Making Time for Marketing

Let's face it, as a small business owner you need to wear many hats. The problem is finding time to do it all. There's updates to your website, blogging, social media, writing articles, etc. Listen in as Mike McDonald of WebProNews speaks with Genoo's CEO, Ki Albee about this subject.

How do you get it all done? I'd love to hear about the tools or tricks that save you time as an online entrepreneur.

"Getting Started with Affiliate Marketing"

Affiliate marketing is one of the most "passive" forms of online income there is.

- No products to create.
- No customers to deal with.
- No shipping or refunds or anything.

Easy peasy. Well, once you get started it is.

The hard part has been HOW to get started.

1. Buy a web design program for $300?
2. Hire someone to create a website?
3. Set up something free that you have no control over and could be taken away any time?

Not great options, until now. Jimmy D. Brown, highly successful online marketer - and fantastic mentor, has put together a course teaching how ANYONE can get started with affiliate marketing with NO experience, NO $300 website software -- and build a lasting business.

He was kind enough to share an excerpt from one of the lessons of his course. Keep reading to see his teaching style. I think you'll like it.

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Excerpt from Affiliatenaire
by Jimmy D. Brown

Welcome – welcome – welcome!

We are entering into some exciting times now. Today’s lesson and next week’s lesson mark the final “setup” activities.

Today we’re going to “populate” your blog with content and next week we’re going to publish the first issue of your newsletter.

Then, it’s time to…

Promote, promote, promote!

Woohoo!

So, we’re closing in on those first sales. Keep going. You’re almost ready to begin seeing some results from your efforts.

I’ve heard from quite a few members who have told me they are “finally getting somewhere” due to the step-by-step, drip-feed format we’ve been using. Trust me when I say, it’s only going to get better.

But, it does illustrate a good point: the hardest part of success in internet marketing for most people is getting out of the gate.

It’s been my experience that those who get things setup end up making money. The staggering failure rate that is reported as the “norm” primarily is a result of the lack of getting the foundational things in place.

If you quit and turn back, you’ll be stuck in the starting position once again. And off to find another “option”. One more stat in the staggering failure rate.

If – you – stick – with – this – and – follow – instructions – you – won’t – fail!

Introduction

The ultimate way to get buyers is to strategically use presell content to convert browsers into buyers. It’s time to start blogging!

Your first step is to populate your blog by posting at least five or six messages initially. That way, anyone who visits your blog in the near future will see a busy blog, which makes them more likely to return. If they visit and see just an article or two, they may assume the blog is abandoned (which means they won’t bookmark it, subscribe to the RSS feed, or visit it again).

After you’ve populated your blog, you then need to commit to a regular posting schedule. Obviously, the more you post the better. So if you can post a short article each day, that’s great. But if not, then commit to posting at least three or four times per week.

SIDEBAR: We’ll talk more about “regular” weekly blogging later. In fact, I’ll give you so many ideas for getting ready-made content and creating fresh content that you’ll have plenty of options for years to come. For now, we’re just gonna focus on populating your blog with initial content so it has some “meat” to it when people visit.

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To get access to the entire course, simply go to http://dakota6969.affnaire.hop.clickbank.net/. You'll be so glad you did. You not only get access to Jimmy's "system", but you'll receive 52 weeks of solid training walking you step-by-step through the entire process, including videos and the names of support if you get stuck.

Check it out by clicking here.

"Finding Content for Your Membership Site"

I recently signed up for some of Jimmy D. Brown's free and paid courses. I've got to tell you -- I'm liking this guy already! In fact, he's provided me with an excerpt from his very popular course Membernaire - which teaches the easy way to creating recurring/residual income.

He says that all you need is the first article written and you can be in business. More about that in a moment.

But, first -- I'll share a few pages of the actual paid course.

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Excerpt from Membernaire
by Jimmy D. Brown

One of the biggest problems that membership site owners face is getting content. No question about it, it’s a struggle for some people to keep cranking out quality information, while others find even getting started a challenge.

What I want to share with you today are some different WAYS to get information to share each week.

Before I share these with you, let me quickly talk about the “4 pillars” of information…

- You can WRITE IT YOURSELF. The obvious primary source of your content is that which you write yourself.

- You can INTERVIEW SOMEONE. Another option for one or more lessons is to interview other people in your field, both “experts” and “non-experts” alike.

- You can HIRE A GHOSTWRITER. You may also want to outsource the creation of some or all of your lessons to a professional ghostwriter who will anonymously write the lessons which you can then claim ownership and authorship to.

- You can PURCHASE PLR CONTENT. A final major pillar is to purchase a “private label license” to existing content which you may thereby alter and publish as your own.

In the future, I will have a COMPLETE LESSON on *each* of these four pillars to share lots of keys to success, vendor resources and other insights into using these sources for developing your content.

But today I’ll be going over some “other” options that few people really use (if they’ve even heard of them!)...

7 S.O.U.R.C.E.S™ For First-Rate Content

As the so-called “King of Acronyms”, I use

S - STANDALONES
O - OUTLINES
U - UNIONS
R - RESOURCES
C - COLLECTIONS
E - EXCERPTS
S - SERIES

Let’s take a look at each of these in greater detail…

S.O.U.R.C.E.™ #1 S – Standalones.

There are a variety of different kinds of “standalones” that you can offer in exchange for a “regular” lesson.

These are usually materials that are related to the topic of your FTM site and are used to enhance the content for a better understanding and application of your lessons.

A few examples include…

• Worksheets
• Templates
• Quizzes
• Calendars
• Checklists
• Planners
• Illustrations
• Mindmaps
• Tools
• Vendor List
• Documents (Legal, Business, Etc.)
• Forms
• Charts

And so forth. Anything that can be created to improve upon your existing content is an idea option here. I recommend that you use one of these as a substitution for your regular lesson at least once every other month.

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If that's two pages of the course -- imagine how much you'll learn over the entire year's worth of lessons.

The course is getting rave reviews from beginners and expert marketers alike. Check it out by clicking here.

PS. If you're looking for some excellent PLR Content you can't go wrong with EASYPLR

"5 Benefits of Outsourcing for Online Business Owners"

When you are in business for yourself, especially one that is conducted online, you'll find there are a number of different things for you to learn about that can save you time and make you money. Outsourcing is by far one of the more exciting things to discover and put to use.

All too common is the business owner who feels they have to do everything themselves in order for things to go smoothly in their online venture. This couldn’t be farther from the truth! In case you’re curious about why so many online business owners are singing the praises of outsourcing, keep reading to see just five of the many benefits it can obtain.

More Value for Your Time

When you own an online business, one of the most important things to remember is how much your time is really worth. When you think about the dull or repetitive tasks that you are doing, you'll find this work is not worth your high per hour price tag! When you outsource, you'll pay someone else to take care of those responsibilities while you give attention to the more important, money-making projects.

Saving Resources

Think about everything that goes into the tasks that you would outsource. This will range from things like your time and space to costs such as Internet and software. After awhile all of these costs add up. For instance, graphics software can get quite expensive. If you are outsourcing an activity, you get more than just the task itself out of the way. You will also get someone who specializes in areas of your business that you may not know quite as well as or have no desire to learn. More than likely these people will already have the tools needed to complete their assignment. Depending on the project, this might save you money and learning time. This brings me to the next benefit of outsourcing.

Going to the Experts

The tasks you are outsourcing might not be ones that you have no desire to learn about, whether they are troubleshooting, manufacturing, taking orders, website design and maintenance, or something else. By handing the work over to an expert who enjoys and makes it their business to know these things, you'll be able to take advantage of their knowledge in the area without having to learn it yourself. This in turn will give your customers or clients more than you could possibly give them yourself.

Expand

When you outsource, you will soon realize that you are in a great place when it comes to getting more involved with your business. You will be able to expand and provide everything your customers need. Outsourcing frees you up to try new things with your business, learn more and experience new aspects of your industry.

Accountability

When you outsource, you will have a contract with the person or company you are working with. By having someone else who is depending on work from you, you are more apt to stay ahead of the game by planning better and making sure that you’re tasks are getting completed as well.

When you first begin learning about and implementing outsourcing techniques within your business, you’ll find out those boring or repetitive tasks can easily be handed off to someone who enjoys doing them. This will allow you, as the business’ owner, to free up more time to concentrate on more important aspects of your business such as product creation, advertising, networking and other marketing practices.

These are the things that will help your business to grow even more profitable.

Are you a slave to your Online Business? Break the chains. Check out Outsource Weekly to find out how!

P.S. For more help with outsourcing download this ebook loaded with resources to help you be more successful online.

"Free Report – 30 Powerful Ways to Repackage Your Information Products for Maximum Profits"

Selling information products is a great way to earn an income online. The problem is most people think too narrowly when it comes selling those products. Aurelius Tjin has written this free ebook that lays out 30 ways of turning an information product into several different ones.

For example, chapters of an ebook could be used as a newsletter, posted to your blog, offered as an audio ebook and more. He really sheds some light on how to repackage content. Very creative and well done.

Download your free copy and pass it on to others or sell it with the included resell rights.

“Become the Star of Your Own Videos”

Articles are not the only way that Web surfers find the information that they need. What they do hope to find is relevant and new content whatever package it is presented in. Use video media to attract more website traffic.

We are not talking about feature films here so you can breathe a sigh of relief. You can create your own video using computer software found on your laptop and desktop.  If you have a webcam or a USB connection where you can hook up a webcam, you are well on your way to being a video star!

Since you are the business owner, who can tell your story better than you? Stay front and center in your videos so that listeners will know who you are and what you have to say. Here is where you can showcase your expertise.

If you need some help, check out YouTube. There are thousands of videos available for Internet visitors to watch. As soon as life events occur, people are creating and uploading video footage to YouTube for mass viewing. Now, your videos might not produce the fan base that hidden video footage of Brad Pitt might, but you can find the traffic you desire for your website.

Depending on the site you want to upload your video to, they have different guidelines. Be sure that you read all the fine print before making a video to upload. Videos that don't follow the parameters may not be accepted.

Don’t stop there! You can also upload video media to your website directly. Here, you can share videos of any length you choose for the enjoyment of visitors and customers.

Create videos of you using your products and showing how they work. Even with pictures of products on a website, it can be hard to imagine them in action. With how-to videos on your site, no one will have to worry about that.

If you love to teach, then concentrate on creating how-to videos. Show how you craft a doll, put together a podcast presentation or go about researching keywords.

Practice

Take a few test runs. See how you look, how your voice sounds and what the best presentation for your video is. Your best response will be to a voice that is relaxed and conversational. Avoid big words if smaller ones will get the meaning across just as well. No one wants to view a video that is too much like sitting in a classroom listening to a monotone or "Charlie Brown" type teacher. Think of your audience as old friends who you may be talking to at the kitchen table or on the front porch.

Experiment with your footage. Use editing software to delete mistakes and splice together the good scenes. You don't want the camera to swing from side to side making the audience feel like they’re on a rocking boat. You also don't want the images to be too dark so that no one can make out what is going on. It takes practice to get things just right, but it won’t take long. On the other side of things, don’t be so picky that you never publish the video anywhere. :)

Making Your Video Yours

Lots of material in video has been done before. Finding a unique hook to gain traffic as well as using keywords in the title will serve you well. Your job is to engage the reader and you want to do it from the get go. 

Have fun with your video presentations. If you are interested in your subject matter, the audience will be too.

Advertise

Somewhere in your video, mention your website. Not only mention it, but also include the link in black and white so others can enter it and jump right on to your website.

Use your social networking skills to tell others about your videos. Invite friends and associates to take a look and then pass the link on to their friends. Also encourage comments. Take to heart any constructive criticism that can help you improve your video image.

Want to promote your website for free? Take a starring role in your own online videos.

"Essential Link Building"

It's vitally important that you increase the number of websites that link to your website. Doing this helps you steadily increase traffic and generate more sales. However, if you are to be successful, you must be sure that your website is good enough for someone to link to you.

So, how do you do that?

There is an old cliche that always rings true in the Internet world - "Content is king". And this is absolutely spot on.

You may be wondering how your content is related to our current topic of building link building, but there is a perfectly sound connection...

It is important that you have quality content on your website or other webmasters will most likely not want to trade links. Your website also needs to be informative and interesting, as this will increase the chance of getting a link from someone else.

Remember, links to your website are the building blocks to success, so it's worth the effort to acquire them.

Now, let's go over a small checklist of websites that would be good candidates for good link building:

* Websites with quality, related content.

* Websites that have higher PageRank than you currently have.

* Online directories like Yahoo and other business directories.

* Web 2.0 websites like Squidoo.com and Hubpages.com.

It's no secret that Google (and other search engines) will list you higher in the search results for having a lot of quality inbound links. So, you should really concentrate on building quality links, which will do more for you than tinkering with Alt tags or any other onsite optimization.

The only downside is that building link popularity is not always easy to do. It tends to be a bit boring and tedious. Plus, it usually takes a big chunk of your time, which is probably why most people don't like to do it.

Luckily for you, there is a solution!

A brand new search engine optimization tool just came out called SEO Equalizer. Not only is this software super easy to use, but it is also extremely affordable. I do suggest you pop over to the website and read all about it...

You can do so by going here now.

"Why Rewrite my PLR Content?"

"Nicole Dean of http://easyplr.com/go.php?af=977615&u=www.easyplr.com answers the question "How Can I Customize the PLR that I Purchase?" in this quick video for Bloggers and other online business owners interested in PLR articles."

“Use Social Networking to Promote Your Website”

You'd be hard-pressed to find someone these days that isn't a part of at least one social network. Use that to your advantage. Join up and find free ways to promote your website and increase your traffic for free.

Social Networking Craze

Social networking is one of the easiest ways to stay connected to friends and family near and far. You can share pictures, stories and send instant messages when you are both logged in. This way of keeping in touch has extended into the business world and become useful as a marketing tool. Joining a social network is free so there's no reason not to give it a try. These sites bridge the gap across the miles better than simple email.

Which sites can you use? Actually, business owners have found most of the more popular sites useful: YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and MySpace. The results from each site are different for every business so don’t be afraid to test and track which ones yield the best outcome for your business. Once you sign up with a valid email address and password, you are ready to get started.

Using sites like these, you can create a page that tells all about you and your business. Look for friends, family and business associates who are also connected so you can keep up with what is going on in their lives and businesses as well.

How to Use Them Effectively

Let's look at a site like Facebook. It is highly popular and can be beneficial for both business and personal use. On the business side, you can post links to your website when new products are launched, new newsletters are published or sales are going on.

If you blog, post links to your newest blog posts (or to guest blog posts you're doing elsewhere around the blogosphere). Highlight contests, guest bloggers and other events that you are a part of. Have an online radio show? You can invite friends to listen to live podcasts to learn more about your business.

On a site like YouTube, you can post videos and add the links to your Facebook profile, Twitter stream, etc. Invite friends to view and leave comments.

The best part about social sites such as these is that friends and business contacts can pass your links on to others who might be interested in the topics as well. Quite possibly viral marketing at its best!

Relationships Matter

The one thing to remember about promoting your website or blog on social networking sites is not to do so just for that purpose. Relax and get to know the people you are trying to reach out to. They say that social networking is can be addictive. While it can be a double edged sword if you're not careful, setting boundaries will make it addictive in a good way by growing your business.

Just like so many other marketing tools, the name of the game is relationships. You can build meaningful ones not only with friends and family, but with your target audience and business associates on all the social networking sites like LinkedIn, MySpace, Twitter, Facebook of course, and others.

Comment on your friends posts and visit their links as well. As an Internet marketing tool, social networking works both ways. Don't think of it as a means to an end but one of the more fun marketing tools you get to use to grow your business. The best part - you can do it all for free.

If you aren't currently using any social networking platform, now is a great time to start. It can serve dual purposes in your life; both to your benefit. Each business contact you meet, invite them to be your friend or follower. Who knows? You could be connecting with a future joint venture partner or find that diamond in the rough service provider to help you take your business to the next level.

P.S. Have you heard about the brand new
tell that allows you to auto-post
tweets to your Twitter account using
RSS feeds?

Check it out here:
http://myrsstweets.com/?e=msmerle