Kelly McCausey is the host of the summer series, and she has been digging into my blog archives to check things out before the interview on Wednesday.

In a recent post she asked me about my objective – and whether I started my blog with a specific plan in mind:

So many people start blogging on a whim and end up fizzling out after a little while. According to the archives on your blog, you started blogging in the spring of 2006 and you definitely never fizzled. I have a feeling that starting a blog was not a decision that you made lightly, right?

Did you have a plan for your blog from the beginning and have you pretty well stuck to it?

Looking forward to your reply,

Kelly

Hi Kelly

I actually started blogging in August 2004, so this month marks 6 years that I’ve been blogging full time. I started out on blogger.com – then moved over to WordPress, and the domain ClickNewz.com, in March 2006.

My original objective was simply to share what I was doing, and what was working, in my online business. It was very much like a personal business journal in the beginning. I didn’t optimize my posts with a keyword phrase, didn’t monetize the posts or the blog in any way, etc.

It wasn’t until later, and with the rising popularity of blogging for profit, that I began testing and talking about those things ON that platform. Even still, my blog remains a personal biz journal. I continue to share what I am learning, what I’m using, the books I read, the challenges I face and the solutions I find.

While it wasn’t my original objective to monetize my blog, meaning I didn’t start a blog with the intention of making money at it, it has become a consistent revenue source. This is a natural result of testing ways to make money online, creating live examples and then sharing the results with my readers. Which is what I do.

If you read through my years of archives, you’ll see as much personal history of my business growth as you will “internet marketing tips”. Almost all of the tips & reviews are intertwined with my thoughts and personal experience – because it started out as, and still is, a business journal.

Intentional or not, it obviously works – and works well. Which is another lesson I learned and then shared along the way. And one I continue to implement on new niche blogs outside of the internet marketing space.

Had I started a blog with the sole purpose of making money, I may have “fizzled out” myself. Blogging is a lot more work than some other methods I’ve used to make money online – such as affiliate marketing.

Blogging meaning writing conversationally and continuously.

I do use WordPress as a platform for Affiliate Sites now (versus HTML or traditional static websites), but using WordPress doesn’t mean you’re “blogging” – it can also be used to create pages that look just like the traditional websites.

If you’re going to blog it pays to choose a topic you’ll never tire of writing or talking about. I’ve started many blogs over the last 6 years. Several of them did fizzle out. Those that stuck were the blogs that had to do with my deepest personal interests – such as this one about my online business that you’re reading now.

Best,

p.s. Even though I write my blog in much the same way as I keep my private business journal, I do have a strategy. I shared that in detail, giving the 7 elements I include, here: How to Write a Blog Post. What to write and how to write it are the two biggest questions I hear – followed by how to increase blog traffic. < That link will give you my favorite method of getting high quality visitors to your blog.

Hear Ryan’s top 3 tips for growing your online business, and why copywriting is an important skill for all bloggers to learn!

Hi Ryan! You have an impressive history of working online as a copywriter for the last 8 years. What was it that inspired your transition to working online?

When I went freelance back in 2005, I had already been doing a lot of online marketing for the company I worked for. Plus, online advertising was exploding. So it seemed to make the most sense to focus on helping online businesses to improve their marketing.

Of course, I’ve been fortunate to have been involved with a few off-line projects as well. But to this day most of my work is online.

In addition to being a highly referred Direct Response Copywriter, you’re also known as a Business Growth Expert. Do you focus mainly on the growth of online business?

Yes. I help online businesses get more sales from their current advertising efforts. If they’re making 1 sale for every 200 visitors, I want to help them make 2 or 3 sales from the same volume of traffic.

Most times I’m hired to write a direct response sales letter. Sometimes I’m hired to do a copy critique or write emails or run some split-tests. Every situation is unique.

I’ve also helped a few off-line businesses in the sense that they generate leads online and close them off-line. Or vice versa: They generate the lead off-line (through direct mail or space ads), then bring them online.

With every year that passes it becomes harder to define businesses strictly in terms of “online” or “off-line.” Many businesses choose a hybrid approach. And why not? There’s money to be made in both places, and it’s silly to cut off one or the other “just because.”

What 3 tips would you share with ClickNewz readers to help them grow or improve their online business?

Only three?? Just kidding.

Here are three tips that come to mind…

Improve Your Online Business Tip #1:
Master the Execution of Fundamentals

The fundamentals of building and growing an online business never change. The basic formula is:

Targeted Traffic + Conversion + Remarkable Product = Sustainable Online Business

What have you done today to get more targeted traffic to your site? What have you done today to improve your conversion rate? What have you done today to make your product better?

You don’t necessarily have to tackle all three areas in a single day. But I believe you should be doing one of these things every single working day.

It’s work — but it works.

Improve Your Online Business Tip #2:
Automate What Can Be Automated

If you were a door-to-door salesman, you’d have to knock on dozens of doors every single day to have even a fighting chance at earning a living. This is not something you could automate. You’d have to do it yourself.

One of the advantages of running an online business is that many sales functions and even fulfillment functions can be automated.

For instance: You can load up an autoresponder sequence with quality content and a few sales messages mixed in. The emails will be sent out automatically on the schedule you determine.

Surely I’m not telling you anything new. Most people who’ve been online for more than a couple months understand the importance of an autoresponder sequence. And yet very few people actually build out their follow-up sequence like they know they should.

This gets back to Tip #1. You need to become an expert at execution.

Here are a few things that can be automated: follow-up emails, opt-in processes, delivery of electronic products, delivery of physical products, etc.

If you begin to automate your business, you get to do the work once and then enjoy the fruits of that labor for a long time. (There is almost always a degree of ongoing maintenance involved, but it’s minimal compared to the initial work.)

Somebody will point out: “But Ryan, you’re a copywriter! You’re just trading hours for dollars!”

Point taken. And it’s something I continue to work on: Shifting my income away from activities that pay only once and toward activities that generate income for the long-term.

Improve Your Online Business Tip #3:
Avoid Unnecessary Distractions

There are a million and one things demanding your attention when you’re online.

There are emails, Facebook updates, news alerts, RSS feeds, tweets, etc. If you’re not careful, an entire day can flash by — without you getting a single thing done to advance or improve your online business.

So whereas the first two tips I shared were “offensive,” this one is “defensive.” It’s imperative that you stay focused and cut out unnecessary distractions.

Do you have email alerts turned on? Turn them off. Does Tweetdeck run in the background alerting you to every new tweet? Turn it off.

Half the battle is usually just managing and controlling the tyranny of the urgent-yet-unimportant things that crop up every day.

Do you feel copywriting is important to bloggers, since they don’t create products & sales letters?

Absolutely! After all, every blog post title has to “sell” people on taking the time to read what follows.

(I’ve actually studied the most popular posts on my blog and on other people’s blogs and have made some interesting discoveries, particularly about blog post titles.)

One commonality among all top bloggers is their ability to write well and be entertaining. Too many blogs have no life in them, no passion. They just bore me (and everybody else) to tears.

Plus, there’s much to be said for learning how to engage people. By studying copywriting, you can learn a lot about how to capture people’s attention and engage them — both important skills for bloggers.

You offer a Free 39-Point Copywriting Checklist on your blog. Who is this checklist best suited for, and can you tell us what to expect from the download?

The check list is specifically designed for people who are selling things online. But affiliate marketers and bloggers can pick up a few good ideas as well.

When you get the check list, you’ll see that each item is phrased as a question. And there is a check box next to it. After you read the question, you can then check it off if it is complete.

For instance, the first question is, “Does your headline enter the conversation that’s already happening in your prospect’s mind?” There’s a check box to the left of the question so you can check it off.

There are 38 more questions like this. And while there isn’t a precise order, the check list is organized so that things you should think about first are at the top, and things you should think about later are at the bottom.

The 39-Point Copywriting Checklist is available for free (with opt-in). Or feel free to simply peruse the 200+ free articles on my business growth and copywriting blog.

Ryan M. Healy

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TELEPHONE:
Open call-in hours 2-4 p.m. MST,
Monday-Thursday: 720-344-7788

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WEB SITES:
Blog – http://www.RyanHealy.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/healymonster
Copywriting – http://www.CopywritingCode.com

It’s been years since I ran campaigns on Google Adwords (pay-per-click advertising) but I’ve taken a renewed interest in it. In your post, you talk about Quality Score. This is new since the last time I ran campaigns. Can you explain what it is, and how it’s calculated?

For this one, I couldn’t say it any better than Google itself, so here is their definition:

The AdWords system calculates a ‘Quality Score’ for each of your keywords. It looks at a variety of factors to measure how relevant your keyword is to your ad text and to a user’s search query. A keyword’s Quality Score updates frequently and is closely related to its performance.

In general, a high Quality Score means that your keyword will trigger ads in a higher position and at a lower cost-per-click (CPC).

In addition to the Quality Score of the merchant’s landing page, if you’re promoting a direct affiliate link, you need a good Quality Score on your own landing pages if you’re sending traffic to your own domain first, right?

Any tips for creating a good affiliate landing page that will get a good Quality Score?

Absolutely. Creating a good affiliate landing page is all about quality, relevancy, value and user experience. As long as your pages provide good content, which will eventually impress your visitor to take action, you are on your way to a good Quality Score.

Most people want to write a couple short paragraphs and give an affiliate link: that that won’t cut it most of the time. One of the best ways to create a great landing page is to involve your visitor with a well crafted “story” that uses your keywords and involves them emotionally.

The link(s) on your landing page need to take your visitor to a page that’s closely related to the keyword/key phrase they entered through. And of course, an easy and explicit navigation that takes your visitor straight to the item they were searching for helps too.

Don’t forget to include a link to your privacy policy.

I like that you discussed price points in your blog post. While higher price points bring larger affiliate commissions, I used to choose some of the “low hanging fruit” or lower priced products/offers – and some of those had great conversion rates.

Is there a minimum that you work with, or do you analyze campaigns on a case-by-case basis?

That’s right: some of the low hanging fruit will give you success much easier, since your key phrase is more targeted, the cost is lower, and not everyone bothers with them.

With that said, I usually try to look for products that will give me a commission of $10 or more. The work involved in starting a campaign is the same regardless of how much or how little you’ll make, so I might as well shoot for larger commissions.

In the mean time, I don’t shy away from promoting a lower priced offer, if I think it will convert well.

What are some of the first things you do when you notice a campaign tanking, or not turning a profit? Do you immediately give up on it, or are there other things you try or test before quitting?

It depends: if I had 300 clicks for that campaign and no conversion, I usually give it up. But, if I made a sale in the first 300 clicks, I’ll try and see how I can improve it.

For example if I see a lot of clicks for a certain keyword, but no sales, I’ll pause that keyword and let the campaign run.

If a campaign has been doing well, and all of a sudden tanks, I’ll immediately look at the merchant’s page where I am sending traffic. More than likely, the merchant removed the page, or made another change (like add AdSense or other advertising), and that’s the reason for the “tank”.

I used to track my campaigns VERY closely – even with a daily budget set up. Do you turn your new campaigns off if you’re going to be away from the computer for the day, or even while you’re sleeping?

I try to stay away from starting new campaigns at night, since for the first few hours I keep a close eye on all my campaigns.

But if the campaign has been online for a few days and it’s somewhat predictable, I don’t turn it off. If the campaign has been online for a while, and I know what to expect, I don’t worry about it even when I go on vacation.

But, if you are worried, you can either stop it completely, or you can schedule when to turn it on and off. Google has an ad scheduling feature, where you can schedule when you want your ads to run.

Thanks, Adriana – very helpful!

Be sure to read Adriana’s original blog post on how to make money with Adwords, and feel free to leave her questions about PPC below in the comment section.

Best,

p.s. Perry Marshall has a brand new 2010 Edition of the Definitive Guide to Google Adwords. He has long been THE authority on mastering Adwords with higher CTR and conversion rates. A wise investment if you’re considering PPC advertising, and a guide I’ll be studying again myself before I dive back in with my campaigns.

Maria Reyes-McDavis asks: Got any good advice for newbies on how to deal with rejection? Our stance is to leave it and move on, or engage further. But I’ve seen some people actually delete the cross-blog-convo-post… Thoughts?

Maria posed this question in a Cross Blog Conversation back in July – 6 months ago. How ironic that I missed it altogether until now, considering that is exactly what she was asking about!

Maria,

My apologies for missing your question, and the opportunity to engage in a Cross Blog Conversation with you and your readers. For some reason I just now received the trackback this week.

Technology is awesome – when it works right, eh?

It’s a great topic, so I decided to respond – even if I am quite late with it. Very timely even as I was just reading Be Realistic About Time by Chris Brogan this week. Excellent article – definitely food for thought.

So what do we do when we feel like we’re being ignored, blown off or “rejected”?

First, I think it’s important to realize that’s usually not the case. We’re far too quick to take things personal, when they’re usually not. And I agree with Chris Brogan on the fact that expectations have become somewhat unrealistic, with most people expecting responses to come in near real-time fashion.

The fact is, most of us are overwhelmed with requests and with various ‘communication pings’. Earlier this week I was feeling a little flustered myself between buzzes, vibrations, rings and dings. My points of communication include: 8 email accounts, Tweets, Twitter DMs, forum messages, forum PMs, Skype, Facebook, Myspace, blog comments, mobile phone & landline.

To make matters worse, people will often send at least 3 messages using any combination of those points to reach you. An email to ask you if you got the private message, and then a tweet to ask you if you got the mail.

It’s a lot to keep up with!

I don’t pressure myself to answer every single message. It’s not even humanly possible. I often turn off the ringers on both my mobile and landline – and also turn off notifications from social networks ocassionally. This has nothing to do with the people who are trying to reach me. It has to do with me, and my need for personal downtime, time with my family, time to focus on a project, etc.

I’ve seen people get completely bent over a week going by without an email response, or not getting a return call/message from someone they wanted to speak with. All sorts of assumptions might get made. But more often than not, its just not personal.

I’ll tell you straight up that I have thousands of emails – and there is no way I’m going to be answer or even read every single one of them. I have somewhat of a system for dealing with priority messages, but things do fall through the cracks from time to time.

Your blog post being a good example

To answer your question about Cross Blog Conversations specifically, I would leave the blog post up. Especially once it gets indexed in the search engines, and if your readers have left comments on the topic.

It’s good measure to send your blogger a note where you think they will see it. If they are active on Twitter, tweet them a message and let them know you’ve invited them to a CBC. But after that, leave it and move forward. If they don’t respond, it’s not the end of the world.

And maybe they will – 6 months later

The bottom line is not to take it personal. Don’t consider it a sign of rejection. Your request may have been overlooked, filtered out, or otherwise ‘caught in the noise’ of what has become an unrealistic wave of communications coming from every direction. Follow up once, and then don’t sweat it after that.

I’m curious to hear your thoughts on current expectations of response time, in regards to social media and social networking. Obviously it would be ideal if we could all respond to everything in real-time, and never miss a message.

As for me, I’m not going to lose any sleep over it. And I certainly hope nobody ever loses sleep over a delayed – or even lack of – response from me. Of course, I’ve received enough “hate mail” to know that people do take it personal…

Your thoughts?

Best,

Ryan Moran asks: What can I do now to excite my list, or get them involved in what I have to offer next? How can I build a loyal following like you do? What is it you DO that gets people so excited? I’ve never seen you plug a product that doesnt get a huge response from your readers. What are YOU DOING that I am MISSING?

I’ve given them thousands of dollars worth of material – yet they wont respond. They arent getting involved on the forum, or taking my recommendations seriously. They seem excited at first, and I have their attention upfront – but then it just drops off…

Lynn says: Hey Ryan – Hope you had a blast on those roller coasters, sounds like fun! Thank you for the kind words, definitely a high compliment and very much appreciated

This is such a great topic. Especially right now while everyone is talking about social media and video marketing and all that jive – because still, email marketing is vital. You have to have some way to follow-up and connect with your target market once they’ve found you on the web.

So you’re giving away tons of free information. You said “thousands of dolllars worth of material”. You’re obviously doing something right on the front end, because you are getting subscribers… but the problem seems to be in your response rate.

I should say upfront that I cant give specific advice since I havent personally reviewed your systems – such as your opt-in forms, your traffic generation methods, your subject lines, or the content in your follow-up series… that kind of thing.

First of all, if you have 400 people beta testing, and you get 40 of them to a live conference, thats a 10% response rate. That’s not bad. Its not phenonemenal but its not bad.

I’m going to share a few tips with you, and hopefully some of these will apply to what you’re doing specifically.

1. Stop giving away so much information. What you’re doing is building a list of freebie seekers. People come online for information, thats what they’re looking for. If you give away the farm upfront, they really have no reason to keep coming back.

What you want to do instead, is build a list of more qualified prospects. The best way to do that is to build a list of buyers – for example, sell a low cost report. Thats always a good option.

But even when you’re giving something away for free, you really have to set it up so that they expect more from you – get that anticipation factor going so they look forward to your next message.

You might say on the download page: “Here’s the download link, and watch for an email from me in the next couple of days – I have something else to share with you too.” Something as simple as that.

2. If you’re having problems with your open rate, then you want to take a second look at your email subject lines. We all get a lot of email, so that subject line really has to pop – it has to stand out in their full inbox and get their attention.

3. Those first few follow-up messages are critical to this relationship you are building with your readers. And its not just about content. There are a lot of factors involved.

For example, if you’re emailing a super busy group that you know is scanning and speed reading, then you want to keep those messages short & punchy. If they open your first couple of messages and they are 5 pages long, they are going to close it and move on – its overwhelm. So be careful about giving away too much in the email.

4. Once you have them anticipating future messages, and actually opening those messages, then you want to work on the response rate - meaning, getting them to take some action within those messages.

Dont try to sell them anything yet – first you have to get them used to responding or interacting. So keep it simple: invite them to comment, post a question, reply to you.

5. Lets go back to that original product you gave them in exchange for their email address. Did they open it? Did they cosume that great free information you gave them? You want to make sure that they are consuming your initial product.

So here’s what you do – your first followup message should be 24-48 hours after they sign up for their list – which is when they downloaded your product. You want this to be in an autoresponder of course, so that its automated and so that it gets to them at the exact same time of day they originally visited your site. So if I opt in at 8pm, a day or two later I get a message from you at 8pm.

This is important because we’re all creatures of habit. Most of us get online at the same times every day, And usually if we’re taking action on something – thats our action hour. Me for example, I do most of my serious research and reading and buying in the morning hours every day.

Anyway, what you want to do in that first follow-up message is get them to open the product. Again, the subject line is important – then in the message you want to point out something of interest on a specific page. For example you might say “I’d love to hear what you thought of the 4 secret strategies outlined on page 9. One of my readers wrote in and said this improved her response rate 37% – great results, dont you agree?!”.

This is going to make them curious, and if they havent already opened your product it will compel them to check it out.

Now if your product sucks… that may be where you’re losing people. Not saying thats the case, but you definitely want to get some feedback. Maybe you can find a few people on some social Q&A sites to review your product. You might offer a small fee in exchange for some honest feedback.

This is a great way to get those testimonials or quotes that you can use in the follow-up message too

Above all, my advice is going to be this:

Forget making sales. Forget making this list profitable. For NOW. First figure out how you can connect with these readers. And really build on that relationship.

Try some of this out – I’d like to know how it works out for you. Definitely keep me posted, and of course let me know if you’d like me to take a closer look at some of your systems. Maybe we can brainstorm some of those points together.

And dont worry – I’ll hit you up for MySpace advice in exchange

Best,

p.s. The “news” I mentioned in my video… you can hear more about in my next post at: The Net Effect

Besides, I have some confessions to make…

Hi Rick,

First, I’ll confess to being annoyed with your earlier blog post titled The 12 Biggest Wh*res in Internet Marketing. It wasnt until later that I found out you sent that link via Direct Message to a good number of people on your Twitter account (if not all?) – so initially I assumed it was a direct message to me specifically. Let me just share with you how it transpired on my end (considering we all experienced this topic/discussion from a different frame of reference):

Our readers should know too, that you and I have talked before – both via Direct Message and even on the phone. Only a few times perhaps, but enough so that I felt comfortable confiding in you as a business peer. You were fast making your way into my inner circle (Target 25 as Mark LeBlanc puts it).

I spent the entire weekend reviewing the Traffic Secrets 2.0 transcripts. I got my hands on them late Friday evening, and knowing the launch was set for Tuesday at 11am my time… well, it was crunch time. Before I promoted TS2, I had to know who it was for, just how good it was (or not), and whether it was a good match for my readers.

By the end of the day Monday, I was exhausted. I finally ended my work day around 10pm and settled in for ice cream and a movie with my daughter. A much-needed mental break, and opportunity to wind down before another big day on Tuesday.

Not only was it “launch day” for Traffic Secrets, but I also host a live Webinar on Tuesday mornings – in addition to the other work that I do online. Just to say – as an Internet Marketer and Super Affiliate, I do put in my hours.

Anyway – I have Direct Messages from Twitter set up to text me on my cell phone (which few people know, and I probably shouldnt have said publicly LOL)… so I was not in the best frame of mind when I received your DM that said “I proudly present to you… (link)”. That link being to your post about the 12 biggest wh*res. I was tired and ready to wind down, and I took one look at that and got a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach.

I fully expected to see my name listed among “the 12″ since you messaged me directly. I had no idea the context of that post, but I didnt like the idea of my name on that list in ANY context, given the subject line.

I decided it was best not to let it sit overnight (just in case) – and so I paused the movie, made my apologies, went back to the computer in my home office, and typed in www.rickbutts.com/…..

I’m human. I’m not some automated bot that promotes every single product to hit the IM market. I’m a 35 year old woman, single mother to two kids, with a life and a career. I also very recently had personal conversation with you about where I stood in the IM industry… And so yes, I took your direct message seriously.

I also took it personally once I read it – and for a number of reasons. First, because you sent me the link directly, so I assumed you were directing the comments at me specifically. After all, your post was about affiliates who are promoting Traffic Secrets 2.0 – and I am.

Second, I was disappointed in your post. Which I should note, has gone through some edits since I read it originally – so it no longer states the tidbits that got under my skin so much. Those now-removed tidbits being about the TS2 course specifically.

I take it personally because I actually work hard at what I do. I actually reviewed the product when I wrote about it on my blog. Anyone who goes around spouting misinformation about the product, with such a loud crowd-drawing subject line as you did, just does all us hard-working bloggers a major disservice.

In fact, I would go so far as to say that you “pimped” your opinions much louder and with much less taste than I presented my own content on the topic (my review & recommendation).

Which do you think got more views: your sensationalized off-the-cuff rant, or my well thought out review – written only after investing an entire weekend studying the course for myself? And if any two people read both of our posts (your unedited original post, I should say), in any order, do you not realize it would only make mine look like a well-disguised promotion to carelessly “bleed the pockets” of my readers (as you put it)?

My regular readers know me better than that. And many of them told me that (after reading your post) they didnt at all lump me in that “group” – and that I shouldnt give it a second thought.

At this point, it doesnt matter if I took it “personal”. And it doesnt matter if you included me in your unpublished list of marketers or not. The damage is done. Your blog post was the breeding ground for what became a near virtual riot.

And while yes, I do agree that there are major issues in our industry right now, I dont feel as if your tactless blog post was very helpful in turning things around. In fact, it was nothing more than pure link bait in my opinion.

If there’s a problem in our industry, lets DO SOMETHING about it. Something productive. Something positive. Let’s quit griping and stirring the pot – and start talking about solutions.

True self-starters, and regular ClickNewz readers, already know that is exactly what I have been attempting to do over the last 2 years.

Yes, I am an Internet Marketer, yes I have a mailing list – and yes, I am a “super affiliate” and I earn money promoting other people’s products. I even win my share of affiliate prizes – including a 50″ LCD TV from Stompernet.

I know that I am not one of the “wh*res” you were referring to in your blog post. I know that. And you know that. And the people who know me best know that as well. But by starting such a big stir without naming any names… you ended up making a blanket statement, and putting a bad taste for ANY marketer in a lot of mouths.

Let’s take the fact that I won that shiny new TV as a stompernet affiliate. On the surface, that would ruffle some feathers (feathers of those who are still riled up from your virtual riot). Upon closer inspection, anyone could easily see that I did not promote Stompernet membership directly, and that I won the prize in a random affiliate drawing.

What people may also not realize is that I took out a weekend of my personal time, drove to Atlanta, and attended the last Stompernet event personally. I spent at least $1,000 out of pocket and then put even more time into it all… only to ultimately talk with my readers about it (with full disclosure of my intentions) and share thoughts on it that did not earn me a single penny in commission.

We’re not all vultures.

When I pass on recurring Stompernet commissions ($!$!$!) at the best interest of my readers, and then come across a product I do highly recommend for them personally… I dont feel at all guilty saying so. I also dont appreciate someone walking on the scene with no personal experience with that product, and making a big point to devalue it.

I did the ground work. I studied and reviewed TS2, I published that review, I answered questions on the side. I even hosted a 90 minute FREE webinar to open the floor for Q&A and candid discussion on both the product and the promotion.

As I said, your post went through some edits. But the original version was not a very kind reflection on the Traffic Secrets 2.0 product – nor was it at all accurate. I just checked the cached version and here is a snippet that is now missing from your post:

This medium is not static – it changes constantly. I simply cannot imagine a “course” being worth more than a couple hundred bucks – (I have no ideas with Traffic Secrets 2.0 will cost), and further, I cannot imagine it being accurate still by Christmas 2007.

You didnt know the price (which is less than half the price of the original course). You didnt know that it came with lifetime updates and ongoing mastermind/support access. You didnt even know what all it truly covered…

Again, I know you didnt lump ME in your big rant. But do you not see the damage your post caused – or that by not naming names, you ultimately made a blanket statement?

. . .

After giving it much consideration… I decided not to send out a live link on Tuesday when Traffic Secrets 2.0 was officially released. I forfeited a good number of sales with that decision, no doubt.

Even worse, I neglected to tell my readers about the ONE product I truly believe can make a real difference in their quest to start and/or run a successful online business.

I’m not really sweating either of those issues at the moment. Since this is not a “limited time offer”, I have plenty of time to make sure that they know it is available – and the value that it holds for them.

You and I are not that different, Rick. We both recognize there are problems in the industry, and that change is imminent. Like I said, I’ve been calling this one for awhile now. Starting about 2 years ago I began pointing out the obvious upcoming shift. And here we are.

But while you are ranting wildly and without facts, and waving your arms like a mad man… I am busily trying to teach legitimate internet marketing strategies, and discuss the bigger issues: personal responsibility, self-accountability, methods and resources for making the leap into true entrepreneurship.

I rank #1 on Google for “learn internet marketing”. I know how to help people make money online. I invest a lot of my personal time trying to make a difference in this industry.

I know where I stand. And I know what I am going to do from this point forward.

Back to you –

I’ve heard your rants. I’ve heard what you dont like. Now I want to know what you think about potential solutions. You obviously have some pull, and you have a readership that is well-baited. So now what??

We can either duke it out in an all-out ascii match, or we can work together to help people find some positive resolution… and to finally start making some good money online.

I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Best,

Also See: Traffic Secrets 2.0 Update

Take a moment to analyze the value you are getting from your social networking campaign, and the specific results of your social marketing strategy. There are actually 3 points to consider for true analysis…

1. Tangible trackable data: ROI
2. Branding/image awareness
3. Link building & search positioning

I read a blog post by Paul Short this morning that really struck a chord with me. It’s titled My Problem With Social Marketing. Ironically, I found the link to this post on Twitter. Paul calls “Social Marketing” an oxymoron, and says:

“What if being part of all these social networks does nothing for you and your business because of the way it’s structured. What if maintaining appearances at all those social networks is actually hurting your business and negatively impacting your bottom line?”

I can see where that would be the case, but I dont believe it has to do with the way certain social tools or sites are structured. But more how you use them. It’s important to take stock and step in with a strategic plan, else you risk getting pulled in to a neverending inefficient unproductive time-suck.

Let’s take Twitter as one example. In a previous post I suggested that ‘tweets’ should contain a good mix of current news, opinions, conversations and announcements.

On the one hand I can appreciate the opportunity to interact on a more personal level. But when it comes to marketing or networking, the word ‘social’ pertains to being personable (vs personal), which – in my opinion – should be accomplished while still retaining an appearance of professionalism.

Before you sling the flames let me just say that I enjoy hearing about lifestyles, birthdays, programming frustrations and home office discussions. But again, I would like to see a good mix.

I wish that Twitter was less like a ‘chat room’ and more of a way to quickly consume valuable information from select sources.

If I had my way I would be getting solid tweet-size tips from each person that I follow. Organizing tips from an organization expert, SEO tips/news from a search pro, the latest blog post or topic of discussion from bloggers I follow, news on local events from meetup planners, etc, etc. Instead I am seeing a lot of random conversation and none (or very little) of the above.

Again I do like the who is where, what’s going on, things & people & places to know – but its the endless chatter that creates so much noise in between all the valuable information that is becoming an issue for me.

Bottom line: I would much rather receive actionable information and relevant links. Of course I have no need to try to change Twitter, I simply plan to change how I am using it.

I am learning as I go, and in the process of trimming down my ‘intake’ while still maintaining a social profile and solid connections. Basically cutting out ‘noise’ on various social networking sites so that I can consume very specific information: info that I can use myself, or can review and pass on.

Its all in who you follow – or what you’re set up to receive – on any given site. Since we have a choice in that, you can easily manipulate your settings & connections so that you can be super-efficient with your information consumption.

Obviously these are good points to keep in mind when you consider what you’re putting out there as well See: 5 Ways To Build Your Twitter Following

The absolute best use of Twitter that I can come up with is Darren Rowse of Problogger. His tweets set a good example of both what I would like to see more of, and what I would like to accomplish myself.

In another blog post I read today, Tim Bossie said:
“I think it’s more important to follow people than for others to follow you. For one simple reason. You are exposed to different ideas, different people, different cultures, different ways of thinking. It’s more beneficial in the long run to you personally.” source

Who you follow, and why, depends on your objective. That objective is going to be different for everyone and may be networking, socializing, marketing etc. The point is that there is no blueprint or “right way” to make use of Twitter or any of the social sites. But whatever it is, you must have a specific purpose – period.

I encourage you to put some serious consideration in the question I posed at the very beginning of this post: How much value are you getting from the collective social media services that you use?

Your thoughts and experiences are welcomed, of course

Best,

p.s. Two more points I’d like to share, which are purely my opinion…
While I love the conversational style of Twitter, I dont hang out in bars offline and truly wish that there was less “bar talk” and more productive conversation between tweets. I honestly dont see the point in knowing how much alcohol you consume.
And point #2 – If what you are trying to communicate takes more than 140 characters, consider whether Twitter is the best platform to use. Some things should be sent via email vs “DM” and some topics could easily be published as a short blog post and then linked to.

Just a couple of points to consider

Related: Desperately seeking metrics: what’s the business case for social media?

I feel so far removed from that place and time in my life, yet I remember precisely how I felt – and why.

What started this little mental journey today? It was a blog post that reminded me of that exact moment in time. And it was a post written to me directly…

Counting Down to 2008 by Deb

You may remember Deb from the Confessions From An Internet Marketing Wanna-be conversation here on ClickNewz. Since then Deb and I have had opportunity to interact a bit more, swap a few emails, and she was also logged in to this weeks Webinar.

Her blog post to me was in response to the topic of that webinar: “Planning ahead for 2008″…

So counting down to the end of yet another year and having to face where I am compared to where I’d like to be is NOT a pleasant experience. (source)

That is the piece that specifically struck a chord with me, and took me on a mental journey today – back to 2001. Seven years ago I found myself in a set of circumstances beyond my control. That was the year I went through a major turning point, and set out on the path I am on today.

While I was self-employed in a career I enjoyed, and working from home full time already by then, other aspects of my life were not so positive. I was one year outside of an unexpected divorce and my son was very ill, just to give you the tip of the iceberg.

I had a friend say to me “You are exactly where you want to be in your life.” Ha! I most certainly was not! But you are, he said, because you took every step to get exactly where you are.

I could defend myself on that point all day long. But the more annoyed and defensive I became, the more I realized one thing: I may not have held the reigns up to this point… but I certainly can from this point forward.

Its not easy to change your mindset from “victim of circumstance” to “in complete control”. And it’s not something that happens overnight. But all it takes is one tiny seed to begin that transformation. Or in my case, a rotten realization and a ‘well screw that. I’ll show you!’ attitude.

And I did. Not that anybody was looking, but in the end I impressed the one person that mattered the most: myself.

One small accomplishment leads to another, building confidence and slowly changing that mindset you once held so firmly. Knowing it is possible is not enough. Knowing you can do it is not enough. Taking small steps of definitive action and seeing results… is where real change begins to happen. It starts internally, manifests itself into actions, and gains momentum – until you find yourself on a steady roll in the right direction.

You dont have to change your life overnight. And besides, you cant. But you do have to get a clear vision of your dream, and then figure out what it would take to turn that dream into a reality. And from there, you must take action on it every single day – no matter how small.

I’m living another great example of this as we speak. Almost 3 years ago, I decided I’d like to buy a home. I was not in a position to do it at the time, but was determined to make that happen before my 35th birthday.

Being a single woman with 2 children, it’s a huge commitment. Not just financially, but in many other ways as well. But at my age, I’m ready to settle down – married or not.

I had leftovers of my divorce on my credit report. I had lived a debt-free lifestyle since my divorce – which was great for me, but not good on paper. So having zero current or recent history, and some remants of negative history, I was not going to get the interest rate I wanted. I could buy, but not on terms I felt good about. And that of course affected what range I could shop in, among other things.

So what to do? Settle for less than I wanted? Nah… I decided exactly what I wanted, and exactly what it would take to get there. For the next couple of years I paid off old debt (talk about cobwebs!) and took steps towards building positive credit. At the same time, I increased my income and mapped out a plan for a comfortable and consistent future.

These things dont happen overnight. They take time. But time is the one thing we ALL have.

My 35th birthday is in June 2008. All this time I had been hoping to start the process by March or April and find a home to commit to. The perfect house fell in my lap just last week, and I put in an offer yesterday. If all goes well, I may be closing on it by the 2nd week of January.

If I had just wished and wanted, and not taken the action I did over those 2 years, I would not be ready to take this final step. But I did. And I am. And I cant begin to tell you how GREAT that feels!

Nobody wants to wait 2 years for something they want today. But if you dont start taking action on it today, you will still be in the exact same position 2 years from now.

Deb said: And still I am not published as I would like to be. That is to say, I have not published “The Great American Novel.” I’ve published other things, but somehow they don’t measure up to my dream and probably never will.

Its interesting how many points where our lives parallel each other, Deb. One of my driving goals is to become a published author as well (and not at all on the topic people know me for online).

I suggest that you put your goals down on paper – today – and that you map out the steps it will take to turn your dream into a reality. Can you do it in 2008? Can you do it by 2010?

Figure that out, and then take action towards it every single day.

It doesnt matter if you can only commit half an hour each morning to your life dream, or if you can set aside 90 minutes every evening. It doesnt matter how small or seemingly insignificant the steps are. The point is that you move in that direction, consistently… and persistently.

I’m making that suggestion based on my own experience. I’m no expert in that department, but I can tell you that it worked for me. Looking back to where I was, being where I am now, and looking ahead to where I am going… its rather humbling.

I dont pretend to be some genius superwoman with special powers. And I’m certainly not priveledged in any way. And while I worked hard to make positive change in my life, I still dont believe hard work alone will get you where you want to be.

There’s some other power at work. Its been called many things. And there are plenty of books written on the topic. One of my favorites happens to be a classic by Napoleon Hill titled Think and Grow Rich. You can download a free copy at that link – and I would highly recommend you take the time to read it and live by the outline it offers.

Another of my favorites is of course the Bible. If you’re familiar with the Parable of the Talents, it illustrates a lesson in obligation and responsibility. Whatever ‘talent’ you were ‘given’, obligates you to live up to the responsibility of that talent.

You are fortunate Deb, in that you already know what your talent is. The challenge is to manifest it into what it is to become, while making your way through this obstacle course called LIFE. Not an easy feat, but then I dont think it was meant to be.

I look back at the woman I was 7 years ago, and my heart goes out to her. I wish I could go back in time and tell her to hold her head high and stay the course. That all would work out thanks to her determination. Not to worry, and not to doubt, but to just keep going.

Instead, I make it a point to share that message with others when I can. Thank you for giving me that opportunity today, and also for reaching out and initiating a connection with me. I’ve enjoyed getting to know you and look forward to continuing to do so.

Best,

During our Cross Blog Conversation, Nicole Dean asked:
“What do you have planned for 2008? And, how will your business change/evolve from this year?”

2008 will mark the beginning of my 12th year in business. As I look over the last 11 years, the one common thread over time has been change. My business has evolved year after year, both with technology and market trends – and with me personally. As I’ve grown and changed, so has my business model.

I’m happy to report that all of those changes have been good ones, and 2007 has been my best year yet. I anticipate 2008 will follow that trend, and show continued growth and positive change. In fact, I dont just anticipate it – I intend to make it so! My plans actually include 4 individual action points…

• Organize
• Prioritize
• Automate
• Outsource

This is actually written across the top of my whiteboard in that order:

Organize -> Prioritize -> Automate -> Outsource

At first glance, that may seem oversimplified. But for someone who has flown by the seat of her pants for the last decade (me! )… that’s the beauty of it. Its a simple method of approaching any project – large or small – that I have adopted this year, and am continuing to perfect.

Organize stands for getting the entire project in mind, start to finish. I have a file for each project which begins with a rough draft of the project outline. Getting the idea out of my head and on to paper (or the screen) in front of me allows me to get a broader view of it and start to flesh out the details.

Prioritize is to take all of those ideas and that basic outline, and to create an action plan from it. This action plan is then prioritized into correct order of how the project needs to play out – start to finish.

Automation is my next step. I look at every way I can possibly streamline the processes for hands-off operation. This is a crucial step as it cuts down on work hours and outsourcing costs.

Once I have the entire project in front of me and know exactly what needs to be done, and what can be handled with automation, I start outsourcing the individual elements of the project.

The overall goal is to work less and make more. To increase revenue while decreasing work hours and stress levels. I have been working on this strategically for the last 4 years with great success, and so this is a continued and ongoing effort.

It’s actually quite addictive. Once you set a goal to double your income, and achieve that goal – there’s nothing stopping you from doing it again… and again. I’m on a roll and having too much fun. No reason to stop now

I’m a big believer in “catching the wave”. Its takes more energy to get the ball rolling, than it does to keep the ball rolling. Once you have momentum, it pays to stay on top of the game and ride that wave to the next one.

The nature of an online business makes it easy to work in spurts. Or to make enough money to get lazy comfortable and then slack off until you need to make money again. While this will get you by, it wont get you where you want to be.

Dont get me wrong. I take breaks all the time – sometimes paring down my work hours to just 5-10 a week for a few months. But the key is to have automation and outsourcing working for you… when you’re not.

Going back to the original question, I see 2008 as a year filled with growth and opportunity. I have plans in place for my current sites that I am very excited about, and will share along the way. I’m working on something I call the 10x Goal and that will be the main focus behind everything that I do. I’ll put together a small mastermind group with others who are interested in working towards the same, probably starting in January.

Networking & Travel are in the plans for the coming year as well. In fact, I’m booking tickets this week to be in Vegas in February for Affiliate Summit. I havent left the house in a couple of years now (lol)… so I look forward to seeing old friends and making new ones!

As I said, the Quest for Success continues… While I am very happy with my current “status quo”, I by no means intend to let this wave pass me by

- – - – -

Nicole’s question about my plans & goals for 2008 is part of our ongoing Cross Blog Conversation, so now it’s my turn to ask her a question…

Nicole – If you decided to double your online income within 6 months, where would you start in order to accomplish that goal?

Best,

Tags: 2008, new year, goal setting, goals, brainstorming, success, internet marketing, work at home, wahm, lynn terry

Nicole Dean asked: What would you recommend as far as updates and plugins for a blog?

Hi Nicole,
Great question! Good timing too, as I am working on some updates here at ClickNewz. When it comes to plugins and widgets and such for your blog, my first tip is that you not let it get too cluttered.

Keep the focus on the content and navigation, and let any additions be in line with your blogs main objective – instead of distracting from it.

That said, there are some primary elements I have found to be excellent additions to the basic blog, and so I have come up with a list for you of 10 things that every blog should have…

1. Subcribe to Comments Plugin
http://txfx.net/code/wordpress/subscribe-to-comments/

If you enable commenting on your blog, you should give your readers the option of subscribing to the comments. Preferrably by both email and RSS. That way your readers can receive notification when new comments are posted after theirs and keep up with the discussion. This is a nice feature for your readers, and it also helps you to get more return visitors to your blog.

2. FeedBurner
http://www.feedburner.com

Feedburner is a free tool for bloggers with tons of cool options & features. For your readers, it creates a user-friendly RSS interface. For you, it gives you detailed stats and usage data. If you arent already using FeedBurner, learn from my mistakes.

3. Hot Topics or Popular Posts

There may be plugins for this, but I prefer to add and update mine manually. Since some of your best posts and most popular topics will quickly get buried in the archives, its nice to post links to them in the sidebar of your blog. I find that readers really enjoy those links, and that those individual posts enjoy better rankings and more exposure.

4. Akismet
http://www.akismet.com/

If you are not already using Akismet, look in your Plugins tab – it is usually preinstalled and all you have to do is activate the plugin. This is an excellent comment spam solution and is a must-have for anyone blogging on WordPress.

5. Aweber’s Feed Broadcaster
http://sswt.aweber.com

Aweber is a mailing list manager which also has a feature called Feed Broadcaster. It will automatically email your subscribers to notify them of new posts at your blog. If you already have an Aweber account, this is very easy to set up. If not, you should consider this, or some other form of email notification. People still like to subscribe! And you should be building a list

One of the reasons I recommend Aweber is because you have total control of your mailing list. You own the list, and you can also send broadcast messages to your subscribers. Most other options dont allow you to backup or move your list, or send them an email directly.

You can use the Feed Broadcaster for basic email notifications, sending out an email every time your blog is updated – or every 5 posts, etc – or you can use it as an automated newsletter, and only send emails from a particular category on your blog. So you would post to that category when you want to make an announcement that also goes out by email.

6. Profile / About Me page

Nothing like stating the obvious, huh? You would be surprised how many people leave this important element out of their blog. See Dear Mystery Blogger.

7. DoFollow Plugin
http://kimmo.suominen.com/sw/dofollow/

This plugin removes the “rel=nofollow” attribute from outbound links on WordPress blogs. This tells the major search engines to follow links in the comment area and other places on your blog, and pass “link love” (or things like Link Reputation and Link Popularity). If your visitors are also webmasters, you may as well reward them for their contributions!

8. SimpleTags
http://www.broobles.com/scripts/simpletags/

This allows you to “tag” each blog post with relevant keywords or phrases. This helps people to find your blog posts in searches at Technorati.com. Here is one of the Social Networking tips that I offer in regards to tagging:

Once you publish your post, check out the hyperlinked tags at the bottom. Click on each one and you will see a listing at Technorati of posts on other blogs that are also tagged for that particular keyword. Check those out, and if they are interesting and related… leave a comment! When you are given the option to put in your URL, link back to your individual blog post on the same topic (not your “home page”). This helps cross-link related posts in the blogosphere and is a great source for targeted traffic.

9. Optional Excerpt

I’m not sure if this is a regular feature of WordPress, or if you have to set it up. I have a feeling it comes standard – but using it is certainly optional. It allows you to create your own excerpt of the blog post you are publishing, instead of letting WordPress ‘grab’ a paragraph from the top and use that. It simply doesnt always display the best little snippet… See: The Optional Excerpt

10. Call To Action

There is no plug-in for this one… , but its something every blog post should contain! I discussed this in detail in the Super Affiliate Blogging interview recently.

Speaking of plugins, which one did you use for your DealDotCom updates? My helper just installed one, but it’s not the one we were looking for.

It’s a secret!

Actually, I’ll be blogging more about that soon. I hired a programmer to help me with that, and we’re still working out the bugs. It’s been well worth the money I paid though More on that soon…

-My question to you, Nicole:
All of the plugins and widgets in the world would be useless without great content. What do you find inspires you to blog the most, and where do you get ideas for new blog posts and fresh content on a consistent basis?

Watch Nicole’s Blog for her answer. In the meantime, I’d love to hear which plugins you use and recommend!

Best,

Tags: wordpress, plugins, widgets, blogging, blog marketing, bloggers, blogosphere

Deb’s cry for help really resonated deeply with me. I’ve heard similar stories and situations time and again over the years, and I could even relate with some of her conflicts personally…

She started out 2 1/2 years ago, and attended two high-ticket Internet Marketing events within the first 6 months, then spent hundreds on Internet Marketing courses and ebooks. Deb said:

I have all these great products, only SOME of which I’ve been able to work my way through. Obviously it’s not the products. It’s ME!

You’re not alone, Deb. Follow-through is tough for a lot of people. Even me from time to time. That’s where the value of these Challenges and other types of accountability groups comes in. Having a deadline, or journaling your progress publicly, can really make a big difference.

Otherwise its very easy to feel alone out there with all that “overwhelm”.

I found your comments about ADD interesting, particularly that a fairly high percentage of entrepreneurs have that condition (diagnosed or not). That makes sense, although I really dont like the idea of “labels”. I think they can be very self-defeating.

That’s not to underestimate the legitimate need for help and/or medication in diagnosed cases, but to encourage you to look at the positive you mentioned it could be – and not let the negative enable you to accept failure.

Obviously we havent had the opportunity to meet in person. If we did, you might find me to be even more “ADD” than you. I’m not sure. I happen to think my quirks are perks though

With those products I started to use, I would get to a certain point and something — a detail, a problem with a step I didn’t know what to do about, a concept I didn’t understand, or another product or service I needed to buy — something always sent me back to square one. (Or so it seemed.)

When you get to a roadblock or a hurdle like that, how do you usually handle it? Do you stop in your tracks – or do you persistently look for a way over and around it? I would suggest the latter.

Not to be trite, because I’ve certainly been in that situation myself and it can be quite frustrating. But I have learned from personal experience that the breakthrough is usually just after the quitting point.

Keep in mind that ANY issue you experience has probably been experienced by dozens or even hundreds of others – and is most likely being discussed somewhere. Step one is to do a search on Google, with what would seem like the most logical keyword phrase to find such discussions.

For example, noting one of the issues you mentioned in your post, you could search “how to set up paypal button download page” (without quotes).

In the first few results I found “PayPal Made Simple” a FREE 19-page guide that walks you through the process with screen shots and detailed instructions.

That tip alone (using Google search to find tutorials, help files, and support discussions) may save you hours of frustration. It has me!

The second thing I’ll recommend is that you find a community of like-minded people where you feel comfortable getting involved and asking questions. There are a lot of forums out there, and some of them can make you feel “small” or even flame you for asking “newbie” questions.

I’d like to invite you to check out my own forum. Its a very friendly community and the members are incredibly resourceful and helpful. I even created a “Getting Started” section specifically for those newbie questions .

Whatever you decide, dont go it alone. There is entirely too much support out there for anyone to struggle on their own with all of this “IM stuff”.

I don’t care what anyone says. I just can’t work up enthusiasm for building Adsense sites about subjects I’m not interested in, and even with my ADD brain which is curious about a LOT of subjects, I’ve not found any subject that I can throw myself into, which is the only way I operate. No half-*ssed, half-hearted, just-do-it-for-the-money thing is going to work for me. I absolutely can’t stay with it.

We’re not so different, Deb – I feel exactly the same way. In fact, I’ve started many a project that was later abandoned for that very reason.

I wrote an ebook on a subject I know a LOT about, which is how to find story ideas for creative writers. I finished it in a few days and tinkered with it and expanded it and polished it over the next few months.

NOW we’re talkin’! You are definitely on the right track. You mentioned that you also revamped your blog to focus on this same topic, so now you have both a blog and a product in a specific niche that you are passionate about.

Do you realize that you are already way ahead of the pack? That you are in a prime position and that you are only a few steps away from really hitting your stride? I DO! Its plain as day from where I’m sitting, and I have to congratulate you – because for all your current frustration, you have obviously taken action on the things that you’ve learned along the way and made some very solid choices regarding your online business venture.

One last tip: The courses and guides that teach Internet Marketing, or specific marketing strategies or buisness models, are meant to be guides. While much of the information is tested and proven, they are not meant as set-in-stone “rules”. Your websites and offers should be a direct reflection of you, and you can pick and choose what you want to apply to your business model.

Worry less about the pressure to have the perfect Internet Marketing model, and put your focus instead on establishing yourself as an expert in your niche – and offering genuine solutions to your target market.

You can always modify as you go (I still am!)

I’m so discouraged right now, even without the well-meaning friends who keep saying, “So when is this website thing going to start making you money? You’ve been at it for what? Two and a half years? How long does it take?”

I have well-meaning friends like that too…

What I really need most is hands-on help. I also need my hand held, my fears calmed, my confidence built, and my next step laid out for me. Unfortunately, those things don’t come free, and free is all I can afford right now or in the foreseeable future.

Sometimes they do come free. Join me here. I’ll help you – one question at a time

Best,

In your experience what are some of the most common mistakes newbies make and if there is one piece of advice you could give a newbie what would that be?”

There are actually 7 common mistakes that I see “newbies” make when they enter Internet Marketing or start an online business…

Mistake #1: Not taking the time to get established online and earn credibility with your target market. Once you choose a niche, and while you are working out your content and/or product development and marketing campaigns, you should simultaneously be working towards marketing yourself. Join niche forums and network and answer questions (without an objective). Set up a blog and post several times a week for the first 90 days, etc.

Mistake #2: Giving up or claiming “it doesnt work” without investing proper time & energy into the venture. Whatever you choose to do, do it 100% before you decide it doesnt work. All too often I see people give up on their niche, or their business idea, before even giving it proper time to get established and begin to take off for them. Once you give up, that idea will not work, and you’ll never know if it might have worked beautifully.

Mistake #3: Asking how to get traffic to your new website in a popular Internet Marketing forum, with a “how to get traffic” link in your signature. Synonomous with asking how to start making decent money online with a link to a website about making money online. Be careful how you present yourself if you want to be taken seriously.

Mistake #4: Spamming discussion forums. Yes its true that forums and online communities are a great way to gain exposure, and there are even creative ways to make money posting on forums. Blatant promotion, or “spam”, is not one of them. This will actually hurt your credibility and your chance of getting visitors or sales – and will likely get you banned too.

Mistake #5: Not choosing a specific niche, or market. I’ve made this mistake myself to some degree, and I highly advise against it. Many people start out setting up a one-stop online store that carries everything from socks to electronics. They learn the hard way that its very hard to market and turn into a profitable long-term business. Pick a niche. Go one better and pick a micro-niche, even.

Mistake #6: Worrying about competition. I see many newbies operating out of fear and negativity – when the truth is that the more you network with other business owners in your niche, the more you stand to gain. I’ve also seen many back out and not develop their website or their product because they dont feel they can compete within the niche. Instead, they should look for the opportunity to provide something new – or something of value in association with existing products & offers within that niche.

Mistake #7: Not properly investing their time & money. Many newbies will buy one product after the other, and one opportunity after the other, but never use them – or implement the methods taught. Instead, it would be wise to purchase what you feel you might need, and use the program or test the method fully. If it doesnt work the way you need it to, or thought it would, get a refund. If it does, it was a great investment - not just another expense.

The one piece of advice I would offer to any “newbie”, meaning someone new to Internet Marketing or online business, is this:

Recognize Internet Marketing for the business opportunity that it is.

Commit yourself from the start to investing time and energy into your business venture, and set realistic goals. Then work consistently towards achieving those goals… until you do.

Sandy, in your response to me you said:

In my 6 months I have already made a few mistakes. I am enjoying the experience…Loving the mistakes too because what better way to learn than from one’s own mistakes.

I’d love to hear more about those mistakes, and what you learned from them…

Best,

Tags: newbies, internet marketing, work at home, wahm, working from home, online business

Several people have asked how they could get involved. If you recall, it all started with Kelly McCausey and Nicole Dean. I came across their Cross Blog Coversation, and simply decided to join in.

Since then, I have started conversations with other bloggers – and have even had bloggers start them with me. In fact, I just came across this post on Monday, which I will respond to here on ClickNewz later today…

Its easiest to join in if your blog is powered by WordPress, simply because it notifies you immediately of any incoming links. And when someone blogs about you, or specifically asks you a question or starts a conversation, they’ll link to your blog – or to a specific post on your blog.

If there is a fellow blogger that you would like to start a Cross Blog Conversation with, you might contact them to see if they would be interested. Or you could simply write the post and then email them a link to it.

Not only are they great fun, but there are several other reasons you might consider getting involved:

• You’ll gain new relevant inbound links
• It encourages cross-traffic between related blogs
• They encourage you to write in a more personable way
• It’s an easy cure for Blogger’s Block! Topics are handed to you, by way of questions posed by fellow bloggers. You’ll end up with lots of things to blog about that you might not have thought to otherwise.

If you want to get involved in a Cross Blog Conversation with me here at ClickNewz, all you have to do is respond to one of my posts on your own blog (instead of leaving a comment here), and then follow it with a related question. Or you could simply blog a question to me directly – WordPress will notify me that same day, as long as you include a live link to Clicknewz.com.

Personally, I see this as Social Networking at its best. Its much more fun than traditional forms of Blog Marketing, and more interesting for your readers at the same time.

Best,

Tags: cross blog conversation, social networking, wordpress, blog marketing

Sometimes we get so caught up in our isolated world that is conveniently contained within our home office space, that we lose touch with “the real world” – or at least with their perspective. I think it pays to step back and view things outside of your own realm from time to time, and get feedback from others.

I recently had a conversation with a friend that has an offline business and a related website, but that didnt really “get” this whole secret world of Internet Marketing. And until the 20+ comments that followed my blog post about that conversation, he didnt realize just how widespread “the phenomenon” was…

My mother is one of the people that I go to for an outside perspective. She uses Web TV, has a PayPal account, and shops online. She doesnt have an interest in working online, but she does read ClickNewz and likes to keep up with what I am doing… (Hi Mom! )

I love to hear how she does searches, what she thinks of the search results, what types of things interest her and what types of things frustrate her – as an end user that shops online. You just cant get better market research!

So when Sandy Naidu expressed an interest in the recent Cross Blog Conversations, I asked her if she had a blog of her own. Her response was:

I do have a blog. I am a newbie in this industry though – so am not sure if I am eligible. I have been working on my own for 5 years now. I moved into internet marketing less than 6 months ago. If you are after a newbie’s perspective on something in this industry please count me in…

Do we want a newbies perspective? Most definitely! I for one would love to hear her thoughts on a number of topics. So give Sandy a warm welcome, as she is now officially the “Resident Newbie” – ready and willing to share her perspective as someone just entering the Internet Marketing world.

My first (2-Part) question to Sandy is:

In your bio, you mentioned that you were originally inspired to start Internet Marketing by WahmTalkRadio. Can you tell us what “Internet Marketing” means to you – as in, how do you define it? And also, once you were introduced to IM, where did you turn first to learn more – and what did you find?

(Watch Sandy’s Blog for the reply)

While we are waiting on Sandy’s reply, I’d love to hear the questions that you would ask a “newbie”. Do you want to know her perspective on certain products, certain strategies, certain websites – or what would you ask to get in the mind of an IM newbie?

Best,

So far this month (just over 2 weeks), 32% of my gross income has come from product sales, and 68% has come from affiliate commissions. Product sales include products I developed, products I have rights to, and virtual products (such as memberships and advertising).

Some months it will be opposite, with the product sales bringing in the majority of the income. It all depends on what I am working on, of course.

Would you like to see some specific examples, along with screen shots? Okay…

I’ll start with an affiliate program that I dont actively promote. Its a passive-earner. The way that I promote the program is through one web page. That page ranks well in the major search engines for a variety of keyword phrases related to the product I promote there.

I cant remember exactly when I put that web page online, but I believe it was around 2 years ago. It has been a consistent earner ever since, earning on average around $10/day:

The screen shot above shows my sales on that one product for the last 90 days. Keep in mind that I spent 30 minutes creating that web page about 2 years ago, and havent touched it since. So 30 minutes of time invested = approx $300/month in continuous revenue.

Passive Income is my favorite type I have an upcoming guide on the topic, for those interested. Its been a long time in development, but there were some major changes since I first started writing it, so I have it on the back burner for a major re-write. You can get on the list if you want to get notification when it’s released.

Let’s see… Remember the recent blog post (Oct 13th) where I addressed Rosalind Gardner with a personal note? I hyperlinked the mention of her Super Affiliate guide within that post, though there was no direct promotion at all. I earned $56.46 in commissions:

Accidental Commissions are nice. (I dont have a guide coming out on that topic)

That actually goes towards the tips I shared in the recent Super Affiliate Blogging interview. Being “real” and not always pushing the “hard sale” tends to work well. Another tip I mentioned is doing product reviews, and I’ve had great conversions with reviews over the years…

Two recent examples include Impact Web Audio and Optin Designs. If you click those links you will see my actual reviews. Both included product details and working examples.

Impact Web Audio was offered as a daily special through DealDotCom at only $5. The commission for DDC affiliates is 35% on the first tier and 15% on the 2nd tier. So I only stood to earn $1.75 on each direct sale, 75c on 2nd tier sales.

I put the blog post together in under 10 minutes, and then spent 2 minutes creating the working example. So we’ll say 15 minutes tops – and total earnings on that were $69.58 (plus a lot of happy readers).

Optin Design is another product I am using myself, and also an affiliate for. The commission structure is 1-tier at 60% of the sale. I have earned $111.00 so far for that review. I expect that amount will continue to rise – I recruited over 100 people into the site so far, with 5 converting to buyers. Once they use the 2 free templates, that conversion rate should go up. It’s an awesome product.

While $50-$100 per blog post might not sound like much to you, you have to keep in mind that I blog anywhere from 2-6x a day. Promotions go fast, and blog posts move off the main page and into the archives fairly quickly.

Obviously more traffic would equal more income, as is always the case. My blog is barely a year and a half old and has just recently reached the 10-digit traffic mark (with 10-12,000 unique visitors per month).

Still, you’d be hard-pressed to earn a minimum $50-$100 per blog post any other way. And those are just 2 examples – some promotions do better than others, of course.

Want to see bigger numbers? No problem. Most of my affiliate commissions come from such a wide variety of sources that individually they dont seem like much – though they total nice numbers at the end of the month.

For bigger numbers “per promotion”, we’ll look at some recent product sales (sales of my own products)…

I recently ran a WSO, which is a Warrior Special Offer on the Warrior Forum. My special offer was for an exclusive report that I wrote, and I practically gave it away at only $5 per copy. I sold 103 copies, for a total of $515.00 in sales.

That report is a lead generator, and also resulted in backend sales on two higher priced products. Total time invested: less than one hour. Cost to run WSO: $20. Total income generated: still being calculated (promotion still in progress).

Another pre-launch fire-sale for an Info Product that I ran on the Warrior Forum (as a WSO), resulted in 204 sales at $10 per sale for a total of $2,040.00 in product sales. I ran a Special Offer myself and with a few hand-selected JV partners on that same product, bringing the grand total (to date) to just over $4,000.

If you include backend sales, that total is over $6k. Yes, during PRE-launch. If you like that idea, you should read my Fast Cash Strategy

Let’s see… I’ve earned $4,913.10 in the last 2 weeks for an affiliate promotion. This particular promotion was not a passive income model. And no, I dont have a guide on Active Income Business Models either. That would take all of 4 letters: W-O-R-K. I’m not beyond working for pay, as bad as that 4-letter word sounds coming out of my mouth…

And FYI, that particular promotion has been hard work…

I couldnt get the entire list in one screen shot, but you get the idea. And the total I gave you is my net income in commissions. I actually earned over $7,000 but I didnt include refunds in my earnings.

I’m trying to be honest here, ya know

Okay, one more – and this one is another of my “passive income models”. Again, a one-pager that I put up a couple of years ago that is a consistent monthly earner. It promotes an affiliate program and they pay commissions every 2 weeks, which is nice.

I earn a commission per-lead, and also a percentage per sale. Its a generous program that converts well. My rankings for this one arent that great, but good enough to generate several hundred dollars per month in profits. Again, low investment (I spent 10 or 15 minutes putting this together awhile back) and nice return:

The column to the far right is my overall earnings with that company, which is almost $7,000 total. Its been online around 2 years (no maintenance – love it!) and earns close to $300/month as a consistent passive stream of income.

Do not let these numbers inspire you. I could do far better, and so can you. In fact, I have a 10x Goal that I am starting during the New Year (for 2008) that you’ll hear about over the next few months. The gist of the 10x Goal is to increase my numbers and results across the board by 10.

If I can do $300/month in sales for one product, I can do $3,000. If I can get 10,000 unique visitors per month on one of my sites, I can get 100,000. If I can sell 50 copies of one product, I can sell 500. Its all about duplication… and having a good VA on board, of course

Next, see: Starting A Home Business? Read this…

Best,

P.S. If you would like for me to help you earn a substantial amount of money online, become an Elite Member at my discussion forum. That will give you access to my Private Forum for only $5/month*, where you can download all of my products for free… and get personal help with your business idea or business model. It is the ONLY place that I offer personal mentoring or one-on-one consultations. Its a small but active group of serious entrepreneurs, and you’ll get a lot of ‘bang’ for that 5-dollar bill… get details

*Introductory Rate. Limited Time Offer