 |
Freebies Are Rarely Ever This Good
I just sent out an email to my mailing list about this freebie, but it those nasty filters kept it from you...I was just letting you know that John Reese is offer a free issue of his Reese Report. I personally have been a subscriber to the Reese Report since the day John launched it to his customers in December 2004. This is advanced marketing information and an asset for anyone who's ready to really get serious about their online business. Each issue includes marketing makeovers; testing & case study data; market research for content sites and information products; and questions from subscribers. You can get your complimentary issue by clicking here. There's no obligation to do anything after you get your free issue, but if you do decide to sign up for a subscription, I wanted to let you know that I'm a moderator at John's private Reese Report forum. I'll keep an eye out for you and answer questions where I can. Enjoy!
Don't Let Press Releases Go the Way of Crappy Articles
A little while back, you may remember my plea to article marketers to be reasonable in their submissions. Many people jumping on the article bandwagon are submitting irrelevant and crappy articles all over the place...even though, I believe most people are using article marketing wisely...there's a few people stinking up the place. :-( But the good news about the people polluting the marketing tactic, articles will always continue to be a viable marketing strategy. As long as people still come to the Internet for information (hmmmm...don't see that ending anytime soon), we'll be a-okay distributing our quality content. I kind of see press releases going in the same direction of the crappy article market. There's plenty of courses being released on using press releases to increase search engine rankings and I'm actually currently reviewing Jeff Alderson's Press Equalizer Software, which focuses on online press release distribution. I'll let you know more when I check it out a bit better. But it seems whenever people learn they can get better search engine rankings, they jump on the bandwagon and they start flooding sites with garbage. I imagine the same thing is going to happen with the online press release submission sites. And when these sites are bombarded with garbage, it is a drain on their resources...and it may end up costing us in the form of charges to use the service or some sites just shutting down. I hope that doesn't happen. STILL...for those just getting into quality press release writing and distribution, there is a distinction to be made. If you want to grow your incoming links and search engine ranking with your press releases, you can focus your efforts on online distribution and see how it works for you. But if you want to get true media exposure (i.e. appear in newspapers, be interviewed, etc.), nothing will replace writing high-quality press releases and building your own media contact list. And the best think you can do is start in your own backyard by building a relationship with your local media. You can learn more about this in my introductory free press release writing course, if you're not already signed up. If you're already writing press releases for online distribution, maximize your marketing and get all the media exposure your business deserves.
Internet Marketing FAQ Update
If you haven't been able to keep up with the Alice FAQ, here's a few recent additions: And hey, if you're on my mailing list, check your email on Thursday. I have a special goodie coming your way! If you're not signed up...the box is at the top right corner of this page. Talk to you soon.
I'm Looking for the Next Fonzi Scheme
I have to chuckle. I really need to chuckle. This week, Kelly McCausey and I tackled a pretty tough subject on her radio show and that is the auto-surf industry. One such auto-surf at 12DailyPro.com has been seen in the media as being under investigation for being a Ponzi scheme. In case you wanted to know, according to cftc.gov, a Ponzi scheme is: Named after Charles Ponzi, a man with a remarkable criminal career in the early 20th century, the term has been used to describe pyramid arrangements whereby an enterprise makes payments to investors from the proceeds of a later investment rather than from profits of the underlying business venture, as the investors expected, and gives investors the impression that a legitimate profit-making business or investment opportunity exists, where in fact it is a mere fiction. If you want to learn more, just tune into Kelly's program. Those who are most offended by our broadcast (and realize - these are NOT the people we created the broadcast for), have been throwing personal insults, subtly threatening violence and making very revealing arguments that show they know what they are doing is potentially harmful to others. So, it's been kind of a distracting day. When your ears are burning...it can really get the best of you. But that is not the point of this blog entry. I got a chuckle from Jason Moffatt, when he posted in response to someone's question about what is a Ponzi scheme. He wrote: "I want to come up with a 'Fonzi' scheme. It sounds way cooler. "Man, if he only did that, he could change the face of the get rich quick universe! Let us know what you come up with, Profit Moffatt. I know it's gonna be big.
I am Focused - Hear Me Roar!
After the butt-kicking I got from Jimmy D. Brown, I really took a good hard look at what I was doing and what was distracting me from working on what was working best in my business. Everything he said made sense and I can really see where this spreading myself around was holding me back. I am proud to say that I have passed on the "distractor market" sites (that's my new phrase...feel free to use it! hee hee) to website owners who could use them. I am down to my 2 main markets, which actually intertwine in many ways. This is where I'm focusing my energy. No more distractions! I was actually talking to my friend, Kelly McCausey (who has her own course about focused business, by the way) and I said I got rid of everything that doesn't directly reach those two markets....except two for-fun blogs that I have. However, I told her, I have to change the way I approach those blogs. Being the eternal entrepreneur that I am, I felt compelled to try to turn the sites into money-makers. I was spending time doing affiliate links and I realized that was just taking the fun out of the whole thing. I will keep those blogs because they are based on my personal interests and keep the business out of it. It will be a challenge, but I think I can do it and will enjoy them a lot more when I do! I feel free, I tell you and I look forward the regained focus in my business. I'll let you know the results as we move further into 2006.
Jimmy D. Brown is Kicking My Butt
Recently, I signed up for an extra e-coaching course that Jimmy D. Brown offered to his List and Traffic subscribers (if you're not signed up for this one - it's an invaluable resource and you can't beat the price). I got my first homework assignment and handed it in. He wrote back to me and said this (note, this isn't course material I'm offering here...it's additional advice he gave me that I would like to share with you): "While I certainly would never tell you or anyone else not to focus on several markets, I do think it's a MAJOR distraction for most people. It certainly demands more time investment and usually doesn't allow you to maximize the assets you're already building.
I've analyzed a LOT of businesses online and have been doing this myself since '97 and in about 97% of the cases those who work with ONE primary market find it is much easier to make as much money as they want than those who try to dabble in multiple markets.
A VERY well known marketer who is taking this course actually contacted me today to tell me that he's going to stop working in all of the niches that he's been trying to do and start focusing on one primary market as I suggested, simply because it's much less demanding.
Having said all of that, you're obviously more experienced and seasoned than most people and I would never attempt to dissuade you from working in several markets. I agree that you don't want to take on any new projects for the sake of this course." He got me thinking and what he says makes sense. Realize he's not saying stick to one niche - he's talking about MARKETS. You can sell all kinds of things to the same market...but when you move outside your market, you can dilute the power of your marketing. I have two main markets that I won't be moving from...but I have dabbled in a handful of others and they really are distracting, even though I outsource most of the work for those. Jimmy's already got me really thinking with the contents of his first lesson, but his comments to me have me really re-evaluating a few things. Thanks, as always, Jimmy. :-)
|
|
