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10 Valuable Articles From The Archives

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Archives

The problem with any blog is that as more content gets added to them, other content gets completely forgotten about. A tweet can only do so much to bring back attention to older blog posts that got published months ago. There are many blog posts on this blog that were written last year with methods that still work to this day. In fact, some of those blog posts are still popular, but they still don’t appear on the front page. I decided to dig through my blog to find 10 valuable articles that you should give a second look. They contain oodles of knowledge and things to think about. Some are longer than others.

100 Amazing Blogging Tips

100 Amazing Pinterest Tips

70 Amazing Twitter Tips

20 Thoughts To Live By

The Problem With Waiting For Something To Happen

What Do You Want To Be Remembered For?

Every Blogger Needs To See This Picture

New Year’s Resolutions: Memory Or Lifestyle?

Esurance Won The Ad Bowl By A Landslide. That’s what everyone was raving about when Esurance did its giveaway. The follow-up blog post is “Reanalyzing The Day After The Super Bowl: Was The $1.5 Million Giveaway Worth It?”

What The New York Times, Apple, Twitter, And JetBlue Have In Common

As a bonus article, I present Why Fast Food Restaurants Are Successful.

Which one was your favorite?

 

Three Reasons Why You Need To Use Instagram

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For a very long time, I underestimated the power of Instagram. I saw Instagram as a personal social network where people would just post pictures to friends. Everything changed when I responded to some people on Twitter, and after receiving a response, said how happy they were that I was not a bot.

I guess a 16 year old entrepreneur with over 100,000 Twitter followers is a rare sight that seems too good to be true, but it amazed me to think that if I did not respond to these people, they would have thought I was a bot. It’s amazing what you don’t know and what you learn by interacting.

Therefore, I have taken a stronger interest in Instagram. I still see it as a personal social network, but now I see Instagram in a new light. Not only that, but I would go as far as saying that everyone should have an Instagram account. That’s a big jump from someone who never thought of using Instagram. Now you are probably curious why I changed my mind so dramatically about the social network. Here’s why:

  1. Instagram allows people to know you at a more personal level. In other words, what do you do when you are not wearing the tie, buttoned down shirt, and writing blog posts. Most people only know me for writing blog posts and books. I want people to get more into who I am as a person. I run outside, play video games, and do other fun activities. Now I am using Instagram to share some of that.
  2. Instagram allows you to look back at where you were and what you did. On Instagram, you have the power to look back at great memories. You can go back to accomplishments, special days, and places you went to every day just by scrolling through your Instagram pictures.
  3. Instagram pictures get a lot of engagement. I have seen some people with 500 Instagram followers who get over 50 likes for their photos. It is easy for a photo to spread far and wide on Instagram. All you need to do is take good pictures and have a story behind each picture.

Instagram allows you to capture a part of you that most people don’t get to see: your personal life. You don’t have to take a picture of yourself 24/7 or show people the bad parts of your life. Just take enough pictures so you can look back at them, show people who you are when you are not working, and get more engagement all at the same time.

Do you use Instagram? I am a newbie just taking picture after picture. What are your thoughts about that social network?

 

5 Steps To Get On More Webinars And Podcasts

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Mobile Podcasting

Getting on webinars and podcasts allow you to show off your expertise in a certain area and interact with other audiences. However, few people know how to get on a webinar or podcast to share their expertise. These people want to interact with more audiences, but they don’t know how to reach those other audiences. I remember when I always dreamed of getting on webinars and podcasts because at the time, it was something close to impossible. Now I have been on multiple webinars and podcasts. In order to get on more webinars and podcasts, follow these five steps.

  1. Build your credibility. The more credibility you have, the more reasons someone has to interview you on their webinar or podcast. Building your credibility will help you out in additional ways as well.
  2. Post valuable content. People will only invite you on their webinar or podcast if they know you are going to provide their audience with value. By posting valuable content on your blog, your YouTube videos, and anywhere else you are, these people will be more likely to include you in their next webinar or podcast episode.
  3. Grow your own audience. The people who have their own webinars and podcasts are looking for more exposure just as much as you are. There is always an incentive for a webinar or podcast owner to interview someone who has a big audience that can promote the webinar or podcast.
  4. Be on YouTube. Posting valuable content on a blog and being on YouTube are two different things. In order to conduct a webinar or a podcast, the guest needs to do most of the talking. The person in charge in most cases will just give you a quick intro, ask you questions, and say a quick comment each time you answer a question. Being active on YouTube shows a webinar or podcast owner that you can talk about your niche for a long period of time.
  5. Webinar and podcast shows begets more opportunities. As you get on more webinar and podcast shows, more people will come to you asking if you can be on their next show. After showing off that you can do fine on a webinar or podcast, the fear that some owners may have will be gone. They know that you can do a good job which means they would be happy to have you on their next show.

Those are the five steps to get on more webinars and podcasts. By getting on webinars and podcasts, you will be able to grow your audience and interact with people who you would have never been able to interact with before. What are your thoughts on the list? Do you have any additional tips on getting invited to go on more webinar and podcast shows? Please share your thoughts and advice below.

 

Social Media Is Not For Making Money

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Social Media International

You can try to make money on social media, but that’s not how it works. When people look for the extra dollar to put in their pocket, they give social media advertising a try. They use Sponsored Tweets, MyLikes, or something similar. Have you used any of those advertising options? Whether you have used them or not, chances are you have heard of them. I used to be just like anyone else and use these advertising services, and there was a point when I even recommended them.

However, social media is for building connections and getting people to visit your blog. It’s on your blog where you make the money, and social media is used to get more people to visit your blog. If you tweet an ad, you are losing out on a blog visitor who may have bought one of your products.

The next time you hear about Ad.ly links, sponsored posts, or anything like that, refrain from using those types of content in your social media strategy. A social media strategy that is going to bring in long-term revenue instead of the short-term revenue from advertisements is one that brings people to a blog with products available.

What are your thoughts on social media advertising? Please share your thoughts below.

 

The Three Types Of Products You Need To Make A Six Figure Income

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Global Shipping Of Products

Every time I look at the extra money I could potentially be making, I look towards ads. Then, I quickly realize that there is a better way, and ads are not the answer to making six figures every year. The answer to making money with a blog and more money in general is with products. By having more products available to your potential customers, the more likely they will become returning customers. There are three products you need to sell. Having these three products available will guarantee that you get more returning customers and bigger commissions.

  1. The inexpensive product. Depending on the product you are selling, the price of that product can be anywhere from $1 to $49. You want this product to be one that generates a high volume of sales so people read your content and become interested in what you have to say.
  2. The subscription based product. This type of product generates a recurring revenue because members pay on a monthly basis. If you have 10 members who are each paying $100 every month, you would be making $1,000 every month. You need to have a recurring revenue strategy added to your business plan so you can rest assured that a product is going to bring in more money.
  3. The high-priced products. A high-priced product gets less sales than an inexpensive product but brings in more commission. It is easier to make $1,000 every month selling a $500 training course than it is to sell a $10 book. You only need two sales for the training course while you need 100 sales every month for the book. High priced products make it easier for you to reach certain goals with less sales, but in order to have a high-priced product, you need to put in an immense amount of work and effort.

These three product options will satisfy your potential customers. Many of them will look for a low-priced product. That’s when the inexpensive book or training course comes in. In addition, others will want a subscription based product that gives them value so they can avoid an expensive product. Finally, there is the high-priced product for anyone who has enough money in their pockets to get the best product you have ever launched (it has to be your best one). Having these three products and creating more in the process will allow you to make six figures every year. That definitely beats advertising!

 

3 Reasons To Ask Questions In Your Blog Posts

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Questions

In a world where everyone focuses on quality content, SEO, and getting more traffic, there is a tiny detail that many bloggers forget to include in their blog post. Not including this element of a blog post makes these bloggers lose engagement and strong connections (some of those connections lead to sales). The element of a blog post that most people forget about is asking questions.

I always make sure I see one question in a blog post that I publish. I actually search for the question mark using the word finder just to make sure. The reason I make sure I am asking questions in my blog posts is because there are three powerful outcomes of asking questions in your blog posts.

  1. Your visitors will feel as if they are having a conversation with you. Asking a question in one of your blog posts starts a dialogue. The visitor has to think of an answer to that question. Then, as you ask more questions in your blog posts, the conversation will build. How do you think I am doing with this blog post so far? Your response is the continuation of our conversation that is currently taking place.
  2. You blog posts will get more comments. If you ask questions, you will start a conversation. The only problem for the particular conversation taking place (such as the one in this blog post), a visitor cannot ask a blogger a question and get a quick response. I can ask you how your day was and get a quick response. If you ask me how my day was, you would still be staring at a blank screen. In order to get a response from me or any other blogger who asks questions, a visitor would have to leave a comment below to get the proper response. How many comments do your blog posts get? Imagine what would happen if you could double that number. Asking questions throughout your blog posts makes that possible.
  3. Passive reading turns into active reading. If there are no questions in a blog post, then the visitor is passively reading that blog post. When you ask a question, you are turning passive reading into active reading. You are forcing your visitor to go from scrolling through your content to think of an honest answer.

Those are the three big reasons why you need to ask more questions in your blog posts. How did you like the blog post? What are your thoughts on asking questions in your blog posts? Please share your thoughts below.