongoing basis? Andy references the site that got me started online, Green Exam Academy (http://www.greenexamacademy.com/). Some examples of evergreen content from Smart Passive Income include my Podcasting Tutorial (http://www.podcastingtutorial.com/), my email list tutorial (http://www.startanemaillist.com), and eBooks the Smart Way (http://ebooksthesmartway.com). Do you have a question about blogging and building a niche site? Record it at http://www.askpat.com/. Today's sponsor is Freshbooks. Go to http://www.GetFreshBooks.com and enter "Ask Pat" for more information.

Rebecca has a thriving site, and she’s noticed that her younger users don’t prefer email. What do I think will be the future of audience communication? Is it email, or is there something else? Rebecca’s site is http://evidencebasedbirth.com/. In this episode, I talk about apps, including my own, which you can download here: http://smartpassiveincome.com/app. Do you have a question about email lists and the future of communication? Record it at http://www.askpat.com/. Thanks to today's sponsor, AWeber. Your email list is your most valuable asset—get started today. Go to http://www.aweber.com/askpat

Cassel returns to ask about online courses. Should she have open registration or registration windows that close after a short time? Cassel’s site is http://scrapbookcampus.com/. I reference episodes of the Smart Passive Income Podcast with David Siteman Garland (http://www.smartpassiveincome.com/how-to-build-an-online-course-that-sells/) and Amy Porterfield (http://www.smartpassiveincome.com/3-part-video-series-launch/). To discuss this episode, use #AskPat249. Do you have a question about online courses? Record it at http://www.askpat.com/. Thanks to today's sponsor, AWeber. Your email list is your most valuable asset—get started today. Go to http://www.aweber.com/askpat.

The first question of 2015 comes from Khan, who would like to know which blogs I follow. More specifically, he’s trying to avoid information overload. I found Gary Keller’s book, The One Thing, very useful for figuring out what I need to focus on. I also like using Evernote (http://www.evernote.com/) to keep track of information for future use. Do you have a question about organizing your time? Record it at http://www.askpat.com/. Thanks to our sponsor, Lynda.com. Try out all of Lynda.com's courses for free for seven days. Go http://lynda.com/AskPat to get started.

Today’s question comes from Winston, who would like to know if I have a template or layout for writing my blog posts. I reference Smart Passive Income Podcast #140 (http://www.smartpassiveincome.com/early-morning-routine/), where I discuss with Hal Elrod the strategy for building a morning routine. Do you have a question about blogging? Record it at http://www.askpat.com/.

Today’s question comes from Adam, who is referencing Smart Passive Income Podcast #15 (http://smartpassiveincome.com/session15) where I recommend starting with Infobarrel (http://www.infobarrel.com/). Do you have a question about getting started with passive income? Record it at http://www.askpat.com/. Thanks to today's sponsor, AWeber. Your email list is your most valuable asset—get started today. Go to http://www.aweber.com/askpat

Today’s question comes from Ann, who is interested in setting up a partnership on a project. How do you set that up? Ann references my partnership with Chris Ducker at http://1daybb.com/. Do you have a question about creating a business partnership? Record it at http://www.askpat.com/. Today's sponsor is Freshbooks. Go to http://www.GetFreshBooks.com and enter "Ask Pat" for more information.