In this video, I show you how to use the Tesla iPhone or Android App to cool down your Tesla Mode S/3/X before your get into the car. It’s great for those hot summer days when you have to leave the dog in the car so you can meet some fellow internet marketers for a Dot Com Lunch. Just remember to place a note in the car window to let people know that the Tesla can keep your pet cool. Otherwise you may come back to a broken window.
An interesting modding trend I see at Cars and Coffee is removing the rear bumper off your Lamborghini to show off the exhaust system. My question is, is this a good or bad thing?
In addition to the bumperless Lambo, I checked out some cool Ferraris, a bunch of Ford Bronco, and other cars.
When some bloggers are starting out, they have NO money to spend on getting customers. This can be very stressful, especially if they expect blogging to be their only source of income. However, over the years, many case studies and tools have been introduced into the market that allows you to attract customers without spending a dime. You might think this is impossible, but I’ll be going over some of them today. By building blog growth and attracting customers WITHOUT spending a dime, you’ll be able to be competitive in a market which might feel is impossible. Let’s get started, and explore some of the FREE methods available to you online.
Your feedback will be greatly appreciated.
Forums and other online communities have been around a long time, and are completely free. I’m surprised by the number of people who fail to NOT leverage what is available online. For example, I believe every niche has a forum and doing a quick search in Google will introduce you to a handful. Start by doing a quick search in Google, typing “keyword + forum”, and you’ll find some solid forums that you can start engaging in. The cool thing about forums is, over time, you can build a solid reputation for providing value, leading to a huge following. I know many SEO bloggers who got started on forums, later attracting them to their own blog. Forums tend to be solution-based, giving you an opportunity to showcase your skills and knowledge within your niche. Finally, you are able to add 1-2 links within your signature, which is another great way to divert people to your blog. However, it’s important you follow some important rules when participating in forums.
First, always provide value because these forums are being moderated, and you can be banned if you start SPAMMING. The positives outweigh the negatives so take your time and build a reputation for yourself over time because you’ll have an easier time attracting visitors to your blog this way. Secondly, the forum you choose should be as niche specific as possible, allowing you to leverage as specific people as possible to your blog. The more precise your audience, the more engagement you can expect on your blog. Third, always add a signature to your posts when you have an opportunity because this will help build a value link back and drive traffic.
What now?
Head over to Google and do a quick search with your keyword + forum. Create a list of 4-5 forums specific to your niche, then start skimming through each. It’s important you find 2-3 that have the following:
Next,
In regards to other communities, try leveraging:
These are all popular, and have grown enormously over the last few years. Not to mention, each year they continue to grow, attracting more people, which works in your favor.
Depending on the type of blog you have, it’s a great idea to leverage affiliate programs to generate a buzz. What are affiliate programs? It’s a system implemented in your blog, commerce site, or marketing where you pay others a fixed or recurring commission to promote your product. Affiliate programs are great because other people actually use them to generate profits through their blog. For example, over the years, I have used so many products, some of which I have found very useful. I would write content based on the product, and get a commission in return when someone buys through the website. How does this help the seller or blogger with the affiliate system in place?
First, it’s a great way to have others promote your content or product for you. Someone will copy their own designated affiliate link and promote it to their readers, within communities, or even paid marketing. Secondly, some affiliate systems are free to implement into your website or offer a free trial in the beginning. This means there’s very little initial investment from you when starting out. The turnaround is very quick and you’ll have a thriving business within a few short months. If you’re using WordPress, you can make use of their FREE affiliate plugins, however, the paid systems offer a better tracking interface.
Another cool thing is…
With affiliate programs, you’ll only pay when someone makes a purchase, so, again, you won’t be paying for dead conversions. If you are just starting out, and have no initial marketing budget, then why NOT have others promote your blog and products for you? Do a quick search in Google and you’ll be able to find some solid affiliate interfaces that can be set up within a few days. If you’re using WordPress, then do a plugin search to find what’s available in terms of affiliate program systems.
Social media has changed the way people interact with content, and is definitely a plus for those who are starting out with NO money. Social media allows people to share content they find valuable with others, which is awesome for engagement. For example, 2 profiles with 20,000 followers among them sharing content will generate enormous buzz quickly. This is even truer because niche specific people usually follow other niche specific people, allowing your content to be shared with those who’ll find it valuable. However, because we are talking about generating customers and readers WITHOUT money, let’s dig a bit deeper. Why is social media so important?
First, it’s FREE to use and sign up unless you are paying for advertising space through their program. Secondly, you have almost every niche using social media to connect with others who have something in common. Third, people are always on social media throughout the day, which gives you an open window of engagement. You can post content, go to sleep, and the next day, it’s an international hit. Social media tracks statistics or allows you to implement a tool to track data. This will give you insight into the people reading your content and how they interact with your content. Finally, social media is growing each year, and gives you a chance to explore other content relevant to your niche. This leads to further content ideas, traffic, and conversions in the future.
How to get started on social media:
When I first started in the blogging industry, one of my partners mentioned the importance of blogger outreach. Unfortunately, I neglected the advice for several years before actually setting up a proper outreach campaign. What is blogger outreach, and how can it get you ranked quickly with very little money? Let’s take a quick look:
First, blogger outreach is networking with influential people within your niche who have made a huge difference over the years. It’s about connecting with bloggers through a solid email marketing campaign so you can leverage their popularity and traffic. If you have been blogging for some years, then you know who to reach out to, however, those getting started can start by doing the following:
Here’s what you should be focusing on going forward…
Start by finding the MOST influential people within your niche, and create an easy to follow list. Then start gathering some questions you’d like to ask them or even creating an approach to initial the conversation. Ask yourself these questions:
By answering all these questions, you’ll be able to gather the right type of data that will help in your campaign. For example, these questions will make it easier to construct a plan that increases the chances of response time going forward. Once you have created a solid network of influential bloggers, you can then proceed with guest blogging, social media, or general feedback from them. A quick thing about guest blogging…
When you have connected with them and created a relationship, then you can pitch them some awesome content ideas. You’ll end up getting published on their blog, which will lead to traffic, conversions, etc.
If you’re a blogger providing services, then offering a “free trial” can be your best friend. Who doesn’t want free products, especially when things these days are very expensive? I’ll admit this doesn’t seem too enticing because you’re not making any money, but it’s a great way for people to understand the quality of your work. Setting up something like this doesn’t have to be time-consuming because it starts with a simple opt-in. When a visitor arrives on your website, then have the following set up:
With this setup, you’re doing two very important things:
First, you’re collecting email addresses, which can generate enormous return visitors long-term. This can lead to further conversions and business. Next, you are able to promote your business for free WITHOUT spending any money. I’ll admit you’ll have to work for free, but the positives definitely outweigh the negatives.
Get started now with Aweber.com, which I believe is one of the best email marketing interfaces available.
At one point, starting a business without any money would be impossible, but these days, it can be done with very little investment. The Internet has blown up, connecting people from all over the world, which is an amazing thing. I remember 7 years ago, when I first got involved in the industry, it was tough trying to make ends meet. I needed a few hundred dollars a month for marketing, which delayed progress. This is especially the case when you expect online blogging to be your main source of income with very little help from other outside sources. Either way, I think the Internet has grown for the better and we should all take advantage of the ways discussed above. With that said, it’s time to get started by implementing the following:
Read through the main points again, understanding the points mentioned above. Only then will you be able to implement the strategies when necessary. If you have no clue what was discussed above, then I advise you to Google “marketing with no money”, and you’ll find a handful of awesome resources. Next,
Start compiling a list of niche relevant sites that will help you in your journey. This means focusing on forums, communities, other blogs, etc. Make sure you target high quality authoritative sites because the better the site, the better engagement you’ll get back. Third, start implementing the strategies discussed above and keeping track of results. This will ensure you know what’s working and what’s not so you can then focus your attention on effective strategies.
We hear about these amazing success stories all the time. There are these inspiring rags to riches stories about people who grew up with nothing and now they’re jet-setting millionaires, living their best life. Of course we all want to achieve a similar kind of success. Of course success is desirable. But what about failure? Do you want to fail? Are you prepared for it?
There are two very obvious “facts” about failure that I think all of us recognize on an intuitive level, but we don’t always fully internalize. First, it’s obvious enough that success, in general, is more desirable than failure. You’d much rather enter a marathon race and win than to enter the same marathon and come in last place. I think that’s pretty obvious.
Second, many of us should recognize that the path to success is not always perfectly straight. It’s not a linear journey that naturally builds upon itself, where you are literally putting one foot in front of the other and taking it one step at a time. You don’t always keep moving forward, because you will inevitably face setbacks and obstacles and delays. Most of understand this intuitively, but we don’t always allow yourselves to take on this perspective in reality.
I don’t know about you, but I can get really down on myself with things don’t exactly go my way. I might start out with an unbridled sense of enthusiasm about a project or an endeavor, and I might really give it my all. But if the numbers that come back are disappointingly low, that can be awfully depressing. The failure makes me FEEL like a failure. But I pick myself up, dust myself off, and give it another go.
The point of this post isn’t to remind that failure, as opposed to success, is generally undesirable. Yes, I know that the path to success is riddled with failures and each of these failures can act as a learning opportunity. Each time you fall flat, you’ve learned another way that didn’t work, so you pick yourself up and try something a little different to see if it works out any better. That’s how children learn to walk. And that’s you learn to do whatever it is that you want to do better.
Instead, the real point of this post is really just a simple reminder. You must be willing to fail, regardless of what it is that you want to do. Whether you want to start a new blog, publish an ebook, launch a membership site, start an affiliate marketing campaign or whatever else… recognize that failure is always a very real possibility, whether you’re just starting out or you’ve been at this for several years and *think* you know what you’re doing.
Because an unwillingness to fail is an unwillingness to succeed.
You need to be willing to fail over and over and over again in order to achieve any real form of success. If you are too scared to try something new, if you are too afraid of the possibility of failure, then you will never be willing to go as far as you need to go or take the lengths that you need to take to achieve “success,” however you choose to define it.
If you are unwilling to fail, you will always stick with what is safe and predictable. You will stay within the calming confines of your comfort zone, too afraid to dip even your toes into unknown waters. You can’t know if you can ride a bike until you hop on that seat and start pedaling. You can’t know if you are able to swim until you jump into the water.
Yes, you might fall over and scrape your knee. You might end up swallowing a little bit of water. In fact, you probably will and that’s okay. If anything, it’s to be expected. Failure is inevitable. And the sooner you can accept that, the sooner you’ll be prepared for the possibility of success to come.
Creating content can be tough especially when you have a few blogs you’re writing for every day. Over the years, I have been writing content daily to the count of 5000-600 words, and I’ll admit that this can get very tough. Sometimes, I don’t have the patience, which can restrict the flow of words when getting them down within my word processor. With that said, it’s important I go over a few things I have learned over the years about writing content. For example, if you manage your writing and time correctly, then you’ll be able to get a lot more written than normal. This works in your favor, especially when time is of the essence when blogging. Today, let’s explore “5” solid methods to write more content in less time, which will help you grow and excel your blogging.
We’ll be looking at the following:
Your feedback will be appreciated. Let’s get started…
One of the best ways to write content is by developing a system that has proven to work for you a majority of the time. This means knowing how to conduct research, making an outline, learning how to write an introduction, etc. All of this is awesome because it helps streamline your writing, which, in the end, will account for a lot of time saved. In the end, when you have a system that is easy to follow, then you’ll be a lot more productive because you have a guide along the way. For example,
With research, you’ll know exactly what topics are trending and choose something that resonates with your readers. By creating an online, you’ll know what sequence to write everything in so you don’t waste time going over your notes. Being able to write a solid introduction will ensure you cover the right points and entice your readers from the beginning. The conclusion is NOT that tough because you’re summarizing everything that was covered, but having a system to put this together always helps.
Here’s the bottom-line,
By having a solid system in place that has helped you produce content quickly, you’ll be able to save enormous time. This means you’ll be able to get more done, which helps when you have several blogs or need to spend time writing a lengthy content daily.
Things have changed and you now have awesome extensions that are available for free. Another cool thing is these extensions are available for every major browser like Chrome, Firefox, and Explorer. Let’s look at a few:
Stay Focused – Chrome
An amazing plugin or extension that is free and very easy to use. Once you install the extension to your browser, you’ll be able to restrict time wasting websites for a certain amount of time you have configured. Install the extension then paste a list of sites that you know distract you throughout the day. You can set the extension to allow you to spend a specific amount of time on these sites then they’ll lock for the rest of the day. This means after a certain amount of time, you won’t be able to access them, giving you more time to focus.
LeechBlock – Firefox
This extension works the same way as “Stay Focused”, however, you can set different blocks that disable and enable throughout the day. You set the days and time blocks when you feel your focus is at its lowest so this extension will help you get back on track. This is another extension that is free, and is perfect for those who use Firefox. Next,
It’s important to mention that you have many other options that you can find by doing a quick search within Google. However, keep in mind, some might require a subscription, which many of you don’t want at this time. I would suggest taking advantage of the free options to find out how they help throughout the day and with your productivity.
I’ve noticed I’m able to get into the zone much better during the day than at night. Why? At night, I have family who are home and this can be very distracting for me and my content writing. However, what works for me will be different for you so you have to know what is the best productivity time for you. Try to observe your habit then tweak it so you are at your best throughout the day. This will take some time because what works now might not work later on so you have to tweak your patterns regularly. However, here are a few questions to ask yourself when getting started:
I’m pretty sure there are some more questions that should be asked but starting with the ones listed above, you’ll be able to determine what has been working and what hasn’t. Then going forward, you stick to this pattern so it helps you get into the zone going forward. Making these small changes will let you get more done, especially writing content when this is your obvious priority.
When I know I have a few days in between, I’ll break down my writing so it doesn’t tire me out as much. For example, if I have 2 days to write content that is 3,000 words, then I don’t have to get this done all in one day, especially when I have other priorities as well. I’ll usually write 1,500 words today then another the next day until the project has been completed. Sometimes, breaking down the word count isn’t enough because you have the option of breaking down the sections so you write the MOST important now then the least during the end. For example,
I sometimes like to write the introduction towards the end because it helps me make it more targeted. When I’m done writing my content, I have a better idea of what’s written, which, in the end, helps me write out an introduction for my content. I’ll make my introduction more precise and targeted, which is always a good thing when capturing a reader’s attention with very few words.
Here’s what you should do going forward….
Find out what works for you by trying different things like breaking down sections or even your writing. You’ll notice you’ll have an easier time putting your words together when you write certain sections before others. It might help to break up your writing over a few days.
Many of you might be confused at this point, but habits play a crucial role in your success because it will lay down your foundation. I personally think all habits are connected and can either be an asset or a liability. For example, when smokers start exercising, they have an easier time quitting and will even start eating healthier meals. I think much of it has to do with their mental well-being at this point. However, let’s try to connect this to blogging and what it can do for us. For example, starting work early in the morning will give you longer days to get important writing done. Exercising first thing in the morning will motivate you to stay productive throughout the day and this can be seen in your business growth…right? Here’s my point…
If you are a serious blogger and want to be taken seriously, then I think it’s important you establish solid habits that will help you stay motivated, focused, and grow your ambition. Establishing habits can be tough but it all comes down to your seriousness about success. If you ask any successful blogger, they’ll tell you “blogging” and “content writing” is their passion so they will do anything to make sure they succeed. This even means the following:
There are many resources on habits that will help you understand the importance they play within individual lives. I would recommend you read resources available by doing a quick search “habits and importance” then skimming through several of the blogs. I believe if you can get your habits straightened out, then you’ll have an easier time writing more content in less time, which will be great for your business.
I just wanted to touch on this topic quickly…
The fact is, when you have experience within your industry, you’ll have an easier time writing content. Above, I discussed habits and one of my major ones is to keep up-to-date with the changing trends in my industry. This involves reading others blogs, skimming forums, and even reading newly released magazines. In the end, all of this will help me write content on the topic at hand because I just have enough knowledge within my niche. I would encourage all of you to do the same going forward. For example,
Try to get more involved within your industry, which will help you gain the knowledge to provide personal opinion on your topic. Explore a few ways that you have been able to gain knowledge and utilize them going forward to increase depth.
As usual, I’d like to close my content by going over some thoughts. Every blogger knows the importance of being able to write more content in less time, especially when maintaining 2-3 niche blogs. You might think this is a difficult task, but if you know how to manage your time correctly, then producing content can be very easy. The first thing you need to do is go over the points mentioned above so you fully understand them going forward. When you can fully grasp their importance, only then will you be able to apply the concepts in their entirety. Secondly, as mentioned in my other content, it’s important you start creating a list of the important points so they will be easier to implement into your blogging strategy. For example, writing down the examples above in point form will allow you to choose action steps without having to go through the entire content, locating them.
Once you have an outline of the points, you can start implementing them into your content writing strategy. For example, you can track data, understanding what allows you to output content more. Remember, your main objective is to be able to write content more than ever before. You’ll find some ways help you while others slow you down, however, this is your initial testing process. Soon, you’ll find a strategy that works well, and can continue with it going forward.
Please leave your comments below and let us know what has worked for you.
Simply throwing money at the problem never all works. All that ends up happening is that you’ll go way over budget and you still won’t have the results you actually want. As with all other forms of business, it is just as important for you to keep close tabs on the performance of your social media marketing. At the end of the day, it really is about the numbers and that’s why the most successful Internet marketers are the ones who are particularly adept at working with metrics and analytics.
They’re the ones who are able to wade through that sea of numbers, unearth potentially lucrative trends, and cash in before anyone else and better than everyone else. This is the same reason why it’s so important to split test your landing pages and keep a close eye on your traffic sources so you know where best to direct your efforts. I need not remind you of the Pareto principle, right?
When it comes to calculating return on investment for simpler, more traditional endeavors, the math is relatively straightforward:
(Benefit – cost) ÷ cost = return on investment
ROI is typically expressed as a percentage. So, if we forget about income taxes and fees and other considerations for the sake of simplicity, the ROI when you buy something for $100 and sell it for $110 for a $10 profit is 10%, because (110 – 100) ÷ 100 = 0.10 or 10%. That’s simple enough to understand if you think about buying stocks (again, ignoring fees and such), flipping merchandise on eBay, or whatever else.
This calculation might be reasonably easy to understand if your marketing efforts lead directly to sales (and you can connect those dots reliably), but how much is a “like” on your post really worth? What’s your rate of return if you gained 100 new followers to your Facebook page? This can feel much less concrete and much more ethereal than investments that only involve dollars and cents, but you can arrive at a reasonable approximation if you’re willing to accept a few assumptions.
After you decide on the goal of your social media marketing — like getting new email newsletter subscribers — and you track how you did on that goal after a campaign, you must then ascribe a monetary value to that metric. More specifically, you’ll typically look at the lifetime value. How much is this new follower worth over the long term?
But for the sake of simplicity, let’s use these hypothetical figures for a one-time benefit:
In this case, of the 500 new subscribers, you can expect about 50 of them (10%) to convert on your offer. Each of those conversions is worth $100 to you in profit, so you have a total profit of $5,000. Subtracting the initial $1,000 cost, you now have a total net profit of $4,000. Divided by your cost of $1,000, you arrive at a ROI of 400%. That sounds like a very successful campaign.
We have to remember that this ROI calculation doesn’t factor in the time and effort that you put into creating, running and managing this campaign, as well as all the work that you put in afterwards, plus the cost of your email list and so on. But this gives you a good point of determining whether your social media marketing efforts are “worth it” compared to other marketing venues or campaigns you may be using.
If you’re interested in learning more about measuring social media ROI or would just prefer to have it explained in a different voice, there are some excellent guides from Buffer, Neil Patel and Sprout Social on the subject. Go check those out and actually put this methodology into practice.
Content marketing is a MUST for every blogger, and if you have read any of my previous posts, you’ll understand the importance I put on this strategy. Through content marketing, you are able to reach an audience that otherwise would be impossible. Google has also emphasized the importance of high quality content because it enhances the user experience. With that said, it’s important that you write content that is in-depth, provides value, provides a solution to a common problem, and is sharable. Why sharable? Social media is increasing the rate at which content is found and discovered. This means the more value you provide, the higher chance of achieving conversions later on.
Next,
Content marketing can be used to generate enormous sales, especially if you have a blog that relies on conversions. Many blog simply as a past time, but others do it as a means of survival. For example, like myself, I blog because it’s my main source of income and I need to keep up-to-date with the popular marketing strategies. Today, we’ll be discussing what I’ve learned over 3 years in content marketing. We’ll be looking at such thing like:
Your feedback will be greatly appreciated so please leave your thoughts within the comment box.
No matter what type of content you are writing, it’s important that you add the right SEO elements throughout. Google ranks content depending on value and different types of keywords, like long tail, LSI, and loosely connected. This has become more important because of how the user search pattern has been changing lately. For example, people are more precise on what type of content they are looking for so will type long phrases within the search engine. When writing content, it’s important you add a mix of keywords scattered throughout your introduction, body, and conclusion. Here are a few tips to follow.
First, always perform research before getting started because this will help guide your content writing. For example, by having a list of 5-10 keywords, I’ll know what to focus on and will understand the type of content they are looking for. It’ll also allow me to optimize my content by adding some of these keywords within my title, description, and as sub-headings. Researching keywords is NOT difficult because you have several awesome tools that will help you along the way. Here are just a few:
Secondly, I always add keywords after writing because it helps with the flow of my content. If I worry about keywords from the start, then I might ruin the flow of my content, which will make it harder for people to understand. The less they understand, the less they’ll share with others within social media.
Third, DO NOT over optimize your content with a single keyword, and it’s important to add a mix of keywords. Change up the anchor text because Google loves variety because of how users have been searching for content.
This can work in two ways:
If you have loyal readers who visit your blog daily, then it’s a great time to post as early as possible in the morning. Monday to Friday posting by 8AM has worked enormously for me because people tend to be skimming the Internet at this time either from home or work. The time gap between 8AM to 11AM has shown the highest engagement, which I feel has a lot to do with recreation time available. From my experience, people arrive at work and will spend the first 30min checking through emails. They’ll then spend time browsing the Internet, visiting blogs they read daily. If you have sent a newsletter to your email list, then the user will open it first thing in the morning, which, again, will increase the rate of engagement. Next,
If you are new to blogging, then posting early in the morning will still increase engagement through social media. My experience has shown me that people tend to be on social media from 8AM to 4PM (Mon-Fri). Again, the visitor will arrive at work and after checking emails, will begin to browse their popular sites, including social media platforms. However, for you to increase engagement on social media, it’s important you know how to use the search and tools available. Let’s take a look at one popular Twitter tool that I have written about before.
hashtagify.me is a tool I’ve been using for years to find popular #hashtags to embed with my tweets. #hashtags are Twitter’s way of organizing the different “tweets” that are posted daily. For example, if I browse over to Twitter and I am looking for content related to blogging, then I can search using #blogging. Twitter will display all the content that has that #hashtag embedded within the “tweet”. This is an awesome tool for those just getting started online and DON’T have a big following as of yet. What enhances the experience even more is when you post a link to high value content on your blog because this can definitely increase engagement. Imagine if your “tweet” gets 1,000 more “retweets” by those with 10,000+ followers? This can have a huge impact on engagement, and can help build your brand within a short period of time.
I’ve noticed both of the strategies work well if you are posting first thing in the morning because around 8AM is when users tend to be skimming online the MOST. In the end, you always have the option of trying different timings until you find one that works even better within your niche.
Over the years, I’ve learned that people love to read data driven content. This includes case studies, how-to content, and even infographics (which you’ll learn later on). This type of content tends to be full of substance and cuts much of the tedious work out of performing manual work on your own. For example, if I can find content that has tested different PPC marketing strategies, this will save me money in the long run because I won’t invest in poor quality networks. Next, I’d be happy to share a case study that cuts MOST of the headache for bloggers on my social profile because it does provide value. Here’s another example,
Imagine finding a case study done on email marketing and inbox rates. As marketers, we spend countless hours trying to find the right time to send email follow-ups and what text to include that will help inbox our message. The more we can inbox, the higher chance of the subscriber opening and engaging with the link within the message…right? Personally, I would love for someone to do a case study on this and present the findings because it reduces much of the leg work others have to perform going forward. If you can do this and provide value at the same time, then you have increased the likelihood of ensuring you have a successful content marketing campaign. I often get asked this question: How do you find the best data driven content? Simple…
Start by doing a quick search in Google with “case study” embedded within the search phrase. For example, “CPA case studies” is a great way to find content based on cost per action campaigns. It’s also a great way to find case studies available for you to do. If I type a phrase and I’m NOT able to find any data, then it might be something that can go a long way with my readers, and on social media. The more unique my content, the higher chance of it ranking within the SERP’s, which is great for my bottom line going forward.
Get started now by doing a quick niche related search and find the different case studies available. Create a list and look for a pattern because if you notice something missing, then you can get started on creating your own engaging data driven content. If you do decide to create your own, then do the following:
Over the years, I’ve seen an awesome pattern developing with infographics. For those of you NOT aware of infographics, they are a content type based on a graphic that includes images, text, video, charts, etc. Many online tools have been created over the last several years to allow bloggers to create them with ease, and this has helped stimulate the growth going forward. However, how does this translate into better content marketing? Infographics have been known to attract more links than traditional content because of the value they provide. They are easy to skim through and efficient when searching for information quickly. This doesn’t mean text content is doing poorly, but you should try incorporating infographics into your marketing. Next,
The Internet has connected people all over the world and infographics are a great way to convey your message. In general, graphics can be understood more clearly than English text for those who speak a different first language. Instead of text content, which can only be read and understand in-depth within North America, you have infographics that people all over the world will share, comment, and even link back to going forward. Next,
Keep in mind, with more link backs, you are securing your long-term traffic success going forward. Google looks at link building patterns over time so having an influx of links over time is a great way to increase your ranks within the SERP’s.
It’s time for me to conclude this content with a few final words.
First, content marketing is the new norm because it provides depth, and can be used as a funnel for high conversions. Content marketing is a great long-term strategy to build traffic momentum going forward because some formats like infographics have a higher link retention rate. Next, as a result of the changes in social media, your content can be shared with more precision. What do I mean? You can share with videos, images, infographics, and even embed a few awesome #hashtags into your “tweet” or “share”. This is important because it increases the likelihood of your content being found, which is important, especially if you are trying to build engagement leading to conversions.
Going forward, it’s important you focus on a few crucial things.
I check out the insane $6 million Pagani Huayra BC super car at this week’s South OC Cars and Coffee. In addition to that work of art, there were tons of other cars to check out as well, like a couple of purple people eater Porsche GT3 RS and the new GT2 RS that set the Lighting Lap record at Virginia International Raceway. Enjoy!
There are certain cliches that we’ve come to internalize as a modern society, whether or not they are actually true in all or even most cases. We just assume automatically that every used car salesperson is sneaky and deceptive, straight up lying to your face in order to close the deal. There is the archetype of the starving student, accumulating massive student debt as they eat instant noodles for lunch and binge drink on the weekends. Most of these are unfair, of course, but we’ve come to internalize them.
And for the most part, we’ve come to assume that artists are generally crazy, broke, or more likely than not, both crazy and broke. While we may romanticize the idea of the artist sacrificing for his or her craft, we also assume that most artists are practically destitute, sharing one-bedroom apartments with four other “hippies” or “hipsters.” But a few break through and actually achieve impressive success within their lifetimes.
Pablo Picasso is one such individual. Even if you know almost nothing about the art world (like me), you’ve surely heard of his name. You know that he was (is!) incredibly famous and he was (is!) very influential in the art world. You probably know him best from his cubism period with distorted images of reality.
What you see here is an oil and collage painting called Three Musicians. This is the version that is a part of the permanent collection at New York City’s Museum of Modern Art (MoMA). There is another version of this painting that looks a little different but has a similar kind of colorful concept; it is on display at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
It goes without saying that Pablo Picasso was and continues to be a very big deal. But it’s not like he was an overnight success either.
I’m currently listening to the audiobook version of The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck by Mark Manson. In it, he recounts a particular story about Pablo Picasso that may or may not be one hundred percent accurate, but it still illustrates a very important point that all of us should take to heart. And yes, this comes well before the Internet became a thing, let alone Internet marketing as a viable business.
So, the tale goes a little something like this. Pablo Picasso is in his later years, having already achieved great fame and fortune from his art. He’s leading a much quieter life, but his creativity continues to yearn for representation and application. And so, he finds himself in some small cafe, sipping away on a coffee or whatever, and he allows his mind to wander as he doodles on a paper napkin.
As he prepares to leave and just before he tosses his napkin into the trash, he’s approached by a woman in the cafe. She expresses her great admiration for his work and asks if it’s okay if she have the napkin with the doodle on it. She says she’d even be willing to pay for it.
Picasso turns to the woman and tells her that the price for the napkin doodle is $20,000. Remember that this encounter would have taken place about half a century ago. Adjusted for inflation, the asking price would be somewhere around $500,000 in today’s dollars.
Aghast at the asking price, the woman declares that he was just about to throw the napkin into the trash anyhow and it only took him a couple minutes to draw. To this, Picasso replies (and I’m paraphrasing), “No, you’re wrong. It didn’t take me two minutes. It took me over 60 years to draw.”
When we see the final work of a professional, whether that’s a painting, a song, a book or anything else, we only perceive the actual final product. What we don’t see are the years of blood, sweat and tears that it took to get to that point. We don’t see all the failed manuscripts and drafts that no one cared to give a second look. We don’t see all the learning through experience that it took to get to that point.
Know your value. And know that it takes time for you to get to the point where you can, with confidence, ask for half a million dollars for your napkin doodle. The story goes that Picasso then delicately folded up the napkin, put it in his pocket, and walked out of the cafe.
Being a full time blogger can be very time consuming, which is why I like to outsource my SEO. This is not always the case, only when I have a full schedule ahead. Over the years, I have learned a lot about outsourcing, and what to look for when choosing the right company to take care of your organic work. These days, with so many updates, Google now targets poor quality links, content, and private blog networks, ultimately banning sites that don’t meet the quality threshold. In short, you have to be very careful when selecting SEO companies in the future, making sure they do a solid job on your blog.
Today, I’d like to go over a few things to look for when hiring an SEO company. I’ll also explore how asking the right questions can help you select a reputable company. I believe with content marketers getting so busy writing in-depth content, it’s hard to find time to build natural links for organic SEO. Please provide your feedback, and input so we can start a debate on this topic.
Let’s jump right in…
Whenever I’m going to hire a company, I skim through their website, looking for special services in what they provide. For example, SEO is more than just building links so it’s important to me to find a company that provides a complete package. What does this mean? For those of you who have never hired an SEO company, it’s important they provide:
Content writing –
Building links has to come from other content so it’s important that they write quality posts to be added to other websites. They must be high quality and relevant because this is important to Google.
Social Media Optimization –
Social media is very important so I want the SEO company to have experience on popular platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Google+. This means being able to use the right #hashtags, post during popular times, have a huge following themselves, etc.
On-Page SEO –
It’s all about relevance so I ensure they know how to tweak my pages to fit specific keywords. The company should skim through, looking for areas for improvement on my website. If they can’t, then they definitely won’t perform off-page…right?
Off-Page SEO –
I would like a breakdown of how their company will build links and at what ratio. Its important links are relevant, but are a variety like URK, EXACT, Phrase, etc.
I can go on about this section, however, let me clarify my point….
Before hiring the SEO company, it’s important that you have a complete breakdown of what they offer in their package.
I like to get a clear cut explanation about the improvement I can expect to see. It’s important they tell me how they’ll improve my SEO and search rankings. For example,
Having answers to these questions is very important because this way, you’ll understand what you’re paying for long-term. It’s very important to ask about links and how the ones they’ve built will improve your rankings over time.
A solid SEO campaign is nothing without an accurate way to track results. I ask the SEO company upfront how they’ll keep me informed of the changes. I want a clear and accurate way to find changes in SERP rank, content rankings, and domain and page authority. I also want to see how many new links I have pointing to my website, and from what location they are coming from. Next, I’d like to see the work they have performed throughout the month, usually in spreadsheet format.
Two things to keep in mind:
First, never let them track changes internally because they can have a system that is inaccurate. It also gives them control to manipulate the results if they don’t provide what they told you they would. Secondly, it’s important to have control for yourself because if the company you’ve hired doesn’t complete the work, then you’re NOT left hanging, completely lost. In the worst case scenario, you’ll have a complete breakdown, and can continue working if you choose to at a later time. You’ll also have a breakdown to hand over to another company if you’ve hired one instead of continuing on your own.
A reputable SEO company will have a list of clients they’ve worked with in the past, and you can learn a lot the company by viewing their results. You should ask the company if you can contact some of them to find out about the quality of their work. A solid company usually will give you authority to do so because they have nothing to hide except awesome results. For example,
Just like asking an attorney about the cases they’ve won and closed in the past, it’s important to get a good idea of the quality of work performed by the SEO company. As mentioned, I’ve dealt with 4 different companies with all of them being more than happy to share past client information.
Every year, you hear about changes being made to search engines and the algorithm. This means you have to be extra careful when doing organic SEO because what once used to be acceptable may NOT be going forward. If you’re doing the SEO yourself, then you can make tweaks right after researching what changes have been made. However, hiring an SEO company requires a different approach.
First, it’s important to ask them if they follow Google best practices, and how they know what changes have been made. Secondly, it’s important to get a breakdown of the changes so you know they keep up-to-date with the search algorithm. Third, it’s important they have a clear-cut way to ensure the best practices are followed by the entire team. The manager might know about the changes, but they might NOT have a clear way to implement them into their system. I always ask the company how they ensure the right practices are taken throughout their SEO process, and what guarantee they give me if they don’t follow them.
These days, it’s NOT uncommon to have SEO companies use tools in their strategy but it’s very important to me that they use the right ones. For example, I don’t want them using tools that automate back-linking or even the content writing because this is NOT following Google’s quality control. To protect myself going forward, I like to get a complete breakdown of the tools they use, and for what. This will allow me to do two things:
First, I can do research on my own understanding of how important the tools are in SEO. It will also give me a chance to determine if the tool should be used or if it’s causing more damage than benefit. Secondly, when I decide to continue the SEO on my own, I’ll know EXACTLY what tools I can rely on going forward to ensure the campaign stays right on track.
Always ask the company for a breakdown of the tools and they should be fully compliant in giving them to you.
I’m a true believer that the COST should not be an issue as long as you’re getting quality work done. It’s hard to find good help if you’re NOT willing to pay for it but it’s important that you do understand the payment structure. For example, ask the SEO company the following questions:
These are simple, but fundamental questions that should be asked before hiring the company to begin work. It’s hard to determine what a fair price is, however, this comes down to the quality of work and level of package. If, after reviewing previous work, you’re happy with their reputation, then paying more than usual is NOT a bad idea.
From my experience, you can expect to pay on average $1,500-$2,000 for a high quality job.
This is something I need to know and the communication MUST be clear and concise from the beginning. Especially when paying for work to be done, it’s important that they are available during the times they tell me. In most cases, communication will be conducted through email, however, local companies will work an on-call basis.
It’s also a good idea to suggest some other communication methods if you feel more comfortable proceeding that way.
The one thing with SEO is that it can be tailored to all types of niches but it’s still important to find out how much experience they have in your industry. This will help you determine how well they know your industry, and if they know where to focus while progressing.
An easy way to find out about their experience within your niche is to ask about previous clientele or even general questions about your niche. Anyone with experience in every niche should be able to answer questions related to your industry. Even though this doesn’t mean they can’t get the work done, it’s still good to know how much experience they have working within your industry.
I left this as the last thing to ask or think about because it’s truly optional but I’ve always asked this question. You’re hiring the company so they should prove to you why they are worth getting your business. This is their time to shine, and tell you about the past and present accomplishments. I like to give the company a chance to go over what they can do for my business that others won’t be able to. This is a good time to see what they can come up with, and pay close attention to red flag answers like:
It’s a good way to catch them off guard and slip up, which, in the end, gives you a sense of trustworthiness. I guarantee, the way they answer this question will determine if you hire them or NOT.
Now that you have a few things to keep in mind, I’d like to close with these thoughts…
Even though I’m a true believer that SEO work should be done by you, it’s also a good idea to hire someone if you don’t have the time. Doing it yourself is important because it’s the best way to learn and understand the fundamentals as it applies to organic SEO. However, sometimes, getting others to do the work can be awesome to pick up a few hidden secrets. For example, it was through hiring a company I learned…
Keep in mind, you also have the option to do both – work yourself and hire someone to help out. Using this approach will help you get a better grasp when it comes to organic search rankings and optimization. I know hiring someone can be expensive so pay close attention to the price and what you get in your package. The high cost MUST out-weigh the negatives, and you should truly know you’re getting your money’s worth.
In the end, your entire experience should account to results in search engine rankings, authority, profits, and influence.
When running a website, it’s important to know what your audience thinks. But how can you do this in a way that’s engaging and interactive?
For WordPress users, the perfect solution is a survey plugin.
Unlike a poll, a survey allows you to answer questions in different formats, such as images and star ratings. It’s a personal way to interact with your audience.
Surveys are the perfect way to find out what interests your audience. You can use the data from surveys to create content tailored to their specific needs.
A quality survey plugin will be easy to use, provide readily accessible results, and allow you to share and export those results in different formats.
If you’re looking to engage further with your audience, here are the 5 best WordPress survey plugins you can use.
With an already engaging, popular contact form plugin, WPForms now has a survey and poll add-on provided when you purchase their Pro plan.
It features an easy to use drag and drop form builder, interactive survey reports, and exportable results. Need to print your report to share in person? No problem. The add-on comes with many customizable print styles to choose from so that your reports are pretty to look at while you analyze.
You can answer survey questions using text, images, star ratings, and more. You can also embed your survey anywhere you want in WordPress: post, page, or sidebar widget.
One of its most intriguing features is that you can turn any existing form into a survey at the click of a button, adding to its simplicity.
Survey Monkey is user-friendly survey plugin with features that include customizable branding, pre-written questions, and 24/7 online or offline accessibility.
The plugin’s dashboard has a friendly user interface and is easy to navigate.
You can ask questions based on categories like demographics, customer feedback, and market research. It also provides survey templates with different questions to choose from.
SurveyMonkey’s paid upgrade allows you to export results in CSV, HTML, and PDF formats. You can also display them as bar graphs, pie charts, and tables, which are all customizable. Share your survey with others via an embed code, direct link, social media, and more.
With the Polldaddy survey plugin, simplicity is key. You get features like a drag and drop question editor, 15 theme options, and 3 pop-up styles.
You can close the survey after a certain date or when a quote is met. Integrate password protection, Captcha protection, or IP restriction to prevent multiple or automated responses.
If you’d like to follow up with survey participants, you can ask them to provide contact information like a name or email. Results can be monitored in real time and responses can be collected through email, social media, or via WordPress.
Polldaddy allows you to export your data in different formats such as PDF or XML and through Google Docs and Excel.
Simple and easy to use, the free version of Quiz and Survey Master features unlimited surveys and responses, a customizable thank you page, and the ability to email users once the survey is complete.
Answer options include multiple choice, true and false, and number rankings. Results can be sent straight to your email or viewed directly through your WordPress dashboard.
The upgraded version is worth the price if you want to include reporting and analytics, data exportation, and user-friendly survey templates.
Created by OpinionStage, this plugin requires you to create an OpinionStage account on their website, which is where you build your survey. If you’re looking for something straight to the point, the free version provides all the basic features you’ll need.
Some features include various survey designs, a WordPress editor button, and an easy-to-use interface. You can display your survey anywhere on your WordPress site.
Customization includes many different color schemes and fonts. You can view your data by the amount of time a visitor has been on the survey, the number of views and leads, and the number of engagements.
Although you need to upgrade to a paid plan to access features such as adding your own logo and advanced customization, the free plan is simple and easy to navigate.
Depending on your needs, one of these plugins is guaranteed to aid you in gathering the analytical data and results you’re looking for.
Asking your audience to take part in a survey is a personal, fun, and engaging way of getting to know them better. This will help you in your blogging journey as you tailor the type of content visitors are looking for.
Years and years and years ago, far before I had any glimmer of an idea about the possibility of making money online, my dad shared a story with me. I don’t think I was much older than maybe 6 or 7 at the time and I’m not even 100 percent certain the story is even true, but the underlying lesson is something that I’ve really taken to heart… even if it’s not directly applicable to my everyday life now.
One of the most famous entrepreneurs and “business magnates” that Vancouver has ever produced is Jim Pattison. He was born in Saskatchewan, but he grew up in East Vancouver, just like me and John (though we grew up in different neighborhoods and at different times).
If you’ve ever been to Vancouver, you may have noticed his name plastered all over the city as the owner of the Jim Pattison Group, Canada’s second largest privately held company. It’s got billboards, TV and radio stations, car dealerships, grocery store chains, real estate development, and more. These days, Jim Pattison has an estimated net worth of nearly $7 billion. That’s “billion” with a “B,” making him Canada’s fourth richest person.
He bought his first GM dealership way back in 1961 and has since amassed over 200 companies with diversified investments across multiple countries. “Jimmy” Pattison and his family have done very well for themselves.
For whatever reason, this was one of my dad’s favorite stories. Maybe it’s partly what eventually led him down the path of being a small business owner himself and, by extension, what led me to my freelance writing career today.
So, the story goes that Jimmy Pattison came from a family of rather modest means, so he took it upon himself to make some extra money. As a kid, he’d do things like head out to the local fields and farms to pick berries and fruit during summer, for example. He also took on a newspaper delivery route, among several other gigs and jobs along the way. But he also set out with his own humble small business as a teenager too.
He made the astute observation that buying things in bulk is usually cheaper on a per-unit basis than it is buying smaller amounts. We see this is relatively obvious these days, but not many people actually take entrepreneurial action based on this knowledge. Pattison did. He would buy giant bulk bags of flower seeds and the like, dividing them into much smaller bags that he would then sell door-to-door.
I don’t have the actual numbers, of course, but let’s use today’s dollars to illustrate this using a hypothetical example. Let’s say a massive bag of seed costs $20. From that massive bag, you can make 200 individual portions that you can then sell for $1 each. And let’s say that you can bulk buy 200 little bags for $5. Given this, it means that for a total cost of $25 (the big bag of seed plus the cost of the small bags), you can bring in $200 in revenue, resulting in $175 in net profit. That’s a 700 percent return on investment!
I can never be completely certain why my dad enjoys telling that story so much. Maybe it’s because it’s so inspirational and it shows how a humble kid from East Vancouver can grow up to be a billionaire. Perhaps it’s because Jim Pattison demonstrates that your dreams can become reality if you’re savvy and willing to put in the work.
For me, the biggest lesson here is that you just need to come up with creative ways to work with what you have. As a teenager, there’s no way that Pattison could buy a car dealership. It would be impossible for him to open up any sort of real traditional business, but he saw an opportunity and he was able to capitalize on it. Splitting a big bag of seeds into several smaller bags is hardly a novel idea, but it proved to be profitable and it helped to sow a prosperous path for him to follow.
Oh, I can’t make it big on YouTube. I can’t afford to spend thousands of dollars on equipment or hire professionals to produce, direct and edit the videos. But you can start vlogging for $200 or less. So, start there. Just like starting a blog, getting into Internet marketing, publishing an ebook, or whatever other ambitions you may have, use what you have, put your unique spin on it, and go out there to sell some seeds.
Email marketing is huge and you can double or even triple your growth with a solid follow-up campaign. Over the years, I have learned every top blogger encourages other bloggers to have a solid opt-in sequence that will increase user engagement. However, I’m surprised at the number of people who still don’t choose to implement email marketing on their blog. I think everyone should have a solid email marketing plan, especially because they are very cheap and easy to set up. For example, I’ve been using Aweber.com and had them set up on my blog within a few minutes. They offer free templates, a drag & drop interface, and autoresponders that can be sent out within minutes. With so much to be done easily, it’s important you start looking at how you can benefit with email marketing on your blog. After,
It’s time to test and tweak your email campaigns because it is truly about generating opens that convert into profit. They say each subscriber is worth $150-$200 to your company, but only if you are able to get them to open your messages. This is where things get tough, but you are NOT alone in this battle because case studies are around to help guide your open rate. For example, when I first got started, I located awesome case studies that helped generate an awesome open rate. Today, I’d like to discuss some of them so you can get started with creating a solid follow-up sequence.
Let’s jump right in and look writing emails people want to open and read.
This is the first thing your readers will see so it’s important you have a subject line that stands out compared to all other messages within their inbox. It’s no secret people get bombarded with emails, but with the right subject lines, you can definitely stand out compared to the rest. Here are a few ways to get converting:
Build Curiosity –
Whenever people have to question what’s inside the email, then you have a better chance of them opening. It’s like a box wrapped in beautiful paper because this can be very tempting…right? To build curiosity, use things like:
All of these questions or statements will build a heightened level of curiosity that will help increase open rates.
Use Numbers –
There is a simple reason numbers work so well and that’s because they tend to stand out from basic text script. As humans, we tend to scan things quickly because we are short for time, and numbers help catch the eye quickly.
Short and Right to the Point –
As mentioned above, people are skimming through their inbox because they get bombarded with emails. In this case, it’s important to always keep things short and to the point. It’ll help get the message across, increasing the likelihood of them clicking on your message. Remember, it’s NOT just about keeping it short because you’ll learn next that it’s about testing until you find a high CTR.
Always Test Your Subscribers –
It’s important to keep testing until you find something that works. This is the only way you’ll find out what resonates with your readers. Keep the subject line short as mentioned above, but try a combination of subject lines and track results. Email marketing is so easy that you can test with the click of a button, so implement the strategies above while tracking the results.
Just like writing content that provides value, it’s important to do the same when sending email messages, too. This is especially important when subscribers will open an email at least once, and if they don’t find value, might unsubscribe going forward. This is why I’m a true believer in NOT sending out too many follow-ups until you have something of value that you know your subscribers will love to read. If my subscribers open a message and are redirected to valuable content, then I’ve increased the chances of them doing the same again going forward. What is value?
First, understand why they joined your newsletter in the first place which MOST likely is they found value on your blog. Next, understand exactly where most of them opted because this will help guide your writing in the future. For example, you can create the same type of content going forward, and then send them a follow-up message with the link embedded within. Third, keep the message short, which you’ll learn later on as you continue to read this content.
Here are some quick content value tips:
There’s a reason people spend time on your blog, and a major reason is because you have established your own voice. This means going forward, it’s important you continue to write content that builds your identity. Even though you will probably follow this philosophy as it applies to content writing, it’s important you do the same when sending out newsletters to your subscribers. They will want to feel the same passion in your follow-up messages that they did when reading your content.
The best way to personalize your voice is to keep it real from the beginning. The cool thing about blogging is you’re representing yourself, which can be very strong when done the right way. Start with writing content, and keep that personal tone going throughout your messages. You’ll see that people will resonate much better with your messages, knowing you’ve kept it real from the very start.
I had mentioned previously how I’d explore this a bit more going forward. As mentioned, people are bombarded with emails daily, and they quickly skim through them. They will organize them and quickly SPAM the ones that seem to be poor quality. However, sometimes, the subscriber isn’t sure about an email, and will open to skim through, which is why you have very little time to get your point across. In short,
It’s very important to make sure your email follow-ups are concise and right to the point. However, don’t forget the fundamentals that I have discussed above, like:
You need to ensure you catch the subscriber’s attention quickly, and in very little time. You have to know what they expect to read and give it to them in a way where they can engage right away.
I have many blogging colleagues who have built a huge email following and are doing very well growing their blogs. However, there are some who have gone stagnant over the years, which tempted me to ask them what happen over the years. One of the main complaints they said was their inability to keep a solid follow-up sequence going, which caused many subscribers to forget they opted in to receive newsletters. Before continuing, let me summarize my main point…
If you want to keep subscribers engaged, it’s important you build your reputation through a solid follow-up sequence. What does this all mean?
First, it’s important you send messages consistently so you stay relevant when they check emails. I know many times, I’ve unsubscribed from email messages even though I actively subscribed month back. The reason was very simple, it’s because over time, I had forget about the blog because of slow correspondence over time.
Secondly, it’s even more important during the consistent follow-ups you continue to provide value, which I’ve already discussed above. Third, always test when sending email messages because you’ll notice throughout the day that certain time slots work better than others. However, you should also pay close attention to the days you message because open rates will fluctuate throughout the week. Here’s what I’ve learned over time about email timing and inbox:
It’s also very important you pay close attention to timing when you send messages. You want to catch the subscriber at the right time, which will help increase open rates. Here’s what I learned about timing:
In the end, writing emails can definitely help increase engagement on your website, but it’s very important that you apply different strategies along the way. It’s is a complete waste of subscribers and efforts if you can’t re-engage your visitors after they have subscribed to your newsletter. Once they have, it’s time to really build that lasting loyalty, which can transform your business 10 fold. Going forward, it’s important you start implementing the strategies that have been discussed above to get a better understanding of how email marketing works. After you have utilized the strategies discussed above, you’ll begin to see improvements in your engagement. Once this happens, it will transform your entire blog, increasing traffic, loyalty, and engagement.
There are many examples I can give you on how people have managed to use email marketing to increase overall growth. For example, Neil Patel from QuickSprout.com has stated numerous times that it’s very difficult to get 100,000 visitors a month without having a huge list of subscribers. However, he has also mentioned that having the list is NOT the only thing that matters because you have to know how to get them to open emails and click on the engagement links.
