Archive | January, 2021

Do you have trouble completing tasks? Try this…

You’ve got a ton of stuff to do to set up your funnel…

→ create a lead magnet
→ write squeeze page copy
→ build a squeeze page
→ install tracking software
→ write follow up emails
→ create an OTO
→ create an OTO sales page
→ create an OTO download page

And so forth and so on.

It’s a big project, and when confronted with such a big project, what do most people do? They start on something – maybe the lead magnet – but they hit a snag.

So they set it aside and work on something else; maybe the squeeze page. But now they have questions about how to do it.

So they start on the follow up emails…

You see where this is going. Does it sound familiar?

Here’s the 79 cent method to getting stuff done:

Buy a pack of index cards.

Break down everything you need to do into steps.

Write each step on a card, in order.

Now pick up the top card and lay it right in front of you.

Put the rest of the stack inside your desk.

You don’t get card #2 until you finish card #1.

No exceptions.

NO exceptions.

Now when you run into an obstacle, you’ll find ways to get through it or around it so you can get that card off of your desk and move onto the next one.

Having trouble setting up the squeeze page? Go to Google for answers, or check YouTube for a ‘how-to’ video.

Just.Get.It.Done.

I noticed 2 things back when I first used this method. First, I got things done. It was great! And such a relief. Second, I built confidence. Every time I ran into an obstacle, I found the answer and powered through. I can’t tell you what that did for my belief in my ability to make things happen.

After awhile, I couldn’t wait to get to the next ‘problem’ so I could solve it.

And even today, if I notice I’m procrastinating on a project because it seems too big, I pull out my blank index cards and start writing.

It works every time.

Did you know that more than half of all new reviews submitted to Amazon are incentivized reviews? Third party review clubs have popped up all over the internet. “Get Products in Exchange for Reviewing them Online” they tell their visitors.

According to Amazon, this is acceptable as long as the reviewer discloses this fact. But here’s the major flaw in the system – product owners can CHOOSE who reviews their products. Thus reviewers are motivated to post positive reviews, so they can continue to receive free stuff.

Post an honest review that’s not positive, and you may never receive a freebie again. Post a positive review regardless of whether or not it’s honest, and the free stuff keeps coming.

For example, one reviewer has over 1,600 reviews, all of which are 5 star except for one lone four star review.

So how biased are these reviews? ReviewMeta analyzes online reviews and helps identify which ones are honest and which ones are less than honest.

On a study of 1.7 million reviews on 807 products…

– 7% received a lower rating from their incentivized reviews

– 6% received the same rating from their incentivized reviews

– 87% received a higher rating from their incentivized reviews

So what does this mean for you?

If you are selling products on Amazon, you can get incentivized reviews and they will almost assuredly boost your star rating.

But beware. As more and more shoppers realize what’s happening, there is a possibility it could hurt your product sales in the long run.

Best bet: Get incentivized reviews in the beginning just to get your first reviews. After all, a dozen or so incentivized reviews still looks better than no reviews.

From then on, let your reviews happen naturally.

And if you are buying a product on Amazon, you might want to insert the URL into the ReviewMeta analyzer to see what the reviews say minus the incentivized reviews.

For example, Xfinity Internet had an original rating of 3.7 stars. But the adjusted rating when you remove incentivized ratings is just 1.4. Ouch.

Marketers beware – there is no substitute for having a genuinely great product.

Not as much as you might think. Both marketers have the same access to the internet. Both have the same access to software, websites, plugins, courses, etc. And both have the same access to writers, graphic artists and techies. So what’s the difference?

Why does one earn 100 times more than the other?

3 things…

Belief and perseverance – at one time, the person earning 6 figures a month wasn’t earning a cent online. But because they BELIEVED they could do it, they persevered. They stuck to it and they kept going until they were successful.

Ideas – if we all have access to the same resources on the web, then the difference can be as simple as the one resource we have that no one else shares – our mind.

When you carry a notebook with you and jot down several ideas a day, every day, your mind becomes an idea machine. And some of those ideas are truly worth millions. They don’t even have to be original ideas. Sometimes a small tweak to an existing idea can make all the difference.

Ever notice how one app sells half a million copies and a very similar app doesn’t sell 50 copies? What’s the difference? Something small. Maybe how it was slanted, how it was presented, or even the name can make all the difference.

One more thing about your own ideas – you tend to love them more, and thus work harder to see them to fruition. They’re like your own children versus someone else’s kids. You’ll work hard and longer to support them and see them change the world.

Write down your ideas and hang onto them. Read them often. They can truly make the difference between being broke and being rich.

Experience – there is no substitute for experience. It’s experience that brings confidence to keep growing.

You start one small project and it’s a success. So you start a bigger project, and it fails. But from the failure you learn something really important.

So on your third project, you take what you learned from the first two and you have a breakthrough, and so it goes.

One last thing that makes the difference – Action. Doing what it takes. Hard work as well as smart work.

Now someone out there just read these words and said, ‘bullshit.’ Why? Because I didn’t talk about Luck. Sure, luck plays a part. Some people are lucky enough to be born rich. Some people are lucky enough to get really terrific breaks. For the other 98.5% of us, we get to create our own luck.

Yes, it would have been nice to get the special breaks a few enjoy. But when you don’t get them, you can either sit on the couch or weep or go make your own breaks. It’s up to you. Now take what you were reminded of here and go make your next 100,000.00! 🙂

I know of a/b split tests where making this one simple change increased conversions and it might do the same for you.

On things like banners, opt-in forms and sales pages, (you’re going to think I’m crazy) test LEAVING OUT the button.

That’s right – don’t use a button.

Instead, test it with a blue hyperlink.

In the few tests I’ve seen, using a blue text link converts about 5% better than using a ‘click here’ type of button.

5% might not sound like much, but if you’re throwing a large amount of traffic to your banners, opt-ins and sales pages, it can really add up.

And as with anything else, be sure to test it yourself and see what kind of results you get.

If there was a way to make almost guaranteed money in the make money online, internet marketing niche – would you be interested?

The concept is simple – take away the work and offer a ‘done for you’ solution. People want to make money online. They want to create products to sell, create blogs full of content, create Amazon affiliate sites and so forth.

They want all these things – but what they don’t want is the WORK of DOING these things.

They don’t want to write their own book, or record their own video product.

They don’t want to set up their own sites and write their own site content.

They don’t want to write sales pages and emails and guest blog posts.

They don’t want to create plugins, build membership sites, set up funnels or list build.

But they WANT all of these things.

All you do is supply what they want and you’ve got an easy sale.

To start with, you might want to do the work yourself. But once you get a job or two done, you can consider outsourcing the work to someone else. Now you just take the orders, order the work done, and deliver.

You’ve provided much wanted services, and it’s not taking much of your own time. All because you’re helping new marketers avoid that thing they dislike the most – work. And giving them exactly what they do want – their own business.

You might not be telling your prospects and customers everything they want to know – and it’s hurting your sign-ups and sales. Yet these are 3 easy fixes you can do in a day…

Tell them what they get when they join your list.

Sure, you’re telling them they get an incentive like a report or a video… but are you telling them you’re going to be emailing them? Are you telling them how often, and what to expect in those emails? Most marketers don’t, and it’s resulting in unsubscribes.

If you’re not telling your visitors that grabbing your freebie means they get emails from you, then you need to do it in the very first email you send to them.

Make a bullet list of all the great things they’ll discover in your first 10 or so emails. And let them know how often you’ll be sending email.

Done right, this small step not only prevents unsubscribes – it even makes subscribers anticipate your emails and open and read them.

Tell them how you are different.

You’ve got competitors – probably LOTS of them. Your customers are having trouble understanding what makes you different from all the other guys. And when they can’t tell the difference – they don’t buy.

So clearly communicate your biggest difference. Communicate it well and communicate it often. Be specific. Don’t just say, “Our traffic generation product is terrific.”

Instead write, “Our traffic generation product stands apart from all others because it details 42 specific traffic generation techniques in step-by-step format. No question goes unanswered. And we even give you an assessment of which 3 technique will be the most profitable for your exact business.

Wow – I’m sold! Seriously, somebody make this product and I’ll buy it.

Solicit feedback.

At the end of any purchase, service or project, let your customer know that you want their feedback on their experience. Tell them you’re going to be sending a survey so you don’t take them by surprise, and so they know you really do want feedback. This puts them in the frame of mind to give you that feedback when they do receive the survey.

There are three kinds of feedback – good feedback, bad feedback and B.S. feedback. The hard part is telling the bad apart from the B.S.

Bad feedback is legitimate complaining about your product or service and shows you where you need to improve. Bad feedback is priceless and can earn you a fortune if you listen and if you make the appropriate changes.

B.S. feedback is a troll who is having a bad day or a bad life and wants to take it out on you. You should ignore this totally because it’s only going to make you feel lousy if you let it.

How do you tell the difference? Sometimes it can be difficult. Ask yourself if acting on the feedback will improve the product or the customer experience. Have others given this feedback? Does it seem like a legit complaint? If not, file it in the round folder, as they used to say (that’s the trash can.)

Good feedback is of course wonderful to receive, but don’t let it go to your head. Instead, find ways to do MORE of what they are praising for an even better customer experience.

And there you have it – 3 things you should be telling your customers: What they’re going to receive in emails and how often they’ll receive it, what makes you head and shoulders better and different from the competition, and that you sincerely want their feedback.

These 3 small changes can add up to a much larger bottom line for you.

We’re all familiar with the “reviews” that are actually sales material in disguise. That’s not what we’re talking about here. If you want to write legitimate, believable reviews that attract search engine attention, increase traffic and build your reputation as an influencer and thought leader, here’s how to do it – complete with a template you can use today…

1. Realize you’re going to be spending some time on this. Commit to using the product yourself and writing a bare minimum of 1,000 words.

2. Choose the product. It should be something you want and you can use, while also being of interest to your readers.

3. Know your audience. What are they most interested in? What are their goals? Keep them in mind during the entire process because you’re doing this review for them.

4. Be unbiased and objective. Don’t bring preconceived notions to your review. Start with an open mind, looking for all of the positives and all of the negatives. Remember, your reputation is on the line so be honest.

5. Use the product. Some reviewers try to get away without using the product, and it always shows in their reviews. Don’t fake it – use it.

As you’re going through or using the product, keep these questions in front of you:

– What does the product do?
– How is the product different from similar products?
– How difficult or easy is it to use this product?
– What makes this product worth the purchase?
– What’s wrong with or missing from the product?
– Who is this product intended for?
– Where can this product be purchased?

6. Take notes as you’re using it. You won’t remember everything later when you go to write your review. Plus your notes will make the writing process much faster.

7. Don’t rely on PR and marketing material. Yes, you can use their photos. But write your own review from scratch.

8. List the good and the bad. You might make a Ben Franklin style list, placing the pros on the left side of the page and the cons on the right. Remember, even if you are acting as an affiliate for the product, your review will be much more believable when you also list the cons. And your reputation will remain intact for future promotions, too.

9. If it’s relevant, include technical information. Just ask yourself – would your readers want to know this?

10. Provide examples of the product’s use. You could write about different situations it might be used in, different outcomes it could facilitate and so forth. If you put the product to use yourself, write about your experience and the results you achieved.

11. If you’re selling the product as an affiliate, be sure to disclose that fact.

Product Review Template:

Writing a professional looking review isn’t difficult when you follow this simple outline…

> Introduce the product and write something interesting about it
> List the key product features
> Talk about the benefits of using the product
> If relevant, include information on the author as well as author case studies
> Discuss the good and the bad; pros and cons
> Explain who would best be served by the product
> Include pricing and purchase information

Unbiased, honest, in-depth reviews aren’t the fastest posts to write because of the research and testing needed. But placing your readers’ interests ahead of your own can help you build a solid reputation as an industry leader.

And in the long run your readers will love you for it, trust you because of it and be more likely to buy your highest recommendations.

Social media can be a great place to build your audience and your list. The trick, of course, is to be seen. Here’s how to make that happen…

Get in the game.

If you’re not posting, then you’re invisible. Increase your social media activity and your followers will grow.

To do this: Choose a posting schedule and stick to it. For example, 5 times a day on Twitter, 3 on Facebook and 3 on LinkedIn. Use a content curation app to schedule your posts. And know your audience so you can give them what they want.

Join the right communities.

From a business standpoint, communities are where the valuable conversations take place. Find your communities and join those groups to discuss your niche.

Don’t promote yourself or your products the moment you join. Instead, participate in the discussions and mention your product only when it’s the answer to someone’s question. Your goal here is to build relationships with your targeted audience.

Use great eye candy.

You already know that visuals attract eyeballs and make your content more shareable. No doubt you’re already using a visual on every post. But is your visual pulling its weight?

Instead of grabbing the first picture you see, think about what you want your visual to convey. What emotion should it evoke? Should it be playful? Happy? Heart-wrenching? Silly? Hopeful? Celebratory? If you’re not sure, think about your message.

Then choose something that really sings. HINT: You can’t go wrong with pictures of people’s faces – we’re wired to look at others.

Build your own advocacy group.

Studies show that social media advocates increase the credibility of your messages. It’s a form of social proof when other people Tweet your latest blog post or post a link to your latest podcast. Not to mention the extended reach of your advocates.

And did you know your message is more likely to go viral if others are promoting it rather than you? It just makes sense. So start building your own team of people who post for you. They could be happy customers, vendors, virtual assistants and so forth.

You might even have a reciprocal agreement with other marketers to promote each other’s content.

There you have it… 4 reliable ways to take your social media marketing to the next level. Post more often, join the right communities, make the very most of your photos and build your advocacy groups.

Write these down and choose one to do this week, one next week and so forth, until all four are an integral part of your social media marketing efforts.

Yes, you can work like a horse, make all kinds of big plans, stay up late and get up early. But if your head isn’t in the right place, you’ll never get ahead. It’s really that simple.

A second job? Forget about it. Unless that second job is digging gold bricks out of the ground, you’ll never get ahead. Lack of sleep, lack of a life, an abundance of stress, poor eating – the last thing you need is a second job.

And you know it. It’s why you’ve got your own online business or you’re starting one. So is mindset even important? Shouldn’t you be concentrating exclusively on the mechanics of your business?

The fact is this: Without the proper mindset, the mechanics really won’t amount to much. If you don’t believe you can do something then the odds of you actually accomplishing it are slim. And if you do momentarily succeed, your own self-sabotage will reverse that victory in a hurry.

Here then are 5 money mindset hacks you MUST have to permanently increase your income in a dramatic, gratifying fashion:

Believe in yourself and your abilities.

To say this is key is an understatement. If you don’t believe in yourself, you will actively find ways to fail, whether you realize you’re doing it or not.

We all deal with being vulnerable, feeling uncertain and fearing failure. But you’ve got to trust that by moving forward despite these feelings, you’ll figure it out. It’s a matter of stacking small victories one on top of the other. Each victory should give you some small boost in confidence that you can use to earn the next victory, and so forth.

This is why having a big hairy goal often doesn’t work – you don’t believe you can accomplish it because you’ve never done anything like it before. But if you break that big hairy goal down into tiny simple goals, and then accomplish them one by one, soon you will believe that yes, you truly can do anything you set your mind to.

Lose your money blocks.

If you’re perpetually short of money, you’ve likely been programmed to have a negative relationship with it. During your childhood you heard things like, “Rich people are crooks,” and “Money is the root of all evil.”

Two things you can do to lose your money blocks are…

Reprogram yourself. The subconscious believes whatever it hears over and over again. To reprogram your subconscious takes work, but it’s worth it. When you think, “I have to work hard to make money,” correct yourself with a statement such as, “It is so easy and fun to earn money.” Choose 2 or 3 positive affirmations and turn them into mantras that you say to yourself throughout your day and as you fall asleep.

Find friends who are good at making money. Connect with others who are on the same entrepreneurial path you’re on. Talking to, relating to and being around people who easily make money will help you to see it’s alright for you to make money as well.

Declutter your life.

This one is simple – if you have a lot of useless stuff lying around your office, your home and your car, you don’t have room for the abundance you’re seeking. You don’t have room to grow. Money loves speed, clarity and clear space. It hates clutter. Get rid of everything in your life that serves no purpose and organize the rest.

Be ever so grateful.

Let go of resentments. Forgive positively everybody of everything, with no exceptions. Holding resentments only hurts yourself – it doesn’t hurt the person you refuse to forgive. And be grateful for everything you have in your life, as well as those things about to come into your life.

Forgive yourself for your financial past.

The person you most need to forgive is yourself. And you might have to do it over and over again. Forgiveness is a funny thing – today you forgive yourself, tomorrow you’re berating yourself again for the less-than-wise decisions you made.

Any time you find yourself beating yourself up, forgive yourself. You did the best you could at the time. Remind yourself that the past can never be undone, and you can’t live there, either. But you do have today, so make it count.

Now, most readers will nod their heads at what they just read and forget about it. But a few – perhaps you – will take this advice to heart and begin making the changes necessary to realize your financial goals.

For you, this could be the start of a whole new financial life – one of abundance.

Rosa Parks was a woman, a relatively ordinary black passenger on a bus going into town one day in 1955. At this time, black people had to give up their seats on public transport for the white passenger; a rule that most followed to keep the peace. But not Rosa.

One day, she had had enough. Her mission was to encourage the civil rights of black people in her community and she felt that this rule was both unfair and demeaning to her cause. So when the bus driver got angry and told her to give up her seat for a white person, as was normal – she did something unheard of. She said no.

This small message to the people around her was the sparking of the Civil Rights Movement and was a key action in the future equality that stemmed from this fight.

Sometimes, in life, you have to be congruent with what you want others to see and experience. Sometimes your business name is not nearly as important as what you stand for. In fact, a well – written or explained mission statement can be the most vital part of your marketing strategy and it can change customer loyalty.

For example, the first store branded as “Trader Joe’s” opened in 1967. This Californian store, despite having a very unexciting name quintupled the number of its stores between 1990 and 2001, and multiplied its profits by ten. Trader Joe’s sales for 2009 was estimated at $8 billion.

In 2010, Fortune magazine estimated Trader Joe’s sales per square foot of floor space to be $1,750 — more than double that generated byWhole Foods Market even though technically they were much bigger with more advertising coverage. Why? Because they had a very clever mission statement that customers believed in and backed. Their statement was this:

“The mission of Trader Joe’s is to give our customers the best food and beverage values that they can find anywhere and to provide them with the information required to make informed buying decisions. We provide these with a dedication to the highest quality of customer satisfaction delivered with a sense of warmth, friendliness, fun, individual pride, and company spirit.”

This statement puts the customer and the customer experience central to the reason that they do business and their customer service policies back that up.

If you wish to succeed online in the same way, you must ensure that no matter how small you are or what product/service you may be selling – that you include a mission statement. One that shows the potential clients what you stand for, what you wish to achieve for them and how you plan to do so. This makes you believable, it gives you value and shows that you have ethics.

Not every online business has a mission statement. They think they don’t need one. They focus all their energy on branding, naming and selling their products and forget that being personal and driven in a very transparent way can absolutely double or triple your profits.

If you are one of these brands that have not yet developed a mission statement – I suggest you get working on one. It is also good to help you understand where you are at and where you want to go. Research some of the most effective mission statements and see what the biggest companies are portraying on their websites and through their ad campaigns to generate inspiration for your own mission.

People like to buy from genuine businesses who know and are congruent with what they are doing. It makes you unique to your message and shows people that you are not all about making money – you have some aims and objectives too that are very important and should be known.

If one black woman on a bus can spark an entire change in the world, who’s to say that your well designed mission statement won’t change the face of how you do business and how important you become to the customer?