Web Sites, Hosting and Domain Names
Rainmaker Platform – This is what we use and you’re looking at it right now. If you want every fabulous feature of WordPress with the fastest hosting and everything we recommend for success, but don’t want to find all the parts and stitch it together, this is for you. Did we say that we use it?
Genesis Themes from Studiopress – if you’d prefer to do it all when using WordPress, you need a quality theme that’s optimized for results. There’s one for everyone and the support is fabulous. If you want it set up or tweaked to your design, see the outsourcing links listed below.
Hostgator – (Use our unique coupon code “ownersclub” to get at least 25% discount) All our online demos use Hostgator so it’s a no-brainer if you want to follow out step by step instructions. It’s one of the most popular hosting providers for small and medium sites. Cpanel comes as standard, is very user-friendly and provides easy WordPress install with no technical skills required. Prices are extremely low and, for anywhere in the world, this is a great option.
GoDaddy – we always recommend getting your domain at a Domain Registrar (instead of via a ‘middleman’). GoDaddy is one of the most popular Domain Registrars in the world. They’re reliable and offer low prices too.
123-reg – if you are a UK business you will get better rankings in Google UK with a domain name ending with ‘.co.uk’. There are other ‘.uk’ options but that is the one you want. 123-Reg are a UK-based Domain Registrar that we use for all our ‘co.uk’ domains.
Outsourcing
Freelancer – by far the largest freelance and outsourcing site with over 13 million users that we use for programming, design, apps and fixes. Like the others, your money is held in escrow until you decide when it’s released. You’ll be amazed how easy and low priced this is to use.
Fiverr – if you’ve never used outsourcing, with Fiverr’s projects mostly costing just $5, you can’t go wrong. We love Fiverr for banners, graphics, WordPress fixes, research, image touch-ups and video edits. But go and see what they have available and try it.
Upwork – we use two main outsourcing sites for our projects and, when it comes to writing, Upwork (formerly Elance) is our preferred source. There is a ton of information on each bidder’s history and quality and, should something go wrong, you and your money is fully protected.
Email Marketing and List Building
Aweber – email marketing is probably the most effective way for businesses to create and keep customers. Aweber was the first service that I ever used for this and we still use it today as it does everything you could possibly need. Most of our friends use this one, too.
Mailchimp – we also use Mailchimp for the same purpose at some of our other businesses. This has the advantage of being able to add email addresses (that you sign to confirm you have permission to send to) at the start and, for small startups, they allow basic functions for up to 2000 addresses at zero cost.
LeadPages – our secret weapon for generating our leads and building our email marketing lists. Leadpages integrates with more email providers than any other, their tutorials are second to none, and, as most of the top online marketers use it, there are case studies galore. This is a game changer.
Social Media Training
Facebook Marketing Profit Lab – Amy has been the master of using Facebook to power business with her 7-step process. She uses this system herself and we’ve used it because it works. The course is so popular that she only opens it up twice per year for new students so get on her waiting list today.
Power Of Pinning – Melanie perfected Pinterest for her own garment-selling business and this course teaches everything she knows. It’s the best one we’ve seen and used and it’s constantly kept up to date. Pinterest can be the top referrer for many businesses so this should be tried.
Efficiency
Roboform – my favourite tool on the page. Working online, I have lots of passwords to remember (around 800 at the last count – true!) and Roboform saves them securely and loads them into forms with a single click. It even remembers the login pages. The basic version is free and all my staff use it. I have the app on my iPhone and it syncs seamlessly between my Mac, iPad, iPhone and PC. You have to try it.
Evernote – write notes, collect notes, photos, videos, links, business cards, screenshots – anything. Evernote syncs seamlessly between your PC, Mac, smartphone. It even reads text in PDFs and images making the search unbeatable. Please try it.
Dropbox – Dropbox is a storage system. You can store, you can back up and, if you’re clever and use it with Zapier or IFTTT, then you can automate things. This is one of the best pieces of software ever and, good news, it’s free!
Video
Reel Marketing Insider – James has taught us everything we could possibly need to know to create our videos. He’s good fun and covers the entire subject in an easy-to-follow style. Best of all, he is expert at using YouTube to further your business; it’s how he built his. Go see what he does as there’s usually a $1 trial offer worth using.
iPhone Video Hero – Jules is a true TV expert who’s made programs for the BBC among others. His simple course if fantastic for showing how to use your iPhone to create high quality videos to promote you and your products. I’ve had iPhones forever but still learned new tricks.
Hub Pages at Marketing for Owners
Our Most Popular Customer Persona Tips: If you want to know how to create the perfect customer profile so that your sales will sky rocket to the right person, then everything you need you can find on this page.
Our Most Popular Customer Service Tips: Customer Service is the one thing that will keep your customer coming back day after day.
Our Most Popular Email Marketing Tips: If you are behind in your email marketing, then the tips and resources listed here will help you get started on the right track.
Our Most Popular Website Building Tips: Building a website can be easy if you have the right tools to get started. Be sure to do the Weekend Challenges. They really help
Our Most Popular Website Image Tips: What do the images on your website look like? If they could use some sprucing up, these tips might be just what you are looking for.
We have linked all of our best articles, podcasts, and more all in one place on each hub page listed above, making it easy for you to find.
Please note – some of the links on this page are “affiliate links” and may provide a commission in exchange for the introduction. There is no extra cost to you and these commissions help us provide our help and information at no cost. We only recommend products and services that we own and use ourselves.
Please see the FTC guidelines for more information.
