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In a recent discussion with a Email Marketing Reform School student (she’s also joining me for IM Copy Makeover) that I really enjoy working with (she listens, applies and keeps moving forward - good student!), she told me:

“As this isn’t IM I can’t really send offers other than for my own stuff. I don’t want to send them to competitors.”

I was kind of surprised, but not completely taken aback as a lot of people who have their own products think this way. Here’s what I told her:

Your readers are going to buy from all kinds of companies, competitors, etc..whether you like it or not. Why not get paid for it? Wise advice I first heard from John Reese.

It’s a great market research tool to figure out which products you might be able to develop yourself. If you offer other products that your readers readily buy, that’s powerful information.

Always remember, the Internet is so vast. You have so many people on your list that will never buy from you that it’s not like sending your brick and mortar customer to the store next door.

In fact, if you lead them to quality products from other companies, they will trust and appreciate your opinion and come back for more. Overall, there are so many ways to maximize our online income and convert more prospects to sales…even if it’s not always for our own products.

I must admit, in this market of selling to online business owners, I make fewer and fewer affiliate offers - but there’s a very good reason for that. I have more of my own products to offer, so I am able to fill more of my prospects’ and customers’ needs. However, I haven’t stopped and will never stop making affiliate offers…because I just can’t be everything to my target prospect.

Earlier this week for Tough Question Tuesday, I asked “Do You Take it Personally” if someone unsubscribes from your list or asks for a refund.

I confessed that now and then, it does bother me a little bit. After all, I’m human…but in the grand scheme of things, I let is slide. In fact, I completely ignore it most of the time.

How do I ignore it?

It’s simple. I do not receive either my unsubscribe notifications OR refund requests. No, it doesn’t mean that I ignore people on these occasions. Of course not! Instead, my VA receives them and takes care of any details that need attention.

This ignorance is bliss for me and here’s why:

1. One man’s trash is another Sweetie’s treasure: It’s no secret that we absolutely cannot please everyone, even though for some reason, many of us continue to try. I have carefully defined my own target market and prefer to attract a certain type of reader/customer. As long as I continue to satisfy those people, I am a happy camper.

You know, it’s really funny, but in a previous ebook project I was working on, we would get completely contradictory feedback from our customers. Most customers were very happy and said that our products were exactly as described and provided all the information they needed. Then a few people would complain that they were expecting something different and they didn’t feel we provided enough information.

Interesting how two different groups could see things so differently, hey? Of course, we did take the criticism seriously and tried more carefully spell out our offer so there would be no confusion…but ultimately we knew that our system was working well for the majority of our customers.

2. I pay attention to trends, rather than individual complaints: Just because my VA gets all the unsubscribe notifications, processes the refunds and deals with any complaints, doesn’t mean I’m completely unaware. She brings my attention to matters that need my attention and alerts me to any common themes among the constructive criticisms.

But the best thing is, she can take all the less-than-constructive criticisms and plain old attacks and put them where they belong - in the virtual trash which brings me to…

3. My days aren’t ruined because someone had to take their anger out on me: Like I said, we’re all human and if we said that none of this bothered us, we probably wouldn’t be complete honest. And even if it only bothers you for a little while, it takes you away from the focus of your tasks at hand. I don’t need that and you certainly don’t either.

EXTRA NOTE OF COMFORT: The bigger your list gets and the more you sell, the more unsubscribes and refunds you’re going to get. It’s just the nature of numbers, so if your requests seem to be rising as you’re pocketbook gets bigger, that’s not such a bad thing.

I hesitated in making social marketing the topic of this Thursday’s Three Thoughts for a couple of reasons.

It’s just too trendy and cliquey for me. It’s the “in” thing to do and people, in my humble opinion of course, are just taking it too far and wasting their days away on this stuff. I don’t usually like to focus my energy on trendy marketing (just ignore the fact that I post stuff here from Twitter…that’s TOTALLY beside the point. ).

I don’t have a lot of experience with it - well, not directly. I prefer to stick to topics I am more knowledgeable about. But still, I think I have enough networking and online experience to formulate a pretty educated opinion. And after all, that is what Thursday’s Three Thoughts is all about…an opinion.

Now that I’ve qualified myself a little, I’ll give you my thoughts. Take them, leave them or add your own. It’s good to hear all perspectives.

1. If you do it, mind your time — really. Social marketing can be a real time suck, especially if you are trying your hand at every site that pops into cyberspace. It’s also very easy to get sucked into the social aspect of everything and forget about the real world…naughty, naughty, naughty.

Many people say that you can simply OUTSOURCE your social networking. It’s no secret that I’m a big fan of outsourcing, but finding the right people to outsource to is no easy feat. Sure, if you’re just trying to build incoming links, you can get someone to do that. But if you’re looking for people who can carry on intelligent conversations, avoid looking like a spammer and use social sites the way they were intended, that becomes a little trickier. If you do find someone, hang onto them…they are gold.

Personally, I feel I’m far better of focusing on doing great stuff for my readers and customers, so they’ll have a REASON to talk about me and they’ll bring the traffic to me. I have said something similar in a Myth Crusher on Web 2.0 blog entry and was criticized for taking a “If You Build It, They Will Come” approach, but not so.

Obviously, traffic generation is important and your marketing plan needs to focus on traffic, but I’d pay closer attention to methods that bring more targeted sources to you FIRST. Build your audience that way, WOW them and get them to spread the word for you.

(Side Note: I’ve been looking at my traffic stats over the past few months and have observed that my StumbleUpon traffic, for example, has grown quite a bit…and I had no DIRECT hand in it. I didn’t post any links and I didn’t pay or bribe anyone to do it. That’s the power of being buzzworthy and having someone else talk about you is generally more powerful than talking about yourself.)

2. Let’s face it, you’re seeing the same people over and over again. It’s just like when forum marketing and Yahoo Groups were the rage in the early 2000s. You sign up for them all just to see the same faces over and over again. It’s a really vicious cycle and given that I have limited time in my word day, I put a stop to that nonsense in 2003 and never looked back.

I am definitely a big believer in the power of networking and connecting with like-minded people, but I don’t need a cajillion friends on Facebook and another trillion on MySpace to get those benefits. I watch people social network hop and think of the Hollywood elite club-hopping and dying to be seen in the place to be. You don’t need to be friends with everyone to build your marketing knowledge and establish some very profitable relationships.

3. Don’t believe the hype…or me. Obviously, you need to do what’s right for your business and that seems to be the theme on this blog this week - making your own decision. You can test out every last bit of social marketing if your heart desires, but always be fully aware of your time and results. And cut it back when you see your investing too much into your efforts to the detriment of your actual business.

I often tell my Internet marketing students that they should always concentrate more on what’s working in their businesses and shave off the stuff that isn’t working.

Pretty common sense, right? In fact, I gave that precise advice yesterday. Without tracking and careful evaluation, it’s tough to really move forwardd in our businesses.

This advice can apply to specific marketing techniques, a particular website project or sometimes it applies to a whole ill-planned business.

But wait a minute! Not so fast!

Although I’m proud of many of my fellow online business owners for making tough decisions, I worry they sometimes make decisions too rashly.

Before you scrap another technique, project or even a whole business, consider these three thoughts:

1. Is it REALLY not working? A lot of times when we’ve convinced ourselves something isn’t working it’s because we didn’t do our due diligence. We didn’t make the right offers, we didn’t drive enough traffic or whatever else might be lacking.

Look at things a little bit more closely BEFORE you start something new and decide if you really put in the effort needed or if you just don’t feel like it. If it’s the latter, learn from this mistake the next project or technique you take on. If you’re not willing to see it through, maybe it’s best not to start it in the first place and your time is better spent elsewhere.

2. Focus is Important. I’m a big fan of shaving things down to keep ultra-focused in business. It’s easy to get distracted online and start up all kinds of new ideas and so forth, but instead of fixing your lack of focus mistakes, why not try to prevent them in the first place?

Don’t start a project until you evaluate whether it fits in with your business plan and goals. And definitely don’t start it if you’re not willing to put in the work required to make it happen.

The first two considerations are important, but also remember this in mind…

3. Be Responsible with the Help You’ve Asked for in Your Project, Website, etc. If you’ve called on and recruited affiliates to promote your project, had people contribute their time to make it happen, do your best not to leave them high and dry. There’s nothing more frustrating to someone who has lent their time and possibly their money to help you and then find that you’re just quitting anyway.

You definitely don’t want to burn your bridges and you can avoid that by looking at the tips in thoughts #1 and #2. Or if you really do need to cancel the project, pass it onto someone else that can keep it in good hands.

Today is a special day in the home of this at-home mom entrepreneur. My youngest turns 5 today and has he prepares to become a big brother later this year, I’m taking time to ponder my 3 thoughts why it’s da bomb to be a business mom at home.

1. I can be there when I’m needed: sick days, volunteering at school, play days, cuddles and more.

2. Even though I’m largely at home for the family, I’m able to focus on my own intellectual and financial pursuits through my business.

3. I can show my kids an alternative career that is an amazingly creative outlet, doesn’t involve a commute, a huge gas bill and working for a mean ol’ boss.

We’ve all gotta have reason WHY we do what we do (whether we have kids or not). What’s YOURS?

(Edited 2 sentences above for clarity - I hope!) 

Last week, I passed on a Training Center Update that let you know that several press release tutorials had been added. It seems you hear a lot about writing press releases and how it’s a great way to get exposure for your business, but WHY?

Here are just three little thoughts why:

1. Exposure You Receive is Essentially an Endorsement for Your Business: You can buy all the ads you want and run successful campaigns, but when the media features or talks about your business it’s just like a real-live endorsement…and it’s free. Ads are looked upon with suspicion, but interestingly enough, generally people more willingly accept a message coming directly from the media.

2. Link Building: Aside from exposure, a well-crafted campaign also becomes a link building campaign. With online newswires, targeted websites that accept press releases and big online media outlets that might write about your website…there are many, many opportunities to build some serious links.

3. Coverage Leads to More Coverage: As your media exposure grows online and offline, it often leads to even more exposure. Your experience with the media makes you more attractive as an interview prospect. In addition, reporters conduct online research and if they see your name, they may just approach you all on their own (it’s really cool when this happens and how I ended up in this CNN article).

But what if you’re stumped or just don’t want to write your own releases? Hey, that’s understandable and you have plenty of options. You can hire a pricey press release writer or you can simply get a headstart with our press release template packs.

These packs were put together by Shannon Cherry, a PR specialist with over 15 years media experience…so you know they’re good stuff.

To make it even easier for you to get started, here’s a little Sweetie Perk. Enter coupon code: A40CE on the order page and you’ll receive 40% off as many press release packs you want to buy.

Coupon valid until: April 16, 2008.

Starting an online business is pretty exciting and can be all-consuming at times. There are so many ideas, so much to learn and so many obstacles to overcome (some big and some small) to get to the success you’ve dreamed of.

Earlier this week, I asked if your spouse and family support your business. Over the years, I’ve seen a lot of people - both men and women - go through tough times with this issue. No matter who you are or where you’re coming from, here are some ideas to diffuse the resistance you get from your family.

1. Approach it like a business. I know this sounds kind of obvious, but given the low cost of entry into Internet marketing, it’s easy to just try to wing it. I know - I did it for a while!

Research your markets, make a business plan, manage your finances responsibly and keep your spouse up-to-date on your plans. Your family probably doesn’t need to know all these details, but your spouse certainly has a right to know this. At the same time, if you see your spouse’s eyes glaze over when you’re talking, learn to give him the abridged version of what’s happening in your business.

2. Manage Your Time Better. A lot of times that I see people having friction with their spouse and family is when they are spending inordinate amounts of time on the computer.

I see women get all wrapped in their business stuff and “networking” that they forget their is a real live family around them.

I see men puff up and declare their wife doesn’t understand that he’s doing this so they can have a better life. Then other men pipe up and say, “Yeah, she’ll be quiet when the money comes rolling in.”

*SIGH*

You know, your family is probably concerned somewhat about the money, but more often than not, it’s likely an issue of your family just plain old missing you. If you’re unapproachable when you’re staring at the screen and it seems like you’re always staring at the screen - get back to REALITY! Please!

Yes, starting a new business takes a lot of hard work, but that doesn’t mean you need 12-14 hours per day at your computer. If you’re on the computer that long, don’t fool yourself into thinking you’re actually working productively that whole time. Plan your schedule instead and limit the time you have to get it done. You’ll get more done in 4 hours than you will in the free-for-all 12 hour day.

Turn of the computer regularly, ensure your household responsibilities get done and spend more time with your family. Period.

3. Be Responsible with Your Money. I touched on this earlier, but it’s worth having it’s own point. Don’t quit your job when you don’t have a way to support your family from your online business earning. Don’t purchase thousands of dollars of inventory when you haven’t proven that your products will sell. Don’t jump into expensive advertising when you haven’t done any small add testing and refined your results. If your family just sees more and more money going down the drain, no wonder they’re getting concerned.

But is it all your fault?

I know the suggestions above hinge on your taking responsibility for the issues here. But if you want things to get better, nagging at each other isn’t going to make things better. Doing your part to show your committed to your family and your business (but family comes before business!)…can make a world of difference. Give them some time to come around and you’ll be surprised at what happens.

As you know by now, I’m not really here. I’m actually on Spring Vacation with the family. I’m pretty sure we’re having a good time, but I’m actually writing this before I go on vacation and I don’t have a crystal ball.

I remember when I first started my online business, I would get pretty frazzled just being away from the computer for a whole day. One particular overnight trip nearly sent me into a tizzy.

That was a long time ago. After that first overnight trip, I realized that things couldn’t be this way. I needed to be able to get away from it all and not worry about a thing. I wanted a way to make sure it was business as usual while I was gone.

I think as online business owners we deserve a break now and then, don’t you?

So here are your three thoughts on making your vacation work:

1. Put together your plan: Write down everything that you need to do before leaving, what should be done while you’re gone and what you’ll need to do right after you get back. Complete the tasks that should be done before going, give an itemized list to your VA and other helpers of what they should do when you’re gone and start digging into the stuff that you’ll have to do on your return.

TIP: Planning for what you have to do right after you get back helps reduce that “after vacation stress” that is common upon returning to work. If you can, try to get some of these tasks ready…so you can go easy on yourself when you’re back in the office.

2. Outsource the day-to-day and administrative tasks: Yeah, you knew I was going to mention this one… but sorry, but if you want a break now and then, you’re gonna have to do it! Have your assistant(s) ready, trained and already handling your customer support and general inquiries. Don’t wait until it’s vacation time and scramble to find help. Start training and working with someone now, so they’ll know all the ropes by the time you need time off.

3. Schedule blogs posts and emails in advance: Obviously, these blog posts have been scheduled in WordPress. I wrote them over the past few weeks and just set them to publish this week. I also wrote my mailing list emails prior to leaving and gave instructions to my VA on sending out the emails.

How do you plan for your vacations away from the biz?