Free Download: How Do I Get Traffic to My Blog?

It’s a question a lot of bloggers want the answer to. How DO you get traffic to your blog?

Lynette Chandler has a free guide that gives you “18 Traffic Generating Blog Activities You Can Do Right Away“. It’s a quick 6-page guide with practical ideas to bring to your blog to attract attention and drive more traffic.

Click here to download yours.

As always, another handy-dandy tool from Lynette.

MYTH: Videos Are The Best Way To Demonstrate Software or Online Process

Videos are everywhere these days. Internet marketers are praising them as the greatest things since sliced bread. They use them to sell products, to demonstrate software, to show how to use a website, etc. No doubt, this can be very effective…I don’t dispute that.

What puzzles me is when people slap up videos to demonstrate something and then they think their job is done. By doing this, you eliminate people who don’t want to or CANNOT view your videos. People may not have the patience to watch a video, they might have visual or hearing impairment, they might not have the Internet connection or computer equipment needed. ALSO video makes it difficult for your customers to go back and reference certain instructions contained in a video.

And note, I’m NOT talking about the selling process. If you want your sales page to be video online, then that’s all well and good. It’s clear up front who you want to be accessible to. I’m talking about teaching your customers how to use your website, your software, etc. If you don’t offer written/illustrated (i.e. with screenshots) instructions, you make it harder for a segment of your customers to use your product and that just plain old doesn’t make sense.

Also consider this, written/illustrated instructions are much easier to edit and update than videos. Software gets upgraded and websites improved. In some cases, you’ll be able to edit videos…but sometimes you’ll be starting from scratch.

Just a few things to think about.

Free Download: Beginner’s Blogging Guide & Blogging Calendar

I’m taking the day off from Sweetie Saturday, but that doesn’t mean you can’t still get cool stuff. Since last week’s Buzz Topics report by Lynette Chandler was
a hit, I wanted to make sure you were able to get your hands
on two more blogging goodies.

GOODIE #1: Get Started with Profitable Blogging

If you’re new to blogging, thinking of getting started or even procrastinating because you feel overwhelmed by the idea…this is something that might help.

It’s a step-by-step 16-page guide to setting up and making money from your blog. It covers everything from how you can make money, setting up your blog, software to use, tracking your traffic and maximizing your results.

This one is put together by John Yeo, a part-time blogger who earns a few thousand dollars per month from his blog:

Click here to download it for free (PDF)

Plus, if you like the guide, here is some information on how to brand it and give it out as well.

GOODIE #2: Printable Blog Calendar

Lynette’s at it again. Now you can print out a really cool printable blog calendar that gives you timely topic ideas for the entire year.

Go straight to the download at this link.

It’s super handy to have lying around whenever you’re planning blog topics or are simply just stumped as to what to write about.

Enjoy those…I know you’ll find them useful.

The Next Click

• Jan Ferrante

When you sit down at your computer, all bright eyed and bushy tailed, what comes first?

What is most natural for you?

Is your first click to open your word processor or project folder?

Or is it to open your email, twitter or favourite forum?

The reason I ask is that your answer could indicate to you what your innate business focus is - input or output.

Or it could just mean that you need 20 minutes in the morning for the coffee to kick in.

HOW OFTEN DO YOU TAKE THE EASY OUT?

The main thing is that you become aware of how often you take the easy out throughout the day - how often you choose to be the audience rather than the performer - to be the guest rather than the host.

To be lead rather than to lead - to observe rather than to be observed.

You get the picture.

CLICKING IN THE WRONG DIRECTION

If you think you are spending too much time on intangibles with not enough time spent on building solid business assets - web content, products, list content, articles and all that good stuff to show for it, maybe you are clicking in the wrong direction too often during your average work day.

It can be as easy as setting reminders throughout the day, posting a sticky on your computer or giving yourself a small reward for every project worked on in a focused and productive manner.

READY AND WAITING

My personal favourite method to staying focused on output is having my projects in queu right were I can see them, as soon as I start the day. For some reason, this makes me far more likely to want to fly through them than if they are out of sight and out of mind.

The best way to do this is make it a habit to set up and prepare for the next day as you finish up your project time pockets (assuming you are using them) and then make sure that everything is ready and waiting for you when you pack up for the day.

And of course planning your work day strategy, both short and long term is the essential first step to be sure that you are actually working on the right projects in the first place and to give you the big picture in a structured and focused way.

A GOOD QUESTION

Ask yourself, if you were your boss (and you are) would you pay you for the task you are doing?

And while you’re on the topic, ask your boss if the business would be getting paid for the task you are doing.

If not, go ahead and ask - who is getting paid?

If not you, not your business, and probably not the guy behind you - who?

That is the question that you need to ask yourself the next time you find yourself twittering away your time while stumbling through the day - and deciding on your next click.

What will it be?

Read more about
• Jan Ferrante

What Are Your Top 3 Traffic Sources?

Now, I’m not asking you to divulge your secrets, but I find it interesting to know how people generate traffic to their websites.

My top 3 sources for this website are:

1. Repeat visitors.
2. Organic search traffic.
3. Links from other websites (Top: Twitter)

How about your traffic sources? What are your top 3?

Why The Economic Downturn is an OPPORTUNITY for You

With recent worldwide economic troubles and talk of recessions, many online business owners are worried about the survival of their own businesses. But have you stopped to consider that this financial crisis is actually an OPPORTUNITY for you?

It’s an opportunity for you to help people AND earn at the same time…and you don’t have to be a financial genius to do it. But if you happen to be a financial genius, of course, you can still do it too.

More and more, people are going to be looking for help when it comes to their finances. Whether it’s family budgeting, investing or credit, people need guidance and you can give it to them. They’ll be searching the Internet for answers to questions, products to buy and you can be what they find at the end of that search by providing the content and answers they need.

Of course, you can create this content all by yourself (sooo much work!) or you can hire a ghostwriter (big expense) or you can take advantage of opportunities like our “All Finance Content” private label rights (PLR) content membership.

Over the past couple of years, we’ve have been providing online business owners with top-notch PLR content that can put you in front of the growing number of financial help seekers.

This affordable monthly membership (you can cancel anytime) includes:

• 40 finance-related articles per month
• 10 product profiles/reviews each month
• 7-10 page PLR report each month
• Suggested affiliate programs to promote with your content

…plus a few cool bonuses like:

• Creative ideas for using PLR content checklist
• Step-by-step search engine guide and video.
• Access to a private members-only forum to ask questions and share marketing strategies.

It’s a definite must-have for those already in the finance market and those just beginning to enter it.

All the details on this limited membership are here.

Go there to find out more and sign up for your opportunity to help and earn during these tough financial times.

MYTH: Keeping Outsourcing Costs Down Increases Profits

If you’re hiring help for your business, the natural instinct is to look for low cost services to save money. And with all the big corporations outsourcing their customer support and other operations to other lower-cost countries, it seems this tendency might be what makes business sense.

Here’s the thing. You aren’t a big corporation with hundreds of employees…or if you are, I haven’t the foggiest what you’re getting from reading my blog.

You are likely or want to be a solo entrepreneur or partnership with a handful of people that work with you on a daily basis. Where a big corporation’s large staff is often disposable, yours is not…so why hire and treat people like they are disposable? It costs time and money to find new people, train them and all the while, your business suffers. When someone quits on you it leaves a much bigger mark on your business than if someone quits the 250-(wo)man customer service department for a large company.

See what I’m getting at?

Besides that, in our small operations, it’s not what we pay that matters that much - what matters are the RESULTS from the work we outsource and sometimes those results can take time to grow. When you first hire someone, there is a learning curve for both of you. You need to learn how to communicate exactly what you want, they need to learn the job and they will have a plenty of questions. As you continue to work together, your communication improves, their skills improve and they have the built-in knowledge to handle previously unknown situations accordingly.

To get that continued work, you need loyalty from your contractors. And how do you get loyalty? By treating them right. And a couple of ways you can treat your contractors right:

• Pay them well enough so they don’t have to take on all kinds of extra work to make ends meet.
• Give them regular raises to show that the experience and resulting improved work for your company is appreciated and valued.

I’ve been working with the same assistant for a few years now and when I look at our how our business relationship has grown, I’m amazed and know just how blessed I am. Communication is a snap because we have this history - she understands me and I know how she works. She knows my business well enough to make her own qualified decisions, make suggestions for improvements and can oversee my other contractors. I couldn’t get this if I was hiring assistant after assistant at $10 per hour.

So, do what you’d like with your outsourcing. Keep pinching pennies to keep your costs down…but realize that keeping costs down may be affecting your profitability and your sanity!

(Further Outsourcing Resource: Outsourcing Training and Full Service Online Business Help)

Mom PLR Ebooks Review

Mom PLR Ebooks is a membership that provides a monthly private label ebook and accompanying marketing materials. It allows users to easily set up and sell ebooks that appeal to the mom market. It is also useful for individuals who want to provide content and free reports to the same market.

Product Website: Mom PLR Ebooks

Membership Features:

• One monthly fully-editable and brandable ebook on a topic of interest to mothers.
• Pre-written sales copy to promote each monthly ebook.
• Graphic set with each ebook including: 3 different ecover sizes, flat cover for the written document, 2 promotional buttons.
• Includes a checklist of setting up the products and selling them.
• Each ebook includes a 5-day ecourse to promote the product.
• Also include: 26 newsletter topic ideas to keep content focused around the product.
• Suggestions for affiliate programs to earn extra income through recommendations.
• Printable ideas sheet that includes ideas for using the ebooks and marketing them.

Perks:

• Membership is limited to 300 members to reduce competition.
• 30-day money-back guarantee.
• Membership can be cancelled any time.

Thoughts:

The content in the membership really is top-notch and the marketing materials certainly do make it easy for members to break into the information product market. The nice thing is you can take what you want, edit what you want or even completely change certain things to suit your needs.

The membership is suitable for webmasters already working in the mom market or individuals interested in niche marketing and need more products to sell.

How to Find Out More:

You can get further details and sign up at Mom PLR Ebooks.

(Want to republish this review? Click here to sign up for the affiliate program)