- WEALTHY: Why blog? (Marc Charles)
- HEALTHY: Help your brain help you lose weight (Dr. Al Sears)
- WISE: Rita Mae Brown on opportunity
ALSO IN THIS ISSUE:
- Can GB really live and work … from anywhere? (Michael Masterson)
- Business advice from a famous chef/author/entrepreneur
- Add "indolent" to your vocabulary
Kick Your New (Or Existing) Business Into Ultra-High Gear!
Whether you’re looking for the ideal way to make great money in your spare time at home … or if you’re already active as a copywriter or direct marketer… I have exciting news for you today.
My good friends Clayton Makepeace and his Associate Editor, Julie McManus, have convinced me and eight other info-marketing superstars to spill the beans on our most precious business-building tips and techniques.
They’re calling it the “Confessions of the Info-Marketing Superstars”… and I’ve arranged for you to get a very special discount pass. You’ll hear all the most up-to-date techniques from the “big boys” of marketing, such as…
- How to virtually guarantee that every product you create will sell like hotcakes …
- The best way to write kick-butt web pages and e-mail blasts that get read and more importantly, responded to …
- And much, much more!
So, who are these info-marketing superstars standing by to help you?
To find out more and claim your special discount, Click Here
- MaryEllen Tribby, ETR Publisher
"Make the iron hot by striking it."
Rita Mae Brown
Blogging for Dollars
By Marc Charles
No one has been more skeptical of blogging as an income opportunity than yours truly.
I listened to the hype. And I shook my head in disbelief as I watched so-called Internet Futurists stumble over themselves explaining its wonders. But then I experienced Blogger.
I went to the Blogger website, set up a blog, enabled Google’s AdSense, and soon received my first (tiny) check.
Hey! It works!
Even if you never make a dime with it … I think you’ll like Blogger.
In fact, you’ll probably get hooked!
And if you follow my strategy for generating traffic and getting your blog noticed in the "blogosphere" (I’m not kidding – that’s what it’s called), you’ll probably like it even more.
It only takes a few minutes to set up and post a blog on the Blogger website. And if you think that’s great … you’ll love this. It also only takes a few minutes to set up Google’s AdSense on your blog, so you can start making money immediately.
What the Heck Is a Blog?
A blog is an online log or journal. It’s like a website, but you can update it instantly and dynamically. What’s more, other people can post comments on your blog – if you want them to. You can post images, music, and videos, too.
According to its latest quarterly survey, blog-tracking firm Technorati says there are more than 100,000 new blogs created every day. The reason blogs are spreading like wildfire is because they require almost no technical knowledge or programming skills to set up and manage.
Another reason blogs have become a mini-revolution is because they can be hosted free of charge … and there is practically no maintenance required.
I’ve discovered the secret to making money with blogs, though you might not like my approach. My blog strategy may even be contrary to everything you’ve heard. But if you want to make money with your blog, you at least need to listen to my spin on it.
The Secret to Making Money With a Blog
My advice is based upon a clear principle of direct marketing – one Michael Masterson has explained to you before. But it’s so important, it bears repeating.
It’s this: If you’re trying to sell something, it’s a lot easier to sell it to people who have already purchased something similar. It’s even easier to sell to repeat buyers. And if you aim your marketing efforts at repeat buyers who paid about the same price as what you’re selling your item for … that’s better yet.
Let me explain.
If you were going to sell vitamins directly to consumers via direct mail, you’d need a list of qualified prospects to mail your sales letter or catalog to. Selecting random names from a phone book or from a list of people who purchased a bottle of vitamins five years ago is not going to work.
The BEST list would be people who recently purchased vitamins via direct mail … preferably multiple times. What’s more, your ideal prospects would be those who bought vitamins that cost approximately the same as the vitamins you are selling.
In direct-mail marketing, selling products to people who have purchased the same or similar products in the past almost assures you of success. And the same principle holds true for blogs that run Google’s AdSense.
Some blogs are more popular than others, and receive a lot more traffic. And in order to make money with a blog, you’ll need lots of traffic – targeted traffic. So why not start one that already has a built-in demand and "naturally" attracts people who have specific interests?
Technorati features the Top 100 Blogs in the "blogosphere" on its website. When you review these popular blogs, you’ll notice that the three most popular sectors are: social topics (politics, gripes, news, and dating), technology (programming, anything Web-related, and software development), and personalities.
If you want to launch a blog that attracts a targeted audience quickly, stick closely to those three areas.
That doesn’t mean you can’t launch a blog about your life, business, interests, etc. You can launch hundreds of blogs if you want to – and Blogger will host them for FREE. But if you want to launch a blog that’s going to make a profit, base it on one of those three popular subjects: social topics, technology, or personalities.
A Blog Traffic Secret
You can attract more traffic by submitting your blog’s URL into Google and hundreds of other engines and directories. And here’s a little secret that will increase your traffic even more: When naming your blog, try to match popular search terms in Google, Yahoo!, and MSN.
Recently, for example, the five most popular search terms in Google’s "Health and Family" category were:
- weight loss
- nutrition
- parenting
- medicine
- babies
These terms have been searched tens of millions of times on Google.
All you need to do is tie one of these search terms (together with one of the aforementioned popular sectors) to your blog. You might, for instance, name it something like Weight-Loss News.
When people are searching Google or the other top engines for "blog spots" or blogs that match specific interests, your blog could appear prominently in their search results. And when your blog appears prominently in the search results of the major engines – and you start receiving targeted search traffic – you, too, will be Blogging for Dollars!
Obviously, you’ll need to have Google’s AdSense running on your blog – or a similar program that pays you every time an ad is clicked.
How to Get Started
Go to the Blogger website and set up your blog.
Be sure to select the "Google AdSense" option.
You’ll be blogging in 10 minutes or less!
Once you have a blogging domain, you can submit it to all the top engines. If you prefer to hire someone to do this for you, try Whiz Kid SEO (run by a 14-year-old entrepreneur). He’ll submit your blog domain into 210 search engines and directories for only $250. You can reach him at imaxxman@gmail.com.
There are also hundreds of blog directories that you can submit your domain name to. Here are three of the most popular:
When your blog starts receiving traffic and people click on your AdSense ads, Google will cut you your first "tiny" check.
[Ed. Note: Marc Charles is editor of Profit Center Dispatch, ETR's weekly e-letter that alerts you to the best business opportunities in the world. (This article was adapted from a recent issue.)
And to see a blog in action, check out Michael Masterson's blog.]
The Only Three Ways to Grow a Business
Did you know that there are only three ways to grow a business?
- Increase the number of customers.
- Increase the average transaction value.
- Increase the frequency of repurchase.
Find a way to maximize each one, and your business will experience an astonishing rate of growth.
In his "9 Pillars of Business Growth" program, acclaimed consultant Jay Abraham outlines hundreds of proven, frequently unrecognized, and almost totally underutilized ways to grow these three key areas of your business. If you own a business (or would like to), be sure to take a look at Jay’s program.
- Patrick Coffey
Dear Michael Masterson: "I would appreciate your advice concerning a freelance copywriting career."
"I would appreciate your advice concerning a freelance copywriting career. Within the next few months, I will have a lot of free time on my hands. I’ve been a moderately successful businessman, and at age 49 I do not relish the thought of being idle for the next 30 years.
"It seems that copywriting may be what I am looking for. That is, all that appears to be required is the necessary copywriting knowledge and a laptop computer. As well, one can choose to live anywhere in the world, so long as the country has a good Internet communication infrastructure.
"Do you agree with the foregoing? Do you see any downside to this perspective? As an example, if one successfully completed AWAI’s copywriting program and lived in Nicaragua or Ecuador, would your company or any similar company hire a freelance copywriter that does not live in the U.S.?
"Based upon your advice to the above questions, what books would you recommend as a complement to the copywriting program?
"I sincerely thank you for your time and consideration.
GB
Ontario, Canada
Dear GB,
Yes, copywriting could be a very good second career for you. At 49, you are still a young man. By devoting yourself full time to the AWAI program, you should be writing professionally by this time next year.
Can you work from Nicaragua or Ecuador? Of course you can. Every publishing and marketing company I work with uses freelance copywriters (as well as in-house staff). Where the freelancer is based makes no difference to most of them.
Here’s what I’d recommend you should do this year, assuming you can devote 20 hours a week to this important goal:
- Devote 3.5 hours a week (30 minutes a day) to reading the seven books I’ve listed below. This will give you a very solid education in the principles and applications of direct marketing.
- Spend 10 hours a week working on developing your copywriting skills.
- Spend a half-hour a day (3.5 hours a week) studying a successful direct-mail or e-mail package or promotion. (I’ve written extensively on this in past issues of ETR and in AWAI’s The Golden Thread e-letter.)
- Spend 3 hours a week learning the mechanics of having a copywriting business (scheduling, productivity, selling yourself, etc.). AWAI has plenty of information on these subjects too.
One of the skills you should focus on right away is writing economically. To give you food for thought, I have rewritten the letter you sent me.
Dear Michael Masterson,
I am 49 years old and ready to start a second career as a copywriter. My hope is to work as a freelance writer while living overseas.
Will living abroad reduce my chances of being a successful copywriter? Do direct-marketing companies like yours really hire freelance copywriters even if those copywriters live in obscure places like Nicaragua or Ecuador?
Thank you for your quick reply.
While you’re looking into the copywriting program, GB, here are the seven books I recommend reading to get yourself up to speed:
* My Life in Advertising/Scientific Advertising by Claude Hopkins
* Tested Advertising Methods by John Caples
* Ogilvy on Advertising by David Ogilvy
* The Copywriter’s Handbook by Robert W. Bly
* On the Art of Writing Copy by Herschell Gordon Lewis
* Marketing Secrets of a Mail Order Maverick by Joseph Sugarman
* Million Dollar Mailings by Denison Hatch
- Michael Masterson
Fill Up on Filling Foods
By Al Sears, MD
Last weekend, I went to a picnic at my son’s school. (The warm weather here in Florida allows us to barbeque during the winter.) As I stood in line to get my burger, I watched the other parents piling huge mounds of food onto their paper plates. Then I watched many go back for seconds of French fries, potato salad, and homemade brownies.
This made me think of a pair of studies I read recently.
In 1984, researchers from Penn State asked the students who were participating in their study to eat their meals in the school cafeteria … and to take as much food as they wanted. Then, in 2003, researchers from Rutgers did the same thing – and they found that their subjects put 20 percent to 50 percent more food on their plates than the Penn State students did in 1984.
Clearly, people are eating more than they used to. But why?
Here’s my take: It’s the kind of food we’re eating that makes us eat more. High-carb and highly processed foods lower sensitivity to a hormone called leptin. Leptin is the messenger that tells your brain "I’m full." Without it, you keep eating and eating.
The easiest way to eat smaller portions is to eat foods that make you feel full sooner. So instead of trying to deny yourself, focus on foods high in protein – like lean meats, poultry, fish, and nuts. These foods trigger the leptin receptors in your brain and give you the feeling that you’ve "had enough."
Another winning strategy is to use the glycemic index. Foods that score below 40 keep your blood sugar and insulin at low levels. This is the key to preventing weight gain if you’re going to a party or out to dinner and expect to be eating a lot.
[Ed. Note: Get your copy of the glycemic index Dr. Sears gives his patients HERE .]
Worth Quoting: Rachael Ray on Persistence
"You have to be open-minded when those early opportunities present themselves. Take advantage of them, whether they’re going to make you a lot of money or not. I did 30-Minute Meals for five years on local television, and I earned nothing the first two years. Then I earned $50 a segment. I spent more than that on gas and groceries, but I really enjoyed making the show and I loved going to a viewer’s house each week. I knew I enjoyed it, so I stuck with it even though it cost me."
(Source: Business 2.0)
Jump On Now and Make 300%…
Before Wall Street Discovers the Stealth Market in Uranium
Thirty years ago, the biggest energy giants walked away from millions of acres of land with proven uranium reserves… land that wasn’t worth exploiting when prices hit rock bottom. But one company grabbed the best of that land for as little as $1 an acre.
Now, with the price of uranium skyrocketing, the value of those reserves has increased more than 1,300%… yet you can still purchase this company’s stock for pennies on the dollar.
But you’ve got to jump on this now before Wall Street discovers the stealth bull market in uranium. Once they do, this stock is going to POP. Get the full story here.
Word to the Wise: Indolent
Someone who is "indolent" (IN-duh-lunt) – from the Latin for "not suffering pain" – is inclined to avoid work or other physical exertion.
Example (as used by John Bayley in Elegy for Iris): "We worked very hard – at least Iris [Murdoch] did; I was more naturally indolent."
Michael Masterson
Copyright ETR, LLC, 2007
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