Strategic Marketing Solutions

When I told a few colleagues the title of this blog post, I got big grins and dramatic nods without even telling them what the post was about.  If you've been in business for any length of time, you've likely dealt with a hosting crisis that has fried your nerves and stressed you to the max. As a non-techie with over ten years' experience hosting websites for clients, have I ever learned a thing or two about avoiding the potholes (because, *ahem*, I think I've hit them ALL)!

This is a topic that people write books about (I've mentioned it in another post, too), so without getting too deep, I want to share with you a few "secrets" I've learned along the way to avoid 95% of the issues that typically come with having a site live on the internet.  Let's start with the most important considerations, in my experience, to ensure you've got a good setup.

A great server configuration for your website will include:

1. Reliable server with good uptime that allows your site to load quickly, with minimal downtime.  Not all services are created equal. You can test this by using Pingdom.com to evaluate the load speed of sites on different servers. (A great tool for analyzing the load speed of your website is Google Page Speed.)
2. Automated backup system that regularly backs up your site both on the server and on an alternate server ("backup" server) so that if your site crashes or is hacked, it can easily be reloaded and launched. (We have our sites backed up locally daily and offsite weekly).
3. If you use WordPress (and you should!) or any Content Management System (CMS), it should be updated regularly for security purposes (monthly seems to suffice).  There are some ways you can have this automated, or you should have a qualified programmer that does this manually for you (it doesn't take long, and you need someone with more expertise than a typical VA).
4. If you are doing a lot of media or special launches or campaigns that could drive a lot of traffic to your site, you'll want to make sure your hosting setup will accommodate the traffic.  I once had a client who was booked as a guest on a huge talk radio show, and the traffic he received during and after the interview crashed his site.  Reeeeeally bad time for the site to crash.  *Gulp*
5. Do not host your email on the same server. I repeat:  Do not host your email on the same server as your website.  I highly recommend using a dedicated email service to handle all your email.  First of all, if you're hosting on the cheap, you are most likely using a shared server that is also hosting hundreds, thousands, or tens-of-thousands of other sites ... if any of these sites are engaged in shoddy spamming practices (and they are), the entire server will be blacklisted, affecting your email's deliverability.  Secondly, if anything at all happens to your site, your email will go down with it.  A crash, hack, explosion, server outage, or any number of scenarios could bring down your site.  It's in your best interest to have your email hosted elsewhere so you still get your email while they're figuring out what's up with your site.  (If you need a third reason, most local email hosting sucks ... they have poor spam filters in addition to their poor deliverability.) My favorite solution for email is Google Apps, for about a dozen reasons I might go over in another post. :)

Common Misconceptions about the Cost of Hosting a Website

There are lots of misconceptions about hosting out there ... the biggest one being that hosting is cheap.  Renting square footage on the server is cheap, just like buying land is cheap compared to the cost of laying cable and plumbing and building the house (metaphors aplenty on this one).  Here's what is not cheap about hosting a website:

• Moving your site to a new server,
• Backing up your site regularly,
• Testing to ensure it's working properly,
• Keeping the server up-to-date with the latest patches and software updates,
• Keeping your site software updated (different from server software),
• Making sure all the software and plugins on the server plays nice with your site and your CMS (like Wordpress or Drupal),
• Troubleshooting server-related glitches, and more

All of these things cost money.  Choosing a service provider based on price alone is like picking up a puppy from the pound: you don't know what you're getting.  What kind of diet has it been fed (translation: vet bills)? What kind of bad habits has it picked up (translation: chewed Manolo Blahniks, a bitten milk man, gnawed table leg, "spots" on the carpet)? What's its temperament like? Has it been properly socialized?  How much is it going to eat every day (translation: $$$)?  How much exercise will it need?  Puppies become dogs, and they're the furthest thing from cheap.

When finding good hosting for your site, there is a LOT to consider, and most people are clueless until something goes wrong and they're looking at hundreds or thousands of dollars in emergency programming expenses to fix things (not to mention the time and energy--unplanned--that you expend resolving your issue[s]).  And sometimes, God forbid, things can't be fixed.

Learn about SMS' web hosting support for WordPress sites.

Question:  What are your server nightmares, and what have you learned? Let's talk about it in the comments.

Today, I’m going to be a guest on Paul Lawrence Vann's Wealthy Speaker Show.

I'll be sharing my thoughts on how independent professionals can create marketing plans that encourage business growth.

You can check out Paul's show and tune in for our interview here. If you want to call in, the number is: (646) 595-4797.

If you are tuning in now — or after the show, I’m so excited you’re here! If this is you first time to my site, you might want to check out my welcome page to help show you around, let you know how you can leverage all the content I’ve been developing to support your business. If you’ve got questions that we weren’t able to get to on the show, please leave a comment. I will personally respond to any comments from listeners so everyone can benefit as we continue the conversation.

To download today's resources for the call, click below:

Manipulation Free Marketing Report - What you need to know to book new business *almost* effortlessly!

How Should I Market Myself - Lesson 1

Today, I’m going to be talking with January Jones on Successimo.com.

Listen to my interview here:

If you are tuning in now — or after the show, I’m so excited you’re here! If this is you first time to my site, you might want to check out my welcome page to help show you around, let you know how you can leverage all the content I’ve been developing to support your business.

If you’ve got questions that we weren’t able to get to on the show, please leave a comment. I will personally respond to any comments from listeners so everyone can benefit as we continue the conversation.

Today, I'm guesting on BizologyBuzz with Donna Price.  You can check out her website and tune in for our call here.

If you are tuning in now -- or after the show, I'm so excited you're here!  If this is you first time to my site, you might want to check out my welcome page to help show you around, let you know how you can leverage all the content I've been developing to support your business.

If you've got questions that we weren't able to get to on the show, please leave a comment. I will personally respond to any comments from listeners so everyone can benefit as we continue the conversation.

Helpful (Free!) Resources

If you’d like me to come speak to your group, conduct a webinar or teleseminar, or facilitate a workshop or breakout session about marketing, check out my Meeting Planners page or contact Diana: Diana@MyStrategicMarketer.com for more information.  I love, love, LOVE sharing with groups and would be honored to receive your invitation. 

Contemplatively, I just watched the commencement speech Steve Jobs gave at Stanford in 2005.  It's very moving and profound, to say the least.  In it, he talks about his brush with death, how he hopes to live another 20 or 30 years, and shares some of the most profound lessons of his life.

Like many, I'm struck by the tragedy we all feel at losing someone so innovative, so extraordinary ... so young.  In spite of all his amazing contributions to modern culture, I'm wondering, Did we receive all of his gifts? A heavy thought to ponder, no doubt.  But one thing is certain: he lived to give them.  An intense, driven creator, there's no question that he lived his life as one committed to giving us all that he had--and he took a lot of heat for it.

My colleague, Lori Collins, pointed out what is sure to be remembered as the most profound part of his speech:

"Remembering that I'll be dead soon is the most important tool I've ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life.  Because almost everything--all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure--these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is important.  Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose.  You are already naked.  There is no reason not to follow your heart."

The chills are relentless as I contemplate the gravity of his observation, the unchanging reality that he is gone forever. I'm thinking of the times I wallow in my own selfish self-pity when contemplating a next move, or weighing the risk-reward of showing up authentically, of risking rejection, of (god-forbid) being a total failure at something I care about succeeding at deeply.

When reflecting on his life, he profoundly reveals:

"You can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backward. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future.  You have to trust in something: your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever... because believing that the dots will connect down the road will give you the confidence to follow your heart, even when it leads you off the well-worn path, and that will make all the difference."

Every week, I talk to amazing professionals who are struggling to figure out their next move, trying to make sense of their path, digging deep in hopes of hitting inspiration or courage to fuel the next leg of their journey.  These people are incredibly creative, loving, giving souls who have been given really special gifts which often are considered "unconventional." They don't quite fit into the current molds and models of society, so giving these gifts requires courage and heart, passion and conviction, and FAITH that this journey is the right one, that everything will pay off in the end.

Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the ttrap of thinking you ahve somethign to lose. You are already naked.  There is no reason not to follow your heart.

Rest in peace, Steve Jobs.  And thank you.