Hello beautiful people,

Are you wearing red, white, and blue for the 4th of July holiday for those in the U.S.? 

I guess I can let you in on a little secret and share that I don’t mind wearing a glittery star-studded outfit myself for this fun summer day. 

And I definitely don’t mind a day off from my day job, either! Ha

And speaking of fireworks, does it shock you to know (if you do) I started this wonderful, crazy, digital journey with blogging way way back in 2009? And boy, I can tell you, things have changed!

But lucky me, I’ve had a front-row seat, and I love sharing the scoops, news, and pieces of digital know-how I’m constantly soaking in each week with you. 

Sharing and caring, along with good people like you, is what makes it so worth it. 

Tools of the Trade

So, for today’s delicious digital dish, let’s peep our digital toolbox and figure out what’s hot and sizzlin’, just like the weekend bbq. 

Maybe you’re like me and discovered things about doing online business via companies where you work, through others, or individually. 

Still, however you landed on the web, you probably know collaborations and the right digital tools are everything. For example, helping with my daughter Nicole’s real estate-related business, Better Than Success, expand her online membership model has taught me quite a bit. 

You can check out the Twitter Spaces discussion here and hear what tools I call must-haves, along with my co-host, Rae-Rae— connect with her on Twitter— and other guests. 

What’s Best to Connect?

The first important thing for doing business online is a reliable connection for your digital work. Remember, not everyone has access to great high-speed internet connections or wifi, so ensuring you have a strong point of origin from where you connect is imperative. 

Both Verizon and AT&T are strong mobile service and wifi providers in the U.S. However, compare your choices considering reliability, price, and whatever other options make the most sense for your unique business needs. Even if you work strictly from a mobile device, this connectivity (and having the power to connect via the web) is essential for success in digital business.  

My Spaces Talk guests and I all agree that email marketing, using an Email Service Provider, or ESP, is also one of the first things to look into 

so you can begin to build your community and gain digital sales. You all know I love AWeber for chatting with you each week about digital trends and much more with this Newsletter. 

But there’s a lot more you can do with email marketing, including setting up an email series to educate on a topic as a FREE E-course to use as a lead magnet (a gift to entice email subscribers). 

You can create a welcome series to greet people and introduce them to your community, explain expectations, and provide a get-acquainted progression to allow subscribers a chance to get to know more about your business, brand, and services. 

AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, introduce how you can help through your hot and superb products and services.

Besides AWeber, there are many others like, ActiveCampaign, MailChimp, SendinBlue, Constant Contact, and more popular choices, but all help you with developing a CMS, or Customer Management System, to organize and track customer interactions. 

Determine Your Tech Tool Stack

Determining your tech tool stack for your digital business is more important than ever if you want to create sparkle and flair for your business. 

But if you start with a solid foundation and build from the basics, you can simplify things yet still spark the fireworks for mega-customer happiness! 

Now get back to your burgers or celebrations because there’s a lot more on this tools topic to come, as you can tell if you’re listening to Part 1 of my recent Twitter Spaces discussion. 

Stay beautiful, and don’t be afraid to put a little sparkle on once in a while!

~ Ms. Ileane

P.S.: My latest YouTube short made it to #1 of the latest 10 on my channel without me ever saying a word! You can watch it now

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