Hyper Quick Article Marketing
April 30, 2008
If you are interested in writing articles really quickly, then this article is written just for you! Writing articles quickly is a challenge for many, but for those who master it, writing articles becomes almost like second nature.
Here are 5 advanced secrets to supercharge your article writing:
1. Break Your Article Into 3 Parts
Create a structure for every article before you begin. Typically, this will consist of an introduction, the main body and the conclusion. When you think of your article this way, it suddenly becomes a lot more doable!
2. Write Out The Key Points For Your Body Copy
Your body copy forms the ‘meat’ of your article! Include 3 to 5 main points in your body copy. For each main point, write out a few sentences. Just by doing this, you will have more than a hundred words or even a few hundred words and in a snap your article is almost done.
3. Use Dragon Naturally Speaking
Dragon Naturally Speaking is a piece of software that recognizes speech and turns your speech into text, almost instantly. It’s a super quick way to create content just by speaking! We all speak faster than we type or write so this is a really easy to crank out articles at warp speed.
4. Leverage On Your Old Articles
If you’ve written any old articles before, you can take some ideas from them and use them to create brand new articles from scratch!
5. Leverage On Your Other Content Materials
Written some long posts on forums or sent out some long content emails to your mailing list? You can use these existing content to create new articles. Just reword them but keep the same information intact, and you’ll have a brand new original article ready to publish.
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Fabian Tan is a well-known Internet Marketing expert and the author of the popular 51-page Report: “Murder Your Job: How To Build Cash Sucking Autopilot Businesses In 30 Days Or Less!” Head over to http://www.MurderYourJob.com to get your free copy now before it’s gone! |
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Copywriting: The Importance of Headlines
April 29, 2008
Internet users are notorious scanners. I suspect they developed this habit as a defense mechanism, as a way to counteract the enormous volumes of information found on the Internet.
That’s why headlines are so important. Headlines act as stop sign, in a crowded universe filled with scanners, on this medium known as the “information superhighway.”
The best way to get a scanners attention is to write a targeted headline that makes the reader think to himself, “Hey, that’s me they’re talking about!”
Many novice copywriters make the fatal mistake of writing headlines that attempt to sell to everyone, and as a result, end up selling to no one.
That’s why it’s so important to make sure your headlines are targeted.
For example, I’m a copywriter. My target market is anyone who is dissatisfied with the performance of their sales copy.
On my website, the headline of my sales letter simply reads:
“Website Not Making Any Sales? Get A Free Sales Copy Evaluation Today!”
Just 12 simple words that are targeted and super-effective!
But even though the words may appear simple, it’s very important to invest some time into creating your headlines.
To end up with the best, targeted headlines possible, you need to write dozens of variations of potential headlines.
I generally write 20 to 30 headlines, and then narrow my list down to the best 10, and from there, the best 5, and finally, the best one.
Having said that, I have to be honest and tell you this. Usually, my very best headlines just pop into my head, without me having to compile a list first.
But I’ve been writing copy for 25 years. So I have a feel for what works and what doesn’t. I don’t recommend you use the first headline that pops into your head. ALWAYS compile a list.
Some copywriters write as many as 50 headlines, and narrow their list down to the top 2 headlines, and then split-test them.
Split-testing is a procedure that ascertains effectiveness, and proper function.
When I first started copywriting, I used to always split-test my headlines.
However, over the years, as I developed more and more experience, I rarely split-test headlines anymore. Why?
Because after 25 years of writing copy, I’ve developed such an excellent feel for writing headlines, once I decide on the best headline to use, 99% of the time, the headlines I select work exceedingly well.
So how can you determine your best headlines?
Showcase your headlines to other people. Get their opinions.
Michel Fortin’s CopywritersBoard.com is an excellent place to get your headlines critiqued by competent professionals.
Just remember, no matter what opinions others may have about your headlines, it’s ultimately going to come down to your own gut instinct, as to which headlines you decide to use.
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Dale King is the owner of http://www.GuruKnowledge.org - The Ultimate Internet Marketing Resource! |
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Alexa’s New Ranking System
April 27, 2008
Alexa recently modified their web site rankings system that most DotComPreneurs utilize as at least one measurement of their web site popularity.
If you asked 10 different people what Alexa is or how a web site’s rank is calculated, you would get 10 different answers. Ultimately the traffic tracked by Alexa was registered only through computers who used the Alexa toolbar.
Alexa states that a web site’s Alexa ranking will now be based on more sources of data (although they did not reveal specifically what those sources are) and that we will now have an even better indicator of a web site’s popularity.
Right now the Alexa rankings cover a time frame of only 6 month max while they recalculate the historic data for each site. When the data reappears, it will reflect the new criteria for web site popularity and you will once again be able to look back approx 5+ years. Go here to read Alexa’s April 15th announcement and find out what other improvements they are working on.
You can’t improve what you don’t measure.
Remember there is no substitute for tracking your website and business’ daily traffic via your own tracking systems, whether that’s Google Analytics or some other web tracking service as well as whatever indicators are relevant to your niche, ie ezine subscribers, blog feed subscribers, along with the gazillions of other performance indicators we can measure.
Jill
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Finding a Good SEO or Internet Marketing Company Tip #1 - Ask for a FREE Analysis
April 26, 2008
There seems to be a lot of SEO and internet marketing companies popping up all over the place along with traditional advertising and marketing companies offering these services along side there normal offerings. So how do you sort the good internet marketing consultants from the bad and the ugly.
Well one way is to check if there a member of a recognised professional marketing body, however they say the proof of the pudding is in the eating so why not ask for some free analysis work. This should come as a document giving you a snap shot of were your current site stands within the rankings, some simple keywords research, content and site user experience suggestions along with an easy to understand explanation of each point and some form of conclusion at then end.
Any SEO or internet marketing consultant worth their salt will happily offer you this service for free, this is certainly the case when you talk to a senior SEO consultant John Hardgreves
“We have always offered our clients a no obligation free initial analysis. The reason for this is a good SEO or internet marketing consultant should be going through most of this process anyway when looking at a new clients website to determine the amount of work and therefore the cost of reaching the desired results of the client. You wouldn’t employ a builder or other contractor to build a house without an initial estimate, sadly people seem to think the normal common-sense rules don’t apply when looking at the internet maybe it’s because of a lack of understanding or lack of confidence with dealing with the subject but it can lead to a very poor return on your investment.”
John also pointed out that unfortunately a number of the clients have approached his company of the back of a bad experience with other firms. This can be avoided entirely by doing a little home work and asking for some free analysis upfront.
Its also good practice to employ a specialist to handle your internet marketing and SEO requirements rather than use your web development or hosting company . The main reason is an independent SEO or Internet marketing expert will be able to give you an unbiased and highly objective view of your site compared to the company that either built or hosts your website. It is often the case that there maybe an issue with the way your site is coded or hosted and your current suppliers are understandably not always going to be forth coming with admitting that an error on their behalf is effecting your traffic.
So in conclusion do a little home work and ask questions and ask if your not offered, for some free initial analysis and you should be well on the way to developing a great working relationship with a reliable internet marketing or SEO company.
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Mike Harding - Chief Consultant at ‘SEO dynamiks’ search engine optimisation consultants. |
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Tony Robbins Lawsuit Against Stephen Pierce
April 25, 2008
The biggest news story in the internet marketing world this week is not a million dollar product launch, a new tool or system that will revolutionize your business. It was the lawsuit heard ’round the world. TMZ (yes TMZ the Hollywood gossip site) broke the news of a lawsuit filed by personal development giant Tony Robbins against internet marketer Stephen Pierce.
Stephen Pierce was recently invited to teach internet marketing at Robbins’ Wealth Mastery event in Australia.
As an attendee of many of Tony’s events, (you call him Tony when you immerse yourself in his teachings), before entering the venue, I was required to sign a waiver and promise that I will not record the event.
Robbins lawsuit claims Pierce illegally taped and later sold video DVDs of his internet marketing presentation from Tony’s event. Robbins attorneys also allege that Pierce claimed in advertisements that he was Tony Robbins’ Wealth Coach, and implied that Robbins endorsed Pierce. To complicate matters, the lawsuit states that Pierce advised his students to skip Robbins $ 8,000 event and buy Pierce’s bootleg video instead. Ouch.
You can view the actual details of the lawsuit that was filed here http://www.aolcdn.com/tmz_documents/0424_tony_robbins_wm.pdf
On Pierce’s blog, he quickly posted his interpretation of the series of events leading up to this and was surprised when the lawsuit was filed. Pierce stated that he had been in communication with Robbins people, had been given permission to record the video, and had complied long ago with their requests. Pierce even went as far as to say he had copies of all of the email communications during this time period, calling it a misunderstanding, which should at least clarify some of what went on here.
Asking me to pick sides would be like asking me which of my two brothers I love more. I have tremendous respect for both Pierce and Robbins and I am watching with great interest.
I hope these two power house DotComPreneurs sort this out and reach an amicable settlement, and make nice again outside of the court system. Tony Robbins has been on both sides of lawsuits, as plaintiff and defendant -a losing defendant in 1998 against Wade Cook and winner in his lawsuit against a Canadian tabloid that blamed him for breaking up a marriage.
While there are many lessons we can extract from this ordeal, one of the obvious lessons in this for you and I and everyone surrounding the internet marketing world is… it is imperative that you get all permissions detailed in writing when you interview subjects, use photographs, sell products others participate in, record video or audio, claim affiliations, utilize testimonials, use or sell interviews with others.
The more successful you become, and the more people on your team, the more opportunity there will be for miscommunication and misunderstanding.
Many a friendship and reputation have been destroyed through misunderstandings that could have been avoided by clarifying the details in advance in writing with thorough legal contracts.
In other words, cover your a**
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What is the Difference Between SEO and PPC ?
April 25, 2008
If you are looking for a way to maximise relevant traffic to your website and to increase your sales as well as advertise your presence, you’ll find that there are some techniques that you must be aware of when it comes to ensuring your online business’ survival. When you are considering the advertising options that are open to you, you’ll find that search engine optimisation, often shortened to SEO, and pay per click advertising, often shortened to PPC, are both tools that are vital that you become familiar with. Take a look at some basics to get you started when it comes to both of these valuable tools, and you’ll soon see why they are so popular.
SEO is the process whereby your site becomes more attractive to the search engine, resulting in the search engine giving your site the top ranking when someone does a search for a term that is related to your service. When you are considering SEO, think about how your site is set up. Do you have a lot of keywords that are relevant to your business used on it? A search engine will look for things like how often you use certain key words, and what context you use them in to rank your site in order of desirability to the searcher. You’ll also find that the popularity of your site, as judged by how many people will link to you without your linking back, plays an important factor in deciding how high your search engine ranking is.
PPC, on the other hand, is a specific service that you will pay for. Essentially, at the most basic level, PPC advertising causes a link to your business to show up on the sidebar of a site. Whenever someone at that site clicks on that link, you’ll pay the advertising company a very small amount. This is quite appealing, given the fact that you only pay when a person comes to visit your site. Google AdWords is one of the most popular PPC arrangements out there; whenever anyone types in a specific search that you have designated, you’ll find that your link will show across the top or along the sidebar.
Both SEO and PPC are very important concepts for any internet businessperson to grasp. They can bring your site a great deal of attention, but the real issue is making sure that it is the attention that you want. For instance, if the keywords that you pick are too general, your business will be deluged with people who are only tangentially interested in what it is you do, while if the keywords are too specific, you’ll find that no one who is not in the business already will find them.
If you really want to put your business on the map, you’ll find that both SEO and PPC are excellent ways to do this. Take some to learn about these concepts or hire an internet-specific marketing company to help you out. You’ll find that this is quite important if you are to stay in business!
Derek Rogers is a freelance writer who represents many UK businesses. For Pay per Click and Search Engine Optimisation, he recommends Impact Media Ltd, one of the UK’s leading specialists of Search Engine Marketing.
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How to Establish Business Credit in 90 Days
April 24, 2008
By Paul McDonald, MBA
Business Credit—every small business needs it at some point in time. Unfortunately, the age-old rule so often seems to be true—the only way to qualify for a loan is to prove that you don’t need it.
But that isn’t necessarily the case… here are some simple strategies that will help any small business move toward a good, strong credit relationship with a bank.
I am speaking from experience here. One of my major mistakes early on in business was not creating and working a plan to have established business credit. Had I taken these measures I could have avoided some hard times through the early years of my business.
Be a Good Customer of Your Bank
Remember that if you apply for a business loan at a bank where you have your business checking account, the first thing that the loan officer will do is call up your checking history. If it is constantly in a state of overdraft or is very low, they are unlikely to consider a loan proposal any further. However, if your account shows a regular inflow of cash from many customers, that is much more appealing to a loan officer.
There is another reason to have an account at the bank where you are taking a loan—you can have several months payments at that bank ready to be transferred over at any time. Make arrangements with your loan officer to set up such a program if you can—this can help you to avoid late fees from forgetting to make a payment.
Have Great Financial Records
Get your financial records in shape. Have a nice summary booklet prepared to show to your banker. Include a brief confidentiality statement. Also, have a brief description of what you do, how business has been, and what your future plans are for your business. Include some photos of your business and work. While these measures aren’t really required for a bank loan, they do show that you are serious about your business and help the loan officer to more understand your business.
Letters of reference also help a lot. Ask a few of your best customers to write letters for you to include in your record book. Ask them to state that they intend to continue to do business with you in the future, and at what level they expect to do business. Letters like this will go a long way to convincing a lender to work with you to set up a line of credit.
Most loan officers like to see at least six months history for new businesses, but one banker commented that two years is much better. But wherever your situation is right now, be sure to show summaries for every year you have been in business—even the “bad years.” This disclosure goes a long way to helping a loan officer make a decision about lending to your company.
Establish Secured Loans
This method is widely taught to help people establish credit. You’ll need about $1,000 to start—go to your bank and set up a $1,000 Certificate of Deposit (CD) and use that CD to secure a line of credit for the same amount. You can then use that money borrowed to complete the same move at a second, and then a third bank. You’ll have $3,000 borrowed at with $3,000 on deposit to secure those loans.
Pay the loans as agreed and in about 90 days you should have a good working relationship and history with three banks for your business line of credit.
If you want to improve your position, start with more than $1,000. In fact, one banker I spoke to suggests starting at $3,000. “Most banks do not like small loans (under $3,000 to $4,000) because they are not very profitable.” Because of the fixed overhead of the loan, smaller loans tend to have higher rates even when secured by a CD. The banker concluded by saying: “One $3,000 loan would probably be better, especially if it was paid off early.”
If you don’t do anything else, do this step.
Establish a Floor Plan with Wholesale Suppliers
I’ll be the first to admit that this isn’t always the best idea. In fact, I know of several businesses that went completely under by having too much money and profit tied up in their “floor plan” of products with their vendors.
That’s the key phrase, though… “too much.” If you are in a business that sells products that can be acquired by a floor plan, those items in your inventory are used to secure the credit. While I don’t recommend having 100% of your inventory on a floor plan, it is a good idea to establish some credit with one or more wholesale vendors.
Buy a Company Car on Credit
Sure, if you have cash then sometimes it is a good idea to pay in full for a car… but this isn’t about being debt-free, it’s about establishing credit. Get a company car from a dealer and arrange the financing through your business. Many automotive financing companies and banks will issue business loans for automobiles because the loan is secured by the vehicle.
Leasing a car is sometimes better than buying a car for a business. You can generally write off all the lease costs which is usually greater than depreciation and deducting the loan interest. Business owners considering this move may want to ask their accountant which option works best for them. However, there is no need to worry about which option is better for establishing credit. Leases are usually reported the same way bank loans are for credit purposes.
Include a photo of the vehicle in your financial statement.
Get a Line of Credit Established BEFORE You “Need It”
This is the most important step. You have to be prepared in advance. Establish business credit before you need it for your business. Have a strategic plan to establish credit for your company and work that plan. Don’t be afraid to meet with your banker and discuss the plan—their job is to loan money to good credit-worthy low-risk businesses.
I have never found a business of any size or profitability that didn’t need credit at some point during its growth stage. Plan ahead, establish your business credit as soon as you can and you will not regret it.
Work with More than One Bank
In his book Sharkproof, author and businessman Harvey MacKay explains one of his business mistakes. He had given all of his banking business to one and only one banker for many years. When the market turned hard on the bank and on his business, his one and only bank had pulled his line of credit and it severely hurt his company’s operations.
He continues to explain that he “should have taken his own advice” and spread his business around to several banks. While you may not have a company the size of Mackay Envelope Corporation, it’s still good advice for something as critical to your business as banking relationships—spread the business around.
But remember not to go too far with this idea. It is a good idea to have a couple of banking relationships, but too many makes the other banks nervous. Don’t put all your eggs in one basket, but don’t have too many baskets either!
Refer Business to Your Bank
When you go about your daily business, it is not uncommon to find people who have moved to the area or are unhappy with their current bank. Recommend your bank to them. Write them a great note and tell them how you really do like your bank. Include a business card of your banker for them to contact. You then should send a copy of that note to your banker with another note attached stating that you are truly happy with them and that you are always looking to help their business as well as your own.
Is this sneaky? Maybe. Do it anyway—your banker will love you for it and will remember you when the time comes for you to increase your business with that bank. One banker I know made the comment that referring business to your bank is a very good idea and will pay many dividends to the person making the referrals.
Summary
Not every strategy listed here will work for every company and with every banker or lender. Nothing works 100% of the time, but these eight ideas are enough to get any profitable business started toward establishing good business credit.
Paul McDonald, MBA has been a financial advisor for 20 years and lives in the Kansas City area with his wife Kristine. He enjoys cooking new recipes, reading new books, and fishing. Paul maintains several active blogs on his favorite topics and makes them freely available for syndication worldwide. People who read his work find it entertaining and educational.
Paul can be reached at 1-877-711-1264.
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Blogging Keyword Research
April 23, 2008
So what is keyword research? It is finding out what are the keywords that web users are typing into the search boxes of the various search engine to get to your website. Some of the top search engines people are using are Google, Yahoo and MSN. After doing keyword research, you will have a list of keywords that web users are using and use them to optimise your blog. One way of finding out is through using web tracker like sitemeter.
There are 2 important tools you can use and they are free to use. One of the tool is by wordtracker called keyword suggestion tool. This tool allows you to find out the number of daily searches of each keyword use by people up to the first 100 keywords. If you want to have more, you will have to sign up for the paid version to get more longtail keywords. Longtail keywords are important in Niche Marketing Research.
Another tool will be Google Keyword Tool External. The advantage of using this tool is that it allows you to see what are the competitive keywords that online advertisers are using. It does not give you the exact number of searches though. This tool also provide you with a list of other keywords that you may not otherwise have thought of.
Besides writing good quality content, you must also make sure that there are people reading it. There is no point in writing content that nobody wants to read. So the concept of demand and supply comes into play. With the right keywords found on your blog, people are able to find your blog as a result.
Wilson Tan is the owner of http://www.BloggingDotProfits.com Join me in my person journey of making online profits using a blog
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