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Ben Affleck and Matt Damon to launch "American Start Up"
Kelly mentioned this in her blog and titled it: Hotties and Entrepreneurs (HEE HEE, She's so funny! Not sure if they're hotties, but really cool and giving people nonetheless).
Ben Affleck and Matt Damon are giving 8 start-up businesses 50K to get started and then eliminating the non-performers in a new television series, "American Start-up". Sounds a little like the Apprentice, but I'll bet with these two behind it, it will be livelier and complete with some great twists.
Full Story:
USATODAY.com - Affleck and Damon to launch a kinder 'Apprentice'
IBMoms is Featured on Michael Wong's Marketing Forum Watch
Pretty cool! Internet Based Moms is the first work at home mom forum to make it onto Michael Wong's Marketing Forum Watch and his Ecommerce Forum Watch too. Michael has set up a great tool where you can watch all the latest threads on some great marketing and ecommerce forums. It's where I go when I want to get some good learning and "forum watching" done. :) Thanks Michael!
I'm Making an Info Product Course in 4 Days Flat!
Well, Alice "mind like sieve" Seba once again forgot an engagement. My friend, Tracy Lyn Moland invited me to speak at a conference she is speaking at. I could have SWORN, she said the weekend of August 31st.
Nah...ah...She said the weekend of July 31st. GULP!
I can be ready for the event, no problem...but I'm allowed to promote my "wares" at this conference, so I'd better get my butt in gear. I've had the shell of the product ready for quite some time and all the ideas in my noggin', but I just haven't gotten it together yet.
So, by Saturday, I need to have it all done. The course will include audio, a workbook and tons of other great interactive stuff....think I can do it? Of course, I will be enlisting the help of my cohort, Kelly McCausey to get me through all the little details.
But the race is on...I'll let you know how I do and tell you all about it when it's complete.
Why Isn't Anyone Interested in My Products?
This is one of the most common questions a netrepreneur asks. Sometimes, it's because you are brand new to the net and just don't have the traffic yet...BUT...usually, I can visit the website and see some very obvious things: 1. There is no unique selling position (USP). What makes your product unique? This is something that Joe Robson goes into great detail with in Make Your Words Sell (my very favorite web copywriting ebook). 2. Where are the attention getting headlines that draw the visitor into your copy? 3. Why are you talking about yourself? Get rid of all those "we's" in your copy, rewrite it and talk about "you" (your customer) throughout your copy. Customers care about themselves; unfortunately, you are not really important. :( 4. Where are the benefits of your copy? Features do not sell ----- benefits do! If you buy a drill, it's not because you want to be able to drill (a feature)...you want to be able to make holes (benefit). 5. Call to action. I mentioned this one a few days back, but don't forget to ask for the sale or newsletter subscription. Be sure to tell your visitor EXACTLY where to go and what to do once she's read your page. It's not rocket science, but stuff you have to keep in our head. Above all, keep your visitor/targeted customer in mind as you write. You'll be certain to see almost immediate results!
Just Finished Reading "Blogs to Riches"
Well, I took the plunge and bought another Internet Marketing ebook. :) I purchased BlogsToRiches and gobbled it all up last night. It was a good read and is recommended for anyone just getting started with blogs and affiliate marketing. The ebook doesn't cover how to set up your blog, so if you need that information do a search on Google for "how to set up a blog"...you'll find some good free resources. This ebook is about how to make money with your blog. As someone who has been affiliate marketing for a couple of years, a lot of the information in this book was old hat to me...but there were enough little gems in this ebook to make my purchase worthwhile. I'd love to tell you what they are, but those are author Jim F. Krukal's secrets to tell. ;) Besides, it was nice to see the affiliate marketing techniques I knew about applied to blogs and Jim also includes some more great ideas on how to make money from a blog. It's certainly an ideal guide for a beginner! You can find out more at: BlogsToRiches
Does This Make Sense? Getting Listed on Google
A fellow business group member posted this article about getting listed on Google. I clicked through to read and was just baffled. I couldn't figure out why this advice was supposed to work, but it's not the first time I've heard people suggest something like this. The idea is that instead of submitting your website to Google for inclusion, you submit a page form another website that is linking to you. This doesn't make sense to me at all and seems like a waste of precious time. Here's what I wrote to the group and I'd like to share it with you:Yikes, that doesn't seem to be a very useful exercise, but thank youfor sharing the article. Typing in where All the Web (or any other website) links to you into the Google add URL page isn't going to get you anywhere faster, but this isn't the first suggestion I've heard of this. Google says: "We add thousands of new sites to our index each time we crawl theWeb, but if you like, you may submit your URL as well. Submission is not necessary and does not guarantee inclusion in our index. Given the large number of sites submitting URLs, it's likely your pages will be found in an automatic crawl before they make it into our index through the URL submission form... ...The best way to ensure Google finds your site is for your page to be linked from lots of pages on other sites. Google's robots jump from page to page on the Web via hyperlinks, so the more sites that link to you, the more likely it is that we'll find you quickly." I'd follow Google's advice, not the article. Google is basically saying the submission service on Google is a waste of your time...so why do it? Get links from other sites, like they say. I'll tell you a secret...get a link from a site that gets crawled frequently. This doesn't mean it has to be a site that has a high rank (assuming the author of the article means PageRank), but a site that has frequently updated content where Google visits often. This can be a blog, a portal site or just any site that updates frequently and is already listed in Google. When I start a new site, I can get it listed in just a couple days...in most cases...with this technique. So what does Google Do with All Those URL Submissions?Well, I've shared this theory with a few of my colleagues before (hee hee hee) and here it is. I believe that Google takes all those submissions, prints them out and lines all those pigeons cages with it. You can learn more about Google's Pigeon Rank from Google. Enjoy! :)
My Favorite Business Forums
I go through phases where I hang out at forums a lot...and then I go into a cave and just work, work, work. But I love the social aspect of talking with like-minded people and love to share ideas and learn. Learning and sharing knowledge is my passion! So, when I do hang out at forums a lot, these are my favorite places to go: > Internet Based Moms - Hee hee, yeah...I own it, but it's a great place for discussing all aspects of Internet Marketing in a friendly environment. > Of course, I'm also enjoying hanging out with my new friends at Mom Masterminds. Kelly McCausey and I just launched this online business mentoring site last month and are having a blast. > Okay, maybe I'm a forum junkie because I actually own three. This one isn't mom-related and is for people who love writing online. Come visit us at Web Writing ProfitAll biases aside for my own forums....here's some more great ones: > SelfStartersWeeklyTips.com: This is a great place to discuss Internet marketing and is ideal for those involved with or just getting started with affiliate marketing. The forum owner, Lynn Terry is a great friend...and an awesome forum owner. > TurningIdeasIntoDollars.com: This is a paid membership forum started by Lynn Terry and another good friend Andre Chaperon. They do online training and have tons of great resources inside...it is highly recommended. If you visit the main page...you'll see me telling you all about the wonderful things going on inside. :) > WAHM.com: WAHM is the original work at home mom site and they have a really active forum. The discussions are really varied and range from people who want teleworking jobs to those with home businesses. I usually just stick to the Business Advice & Business Topics forum. The only complaint I have about WAHM is that people should not be able to delete their posts. It causes a number of people to post things they may not normally say if they didn't have the option do delete. There's also been a number of times when I wrote a very detailed answer to a question and then the first person who posted deletes her post...and POOF! the whole thread is gone. IM4Newbies is run by Mike Merz and is a very friendly place to get some good learning done. I don't go there as much as I'd like, but Mike deserves a mention for sure! Just for Learning Forums I must say that I learn tons at IBMoms, SSWT, TIID and Mom Masterminds too...but I listed them first because I love the social aspect of those forums. However, if I'm just looking to just read posts, here's where I go: > ALWAYS...I go to Michael Wong's Marketing Forum Watch. You can scan through posts from many great marketing forums. You can even save your settings to view only the forums you want to watch. It's awesome. > Webmasterworld: This is an awesome forum filled with tons of smart cookies. I just go there to read because I don't really like the anonymity of the forums. I like to get to know the people I'm speaking with and using real names myself. There's a lot of other good ones, but scanning Michael's forum watch will you give all the latest and greatest juicy posts. You can also watch Webmasterworld from the forum watch. To Your Learning!
Traffic Equalizer Review - What the HECK?!
Okay, for a long time I've seen people piggy backing on my good search engine rankings and creating pages that basically copy search results pages from Google. They choose a phrase - ex. "work at home moms" and set up a page with links to and descriptions of the top ranking sites. Then they put their ad at the top. I guess the idea is that these pages are optimized for the chosen phrases and should rank well because of it. I have yet to see pages like this that get any serious search engine rankings (I'm just talking about their location in the search results pages here - not PageRank or link popularity). I also assume that the other objective with this method is to boost their actual Google PageRank by creating thousands of extra pages that link back to your home page. Okay, I've seen this work on a handful of sites. But let's be very, very serious...PR has very little to do with where you appear on the search results pages. AHA! And it's Done with Traffic EqualizerToday, I found out that many people use a program called Traffic Equalizer to do this (yeah, it's been around for a while, but I never actually checked it out). I'm not going to link to them, but you can find them by adding a .com to the end of their name. First, I have to say...I haven't used the program, so my Traffic Equalizer review is of the concept...not the actual product. But the concept is ICK! It allows you to create tons of search engine spammy garbage pages...yucky, yucky. And let's say it increased your traffic, who cares? You have people visiting these garbage pages and perhaps clicking your ad at the top, but outside of that it's totally untargeted traffic. People make all these crazy pages targeting every keyword under the sun, but ultimately it does little for their actual businesses. But most importantly..if you care about your reputation, why would you do this?And yes, I know many webmasters don't care about their reputations, so I'm not speaking to them...I'm speaking to you, the person who does care.When your visitors / customers do find these junky pages...how do you think it reflects upon you? I have come across these pages on websites of other Internet Marketers that I respected...but when I saw these pages, I thought - HUH??? Why are they doing this? One of these Internet marketers appears to banned by Google now. Now, of course I don't know if it was because of this tactic. I doubt it, but this is just such a shady neighborhood to get involved in. The web is made better by great websites like yours...don't get caught up in the hype.
Where's Your Call to Action?
What do you want people to do when they get to your website? Do you expect them to buy something, sign up for your newsletter....just sit there until they die from boredom? Okay, I'm being silly, but really what do you want them to do and do you tell them?
Many people miss this point when they build a website. I'm working closely with a group of women right now...and they are all guilty of this. It's not their fault though. MANY (if not most) website owners are guilty of this.
See, we Internet surfers are a slow bunch. If you don't tell us what to do, we don't know what to do...so we'll just leave. :(
So, if you've written your compelling sales copy all about your business on your home page...tell us what to do next. Do we buy, do we sign up? Where do we go and how do we do it?
Here is your call to action from me after you read this blog entry --- > Go to your website and add your call to action, okay?
QuickPayPro Free Trial Now Offered
I've been recommending and using QuickPayPro for quite some time now. It is a great program that manages your shopping cart, autoresponders, affiliate program, link trackers and even you digital downloads....but that's just the tip of the iceberg.
When I recommended it, many people would be very excited but always leary if they should pay $45 / mo for the program. I think it's certainly worth that amount and more, but I understand people's apprehension.
Well, QuickPayPro has given me some great news. They are now offering a free 30-day trial that you can access ONLY through a special link.
-> Read my QuickPayPro review
-> Get access to your free 30-day trial NOW.
Google Wants You to Make Money - Overture Wants You to Spend It
I've been in a few discussions about " Which is better: Google Adwords or Overture" and the answer is always a resounding AdWords from me and from many others as well. I've tried both and the only way I can sum it up best is: Google wants you make money, but Overture just wants you to spend it. In everything Google does, it's clear that they want you to get a great return on your investment, to write great ads that encourage click throughs...and basically get the best value for your cash. Here's why: - You can bid on any phrase at Google. At Overture, all phrases must have a minimum of 100 searches. Many have argued with me and said why would you bid on those low searches phrases anyway, but my question is why WOULDN'T YOU? There is no limit to the number of keywords you can have...so add 'em all in. - You can easily optimize your ads - You can post up to three ads per ad group on Adwords and track which is most effective. This allows you to test headlines and copy to get the best clickthroughs. - Exact match, phrase match, etc. - When I tried Yahoo, they didn't have this option, so correct me if I'm wrong. But Google allows you to choose to have your keywords displayed only when specific words are being shown or in a specific order. - Ads served right away and explanations when ads are disabled - Who else hates waiting for Overture to approve your bids? Google serves them right away and if they disable any ads, they actually tell you WHY. With Overture, you just have to guess as their explanations are not clear. - No minimum spending - Overture takes $20 out of your account each month, if you don't spend that much in clicks. Google has no minimums. - 5 cent minimum bid - You can find lots of juicy keyword phrases at Google for under 10 cents. Overture bidding starts at 10 cents and can be realy fierce. - Ranking not just based on bid, but ad effectiveness - This is the ultimate! You don't have to spend the most to be ranked well for your phrases. Google ranks according to bid AND your clickthrough rate. So, write good ads and Google rewards you. The ultimate decision of where to run your PPC campaign is up to you. I'd rather deal with a company that wants my business to do well instead of just spend money. :)
Make More from Google AdSense
If you caught the last blog entry, you'll see somebody posted on IBMoms about "favorite" Google Adsense layouts. I understand the question...but I don't think we should place the ads based on our personal taste and trying to make them pretty to match our websites. Problem is...that is how most people place the ads. I thought we were letting Google put ads on our sites because we wanted to make money?! :( I've Done a Lot of Testing of Layouts and Placement of My Ads and I've Learned... - Don't put borders on your ads. If you have a white background, make the borders white. If you put a border the ads stand out as ads. - No, the tower is not the way to go. Even Ken Evoy has advised Site Build It users that the tower is the best option. Now, don't get me wrong I'm a big fan of Ken Evoy's, but I gotta disagree with him here. If we were talking about BANNER and GRAPHIC ads, yes the tower would be a good choice. But we're talking about text ads. Text ads should blend into your website for maximum effectiveness. - Put the ads in the middle of your content. Don't put it at the top or on the side where they don't look (yeah - I have them on the side on this blog because I'm still trying to figure out the style sheet - I WILL be fixing it!)...put it in the "meat" of your page...you content. A Guide to Maximizing Google AdSense Income I recently read William Charlwood's Definitive Guide to Google AdSense and he has tons of great tips and case studies that will show you how to maximize your income from AdSense. Click that link above here and you can read my review. Happy AdSensing!
Saturday Posts - Lotsa Google Talk
Are You Ready for XML feeds?
Today my good friend and biz partner, Kelly of WAHM Talk Radio wrote to me to say...wow, cool blog. But she wondered if I was really ready to give up my mailing list and said that was a big step.
Yeah, she's right. It is a big step. But this website and newsletter is relatively new. I already publish a weekly newsletter about Internet Marketing at Internet Based Moms. I have a good list there and I love using email there.
But my list here is considerably smaller, so I was ready to challenge myself and my visitors to move onward and upward with technology. Our lives are so full of spam and it so incredibly overwhelming. If you're like me, you probably limit the newsletters you sign up to because you and your inbox just can't handle it. With XML, you just simply use a free feed reader like Feed Burner (EXE file) or you can even add a feed to My Yahooo. This way you know that everything you get in your feed is stuff that you asked for and it doesn't get lost in a sea of spam.
By the way...my subscribers don't know about the development yet...I will be telling them next week. I'm just ironing out all the details so far.
If you'd like to get a feed of this blog, here's what you do:
- Regular RSS feed
- Add to My Yahoo
Join me for Internet marketing tips, special offers, the latest forum posts and reviews. I'll keep you entertained, I promise. :)
Internet Marketing Newsletter Archives
Well...I was thinking that I'd post all the great newsletters I've been so painstakingly preparing week after week...but thought NAH! Let's have a fresh start. If you'd like to read the archives, here's the links:
July 15, 2004 - Definition of Internet Marketing
The Best Definition of Internet Marketing Ever - Top 5 Information Product Marketing Secrets - The Latest Thought-Provoking Forum Posts
July 8, 2004 - Competition is Not Your Enemy
Why Competition is Your Friend - Packaging Your Info Products to their Fullest Potential - Jodie Lynn's Syndication Secrets if up for Grabs
June 30, 2004 - Traffic Myths and Scams Revealed
Publishing Profits Photo Correction - Mom Masterminds - Preview an Eye-Opening Audio Course on Website Traffic
June 24, 2004 - Developing Your Information Products
Developing Your Information Products - Deliver My Email - SEO Consultation
June 17, 2004 - Researching Your Information Product Market
Researching Target Markets - Nicheology is FULL - Complimentary Consultation
June 10, 2004 - Become Famous without Leaving Home
Radio Publicity - Sales Copy Teleseminar - Nicheology Last Chance
June 5, 2004 - Are You Doing Everything You Can for Your Online Business?
No Quitting Checklist - Book Club & Nicheology Training Have Started - 1 Hour Marketing Consultation still up for grabs
May 26, 2004 - Let's Get Back to Being Productive
Fighting Spam - Web Writing Book Club - Niche Marketing - Publishing Profits Seminar - Free 1 Hour Marketing Consultation
A New Blog Format - Welcome to the High-Tech Age
Well, I did it. I came out of the dark ages and decided to publish aliceseba.com as a blog. Why the heck didn't I do this sooner? Thanks to Lynette Chandler of BizDome.com for enlightening me on the power of RSS feed and the future of delivering information. And thanks to Andre Chaperon of How to Web Biz for showing me that blogs can look really cool and are easy to manage. :)
You guys rock!
So, instead of trying to publish a newsletter on a schedule each week, you'll find little Internet prescriptions posted here throughout the week and you'll always be able to view the latest forums post. I'm glad to share my Internet marketing tidbits, ideas and even my meanderings with you.
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