On Word Choice and Knowing Your Audience

There’s this old saying that’s been passed around and repeated so many times that it has almost lost all meaning. A picture is worth a thousand words. And especially in this modern age of social media and shrinking attention spans maybe that’s true. Instead of typing out a thoughtful comment to a post on Facebook, you just send over a funny GIF with a 90s pop culture reference.

Maybe instead of taking the time to write out a short message to a friend or loved one, you reply with a series of emojis because you think it’s clever. I’m not judging. I do it too. Or maybe you haven’t even gotten this far into this blog post and I’ve already lost you. I’m not judging here either. I skim through blog posts all the time and I’m sure I miss a lot of great content along the way.

As a blogger, when you do come up with some decent content and it really does get read by the people you want to be reading it, you want to make sure not only that you are giving off the impression you desire but also that your words are being understood. And that you are being respected at the level that fits with your objectives.

The Power of a Million

At this point in time, it’s estimated that there are well over one million words in the English language. One million. And that doesn’t even necessarily account for the multiple meanings that a single word may have. When I use the word “green,” I could be referring to the color, using the slang term for money, or talking about a putting green in golf. These are not the same thing and they use the same word.

If that isn’t mind boggling enough on its own, somewhere around 8,500 new words are created each and every year. Language continues to evolve and the way that we choose to use the language evolves with it. The relationship goes both ways. At some point in time, someone had to come up with the word “microwave” or “television” or “ethernet,” because the very thing they describe didn’t even exist yet.

Tools of the Trade

If you’re a chef, the tools you have in the kitchen might include a set of knives, a gas stove, a cheese grater, a food processor, and all sorts of other things. If you assemble furniture, the tools you have might include a screwdriver, a hammer, some pliers, and so on. And as a blogger, the main tools that you have are your words. And there are over one million of these tools readily at your disposal.

That’s why it might surprise you to hear that, on average, people only use about a total of 5,000 words when speaking and around 10,000 words when writing. In total. That’s not talking about a single blog post, but talking about anything you will ever write in your lifetime. Put another way, you are using less than 0.1% of your potential vocabulary. You’re leaving out 99.9% of the English language. That sounds like such an incredible waste, doesn’t it?

Not really. Not necessarily.

Are You Cut Out For This?

Far and away the most important thing that you have to consider when writing a blog post is your intended audience. It’s always going to be a bit of a balancing act. If you “dumb it down” too far, your post will be far too simple to actually be useful for your readers. Worse yet, they might feel like you’re simply patronizing them and you could quickly lose your audience.

On the flip side, if you were to articulate your pontifications as only to elevate your apparent verisimilitude, you’d also lose your audience because they’d have no idea what you’re talking about.

It’s about choosing the right words for the right audience at the right time. So, while a picture may be worth a thousand words in some context, never forget that a carefully selected word can easily be worth a thousand pictures too.

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Create and Get Started Blogging Online Part 15 – Top Marketing Channels

If you haven’t done so, the best way to start a new blog is with our free blog setup service. If you don’t have a blog yet, use the service to get start today.

In Part 14 I had discussed marketing channels which I have used to build momentum quickly. Today, I’ll like to go over “3” of them which I can guarantee, if done correctly, will help boost visitors and build momentum quickly. I believe success depends on being able to drive traffic to your site better than others which also means a higher chance of success going forward. I think the higher traffic to your page will increase the chance of CTR, and finally conversions on your product or service. It’s truly a game of trial and error so you have to be careful when doing your initial testing. Many people in the beginning will get carried away, but if you know how to test different variations of you’re ad then you’ll have quicker success than others.

Let’s jump right in and look at the top “3” marketing channels which I know will help generate enormous traffic quickly to your website. Let’s get started…

Guest Posting –

This is one of the best ways to generate traffic quickly because you are focusing on reaching out to authority bloggers who have already established themselves within your niche. These people have loads of traffic, and have the EXACT type of traffic you are looking for going forward. I would recommend starting with about 3-4 bloggers within your niche, and then writing an email to each pitching your idea. If they accept then it’s time to write some of the best content you’ve written because this is what will guarantee opportunities going forward.

Here are a few tips to follow going forward:

• Be genuine in your approach
• Always pitch the best ideas
• When you are done writing content make sure the grammar, and punctuation are correct
• Always add your author bio towards the bottom

Forums –

Forums have been around way before many of us got started online. They have been around before sophisticated search engines came into existence which is why many people still depend on them to build momentum to their blogs. However, you have to be strategic in your approach even when posting on forums. For example,

You have to make sure the forums you choose are highly relevant, and authoritative. Posting on low quality forums will NOT help attract the right type of readers.

You want to make sure you put effort when answering questions because others will be online who will provide feedback on a topic. It’s important you stand out compared to everyone else which means to post answers which are in-depth, and provide a complete solution.

Always add your signature towards the bottom of your forum post. Sometimes you’ll have to build credibility before you can add one which should NOT be a problem especially if you are genuine in your approach.

Start by going to Google, and typing in quotations (“”) – main keyword + forums. Then go through each one until you find 3-4 which have a high number of members, etc.

Social Media –

I love social media because it can boost momentum to your blog within a few hours. I know some posts have gone viral within minutes because everyone else is promoting your content for you which is amazing because it’s less work for you…right? However, you have to know where, and how to target social media platforms. For example,

It’s important you focus on the most popular like: Facebook, Twitter and Google+. Also, you have tools which will help you find the right #hashtags so make sure you use them.

Split test which posting types are working for you. For example, do infographics, images or video work when marketing on social media? This will obviously depend on your niche so it’s important to keep a close eye on your statistics.

I’ve mentioned the “3” MOST popular social media platforms however you do have others available to you going forward. Pinterest, for example, has been awesome in driving traffic to my blog, but that’s because I have engaging images and infographics. LinkedIn has been awesome whenever I have been promoting career and educational based content because that’s what they special in…right?

You have to go through each learning what’s important, and how each can help grow your business going forward. Some will be better than others so make sure you split test while collecting data.

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Create and Get Started Blogging Online Part 14 – Publishing Content & What’s next?

If you haven’t done so, the best way to start a new blog is with our free blog setup service. If you don’t have a blog yet, use the service to get start today.

We are ending our series, and have covered enormous ground. If you are just joining us I would recommend you read Parts 1-13 where we have discussed some of the MOST important elements of starting a blog. We covered such things like:

• Choosing a domain
• The right hosting
• Installing WordPress
• Customizations
• Finding topic ideas
• On-page SEO

Today we’ll be looking at publishing your content, and what to do right after to make sure you promote on the right channels. This will ensure you are setup for maximum exposure going forward, and can help generate traffic very quickly. As a matter of fact, much of what’s left is very easy, and you’ll be published with the click of a mouse button. I’ll admit marketing your content can be very hard, however I’m here to make this process easier for you going forward. Let’s jump right in, and your feedback will be greatly appreciated.

Let’s get started…

Publishing Content

Once you have written out your content, and done the required on-page SEO then all that’s left is for you to publish your content can be done with the click of a mouse. On the top right hand corner, you’ll see a publish button which when clicked will go live with your content. You have the ability to schedule your content to go live on a specific date that you can schedule through the calendar then by hitting the “Schedule” button. WordPress makes it very easy for you to go live with your content however I encourage all of you to ensure you have followed all the previous steps we have discussed. The MOST important is the on-page element that I’ve discussed in Part 13 of this series.

What’s next?

Once you have published your content, you’ll see it appear on your home page. WordPress is very good at displaying content by date so your MOST recent will always appear on the home page top. After, you can keep writing content and schedule for it to go live every 2-4 days. It’s important for optimization reasons you write content, and publish with precise frequency because Google loves this since it shows fresh content is being published on your blog.

Exploring Marketing Channels

Blogging success all depends on generating traffic which is why I encourage all my clients to ensure they explore as many channels as they have available. In Part 15 I’ll discuss a few in more detail however it’s important you know what’s available to you. You can start researching the following to check what type of hype your niche has on these channels.

Here are just a few to pay close attention to:

Forums – Almost every major niches have popular forums which are a great place to start attracting readers to your blog. These people are NOT only relevant, but you can add a link back to your content within your signature. You might have to prove your credibility before being able to add a signature however the wait time is well worth it because you can generate enormous traffic through popular forums.

Social Media – One of the best ways to generate enormous traffic because platforms like Facebook, Twitter and Google+ have millions of active people each day. You might have to do some research looking for the right #hashtags before starting so you attract the right type of people. In the end, social media is free, and can generate enormous traffic to your blog within a very short period of time.

Guest Posting – This technique is awesome to attract relevant people to your blog quickly. Find authority bloggers within your niche which accept guest blogging opportunities. You write high quality content, and link back to your blog through the author biography. Some of these influential bloggers have thousands of visitors each day which can equate to massive relevant traffic for your blog.

In the final part of this series I’ll be going over these “3” methods in a bit more detail so you guys can start implementing these strategies right away. These methods are awesome, and can increase buzz about your blog within a few hours.

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Create and Get Started Blogging Online Part 13 – Optimization before Publishing

If you haven’t done so, the best way to start a new blog is with our free blog setup service. If you don’t have a blog yet, use the service to get start today.

Now that you have written your content it’s important you have done the right on-page SEO before hitting publish. This part is very important because if you don’t have the right SEO elements on your page then search engines might have a hard time finding you in the SERP’s. Google indexing bots rely on on-page elements to tell them what your page is about which is why this is very important going forward. This is Part 13 of my series, and if you are just joining us I encourage all of you to go back and read the other parts before going forward. My complete process has been outlined step-by-step, and you’ll have an easier time understanding the entire process. With that said,

Let’s jump into Part 13 and go over some of the important on-page SEO elements which you have to ensure you have embedded into your content before going any further. Let’s get started.

Where To Add This Information

When writing your content, simply scroll down until you see  the all-in-one SEO box. Here you’ll be able to add the title, description and some keywords.

The Main Keyword

It important your content is written keeping your main keyword in your mind. It’s important you focused on your main keyword throughout your article, and add it a few times throughout your content. What’s adequate? The right number depends, but many top bloggers have stated having your keyword 3%-4% throughout your content is a good start. This will help search bots understand what your content is about, and find you a place within the SERP’s. It also a good idea to have your main keyword sprinkled throughout your content because when readers go through it’ll reiterate what your content is about which is important especially when your readers are looking for a specific type of content.

Next,

Your main keyword will also make it easier for you to share your content within social media platforms. Many platforms will pull out data automatically, and when you have your keyword sprinkled throughout your content social media will make sure they display it using those #hashtags.

Meta Title

Your main keyword should be within the title of your content. This is because when visitors find your content through search engines it’ll stand out compared to your competition. Imagine what happens when you search for something within the search engines? You’ll notice the content you click has the main keyword within the title which tempts you to click-through…right?

Meta Description

It’s important to have your keyword + 2 other relevant keywords within the description part of your content. This section is usually 150 characters long so gives you some flexibility when writing it out. Take your time putting something together which stands out because your visitors will see it within the SERP’s, and can help increase your CTR. Next,

Make sure the keywords you use are all connected, and relevant because this will help when getting indexed by the search bots. Finding relevant keywords will also help guide your content writing which is important because it will keep your article consistent.

The Body

Hopefully by this point you have 5-10 keywords which are all relevant to your main keyword. It’s expected you sprinkle your related keywords throughout your content body a few times which helps with indexing, and adding relevancy to your blog content. This is very important now days especially since Google has put enormous emphasis on relevance to increase user engagement. It’s not tough because all that’s left is for you to gather 5-10 keywords relevant to each other, and then add them to your content body right before publishing. Here’s something which works well…

You should write your content naturally, and can always go back at a later time implementing them within your content. This will ensure your content stays smooth while the flow is natural at the same time.

Once you have done all of the following all that’s left is for you to hit “Publish” for your content to go live. It will take some time for your content to be indexed however if you have installed the Google Sitemap XML then it will increase the indexing speed since you’ll have a blueprint of your content on your server. The spiders find XML sitemaps very easy to read and follow through.

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Create and Get Started Blogging Online Part 12 – Writing Content the Right Way

Now that you have a list of awesome topics it’s time to get started writing out your ideas. At this point you’ll choose to write in your favorite word processor, but others choose to write within the WordPress backend. I personally like to write within my favorite word processor because it gives me more space and highlights some of the errors I’m making. With that said,

You need to organize the topics you have and write what you feel is the MOST popular right now within your niche. For example, after doing research you’ll have a good indication of the topics which got the MOST social shares within your niche, and can start to put together an outline for those topics. It will be much easier for you to write out content when you have a guide along the way which is why I encourage all of you to write out an outline before getting started.

Let’s jump right into this topic, and your feedback will be appreciated. If you are just joining us then I encourage all of you to visit parts 1-11 so you understand the entire process.

Choosing the Right Topic

As mentioned your topic selection will depend on what you have observed during your research process. For example, you’ll know what topics have been creating a buzz online simply by looking over their social shares profile. When a topic has been shared numerous times then it will continue to create a buzz with readers. Your job is to take the topic and write out something more in-depth because you know it will resonate with your readers. Here are some things you can do:

• Add images
• Add videos
• Add infographics
• Add more text
• Improve the SEO element

All of these will help you stand out compared to the other competitors.

Creating an Outline

Always start by creating an outline because it will help guide your content writing. Start with the main keyword, for example: make money online. Then break it down into the following sub-headings:

• Ways to make money online
• Popular products and services
• Reaching out to other bloggers
• Setting up advertisements online
• etc

Creating a solid outline will allow you to stay focused, and will NOT let you go off-track which is very important because people don’t want to read anything which will confuse them along the way. It’s time to take your main idea and start breaking it down into smaller components which will make it easier for you to write along the way. Always start with a focused main keyword, and then breakdown into smaller segments which are relevant.

The Content Structure

It’s been proven the way you write influences engagement enormously which is why I encourage all of you to pay close attention to your content structure. For example,

Start with an introduction which briefly explains your main topic. It’s also a good idea to mention what you’ll be covering within your article.

Write out your sub-headings so you know how your content will be flowing throughout your writing. These sub-headings should be related to your main keyword.

Your paragraphs should NOT include more then 5-6 sentences because people don’t like to read cluttered content. It pushes them away because they feel they’ll have to go through finding important points within your content.

The conclusion is very simple to write out because you have everything you need. For example, in the conclusion you will summarize what you have written throughout your content. Go through each paragraph giving people a point form account of what you have covered in each section. Next,

I like to end each content with an action plan. What does this mean? I like to give my readers some action steps they can take right now to start implementing what I have discussed throughout my content. Some visitors will be new to bloggers or your niche so will need someone to guide them along the way.

In Part 13, we’ll go over some optimization strategies which you can implement into your content writing. We’ll go over things like embedding keywords throughout content body, within the title and description. We’ll even look at final checklist before hitting publish. And remember, the easiest way to start blogging is with our free WordPress installation service.

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My Updated Income Results with The ClickFunnels Affiliate Program

While waiting for my flight at VIP lounged in Alaska, I decided to create a video showing my updated income results with the ClickFunnels affiliate program. One of the most asked questions I get is what I look for in an affiliate marketing program. While there are whole list of criteria, there are four main features I look for.

1. Pays you over and over again
2. Customer is tracked to you for life
3. Free to join
4. Great affiliate support and training

An example of a program that meets those four requirements is ClickFunnels. They give you 40% of the customers bill for life. Not only do you get paid over and over again, but the customers you referred are yours for life. Anything they buy in the future, you will make money on.

The affiliate program is also free to join. However, I do recommend you to be a customer or at least sign up for the 14 day free trial so you can get to know the product better.

To help their affiliates, ClickFunnels has a 100 Day Super Affiliate Challenge. If you accept the challenge, they will guide to step by step on how to become a ClickFunnels super affiliate and retire in the next 100 days. I am in the challenge and in the video below, I share with you how I’m doing with it.

Go Here To Sign Up for The Challenge

The challenge is free to join and all the training is free as well. I recommend signing up even if you don’t plan to be a ClickFunnels affiliate because the training can be applied to any affiliate marketing program.

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Create and Get Started Blogging Online Part 11 – Generating Content Ideas

Now that you have set up your blog it’s time to start publishing some content. Content is what will build engagement on your blog, and will build loyalty from your readers. I have over 5 blogs and have been writing content for them every “3” days and knowing what to write about has made this process much easier. Over the last several months Google has introduced so many updates changing the way we engage with content. Your rankings now depend on quality, freshness and social shares. The more people share your content the higher the chance of getting solid links from authority websites to it. The process is very simple once you get use to writing high quality content which includes enormous substance. Next,

We will be looking at “3” awesome ways to generate content ideas, and in the next section we’ll look at: How to publish your content. Let’s get started…

Whenever I am generating content idea’s I’ll always start with “1” main keyword, and then build momentum from there. For example, the keyword “make money online” can be used to come up with content ideas like:

• Ways to make money online from your blog?
• Tools to make money online?
• Top bloggers making money online?

These are all good content topics, and I can write about them in great detail especially because I have some knowledge on the topics. However, I like to use another approach sometimes when I have a main keyword. I like to use one of the “3” ways mentioned here:

Competitors

You can learn a lot from your competition even what type of content is creating a buzz online. I like to focus on my main keyword then head over to my competitors to see what they have written on the topic. I also like to look over the social media shares to understand more about the popularity going forward. If the content has been shared several times then it’s something which you know has resonated with readers. What’ next?

I like to take my competitors content and go through it finding ways to make it better going forward. I’ll add more text, videos and images until it becomes the best online. You won’t find content better than mine once I’m done with it.

Forums

I love forums because they’ve been around for years and the people on them are EXACTLY like us – trying to learn new things. If you have your main keyword “make money online” then type it into the search, and you’ll come up with questions people have asked over several months. Start making a list of these questions so you can answer them within the content you write going forward. Just make sure the questions are related to your main keyword so your content stays consistent going forward.

It’s important you find 1-3 forums which are the MOST popular within your niche and spend time going through each one finding popular questions. You’ll know which ones to focus on by looking over the views and responses each one has received.

Other Bloggers

One of the best ways to generate content ideas is by reaching out to other top bloggers within your niche. One way I generate ideas is by asking influential bloggers within my niche questions on my main keyword. For example, if my main keyword is “make money online” I will reach out to 10-15 bloggers asking them their best way to make money online. This method works so well because some people have been bloggers for so many years that they have the knowledge to really give you some great insight. Here’s how you approach this method…

Start by creating a list of influential bloggers within your niche. I would suggest starting with 5-10. Next, write out a genuine email asking them for their response to “1” general questions which would provide enormous substance to you. For example in my case I would ask: What is your best approach to making money online?

Once you have compiled all the answers you can either:

• Write a summary post displaying all of their answers
• Write lengthy content going over each method they discussed

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