Tag Archives: cool

Photofunia

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Link:

http://photofunia.com/

Okay. This is not really extremely useful, but it is extremely fun. My son and I spend hours on this one playing.

This free online service allows you to take a photo you have and create all kinds of amazing effects. You don’t need to know a thing about image manipulation. You don’t need to be a computer genius. Just three mouse clicks is all it takes to instantly transform any photo.

For example, I took this photo:

And turned it into this…

The process to create this really fun image involved three mouse clicks and took less than 30 seconds.

You can put your face or your friends or clients face on a coin, dollar bill, a magazine cover (like Glamour or Esquire), on Mount Rushmore, on a coffee, mug, puzzle, TV screen, art gallery wall, etc. I’ve played with it on my own and with my family.

Here’s just a few of the effects they allow you to create. More inside with additional ones posted regularly.

Imagine sending your client a picture of themselves on a Times Square poster or on the cover of a magazine or even dressed up as superman.
You can use the create pictures of yourself to put up on your website instead of the forgettable ones you currently use, create an avatar for you discussion board posts or include them in client emails as a talking point.

Or you can just have fun.

First Page Listing with Google Local Business Center

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http://maps.google.com/localbusinesscenter

You’ll want to read about this tool for sure because I’m going to show you the easiest way to get found at the top of Google search results even if you don’t have a website… and it’s even free!

I’ve been preaching it for years, but the message becomes more important with each passing month.

The web is replacing traditional advertising media, in particular the Yellow Pages which so many massage practices have relied on in the past.

People are now turning to the Internet to find local products and services… including massage!

Google recognized this trend years ago and has invested hundreds of millions of dollars in local search technology. They want to make sure that they have all local businesses listed in their system so they can provide searchers with the best possible results.

And Google makes it incredibly easy for you to get found by people who are looking for massage in your neighborhood by offering you a free local business listing that gets displayed at the top of their search results.

You can list as much or little information as you want including: your address, hours of operation, payment methods, photos of your storefront or products and even videos. It’s easy and you don’t need a website of your own. (And did I mention that they do this for free?)

How do you get your listing?

It’s easy. Just go to:

http://maps.google.com/localbusinesscenter

If you don’t already have a Google account, you can set one up for free. Then you basically fill in the blanks.

You’ll need to be verified by Google to ensure that you really are the business owner. If you are sitting by your business phone, they can do this right away. Otherwise they’ll send a postcard to the address provided to make sure that you are legit.

I could give you all the details of setting up your listing, but Google has a great video that you can view here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lviDz8fUMTE

One feature that you should absolutely make use of is the coupon feature. Google allows you to create a coupon and will display it prominently near Google Maps. This feature is hardly ever used by businesses, so it’s your chance to be the first on the scene and make an impression. Like your listing, it only takes a couple of minutes to complete.

Please post comments below and share this page with others.

Easy and Free Website Creation

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Links:

Weebly website creator:
http://www.bodyworkbiz.com/freewebsite

Free video tutorials:
http://www.spiffydiywebsites.com

I’ve been preaching the importance of having a website for years. It is such an important part of owning a business that I just don’t understand why everyone doesn’t make this the first thing they do after opening their massage practice.

Even as I’m writing this I’m physically shaking my head in disbelief at all thel massage therapists don’t have a website of their own.

The most common objections I hear are that it costs too much money and that it’s too complicated.

Now, there are no more excuses.

Weebly is – hands down – the simplest way to build a website. I love it!!

It’s perfect for the cheap and technically inept.

Continue reading →

Free Resources for this Week

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Massage Marketing Tips Newsletter This Week:

Lots of Free Stuff for Your Massage Practice…
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I don’t know if you got my note last week, but I don’t want you to miss out on the Referral Masters presentations this week along with other free resources I’m offering…

First priority: Become a Referral Master Get over to the free Referral Masters Telesummit right now. Each day this week, there will be three leading authorities with information-packed online presentations on generating referrals to build your business.

You have the chance to listen to all 15 presentations at no cost. But if you don’t listen to them on the day they are scheduled, you’ll miss them. They are broadcasting today’s presentations right now and if you get in there before the end of the day, you can still catch the day’s speakers.

So get your complimentary admission right now, so you can check out the rooster and set aside time for the experts that you really want to hear. I don’t normally recommend other people, but I’m attending myself, I know David and I’m confident this will be a fantastic event.

I’m sure referrals make up 80% to 90% of all your new business, so why wouldn’t you want to find out how to really optimize that source of new clients?

Go to:

http://tinyurl.com/free-referral-telesummit

And if you know other small business owners, in particular service professionals, let them know too. They’ll find it invaluable. Forward this email or post the link to Facebook.

And there are even more free resources: After you register your spot for the Referral Masters Telesummit, here’s another link you need to check out…

Free Pregnancy Massage Book

You’ll find all finds of interesting and free resources in this blog over the coming months. In particular, I’ve just posted a link for a great pregnancy massage book. It’s well researched, is fully illustrated and is yours at no cost.

http://www.pregnancymassageguide.com

Whitney Lowe Presentation: The Value of Orthopedic Assessment to Enhance Your Practice

This free online pre-conference presentation comes from the World Massage Conference.

Whitney is a legend in the massage industry and he’s a fantastic presenter. You’ll be able to ask him any questions you have about assessment and you’ll be able to chat with him personally via the chat room immediately following the presentation.

After the presentation, they’ll also be broadcasting video form Whtitney’s latest DVD and you’ll be able to see all the tests he’s talking about clearly demonstrated for you.

Save yourself a spot for March 24th at 9pm EST:

http://www.worldmassageconference.com

You definitely don’t want to miss that one.

That’s not all! Other resources of interest…

Interview with Tony Robbins Sales Manager (Free transcript)

Also on my blog, I’ve released an interview I did with Tony Robbins’ Sales Manager Debra Russell. Tony Robbins is probably the most famous person in the Personal Development field.If you haven’t heard his name, you must come out from under your rock occasionally.

Debra Russell, who was a hairdresser at the time, become Tony’s Sales Manager of live events and broke all previous records for his company. And she did this even though she HATED selling.

I think her views on selling will have a huge impact on the way you interact with clients and give you a whole new mindset on growing your practice.

http://eric.bodyworkbiz.com/2010/03/interview-with-tony-robbins-sales-manager/

I’ve done lots of interviews over the years and this is still my favorite.

Really Cool (and Extremely) Useful Web Resources

Lastly, look out for this series that I’m publishing to the blog. It was originally going to be sold as a paid e-course, but I thought I give all my subscribers as a gift.

Having put together BodyworkBiz, Massage Therapy Radio, World Massage Conference and over 100 other massage websites…

…I have a resource for pretty much anything you could possibly want to do online.
And most of them are free or low cost. So I’m going to be featuring a new one each week.

Read about it here:

http://eric.bodyworkbiz.com/2010/03/really-cool-and-extremely-useful-web-resources-weekly/

A wee favor…

I have a small favor to ask you: If you appreciate these resources that I’m providing, please let others know. At the bottom of each page on my blog you’ll see a little “Share this Post” box.

Please bookmark the pages you like, post the links to your Facebook page, Tweet your followers or email the link to a friend. Just click that little “Share this Post” box and the process is super simple.

I’d like to have as many people as possible take advantage of these resources and I need your help to let other massage professionals know.

Thanks so much for being a subscriber and taking the time to read my notes.

Again, priority right now is to get registered for the free Referral Masters Telesummit.

If you don’t get there now, you’ll miss today’s experts…

http://tinyurl.com/free-referral-telesummit

All the best,

Eric Brown, Grand Massage Poobah
BodyworkBiz

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Really Cool (and Extremely) Useful Web Resources – Weekly

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I’ve been on the web for a long time. In the early 90’s I would dial into University library systems to research their collections. At that time Windows didn’t exist and you had to type weird bits of code to get your computer to do anything.

I remember looking in amazement through the glow of my orange monochrome monitor and thinking how awesome technology was that I no longer had to actually go to the University library and look through the little index cards.

The web has changed a lot… A LOT!!!

And I still sit in amazement at all the incredible things you can do.

I’ve been a pioneer in online resources for massage professionals around the world. I began BodyworkBiz in the late 90s. At that point in time browsers were still in their infancy, the web was the Wild West and it wasn’t possible to do the things we take for granted today.

I had to come up with ways to use technologies as they became available not only to promote my own massage clinics, but to produce online courses. What started as plain text lessons at BodyworkBiz evolved to audio broadcasting with Massage Therapy Radio and the incredible live telephone/audio/video simulcasts that make up the World Massage Conference.

Because I’ve been on the edge of technology for so many years, people often consider me “the source” when they need to get something done online. I usually know of just the resource they’re looking for to get the job done.

So I’ve decided to share some of my favorite online tools with you. This was going to be a paid e-course, but I’ve decided to make it available to everyone on this blog.

Most of these resources are either free or low-cost. They all are extremely valuable for one reason or another. And they are all kind of cool.

But I’m not all about fun and games.

When it comes down to it, technology is only as useful as the solutions it provides. So as cool as all these sites or services are, they are all extremely useful.

I want to point out that I’m not a “techie” and I hate it when people call me that because the nerds never get the girls. To give you a sense of what a technological Luddite (ninny/caveman/dolt) I really am, I’m going to let you in on a little secret.

To the jaw-dropping disbelief of pretty much everyone, I don’t even own a cell phone.

I don’t have a MP3 player. I don’t have a big screen TV and I don’t have TIVO. Heck I don’t even have cable TV or satellite service.

I bought my son a Wii, but it’s his job to set It up for me. My coffee maker cannot be programmed. It makes one cup at a time and has only one button: “ON”. There’s not even an off button. I don’t have one of those I-jack things or subscribe to a VOIP service.

I did buy a digital camera six years ago, but it doesn’t take still shots, only blurs. So I don’t use it much. My camcorder has two switches: on/off zoom in/zoom out.

What I do know however, is the web. Besides the development of pioneering projects like BodyworkBiz, Massage Therapy Radio and the World Massage Conference, I’ve developed over 100 websites for massage professionals including some of the leading educators in the field and other businesses ranging from software development to restaurants. I’ve also guided hundreds of others develop sites of their own through SpiffyOnline.com.

That’s made me the guy to talk to when you need anything on the web. So it’s with that expertise that I bring you these Really Cool (and Extremely) useful Web Resources. I’ll post a new one to this blog every Friday. Be sure to sign up for the Massage Marketing Tips newsletter and I’ll notify you when new resources are posted for your reference.

Look for the first one this coming Friday. And if you have resources that you love, feel free to post them here or to send me a note.