6 Killer Business Mistakes You Should Avoid

It’s important to avoid the common business mistakes which can destroy your business. I have worked with many people throughout the years, and have noticed they tend to make some very common mistakes that destroy their business going forward. Every time I have a client I’ll always ask them about their common business practices to get a better understanding of how they conduct business. It’s so funny that I see many of them making the same mistake over and over again. Today I’ve decided to take some time out to go over the common mistakes they have made which is destroying their productivity.

You have to keep in mind that with mistakes you are hurting growth, and profits. Continuing to make mistakes will destroy your bottom-line and ultimately your business. With that said,

Let’s jump right in, and your feedback will be greatly appreciated.

Being Cheap

You want to grow your business offering the best, however you’ll penny pitch wherever you get an opportunity. I’m here to tell you this will destroy your business going forward so you have to pay to get quality products and employees on your team. Steve Jobs from Apple believed you need A+ people always on your team, and you should settle for nothing less. When you have these types of people working together, they’ll produce some of the best products within the industry. Here’s something else – He believed in paying big bucks for top notch people because the ROI will be massive down the line. Next,

You have to know where to look for the right type of people, and give them an offer they won’t refuse. Steve Jobs believed in approaching people at fortune 500 companies offering them a salary and job which they’ll find hard to refuse. These same minds were responsible for developing some of the MOST popular products we have in the market these days.

Lesson: Never be cheap when investing in your company. Be willing to pay for the best employees, and developing the best products within the industry. It’s that simple!

Keep Distance from Employees

There has to be a thin line between you and your employees, and you can’t let it interfere with work. One of the biggest mistakes I’ve made in the past is becoming too close with many of my employees. This caused three things to happen which caused my productivity to suffer.

First, they felt as though they can start putting less effort into whatever work they were doing. This is because they thought our friendship would stop me from coming down on them very hard. It actually did stop me from coming down on them in the beginning. Secondly, the quality of their work suffered because they no longer felt threaten that their work can be on the line if they don’t complete assignments. Third, it was much harder for me to let go of them knowing we had been friends for a long period of time. As a matter of fact,

This is why I avoid hiring friends to work for my company because I don’t want to be put in a position to have to let them go or feel as though they aren’t working to full potential.

Lesson: Keep a distant between you and your employees. Keep in mind they have been hired to do a job, and separate work from friends.

Only Reward Exceptional Work

Here’s another huge mistake I see business owners making all the time, and I tell them to be very careful. My clients start rewards everyone in their workplace for no apparent reason. They bring in things for them, and are very generous with bonuses, etc. I believe you should only reward them for exceptional work because then they always start to expect things. When they don’t receive something going forward, the quality of their work starts to offer, and this can be a major problem for your business.

Here’s what you should do going forward:

You’ve probably noticed how many businesses now have a quota model within their business. It works very simple and rewards those who met a certain sales mark, or job expectation. This model works so well because gives employees something to work towards knowing when they reach that point that they’ll receive a bonus. Now for you, as a business owner it’s perfect because each quota they meet is increasing customers, revenue, and other factors important for growth.

Lesson: Don’t be too generous, and if you feel like rewarding your workers then have a model in place where they get bonuses after meeting certain quota’s established by your company.

Networking Is Very Important

This is one of the biggest mistakes I made when starting out, and stagnated my growth for months after starting out. When blogging I didn’t realize the importance of outreach until years later, and this hurt my business because it took much longer to build momentum. This is the mistake I’m asking all of you to avoid going forward, and start doing your research on who you can reach out to when getting started. Before I continue,

I know many of you avoid networking because you have a misconception that many of them won’t help going forward…right? However, I’m here to tell you this is definitely NOT the case, and here’s why…

Many of the world successful people have had help within their business so now give back by helping others, but you have to know how to ask. If you think they won’t help, and refuse to ask than it can be an opportunity which you’ll miss out on. For example, this caused me to delay momentum to my business for months simply because I didn’t think other bloggers would help me out. I was very wrong!

Start by doing a quick search online looking for people within your niche who have been around for years. Write out a genuine email letting them know about your business, and how you guys can come up with a way to help each other. You can even ask them for their feedback on working together, and see what they have to say…right?

Lesson: Always try and find ways to network with others within your niche. This will help grow your business, and even build momentum quicker then WITHOUT the right team by your side. You’ll be surprised how many people are willing to help new businesses out for free, but with some sort of mutual benefit. You will not know unless you don’t reach out to others within your industry.

Not Understanding Marketing

Another huge mistake I’ve seen people make in the industry especially when starting out. They then get lazy when they are unable to drive massive traffic to their business. This applies to everyone with a business no matter if you are online or a physical business because you have to market your products. Keep in mind, the less time you spend marketing, the more edge your competition will get over you. This in the long-term is NOT good because it kills motivation because you see NO or low sales flowing through your business. Whenever, your bottom-line is effected it will destroy your motivation. It’s that simple! However,

This doesn’t have to be the case because you have several different marketing channels available to you.

First, it all starts with trial and error because you have to test out what channels will work for you. This is one of the biggest things I learned about business i.e. you have to split test marketing channels, and promotions. However, once you find out what works, you can begin to optimize those channels. Next,

You have to have a way to track your results because the last thing you want to do is put marketing channels into place, and not have a decisive way to find out which one of them is working…right? If your online, then this can be done by installing a simple code behind the page. However, offline means you have to keep track over the months, and ask customers where or how they found your business. Your trying to establish what is the right marketing channels for you which not only grow your business, but retain customers.

Lesson: You have to understand marketing, and how to apply different concepts to your business. If you don’t try different avenues, then you’ll become stagnant with very little growth. This will slow growth, and you’ll become de-motivated to continue. Growth is the ultimate motivator.

Know When to Pull Plug

You’ve worked so hard to make your business work, however your still losing money…right? You have to know when to pull the plug. With my first business I held on too long, and lost everything I had saved trying to keep it going when I knew it was time to let go. Not only did I lose everything I had invested, but I still owe money till today. You have to avoid having an emotional connection with your business because this will make it hard for you to let go when it is time.

If you have tried everything, and you find yourself up against the wall, it’s time to remove that emotional connection, and pull the plug. This way you don’t keep burning money trying to keep something alive which has very little potential left. As long as you have a clear cut plan on what to expect from your business, then you won’t have a problem knowing when it’s becoming hard to achieve these objectives. This will help you determine when you should finally let go!

Lesson: Know when it’s time to let go, and don’t hold on too long because you’ll burn all your bridges trying to keep something alive with no juice. Have a clear cut exit plan, and save whatever investment is left so you’ll be able to invest it somewhere else or sustain yourself afterwards.

Wrapping It Up

I hope you enjoyed this content, and could pull some value out of it to apply to your business. Go through each one, and find ways to avoid these business mistakes so you’ll be able to prosper in the long run. Please provide your feedback, and opinion below in the comment box.

from John Chow dot Com http://bit.ly/2SpzFeW
via Daniel

5 Things I Love About Vlogging

It’s pretty clear at this point that if video isn’t already playing a significant role in your overall content strategy, you’ve fallen behind. While you may not necessarily want to dabble in every possible platform that supports video, from Instagram’s IGTV to Facebook Live, you should include video as part of your overall branding and engagement.

And particularly if you’re already a blogger, becoming a vlogger is a natural extension for your audience to get to know you better. Even though I have been on YouTube for well over 10 years, it’s really only in the last year or two that I’ve been posting on a regular schedule. The weekly vlog is the driving force behind that and it’s been a thoroughly enjoyable, learning experience. Here’s what I’ve enjoyed the most.

1. The Idea Generation

For better or for worse, I’m the kind of person who can’t stop thinking. I even think about thinking. And as I lie awake in my bed trying to fall asleep, I can’t help but think that I may be thinking too much about thinking. I think. The vlog provides a channel (no pun intended) where I can direct this kind of energy, coming up with new ideas for new videos, as well as new, creative shots that I’d like to implement in my videos.

This goes beyond the actual topics or subject matter of the vlogs too, because I’ve started to dive into different filmmaking techniques and strategies, for instance. Very early on, I learned about the “whip pan” and I used that in a couple of vlogs. I’ve played with fun transitions like the standard vlogger “smash your hand into the lens” trick.

This is all a lot of fun and many of these ideas could not have been explored in the text-based format of a traditional blog.

2. The Sense of Community

It’s true that there is a certain community among bloggers, particularly those who cover the same niche. It’s also true that being a “vlogger” or a “YouTuber” automatically helps you forge common ground with other “vloggers” and “YouTubers” too.

Just as I would have never met John Chow and I may not have gotten to this point in my career had I not started blogging in 2006 (even though I’d been writing online since 1999), I would not have met several other great individuals had I not decided to start vlogging in late 2016. We rally together to support one another, because we recognize that we are not competing against one another.

3. The Creative Editing Process

This might come as a shock to those of you who have never done video before, and it might be even more shocking if you’ve found yourself knee-deep in a late night video editing session. Get this. I actually enjoy editing the videos. This feeds back into my insatiable appetite for creativity, because I’m always discovering new and fun techniques to explore.

I enjoy digging into the details and utilize techniques like J-cuts and L-cuts to add a whole new dynamic to my vlogs. I like looking for the right b-roll to use, or the right music to play in the background, and deciding exactly when I want a certain part of that audio clip to cut into the next scene or where I want it to fade it.

There is great enjoyment to be derived when you achieve a sense of flow in your work and editing vlogs allows me to get into that kind of groove.

4. The Instant Validation

Even though I’ve authored two books at this point and co-authored one more with John Chow, I think I still prefer blogging over writing a book. Part of that has to do with format, probably, but it’s also about that sense of instant gratification. When you publish a blog post, it’s immediately “out there” for the world to read, comment on, and share.

A vlog works in much the same way. You put it “out there” on YouTube and you immediately see those numbers and views and reactions start coming in. This instant “hit” can be wildly addictive and that’s a big part of why I’ve been able to keep up the vlog for as long as I have.

5. The Gear Shopping

I know. I know I’ve said that you should start with whatever gear you already have. You can get started for $200 or less and have a perfectly adequate setup, but what you’ll soon find out with vlogging is that it can become a bottomless pit of possibilities. And yes, that includes all the gear you can pick up along the way.

At one point, I was still using a Flip MinoHD before I “upgraded” to a $100 Canon point-and-shoot. While my kit is nowhere near as fancy or as expensive as other vloggers, I have moved on to using a Panasonic micro four-thirds camera with a wide-aperture lens, a Rode microphone, multiple tripods, multiple lights, and a slew of other smaller accessories too.

I don’t normally like shopping, but I do really like looking for new stuff that might make my vlogs better. Call it a guilty pleasure if you must.

Do you vlog regularly? Why or why not?

from John Chow dot Com http://bit.ly/2Ai8HP6
via Daniel

20 Things You Have to Know Before Starting an Online Business – Part 2

Welcome to Part 2 of my series on 20 Things You Have to Know Before Starting a Blog. If you are just joining us then it’s important to go back, and read Part 1 before going any further. I’m trying to follow a sequence going in order, so make sure you go back and read Part 1. With that said,

I’ll like to continue my series by going at 5 more important things which you have to keep in your mind when starting out online. It’s been a long journey for me and I’ve been able to go back looking at the things which I’ve had to tweak to grow my business. It can be hard I’ll admit however if you have the right combination of skills and experience then you can streamline the entire process. Today we’ll be looking at the following, and how they play an important role in your success.

1. Patient
2. Costs and Budget
3. Work Ethic
4. Continued Research
5. Email

Patience

No matter what type of business you’re starting it’s going to take time to grow and prosper. I’m surprised at the amount of people who give up before giving it enough time to pick up. For example, it’s stated that you should give any business you start at least 1-2 years to flourish. This can be a long time especially when it’s going to be your main source of income. You’ll learn why having a budget is important in the next step, but, for now, let’s look at how patience is important to meet your bottom line.

Here’s something else you want to consider,

Since you’re starting an online business by marketing the right way, you might be able to flourish quicker than usual, however, this takes some hard work. It will help reading through this series and applying the strategies listed.

Costs and Budget

As mentioned above by the time you start seeing a profit could be a few months to a year. This is why it’s important you plan ahead with your budget making sure you have cash on hand for a rainy day. When I first started online, I calculated completely wrong so end up running out of cash which put my marketing on hold. I had to get a side job to help pay for the extra costs involved. For example, when starting out online, you have to take the following into consideration:

First, purchasing a domain and hosting which is reliable. As your business grows, you’ll have to increase your hosting plan which will cost you even more monthly. It’s hard to give you a breakdown of costs because each hosting provider does offer something completely different. Next,

Website design and template purchase which is going to be expensive if you have NO programming skills. Why? Your website will be your identity, and you want to stand out compared to your competition. Don’t forget, you’ll have to pay someone to get a logo ready for you too. Next,

These days you want to make sure you have the right security on your site for two reasons. First, you want to protect customer information especially if you are selling products. You want to make sure no one gets a hold of their credit card information. Secondly, you’re going to have so much data within your database so it’s important everything is backed up automatically. All of this does cost money, and many of the backup plans I’ve seen work monthly.

With the costs I’ve listed above, you have to understand you’ll have hidden costs pop up while whatever marketing costs come along the way. If you consider that your business won’t make money for the first few months, you understand how it’s important to have this liquid cash on hand at all times.

I usually tell my customers that it’s important to have a bankroll of money which will last you anywhere from 3-4 months.

Work Ethic

Very important to succeed in business. The funny thing is I know so many who are very educated but fail in life especially business because they lack the right work ethic. Starting an online blog or business is damn tough, and you have to outwork your competition. This means put in more hours than them while never giving up. These characteristics don’t come from education but come from your work ethic and how hard you want what you are aiming for. Here’s something else…

Most people don’t succeed online because they just don’t know how to push an extra mile. The thing which distinguishes you and your competition is your ability to stay positive while never throwing in the towel. Some characteristics of a person who works hard are the following:

Brute Motivation – Always stay motivated no matter how many ups and downs you have in life. Stay motivated to reach your end goal.

Never Give Up – Keep trying because an extra 20% push can make the difference between success and failure. If you are clear about what you want in life, then nothing should stand in your way.

Honest – you have to be honest because customers will feel comfortable doing business with you going forward. It’s a good way to avoid bad karma from catching up to you.

Help others – if you ask anyone whose successful they’ll tell you how they had a mentor. You should always give back by helping others within your industry. This means helping them with work, providing training, funding or even a job.

Never Cut Corners – If you cut corners, you’ll be ruining the quality of your products. Follow the Apple strategy and create the best products ever. If your writing content, then provide even more value compared to your readers.

Your work ethic matters enormously so it’s important to ensure you work harder than anyone else to reach your end goal and your bottom line.

Continued Research

The thing with any online business is that things can change quickly so it’s important you continue to research news, trends, etc. You then want to find ways to implement them going forward into your blog or website. If you don’t, then the tides can shift to your competition very quickly. I encourage all of you to always research your niche making sure you are up to date. I’ve lost a competitive edge quickly because I failed to research how the products and my audience was changing over time. Research doesn’t have to be a tough process because you just need to have the people in the right places. Here’s what I’ve done going forward to keep me ahead of my competition.

I’ve hired 2-3 people within my company who are responsible for making sure that all the changes taking place within my niche are reported to me. This will allow me to get a jump start on my competition, and implement changes which will ultimately influence my bottom line. For example, I know where I can find up to date news on my niche, and make sure the people I hire regularly check those channels.

They write out a report which should be delivered to me on a weekly basis.

Setup Email

The money is in the list, and you should make sure you have an email service auto sequence setup right before you start. This means less delay in you building a list, and working towards customer retention. However, customers still manage to delay their list building and they ultimately pay the price in the end. With that said, there are a few things you should keep in mind on why and how to build an email list. First, some reasons why building a list is important:

• Continued marketing
• Customer retention
• Brand awareness
• Updates
• Trends
• Product marketing
• Solo ads

These are just some of the benefits of building a list, however depending on your niche you’ll have other reasons why your list will be important to your growth. Let’s look at the right way to setup your email service provider.

First,

Make sure you sign up with a reliable ESP because the last thing you want is to run into problems collecting email addresses. Next, you want to go through the tutorials learning how to put the right forms and sequences together. This is great because you’ll learn how to put forms together, write emails, split test forms, etc. Once you have put everything together, you can start testing your forms and email sequence. Why is this step important?

When you split test, you’ll be able to figure out what’s working and what’s not. Sometimes your visitors will respond to specific offers and forms better than others which will increase your opt-in rate. Remember this clearly, in order for you to succeed with online marketing using email, you’ll have to ensure you get people on your list. If they opt-in, you’ll have a hard time running a sequence to them. It’s stated each person on your list has the potential to generate $125.00 towards your business so you can see how the potential is there. However, this potential is only applicable to your business when you can get them on your list. I suggest creating a free information product which your visitors can download if they opt-in. The more value provided through this free information product, the better for you going forward because it will increase your opt-in rate.

Pat Flynn from SmartPassiveIncome.com created a FREE eBook which provided people will value on how to create a podcast. He was able to generate 10,000 in about 3 months which lead to more money down the line.

Final Thoughts

This concludes our second part, and I hope that you learned a lot from this content. Again, if you haven’t read the first part, then it’s time to go back and read it. Implement the strategies discussed in all of the content, then come back and implement what you have learned in this content. Utilizing all of what’s been mentioned will help streamline your setup process because it’s NOT knowing these things which delayed my overall launch strategy. However, if you can take out the value from this content and apply it within your startup, then you’ll have no problem growing, and converting your visitors.

Let’s jump into the third part where we’ll be looking at five more important elements.

from John Chow dot Com http://bit.ly/2rOPGzk
via Daniel

Marketing Stunts That Failed So Badly, They Succeeded

Have you ever watched one of those YouTube or Vine compilation videos where they show people failing in the most spectacular of fashions? And do you remember any where the person looks like they tripped or stumbled or fell, but they were able to recover as if nothing ever happened? That’s kind of what happened with two of the biggest marketing stunts in the summer of 2018. And there’s something to be learned from how they played out.

International House of… Burgers?

It’s clear enough that the world is changing at a faster pace than it has ever in the history of human civilization. What’s new and hip and novel today becomes old and tired and boring tomorrow. If you’re not the latest fad, you’re yesterday’s news.

Many traditional vestiges from the past, as a result, continually fight to stay relevant. This is true even with the relatively recent past. BlackBerry was once the king of the smartphone castle. It used to be amazing if your car had heated seats and integrated Bluetooth. How quickly times change. And whereas everyone else seems to be moving toward food trucks, fusion cuisine, and molecular gastronomy, you’ve got old chains like IHOP. That’s just for old folks, right?

And so, they changed their name to IHOb or the International House of Burgers. They got demolished on Twitter by Burger King and Wendy’s, among countless others, for the seemingly ridiculous name change. Why would a pancake house decide to start focusing on burgers instead?

While IHOb became the butt of everyone’s joke for a couple of weeks, it also become the water cooler topic of conversation for those couple of weeks. Prior to this IHOb renaming scheme, nobody was talking about IHOP. And not too many people were going there to eat either, but this marketing stunt brought the name back into the limelight. I can’t say for certain that patronage increased during this time, but I wouldn’t doubt that it did.

Even if “IHOb” name change ended up being a fake, even if it elicited connections to feminine hygiene, it got people talking and they remembered that this restaurant chain even existed. They may have even gone there to eat a burger or two to see if they were any good. It’s a stunt that looked like a giant face palm, but in a strange twist of fate, it kind of worked.

The Build-a-Bear Bonanza

Remember that time I shared the story about Starbucks giving away free iced teas to anyone who wanted them? Remember how I said there were people lining up for over an hour to get their hands on a $3 drink? Remember how I said it’s only free if your time is worthless? Some people never learn.

IHOP: We have developed the most disastrous, yet successful marketing campaign of 2018!

Build A Bear: Hold my bear…#Ihop #Ihob #BuildABear #PayYourAgeDay

— kerry b (@gwynzach) July 12, 2018

You might already know about Build-A-Bear Workshop. Kids can go in and select a new stuffed animal, watch it get stuffed right in front of them, and then select several articles of clothing to dress up the bear or bunny or whatever else they got. When they’re done, mom or dad are left ponying up $50 or more, most of which comes from the cost of the teddy’s clothing.

Build-A-Bear decided to host a one-day promotion where kids could get the stuffed animal of their choosing for just their age. A 3-year-old can get a teddy bear for $3. Good deal, right? Well, not exactly. First, the website suffered all kinds of problems leading up to the date, because you had to sign up for their (free) membership before you could qualify. Second, the lineups were atrocious. Some people even camped overnight and most people ended up waiting several hours to get their teddy bears.

Think about this. If the teddy is worth about $25 (clothes are still extra, remember), and you bring your 5-year-old to get it, you’re “saving” $20. Meanwhile, you’ve spent the last six or more hours waiting in line to get it, resulting in a net hourly “wage” of about $3. And that doesn’t factor in for the loss of sanity during those six hours either.

It was a madhouse at just about every location across the country. People said the staff looked exhausted and overwhelmed (because they probably were). People complained on social media about the crazy lineups and how everything seemed so chaotic. But you know what? It got people talking about Build-A-Bear again. It educated people about their birthday promotions and their new designs. And maybe some of these folks bought some clothes for their bears too. Chalk it up to the marketing and advertising budget.

Get the People Talking

Yes, it can feel like both IHOb/IHOP and Build-A-Bear failed pretty hard with their marketing stunts. Yes, it’s true that they attracted all sorts of negative press over how things were handled. But you know what? It got people talking. Both stunts were trending on Twitter and your Facebook feed was likely flooded with mentions too.

If you consider how much a more traditional advertising campaign would have cost to get that same kind of attention, I’d say both brands came out pretty far ahead when all was said and done. Now, the next time you’re thinking about grabbing some pancakes for breakfast, IHOP could indeed be top of mind. And that’s exactly what they wanted all along.

from John Chow dot Com http://bit.ly/2Cwltex
via Daniel

20 Things You Have to Know Before Starting an Online Business

I have to admit it’s been a long journey for me because I’ve tried to learn the business as good as I can. I would say that I have done a great job, but it’s a constant learning process since you don’t know what’s coming next. Remember, when you are online, it’s amazing how things rapidly change within a few days so you have to go back, and completely re-evaluate your end goal. However,

I have been very fortunate because much of what I have learned has come from industry leaders who have taught me everything I have to know. Afterward, it’s all about split testing learning what has worked in the past, then tweaking it so it keeps working. This has been a long process however it didn’t have to be if I just followed the so called – Yellow Brick Road. I believe we sometimes have a habit of over thinking what we want to do, and this can lead us into some serious trouble because we then get information overload. What does this mean?

When you have way too much information, and don’t know where to start putting things together. I just delay’s the bottom line, and this can cause you to lose motivation, and reach your bottom line. I’m here to tell you going forward you don’t have to worry about the information overload because I’m going to tell you the 20 things you have to pay close attention to going forward. Here’s what I will like you to do now.

Stop everything you are doing so you can pay attention to the information I’ll be providing to you. I’ll split this up into “4” parts each with “5” very important things I wish I knew before getting started. Let’s get started, and your feedback will be greatly appreciated. Let’s jump right in.

Always Think Big

That’s right if you’re going to start an online blog or company then it’s important you think big. All the effort you’re putting into starting your business, marketing, networking, and acquisition can be better utilized when building a larger company. Why is this? Online marketing especially when referring to your business can be very tough, however, the same strategies you use for both a small and big company are the same. You might as well think big because this way when you create something, it’ll be special…right?

If you are already involved in a business, then find a way to take this to the next level by looking at what can be done starting today, maybe incorporate better products, diversify your portfolio. or even look for ways to improve customer retention. The longer the customer stays with your company, the higher chance they’ll build loyalty, and buy products from you going forward. This happens at the company Apple because once you have bought an iPhone, you’ll most likely purchase an iPad and other devices. Next,

If you are just starting out online, then look for a massive niche which you know once dominated will bring in loads of money. Here’s something to keep in mind,

When searching for a niche think about what people always need. You’ll notice “3” things will stand out right from the top of your head: health, wealth and romance…right? I would start by focusing on these “3” niches because there is huge money to be made within all 3.

Let’s move onto point number 2

Simplicity Is Key

That right! Make things as simple as possible because people don’t want to put too much effort to find what they are looking for. This strategy has worked wonders for Apple because they have made people’s lives more simple through their products so you should think about doing the same. Here’s how I would approach such a challenge.

First, evaluate what you are currently selling, and what you can do to make these items easier to work with. Next, if you are selling an eBook then make it right to the point while providing value at the same time. Many of us spend time writing way too much, and our main point gets lost in the clutter so try and clean out the mess while focusing on the main bottom line. Next, if you plan on creating a product, then you have an advantage which I’ll mention below.

Research your competition, and find ways to make what they offer better. I’ve been doing this with content, and it has improved my rankings, shares, and even engagement on my page. You can learn a lot from your competition especially if they have been in the business for years. Research their product, then find what’s wrong with it or what it’s missing, then make it better by adding or removing the options. Always split test the elements making sure you have a product which outshines your competition.

Here’s something to help you out when creating a product…

Solve a Common Problem

When searching online look for a common problem within your niche. If you track why people are searching online, then you’ll notice they are always looking for information to solve a common problem within your niche. If you can provide a complete in-depth solution either through content or by creating a product, then you’ve done well. However,

You must take a lot of time and research the problem so you find a huge problem within your niche. The bigger the problem, the more people you can attract once you go live. I would look in places like:

• Forums
• Search engines
• Competitors
• Google trends

All of these will provide you with the information you are looking for because you’ll be able to see what people are constantly writing about. If you see that people keep asking a common question, then it might be a good idea to base a product around that topic. Then you can contact them letting them know about the product you created, and how it can help them solve their problem. Here’s the method I would use:

Research the competition because they have been in the business for years, and have probably done all the leg work. After, make what they are offering better by adding elements their product is missing, or even offering an unbeatable price going forward.

Next, let’s look at the following:

Pricing Is Important

In order for you to stay competitive, it’s important you have your pricing down right. If you go too high, then customers will leave and shop at your competitors. However, if it’s too low, then people will start to question how effective your product or service really is. In other words, it’s hard to find quality for such a low price. This is why I encourage all of you to research the market making sure you stay highly competitive. I would start by doing the following:

Research the market, and what others bloggers within your niche are offering. Go through their products and see how your product compares to theirs. This will give you a good idea of price range, and what features you should maybe include in yours going forward.

Next,

Start with a middle price because you can always go up or down. If you go too low, then it’ll be hard going very high later. However, too low then you’ll have trouble dropping it without losing value at the same time.

Start with the two methods mentioned above, and test what’s working then make changes where necessary.

Understand Different Marketing

Since the internet has expanded, you now have more ways to market your products than you did several years ago. You have social, banner, PPC, PPV, video, podcasts, and others. These methods will all drive targeted traffic to your blog as long as you know how to use them currently. However, I’m surprised at the amount of people who don’t take their time and test out all of these methods so they find out what works, and what doesn’t. Just like opt-in forms, your marketing channels have to be tested too because you don’t know which ones will bring you the traffic you need. With that said, it’s important you do the following:

First, learn about all the method which are available to you, especially those which will bring the right type of traffic to your blog. Some channels will offer the audience you need to build profits however others won’t offer your target audience so should be avoided going forward. The point is you won’t know until you test them.

Secondly, so you can test the waters, it’s important to spread out your marketing and to set a budget. The last thing you want to do is invest enormous money into a strategy which yields no results. The good news is many of the marketing channels will allow you to set a daily maximum.

Third, once you have clear data on what’s working, and what’s not then you can start reducing the channels until optimal gains are achieved. This way you’re NOT only driving traffic but paying less while achieving high results.

Again, here are some marketing channels you can focus on when starting out:

• Social marketing
• Video marketing
• PPV
• PPC
• Media buys
• Solo ads
• CPM
• Forum marketing
• Podcasts

Each of these channels will have so many different platforms which you can use, for example with PPC, you have Google AdWords and Bing Ads.

Final Thoughts

This is the conclusion to Part 1 of my series, and we’ll be discussing “5” more important things I wish I knew before starting my online business. Before you continue, here’s what I would like you to do:

Start by reading this content over again, and making notes on the most important facts. Next, start implementing the strategies and don’t forget to test at the same time. Only then will you be able to figure out what’s been working for you and what you should avoid going forward. Don’t give up because I’ll admit starting a blog can be very tough because you are essentially testing the waters in the beginning.

Next,

Once you have implemented these strategies, you can wait to collect data, however in the meantime, you can focus on implementing what we discuss in Part 2 of our series.

 

 

from John Chow dot Com http://bit.ly/2EKZnXl
via Daniel

How To Stand Your Ground and Know Your Worth

The story that I like to tell people about how I got started in this world of freelance writing and blogging in the first place is that I fell into it “accidentally on purpose.” By that I mean that I’ve always had an interest in writing, but I was never completely certain that it would actually end up as a career for me. I applied for a job posting on Craigslist for a tech blog contributor, and I ended up writing for that site for several years.

At one point, my income from writing for that one site made up about half of my income. That kick start to my freelance career led me to seek out other opportunities, as well as explore the world of professional blogging in general. That’s how I came to meet John Chow, that’s how I came to attend Dot Com Pho, and the rest, as they say, is history.

Looking for Work?

In the early days of my career, over a decade ago, I applied for a lot of gigs. Some of them worked out and some of them didn’t. Some of them paid a decent rate and others, not so much. I even got caught up in thankless transcription work at one point that worked out to less than minimum wage.

But through the years, I gathered more experience, made more connections, built up a portfolio, and established a certain reputation. And through the years, my rates have increased accordingly.

And for most of my career, I haven’t really applied for anything. By and large, the clients find me, either via web search, referral, or good old fashioned word of mouth. People see my writing on sites like John Chow dot Com, so they ask if I can do the same for them. That’s why bylines are so important in my line of business.

The New Client

This brings me to an email conversation I had recently with a prospective client. He found me through one of the sites where I write regularly and asked if I would be available to do something similar for his company. He and his partner are interested in content marketing and they’d like to have a few articles to share with possible publications. The scope of the writing project would be similar to what I’ve done before, so I told him about my availability.

Then, he asked about rates.

I told him that for an article of a certain length with a certain amount of legwork and research, the rate would be X dollars with a byline and Y dollars if it was on a ghostwriting basis. I typically charge a 50% to 100% premium on ghostwriting, because I lose out on the passive marketing that a byline can bring.

But I Can Get It Cheaper

After receiving my rate quote, he responded back by saying that he had spoken with one of my existing clients. He pointed out that the rate this other client was paying was less than what I was quoting him. At this point, I could’ve made one of two possible decisions.

1. Buckle under the pressure and lower the rate quote.
2. Stick to my guns with the original quote and risk losing a new client.

I went with the latter. I told him that the rate the other client was paying was “grandfathered” in from several years ago (which is true), and the rate I quoted him was for new clients.

It didn’t take long for him to reply back saying that he was still interested in moving forward. As I write these words right now, we haven’t completely finalized a deal and I haven’t received any payment yet, but things look positive. By choosing to stand my ground, by deciding that I knew my worth, I will (hopefully) be paid the rate I originally quoted.

And if he decides to walk away, that’s okay too.

Never Undervalue Yourself

No one is going to respect you unless you respect yourself. No one is going to value your work unless you value it yourself. When you start from a position of confidence, one where you’re perfectly fine with the other party walking away from the table, you are far more likely to get what you want in the long run.

You may lose the occasional prospect here and there — and this applies to almost anything, not just freelancing — but the ones who agree are the ones you want to stick around anyhow. You might be still trading hours for dollars, but you’ll be trading fewer hours for more dollars.

Focus on long-term growth, not just a short-term payday.

from John Chow dot Com http://bit.ly/2EK1mfd
via Daniel

How To Write Posts In Less Than 2 Hours (When There’s a Time Crunch)

Blogging is a unique way to tell your story, share your passion and sell yourself all at the same time. It is quickly becoming the newest trend in marketing and therefore it’s fundamental to harness this new vehicle and make it work for you.

Writing an effective blog post is a skill which requires practice. It has taken me over seven years to refine my craft but now I have no problem banging out a one to 2,000-word blog in as little as two hours. My bumps and bruises along the way have helped me to create a finely tuned series of steps; a road map to success.

Let’s now embark on a journey to a successful blog post. Set your timers cause we’re going to do it in under two hours.

Avoid Distractions:

Avoiding distractions simply put means that you will focus all your attention on the task at hand. Carve out space and time where the only thing you attend to is the process of writing. There’s no easy way to put this but to be blunt. You must find a space where you know with absolute certainty that you will not be disturbed. Indicate to friends and family that this is your work time and that it is vital that you focus on your business. Turn off your phone, email notifications on your computer and any other noise that might take your attention away from writing.

What you are doing is setting the mood, getting yourself into the zone.  The environment is now set for greatness to occur. You are an expert in your field and you have a vast amount of knowledge to share with your readers. Allow the words to flow through you with confidence and what transpires next will knock your socks off.

Blog on your passion

Writing comes naturally when it comes from the heart.  Your audience can tell when you’re being authentic so always write about subjects in which you’re passionate about. Not only will your sincerity be felt by the reader but you’ll find the words will flow quickly from you to the page. When you engage with a topic that intrigues and delights you, your desire to learn more will propel future blog posts and writing will become an exciting part of your day.

Create a list

Research is the next step in your journey. Here you are looking to understand the market and the best way to do this is to keep tabs on popular blogs relevant to your topic. Searches conducted through Technorati can assist you in this process.

Creating a list of popular blogs allows you to stay current and up to date on emerging trends.  By perusing them weekly you can get a handle of which ones appear to be soliciting the largest amount of attention.

Now your job is to examine the data. Spreadsheets are wonderful tools which will allow you to chart the information you uncover. Posts that garnish over fifty or one hundred social shares are noteworthy and should be recorded. Include titles in your spreadsheet as well as the specific social media outlet where they were posted.

If you do a quick search online, you’ll be able to find several blogs I’ve written on the importance of creating a list, and what it can do for your bottom line. If you are NOT creating a list then you are missing out on building enormous customer retention, and acquisition.

Spin the title

Discovering your next blog post topic can be as simple as one two three. The data you collected can be your ally in this endeavor.  Scan down through the list of popular headlines which have attracted the most attention. Which ones stand out to you? Where do your passions lie and could you see yourself using one or more of the topics listed as subject matter for your next blog post? These are important questions to ask yourself.

I followed this exact process when I was trying to decide the topic of this blog. Copy blogger had listed this title as having received over fourteen hundred tweets. Due to the fact that I myself enjoy blogging and know there is a large market out there that responds to this tool, I decided it was an interesting choice as my next pick. I then began the process of spinning variations on the headline to see which one resonated most with me.

Here are a few examples of the variations I considered.

• A Simple Plan for Writing One Blog Post per Week
• A Simple Plan for Writing One Blog Post per Week in Less Than Two Hours
• A Simple Plan for Writing a Blog Post in Less Than Two Hours
• A Simple Plan for Writing a Powerful Blog Post in Less Than 2 Hours

Spinning variations shouldn’t take you but a few moments and its best to generate anywhere from ten to twenty different options.  Choosing the right headline is a very subjective process and it’s up to you to decide which one is the best fit for you.

Outline your post

Outlining your post with subtitles allows you to build the skeleton of your work. This step takes only about ten minutes to complete but can add significant value to your blog.  Brainstorming possible subtitles helps you to cover your bases and create the body of your work.

The subsections I created for this article began with Blogging your passion, creating a list and Spinning your title. What follows are the subsequent steps that outline my process and help you to discover a thorough and unique plan to write a blog post in under two hours. Take the time with the bones of what you want to say and the rest will follow.

Fill in the details

The skeleton has been assembled and now you must address filling in the details to make your work complete.  The body of your blog is perhaps the longest section but it is the heart of your message and therefore where you must put the bulk of your energy.

A trick here is to just go with it. Let the words flow and speak your mind without giving any consideration to grammar and spelling. Ignore the urge to sound sophisticated or use complicated language to illustrate your points.  The main objective is to get the words out in an uninterrupted manner.  Editing can occur at a later stage but what you want to focus on is the clarity of your message. Whichever section speaks to you first is where you need to begin.

Writing the details sounds like a tedious endeavor but in fact it is where your passion comes alive so allow yourself to get into the zone and you will find your groove.

Edit, tweak and massage

You’ve made it to this stage. The hard work is finished and you should give yourself a well-deserved pat on the back. All that’s really left to do now is polish the exterior and allow it to shine. Here are a few helpful hints to smooth out the editing process.

1. Add or Remove points.

You can strengthen the position of your blog by adding a few additional points which support your perspective. Removing moot points or eliminating unnecessary wordage can clarify your intended message.

2. Add facts

Supporting your work with a few well-placed links or statistics adds credibility to your space and helps establish you as an expert in your field.

3. Improve the flow

Reading and rereading your work can assist you to feel the flow of your prose and make adjustments accordingly. Effective transitions help your work to become more fluid and encourage the reader to continue on through to the conclusion. Ultimately your blog post deserves to be read in its entirety so improving the flow will bring this goal to fruition.

4. Correct grammar and spelling errors

The final step in the editing process is to correct grammar and spelling errors. To be considered as a professional you must ensure that your work is grammatically correct.  This step, although simple in nature, is fundamental to your overall success. The more credible your work appears the greater chance your audience will consider your views seriously so seek to correct errors immediately either on your own or with the assistance of someone else.

Post and share

The time has come to post and share. Excitement runs rampant at this point and there is a tendency to jump quickly through this phase of the process.

Take a few extra moments and consider your blog post. Perhaps it might be advantageous to add a creative commons image from Flickr or other sources. Now is the time to ensure that your blog is complete before you post it on the internet.

When you’re all set just copy and paste your blog. If you already have a blogging channel than you’re well on your way!   “What you see what you get” editors exist on nearly all blogging platforms so the format of your blog should remain intact when copying and pasting to a different site.

The final thing to keep in mind is that you want your blog post to garnish a large degree of attention. The best way to do this is to share your post across all your social accounts including Twitter and Facebook. This will help ensure you get the greatest number of hits and likes.

Conclusion

Practice makes perfect! It will take time for you to assimilate this process into your work ethic but the pay-off is well worth the effort.  Soon, you too will be writing blog posts in under two hours.

Keep in mind that writing content is the MOST important element in building customer growth, and hitting your bottom line. I’m surprised at the amount of people who don’t write content which is valuable. Here’s the cool thing:

Using this 2-hour rule, and staying focused I have been able to write some of the best content. I know this because it’s ranking high within the SERP’s, received enormous social shares, and continues to build momentum today.

from John Chow dot Com http://bit.ly/2CphGPW
via Daniel