Residual Commission

I opened an email from Ken Evoy this morning - his newsletters are among the few that I read top to bottom, by the way ;) Anyway - there were two really good gems in this particular message:

The first is a cool new tool called Search It! It seems to do a million and one interesting things, so I'm still playing with it and checking it all out. So far - thumbs up! I'll have to fill you in on the details as I figure them out myself, but this is a fun one!

The second was a link to one of Allan Gardyne's websites: www.LifetimeCommissions.com . (How did I miss that before?!) I like Allan's AssociatePrograms.com site, and especially his forum, so now I'm checking out this second link. Right up my alley! Step One: Subscribe to the newsletter!

Rosalind mentions recurring affiliate commissions in her Super Affiliate Handbook - and it's definitely something that anyone in Affiliate Marketing should put some serious consideration into. In her example, she used two dating sites. One that pays you per lead (one time), and one that pays you per sign-up (residually). While it's true that PPL (pay-per-lead) affiliate programs convert VERY nicely, recurring affiliate commissions can REALLY rack up and result in a super-high ROI (return on investment).

This is an example of "working smart" for those of you that were interested in that comment in my previous post ;) One of my own experiences with these types of programs was with my Web Host. As you know, I use ThirdSphere for my own sites -- and recommend them to others as well. Last Spring, just before I made the switch to their servers, my websites had a terrible amount of downtime on my previous host... and a whole slew of glitches afterwards when they came back online. It was a nightmare! That was the primary reason for the change - with the additional benefit of cutting my hosting costs in half. You cant beat that ;)

Through my newsletter I let everyone know what was going on, why I was making the switch, to which company and why, etc. Many people saw the value in what ThirdSphere was offering, and chose to move their websites there as well. Smart move! It honestly wasnt a 'hard sell' - just me talking straight-up with subscribers about the situation at hand and the move that we were making.

-- I hate to interrupt myself, but this is so ironic: another sale was just recorded in my ThirdSphere affiliate account! See how this works?! :)

Anyway, what I was going to tell you is that their affiliate program offers recurring commissions. With my previous host, I earned $10 for each new referral - period. With ThirdSphere, they pay you each and every month that your referrals continue their service. Just another testament that these guys are running a top-notch company from every angle!

To give you a taste of how powerful this type of program is... that one newsletter issue has resulted in $3,000/year in commission... and growing. There was one other program that I promoted earlier this year - once - we're talking 10 minutes of my time. By the end of this year, that investment of 10 minutes will have paid over $1,400 in commission...

You get the picture, right? A lot of potential there ;) When it comes to Affiliate Marketing, there are two things I love: recurring commission and 2-tier programs. Keep an eye out for those!

By the way, BOTH of those affiliate programs are for services that I use myself - and both of them practically sold themselves. Again, no 'hard sell' or hypey pitch involved. And the commission I receive doesnt at all affect the price that anyone paid for those services - you would pay the same price regardless of whether you were referred or signed up directly through the main site. And as I mentioned - I am involved with them both, myself... and signed up through a friend who was kind enough to recommend them to me! All that said just for clarification, because I know what goes through your mind when people talk numbers ;)


p.s. Coincidentally, I also got a check in this morning's mail from SiteSell (Ken Evoy's 5Pillar Affiliate Program). It was totally unexpected, and a nice little chunk of change at that! I'll have to log in and find out what's been going on behind the scenes there, as this is one of those great programs that keeps on working for you even when you're not actively promoting it ;)

If you're not already in on this one, you can join through my tier by using this link: http://affiliates.sitesell.com/wsn.html

Subscriber Speaks Out!

I'm subscribed to the majority of the major newsletters put out by the "Internet Marketing Experts", and plenty more published by the Joe Marketer's out there. I like to stay up to date with what's going on, what's coming out and who's saying what.

But lately it seems that many of these newsletters are getting 'stale', repeating canned information or just blatantly offensive. And sadly, a lot of this *crap* is coming directly from the people that used to teach us the value of building relationships, keeping it real, knowing your targeted market, etc etc etc.

Not to mention that some of them send emails several times a week - some of which say nothing except that another email is on the way. And if you have subscribed to one (or a few) of their sub-lists, you receive more than one copy of the exact same message! Um - I thought the point of a sub-list was so that you could receive very specific information on a particular topic - not the general marketing stuff... right?? {sigh} And on the other end of the spectrum, some emails that I subscribed to and read faithfully have just disappeared altogether!

So, have they given us up for the buck? Have they made so much money now that none of that matters anymore? Or are they just too busy to put the time into it nowadays? Just what is it, exactly?

I have been pondering this a lot lately, and even more so as I dig in and study copywriting and other techniques 'proven' to increase conversion rates. The more I learn, the more I study things that I come across -- or things that end up in my Inbox. Formatting, subject lines, sales copy, opt-in confirmations, bonuses... you name it. Web pages and sales letters too, of course, and ebook content even. All of these, and my notes about them, are going into my own personal Swipe File.

It's becoming harder and harder to find GOOD examples of email marketing. What you do see a lot of is: copy & paste content, promo-after-promo-after-promo, bad formatting, humor that just isnt at all funny, obvious 'fish tales'... this list could go on for awhile - I'm sure you've witnessed it all yourself.

That said, there ARE a few good e-newsletters circulating out there... a few that I read top to bottom the minute they come in, and generally always enjoy. And some of these are from the newer folks on the scene - fresh information, fresh perspectives... plenty of personality and individualism showing through, too.

At one point, I thought that publishing newsletters or ezines just might begin to phase out. But more and more I am thinking that there is plenty of room still for new people to step in and start up a very successful email newsletter - - even in the so-called "saturated markets" of internet marketing, affiliate marketing, etc. I just dont think they're so saturated at all - in fact, I believe there are hundreds of thousands of people out there that would love to switch over to a fresh publication with solid information, current resources - new stuff, new perspectives... new faces.

I dont know about you, but I feel a shift coming on. Things certainly seem to be changing, though it's hard to tell at this point which direction they are headed... I wouldnt be at all surprised if there were a virtual earthquake over at GuruDAQ.com in the very near future ;)

Alexa 17,574

SSWT got the thumbs-up from Alexa this week, with a 'drop' in ranking to 17,574. Nowhere near as impressive as Michael Green's ranking of 2,853... but I'm smokin' Jim Edwards (26,158) and Mike Merz (24,786) at the moment- hehe ;)

Of course, it's all meaningless in the grand scheme of things, but fun nonetheless. I certainly dont use any of "the numbers" (PageRank, Alexa Ranking, etc) to gauge whether or not I will do business with someone, link with a particular site, JV with a website owner, etc etc etc.

The important thing to note, though, is that some people DO. Just look at GuruDAQ.com as an example. Read Jason Cox's manual. Etc. And for that reason, and that reason alone... I keep an eye on them. Not to mention, it's always good for a little friendly competition ;)


Numbers can be fun: 998 registered members, PageRank 6, 100 new subscribers this week, a 12% conversion rate on an affiliate program I'm promoting, a 3.2% CTR.....

But in reality, numbers are meaningless if you're not converting - if you're not making sales. Yes it's important to drive traffic (highly targeted traffic, that is), build your mailing list, improve your CTR's - - and constantly work towards building your business and increasing your reach in every conceivable way...

...just dont get hung up on the numbers. Unless they have dollar signs in front of them :)

Every Day is Payday!

I love my job :) Wait... What I really mean is:

I LOVE MY JOB!!!

Well, if you can call it a "job", that is. That term usually means alarm clocks, set hours, cruel bosses, bad coffee, sad paychecks and traffic jams. I dont have any of that to deal with :)

Quite the opposite, actually. It's been almost 8 years now since I quit my last "real job" and began working from home for myself. I dont play hit-the-snooze in the mornings, in fact I dont even use an alarm clock anymore. It's an odd concept: I actually wake up early because I *want* to! No more "living paycheck to paycheck" either... because between the Inbox and the Mailbox, every day is Payday ;)

I also have quite a bit of flexibility with my schedule, which is nice - but that's not to say that I dont *work*. In fact, I used to work very hard - and very long hours, too... but these days I am leaning more towards "working smart" instead.

I'm constantly looking at potential sources for income (particularly: passive income), testing various methods, and 'tweaking' the things that are already working well for me.

I'm in the process of revamping my entire website, with a big focus on SEO & Copywriting. Ranking well and converting well are my two primary goals there. I'm not super happy with how the design is coming out at the moment, but I figure I'll get back to that when I'm feeling more creative... For now, I want to move forward - and not get stuck on that part being perfect.

I also have several other projects on the sidelines, all waiting for my time and attention. No pressure, though - they are my projects, my goals... and they will wait until I am ready :)

All in all, I couldn't be happier. I'm exactly where I want to be, and very excited about the direction it is all going. Is it all about the money? No... or I wouldn't continue to build, learn and grow. I would just set things into motion and be done with it. It's about the ultimate goal - that end result that I am after. A personal mission, you might say.

We all have our reasons for doing whatever it is that we do. At the moment, I am enjoying my work more than I ever would have imagined - and am grateful that I had the opportunity, and took the initiative, to set this into motion in my life.

When I think back on it - - I was only 23 years old. I was young and inexperienced. And I'm still amazed that I had the guts to do what I did, to walk out on my "job" and start a business I really knew nothing about. But I did, and made it... and stuck with it.

There was a lot more to it than just wanting 'out of the rat race'. I had been married for just under 3 years, had a 5 month old daughter on my hip and an older child as well. I worked 40-55 hours a week, while my husband constantly looked for work or odd jobs in our small town. The house was rented, the car was always breaking down - and while things 'looked' nice on the outside... I knew that it was only a matter of time before it all crumbled.

The idea came to me out of the blue, and I jotted down a make-shift business plan on a legal pad at our kitchen table one night. It was one of those "A HA!" moments, and I was trying to sell my husband on the idea - I can remember that I was very enthusiastic and was just sure "this was it!"

Yes, he thought I was nuts. But he agreed to give me three months to prove that it would work. We needed a change in our lives anyway - we were both burning out. Besides (I told him) we could always go out and get new jobs if this didnt fly. "Okay"

It's funny when I think back on it now - I mean, we didnt have any credit, no savings... we didnt own anything. We were barely making it paycheck-to-paycheck. And I walked in and quit my job... cutting off the only steady paycheck that we did have. And of course, it couldnt be easy - no, we even had to pick up and move two counties away just to start a business (as we both had no-compete agreements against us).

We sold everything we owned to make that move. My Christmas china. Furniture. Toys. Clothes. Home Interior I had collected over the years - everything. It all went to local auction. All said and done, we had $600 to our name and a move to make. Gosh, that seems so impossible to me now...

We didnt even have telephone lines when we started out. Nothing. We "roughed it" those first couple of months. Talk about determination! But by the end of that third month... we'd made it. We had a steady income - not a lot, but enough. And that was enough to "prove it".

The following year we moved that business into a 5,000 sq ft show room on the busiest highway in the city. Big windows, lots of equipment, and phone lines ringing off the walls. It was beautiful. For one small town couple... it was a dream come true.

Yes, he left me a couple of years later. And that was hard, I admit. But I dont begrudge him anything at this point... In fact, if anything at all - I am content with my past, as he was the one person in the world that supported me in my crazy dreams and allowed me to explore my limits. Had I not loved him so madly, I may have never made such a leap. I may have never become who I am today. I could have just as easily turned out as a complacent housewife - or any number of scenarios...

- If you havent already seen The Butterfly Effect, I highly recommend it. Grab some popcorn, and something cold to drink, and enjoy this one. It'll really make you think about those choices in life - the ones we make every single day.

** Don't let anything stop you from taking action on YOUR dreams - whatever they may be. If you arent already exactly where you want to be in your life... take those steps to get there. By the way: they call them 'steps' for a reason - it's certainly not an elevator ride ;)

See the movie!

Private Label Feed

Another Way To EARN $$!

I received an email yesterday from Dave Teleposky at SearchFeed, and having signed up some time ago I have to admit that I hadn't really taken the opportunity to check out the full scope of what they offer. When I did - I was impressed!

First, there is no cost to sign up - so if you haven't already done so, you can create your account here.

You'll find this program is VERY similar to Google Adsense, in that it displays content-relative results on your web pages - - and you are paid for every click-through. But in addition to that earning potential, you can also refer new affiliates and advertisers and earn a % from their account!


More Info:

With Searchfeed.com's Private Label Feed (PLF) program, Web publishers are provided with a way to offer relevant information while earning additional revenue. By complimenting existing site content with our feed, Web publishers experience an increase in page views, in addition to an overall increase in time each visitor spends on the site. In most cases, relevant content integration encourages user returns. Simple integration tools and a responsive support team ensure an already successful business model will continue uninterrupted.

Advantages of Searchfeed.com's Private Label Feed:

-> Flexible integration options include XML, JavaScript, Text and iframe
-> A wide range of online tools simplify account management
-> Real-time reports provide instantaneous feedback about revenue earned
-> Content can be personalized to blend with existing site layout
-> Extensions such as "family friendly" filters to better match listings to a particular audience
-> When working with other feed providers, Searchfeed.com can assist in parsing data, removing duplicate listings, etc. to avoid excess resources
-> Personalized services and support provide extended benefits


I created a *very basic* Example for you, which you can see by scrolling to the bottom of this page: www.selfstartersweeklytips.com/example.htm


How much can you earn?

* Percentage of click revenue 35%-50%
* Commission for referring advertisers 5%-7%
* Commission for referring partners 2%-5%


Again, see the Example here, and imagine the potential that this program could have for YOU:
www.selfstartersweeklytips.com/example.htm

(Note: This was done in 5 MINUTES flat! A simple copy & paste. I'm sure YOU can come up with many more interesting & profitable uses for this content-relative Private Label Feed!)

What's on Your 'Done' List?

I started out feeling a little overwhelmed this morning, so I decided to do things a bit different today. Instead of a "to-do list" -> I started with a blank piece of paper and decided to create an "I'm Done! list"

Since I no longer have a boss to create havoc on my work day, I have to count on myself to keep things interesting around here ;)

So, yes - I made that big pot of coffee... and then while I was out dropping the kids off at school, I picked up some Dayquil and took a dose of that. I cleared off my workspace, grabbed my favorite plant and set it on my desk beside me, and sat down to find a starting point.

Jennie showed up around 8:30am to clean house (Man, I love her!!) so I gave her some general directions about what I wanted this week, and continued to work. Grandmother was napping this morning, too, so it was particularly nice - I felt like a lot got accomplished in a short amount of time! ...for a change, LOL ;)

Anyway - Task #1: I had to dig out the manual for EasyClickMate as I had a little maintenance to do on Fabio's affiliate database. I finally found the answer I was looking for on Adrian's support forum, as apparently others had the same issue too. By the way, his affiliate programs convert VERY well, and his products are *fabulous*, so you may want to sign up, yourself: www.CashMoreChecks.com . There's relatively no competition at this point, so if you get in quick you could make an impressive amount in commissions. Some of his products include:

www.TheOneMinuteEbook.com

www.WriteItFast.com

www.TeleseminarMagic.com

www.InstantNicheProducts.com

Definitely hot items ;) He's also launching 30DayExpert.com this week with Ewen Chia, so I'm looking forward to checking that one out as well. Anyway, got those things accomplished...

I fixed Grandmother's lunch, threw the laundry in the washer and settled up with Jennie. I sat back down and checked my email - a nice note there from Merle over at EzineAdAuction.com :) By the way, the first of the two solo ads that I purchased there last week ran yesterday. No results, though -noted that on my list of ezines NOT to advertise in again ;) I look forward to seeing how the second ezine does... And will of course continue to test more!

On to Task #2 - a template for The Mom Show at World Talk Radio. You can see the rough draft here: rough draft. I'm really having a creative block lately (too much caffiene & cold meds, I'm sure). I'll continue working on it, and in the meantime - if you have any suggestions, I'm all ears.

Next I finished up Task #3 - which was my rounds on the Forums that I own and/or moderate. This was less like a task, and more like a 'break' as I really enjoy the time that I spend there with those groups... great folks, fun topics!

On my own Forum, I noticed a new Member and clicked through to check out the profile. They have a pretty cool link: Journal Genie - some of you bloggers may enjoy that one! ;)


Now that I have my main tasks completed, I can get on to the 'fun stuff' - namely my email, and creating this week's issue of SSWT ;)

My LOW for the day: I coughed *all* day, and my throat is getting more sore by the minute. Looking over at my calendar, I have an audio interview scheduled for Thursday evening (only 48 hours away). Time for a quick remedy of some sort!

My HIGH for the day: I got back in my old jeans!! I've lost right at 5lbs in the last week, which was just enough to do the trick. How did I do it? I started drinking water: 32oz/day - and kept at it consistently. Here's hoping we can melt off a few more pounds this coming week ;)

All in all, reporting in with a good day under my belt - and sporting my favorite pair of Levi's, at that! I'm off to kick out a hundred or so emails, and get to work on putting those tips together for the faithful sswt readers out there.

So what about you - what's on your 'done list' for the day?

1,000,001 Things

Do you ever feel like you have a million and one things to do, or a million and one things on your mind? Do you ever feel just plain overwhelmed with all of the things on your mind, all of the things on your task list... and all of the things on your desk?

That's me this morning.

It's going to take a strict schedule to get it all back on track, and that's what is on my plate for today. It's a matter of prioritizing it all, then doing one thing after the other until it just gets DONE. One or two good accomplishments off the top of that list will give you the momentum to keep going all day long! That's what works for me, anyway.

I should put on a big pot of coffee.

I was disappointed to wake up this morning *still* not feeling well. Today is day 10 on the 10-day antibiotic (round 2!). I feel like taking a dose of Nyquil and going back to bed :( No chance of that, though, LOL.


One of the 1,000,001 things that is dancing around in my head this morning is that Christmas is something like a hundred days away. I dont know the exact count - but it's close, whatever it is. This is a double whammy of course... as there's the ham and the tree and the gifts and the family - AND - the sales and the SEO and the customer service and everything business as it relates to the holiday shopping season. That'll keep us women busy, huh? LOL

Fortunately, I have something HUGE to motivate me through all of that madness (let's face it - there is no break between now and the end of the year for most of us!). It's the fact that I'll be packing up, heading across the country, and boarding a Cruise in February. When you have something like that to look forward to, you can get through anything ;) It will be the first big trip I've taken the kids on since 1998, and I absolutely cant wait! To top it off, it will be a chance to see several of my good friends again, and meet many more!


Ahh, but for now - back to today's task list, starting with that big pot of coffee... How about you check back in with me later today - hold me accountable - and let's see how much I can get accomplished on this list of mine ;)

Monday Musings

It's no secret that I love Monday's, and this one is no different...

I woke just before daylight, my mind still filled with dreams, and watched the tree limbs barely moving against the dark sky outside the bedroom window. As I lay there, realizing that it was Monday Morning, the anticipation of the day before me brought me to my full senses.

I couldnt stand it anymore, and grabbed my housecoat to make my rounds through the house. There are certain things I like to do first thing in the morning, such as check on Grandma and the children, peek outside to guess the weather for the day, a bit of quick straightening up from the night before... and then I generally sit down to see how business was while I was sleeping.

It's these quiet moments, before anyone else stirs, that I cherish. This is when I can truly connect with my inner thoughts - and my dreams... this is when I "think big". Before I am a mother or a caretaker, before I am a housekeeper or an errand runner or even a business owner, before I am anything else... I am ME.

Sometimes it's easy to lose sight of that. Sometimes its hard to identify yourself, or find the time to make that connection. Sometimes life just gets busy... and you find yourself managing the details, instead of creating them.

As I was going through my things this morning, aligning my tasks for the day and sipping my coffee, I came across this quote:

Do not confuse motion and progress. A rocking horse keeps moving, but does not make any progress. -Alfred A. Montapert-

It is important to live life with a deliberate purpose. To stop accepting fate, and to start plotting your own course. Every day is a new day, and every single minute is important. Nothing is set in stone, and nothing has to be accepted as truth. If not in actuality - certainly in perception.

Choose a spot, and jump in - you can start anywhere! It's never too late, or too early... or too anything. We can have anything we want out of this life, so long as we choose it and then work towards it. It's really that simple. And there really are no forces working against us, but our own.

I think back over time, choosing various memories from my past as examples, and realize how much life has changed in the last year. In the last 5 years. In the last 10 years. Change is inevitable. Change is consistent. And change can be very, very good.

Last month would have been my 10th wedding anniversary... and I think back to who I was when I was married, and what my dreams were for our future. I had big goals, and I made big plans to go along with them. I worked hard, and I accomplished everything I set out to do - and I knew exactly where I expected to end up.

When I was faced with an unexpected divorce, I was also faced with the loss of those dreams. I looked forward and saw nothing but vast emptiness. A slate wiped clean. The dreams were gone. I felt that emptiness inside of me for almost two years. I continued to work, to raise my children, to manage my home and to make decisions that needed to be made.

I was like that rocking horse. Still in motion, but never making any real progress. At some certain undefined point in the midst of all of that, I had an epiphany. I came to the realization that the thing that was missing in my life were those dreams, and those goals. I came to terms with the fact that my husband and I would never grow old and sit in rocking chairs on the front porch of that dream home I had envisioned so clearly in my mind for all those years. I finally grieved the loss of it all, once I realized what it was I had truly lost - my vision for the future.

'Starting over' then had new meaning for me. It didnt mean finding a new mate, or making home in a new place or any of those things. It meant dreaming new dreams, and choosing new goals. I can remember sitting there in deep thought, realizing I didnt even know who I was, or what I liked. Did I eat this because I liked it, or because someone else always liked it? Did I go here because I liked being here, or because it was a familiar place? Did I wear my hair this way because it suited me, or because someone told me it looked nice? I felt lost... but on the edge of something big at the same time.

From there, I began to define myself... and I began to dream again. I created a whole new life for myself, and found a happiness I didnt even know existed. And since then I have come to know you, and you have come to know me (the *real* me)... and I am glad for that. Yes, change is good - progress is invigorating - and Monday's are for realizing that everything (and everyone) has the opportunity for a new beginning.

Syndicating Forum Content

I got an email from Mike Merz this morning - one of those "top posts" type, though he calls his "The IM4Newbies Forum Update" - and he was discussing RSS & Content Syndication. He uses the Topics Anywhere mod for PHPBB to create his RSS Feed - a mod I'm familiar with and use already to syndicate my Forum Content to Michael Wong's Forum Watch .

I sat there and thought about it for a second, and began to realize that I could syndicate Forum Posts to My Yahoo pages, and that it could also be read in RSS Readers, like FeedDemon (the one that I use), etc. Hmm. Why limit syndication to Michael's Forum Watch, right? And why only syndicate my Blog content, when I have an entire Forum of fresh content as well...

So, yeah - the lightbulb went off. (Finally, right? I mean, it's not like RSS or Syndication is exactly new LOL). A couple of clicks later I had it: http://feeds.feedburner.com/sswt-forum

Sweet, eh?

So now I'm interested in finding forums that offer RSS Feeds - as I can now surf both Forums AND Blogs through FeedDemon while I'm having my morning coffee ;) It cuts surfing time WAY down and gives me an opportunity to make my rounds on the 'net in no time!

Saturday Night Movies

I'm still reading the Hypnotic Writing Manual - actually, during commercials. It's "movie night" and I am watching A Perfect Murder and Panic Room back to back. I've turned the couch into a make-shift office, complete with: manual, laptop, legal pad & pen, a cup of coffee and a blueberry muffin ;)

It's almost 8pm, quiet in the house, and I'm in as much suspense over the manual as I am the movie. Actually, I'm to the point in the manual where I am ready to apply what I am learning. I chose the project I am going to use as my Case Study, and have been working on the Sales Page step by step alongside the lessons.

That is one of three goals that I have this weekend - I also have two websites that I am working on and hope to finish up the phases I am currently on with each. I am finally starting to feel better (more like myself) and it feels good to be motivated and to be able to concentrate fully again. My 10-day antibiotic will be finished by end of day Tuesday (the 21st). Here's hoping that's the end of that!

As I continue to work my way through Joe Vitale's material, it occurs to me that I should become an affiliate. There are two reasons: 1) because his stuff is GOOD, and I'd like to add it to my list of resources & recommendations, and 2) because his sales letter would obviously have very good conversion rates!

Tip: Get your hands on anything and everything you can find by Joe Vitale (newsletters, free interviews ebooks & reports, etc). I'll work on compiling a complete list for you as soon as I get my projects completed here. Watch for it ;)


p.s. I love ALL Jodie Foster movies... but this one takes the cake!

SEO Q&A Call - Download Free!

Brad & Andy, of Stomping the Search Engines, did a live Q&A call on SEO. I'm listening in right now, and so far it's pretty good stuff! You can download all three audio files here:

www.instantseoexpert.com/seminar/download.htm


But remember - if you decide to order Stomping the Search Engines, join the affiliate program first, order through your own link, and you'll get a 25% discount! You can use this link to sign up for the affiliate program: Stomping the Search Engines .

(Since it's a two-tier affiliate program, I'll get a 10% kick-back for the referral, AND you'll get the full 25% commission - a definite win/win!)

A Priceless Experience!

Okay - the gig is up. I told you that I downloaded some material, and that they were offering a $100 gift certificate to the first 5 people to submit a review. I've already submitted my review... but I forfeited the option to receive the gift certificate, should mine be one of the first five.

Why? Because the material was phenomenal. It blew me away. It was worth 10x the gift certificate - minimum! Plus, I feel as if someone else could use that gift certificate more than I (it was for specific products that I dont necessarily need as much as someone else might). Maybe that makes sense - maybe it doesnt - I feel I've already gotten my prize ;)

So what did I review? The Hypnotic Writing Master Course by Joe Vitale - the confidential class manual from his high-end Hypnotic Copywriting Workshop last weekend (cost: $5,000/head).

Here's the Review I submitted:

---------------------------------------------------

The Hypnotic Writing Master Course blew me away!

I’ve always been a fan of Joe Vitale’s, and have taken
an extreme interest in copywriting lately, as I’ve come
to realize that it is the key to unlock my true profit
potential in online business.

So when I downloaded this manual, Joe already had
my respect as a highly-admired copywriter. I had half
an idea what to expect on the inside… but I honestly
wasn’t prepared for my reaction to it.

The first five pages alone had my senses surging and
practically grabbed me and pulled me right in. Before
I knew it, it was 2am and I was halfway through the
manual… and that’s when it hit me. Joe was not only
teaching me Hypnotic Writing step-by-step… he was
making me feel the results of it!

Can you even begin to imagine the potential you’d
have if you could engage your customers in such a
way?! I did begin to imagine it – and I wrote down
what I envisioned. I can see doubling or even
tripling my income in a matter of a few short weeks
with the information I have learned from this Manual!

I feel I’ve learned almost as much by watching his
style and monitoring my own reactions to it, as I
have from the actual information that he shares.

It’s a priceless experience.

Lynn Terry, TN
http://www.selfstartersweeklytips.com/

---------------------------------------------------

The second part of the deal was to submit results, based on action taken from what I learned in the Manual, and the "most impressive results" will win you the $997 Hypnotic CopyWriting Super Package for free. The game is on!

p.s. There's a FREE WebCast on October 5th featuring Joe Vitale, that you won't want to miss! You can register here. And it won't cost you a dime in long-distance charges either, as you can listen in directly over the web ;)

The Anticipation Tactic

Now it seems that everyone wants to use The Anticipation Tactic. Well, maybe it worked for John Reese during the release of Traffic Secrets - but I've had enough of it already. I bet I've had 10 emails this week alone that said "be sure to open my email on such-and-such date as I have something awesome in store for you".

I'm thinking SHOW ME THE MONEY!

Seriously - how many more of these emails do you think I'm going to open?! I've seen the trick - you leave me hanging, then come back and promote something! It's like pretending you have a treat in your hand and telling your dog to "sit". After awhile he just looks at your like you're stupid and turns around and walks off.

So here's the deal - if you absolutely MUST use The Anticipation Tactic, get creative and at least offer a teaser. Maybe give them a free report, free ebook, whatever - and then leave them hanging as to why and what's coming next that's really cool about it. Just off the top of my head, but you get the point.

Hey - not everybody's John Reese... and million-dollar-methods dont work 100 times ;)

Up for the Challenge!

Here's the deal: I got an email tonight giving away some free info. You gotta love freebies ;) First off, they offered a $100 gift certificate for being one of the first 5 to send in a review on it. COOL. But it goes further... they challenged us to take the information, put it to use, and send in our results.

The person who reports back with the most impressive results wins a free copy of the brand new ---------------- Package - FREE! (worth almost $1,000.00) WHOAH, super-cool :D

(I'm being secretive, as this is obviously going to be ultra-competitive!)

This is right up my alley ;) Wish me luck!


p.s. - I won the auction on that Solo Ad, going out to over 25,000! I'll keep you posted on those results, too ;)

Newsletters, Advertising & Email

Man, the Forum is hopping this morning! 29 more members and we'll be at a thousand ;) If anyone wants to give me a helping hand and refer new members, I'll return the favor - just send me a note and let me know! (make that 27 - a couple more just joined)

Speaking of the Forum, I emailed the Top Posts out last night to Members to give them a heads-up as to what's going on in the various categories this week (a lot of great threads!). Most people really like that - I know that I do, when I receive them from the forums that I frequent. I'm a busy gal, and a reminder now and then will bring me back to the spots I enjoy most. A couple of people asked to be "removed" - no problem, I deleted their profiles & memberships at the forum (it's the only way! LOL).

Anyway, it prompted an email from Michael Green (Mr Stinking Filthy Rich ya know). Michael owns the How To Forum - which is pretty popular, and I love to pop in there every chance I get. He's one that emails out a top posts note every week, too. He joined SSWT recently to participate in the thread about this latest product, which was really cool - so he got the Top Posts email last night. His reply was:


Hi Lynn,
Hope you're well. Nice idea to do the weekly roundup, but I think it might confuse people by also calling yours TOP POSTS. It's an Ezine name that I coined and have spent a lot of time developing. Any chance of your choosing a different name for your roundup?
All the best,
~ Michael

But of course, Michael! I've actually been calling it that for quite a while, but its generally a regular feature of my weekly newsletter (instead of an email on its own). This week, I forgot to add it in (blame it on the meds) so I sent it separately. Anyway - obviously Michael isnt subscribed to the SSWT Newsletter, no problem... and of course I'm going to oblige - so it's time to think of a new title for that section! "Top Picks" perhaps? Let me know your thoughts...

Speaking of emails, I was restless last night so I sat up and worked my way through those 700 emails in the Inbox (really piles up when you're away!). I managed to reply to 100 of them, and that felt damn good. I went to bed feeling like I'd accomplished something... and woke up to 60-something new emails. LOL Oh well - we'll start again today ;)

And while we're on the topic of newsletters - you'll remember my recent experience with paid advertising (a $50 investment produced a return of over $200 - not a bad turn over!). I'd love to test out a few more, and hopefully hit on some with an even better return. So I hit Ezine Ad Auction this morning and did a bit of browsing. I bid on two Solo's - wish me luck!

The Twenty-First Century

While I was in Chicago this past June, I met Bruce Schwartz, author of the hit novel THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY. I was there for the Publishing Profits Seminar, as you may remember. Anyway, Bruce was an interesting character - certainly someone you wouldnt forget! I had the pleasure of hearing one of his tales as we walked back from dinner one evening, earlier than the rest of the group. He's an amazing storyteller, and an excellent writer!

Bruce was kind enough to give me a signed copy of one of his children's books to pass along to my children. Both of them read it, loved it, and thought it was 'so cool' that Mom knew a 'real author' LOL... and even more so that he wrote them a special note on the inside cover.

As I was sitting up this evening catching up on email (over 700 - ouch!), I received one from Bruce. It really touched me, personally - as he talked about losing both of his parents to Alzheimer’s disease. While I've always just said that my Grandmother has "dimentia" - she *was* diagnosed with Alzheimer’s several years ago. It's so very sad to see someone you love lose their mind, and their grip on life.

Anyway, in this email, Bruce shares that he has decided to donate all of his author’s royalties ($10.00 per book) from now till the end of the year to the Alzheimer’s Association.

I can pretty much guarantee that if you love to read, you'd love this novel! I had not yet ordered my own copy (didnt get around to it, or pick any excuse really) - so now I'm going to go and order mine. It will be an excellent read, and for a great cause. I'd love to see them find a cure.

Bless you, Bruce!

If you'd like to read the message for yourself, I've uploaded it here: http://www.selfstartersweeklytips.com/bruce.doc (it is in Word Document format).

Ryze & Fall?

So what's going on with Ryze.com these days? I noticed just recently that you had to know someone's email address before you could add them as a friend. Of course, I didnt know that person's email address - and didnt have a need to - so I thought that was useless!

Is Ryze slowing their own growth? Anyone else notice things calming WAY down over there?

Brad Fallon & Yahoo

Did I tell you that I had a chance to speak with Brad Fallon? You may remember from previous entries that I was interested in his product (Stomping the Search Engines) because of his success with a Yahoo Store. However, when I read over his sales copy, it mentioned "dominating Google".

I wrote him a quick note, letting him know my primary interest was Yahoo Optimization, and he gave me a reply right away:


Hey Lynn,
Yes, Yahoo is covered just as much! (In fact, you can see the example of one of my sites, www.myweddingfavors.com, ranks #2 on Google and #1 on Yahoo for "wedding favors.")
But Google gets more traffic -- and people always want to hear about it
-- plus, it's just harder to say "google and yahoo" every time.
Hope that helps!
Thanks,
Brad Fallon

I ran across several posts on his Blog at BradFallon.com that backed that up with some pretty interesting (and unsolicited) testimonials. So - this is what I've settled on, and it's audio too, which is super-cool! I can actually multi-task and absorb this information while I'm working ;)

He also mentioned opening up a forum for customers of StSE called "The Stomping Ground". Sounds like a place I definitely want to be! The timing on this product couldnt be better what with the holiday online shopping season just around the corner. (Now is the time to get to work if you plan to be on top!)

I'm working on a new site template for SSWT. I'm not entirely satisfied with it, but hopefully I'll get it in some usable order in the very near future.

Blog-O-Holics WebRing

Oh boy - I'm learning all kinds of new stuff this morning. I've never messed with WebRings before - I'd love to hear your thoughts & experiences on them if you have a moment to leave a comment...

Anyway, Angela sent a very nice note this morning, inviting me to join the Blog-O-Holics WebRing. Not knowing what I was doing, I got denied - because I didnt have the code on my site ("what code?", I said).

I think I found it. Let's see what it looks like:



Hmm - nevermind. It doesnt work here. Now what, Angela?

My Apology to the Yahoo'ers

I'm absolutely in love with FeedDemon - this is THE spot that I go for all my Bloggin' now. I'd seen the buttons to add Blogs to My Yahoo, but that doesnt appeal to me at all - in fact, I rarely ever use Yahoo for *anything* anymore. I dont use the IM, the Search - none of it.

However, I was surfing my Forum this morning and was given a good DUH moment while reading the posts there by Carrie & Stefani. That part of the thread starts here. Basically, they made the point that it doesnt matter what I like and what I use - there are millions of Yahoo'ers out there that DO like it and DO use it.

Point made. And you'll now notice a button to the right that will allow you to add this Feed to your Yahoo. I apologize for not making this available sooner to those of you that use Yahoo regularly. I'm certainly not prejudiced against Yahoo... I was simply being close-minded :)

Ironically, when I woke up and fired up my computer this morning... the Yahoo Toolbar appeared on my browser. I took that off months ago. {insert Twilight Zone music}

Unsubscribers

I had a record number of unsubscribers after sending out today's issue of Self-Starters Weekly Tips : five.

That's so insanely unusual that I had to go back and read over my newsletter again, as I admit that I did it under heavy medication and put it together a bit faster than usual. Hmm - not so bad. Those are all the things I ran across or checked out myself this week - that were worth mentioning, anyway. Ahh well.

Following are the comments that were left:


1) Too much mail coming in and no time to read it!

• hey, no problem - I can relate to that!

2) No reason

• LOL, ok

3) this person clicked the [spam] button in her AOL mailbox

• that one really gets me. {sigh}

4) I am going to be traveling with no internet access in the foreseeable future

• Understood. Have a great trip!

5) TO MUCH TO READ; I EXPECTED MORE THROROUGH INFORMATION.

• Is that an oxymoron? Seriously - I think she's telling me that I talk too much and dont say anything useful. Noted ;)

I received many more positive responses, of course - so all is well in the grand scheme of things. Unsubscribers are just so rare, it caught me off guard to get five in one day! So of course, next week it's back to the regular format! ;)

I Love this Gadget!

Now this is cool:



Don't ya think? Get yours, and sport those blog topics in your sig! You can grab one (free!) at www.FeedBurner.com . I think it would be cool if Paul over at www.GetBlogs.com would post these neato gadgets with the Blog listings in his directory - how cool would that be? (hint hint wink, Paul!)

Another cool program they have is FeedDemon - you gotta download the trial version of this one and check it out! It is a desktop application that allows you to add ALL of the Blogs you frequent, and then you can read them, browse, search and even post comments to them - all from within this one program! No more visiting blog after blog after blog, and having to click click click to check out the comments etc. Nope - now it's all quick & easy, and all in one spot ;)

So whose Blogs do I have stored in MY FeedDemon? I'm not tellin' :p

But hey - Andre - you need to get a feed! How can I spy on you if you dont have a feed?!

A Million Bucks!

Yeah - that's me. I feel like A Million Bucks today! :D I sound horrible (like a man in drag!), but I feel grreeeeaaat - - for a change :p It's nice to be motivated again, get something accomplished, to be able to think straight - geez! LOL. The last three weeks have been pure torture, but I finally feel like I'm getting on the good side of this.

I'm even having a good hair day to top it all off ;)

After a round of antibiotics and a strong dose of steroids (DO NOT EVER take those if you can help it - ACK!), I ended up back in ER over the weekend and came home with 5 new prescriptions... none of which I could keep down. Back to the doctor yesterday - and then I slept almost 30 hours straight.

About those steroids... the doctor failed to mention they may make you PSYCHO. I had to send myself to my room more than once last week! I cried, and cried and cried. And it seemed to me that the tree's were trying to tell me something. Nuts, I tell you! I am SO glad to have that out of my system - whew.

Anyway, after my appointment yesterday (where I cried "please, please - I'm so sick of being sick!") they gave me something to keep me from being sick - so yes, that makes 6 bottles of meds now (ugh). The problem was that I couldnt swallow - at all. I could show you pictures but it would really gross you out - I'll save you the trauma. So I obviously couldnt eat. But I did try - after all, you cant take all these meds on an empty stomach, right? Right. Well, it took me over an hour to eat half a cup of chicken noodle soup. By the time I got that far, I was hungry all over again! Definitely a losing battle there. The doc said "quit trying to eat". She said "just take this, quit eating, swallow the pills, and go back to bed". So I did.

I woke up at 2:30 this morning shivering so hard my teeth were chattering in my head. I rolled over and fell back asleep. About an hour later I woke up drenched in sweat and got up to grab a glass of juice and take a lukewarm bath. Ahhh.

It's finally over. I think it's passed. I look at my precious 8yo daughter and wonder how in the world such a sweet and innocent little girl can carry such nasty germs home from school! Funny how she got over this bug in a measily 48 hours - as did my son and my grandmother. My daughter said to her brother, "I'm glad you got it cause that means it got out of me and into you" (hahahahaha).

• By the way - Brad Pitt wants to know what a Successful Internet Business Owner looks like. Check it out: http://www.selfstartersweeklytips.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2433
  
• Also - brand new affiliate program you might want to get in on before everyone else hears about it:
  http://www.freelance-tips.com/affiliate-program1.htm

Free Classifieds

I dont generally do this sort of thing (post to Free Classifieds online), however I have found ONE that gives me a really good response... and I use them regularly.

The site is Local Sales Network: www.localsalesnetwork.com , and they are a local site (Upper Cumberland area in Middle Tennessee). They do A LOT of radio advertising here locally, so they get a lot of local traffic. I follow their radio spots closely, and generally post new ads when they do heavy ad campaigns. This gets my ad in front of the largest number of people, as they drive traffic to the site and my ads are then on or near the top.

I just heard them on the air again this morning... so I'm off to post my ads ;)

If you have something like this in your area - it's worth checking into. Do a few location-specific searches and see what you come up with!

John Reese says...

In John Reese's now famous 17 page Newsletter, he made the statement: "Marketing courses and products yield one of the highest returns on investment in the world. But you have to apply the new ideas".

I would have to agree - every dime I have ever spent on this type of material has produced very good results. Those that I have read & used, anyway. I dont always have time to complete them, or to take notes and take action. In fact, often I scan the material specifically for what I am looking for and then run with it. Worth the money? Always!

I've had more time to catch up on my reading lately, though. Having been sick for three straight weeks now, I've had a bit of time on my hands while waiting at the Dr's offices and while 'resting' (reading is a great way to pass the time when you cant sleep!).

For today's visit to the Dr, I took along a couple of printed pieces to read: John Reese's 7/30 newsletter, "how to increase keyword saturation without destroying the flow of your copy" by Karon Thackston, and a search engine checklist that I got from Karon.

I had read John's newsletter issue when it originally came out, but I decided to go back to it and take notes - and get ready to do the Brain Dump exercise. This is very similar to the method I used to create my "10 year plan" - except that I didnt use paper (its all in my head). I like the idea of having it on paper, in front of me, and the timing is good for this type of activity as it will help to remotivate me and get me back on track.

Things are going very well, despite the time off I've been forced to take. My Alexa ranking is 'dropping' very nicely, I've been nominated for placement on GuruDAQ, 6 more sales came in after this weekends newsletter ad ($71.94 in commission), Adsense income has more than doubled - almost tripled (thanks, William!), my Forum is gaining new Members every day, and I've got some good deals in the works that look very profitable ;)

The material I've been reading lately has me very motivated, and is sparking a lot of great new ideas. I look forward to getting well so I can dig in and run with it!!

Swipe Files

Swipe Files: every smart marketer uses them, whether it's for copywriting, subject lines, writing ads... or even Adwords. Basically, it is a collection of materials that you can refer back to for inspiration and great ideas - and to help you emulate the success of others who have gone before you.

Most people will grab up famous sales letters, or pick apart emails of the "master list builders" or even analyze their competition. All good methods. However, I have a unique advantage... as I *am* my target market. I'm constantly learning new marketing strategies, growing my business to the next level, testing out various methods of building traffic and building lists, etc. I then simply pass on what I learn and find through my newsletter and forum.

From this perspective, I am able to study the "buying habits" of my target market - very closely. For example, if I buy and use a certain product... I can pretty much count on it being of interest to my subscribers or website visitors. If something 'turns me off', it's a definite no-go. Sure there are varying degrees of experience and individuality to consider, but as a whole and in general - this is what tends to work best.

So, for my own personal Swipe File, it would make sense to look specifically at the products/services I've purchased online - and analyze those ads, ezines and sales letters to determine what it was that made me ORDER. And equally important, to take a second look at the offers I have passed up, and determine why it is that I was not interested enough to buy.

Interesting, too, would be to look back on the ezines/newsletters I've subscribed to. Anymore, my Inbox is prime real estate... so those emails that I do request, I've requested for a reason. Perhaps there is something there to learn on what makes people join a list (willingly, without being coerced in any way).

How about: Why did I sign up for that affiliate program? Why did I download this free ebook? What compelled me to advertise with this site over that one? Why did I join this forum, or why do I participate more on certain forums than others? There is no end to the useful information to be gathered, here!

Emotions, associations, logic - lots of things to analyze. For example, I signed up for Frank Garon's newsletter on a personal recommendation from a friend. I read the first few issues, and then filtered it out into a file after that (which I rarely look at). That said, I have taken a recent interest in him again, as he is the one that pointed me to Order Button Triggers and because he is speaking with Ken McCarthy right now - but both of those came to my attention through someone else's list. And... it's more of a 'guarded interest' - as I am wary of "hype & sales" associated with his name. Then there's Rosalind Gardner. I loved The Super Affiliate Handbook, and still refer to it from time to time. In the beginning, I was reading her every email from top to bottom. But then - it ended up filtered just like Mr Garon's. Why? She mentioned Corey Rudl one too many times for my taste. I used to be a HUGE fan of Corey's - - until he turned from "great info" to "buy buy buy!!" (and products I felt were a scam, at that).

So you see? These are interesting points! Especially for any online marketer that is interested in building their list... and building a solid relationship with their readers.

What about the emails that I DO read? The ones that I drop everything to read start-to-finish when they come in... Right now, that would be: Perry Marshall, Ken Evoy, Dr Mani, Allan Gardyne, Andre Chaperon, Becky Hagel, Michael Green, Mike Merz, Henrik Flensborg, Ken McCarthy, Brad Fallon, Mike Litman, Alice Seba, Jim Edwards, Michael Nicholas... to name a few.

There's much to analyze there: Is it because of their subject lines? Is it the information - the content? Is it because I own and use their product? Is it because I know them? It would certainly pay to sit down and do a thorough study of each of the lists I am subscribed to, and my reaction to them.

Back to Products, Sales Letters & Swipe Files - I've decided to compile a list of everything I have ordered so far this year (2004) and analyze the promotional material, the sales copy, and work on coming up with my own conclusions as to why I pulled out my credit card for certain products over others. It will become my ultimate Swipe File.

Monitoring SERPs

Back to that spreadsheet this morning - yes, I'm still tracking search engine rankings manually at the moment. A few quick searches show excellent progress, mainly in Google.

For one of my newer pages, adding an inbound link from a PR5 resulted in moving up from #9 to #3 in a matter of days. As for Yahoo, that page still isnt in the top 100 results. I am determined to 'master' Yahoo ranking by the end of this year! There has to be something vital that I am missing there... though I'm not sure what it is. Hmm.

I've found a few articles to read up on:


http://www.seochat.com/c/a/Yahoo/Optimizing-for-Yahoo/

(plenty of backlinks, appropriate link text & keyword density)

http://www.webmasterworld.com/forum35/1973.htm

"In short, if you are doing well in Google, work on your "onpage" factors and you will do well in yahoo!"

http://www.webproworld.com/viewtopic.php?t=14270

"Inktomi is very old-school when it comes to Keyword densities, keyword arrangement and simple-site structure."

http://www.seo-lab.com/seo-articles/optimising-for-yahoo.php

The purpose of this article is to address known SEO relating to Yahoo! and Inktomi for the benefit of optimising for that search engine.


-----------------------------

A quick search on Yahoo shows that they have 612 pages from my domain indexed. Looks like I have a lot of work to do ;)

And the weekend begins...

Ahhh - FRIDAY!

The kids had plans for the weekend with friends & family, and I've just returned from dropping them off. Grandmother has had supper and will be ready for bed shortly... and I'm going to order out the greasiest sloppiest fast food I can find!

What's on for the rest of the weekend? A little R&R, maybe some reading... and if I get lucky, Dad will come and hold the fort down tomorrow for awhile and I can get out for some shopping & sushi ;)

How about you?

Outsourcing

Outsourcing is a task in itself. Add it to the list. I've put a lot of thought into it the last few days, though, and have decided to make another move in that direction.

Several weeks ago I hired a housekeeper to come in once a week for the 'deep cleaning'. Being home full-time with Grandmother and two kids makes housekeeping a challenge, so this was a real blessing. I can keep up with the laundry and dishes and cooking and shopping and general pick-up all week... and then she steps in to dust, mop and scrub. It's nice. And it took a lot of stress off of me.

At the moment, I'm looking for some help with Grandmother. Being totally confined to the house is becoming a hardship - not to mention, it's wearing on me personally. Simple things, like going to the grocery store or dropping the kids off at school, mean taking Grandmother on an 'outing' - which is not always possible or feasible. She's also gotten into a "wandering" phase even here at home, so I have to keep tabs on her 24/7.

My father does come sometimes to take her for an outing, but it's sporadic and unplanned. I'm generally either exhausted and use that time to take a nap, or I'm knee-deep in a work project that I cant walk away from. Either way, it's not something I can count on or plan for as "free time" to accomplish other things. And more often than not... she comes back wound up -or- exhausted herself, so it's not the best trade-off.

I did manage to get Home Health nurses to come - due to the fact that Grandmother has open wounds (ulcers) that I am dressing daily. I think I had high expectations, though... I really thought they would come more often - or do more. As it is, they are bringing me supplies which saves me a trip to the pharmacy... and basically patting me on the back and saying "you're doing a good job". I wonder how hard it would be to talk them into dressing her wounds *daily* and coming in to handle her baths? I'm not sure... I have her legs almost healed now, so I'm afraid they are going to stop coming altogether.

It looks like I have two options: an in-home sitter, or to drop her off ocassionally at the Senior Center. I'm not sure she'd go for the latter, though that may be the better option for me. Let me tell ya - it's one thing to arrange childcare and playdates for your children... but a 92yo is quite different LOL. She has enough of her senses to tell you what she doesnt want, or what she absolutely isnt going to do - but is losing her mind to a point that you cant reason with her.

For starters, she think she isnt at home, and she is on a serious quest to get there. Some days she packs all day. Some days she says her 'goodbyes' to everyone that stops in for a visit. Yesterday she put her hand on her hip and said to me - with her eyebrows raised - "Well I can tell you one thing - I *wont* be coming back here!". Nevermind that she's lived her 60-something years... she's ever waiting at the door for that "ride home".

There are times that I miss my friends, and my long morning walks. I miss listening to music or drinking a beer on the weekends. And there are times - like now - when I'm sick and need to crawl back in the bed. But it all comes down to a choice... and I made a commitment here that I cannot back out on. And wont.

Back to outsourcing - I do think I'm going to start with those things that are wearing on me the most. That will give me an opportunity to regain focus and make decisions regarding work, and any outsourcing that may be done there as well...

Ken McCarthy

Lately, I've taken a big interest in Ken McCarthy. You know - the "system seminar" guy. I like his emails specifically because he shoots straight and they're full of nuggets. Like "the real deal about traffic" and "the real secret of great copy". Open one of them and you'll open them all.

His link is www.thesystemseminar.com, I believe. Anyway - if you have been keeping up with him, and reading all of his emails (like me), you've undoubtedly heard of Stomping the Search Engines by Brad Fallon. I'd never heard of the guy before Ken started raving about his skills with SEO... but I'm leaning on the edge of buying StSE.

What's holding me back? I have no idea. Probably the fact that I'm so frustrated with SEO tracking at the moment (LOL) grrr.

I'm off to do a bit of research and see if I can dig up some reviews. And perhaps I'll email Ken & Brad and see what they say about WPG and the whole ordeal of SEO project tracking...

In the meantime, I've signed up for the affiliate program. Check it out - you may want to do the same: www.selfstartersweeklytips.com/seo-blueprint.htm . They offer 25% commission and a 2nd tier as well.

Which reminds me - I have a manual by Jason Cox to finish... and renewed interest in those final chapters!! More later ;)

Ezine Advertising

Fabio Marciano recently came out with The One Minute Ebook... and I went nuts over it. With so many 'junk' products floating around out there, this one really impressed me. I shouldnt have been surprised, as I've known Fabio for a couple of years now and read The Secrets of Wealth (softcover - check amazon.com) when he first came out with it. He's a phenomenal writer in my eyes.

Anyway, I happen to have a friend who caters to authors and freelance writers online: Dallas Franklin of http://www.sellwritingonline.com/ . I've been subscribed to her newsletter for quite a while - a year or more - so when she recently offered an advertising special... I decided to take her up on it. The timing was perfect, as I'd just read OME (The One Minute Ebook) and I figured I would test the promo with her market.

I believe Dallas has around 1200 subscribers. I take that back - I just looked and her site says 2500. I'm not sure where I came up with the other number... but anyway - I've found the list to be responsive ;)

I ordered an advertising package that included 7 ads - 3 Solo's and 4 top spots in her regular issue for $55. My first Solo ran last week, and I put in a basic review of OME... which resulted in 9 sales. Commission for affiliates of OME is $11.99 (the ebook sells for $27) so I earned a total of $107.91 from that first Solo. My second Solo runs today, and I basically backed up the first review with a follow-up and an excerpt from OME. I'll keep you posted as to the results...

As for the top spots, for the first one I included the offer for Mike Litman's free CD and free bestseller - I believe there were 3 sales and 6 subscribers as a result of that Ad. So I've already more than doubled my money with today's Solo and four more ads yet to run. For the next top spot ad, I was planning to mention either OME again, or another of Fabio's new products: "Write it Fast!". I may make the link there in the top spot ad and then run WIF in the next Solo...

I'll be putting SWO on the list I'm compiling of newsletters to advertise in... and I'll be on the lookout for more to test over the coming months!

Bottom line: You dont need your own product OR your own list to make money online. The fastest way to "get in on the action" is to capitalize on the results of other people's hard work and years of experience. Obviously the experience I shared above is a small example - but I'm sure you can see that this is just the tip of the iceberg, and that there is tons of potential.

And there's even a way to do it without spending a dime on ezine advertising... Just ask Jason Cox!

Verbs & Adjectives

Continuing to follow Perry and his adventures surrounding travel to the X10 Seminar, this little tip from his latest email really caught my attention:

Only a few minutes ago, Alex Mandossian finished his segment on writing copy. He talked about verbs vs. adjectives.

Verbs are good.
Adjectives are bad.

A famous Leo Burnett Agency study revealed that 24.1% of the words that appeared in 62 failing ads were adjectives.


Now I have to admit to you - I never enjoyed English class. Dont get me wrong... I love to read and I love to write, but analyzing it all just ruined it for me. I maintained the grades, but considered it pure d-r-u-d-g-e-r-y!

Give me a pen and paper, and I could write ALL day. Give me a book, and I wont put it down 'till I finish it. Make me edit or critique it - and BLEK :p
I'll find something else to do real quick ;)

I'm finding 'copywriting' to be much of the same - except now I am motivated, as I see the need to learn it - - and master it! I've had my nose buried in books on copywriting for the last several weeks, now - and the concepts and strategies are brilliant... and actually - - interesting. Still, reading and learning is one thing... but ripping a page to shreds with an ink pen and highlighter still isnt my idea of a fun project.

But Verbs & Adjectives - this, I can do ;)
It's as good a place to start as any...

(Leave it to Perry to take some mind-blowing insight or boring statistics and simplify it into something that is so easy you can just grab it and run with it!)


*By the way, after that big rant on Search Engine Madness, I started a redesign on SSWT - I'll give you a sneak peek as soon as I get it somewhere near ready! ;)

Labor Day

It's Labor Day, and a beautiful sunny Monday morning here in Tennessee. Today is also my daughter's 8th birthday, so we'll be out celebrating this afternoon... and it looks like the weather is going to hold up just long enough for the outdoor party.

The rain is coming, though - and plenty of it. Hurricane Frances gave Florida a real beating over the weekend, and now it is heading our way. No hurricane in TN, of course, but we are expecting flooding downpours for several days on end once it reaches this far inland.

I cant help but feel grateful for everything in my life this morning. My career, my two beautiful (healthy) children, the fact that Grandmother is doing so well... and this beautiful weather, even. Watching CNN last night left an impact on me - fear, sadness, shock that anything so horrible could happen (but knowing full well that it does, and always will). Not just Frances, and Ivan pulling right in behind it... but the gruesome events in Russia... and all of the other horrible and insane things that they reported on television.

I'm not one to watch TV very much. In fact, we went without it completely for almost two years when we lived in the cabin by the lake. I was the last one to know about 9/11 - and still to this day have never seen "the footage". I think I am glad for that. More glad that my children did not witness it. We did talk about it, though, and always do openly discuss these sorts of things... I just prefer not to be subjected to the imagery.

Remind me not to watch CNN anymore.


Today, Labor Day, is a day to celebrate ACHIEVEMENT. And my daughter's birthday, of course ;) So with those two thoughts in mind, I'm going to shake off the 'world news', go put the finishing touches on cake decorations and have a GOOD day.

And over the course of it, decide how I can best contribute to the victims of Frances as they take stock and begin to rebuild their lives and homes...

Search Engine Madness

This is stressin' me out...

I've been on the search for something - anything - that I could use to organize my SEM projects. Research, organization, keywords, ranking, tracking, improving... the whole she'bang. I've been doing it all manually up to this point - which means I research the keywords, do the competition analysis, create & optimize the page, implement link strategy, put my search term in the SE's periodically to monitor ranking, tweak a bit, check again later, etc.

Obviously I cant stay on top of it all like that. Certainly not for every single page I create (across several sites). As if I can even remember every single page - gimme a break! LOL I'd have to document as I go, and the paperwork on that would create a full-time job for somebody :p

I've looked around, and I've tried some of the more popular tools. Most of them are web-based, and you get to do one query at a time. There's that problem of remembering every page - and entering it - to get the results. And the maddening part of it all?! None of the them give the same results :\ They dont even match what I pull up manually by using Google or Yahoo. What good is that?? Some of them only give results for Google - they dont even offer tracking of Yahoo, MSN, etc...

I gave up and created a spreadsheet... and figured I'd just sit down and try to figure it all out this afternoon myself. So I've got: the name of the webpage, the search term I'm optimizing for, the # of daily searches for that term, where that page ranks on google/yahoo/msn, number of backward links... and a notes section. I figured it'd be a good start.

Rude awakening!

Search terms I optimized pages for last year now get ZERO daily searches. There's even a new page I just added *last month* that was getting over 100 searches a day for the term... now Wordtracker is showing none. Great - and I rank #1 for that one. LOL. Okay - so we start keyword research all over again, right? Fine.

Yahoo has me scratching my head. Top 10 in Google SERPs, not even in the top 100 on Yahoo. What's up with that? I havent checked Yahoo in forever, but I never imagined their results would be so different. So now we have to figure how to rank well in Yahoo SERPs. Okay - fine.

(I'm suckin' wind in Yahoo all the way - it's pretty sad)

I've only looked at 9 of my pages so far (which took over an hour, by the way) and I'm ready to throw in the towel. There has GOT to be a better way to monitor all of this!

Dare I say.... web position gold ? NO! DIE DIE DIE - That software will curse you!! Okay, already. I've been looking at WPG for over a year now, and every time I venture out to peek at the reviews, I always crawl back with my tail between my legs. Google says, loud and clear: No Automated Querying! This is the main complaint with WPG, but I'm not sure how it differs from the other services that *are* recommended. But okay. Fine.

Not to say that I'm not tempted to shell out the $149 and just keep reaaaal quiet about it (shh!) - but knowing me (the tracking & tweaking freak that I am), I'd run queries all day and night and get my site banned forever till the end of time!

You should have seen me when I first got my hands on Adword Analyzer and Keywords Analyzer - heh - I practically exhausted the contents of the English Dictionary! :p

Well... back to square one. What's a webmaster to do? Go back to the spreadsheet? Yeah - by the time I complete that, all of the results will be outdated... LOL

Hmph. I'm ready to scrap the whole site and start over!

Logos and such...

I'm back to work and feeling super-motivated! Of course, it's Saturday - which is my favorite day of the week ;) And, as usual, I got up early this morning to work on a few of my own projects. I do have a bit of catch-up work to do with my clients today after taking some time off for the last two days... so I'm planning to get that off my plate first.

About that 'day off' thing - I honestly dont recommend it. It was NO fun at all! And while I am still sick, being able to get up and accomplish a few things beats a day in the bed ANY time! I got up this morning and checked out my favorite forums and my email - and boy, was it nice to get back in the swing of things and catch up with everything I'd missed :)

Anyway - I wish you hadnt missed Thursday's entry (lost forever, unfortunately), but to catch you up I was brainstorming about my sites, long term goals & overall organization and streamlining. I'm in some kind of crazy "spring cleaning" mood - right smack dab in the middle of Fall!

So I was checking out Logo's this morning - specifically www.gotlogos.com and http://www.im4newbies.com/draw-me-logos.htm . While I'm considering a new template for my sites, and some major updates, the idea for a logo really appeals to me. Something that brands the sites, and evokes visual recognition - on or off the sites. I thought Mike Merz did a good job with his new image, which you can see at the top left of his forum: Internet Marketing for Newbies Forum. (That's his link for "draw-me logos" up there, by the way.)

I havent decided on anything at all... and I'm totally open to suggestions - so fire away! Hmmm... perhaps I should put on a big Logo Contest and solicit ideas and drafts for a cash prize :D

I wish I could just sit down and work on it all today - but I do need to go catch up on those client projects, rearrange the office and hook up the new computer, and get everything out of the office that I want to list on eBay. Perhaps I'll find a good block of time later to devote to my sites ;)

Oops!

I had this really great entry yesterday, and I'll probably never remember it all to re-post so that one's lost forever :p

I had woke up feeling a little 'down' - just not myself - and the day just kinda went downhill from there. I mentioned a couple of days ago that I have bronchitis... and it just got the best of me, I guess. I ended up falling around late morning as I got winded and blacked out. Banged up my leg, but outside of black & blue, it's not too bad off. Anyway, they whisked me off to the doctor (aha! everyone shows up to save the day!) and she put me on steroids and antibiotics and pain meds. Lovely - I hate pills. Anyway, my mother arrived this morning to take over as I'm "on bedrest" for the next day or so.

So, I'm retreating now to my room with the printed version of Order Button Triggers, a hard copy of Conversations with Millionaires, and some bottled water. I'm absolutely exhausted already, and it's barely after 7am here.

So here we go - I'm about to find out what "a day off" is all about! See you soon ;)

Geeks

AHH! Perry Marshall is cracking me up!!

So I'm working away in my Inbox this morning... and I get this email from Perry Marshall. He's on a trip - speaking in Australia - and he set up a new mailing list for junkies like me that like to keep up with every little thing he's into.

Hang on - let me see if I can find the link to that. You may want to subscribe to this, too....

Hmm, not sure - try emailing: news@perrymarshall.com or this link:
http://autocontactor.com/app/r.asp?c=1&ID=17911625 . Anyway - I just got the first email from this new list, and it had me literally: LOL! (Dont you hate that, when you bust out laughing in front of your computer screen and everybody around looks at you like your nuts?!)

Anyway, Perry's talking about GEEKS. That's what started the snickering... Let me tell ya - I've met Perry Marshall in person, and he IS a geek! Just check out THIS picture:



Suffice it to say... he takes PRIDE in being a geek ;) Wait a second... what does that make ME? I'm the junkie that signed up for this email list! Well, anyway - I got a kick out of this part of today's email...


The Internet: Revenge of the Geeks

"Ever since the beginning, Perry knew he was different
from all the other boys and girls."

Perry was a geek.

Perry was a walking disaster in basketball and couldn't
get a girlfriend to save his life. Remember that song
called "She Blinded Me with Science"? Same vintage as
Pac Man Fever.

Well I related to that song. I knew that I *could*
be blinded with science. Easily. Problem was, there was
no "she" who was trying to blind me with science in the
first place. (Not until Laura came along, anyway.)
So I only related to half of the song.

Now it occurs to me that most of my customers
are geeks, too. Guys and gals that flunked out of sports
and spent a lot of time in detention.

Somehow I don't think that the folks who get my emails
are ex-homecoming queens and student council presidents.

No, this is where the geeks and the people voted 'least likely to succeed' congregate. Guys and girls who have ugly yearbook pictures and who were outcasts in school because they could remember odd facts like the capital of Norway.

Today Internet is Revenge of the Misfits. The shoe
is on the other foot now, my friends. All the pretty boys
and their material girls can keep kissing up to the boss,
but the entrepreneurial cowboys and cowgirls are quietly creating cult followings, catering to strange markets and occupying fascinating little niches.
For example, a few months ago I met a guy who sells a
business where people paint glow in the dark stars on peoples' bedroom ceilings. Strangest thing I ever heard of, but apparently it's growing like gangbusters.

That's not a high school valedictorian type of business.
That's a 'Breakfast Club' business.

Seriously, that's what the web is really like. And
I'd like to give you something else to think about.
I've been to a dozen different countries on six
continents, cities all over the world. From
Sao Paulo Brazil to Changchun China, from Hannover
Germany to Johannesburg and Brisbane.

And you know what?

All big cities look basically the same. With
globalization happening at breakneck speed, they're
looking more and more the same with each passing year.
That's all well and good, but the more equal we all
are, the more we need to find a tribe that we can belong
to that's different from our neighbors. The more we
are like our neighbors, the more we eat at the same
McDonalds and live in the same apartment complex, the
more we want to create a new sense of identity in something unique.
The web is the easiest place for people to find that
tribe, that niche, that tiny community of like-minded
people.

So always remember, especially on the web, that you're
NOT looking for everyone. You're just looking for folks
who totally and completely relate to you on a specific
topic, passion or concern.

What do you call a niche that's so narrow that you
have to comb the entire world just to find a few hundred interested people? I didn't have a name for it, so I invented one: "nanoniche."

Nanoniches are very small, so narrow and spread so thin
that only occasionally do people even get together in
person. Our audience here at the X10 seminar is a nanoniche,
a mere 150 people who are hugging the edge of the curve.
Simon Chen, the organizer, has collected the pre-
conference calls for our seminar - all fresh, hot
material - and is giving it away.

More info at http://www.InfoMarketingSeminar.com

Stay tuned for more soundbytes in coming days...

Cheers, Mate!
Perry Marshall


Relate to anything here?? I'll admit it - the only sport I was ever good at was DODGEball :p I didnt date in high school... and had a 98 average in Trig. But hey - if being a GEEK puts you in the ranks with the likes of Perry Marshall... I wouldnt mind that title one bit ;)

Studying Sales Copy

Sales Copy is one of my favorite topics lately! I'm currently reading Order Button Triggers by Michael Nicholas. I ordered it last week after reading an interview transcript with Frank Garon on the same topic. I subscribe to Frank's newsletter, but to be honest - I dont read it anymore. My friend Andre enjoys it and recommended it, but to each his own... I feel too much 'hype & sell' coming through those emails.

That's the cool thing about Andre and I, though - we're complete opposites! Well, not entirely - we do have some common objectives and goals... and we share a passion for teaching IM & sharing our experiences in a no-hype atmosphere. I believe our differences is what makes Turning Ideas Into Dollars such a hit, though - two completely different perspectives offers twice as much insight into various topics for our Members ;) Andre and I teamed up and created this site together last Spring... it's been an absolute blast so far!

Anyway, that's *one* of the reasons I'm reading OBT. I've been skipping around through it all week, and finally decided to print it out this morning so that I could really dig into it (with an ink pen and a highlighter! lol). It's 198 pages, and I have to admit... I'm really impressed with Michael Nicholas so far - this stuff is GOOD. Right now I'm engrossed in the Case Studies and I'll tell you - I'll *never* look at Sales Copy the same again! I understand the basics, yes, but what Michael does here is nothing short of mind-blowing in my eyes!

I plan to use what I learn here in three of my current projects. One is to revamp the sales letter for the TIID site. Andre and I are getting ready to begin the next phase of our Marketing Strategy, and so we're tweaking the sales copy and preparing for a split test and a round of conversion tracking. I'm also writing my very first "Sales Letter" from scratch for an affiliate product - not as easy as I thought it was going to be! I have all of the basics covered on it already... but it's lacking something. And, of course the third project: the Sales Letter for my new (coming soon) software program!

I've also been reading The Step-by-Step SEO Copywriting Course by Karon Thackston. I ordered it last month, and it really appeals to me as Karon has a much softer style of writing & selling. No in-your-face "you've GOT to buy this or you're going to DIE DIE DIE", but rather she talks heavily about reader's reactions, the differences in target markets, the differences between features and benefits (a common misconception) - - and she does it all in a very informative and helpful way. Also - I bought her course from her website... so that goes a long way in telling me she knows what she's talking about ;) It's a huge comprehensive course - tons of gems in that one!

I'm off to work... gotta make those clients happy! ;)
(Contrary to popular belief - I dont make my living posting on forums or sending out newsletters! :p )

My Goof for the day: Remember that new toner cartridge I bought yesterday? Well, I forgot to peel the protective strip off before I stuck it in the printer and started on the 198 page print job. Go figure! :p