What We Can Learn From the $10,000 Instagram Model

There are tons of ways for you to make money online and the barriers to entry are lower than ever before. If you put in the work and put out a compelling product, you could be the next YouTube superstar. But even if you don’t become an Internet sensation overnight, you can leverage your online influence to grow your bottom line too. It can be a tremendous income source when done right.

You might remember when I talked about what it takes to be a successful brand ambassador for example. That kind of relationship far extends beyond a single sponsored post, for instance, to a sustained promotional partnership where both the influencer and the brand can benefit tremendously. Influencer marketing is a huge deal, so it makes sense that many people want to get their piece of the pie.

Celebrity in the Making?

And you’ve probably heard the old adage said time and time again that it takes money to make money. That’s true to some extent and you may have heard about how 26-year-old Lissette Calveiro really took that to heart. She said she wanted to become a big influencer on Instagram. She had dreams with dollar signs in her eyes, except all she ended up doing was putting herself $10,000 in debt.

She bought fancy clothes and went on trips not for her own enjoyment, but solely so that she could post about them on Instagram in hopes of gaining a significant following and attracting brand deals. As cliche as it might sound, she really did do it “for the ‘gram.”

She was shopping “for clothes to take the perfect ‘gram.” By her own admission, Calveiro “was living a lie.”

Where Did It Go Wrong?

It’s true that there are people who are making a decent amount of money on Instagram, just as there are people making money on YouTube, through blogging, and any number of other channels. It’s true that if you want to make it big, you should be taking advantage of Instagram Stories and the whole bunch of features that Instagram affords its users. When you share good content and go in with the right marketing and business plan, the potential is practically limitless.

And that’s largely where Calveiro likely went astray. She didn’t have a plan. She simply threw her money (and money that wasn’t really hers, hence the piling debt) at the challenge and hoped that she would profit in the end. That’s not how business works.

You wouldn’t expect to open up a more traditional brick-and-mortar type business by simply throwing money at it and hoping that customers show up. You want to target the right customers. You want to have the right marketing mix in place. You want to have a business plan that gets you to anticipate cash flow and potential areas for growth.

If You Fail to Plan…

While you shouldn’t wait until you have all your ducks in a row, because the conditions will never be perfect, you should approach any online entrepreneurial venture the same way that you would approach any sort of business decision or exploit. If you want to make money on Instagram, maybe you should start by following the right people and learning more about Internet marketing in general.

Just putting up some fancy faux vacation pictures with expensive clothes isn’t going to automatically win you an army of loyal fans and followers. It shouldn’t surprise you to hear that many of these so-called Instagram models are almost a dime a dozen. There’s more going on behind the scenes if you want to turn a buck. So, get a plan together.

What brands are you going to target? What followers are you going to target? What is the most cost effective way to attract legitimate, real followers who actually engage with your content?

Going into debt for your business is not inherently a bad thing. Indeed, a lot of businesses go into debt early on out of necessity. What is a bad thing is when you buy and pay for things that don’t really deliver any real sort of ROI. Don’t fly down to the Caribbean just so you can snap a picture on the beach, because the thousands of dollars you just spent won’t be recouped by a brand deal when you’ve only got a couple hundred followers.

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What Key Skills Do You Need for Content Marketing?

Content marketing is all about having the right skills, and making sure your article will resonate with your readers. The more you can write to attract your readers, the increased chances of getting some solid backlinks to your content, boosting your rankings within the SERP’s. However, I’m afraid to say many people don’t have the key skills necessary to write content that will resonate with readers the right way. Even your existing readers will soon go to your competition because they find more value in their work than yours. I’m here to tell you that you can keep this from happening, but you have to start paying close attention to the following skills that will be discussed within the post.

We all know that content marketing is the new trend because search engines love it, and readers find enormous value within it. It’s no wonder companies spend thousands of dollars each month hiring a team to set up a solid content marketing strategy. With that said,

Let’s jump into some key skills content marketers need to excel online. Your feedback, and opinion, will be greatly appreciated. Let’s get started…

Eye for Data and Analyzing

I can’t believe how many people fail to pay close attention to this element. Content marketing is all about finding what works compared to what doesn’t. It’s about putting energy where you know you’ll be able to convert readers, reaching your bottom line…right? However, anyone can analyze data, but you need to be able to look for the MOST important things like CTR, opt-ins, conversions, and retention. What does this all mean? Let’s go into each a little further…

CTR – This is click-through rate, however, it’s important you know EXACTLY where it matters. For example, you’ll have different headlines, images, and videos, so you need to analyze which ones get the highest CTR, leading to further engagement down the line. Many bloggers look at CTR without paying close attention to actual engagement leading to conversions.

A solid content marketer knows CTR only matters when it leads to increased engagement.

Opt-Ins – Content marketing is about retention because this sets you up for further marketing later down the line. I believe you have to be able to retain the customer, which, to me, is increased when you can get them to opt-in. It’s time to analyze what actually leads to an opt-in, and then optimize what has been working for you. This leads into A/B split testing.

A content marketers needs to know how to split test campaigns until they reach the ultimate conversions. I’ll admit, in the beginning, this will be tough, but going forward, you’ll make up the money + increase profits 10x.

Know The Tools – You have so many tools available to you so make sure you use them. From my experience, a solid content marketer knows what’s available, and keeps up to date with the trends. No need to do everything manually when you know tools are available to streamline the entire process. If you don’t, then rest assured, your competition will be using the same tools to get a jump start.

Research Matters

No matter what people tell you, “research” is the backbone of every successful content marketing campaign. You need to make sure your content will resonate with your readers, which is why I encourage all of you to take your time researching what your readers are looking for. If you don’t solve your reader’s problems, then you’re going to have a hard time converting them into paying customers. Forget even paying customers because you’re going to have a hard time meeting your bottom line…period. How should you ensure research is done correctly?

First, make sure you compile a list of solid keywords that you know your readers are typing into search engines. Make sure they are question based, and they answer a fundamental problem within your niche.

Secondly, make sure you use the tools available to help you research your niche and relevant keywords. For example,

• Google keyword planner
• Topsy.com
• Buzzumo.com
• Your competition

All of the above will help you find relevant keywords, and help you narrow down your content idea. Next, you can start dividing your content into sections so you’ll have an easier time writing once you have your keywords ready.

Next,

It’s important you research your audience so you know who you’ll be writing content for. The more you know about your audience, the better the chances of writing something that resonates with them. If you just started, then you might have a problem coming up with a blueprint. However, you have some tools you can use to give you a jump start. For example, the best way to find out more about your readership is to look at your competition. Here’s why:

• They have been around longer, and have established themselves.
• They have enormous content that you can pull ideas out of then write something better.
• You can find what’s missing then use this to create something better that resonates with them.
• Follow the social share pattern because you’ll be able to pull a lot of information from what’s popular.

Next,

You have some other cool ways to research your audience and content. For example, forums are awesome because they have been around for years and can provide enormous value. Skim through them, finding questions that have been asked within your niche then compile a list of common questions.

Just do a quick search within Google using your main keyword and then skim through the list. You’ll find forums, blogs, and even communities to help you with your research. Always make notes because in the end, these will be great to reference quickly.

Understanding the Different Types

You’ll have an easier time writing content if you understand the different types you have available. For example, it’s going to be much harder to keep writing the same type of content over and over again. This is why you have many options available so you need to know how to make use of them. Some of the options include:

• Videos
• Images
• Infographics
• Top “” list
• How-To
• Podcasts

Some will resonate better with your readers than others so give them all a try. Once you find out which ones work the best, you can start to scale on that content type. This will help you scale, convert, and build user retention going forward. It’s amazing how some will be better on social platforms, too, so make sure you take your time and understand what types of content you have available.

Another cool approach is to visit your competition, and look at the different types they use throughout the year. You’ll notice a pattern develop, which means they’ve used some content types more than others. Learn from them, and implement what you can into your blog. Then analyze the data so you can scale at a later time, which will help increase conversions and build loyalty.

Writing Content and Skills

It’s one thing, knowing how to analyze data, but completely different being an expert writer. Content marketing involves knowing how to accurately structure your data so it makes sense to your readers. There’s no point having people arrive on your website when they can’t understand or comprehend what you’ve written. Having poorly structured content will just make it hard for them to pull out the value you provide. This is why I encourage all of you to ensure you are expert writers or have a team that knows how to put content together. I tell my clients content marketing and writing will depend on 5-6 main factors. Let’s check a few of them out…

Structure – You want to ensure your content is laid out correctly. For example, no paragraph should be longer than 5-6 sentences because too many will just make everything look way too cluttered. Make sure you have spacing throughout and the line height is set to 22-24px. This will ensure your readers can skim through, and understand at the same time.

On-page Optimization – Very important to make sure your content is indexed for the right keywords.

Introduction – This part is very important because it gives you an opportunity to introduce your topic, and what value you plan on providing. For example, you have anywhere between 500-600 words to entice your readers into continuing with your content.

Sub-headings – I like this part because you’ll have the opportunity to organize your content and add secondary keywords into your content. For example, I like to have 5-6 keywords that are related to my main keyword. I’ll use each one in a single sub-heading going forward. This is important for indexing, optimization, and building suspense with my readers.

Body – Here is where you shine because you’ll be showcasing your knowledge, adding value to your readers. I like to tell my clients to take their time, and write content as long as it has to be to get your point across. For example, you want to ensure you provide your readers with an entire solution so they don’t have to go anywhere else to find what they are looking for. By doing this, you are increasing the likelihood of a conversion, opt-in, and reaching your bottom line.

Take your time and put all the fundamentals into play. For example, remember your research so you can add as much value as possible to your content. Do the following:

• Add value
• Add images
• Take your time
• Cover everything
• Make sure you have the best content online, and no competitor beats what you have published
• Always add examples so readers understand your point
• Don’t forget to incorporate your keywords into the body

Conclusion – This part is pretty simple because you are reiterating what you have discussed throughout your introduction and body. In this section, I would like you to quickly reference your main points, and provide your readers with some action steps they can take right away. Some readers are new so they don’t know what to do when they finish reading, and I’ve found that when you guide them, it can help with overall conversion rate. In the conclusion,

• Summarize what you have discussed through the body
• Provide them all with an action plan to get started
• Ask them to leave comments that encourages debates
• Always ask them questions so they can think about other topic ideas to discuss within comment box. This can provide you with further engagement
• I like to place social buttons towards the bottom because you have a higher chance of people sharing after reading valuable content.

Knowledge is King

No matter what people tell you, knowledge is truly king because without it, you won’t be able to resonate with your readers. For example, people come to your blog because you’re able to provide insight that others can’t, and your insight comes from knowledge + experience. I always encourage people to get involved in a niche in which they have enormous knowledge because this helps attract readers going forward. With the right experience and knowledge, you’ll be able to write content that resonates well with your readers. You’ll be able to build loyalty, and will be able to build engagement quickly with very little effort. Value goes a very long way and I’m surprised how many people forget this when writing content. Anyway, with this said, there are a few ways you can ensure you have experience in your niche and continue to build it going forward.

Here are the MOST important:

• Always research your niche before getting started. When you do research, you are automatically expanding your knowledge on the topic.
• Learn from your competitors. This is very important, and MOST of the knowledge I have is from reading other blogs.
• Read books because they provide enormous information on any niche.
• Attend conferences or even events because you can hear the experts speak.
• Always keep up-to-date with the changing trends within your niche. For example, Google Trends is a great way to find out about new keyword searches, and trends taking place within your niche.

Final Thoughts

In the end, you want to ensure you possess as many of these skills as possible because they will help you get a jump start with your content marketing. For example, if you have any of the following, you can start to attract the right type of attention, and start converting with your content marketing efforts. No matter what people tell you, it’s all about meeting your bottom line, which is why I work so hard to attract as many of the skills mentioned above. I believe that for any of us

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Why I Will Never Use Google AdSense Auto Ads

These days, you won’t find any Google AdSense ads anywhere on John Chow dot Com. This wasn’t always the case. When John decided to embark on this “make money online” journey and experiment with whether it was possible to make a full-time income from part-time blogging, AdSense was very much a part of the revenue mix. You can search through the archives for the monthly income reports he used to post and you’ll find that he did make some money from Google this way.

The Google Ad Experience

He doesn’t implement any ad placements from Google AdSense anymore, because why would he want to redirect a reader away from the site in exchange for a few cents when he can collect novelty checks for over $3 million in Las Vegas instead. It’s a no brainer at this point. Even so, AdSense is still very much a part of the monetization strategy for an overwhelming number of bloggers and site owners, myself included.

If you’re a long time reader of this blog, then you might remember more than ten years ago when John said that if you “live by the Google,” you can only expect to “die by the Google.” That’s true whether you’re trying to game the algorithm for better search engine rankings or if you rely on AdSense as your primary source of income. It doesn’t take much for Google to pull the rug out from under you, like how they did with the YouTube Partner Program in January 2018.

But until you can get to a level where you can consistently rake in the bigger bucks through affiliate marketing or private brand deals, no one is going to fault you for utilizing AdSense as part of your blog monetization mix. After all, you should be shooting to have multiple sources of income in case any of them disappears on you overnight. And you should also stay on top of the latest tools and features that these networks provide you.

What Is AdSense Auto?

In February 2018, Google introduced something that it calls AdSense Auto ads. When you consider the “traditional” way of implementing AdSense on your site, you go and customize the banner or whatever else on the AdSense website, you grab the ad code, and then you paste it into wherever it is that you want the ad to appear on your website. Maybe you use a WordPress plugin or maybe you edit your theme directly. That’s up to you and your comfort level.

Google AdSense Auto ads are different. Instead of getting you to guess and experiment about which ad types are best placed in what locations on your site, this feature uses “machine learning to make smart placement and monetization decisions on your behalf, saving you time.” Instead of copying and pasting ad code in all the different places you want the AdSense blocks to appear, you simply “place one piece of code just once to all of your pages, and let Google take care of the rest.”

They proudly proclaim that some of the benefits of using Auto ads include optimization by way of machine learning, improved revenue opportunities by identifying available ad space, and the relative ease of use because you don’t need to change the code to get new ads. Just “turn them on and off with the flick of a switch.”

If you’ve been using any number of Google products in recent years — like Android devices, Google Photos, Google Calendar and so on — then you’ll know that the company has been remarkably successful in its implementation of machine learning. Google Photos can reliably group together related images. It can make animated GIFs and albums. It can identify pictures that have the same person in it. Auto ads offers this same kind of potential and promise for an easier experience.

Live By the Google…

The feature and service actually soft launched as a limited beta back in September 2017, but Google rolled it out to all AdSense publishers in February 2018. During the beta, Google says that users experienced revenue boosts of about 5 to 15% on average. That sounds positive, for the most part, but it is going to be very much a double-edged sword.

As intelligent as machine learning has become in recent years, it’s hardly perfect. While there is certainly a lot of automation already involved in “traditional” AdSense blocks, you still have total control over their actual placement on your site. If you enable AdSense Auto ads, then it’s well within the realm of reason that the automatic ad placements could “break” the look of your blog’s theme for some users. Or it might just look bad.

That wouldn’t necessarily be the end of the world normally, but the bigger problem here is that you’d never know it. That’s because you can’t possibly see every possible iteration that AdSense Auto is implementing on your site; you can only see how it’s being shown to you. You can try proxies and VPNs and other services to see how your site looks for different locations and in different browsers, but it’ll inherently be incomplete.

Is that worth about a 10% boost in monthly revenue? I’ll let you decide that for yourself, but as always, remember this: if you live by the Google, you’ll die by the Google.

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How to Use Online Videos to Attract Massive Customers

I’ve been implementing videos into my blog for years because they create a different type of engagement that would NOT be available anywhere else. Because of the expansion of YouTube.com, bloggers are now able to promote their content in a different format, which can resonate with readers all over the world. One of the biggest problems faced by bloggers is being able to resonate with readers from places where English isn’t their first language. Video blogging has completely changed this so I recommend everyone to start adapting this strategy going forward. With that said,

I decided to jump into this awesome topic because I know many of you are trying to find ways to create content that attracts massive customers. Before I continue, keep in mind, YouTube.com, and other networks, do allow you to add a link within your videos so having your video go viral can be awesome for engagement. Let’s jump right into this article, and explore the following:

• How videos will enhance your tutorials
• How videos will enhance products on website
• The relation between videos, and authenticity
• They rank well when optimized
• You’re keeping up with your competition

Feedback will be greatly appreciated, and if you have any other thoughts on the content, please post below.

Enhancing Tutorials

One of the MOST popular types of content online is how-to tutorials because they show you how to solve a very common problem quickly. However, for you to create a serious buzz with any type of content, it’s important you do your research. No point in writing out content if you are tapping into a topic idea no one wants to read about. This is why I always do research within my niche, looking for major problems my readers are having so I can write content that will resonate with all of them. The better I am at doing this, the better I’ll be at attracting people to my blog. This leads to further engagement and loyalty from my readers. With that said,

Videos will allow me to explain my content in greater detail. In a video, I can create an in-depth tutorial that otherwise would have taken me 15,000 words to write out. It’s amazing what you can do when you get comfortable with creating professional videos. Here’s another example,

One huge search is “how to create a blog within minutes”. This keyword phrase has been searched millions of times within the last month or two. Let me ask you this question: Is it better to explain blog create through written content or a walk-through video? In the end, you’re going to say video, and I guarantee we all have watched blogging videos, thinking they are way better than online written content.

Video is the way to go, but if you can create a transcript to go with your video, then that’s even better J

Product Reviews

One of the best ways to make money online is by utilizing product reviews. This starts by trying a product within your niche then writing an honest review for your readers. As a matter of fact, many of the top bloggers online are making enormous amounts of money by simply reviewing products for companies just starting out. Top bloggers get free accounts so they can try out the product then promote it to their readers, splitting the commissions with the developer. Like I had said before, reviewing products is a huge business and many people are definitely cashing in. However,

This system has become even more profitable since videos came along. When YouTube.com connected the world though video marketing, the game changed. Instead of authority bloggers writing out product reviews, they were able to showcase the benefits by creating walkthrough videos. These videos showed people how to:

• Install the product
• Set up and configure
• A walkthrough of the features
• Benefits

In the end, they would perform a case study, showing how they were able to profit or produce enormous results using the products, which encouraged people to go out and spend some money. The process was explained in a nutshell, and if you are planning on doing the same thing, then keep these next factors in mind.

First, for you to succeed, again, you’ll have to solve a common problem within your niche. You’ll have to show how the product you are using helped you, and how it simply made your life easier. Some of the top bloggers have stated creating in-depth videos does take time so it’s important you stay patient through the entire process.

Do a quick search within Google, finding new products that just came out within your niche. Next, do a quick outreach, asking the developer to give you a trial account so you can create a video for your readers. If you are popular enough, with a solid following, many times, “developers” are willing to help out. The reason this method works so well is because newer products tend to be marketed much less, which gives you a chance to create a buzz quickly. If the product is worth the buzz, then you can do really well with your readers and sales going forward. I’ll admit, you need to take your time and try different things before getting started until you find what resonates with your readers.

Videos Add Credibility

Having videos is a great way to put a face with your growing brand and this will add credibility going forward. When you create videos, you’re adding credibility to your words, and many people tend to trust your value with more of an open-mind. The funny thing is, this tends to be the case when you are talking about sensitive issues like health, weight loss, or even finance. These areas tend to be more sensitive so people are looking for a face to associate with the brand before building that certain level of trust.

If you are in sensitive based niche, then consider incorporating videos to your blogging strategy because this will increase user trust and engagement.

Video Ranking Quality

It’s no secret YouTube videos ran within the Google search results. For example, here is a quick search for “create a blog within minutes”. Check out the results:

You’ll notice the first result within the search is a YouTube.com video, which is amazing because this can generate enormous traffic in the form of a video. Through this, you are NOT only engaging with your readers in more depth, but also able to rank with videos, which, at one point, was not possible. Much of this success has to do with having the ability to added targeted keywords within your video header and description. To do this, you have to be very strategic in your approach…

For example, once you have uploaded a video within YouTube, you’ll have some options to add a title and description before going live. Before you do, I recommend you make sure to do some keyword research so you’ll add the right ones before going live. Head over to Google Keyword planner, and do some research just like you would when you are writing content.

Find a handful of popular and engaging keywords you know will attract a lot of attention with your readers. This is important because the more engaging your keywords, the better it is when creating videos around them. Your videos will NOT only attract a buzz online, but will also tend to rank higher because of the optimized keywords spread within the title and description.

Challenge Your Competition

One of the main reasons I decided to start implemented videos into my blogging was because of competition. Almost in every niche, you’re going to have a handful of bloggers who are trying to steal your readers away from you. In the beginning, it was about getting the best content published more frequently, and now the patterns have shifted. It’s about getting value published more frequently in the best way possible, which, today, is through video blogging. I’ll admit online marketing and blogging can be very tedious because publishing is NOT tough at all. You can have a blog created within minutes and all that’s left is for you to start focusing on writing content for your readers. This is much harder than several years back because those without coding experience wouldn’t dare enter a business that cost them thousands to start. A blog can be created in 4 minutes so every one is getting involved. Here’s my point…

Make sure you find ways to engage your readers that your competition hasn’t taken advantage of yet. This way, you stay ahead of the competition, increasing growth and revenue going forward.

Final Thoughts

I’ve covered enormous information and I know it can get confusing, trying to understand a marketing strategy very new to you. However, you have several resources available that were NOT available years back and the funny thing is, many of them are available through video format. If you are NOT sure about video blogs, then start by doing a quick search online looking for popular information from those who have experience. You’ll need some tools to help you get started and those will be available online, too. Everything you need is available so don’t delay and get started right now before it’s too late. I can promise you that your competition is already trying to find ways to engage readers who are currently loyal to your blog.

Here’s something to consider going forward:

• Start with research so you know what’s important and trending online.
• Look for ways to create a video using free tools.
• Get familiar with the YouTube interface.
• Promote on social media platforms.

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Jaguar Takeover of Cars and Coffee + Ultimate Soccer Dad Minivan

On this episode of the Dot Com Lifestyle vlog, Jaguar attempts to take over Cars and Coffee, Widget hits on a female poodle, I check out the ultimate minivan for soccer dads with a midlife crisis, McLaren shows Ferrari how to hide a GPS antenna, and someone actually brought an old Ford Tractor to the show! All this plus more, so watch the video now!

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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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