Archive for September, 2006
I recently went out and bought myself a really nice Day Planner. I had been planning to do that for a long time now, but every time I went out, it slipped my mind. Now that I finally have it, I’m wishing I had bought it sooner.
As the ideas pop up in my head (mostly from reading Jimmy D. Brown’s site List and Traffic), I write them all down in my little planner. Then each morning, I go through my list for that day and work my way down. By the time I’m finished, I’ve come up with more lists for the following days and weeks.
I also use the calendar section to write down things I’ve done like adding new keywords and advertising to have a timeline reference when I view the results of any changes I’ve made. It seems really simple, but it works well for me. I tend to get very distracted with all the duties of working online, so its nice to have some kind of organizer to help me stay focused.
I guess you could consider it a $10 business investment!
September 28th, 2006
Sometimes I find it hard to come up with a topic to write about on my blogs, so what I’ve done is signed up for Google Alerts. For example, for my weight loss blog, I entered in ‘weight loss’ to the form and now I receive daily emails from Google with a list of links that have to do with that topic. I generally don’t visit the pages too often, but the headlines themselves usually inspire me to write.
If you’re stuck on what to write about for your blog, try it out. http://www.google.com/alerts
Google Alerts is also a good way to keep track of what pages get indexed from your site. Just enter site:www.your_url.com.
September 24th, 2006
In my free 5-day Traffic Mini-Course, I explain how to capture your readers’ attention with headlines, but something else that you should consider is keeping their attention by getting straight to the point in the body of your articles.
I’ve read countless articles and blog posts that ramble on and on until I finally have to leave before I collapse from boredom. Even if you write good headlines, you can’t expect anyone to stay and read five paragraphs about nothing. You have to capture and continue to hold attention with good content that gets straight to the point.
A good way to do that is to include a ‘teaser’ in your introduction paragraph, then list some benefits of reading the article. Be specific. Be interesting. Be unique. Then you can continue on with your article now that you have your reader’s attention. Get to your point, and stick to your point.
September 21st, 2006
A few days ago, I received two emails from two separate internet marketers with a link to the same affiliate product. I won’t name names, but they are both highly respected and well known in the internet marketing world. Because they each have such successful online businesses, I’m very surprised that they would both make the same crucial mistake in their email.
Both Guru 1 and Guru 2 were promoting the same affiliate product. They both claimed that it worked great and they’d be lost without it. However, neither one offered anything extra to get me to buy from one and not the other.
While losing a potential customer (me) might not be the end of the world for either ‘guru’, I have to wonder how many other sales they’re losing simply because they don’t offer an additional freebie to their thousands of subscribers.
I don’t consider myself an internet marketing genius, but I would bet my left arm that Guru 1 would have made more sales than Guru 2 if he would have included an extra bonus for his subscribers. Now if you wanted to promote the same product, you could also include a ’special offer’ for your subscribers and I could guarantee you that your response rate would be far greater than either Guru.
Some special offers you could give away:
- Special bonus report
- Resource guide or user guide
- Checklist
- Free trials
- Free software programs
- Templates
- Domain names
- Graphics
Whether it’s a 5-page special report or a free script you had coded for you, it will give you an advantage over anyone else promoting the same product. Even the big Gurus! Your assignment, should you choose to accept it (and I think you should), is to create a special giveaway for each affiliate product you’re promoting. You can use the ideas I’ve listed above, or come up with your own. Just make sure it’s unique, and if it’s done right, you’ll see your sales increase.
September 18th, 2006
Never underestimate the importance of an ergonomically correct desk area. Having a comfortable chair at the right height can mean you spend more time working and less time rubbing your sore neck and back.
I know from experience that a poorly setup work station can greatly hinder your performance. That’s why I’ve come up with these tips to help you stay comfortable while you’re working at your computer.
- If you’re looking to buy a new desk, look for one with an adjustable keyboard and mouse tray. This way you can adjust it to suit you perfectly and reduce your risk of getting Carpal Tunnel Syndrome which can be very painful and sometimes irreversible. The tray should be large enough to accommodate both your keyboard and mouse. Having your mouse close to the keyboard will prevent your arm from having to be extended to reach for it.
- Most keyboards have ‘legs’ attached to the top part so you can tilt your keyboard up. You shouldn’t actually use these legs because a tilted keyboard will create an improper wrist positioning. If possible, you should tilt the bottom of your keyboard to help lift your wrists up to a better position.
- When using your keyboard, your wrists should be in a straight position. If they are bent up or down, you need to change your chair height or keyboard angle. Your keyboard should be low enough that your elbows are not bent more than 90 degrees. If not, you could develop sore arms, wrists and shoulders.
- For those of you who have a larger frame, you might consider an ergonomic keyboard with the ’split’ in the middle. Because each half of the keyboard is angled away from each other, your arms and elbows will naturally have better form.
- If you use an armrest or wrist rest, only use it when you aren’t typing. A wrist pad should actually be used to rest your palm on, not your wrist.
- Use keyboard shortcuts whenever possible to reduce time spent with the mouse and clicking all over the place.
- Reduce eye-strain by eliminating as much glare on your monitor as possible. A glare-reducing screen can be purchased at most office supply stores.
If you’re really serious about changing your work area to a more ergomically correct one, you can have an occupational or physical therapist come in and inspect your workspace. They can recommend you the right equipment for your needs. I will warn you though, this can end up being very costly. But then, that begs the question, “How much is your comfort worth?”
Mine obviously isn’t worth very much at the moment, but by making a few inexpensive changes like the ones I’ve mentioned above, the time I spend working at my computer has drastically increased. Now I urge you to take a look at your own workspace and see what changes you can make.
September 17th, 2006
