I hosted two fun (and very candid) Q&A sessions on my niche marketing success, and on running a "lifestyle business" you ENJOY. They are full of live examples and great tips that you can implement in your own business right away!
Here are the replay links, and the highlights of the discussion...
Click the links above to watch the interactive replays.
Here are just some of the topics we discussed during the live sessions:
A "Lifestyle Business" vs "Big Business"
I started out 19 years ago with more of a "big business" model and mindset, running a large electronics shop and then a web development company - both in the city with physical locations and a number of employees.
I then partnered in two other businesses, before ultimately leaving it all behind to move to the lake and work exclusively from my home office.
I don't regret that for a second. 🙂
I absolutely love the freedom & flexibility a "lifestyle business" affords me. I also love not having to manage people, offices, shops - and being able to travel the world with a laptop and ENJOY my life, and my work!
We're having a great discussion about it in the comments of this post, following the training to "scale up" to agency/corporate level at Traffic & Conversion Summit.
It was a GREAT event, but several of us there that do run a lifestyle business discussed how we loved the content - but were brainstorming ways to "scale it down" to a more fluid and enjoyable level.
I say... to each their own. Build a business you love, the way you want to do it. Don't let anyone tell you how to do it, or let any internal or external pressures convince you to build in a direction that would be anything less than FUN.
In 19 years of business I've done a little bit of everything, a variety of models in a variety of niches. The biggest thing I've learned in all those years is that there's more to life than money, taxes and bragging rights...
If you're not having FUN, and enjoying your life, you're not doing it right!
How To Write GREAT Product Reviews (Even For BORING Products)
I shared live examples of how I easily create product-based blog posts and product reviews, even for VERY boring products (lol) - and how well those convert.
And (surprisingly?) how much engagement I get on "product discussions". Including 21 shares & 68 likes on Facebook for a purely product-based list post!
One of my favorite quotes for bloggers is:
“Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing.” ~ Benjamin Franklin
You can read more on this, and see live examples from my own niche blog, in this post titled Writing A Blog Worth Reading. We also discussed "conversational disclosure" as a means of being transparent with your readers, and also including the required disclosure - without sounding boring. 😛
Here are a few recent examples from my own niche blog:
24 Cool Low Carb Products Other Readers Bought on Amazon This Month
Can We Talk About… Probiotics? (And Other UNsexy Personal Stuff)
In the webinar replays you'll discover why I often start with one blog post title, then later edit the post title. We also discussed "Affinity Marketing" and how to make otherwise irrelevant products... relevant and interesting to your audience!
What's A Realistic Way To Make Money Online... Fast?
This was a great question:
What is a REALISTIC way to start QUICKLY earning money online (REAL MONEY in the pocket of $150 to $250+ per week) WITHOUT working a regular JOB?
My advice: When you need money, start by selling anything that isn't nailed down and also lowering every expense you can. Get rid of things like Netflix, cable tv service, sell everything you can on eBay or Craigslist, etc.
As for making money, the fastest easiest way to make money online or from home is by offering services - or taking contract work. This will get "cash in your pocket" the fastest. You can work on building your own business for more long-term profit potential on the side, devoting 60-90 minutes a day to building your business while you take on service work to bring in the fast cash.
Check out Writer Help Wanted for everything you need to set up a service-based business, or take on FAST easy contract work to bring in some quick cash. This is my special link to get it half price, this month only - so take advantage of that! 🙂
You can read more about it here, but make sure you use the discount link above.
Perfection Not Required! Stop Holding Yourself Back...
I freely shared what's WRONG with my own niche site, and how I built a list of over 17,000 highly engaged subscribers... anyway!
It doesn't matter if you have the perfect wordpress theme, whether you have a "lead magnet" (ie opt-in incentive) created yet or not, or if you have all the pieces in place. You can always fix, add, improve and tweak as you go. They key is to just... GO!
Work fast, build fast, fix fast, fail fast even.
I recommend you watch this video & read this post:
Do you suffer from a "Failure to Launch" or a fear of failure?
...to discover the ONE thing that will guarantee you to fail, and 7 simple solutions to the things that keep you from achieving success!
Cool Resources We Discussed
How to download Adobe Photoshop CS2 for free - legally
Create your own professional cover graphics for Info Products & Kindle books
Instagram Power: Build Your Brand and Reach More Customers
Be sure to join my free groups on Facebook too:
What is the best way to get traffic to your website?
Years ago this was the primary focus for any site owner, but right now your time is best spent building an audience - across the web, on a variety of properties. In the live session I explained that my top two sources for conversions are currently Facebook and email. The majority of my conversions don't even happen ON my website!
When you focus on building an actively engaged audience, you'll naturally get traffic to your website as a result. But don't make that primary focus.
Focus instead on serving your market where they are.
One of the reasons email is working so well for me on my niche site is because I use the Blog Broadcast feature in Aweber to send my full posts out to my subscribers.
The majority of my readers read my blog in their inbox - not on my website.
This is why contextual advertising is so important, meaning you should put your "money links" in the content area of your site/blog.
Another reason is because the majority of your readers may be reading your content on a tablet or mobile device - meaning they never see the sidebar or other static areas of your sites. So make sure your ads and money links are IN the content!
Funnel Marketing vs Building Relationships
I've been reading Russell Brunson's DotComSecrets book where he talks about funnels and qualifying subscribers and buyers immediately when they first come to your site. This seems counter to building a relationship before asking them to buy. What's your opinion?
Great question! The two actually work hand-in-hand.
First, read 3 Key Content Pieces as this explains how to qualify your visitors and subscribers, and how to "meet them where they are" and then strategically move them to and through your funnel - strategically.
You'll also want to see Funnel Hacking, which is my free bonus - and the detailed nitty-gritty how-to on creating high-converting funnels.
Building funnels and qualifying your traffic is actually a great way to build solid relationships, and to create an environment where you can best serve your market every step of the way.
The Power of "Audience Insights"
Dave asked: Lynn, have you had a chance to try out Ron's $5 Posts? If so, could you please describe how it worked for you? Thanks!
Dave is referring to the Quick Start Cheap Facebook Advertising training program by Ron Douglas - which is GREAT! If you use this link, and this coupon code: lt19special (that's lowercase "lt", as in LT), you can get it for half price right now. 🙂
One of the coolest things I learned from this course is the power of Audience Insights.
The fact is, Facebook knows everything about everyone!
The amount of data you can get by uploading your email list, or placing a pixel on your website, is nothing sort of AMAZING. Even if you never place a single ad, or do any paid advertising, this is an extremely powerful way to gain profitable insights into your market - insights you can easily use to expand your revenue sources!
Even if you have a very small list, or very little traffic, Facebook can create what's called a "lookalike audience" to dramatically expand your reach - by taking your limited data, and creating an audience highly similar to those you HAVE reached already... which is a super fast and easy way to dramatically increase your reach.
Highly recommended, definitely worth it - especially with our February coupon code. 🙂 Click here to get it and use the lt19special coupon code to get the discount.
Schedule & Structure vs Creative Inspiration
Creative types are naturally disorganized and stifled by schedules. Then there are types that thrive on structure. My advice: don't try to work against your natural tendencies, your personality and preferences.
It's ideal to strike some kind of balance, one that works for you personally, so that you have some structure to the way you run your business... but also have the room to go with creative inspiration when it strikes you.
"Your fly by the seat of your pants success always inspires me because I often fall into the idea that I need to "fix myself" and get more organized. Then I hear what you've done "unorganized" and I'd be thrilled with half of it..."
I jokingly call my strategy: flying by the seat of my burning pants." 🙂 LOL.
I'm in the process of adding more structure to my own business though - through strategic planning. See: Strategic Planning vs NOT Planning for more on that, and what it means exactly.
"Create At Least As Much Content As You Consume."
This is my personal policy, and one I highly recommend. It forces you to be more picky about what you read, and how you spend your time online. It also gets you in the habit of sharing and creating content consistently - which is super important.
As for me and my burning pants (lol), I find it easiest to work with what's in front of me at any given moment.
For example, while reviewing my Amazon sales stats for the month (ie consuming content), I turned right around and repurposed that sales data into a blog post.
My two favorite sayings on the topic of content creation:
Stop Blogging. Start Talking.
Stop Marketing - Start Serving your Market
If you would like to see me in action, you can watch over my shoulder here:
Also check out How to find GREAT blog post ideas - Fast! for a tip that will have you pumping out awesome content consistently that your readers will love. 🙂
We also had a great discussion about what to do when the topic you're passionate about isn't necessarily a commercial topic. Or "how to monetize a niche where there's nothing to sell."
We also discussed why I don't use automation tools for my social marketing, and why you MUST be on Twitter! Plus this fun browser trick to increase your productivity. Oh - and how to use Google Adsense for "lead generation". 🙂
There were a lot of great questions, and it made for a fun discussion on current marketing strategies - and creative angles for doing business online.
Click the links above to watch the interactive replays.
Best,
p.s. I would love to help you create a business you LOVE, or work with you to reach your true profit potential this year!
Find out how you can get my hands-on help in your business. To celebrate my 19th year in business, I temporarily reopened the cheap monthly option plus the Lifetime Access option (which is currently $500 off!) to make it easy for you to join.
When you join, not only will you get my personal attention and hands-on help every step of the way, you'll also get my popular Niche Success Blueprint and Social Marketing Results courses - so you can duplicate exactly what I'm doing. 🙂
About Lynn Terry
I was not able to watch webinars live, so I just watched them when I could. In the second video, around the 14 minute mark, you mentioned how you also added Adsense to your posts.
How do you add the ad blocks? You usually have one at the top that is spaced to the left with the text wrapping around and one at the bottom. Do you manually add them to your posts or do you use a plugin that automatically adds them in the spots that you want?
I f you manually add them, how to you do so with them spaced to the left with text wrapped around? Just curious.
Also, sorry to ask.....but you haven't mentioned Sulley at all lately on Facebook, just Slim. And no more pics of Sulley since like 2/01. No one has asked you at all about him either, which I find strange after so many updates and pics since you got him in October.
If you don't want to answer, I understand. I just seem to get attached to your dogs after seeing pics and updates, like with Slim, Mylah, Molly and now Sulley. I love Great Danes too. I don't have one, but was always a huge ScoobyDoo and Marmaduke fan. I must be drawn to danes for some reason. I only have cats though, no dogs. But I had a German Shepherd growing up. So, I do like both dogs and cats.
Great webinars. I appreciate that you posted the replays.
My last update about Sulley was a sad one, and I just haven't been able to talk about it since. He was put to sleep on February 6th after a vicious attack. His family came and spent the day, and we were all with him. It's been a lot to deal with.
With Adsense, I place the code strategically - so I don't use automation, but rather put the code in where I want it to display on a post-by-post basis. The code I use put the ad block at the top left of my post, with the text wrapping around it, is this code: