Online Business Success Tips to Quickly Grow your Business in 2019

Quitting a 9 to 5 job for starting an online business is no doubt a superb idea to dream big, but unfortunately most of the entrepreneurs and online business owners either cannot or don’t hold what is vital to chase their business goals and objectives.

That is the reason; there must be a solid and foolproof business plan to get started properly and to grow an online business in a best possible way. It is not only the money that makes your startup successful but it also requires infallible planning, determination and efforts to reach the destination without facing the uncertainties.

In order to ensure that you are starting well and also following the right path to land success on your way, I have listed a few proven online business success tips like optimizing for mobile devices, performing VAT analysis, and keeping customer data private etc. for a successful online business and to prevent common mistakes that most of the online entrepreneurs make.

Organize Your Web Assets

As you are about to provide services or products online, first of all you need to organize all your online/web assets not only to take a good start but to grow your business for changing trends accordingly. Assets of an online business include a business website, hosting server and social media profiles etc. all these need to be in a great order to have a great impact on customers. All of them should be optimized for your brand or company to enhance brand awareness and to build strong online reputation among competitors. Whether it is your business website or social media profiles, all they should be updated on regular basis with latest business details and information.

Be Mobile-Friendly

Each and every business needs a highly responsive and mobile friendly website to stand out from the competition. According to a research, almost 54% searches are made from mobile devices like smartphones and tablets. And if your website is not optimized for mobile, chances of losing valuable customers are always there as they are unable to view your website on their mobile devices. Optimizing images before uploading and redesigning the menu bars are the basic steps you can take to make your website mobile friendly even without spending money.

Understand your Overheads

Most of the people start spending a lot of money on a startup even without knowing that either it is profitable or not. It is said by people that most of the startups usually fail because they are low on finances. But here I want to say that most of the businesses and entrepreneurs fail because they really don’t understand their expenses and spend unplanned money without knowing the ROI rate. However, understanding the fertility of online business expenses has become easier through VAT analysis. In this way entrepreneurs can easily determine what expenses are contributing in overall business revenues and what should be terminated.

Maintain Customer Data Safely

In this digital world where issues like data breach and ID theft are increasing day by day, you as an online business owner should maintain customer data safely to keep their sensitive details and information safe and away from bad guys. Investing in reliable SSL certificate can be a great initiative for you to make sure all the details and information your customer submit to your web pages are encrypted. You must also have a plan at place to make sure all the customer details and information like credit card details are destroyed successfully when no longer in need.

Spy on Competitors

In order to be efficient and unique, you need to keep an eye on what your competitors are doing and what you can do to provide your customers a unique and satisfactory experience. It is most important in the virtual world to spy on your competitors. You can get lots of from your competitors like best performing keywords, best social media platforms to get more leads and digital marketing techniques they are using to reach a wider audience etc. to reshape your marketing strategies.

Know the Latest Trends in the Market

Since online market constantly evolves, you should be on the top of latest trends to make sure you are never missing any single chance to present your brand or business in front of the target audience. Social media is the best platform to be aware of the latest trends and trending topics that public is taking part in.

Build Strong Online Reputation for your Brand

Success of an online business usually depends on its reputation in the market. A tiny mistake or wrong step can destroy your online brand or business. Always try to provide your existing and potential customers with excellent customer services and keep all your online profiles and accounts updated with latest business details to help customers reach you conveniently whenever they want. Never ever ignore the negative feedback from customers as it can be great choice for you to bring improvement in your business processes for better customer experience.

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

Weighing Your Mobile Blogging Options

One of the greatest advantages to professional blogging and living the dot com lifestyle is the location freedom. You can practically work from anywhere as long as you have a reliable Internet connection and the right equipment on hand, even when you’re not really working. Whether you’re chilling at the coffee shop, waiting to get your car detailed, or on a family vacation halfway around the world, you can still blog and you can still run your business.

But what is the “right equipment” for the job? It depends on your budget, your preferences, and your individual circumstances.

Smartphone

The most convenient mobile blogging solution is to use the device you already have: your smartphone. If you’re anything like me, you never leave the house without your phone, so this means you always have the opportunity to work on your blog. This includes taking pictures, writing posts, moderating comments and more.

There are official WordPress apps for both iOS and Android, or you can simply log into your blog using the mobile browser on your device. This is convenient, to be sure, but it can also be quite limiting.

Typing up a few short comments and tweets on your phone is one thing. Typing up entire blog posts on your phone is another matter altogether. You may or may not be quite as adept at doing that, not to mention the added complications of formatting and the like. I’d say that the phone is a good option in a pinch, but it should not be your primary mobile blogging solution.

iPad or Android Tablet

For something a little bigger, you might stick to the Google Android and Apple iOS ecosystems, but opt for a tablet instead. The iPad family ranges considerably in price. If you want to get the best mobile blogging experience, though, you’ll want to get an iPad Pro with a Smart Keyboard.

This best approximates the “laptop” experience by offering you a proper keyboard for typing. The package is arguably more convenient, and depending on who you are, you might carry around your iPad with you anyway. However, you’ll run into the same limitations by running iOS instead of a “full” desktop OS.

Not only that, but when you combine something like the iPad Pro with a Smart Keyboard, you’re running well into the territory of a decently-equipped laptop. It’s not quite at the same tier as a $7,000 Macbook Pro, of course, but you’re right in the same range as many mainstream laptops.

Google Chromebook

A simple and affordable alternative you might consider is to get a Google Chromebook. In many ways, this could grant you the best of both worlds by giving you a “true” laptop experience in a package that doesn’t cost as much as a regular laptop.

Pricing can vary considerably here, of course, but entry-level Chromebooks can be had for as little as $200 or $300, though it specs all the way up to $1,299 and more for the Google Pixelbook. With a Chromebook, you have access to the suite of Chrome OS apps, as well as the ability to run Google Android apps.

Blogging on the go is quick and efficient, since you can work within the same “full” web experience as you would get on a “full” computer, though you likely can’t expect to get the same level of performance if you need advanced photo and video editing as part of your blogging workflow.

Microsoft Surface

While you can certainly step up to more expensive options like the Surface Pro, Surface Laptop, and Surface Book series, the Surface Go could be the ultimate in portable power for mobile bloggers.

The base model starts at $399, but that leaves you with eMMC storage and less RAM. In addition to the higher end model, you might also consider the exclusive Costco bundle. That’s important, because the Surface Go doesn’t come with the keyboard and Surface Pen by default.

What you end up getting is a device that’s not any bigger than a tablet but with the full functionality of true Windows 10 (after you unlock it from the default S Mode). This is a “real” computer in every sense of the word, except you have the added advantage of a touchscreen, plus the creative capabilities of a smart stylus.

Just Get a “Real” Computer

For my part, and your individual preferences and circumstances will certainly vary, the choice is clear. If I’m not doing any traveling out of town, I have no intention of doing any proper “blogging” outside of on my desktop computer in my home office. I used to bring a laptop with me to the coffee shop now and then, and I might take that up again, but the desktop is where my work “lives.”

If I’m traveling for a short period of time (overnight), I oftentimes won’t bother with the laptop and rely mostly on my phone and tablet to keep the ship afloat. If I plan ahead, there’s very little actual “blogging” I need to do until I get back. On the other hand, longer trips will almost always require the “real” laptop. That said, I am intrigued by the Surface family and I may end up replacing my laptop with a convertible PC as my next upgrade.

What about you? What device do you prefer to use when blogging on the go?

from John Chow dot Com http://bit.ly/2F1o9mP
via Daniel

What All the Top Bloggers Have in Common – A Lesson for All!

Today I’m going to write a special piece of content because of the requests I’ve gotten from so many people. A lot of questions have come in over the years on what top bloggers have in common. I’m going to explore this question, and provide you insight into what I’ve seen over the years. This way all of you will have a better idea of what you have to do or focus on going forward. What defines a top blogger? Here is some of the things I consider to be powerful…

First, they hold enormous credibility within their niche, and people turn to them for answers. Secondly, they make enormous money, and this is what they do full-time as a way of living. Third, they have awesome brands which can be recognized right away. For example, when you hear their names, you’ll know exactly what they do, and the power they hold. Next, these people provide enormous value when you read their content, or if you download their eBooks.

Above I have just listed a few of the things, and I’m sure some more will come to mind as I start writing. I’m sure all of us have different top bloggers within our niche, however here are the common blogs I read:

• JohnChow.com
• Problogger.com
• Matthewwoodward.co.uk
• QuickSprout.com
• SearchEngineJournal.com
• ShoeMoney.com

As mentioned, these are the common blogs I read, and you might agree or disagree. However, these have been the people who I’ve looked up to when blogging. The next question is what factors will I be discussing in this content? I’ll be exploring factors like:

• Design
• Content
• Affiliate programs
• Guest posting
• Engagement
• Strategy and flexibility

Let’s get started, and explore what I’ve found are the common traits among all of these blogs.

Design

I believe design is a major influence in retention, and engagement. With a solid design you’ll be able to decrease the bounce rate, and guide people to other content around your website. The more content people read, the higher possible conversions, shares, comments, etc. However, a poor design can be devastating to the bottom line which is why I’ve always encouraged people to focus on design elements. Next,

The top bloggers have invested heavily in the design of their blog. They know this design is an extension of their brand so will pay someone to make sure everything fits perfectly. If you’ve been visiting blogs, then you have to admit one thing which keeps you on a blog is smooth transitions, and the appeal…right?

If you visit any of the blogs I’ve listed above, you’ll notice how the colors are light on the eyes, navigation is visible, content links are perfectly placed, and banners in the right place. To help find content, they all have a search bar in the right place so you can type a keyword, and find the content you are looking for. Its stated that 40% of people leave a website when they first arrive because of the initial poor attraction they get. This means if the design is off, it’ll push people to leave without visiting any other area on your website. However, imagine if you can change this around? You’ll have an increased 40% chance of people staying on your website interacting with other content.

That’s a staggering high number!

Content

This is one of the most important factors which distinguish these bloggers from any other online. It’s actually the single MOST contributing factor to their success, and brand. Why? The internet is known as the information age because this is what it does, it allows easy access to important information to everyone around the world. By providing valuable information, you can create a business which can generate thousands or even millions of dollars a year (some make this money within a single month). However, in order for you to provide the type of value people are looking for, you have to be able to create content the right way. What do I mean? Let’s look at the authority bloggers, and what they are good at doing which others fail to do:

Research –

These bloggers know where to look for information, and have the right resources to tap into. They know where to find trending topics, and then find solutions to back it all up. For example, they know the forums where everyone is hanging out, and know other blogs to visit. They have the experience from years of being in the niche to put something incredible together, and if they need help; they have a network of bloggers which they can ask for a solution.

This has allowed them to stand out when it comes time to provide content because people know they’ll find a complete solution, or one which is unique.

Structure –

Authority bloggers know how to write content with the right type of structure. For example, the spacing will be ideal, and the sentences minimum. They know too many sentences in one paragraph will create clutter which makes it hard for people to read. They use the right keywords, formatting ideal for people, and search engines. For example, you’ll see a perfect ratio of:

• Bold
• Italic
• Underline
• H1
• H2
• H3

Uniqueness –

These authority bloggers will create different types of content in locations which we hope to be one day. For example, JohnChow.com posts content from conferences, affiliate getaways, and live events. This puts a twist on the type of content we are use to. It also keeps are minds focused on the brands which is a great marketing strategy.

Affiliate Programs

Here’s something else you’ll notice all the top bloggers have in common – Affiliate programs.

These bloggers either have their own product, or are partnered with someone selling one. They have an arrangement where they’ll make an enormous cut out of the profits. But, they don’t just sell any product because this will demolish their reputation. They will focus on one which provides value, and they use themselves. Through the entire endorsing process, they’ll ensure to create walk-through videos, information guides, and even offer specials.

In the end,

It all comes down to the bloggers ability to understand they have a real brand, and through it they can increase profits. However, as mentioned just like the value they provide through their content, they’ll do the same with the products they sell.

Guest Posting

Many of the top bloggers offer guest posting opportunities because they want to provide opportunity to others. Next, they provide guest opportunities because they are getting busier, and don’t want their blog to fall short of content or value.

Both of these are important because they are providing opportunities to bloggers, and people. For example, when you allow bloggers to submit guest posts, you are giving them a chance to build their brand. Next, your getting busier and want readers to have a constant flow of new content which means you might have to find writers for you. Either way, both of these are important because it steady’s the continued successful of the authority blog.

Engagement

Top bloggers know how important it is to engage with readers because this builds loyalty. Engagement can come in two forms: First, blogger to reader, and secondly, blogger to blogger. Either way, there both will be available so the audience has an easier time pulling out the value. For example,

The blogger will engage readers through new content, and a follow-up sequence. Why do you think they have an opt-in form on almost every page? It’s because the blogger can continuously communicate with the readers over time. They can send updates, discounts, coaching alerts, and anything else which will strengthen the engagement. Next,

Blogger to blogger is very important because it allows people to share opinions openly. This can be seen in the form of comments or even an online forum. Both allow users to leave feedback, and interact with others sharing strategies. If you closely examine forums, you’ll notice the following:

• Free registration
• Easy reply if you know a solution
• Easy thread if you want to post a question
• Thousands of members
• And the response time if very quick. You’ll get a solution within seconds which is why forums have always been so popular.

Allowing open engagement is a great way to build retention because people know one way or another they will find what they are looking for on your site.

Ability to Change Niche

One thing I’m seeing more of these days is the ability for top bloggers to have more weight on their opinion. This weight changes the entire niche, and the field of study. For example, bloggers like Neil Patel has been asked on the future of email marketing, and SEO tools which changes the direction in which take when shopping for tools, etc. Another good example if how certain aspects of the niche is changing like link building, and even keyword research.

Many of the top bloggers will introduce link building strategies which are completely new to search engine optimization. Brain Dean from Backlinko.com amazed everyone with his skyscraper technique that changed the way people looked for opportunities, and how they built links. It’s amazing how authority bloggers can shift the way their niche is by providing expertise, understand the future from what they’ve learned overtime, and finally by introducing new products.

Final Thoughts

Through this research I hope you can see why authority bloggers have so much credibility within their niche, and how they continue to transform things. Next, you can pull out enormous value because going forward, you can start to focus on the factors above so you stand out as an authority blogger too. However, one thing which I should have mentioned above is their ability to be patient, and understand how success does take time. No matter how many of the factors these bloggers inherit, they all know and have the patience to let nature takes it course.

Building a business does take time, and you have to be patient because if you don’t, then you’ll stop providing value to your readers. The biggest contribution to success is having patience because you continue to follow your passion. However, if you’re in a hurry to make money, then you’ll start to cut corners.

Please leave your thoughts, and feedback below.J

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

Swinging on Monkey Bars as a Blogger

I can’t recall exactly where I first heard (or read) someone say this, so feel free to drop a source link in the comment section if you happen to know. Basically, the person was saying that all bloggers want to do these days is make it big as YouTubers. And all the YouTubers want to be successful podcasters. And all the podcasters want to… well, we’re not really sure where they’re going just yet. Netflix series? Eventual buyout by Disney?

The point is that the Internet continues to change each day and a lot of these changes are entirely out of your control. If you make your earnings in US dollars but you live in Canada, for example, you’re at the mercy of the foreign exchange rate. I remember when I was getting upwards of $1.40 Canadian or more on the US dollar, but I also remember when I was getting as little as 90 Canadian cents on the US dollar too. You just learn to hedge your bets and adjust accordingly.

Content on Content

The content strategy that you take must be equally flexible and you have to be willing to pivot. Focus on what you are able to control and make the best of the situation. The reason why bloggers are moving to YouTube is that the online audience, generally speaking, is much more inclined to watch a short video on YouTube or Facebook than they are to read a longer blog post.

If you want to survive as a “blogger” on the web, you have to understand that blogging alone is no longer enough. You need to have a good presence on major social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram. And maybe you need to have a great YouTube channel too. It’s not too late. At the same time, the next big battleground is in audio and that’s why YouTubers are moving to podcasting too.

Casey Neistat made a huge name for himself as an innovative daily vlogger and now he’s got a podcast with his wife Candice. Sara Dietschy made a “peachy” name for herself as a vlogger, who was at least partly inspired by Casey, and now she has a podcast where she interviews other creative professionals. The list goes on and on, and meanwhile, Marc Maron has been doing his thing all along and he has no apparent interest in blogging or vlogging.

He’s too busy getting into the ring with the Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling (GLOW) on Netflix, I suppose. But I digress.

Snapping the Vine

From the perspective of the novice, intermediate or even advanced blogger, what does all of this mean? The truth is that we’ll never know what is the “next big thing.” For a while there, it seemed like Vine became the place to be if you wanted to connect with a younger demographic, but Vine no longer exists. And then it was Snapchat, but that platform is nowhere near as popular as it once was either. Just look at what happened to Spectacles.

What this all means is that it is perfectly understandable if a blogger wants to be a vlogger. Or if a vlogger wants to be a podcaster. But what it also means is that the would-be vlogger shouldn’t give up on his blog just yet, and the would-be podcaster shouldn’t abandon ship on the vlog either. It’s not about throwing away what you’ve already done to jump on the hottest new fad.

Instead, think about it like how you would approach a set of monkey bars at the playground. Or any of these ring-type structures at the playground. You hold on to what you’ve already got a firm grasp on with one hand, but you go ahead and swing over to the next bar or ring to grab on with your next hand. You can be a blogger *and* a vlogger. You can be a vlogger *and* a podcaster.

Reach a Little Farther

Just recognize that, at the end of the day, you only have two arms (maybe a few more in the metaphorical sense). Choose your battles and pick where you have the greatest enjoyment and ROI, but don’t quite let go of what you’ve already built. You can always swing back and forth with a firm grasp on two rings.

from John Chow dot Com http://bit.ly/2RnMyJ0
via Daniel

Social Media Strategies for 25% More Conversions

What is it about social media that is so appealing to bloggers, business owners, and online marketers? Much of the answers we can get by setting up our own social profiles, however if you own a business, then you know social marketing is great for influence. It’s great to build conversions, and even more powerful to help you achieve your bottom line. However, I’m surprised at the amount of people who choose not to incorporate social marketing into their business because I feel they are losing enormous conversions when they don’t. Next,

Did you know social media has shown to improve conversions by 25% when done correctly? I know the number is staggering, however you have to keep in mind the reach on Facebook, Twitter, and Google +. In the end, you just need to know how to use social media platforms to engage the right type of users which I’ll be showing you later on.

With that said,

Here are some things you have to keep in mind when incorporating social media into your business:

• Research
• Social buttons
• Engage readers to share
• Advertising
• Poke top influencers

Let’s get started, and explore some of these factors. If done correctly, they have been proven to increase social media conversions by 25%. Your feedback, and thoughts will be greatly appreciated.

Research

Everything started with research, and when it comes to social media, you have to know what networks to target. For example, if you do a quick search for “social media” networks, you’ll see about 50-60 platforms show up within the SERP’s. However, you have to be careful because if you spread out your efforts you’ll do more harm then good. I like to target the “3” big social media platforms – Facebook, Twitter, and Google+. Did you know 75% of the worlds population are active on only these three networks?

What does this mean?

If you focus on these networks, you’ll be able to generate enormous buzz if you market your content, video or even products the right way. However, you have to make sure you know what your audience is looking for which is why you should research your competition too. I like to use the following to research what’s popular on these networks?

• Visit their social media profiles
• Understand what #hashtags they are using
• View the content type they share
• View the content topics they share
• Read the audience
• Understand the audience

When you have a better understanding of the following dynamics, you’ll be able to setup an engaging social media campaign which converts better then before. Remember, it’s all about visibility, and being able to attract more people then your competition. The more traffic you can drive, the better for your bottom line.

Social Buttons

You can achieve social shares from so many places that I’m surprised at the amount of people who fail to add the buttons in the right place. Right from the top of my head, I can think of 3-4 ways I can get people to share my content:

First, I can add buttons to my content on my website. Next, I can have people share content I’ve posted on social media platforms. Third, when people share guest content I have published on other blogs, and finally when people share content sent to them within their email.

It’s amazing what you can achieve by knowing where to place the right share buttons. Here’s something else. This use to be hard at one point, however you have so many options available that this can be done within a few minutes. However, people still struggle to add buttons because they don’t know where to get started.

Here’s are two tools you have available which will streamline the entire process:

AddThis.com – They provide an all-in-one solution to sharing which can be customized to fit all your needs. You can choose what buttons to add, and the code can be placed easily. They offer a great walk-through showing you how to place the code within the backend. Over the years, they have added more social platforms for customization just in case you want to make changes going forward. Next,

If you are using WordPress, you can install their plugin to easily configure the social share buttons.

Next,

ShareThis.com – This tool is exactly the same as AddThis.com however has a different style of reporting. Both of them offer great reporting, but you’ll find more options with Sharethis.com. Next, they offer a great WordPress plugin which can be configured within a few minutes.

I would suggest trying them both, then settling with the one you find easier to use. Both offer a great solution to adding buttons below your content, and some can be configured more then the other.

Next,

If you are writing content, or sharing on social media then it’s important to note the share buttons are already included within the interface. You just have to make sure you provide high value content to the audience looking online.

Engage Readers to Share

One thing I’ve noticed is that you’ll add buttons to your content, but very few people will actually share your content. I actually wondered for a while why this was happening, and did a quick case study. I wrote two pieces of content, and this is what I did towards the bottom:

• On one I asked people to share the content, and
• On the other I did not make any reference to sharing.

The results where amazing because when I asked people to engage my social interaction increased by 15%. I thought about this, and came to this conclusion. First, new comers need to be guided on what to do next, and these same people are new to the whole idea of social media. Secondly, many people sometimes forget to share because they have been overwhelmed with high value content. They are probably pre-occupied with absorbing the substance, etc.

Next,

We sometimes forget the actual people looking for content (depending on your niche) have no experience with blogging. This means they land on your page, read the content, and leave right after. They don’t understand how to show gratitude for providing value. Many of them don’t know how a single share will help spread your brand across many different channels. This is why you have to remind them to help you out by sharing your content, and you’ll be surprised how many of them do when asked. Next,

Think about when you buy a product online, and what you do right after. You probably forget to leave a review because you:

• Don’t purchase online too much
• Fail to understand how your review will help the seller
• Fail to understand how your review will help the buyer

However, when you are happy with your experience, and receive a “leave feedback” email, you most likely will to help out the seller…right?

This same approach can be applied to content, and why you should ask readers to engage with your content by sharing it on social media platforms.

Advertising

As these social media platforms have become bigger they have changed the way people interact on them. For example, which once was a portal for people to share content has now become one which people can market groups, content, landing pages, and applications. Even though I always recommend starting out with free social media accounts so you can learn what works for you, it’s important to find out how other options can help increase conversions. For example,

Facebook advertising is a great alternative for those looking to invest money, and build momentum quickly. You can set a budget and promote: content, products, groups, etc. This way when people are surfing online they’ll be able to find your content easily. This is great for someone who is just starting out, and is looking to build that momentum quickly. However, Facebook because of the data they have access to will allow you to target a custom audience, for example,

• Gender
• Location
• Age group
• Interests
• Relationships
• etc

I love the fact that you can set your own bids, and they can even be as low as $0.03 which obviously depends on your purpose. For example, when promoting community pages, you’ll be paying as little as 0.02 per “Like” which is a very low cost compared to other popular networks. The reason I’m putting an emphasis on FB is because they provide exceptionally awesome traffic for a very low price.

Anyway,

The point is if you have money to invest in marketing, then it’s going to be a good idea to throw it towards some targeted Facebook Advertising.

Top Influencers

Just like when you are writing content it’s a good idea to network with top bloggers so they’ll help put the work out, it’s good to do the same with social media. If you network with top influencers on Facebook or Twitter, then you can get help from users with 100,000+ followers. A share from these people can boost visibility quickly driving enormous relevant people to your website. However, it’s important you network with people who are in your niche, and which you have established a relationship with from before. For example, some of the people who I ask to share my content I have been working with for several years. I have written content, promoted products, or even asked for feedback way before I got on social media. What does this do?

With an established relationship I can easily reach out to these same people for social media outreach. I can ask them to share my content with their followers which are MOST likely relevant to mine. If these influential bloggers have 100k+ followers, then this can be awesome for my bottom line. However, make sure you have established relationships from before, or can offer something attractive in return.

Here are some options:

• Write content for them going forward
• Promote their product
• Mention them within an article
• Provide free advice or feedback on a topic you have experience in

In the end, these relationships can go a long way in building social awareness.

Final Thoughts

I hope you have enjoyed this quick overview on how to increase conversions through social media. Start by reading through the content again, and implementing some of the strategies mentioned. Test and then tweak until you find which ones provided the MOST conversions. You can then continue using the same methods going forward.

from John Chow dot Com http://bit.ly/2s8PMlD
via Daniel

5 Things I Hate About Vlogging

There’s a common misconception that many people have. They assume that should you be so lucky as to do what you love for a living, you actually love every minute of it. That’s simply not the case. The truth is that the high times are what make the low times worth it. Sometimes, you just have to put up with what you hate so you can continue doing what you love. And that’s kind of the relationship I have with my vlog on YouTube.

I’ve been keeping up with a weekly vlog on YouTube since late 2016. It’s been a terrific learning experience for me, even though I’ve had a YouTube channel for years, and I really do enjoy putting together those videos every week for everyone to watch (and like and share and comment on). But I don’t love every minute of it. Here’s what I don’t enjoy so much.

1. The Algorithms

Yes, I know. If you live by the Google, you can only expect to die by the Google. This is true when it comes to running AdSense on your blog, just as much as it is true with relying on search traffic for any of your websites. And it is just as true on YouTube too, just as it is true on nearly every other social media platform these days.

We are all at the mercy of the algorithm, to which we all implicitly agree when we decide to published our content on rented land. That just comes with the territory. And YouTube is the second largest search engine on the Internet; only Google is bigger.

If you’re the kind of person who likes getting elbow-deep in the nitty-gritty of SEO, then maybe you like the algorithms. Me, I just want to focus on the content.

2. The Schedule Pressure

No matter what sort of content strategy you want to follow on YouTube, consistency is of paramount importance. Indeed, it’s been posited that YouTube heavily prefers channels with near-daily, if not actual daily videos and will give these videos preferential treatment in the algorithm.

I don’t know about you, but there’s no way I’d be able to keep up with a daily vlog. Even with the weekly vlog, which I generally publish on Monday mornings, I find there have been several weeks where I just didn’t want to do it or the “deadline” crept up on me far more quickly than I had anticipated. This self-inflicted pressure to publish on time every week can be crippling and overwhelming.

But skipping a week here or there can very easily lead down a slippery slope where I stop uploading altogether. And I don’t want to do that.

3. The Talking Head

Some YouTubers decide to start a vlog because they like to hear themselves talk. Let me let you in on a little secret; I actually don’t really like talking in front of the camera. I mean, I’ve been doing it for years under other contexts, but the weekly vlog has taken this to a whole other space. Even so, the “talking head” segments are crucial for any vlog, because that’s how your audience can connect with you as a person.

And realistically, if I had too many vlogs where you never actually see my ugly mug, could you legitimately even call them a vlog anymore? Maybe I should just make other types of videos instead.

4. The Cost of Gear

While it may be true that you can get started with vlogging using only $200 in gear, that’s probably not the setup you want to run over the long haul. Indeed, the temptation to upgrade can creep in very quickly, because you want to have better lighting, a better picture, better audio, and all the rest of it. And all of that costs money.

Even if you were to take a simpler approach with a nice point-and-shoot, the Sony RX100 VI sells for about $1,200. That’s a lot of money for “just a point-and-shoot,” but it’s the de facto standard for vloggers. Even the cheaper Canon G7 X sells for about $600. If you take the mirrorless or DSLR route, when you tally up the camera, lenses, microphones, and everything else, you’re easily spending hundreds if not thousands of dollars too.

And it’ll never be good enough, because you’ll always want the better thing. I suppose this applies to life in general as much as it applies to vlogging in particular.

5. The Business Side

It may or may not surprise you to learn that I’m actually not all that interested in the business side of things. I just want to focus mostly on creating great content and engaging with a great audience. Unfortunately, that’s just not how the Internet works.

Because really, it’s the business side of things that has created the most angst for me as I chase those numbers. After getting booted out of the YouTube Partner Program, I was that much more motivated to get back in. I don’t really make money on YouTube, but those few dollars each month served as a monetary measure of my success and effort. I wish it were easier or simpler so I wouldn’t have to fret over it quite so much.

But I’ll keep creating regardless. At the end of the day, I still enjoy vlogging. What about you? Do you have a vlog? Why or why not?

from John Chow dot Com http://bit.ly/2ETh3Ro
via Daniel

3 Social Media Tools to Explode Growth and Reach in 2019

Remember around a decade ago when social media just started being a thing? It all started with the likes of LiveJournal and MySpace, and was fueled like gasoline in a fire when Facebook went from a college-focused platform, to then allowing everyone in.

Then mobile usage became a huge attraction and social media grew even further to that next level. Throwing LinkedIn for business, Instagram for mobile and video usage, then Snapchat into the mix… and here we are today.

Not only has social media completely changed how we all use the internet, it’s also changed how business and advertising is done as well.

With all of this in mind, today we are going to take a look at some of the most useful websites, tools, and solutions to help you get the most out of social media in 2019.

Increase Your Social Follower Count Instantly

How many followers do you currently have on social media? Do you also have more followers on one platform over the other? Lastly, what type of paid advertising or organic promotions have you been focusing on to try and increase your social growth. Across the board, there are really too many options out there to consider.

To help with this process, Famoid.com offers a wide range of social services to not only increase follower counts, but also the sharing of social content as well. To date, their site has delivered over 44,808,500 followers to accounts, and more than 36,806,983 Likes delivered.

Some people are against buying social followers, and others swear by it. When you look at some of the biggest accounts on social media, they are always going to have a massive amount of fake or spammy accounts following them.

However, when starting a social account or brand for the first time, you will likely see much better attraction and engagement if you start off with a few thousand followers, versus just having a handful. This also ties into the FOMO mentality — as in, if thousands of people are already following an account online, others would follow it as well, in fear of missing out on good content and social updates.

Either way, buying social followers might not be for everyone, but if you are looking to get a quick boost on your follower counts or the amount of social shares, likes, and upvotes… this is definitely an option to consider.

Creating High-Quality Images for Social Engagement

When browsing through social media updates, it’s easy to get lost in the mix — especially if you are sending out your own updates as well.

With millions of new updates going live every second, and more ads being placed within these organic updates than ever before, visual content is the answer to increasing engagement and getting attention from your audience.

Sure, you can include a link to a website or article and have Twitter or Facebook auto-populate a screenshot or thumbnail image for you, but most people will simply pass them over. A better option is to create an attractive and eye-grabbing image of your own.

One of my favorite design tools that I use on almost a daily basis is Canva. They have a ton of social media templates and images that can be completely customized for sharing social media content, and creating eye-catching content. Best of all, it’s a free tool to use.

This is also something InfographicDesignTeam.com has recently found a lot of success with, by creating gifographics and animating the infographic design process. Infographics are great in themselves, but once you add animation, it brings the engagement factor to a whole new level.

If you head over to their site, you will see the image below in full animation within their gifographics article, along with many other examples. These animated images will work better on social platforms than others.

The easy takeaway here is that social media is pretty easy to master, and to take up to that next level. The difference between those who see great and mediocre results, is those who are willing to put in the time and effort to creative custom images and copy for each social update.

Social Scheduling is a Life Saver for Bloggers and Entrepreneurs

As a blogger and online marketer, there are a million things we need to deal with on a daily basis. Remembering to check social media and post content every few hours shouldn’t be one of them.

For times like these, all we need to do is search out any of the top social media scheduling tools on the internet today. All of theme will have their own benefits, features, prices, and built-in tools, so it’s important to actually take a look at each and see which is best for your needs. At the same time, some will work with specific platforms, while others might work for a few.

The reality of social media, is that you need to be posting content all of the time. RazorSocial breaks this down best through the article and image below, which shows how 1,000 followers on Twitter can really equate to just 2 new visitors to your site. Instead of just posting once or twice daily, you should really be scheduling evergreen content every few hours across different platforms.

Hootsuite, MeetEdgar, and SproutSocial are some popular ones I’ve used in the past. You can view this Forbes article to get a nice quick review on each of them. Again, some of these are free to use, so if you are working on a small budget, there is no need to spend $100+ a month on just social media scheduling.

Social Media is Here to Stay. Make Sure You Evolve with It!

As you can see, the attraction for social media isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. Yes, it will evolve and change over time, but it’s also where all of the big money and focus is headed right now.

This is especially true, as more users are now on their mobile devices than ever before, and ad platforms on Facebook and Instagram make it easier to target these audiences than ever before.

Take the time to explore each of the social media tools and services mentioned throughout this post, to get the most out of your social media marketing efforts in 2019.

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