How Do I…?
Welcome to our resource page where I will be sharing some of the things that work for me. If anyone has their own way of doing things and would be willing to share it, let me know and I’ll add your information to the mix. Technology changes so quickly! So let’s pool our resources. This page can continue to grow.
PS – If any of this makes your eyes glaze over, I know the feeling! Do not worry. I will be glad to walk you through anything that seems too confusing. These are only suggestions. But I think the problem today is too many options. You can spend forever researching and comparing. I set up some of my systems years ago based on what several people told me was working for them 😉 So let’s all share what works for us – I welcome contributions and more suggestions for this page.
How Do I…?
1. Set up conference calling? Record the call? Also, how to best do distance sessions with clients?
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2. Record sessions? Send the recordings to clients?
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3. Take payments by credit card? Take payments on-line?
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4. Make audios and videos for my website?
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5. Decide how to get a website up and running?
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6. Build a list with sign-up forms and group mailings?
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7. Set up a Facebook page for my EFT business?
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8. Connect with the larger EFT community?
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1. About Conference Calls & Distance Sessions
Zoom Videoconferencing
This is the best service I know and it’s the one we use for our calls, as well as being my first choice for distance sessions 1-on-1. The free account is all you need for 1-on-1 sessions. For groups, a paid account gives you unlimited time (free account limits groups to 45 min.). My account is only $14.95 per month and well worth it. The quality and dependability are better than Skype. And the calls can be recorded with ease. A great service
A free conference call service:
For phone conference calls, audio only, I have always had good results with www.freeconferencecalling.com. You can set up a free account in seconds and get your dial-in number, unique conference code, and host code. The service also allows you to record your calls and you can download your recording. It also works for 1-on-1, which is just a conference call with only 2 participants!
Other possibilities: Apple FaceTime, Google Hangouts, Skype (very accessible worldwide but the quality varies)
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2. Recording Sessions – Sending Recordings to Clients (and more)
For in-person sessions or sessions on Skype:
It’s easy to record sessions on an iPhone or smartphone. The iPhone has a Voice Memo feature built in (see the Utilities icon). If your smartphone or tablet does not have this, you can easily download an app. Search apps for Voice Memo or Voice Recorder. One tip: make sure to put the phone on airplane mode so you will not be interrupted by an incoming call or message.
An important question is: how to get the recording off your phone and sent to a client? These recordings are large files and usually cannot be sent via Message or Email.
Here are solutions I have used:
The Voice Memo (and most similar recording apps) will have a ‘send to’ feature. Mine allows me to ‘send to’ Google Drive. If you have a gmail account, you have access to your own Google Drive. If you’re new to Google Drive, here’s a nice little tutorial that makes it all very clear: Getting Started with Google Drive
To upload an audio from a phone, here are the three steps as they look on an iPhone:
After the file is uploaded, you can go to your Google Drive and “share” it by sending a link. After you click to open the recording,”share” is in the pull-down under the three dots, upper right. If you send someone a link, tell them they may have to click “download” to listen (for audios, I get the message that it can’t play on the Google Drive but can be downloaded — then the ‘download’ works to play it!)
I can also connect my iPhone to my computer and upload the Voice Memos by syncing them to the computer. Each recording goes into iTunes as an mp4. My method for sending the file to a client is to upload it to Audio Acrobat (see below) and send the download link. Another method is to use Dropbox. Some Voice Memo apps let you “send to” Dropbox directly. The client can access your Dropbox from a link you send to them and receive the file. Dropbox, like Google Drive, is a popular cloud-based file sharing system and is free unless you need a large amount of space – not needed to share an audio file. Find out more: About Dropbox.
For Zoom sessions:
You simply choose record on the menu below the video. You record to your own computer or to the cloud. Read the tutorials to understand more about the recording feature and how to access your recordings. (I keep them on my computer and use the Audio Acrobat or Google Drive to share them.)
For phone sessions
I use Audio Acrobat. I’ve had an account with Audio Acrobat for at least ten years and I often say that it is the best $19.95 I spend each month. Here’s what I like about Audio Acrobat:
- Unlimited storage of audio files and easy sharing. Audio Acrobat keeps the audios securely for me in my account. When I want to share a file, such as send a client their session recording, I just send the client the download link.
- Easy recording of sessions done by phone. On a regular phone, you use the Flash button (which is used to answer call waiting) to ‘go on the other line’ and dial in to Audio Acrobat. When prompted, you choose the conference call option and then use the flash button again to merge the calls. You are now recording and the recording of the session will show up in your Audio Acrobat account. This is also easy to do with the Add Call feature on an iPhone – whatever your smartphone, if it has conference calling, it can work for this.
- Easy uploading of any audio from my computer, then sharing the file via the download link. So this is how I share what I recorded on my iPhone in person or via Skype. I also use Audio Acrobat for posting the audios in all our EFM modules as little players on my website – more on that below.
- Great customer service. I’ve quickly gotten a real person by phone to help me with any problems. A few times, a session I had recorded wasn’t showing up. They were able to find it and restore it for me. They even checked in with me later to make sure all was well. Good customer service goes a long way with me.
- On-line tutorials. The website has a whole list of “how-to” tutorials so you can learn to do whatever you need. And as I say, they are very responsive by phone if I’m confused or have a problems doing something.
If you would like to take a look at Audio Acrobat and perhaps sign up for a free trial, here is my link: Audio Acrobat.
Disclosure: This is an affiliate link, which means that if someone purchases the service, I receive a small compensation for recommending them. You are welcome to google Audio Acrobat and access the site independently if you prefer.
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3. Taking Payments – By Credit Card or Paypal – In Person or On-Line
The options have multiplied greatly since I got set up years ago. The biggest recent innovation is the option to swipe a credit card on your iPhone or smartphone, your iPad or tablet. Your processing service will give you a little mobile card reader to plug in to your device and – voilà. So much easier than it used to be!
Paypal has been around a long time, but it is still a good solid solution for taking payments. With a free Paypal Business Account, you can swipe cards (with the Paypal Here reader – mine was free but if you have to buy one, it’s only about $15), put payment buttons on a website, and take credit card payments whether or not the client has a paypal account. With the on-line payment button, they can choose whether to pay via Paypal or with a credit card. Another thing I like about Paypal is that all my transaction records are easily available in my account on-line. I can print out each month for my business records. Breaking news: Paypal also offers a reader for EMV chip credit cards, but it is more expensive. For now, most cards still have a magnetic strip and swiping is still working fine for me…)
You can check out other popular payment services such as Square or Stripe. Just google them and compare offerings.
4. Making Audios and Videos for your Website
As you know, I’ve used a lot of audios in this EFM program and a few videos. It is incredibly easy to add an audio or video to a website.
Audios: With the Voice Memo feature mentioned above, any smartphone becomes a recorder. However, I prefer having editing capacity, so I record our audios using Garageband (comes with a Mac computer). For PCs, there is a similar free recording software called Audacity. Once you have a recording you want to put on a website, it’s useful to have a service like Audio Acrobat. What I do is upload our recordings to Audio Acrobat and then use their “publish to a website” feature. It generates code so that I can add players to our pages — and then you have access to the audios 1) to listen on a computer 2) to listen on a phone or tablet 3) to download and keep. Again, Audio Acrobat is one service that I use over and over and over.
Videos: Once again, the technology for videos has so improved that putting videos on a website is very easy. There are three things I have done:
- Embed a YouTube video created by someone else. This is perfectly fine. Once the video is posted to YouTube, it is public and you can use it. So a “how to tap” video from Jessica Ortner could be posted on your site, for instance. You just use the “embed” code provided by YouTube.
- Embed a YouTube video that you created. An iPhone or Smartphone lets you create your own videos easily. And through the “Share” feature, you can upload the video directly to YouTube. Then you can choose to keep it from search engines if you like and only let those who have the direct link see it — use the “embed” code from YouTube to post it on your own site.
- Embed a video you made with screencast software (again the video is uploaded to YouTube first). The tutorials I made are examples of this. The software I used is Camtasia, which lets you film whatever you’re doing on your computer screen.
5. Getting a Website Up and Running
Decisions, decisions! And the decision to create a website is such an important one. However, it is something that you can change and tweak as you go, so I tend to believe that something is better than nothing — even if you’re not sure which direction to go, get started with something so that you can have some web presence. You can always make changes.
The first big decision: Would you like to learn to do a lot yourself or have someone do it all for you?
As I explain in my About WordPress Sites video, it is incredibly easier and cheaper to have a website these days than it used to be. Hiring a designer or webmaster to do it all is only one option. You can easily learn how to manage a WordPress-based site once it has been set up. Or you can easily create a site all by yourself with website builders like Weebly, Wix, or Squarespace. Some allow you to create a website completely for free if you don’t mind their name still on the site. So that is a “what have I got to lose?” way to get started.
For me, learning to manage my own WordPress sites has given me great freedom and a sense of empowerment and I wouldn’t have it any other way. But everyone is different and finding what works for you is the most important thing. I’ll be glad to consult with anyone who would like to brainstorm with me to find solutions that really fit for you.
To find out about the terrific program I went through to learn how to create and manage my own WordPress websites, visit Christina Hills’ Website Creation Workshop. If the currently running class is closed, you can scroll down and click through to her Blog where you will find all the information, a free sample lesson, and more.
There is a good review of the Weebly website builder here: www.websitetooltester.com/en/reviews/weebly-review/
Actually this whole website, www.websitetooltester.com/en/, is a good resource for learning more, comparing the website builder solution with the WordPress solution, etc. So do browse around that website. Their free ebook, Website Creation for Absolute Beginners (under Free Stuff), is a great overview, explaining all this more thoroughly than I can, with excellent tips for how to get started.
In the meantime… here are a couple of nice examples from people in our EFM program who used different solutions to get their website up and running.
♦ Jane Rowe in our program built her WordPress site with the help of a friend who does website work. It is a WordPress site, really nice! www.janerowe.net
♦ Amy Robinson in our program worked with me and we came up with this lovely WordPress site for her: www.amyhrobinson.com (I enjoy helping people get set up on WordPress and may develop this as a service I offer).
♦ Marianne Reiff in our program went through the Weebly tutorials and learned to create her own free site with the Weebly website builder. It’s beautiful! https://meridiantapping.weebly.com
Update: Marianne has moved further along and worked with a web person to create a WordPress website: mariannereiff.com. You’ll agree that both are quite nice!
Get inspired! Your website is your on-line business card. Even if it starts out very simple with just a few pages, it is an important presence to help you connect with others. And creating webpages can be fun. For instance, to add original graphics to this page, I played with www.Canva.com and created the images for #2 (recording), #6 (mailing list) and #8 (community) myself. Canva is a do-it-yourself graphics design website which is simply fun to play with and, as with most of these services, you can stay in the free categories or pay a few dollars. Just for fun, take your inner child to Canva, create a free account, and play around 😉
When you’re ready to work with getting a website, our Website Resource Page is a growing collection of information, how-to videos, and other useful tips.
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6. Building a List with Sign-Up Forms and Group Mailings
This is all about making connections and cultivating connections. When someone visits your website and likes what they find, it’s great to invite them to stay in touch by signing up. There are many options for services that give you a sign-up form for your site, keep the data base for you, and send your group mailings out, whether it is a newsletter, an announcement, or just an occasional sharing.
I am currently using MailChimp which offers some amazing services in their free account. Only with a large list would most of us need to move to the paid tiers.
7. Setting Up a Facebook Page
A Facebook Page for your business is different from your personal profile page. Since I’m a Facebook renegade and don’t do much with Facebook (I will get there…), I can only point you in the right direction. Here’s some information about setting up a Facebook business page:
It’s easy and it’s free! And then you have something to send people to, even if you don’t yet have a website. So go for it!
8. Connecting with the EFT Community
There are ways to connect with a larger EFT community through Facebook groups and Linked In. Here are some possibilities.
These days, I especially enjoy the discussions on a Facebook group created by Alina Frank and Craig Weiner. Emotional Freedom Techniques EFT Tapping
It is a public group so you simply request to join. In your FB Settings, check the box to receive postings on email and you can keep up with the discussions.
You also qualify to be in the AAMET Facebook group for students and practitioners. This is a good way to keep up with news and announcements from the AAMET, as well as interesting EFT discussions. It’s a closed group so if you’re interested in joining, let me know and I’ll invite you in. AAMET EFT Practitioners and Students
You can find other groups on Facebook but those are the two I know best. And if you’re a member of Linked In, there are two active and interesting groups there, the AAMET group and the EFT Practitioners group. Once you’re logged into your account, just go to Interests > Groups and search for EFT or AAMET to find them.
Feel free to make suggestions to expand and enhance our resource page!