Blog - Premier Executive Media

Jun 08 2015

Create a Hidden Pinterest Image

If you are an online business owner utilizing Pinterest it is absolutely essential that you know the ins and outs of this platform and how to effectively use it to market your business. Whether you are selling physical goods, online services such as ecourses, or driving traffic to your blog, knowing how to gain the most marketing power from Pinterest is critical.

Pinterest is visual, nothing more nothing less. The key to getting your image noticed in the enormous sea with all of the other visual input is to take up as much screen real estate as possible. In other words, vertical images are key. Noticed I said they are key, not optional or recommended, vertical images are essential if you want any chance of getting repins or website traffic.

All too often, when I am managing Pinterest accounts for my clients, I see bloggers and well known brands pinning horizontal images. These images get passed over resulting in low repin numbers and missed marketing opportunities.

Infographics are also popular on Pinterest but long info graphics take up a lot of real estate on your blog post or website. Infographics are effective marketing tools for brands, professional bloggers and speakers, as well as everyone else that has statistical information about their product or niche that they need to market.

The question was recently raised by one of my Pinterest clients about how to make a vertical image available for pinning from her website when her website style lends itself to horizontal images.

Thankfully, for both her and you there is an easy solution. With a little CSS code you can quickly and easily hide an image on your blog post that is only visible when your readers pin from the blog post.

If you have a WordPress website here is how you can hide an image on your next blog post:

Step 1 – Add the code to your theme’s CSS

CSS is the cascading style sheet and hidden pin images work by changing the way your image is displayed on your blog post. In essence, using this CSS code you are going to add a new style to your theme and then apply the name of your new CSS style to any image you want to hide.

Sounds easy right? Don’t worry, it really is.

First, find your theme’s CSS. For most themes, this is under appearance —> editor. Copy and add the following code to the very bottom of your style sheet. I recommend adding this code to the very bottom of your editor so as to not disturb any other code on your blog. You may also need to add a } to the line before this code so as to not break your site.

/* hide the pinterest image */
.hiddenpinimage {
opacity: 0;
position: absolute;
top: 0;
left: 0;
height: 0px;
width: 0px;
}

Don’t forget to save your CSS update!

Step 2 – Add the long image to your blog post

Now it’s time to add the vertical pin-friendly image to your blog post. Because this image will be hidden, you can add it anywhere on your post. I recommend adding it to the very bottom.

Pinterest pulls images based on date and time ranking from newest to oldest. So naturally the image at the bottom of your post will show up in the pinnable image list first and the first image in your blog post will be shown last.

Step 3 – Apply the CSS code to your hidden image

Once you have added the hidden image to your post it is time to add the hidden image tag to the image.

Click on the image in your visual post editor. This will bring up a menu which includes a variety of options including the option to edit. Click on the pencil, otherwise known as the image editor.

The next popup window will bring up the image details including URL, position, size and a variety of other specifics. In order to apply the name of your hidden image CSS to your image click on advanced options in the lower left corner.

In the advanced image option window locate image CSS style. In this field add hiddenpinimage. Adding this title in the image CSS style field will tie your image to your new CSS code.

Choose update on the image editor then update your blog post.

That is it! You are done!

You have now successfully added a hidden image to your blog post and have an easy work around for creating pintastic vertical images that you do not want shown on your post.

For all subsequent blog posts, simply repeat steps 2 and 3 for any image you want to hide. There is no limit for the number of images you hide on a blog post.

Truly, it is that easy!

If you need a helping creating images, managing your Pinterest account, or even editing the backend of your wordpress blog including add this code to your CSS please contact us.

Don’t forget about our June Pinterest account review and management special! For only $25 you can receive a complete review of your Pinterest blog and learn how to get the most marketing potential out of your Pinterest account. Or save $75 when you purchase 3 months of our pin-friendly Pinterest account management. Learn more!

Jun 05 2015

HMM June Pinterest Sale Special

To celebrate the one year anniversary of managing Pinterest accounts and providing Pinterest account reviews, Health Matters Media will be offering a special sale for all new Pinterest clients.

Is your Pinterest account in dire need of organization or purpose? Perhaps you’ve been wishing you had more activity on your account or page views on your blog as a result of your Pinterest account. Looking to increase your Pinterest account SEO? Or do you simply not have the time to put into your account to make it highly effective in attracting new business?

During the month of June, you can choose from the one or both of the following sale specials to improve and overhaul your Pinterest account.

Special #1 The Pintastic Account Review

You will receive all the following when you purchase a Pintastic Account Review

A thorough review and analysis of all of your current boards. Including recommendations for reorganizing, changes in your board descriptions, board cover images, and recommendations for additional board content.
Optimization analysis on your current Pinterest boards including pin content, pin quality, and pin volume.
Analysis of your account description and keyword suggestions for optimized SEO.
Complete PDF report off all recommendations and analysis.
Video analysis including explanations, first impressions, and recommendations.

Regular Price $40. On Sale this month ONLY for $25

Special #2 3 Months of Pin-Friendly Account Management

You will receive all the following when you purchase the Pin-Friendly Account Management

Complete overhaul of your board SEO including board titles and descriptions.
Thorough reorganization of current boards to optimize placement and content exposure.
Purge of inactive and underperforming pins.
Creation of new boards directly related to your brand and high quality pins to fill each of these new boards.
Monthly personalized management of your Pinterest account.
Scheduled pinning of your blog content to all relevant personal and group boards.
HMM will actively search out highly active group boards related to your brand and work to have your account added to these boards.

Regular Price $100/month. On Sale this month ONLY Save $75 off a 3 month package. You will receive 3 months of Pinterest account management for only $225.

BUT WAIT! The first 3 who purchase a new Pin-Friendly Account Management package will also receive a complete Pintastic Account Review for FREE. That is a $115 savings!

This sale will end June 30th at midnight PST. Don’t delay! When this sale is gone it is gone for good! After all, you only have a one year anniversary once!

Take your Pinterest account to the next level and capitalize on the huge marketing potential of Pinterest!

Alexis, has been instrumental in doing for me what I could not do for myself. I had a beautiful blog site and the social media sites to support it for more than a year, but it was all so over whelming. It was like learning a foreign language and it seemed to be more of a defeat than a delight. That is until, I met Alexis. Alexis came along side of me and encouraged me to do what I do best and to leave the rest up to her. I cannot tell you what a weight was lifted from my shoulders and how it has freed me up to do what I do best and that is to write. Not only is Alexis an expert in this area, she is always there to support or encourage. She sees the bigger vision and know s how to help you get there. Working with Alexis is not only a privilege but a delight! Due to her diligence my blog and social media sites have increased in so many ways. She truly did for me what I could not do for myself and I am forever grateful.

Terri Hamman

When I first met Alexis, she was the only person who really took the time to sit down with me, one on one, and answer questions I had about becoming a virtual assistant. I was brand new in starting my business and growing frustrated with being unable to find answers to some of my questions and concerns. Alexis went above and beyond, not only answering my questions but reinstating my confidence in myself. She reminded me that yes – I could become a successful virtual assistant.

Almost a year after our first conversation, I was given the opportunity to meet Alexis in person at a blogging conference. The sincerity of her personality along with her willingness to help others was just as great in person as it was through our online conversations.

Not long after the conference, I jumped at the chance to learn more about Pinterest management from Alexis. I walked away from that course finally feeling like Pinterest was no longer a mystery. I felt confident in my ability to offer Pinterest as a service to my customers, and I have used the information I gained from her lessons towards my own blog’s account as well.

I can easily say that I would not be successful as a virtual assistant today without the help and encouragement from Alexis. I will forever be grateful for her guidance and friendship. I highly recommend any aspiring virtual assistant to take every possible opportunity to learn from her as well.

Jeanetta Roberts

Alexis is a professional in everything she does. She works diligently to understand the needs of her client and quickly develops a strategy that produces results. Alexis is approachable and easy to work with. She keeps her client informed on what is working and provides critical insights as to adjustments that need to be made. Saving the client both time and money. I was so impressed by her knowledge of social media I brought her on to help with other projects. I highly recommend hiring Alexis if you want to grow your social media presence or build you online business.

Connie AlbersConnieAlbers.com

Pintastic Pinterest Account Review

A thorough review and analysis of all of your current boards including recommendations for reorganizing, changes in your board descriptions, board cover images, and recommendations for additional board content. Optimization analysis on your current Pinterest boards including pin content, pin quality, and pin volume. Analysis of your account description and keyword suggestions for optimized SEO. A complete PDF report off all recommendations and analysis. Video analysis including explanations, first impressions, and recommendations.

3 Months of Pin-Friendly Account Management

Complete overhaul of your board SEO including board titles and descriptions. A thorough reorganization of current boards to optimize placement and content exposure including purging inactive and underperforming pins. Creation of new boards directly related to your brand and high quality pins to fill each of these new boards. 3 months of personalized management of your Pinterest account. Scheduled pinning of your blog content to all relevant personal and group boards. HMM will actively search out highly active group boards related to your brand and work to have your account added to these boards.

May 31 2015

Health Matters Media Broadcasting Live on Periscope

Launched in March 2015, the Periscope app is quickly gaining ground as a highly effective video broadcasting social media platform.

Health Matters Media is on Periscope!

According to the March 2015 edition of iBlog Magazine, Facebook recently announced that there are 3 billion videos viewed on its site each day and 50% of people in the U.S. who come to Facebook each day watch at least one video per day and 65% of Facebook video views occur on mobile devices.

As a blogger, online business owner, or virtual assistant that means you need to get your brand on video yesterday. Bloggers and business owners can easily record 30-90 second videos discussing a topic related to their brand or answer a question from a reader or customer. These short video clips allow enough time to communicate your message in clear and concise points.

As a virtual assistant, you can not only get your personal brand out on video but you can also help your business and blogging clients do the same.

Periscope, which was recently purchased by Twitter is growing in popularity everyday. Brands and businesses are realizing the marketing potential of live broadcast videos.

The beauty of Periscope is that the video you live broadcast is not only seen on Periscope but you have the option of saving the video to your phone so that you can use it later on Facebook, in a blog post. or even upload it to YouTube. This one little tool possesses a wide range of marketing potential. The ability to use one video for multiple purposes saves you as a busy business owner time and ultimately money.

Likewise, you can hire a virtual assistant to transcribe the quick video and turn it into a blog post thereby increasing the effectiveness of this one little video.

Health Matters Media is on Periscope and we would love to have you join us! @HlthMattersMeda

May 30 2015

Essentials of Creating a Small Family Business

Essentials of Creating a Small Family Business. Business building help from premierexecutivemedia.com

A Family Affair – How to Save by Hiring Your Kids

For small business owners with kids, the most often forgotten deduction is sleeping in the next room: your children. Sure, you deduct them as a dependent, but if that’s the only tax savings you’re getting, you’re missing out.

Here’s the thing. As a business owner, you can legally hire your children and avoid paying many of the taxes that go along with having an employee. Things like income tax withholding are not required for the underage children of the business owner unless you are a corporation. Sole proprietors and LLCs do not have to deal with payroll, even though technically your child is an employee. You also don’t have to cover them on your worker’s compensation insurance.

Even better, your kids don’t have to pay income tax on the money they earn. To a point, anyway.

Most forgotten #taxdeduction is your children. Grow your small family #business. #healthmattersmedia

Click To Tweet

All that said, though, there are a few rules you have to follow.

Work, not Just Chores

You have to be careful that your kids are actually working in the business. Things like raking leaves and doing dishes won’t qualify – unless your business is a lawn service or a restaurant, that is. Instead, have them do tasks you would normally either do yourself or hire outside help to handle.

Depending on the ages of your kids, such tasks might include:
• Internet research
• Video editing
• Site updates
• Basic graphic design
• Addressing envelopes
• Simple bookkeeping

You will also need to be able to show proof of hours worked, and that the pay was reasonable. In other words, you can’t pay your child $50 an hour for a job that – if anyone else were to do it – would normally pay $10 an hour. Set up a timesheet, and make sure he or she fills it out and turns it in every pay period, so you can have it on file.

Paying Your Kids

Each pay period, you’ll pay your children just as you would any other employee or contractor. As we already said, there’s no payroll tax or other deductions to worry about, so they get paid everything they earned. Even better, your business can claim the expense.

What about income tax? Your kids (and everyone else, for that matter) can earn up to $5,950 tax free. That’s the standard deduction, and it applies whether you pay your child or a total stranger, so it just makes sense to keep that money in the family if you can.

Not only that, but since you’re the parent, you still get to claim your kids as dependents. So your kids earn money tax free (which is a great way to start teaching them about budgeting, etc.), your business claims the expense without worrying about payroll taxes, and you claim the deduction. It’s a perfect system for getting work done while at the same time saving a substantial amount of money on taxes every year.

May 13 2015

Small Business Home Office Essentials

Essentials for your small business home office. Business, professional blogging, and virtual assistant help from Health Matters. Media.

Working from home after years in an office environment is a drastic change of not only work environment but also tax implications. Knowing what you can and can not deduct from the beginning will make your life during tax season much easier.

When you run a small business from your home, you might find very little in the way of deductions to help save on your taxes. This is especially true if you work online, where it’s unlikely you’ll have the cost of physical goods, shipping costs, or employee wages to help offset your income.

There are a few things you can claim, though, to help minimize the money you pay to the IRS. One of the biggest is your home office.

What is a Home Office?

As far as the IRS is concerned, a home office is a portion of your home set aside exclusively for business use. You must be able to show that your home office does not serve any other purpose, so you can’t claim the area around your kitchen table as a home office, even if that’s where you do the majority of your work.

You must also be able to show that your home office is the principle place of business. If you rent an office outside the home, and only use your home office occasionally, you may not qualify for a home office deduction.

How a Home Office Deduction Works

Generally speaking, your home office deduction will be calculated as a percentage of all the expenses you incur in your home. For example, if you’re using a spare bedroom as your home office, you would measure the square footage of the bedroom and divide that by the square footage of the entire home to determine what percentage of space you are using for business.

Using that figure, you calculate how much to deduct from your taxes for such things as:
• Mortgage interest
• Home repairs
• Utilities
• Depreciation

In addition, if you conduct business online, you may be able to deduct the entire cost of your Internet service.

More Deductions to Consider

In addition to your home office deduction and all it includes, don’t forget the things that actually make that room an office. Your desk and chair, filing cabinets, printer, computer, and everything else you need to operate your business are all deductible. Your accountant will be able to advise you about whether it makes sense to count these items as an expense or to depreciate them over a period of years, but do keep track of all money you spend on office equipment, as he or she will need to know. Mileage that you drive for work related purposes may also be deductible so be sure to track this total over the course of the year.

When you’re self-employed, it can seem like you’re paying huge amounts of taxes. That’s because some of the tax burden used to fall to your employer, and now you’re responsible for all of it. Taking advantage of the home office deduction is one way to help offset those higher taxes, so be sure you’re claiming every square foot you’re entitled to.

While you work at home use your time wisely! If you have ever considered hiring a virtual assistant be sure and grab Virtual Assignments: Outsourcing Key Tasks for Maximum Business Growth.

Please consult your professional tax adviser before making any decisions based on suggestions in this article.