Entries in " writing "  

Yeah... I've Been Hiding Out...

Yea, I sort of quit blogging the last few months. Not because I don't have anything to write about or that I think it's a waste of time. Even if it was a waste of time, the real issue is I haven't had much of just that... uh, time that is. No time.

I have a list of blog post ideas in my iPhone that I just haven't had time to write them up. I also have a list of like 4 or 5 products that I think would sell really well but just no time to put them together.

Plus, I have some other business needs that are taking up most of my time right now. One of them is CartFreak, which is a "super-human" shopping cart aimed at direct response internet marketers. Check it out if you're in the market for a cart to help automate your business. You'll see the feature list compares (even beats?) most of the major carts out there.

I've also been spending a lot of time consulting with clients on marketing their websites, improving their customer retention, etc. While I love helping small businesses out, I am starting to see that it's cutting way to much into my time and it's effecting my real business goals.

So that said, here are my plans for 2010:

Restructure My Entire Business Around CartFreak

As it stands right now, CartFreak is my main focus and I want to turn it into a huge success. My partner on this project is Joe Lavery, who is an amazing marketer. This guy lives and breaths marketing. The "crazy" ideas he comes up with never stop blowing my mind... Not because their crazy, but because they WORK!

Ok, enough stroking Joe ;) We are both working really hard to help turn CartFreak into a real competitor to the larger "old" cart companies out there. We have quite a few people paying us to use the software already, and it's only in beta release. We've also had such positive feedback from big name marketers on the cart and that has been very motivating and helping us keep our focus.

Stop Consulting With Small Businesses

As much as I love helping small businesses improve their internet marketing, it's time for me to ween myself away from doing so. The reason being is that it's way to time consuming. With clients all over southern California, I find myself traveling to meet with them several times a month and each time I lose a few days in the process.

I'm still going to help out my clients, and other small businesses, just in a different fashion. I have a product in the works that will be very useful to these type of businesses and much more affordable than paying me to personally come out and meet with them so often.

Helping the "Little Guy"

Even though I, myself, am a little guy, I still have a lot to offer people new to internet marketing and process automation. I have a small, but very loyal, following and I appreciate them very much. I want to spend more of my time giving back to them - my customers!

I've got some awesome stuff in the works for them and hope to be able to start with that really soon. Note, if you want to be kept up to date on this, click here and enter your email address.

Focus on Business Automation

As a software developer, I thrive on automation. The lifeblood of my business is getting a computer to do the things that I would normally have to do. In the last year I've sort of lost track of this and honestly, been completely neglecting it. Not because of laziness, but I come back to the lack of spare time.

So I will definitely be focusing more on automating (or outsourcing) as much of my business as possible.

Do Some Software Contracting

I love writing software using Python and Django. The "geek" in me won't let it go, so assuming I can find the time I'd love to pickup some short term contracts writing software on a cool project. This wouldn't even be for the money, but more for the "fun." As odd as it sounds, writing code is almost therapeutic for me.

Write More Open Source Software

I love open source software. A lot of people don't realize this but the vast majority of internet services run on open source (FREE) software. Everything from web servers to mail servers to name servers. The very services that are the backbone of the internet, all come from people to write software and literally give it to the world.

I recently released the Zerigo DNS Python module to the open source world. I've also been submitting patches and code changes to other projects I am interested in. I want to do more of this, when I have some spare time or am in the "zone" and just want to "code"

Try To Improve My Personal Life

This is hands down the most important part of my plans for the future...

Things in my personal life have been sort of out of whack lately and I have a lot of changes coming in the very near future. Some of them are very hard for me to deal with, but like always, I will have to suck it up and move forward. Like my ARMY drill sergeants used to say - FIDO - which stands for "Fuck It, Drive On." So that's exactly what I plan on doing.

At the same time, I need to create some sort of balance. I work way to much and everything else in my life has suffered a little bit because of it. Especially my relationship with my 2 daughters. When my 10 year old tells me she doesn't get enough "quality time" with me, then something is wrong and MUST change immediately. So that's exactly what I'm doing. Making changes in the right direction.

Wrap Up

This turned into a way longer post than I planned on. Guess I had a lot of writing in me to get out ;)

Even though I will never shut down this blog, and I do want to write more here, I know I won't get to write as often as I like. Just stay subscribed (either via RSS or email) and I'll update you as things progress.

If you really wanna know what I'm up to during the day, then follow me on twitter. I update throughout the day, usually every day, there.

Here's to a great 2010!

So You Want To Write A Sales Letter Huh?

I have been re-reading one of my favorite books titled "The Ultimate Sales Letter" by Dan Kennedy. This is probably the 3rd time I've read it in the last 18 months and like most of the books Dan has written, I can't read it enough.

All of us, everyone of us on this planet, does some sort of selling every day. Think about it. We sell our products, skills, and services but it doesn't end there. Ever ask a woman (or man) out on a date? Been on a job interview? Bug your spouse for your favorite dinner? Practically everything we ask for requires us to sell ourselves just a little bit.

Since I fell in love with the world of marketing a few years ago I have become totally obsessed with writing good sales letters. I don't claim to be very good at it, but I am improving every day. (In fact, I just re-wrote the sales letter for Mom and Pop Money - head over there and see if you can resist that letter.. yes, that was a shameless plug)

I figured I would give a few tips from what I've learned and what has helped me improve and get past my serious problem with writers block and constant distractions... ooh.. look at those shiny lights outside... Sorry - another distraction. Back to the tips!

Tips For Writing Your Next Sales Letter

OK, here we go. Some of these may seem silly and until I tried them out myself, I would have agreed. Now these are rules I "write by," even for things like this blog post.

Write Something! - Seriously. Just start writing something. Anything. Get your creative juices flowing. Once you get going, you'll find it hard to stop.

Write in the Dark - This one will help the first tip above. And I don't mean sit in a black room and write. Get one of those software programs that turn your screen black except for your "sheet of paper" in the center. It gets rid of all the distractions your computer offers.

Do NOT Edit - Don't worry about grammar, perfect punctuation, or sentence structure. You can edit the draft later. For now just write until you can't write no more. Editing during this initial stage does much more damage than it does good.

Write as Yourself - I'm sure you're a pretty cool person. Your writing should show your uniqueness. Your reader should be able to feel your personality through the text.

Write for 6th Graders - If you write your letters in a language that a 6th grader understands perfectly, you've done a great job! Nobody likes to be made to feel stupid... especially the people you are trying to sell to!

Write How You Speak - Your sales message should come across as if you are speaking to your reader. This is an extension of the 6th grader rule above. Make the letters feel personal as if you are speaking to your prospect face to face. (Perry Belcher is an expert at this... I'm sort of stalking him & his work at this point)

Must Haves For Any Sales Letter

Sales letters can be fun to write, but don't forget the whole reason you are writing it. To sell something! These are absolute requirements for any sales letter...

Strong and/or Shocking Headline - There are many different headline formats and some work better than others in some markets and not so well in others. Your headline should grab your readers attention and practically force them to continue reading.

Pre and Sub Headlines - Sometimes a little teaser line before your main headline (called a pre headline) can help convey the message of your main headline better. Same applies for a sub headline directly under the main headline.

Greeting - Greet your reader in a friendly and personable way. "Dear Friend" is common, but almost too common in my opinion. Of course, it's probably so common because it works! Still, if you can switch it up and make it a little more specific it can help results. For example, "Dear Internet Entrepreneur", "Dear Neighbor", or "Dear Frustrated Musician". You get the idea.

Compelling Opening Paragraph - This may be the most important part of your sales letter after your headline. The idea is to really peak your readers interest to encourage them to keep reading.

Sub Headlines - Use a sub headline every few paragraphs. Make sure they are large, bold, and bright. Basically they should stand out. These are very important because they keep the reader engaged. Another purpose of sub headlines is to "sum up" your offer for those readers who will simply scan your letter. A good chunk of your readers will simply scroll through your letter and read the sub headlines as they go. So make sure your sub headlines are powerful.

Testimonials / Social Proof - People love to know that other people before them were satisfied with your product or service. Gives them the feeling that "they're not alone." The more authentic the testimonial is the better. That means include a name and website of the person leaving the testimonial. Use video testimonials if you can.

The Irresistible Offer - You need to offer your reader so much perceived value that the cost of your product wouldn't be a problem. You can offer bonuses of some sort to help boost the package value. If you can build up the perceived value high enough that the cost of your product is 10% or less than that number, you will really improve your sales rate. I've written in the past about perceived value and that post goes into greater detail.

Call To Action - You've spent all this time writing an awesome sales letter... don't forget this step! Ask the reader... scratch that, Tell the reader what you want them to do next. If that means actually saying "Take out your credit card, click on the order button, and fill out the order form" then do it! I've actually read sales letters that say that. You may want to be a little less aggressive but you have to tell your reader to make a purchase.

A Guarantee - People need to know that they are protected when they buy from you. Offering a money back guarantee is very important. Give at least 30 days but you'd be surprised that your refund rate can actually decrease by offering longer return periods. It's becoming common to see a full year money back guarantee.

Signature - Adding your digital signature to a sales letter will generally increase your sale conversion, even if it's just a little. They help your letter look more "official" and your reader will trust it more. Don't have one? Go get one from My Live Signature.

PostScript, aka P.S. - If I had to pick just 3 things to include in a sales letter a PS would definitely be one of those 3. This is a very important part of your letter. Readers will naturally shoot to the bottom of a letter and you need a strong PS to catch them. Your PS should re-enforce your offer & guarantee. Use 2 or more PS's if you need to.

How To Edit Your New Sales Letter

Writing your first rough draft is the fun part. Now you're going to have to do some things that a lot of people, including myself, find very difficult. Editing.

Forget High School - What I mean is, forget everything you ever learned about proper writing in school. Sales letters are rare in the sense that it is actually better to use improper writing methods. When you speak to your neighbor are you speaking perfect and proper English? I sure hope not :) Your letters should read like a conversation (remember?) so it's OK to "write wrong" in your sales letters.

Be Ruthless - You have to take your emotional attachment to your letter at this point. You want to have the best possible sales letter so be ruthless when editing your drafts.

Ditch The First Paragraph - Joe Vitale recommends removing the entire first paragraph (or even first page!) right off the bat and see if your letter still stands up without it. This is the hardest thing for me to do but just try it. You can always put the paragraph back if you really think you need it.

Easy on the Eyes - Your letter should be visually appealing and appear to be a very easy read. Use proper and consistent colors and stick with the same color scheme throughout the letter. For example, White background, black text and red headlines.

Short Paragraphs - Keep your paragraphs short. No more than 4 sentences per paragraph. 4 is the absolute max! I would say keep your paragraphs to 3 sentences but never more than 4.

Short Sentences - Remember what I said about forgetting everything you learned about proper sentence structure, etc. I meant it. Don't be afraid to use 3, 2 or 1 word sentences. They are easy to read and easier to follow.

Replace These 5 words - There are certain words that should never be used in your letters. Sure they may actually be used here and there but try not to. Never use them in your headline or sub headline. The words are: Buy (use Claim instead), Learn (use Discover instead), Tell (use Reveal instead), Things (use Techniques instead), Stuff (use Secrets instead).

Accent Your Text - Use bold, underlines and italics to add emphasis to certain sentences or words. This helps you get your point across in a strong or leading way.

Graphical Elements - Add graphics to your letter. Use a eCover if you are selling an eBook. Use check mark images, a guarantee seal, etc. Anything to add some life to your sales letter. These can be used to make your letter more appealing or to add to his authenticity.

Take a Break - Yes, take a break. Put away your letter for a day or two. Come back with fresh eyes & rested mind. Re-read your letter and change what needs changing.

That 6th grader again - Remember that 6th grader rule from earlier? Well, if you have access to a 6th grader ask them to read it out loud to you. You'll be able to tell where they are having trouble and fix it in your copy.

Get a Proof Reader - Can't find a 6th grader or already passed the 6th grader test? Ask a friend or colleague to read the letter and listen to their suggestions.

There is so much more that I can go into but this is plenty already. Use the above info to help you write your next great sales letter.

Want To Learn More About Writing Sales Letters?

Here are some books or resources I recommend.

The Ultimate Sales Letter - Dan Kennedy

Hypnotic Writing - Joe Vitale

Scientific Advertising - Claude C. Hopkins

The Robert Collier Letter Book - Robert Collier

The Gary Halbert Letter - Gary Halbert Newsletter Archive. Might be the best FREE resource online for copywriting & advertising.

Copyblogger - Awesome blog started by Brian Clark

A good sales letter can be the most effective form of marketing and selling. It's also the least expensive and it's something that anyone can learn to do... and do well!

So if it's something you're interested in but have been waiting to get started, stop putting it off and start writing!

I Can Control You With My Words

I've written in the past about Hypnotic Writing. Since I found the book by Joe Vitale I have been very interested in learning more about the science behind it and how I can increase my profit from it.

Today I stumbled across a very useful reference article. I suggest you read it if you are interested in this sort of writing technique. In fact the guys entire blog is one great big resource for this particular subject.

It's fairly obvious from my blog posts that I am no great writer. I'm not even a good one. The idea that I can write an amazing sales letter is what keeps me interested in the subject. I will continue to work on my writing style so that I naturally form a series of hypnotic statements and commands that can be fine tuned after the fact.

My biggest problem with writing is that I seem to have permanent writers block. The only "cure" that seems to work for me is to sit down and start writing something. Anything. After 5-10 minutes I'll get an idea and go with it. That's what we, in "the biz," call getting in "the zone." (Let's see if you catch that reference/joke)

One of the pieces of advice given by Joe Vitale is to not worry about your work being perfect. Test it, tweak it and then test/tweak it again. Once you are satisfied that it's as good as you can do, let it go. Give it to the world. Just let it go. This is another one of my biggest problems. I continue to think I can improve anything I am writing, whether it's a blog post, sales letter, email, software, etc. and I end up spending to much time editing on the fly.

Close your eyes and just write. Edit, format, etc. later. Just get the words on paper (you know what I mean) and you will have a solid foundation to build on.

Technorati Tags: joe vitale, hypnotic writing, hypnotic, writing, sales, sales letters

The Business of Blogging And Why You're Missing Out

This blog is more of a personal blog and I only write about things that interest me. You can tell from the limited, and specific, categories I have for this blog that this is more of a "small town" blog and I hope it has a "small town" feel. The reason is I want to be able to connect with any of my readers. I would like them to feel like they know me a little bit and get a handle on my personality. I am basically the same person on and off line. The good, bad and ugly.

Blogging is a big deal now a days. More and more companies have blogs as they really help build the brand for that company. But you don't need to be a company, or even a business, to blog. You may still work for "the man" but you may be missing out on a lot of opportunities that can come from blogging.

Everyone has a passion, hobby, set of interests, etc. Why not blog about it. You can blog on a dedicated subject or bounce around through all your interests, like I do here. It's not too hard to build a following (even if it's a small one, like I have) for a blog. Tell some friends, use widgets like BlogRush and post a little in forums and people will read your stuff. Give quality content, and they will be back.

So what are you missing out on by not blogging? Quite a few things actually. Opportunity to network with people who have similar interests. Money. There are many ways your blog can generate income for you. The various ways are out of the scope for this post, but advertising, affiliate sales, contract work, etc. are all common ways to earn a buck by writing a blog.

If you are a business, it's an excellent way to build a rapport with your client base. You can keep them updated on your company, or service, status. You are able to interact with them via the comments and answer questions in lengthy detail with a new post. This is a priceless function for a business and even though it's becoming more common I am still surprised at the lack of company blogs for so many online businesses.

Heh, and in all fairness, this blog serves as the "company" blog for my companies SmartJabber and JumpLaunch. As they grow, we will make sure to have a dedicated blog for each of them (maybe we should already?)

Blogging can be time consuming but it's worth putting in the effort. Even though my posting frequency has been pretty, well, shitty lately it isn't too difficult to keep up with and manage your own blog. It's inexpensive to run and there are tons of free software packages and platforms out there.

If you aren't currently blogging then you should be. If you have no plans to start any time soon... why not?

Technorati Tags: blogging, marketing, networking, writing

Have Your Visitors Eating From The Palm Of Your Hand

Ever wonder how you can build a relationship with your website visitors? If not, you should be.

Fact: People buy from people they trust. Building a rapport with your visitors is a sure fire way to turn that visitor into a customer. It's not as difficult as it sounds. I don't mean getting into a personal first name basis with every one of your visitors. That's impossible. But there are ways of building rapport and trust with your visitors. As someone doing business online, this is absolutely vital.

I've written in the past about ways to improve your sales and all of them involve some form of building trust with your visitor.

It's All in the Writing

Writing sales copy that the reader can relate with is crucial. You always need to write a sales letter with the reader in mind. Answer any questions they may have in your letter and you are practically guaranteed a buyer. The trick is to get out of your own head and into the visitors. Place yourself in their shoes. Would YOU want to buy your product after reading your own sales letter? It's an ego thing. Forget your ego and consider the ego of the reader.

Just Be Yourself

Personality goes a long way. All to often I read letters that sound so phony. Some marketer is trying to sell me with a "technically" written sales page. Sure all the bullet points, advantages, benefits and bonuses are there. But the sales letter has no personality. It's as if a robot wrote it (and that's probably what happened, using some pre-packaged sales letter wizard software). In my opinion, sales letters — or writing period — are much more effective if the writing feels like a real person. Joe Vitale says you should "write how you would talk". If you use slang, then write with some slang. It gives your writing a personal touch. That is something people can relate with and helps build a rapport.

I am not a technically trained writer. I am not even a very good writer (hey, I admit it). I do try to write in my own personality. I generally have no problem meeting new people and making friends. I feel like I am a likable guy and so I just write in my own personality. So far it has served me well enough. In fact, if you haven't yet, why not take a quick second to subscribe to my RSS feed and judge for yourself ;)

Prove You're Trustworthy

There are other things to consider as well. Your writing and personality are key to building trust but the visitor also has to know his information is safe. They also have to know that their gut feeling is correct — that you are in fact trustworthy! Some key things to help out here are Testimonials from previous buyers of your product. Some people feel these are cheesy. I never understood that feeling. Your visitors can relate to testimonials because they see other "regular people" who have bought your product and were so satisfied with it, they went out of their way to let you know! Video testimonials are best.

Etc.

Some more drastic steps can be paid services that vouch for your character. This can be things like the BBB Online program or Hacker Safe. While these aren't necessarily required, they will go a long way in the readers mind.

Sure there are many other ways of building a relationship with your websites. Far too many to cover in a single post. Think creatively and you will come up with your own unique flares that your visitor can relate to, which will lead to more sales.

Now go get to work...

Technorati Tags: business, internet marketing, personality, sale conversion, trust, writing

Fortune & Fame ... Becoming A Rock Star

Ever wanted to be a rock star? I think we all have at one point. I mean, what's not to love about it. They rock on stage, party all night and have their pick of the hottest ladies at the show. Sure that all seemed great when we were younger but what about becoming a modern day rock star?

What is a modern day rock star?

Good question. That could probably be defined as any one who truly stands out in their industry. For instance, Michael Arrington could be considered a rock star in the blogging world for the huge success he has seen from TechCrunch, the blog he started in 2005 that covers internet startups and has achieved behemoth status in the blogosphere.

Examples from the affiliate marketing world would include John Chow, Zac Johnson and Neil Patel. These 3 guys are recognized as experts in their industry and have been able to build up a solid reputation and a large following. Whether or not these guys are actual experts I have no idea and I don't know any of them personally. What I do know is that I read their blogs every day and find a great value in their writings a lot of the time.

Point is that they have been able to build a (cult like) following and are able to leverage that into large profits while attempting to help people in the process.

How do you become a rock star?

What the hell are you asking me for? Seriously though I don't have an answer to that question. I don't know that there is a specific formula but I am sure it is a mixture of charisma, experience, hard work, education and a degree of transparency.

If you can figure out a way to give away value — actual or perceived — for free and do it in a way that is magnetic, chances are you will slowly build a large following. As your following grows, so can your profits.

There are many ways to pass value to your following. Obviously blogging is a slam dunk but there are many other methods. Before blogging was so popular there were forums, which provided an excellent vehicle for users to interact with each other as well as the "rock stars" of the community. Look at the success of Fark — it all started with a niche and a forum.

Are you a rock star?

Everyone has some rock star qualities about them. Well, nearly everyone. Not everyone has the over all mixture that is required to really stand out. That's OK because you don't need to be a rock star to be hugely successful. If you want to be a rock star then I suggest you get started right away. Throw yourself out there and see how it goes. Don't let self doubt or other hang ups stop you.

Bottom line: you never know until you try.

P.S. Yes, I realize how corny the "rock star" thing is...

Technorati Tags: rock star, cult, profit, value, blog

Getting Rich Quick - Online

I stumbled across an article today titled How To Make $1,000,000 By Blogging. It's an awesome read and pretty funny through out the entire piece. It's basic outline is that you use the money you make from your blogging to buy lottery tickets to win $1,000,000+.

The moral of the story is that blogging is not a get rich quick scheme. I've written before about how I plan to make a million bucks this year and in the post I give an outline of my overall plans to achieve this goal. A lot of people feel that they can throw together a blog, mix in a few ads and post a few times a week and they are good as gold. Unfortunately, it's never that easy!

When you look at the TechCrunch's and the John Chow's of the blogosphere, there is an underlying theme to be found — hard work. There isn't much in life, that's worth anything, that comes to you easily. Building a million dollar blog, or website in general, is no exception.

If you are willing to put in the blood, sweat & tears you will be successful. Stay motivated and never give up, even when you fail (and continue to fail). Get up, try again, repeat. Throw enough sh*t on the wall and eventually some will stick (probably have that saying incorrect but I'm a city boy, what do you want from me)

In my opinion there is no better opportunity for an entrepreneur than the internet. Instant access to a global marketplace and relatively inexpensive methods to setup shop. It's never been easier for us dreamers to "make it happen" than right now. My question to you is... what are you waiting for?

Technorati Tags: blog, make money online, marketing, millions

Tips From The Career of Howard Stern

No I don't mean lesbian dial-a-date or porn star game shows. Anyone who actually listens to The Howard Stern Show knows that there is so much more to the show than the "shock" bits he has gotten a bad name for. The bottom line is, the man has a HUGE following and it's not only because of his on air antics.

Last week Howard celebrated his 2 year anniversary at Sirius satellite radio. He took the company, threw it on his back, and sky rocketed them to being the satellite radio provider.

During the Christmas break, they played "The history of Howard Stern" on his Howard 100 channel. As I listened to it I thought about how his story and experience can be used in today's internet marketing world.

Tenacity

Howard faced obstacles his entire career. No one believed in him or his methods. They said he didn't have a format, no one would listen to all talk on an FM/Rock station, etc. Everywhere he turned, a boulder stood in his way. This isn't exactly the way to start a radio career fresh out of college.

Howard never gave up. He had a vision and truly believed in it! He made a well thought out plan every step of his career, and with some luck, became a huge star and one of the highest paid entertainers in the industry.

Moral being, never give up! We all have trouble starting out. I still have trouble launching a new page or affiliate campaign. I expect to lose a little up front, but make it back ten fold down the road. Internet marketing is a business and should be looked at it as one; regardless of how small you may be.

Education

Howard attended college at Boston University but according to him, he didn't need his communications degree to be successful with his radio show. All he needed was himself!

You don't need a college degree to make it big in life. All you need is a desire to learn, the work ethic to prepare correctly and the guts to take your shot. Howard admits that early in his career, he would do literally nothing in between his radio shows. He would use his time off work to prepare for the next show.

Make sure you are educated on the product you are pushing. Take the time and learn it inside and out. This will help you write better sales letters, ads and squeeze pages. It will also help you prepare your pitches. How else will you sell something if you can't outline it's benefits and do so with a "personal touch?"

Passion

Howard knew since he was a young boy that he wanted to be on the radio. He used to practice his show at a very young age. He spent his life learning and preparing for his radio career.

Now obviously none of us knew we wanted to be internet marketers when we were kids (internet didn't even exist heh). But now that you know it's what you want to be (or learn) make sure you have a passion for it!

A lot of people have the desire to "get rich quick" and those people will usually fail at internet marketing. Without the passion, you just can't commit the time it takes to make serious money online. I think this is the same for any business, not just online. So while making lots of money is usually the ultimate motivator, if you don't love what you are doing, it will be difficult to see much success in your ventures.

Conclusion

I could go on and on about Howard. I greatly admire him as a person (or at least what I know about him). He has a strong work ethic, a great personality (sense of humor) and is a strategic thinker. We all could learn a lot if we followed some of the steps he used through out his career!

Technorati Tags: education, howard stern, internet, marketing, passion, tenacity

RSS Feeds That Fatten Your Wallet

I've received a few emails asking what RSS feeds I read regularly. I figured it would be a fun post to list the feeds I read and why. So without further delay, here is my list of subscribed RSS feeds (all the links below will link to their RSS feeds, not their websites).

Marketing / Affiliate

Dosh Dosh - I found this one about a year ago accidently. There are some very well written posts on this blog. They are usually long and very informative.

Chris Bloczynski - I recently found this guy's blog and it's been a good read for me. A lot of discussion on writing and techniques.

John Chow - I read John Chow because, well, who doesn't read his blog?

Peter Sanchez - What? I can't verify that my RSS is updating correctly? So yea... I read my own stuff... OK!

UberAffiliate - Very informative blog. A lot of tips & tricks from the affiliate marketing world. One of my favorites from this category.

ShoeMoney - Not just a good source of information, but also for motivation. Guy has an awesome story.

Quick Sprout - I recently read about this one on ShoeMoney. So far it's a decent read, but I am still new here.

Tech

TechCrunch - Another one of those "Who doesn't read this" blogs. Latest news on startups and any other happenings in Silicon Valley.

The B-List - Very specific blog. Most of the posts are related to the Django project. Django is a python web framework that I have spent the last year learning & loving.

WAC - This guy is actually a friend of mine. Works at google, finds tons of OS X bugs, etc. A lot of family posts as well, but hey, I couldn't not list his blog too :)

Found+Read - Blog about the internet technologies and new startups.

Frank Addante - He's got a founder blog which discusses his various businesses. Smart guy with a track record for success. Not updated that often, but it's a good post when it is.

Paul Stamatiou - I know, I can't pronounce his last name either. This guy reviews all sorts of nifty stuff and has interesting posts that keep geeks like me coming back.

Peter Sanchez - Umm.. *cough*

Read/Write Web - News on startups, mergers, etc. Sort of like a smaller tech crunch but often profile startups that don't make it to TC.

Jason Calacanis - This is more of a personal blog of his but I do enjoy reading it. He is a successful business man who is also the founder of Mahalo.

Political

Donklephant - Awesome blog that I found when it was teeny tiny. It's grown a lot in the last year or so and I am really impressed with the quality, considering it's not the owners full time job or anything.

Misc.

Joi Ito - Personal blog of Joi Ito. I met him in Wellington, New Zealand at the ICANN conference. Very nice guy and a hugely successful internet entrepreneur. He has invested in so many "name brand" blogging and Web 2.0 startups that it would make your head spin.

Matt Maroon - Former professional poker player turned Web 2.0 founder. I read this blog mainly because his posts are very refreshing. He has a style that's all his own for sure.

iJustine - I met Justine when she came in to LA and hung out with us at Groovr. She's a sweet heart but when that camera is off, and she's had a shot or two, well.. She's still a sweet heart. Her blog doesn't have much other than her crazy videos, etc. Good for a quick laugh.

That's about it. My list changes pretty often, but right now these are what I am reading. Most of these I have read for some time and don't plan on abandoning any time soon.

Am I missing any thing that you consider a MUST read? I happily accept recommendations.

Technorati Tags: blogs, business, rss feeds, technology

How I Plan to Make $1 Million Dollars in 2008

2008 will be a landmark year in my life. As of today, January 7th 2008, I am my own boss. I have resigned from Groovr for various reasons, leading me to take the jump and be responsible for my own income. This is a scary and exciting time for me but I will make the best of it!

How will I make $1 million dollars?

Well, I probably won't quite reach that goal but I sure will try! I have been trying my hand in internet and affiliate marketing in my free time and have already seen some success. Enough success to sustain my bills and keep my head above water. I figure if I dedicate a larger chunk of my time and work smart, I could earn a pretty penny.

I also have a few idea's I am working on. Generating leads for niche markets that, as far as I can tell, are basically competition free! I can't tell you exactly what that is of course ;) As my methods and techniques get more fine tuned, my revenue will grow. I honestly see no reason why I can't make $1 million dollars in the next 365 days.

Make a million with only affiliate marketing?

I don't pretend to be that good—yet! While there are people who do generate millions of dollars per year using affiliate marketing techniques, I know I am no where near that level. I also have something else in the works.

A few months ago I was approached by a friend to co-found an internet related company. This company is more of a service provider than a "Web 2.0" style startup. My friend is already a millionaire internet entrepreneur and successful business man; it was very important that I consider his offer.

After a month or so of thinking it over—and after I made my decision to leave Groovr—I agreed to help co-found this new company. I will give more info on this later as the company progresses.

My buddy, and new business partner, is already an established affiliate/internet marketer and is actually a fairly well known person in the community. We have other ideas that we plan to team up on to generate income. Each of us brings to the table something that the other lacks and the combination of our skill sets is proving to be a profitable one.

Blogging

I plan to post a lot more often to this blog. Not only to give progress reports on my goal but to also write valuable and useful posts related to marketing, software, tech, etc.

Also I realize that this blog is a big part of my "brand" online. I have gotten work from it before, but I never really took the time to cultivate it into a larger following. I will try to do that in 2008.

If you haven't done so yet, now is a good time to subscribe to my RSS feed so you can stay up to date with this blog.

Other methods of earning income

I happen to have a small leg up on most of my competition in the Affiliate world; I am able to write my own software, manage my own servers, etc. I've been doing that for others for a decade. Of course they have more marketing experience than I do, but I am a quick study. Luckily I also have my buddy to turn to for help and advice. I also have a few ideas in the works that will actually help other marketers and allows me to turn a profit at the same time.

My goal is to automate as much as possible with custom software so I can focus about 75% of my time on the new company and the rest on my various projects. This is a pretty easy thing to do with my lead generation sites, but not so easy with other things I am working on. So I will need to dedicate a chunk of my day to the affiliate stuff.

In a pinch I could always do a little consulting or projects for various companies to help boost the income that month. Luckily I have made a lot of contacts through the years and I should be able to find decently paid short term projects pretty easily. I would rather not use this option but it's always there as an alternative.

Family

On top of all this I also need to make some time to spend with my family. My daughters both play soccer (basically year round if you count all-stars and tournaments) and I have a lot of fun at their games. But they still need to practice and I make it a point to help them with that. My wife is obviously a large part of my life and will be helping me out as much as she can. We still need our evenings out and personal time together, etc.

Personal Health

I believe that you need to keep your mind and body healthy. For the mind I try to read a few books a month. Usually anything that is NOT computer/internet related, though lately I've been reading books on writing and marketing.

For the body I work out 5 days a week with a full body weight lifting routine. I do cardio exercises 3 times a week as well. I refuse to give this up and I generally go to the gym at 5:30am, so this shouldn't interfere with my work days anymore than it currently does.

Whew!

So that's it. My basic outline for 2008. Whether or not I make $1 million dollars isn't the point. It's the fact that I am shooting for the stars that will make this a special year for me. What are some of your plans for the year?

Technorati Tags: 2008, affiliate, business, internet, marketing, one million dollars

Secrets of a Successful Squeeze Page

Lead generation is an important part of internet marketing. Using a well designed squeeze page can dramatically improve the number of leads you are able to generate. Got a new product you want to let the world know about? Why not send an enticing email to your ever growing list of email subscribers? There is no faster, cheaper, or more effective form of immediate advertising that I know of.

What is a squeeze page?

I should start at the beginning. A "squeeze" page is a landing page that requests the readers name and email address before they are able to continue browsing the website they are visiting. Some squeeze pages will allow the user to continue without entering their information. Technically, those aren't exactly true squeeze pages but who's counting.

What is the purpose?

Unless you have amazingly high conversion rates on your sales letters, chances are that your visitor will not buy from your website the first time they visit it. How can you ensure that the people who leave your website will return? That's where your squeeze page comes into play.

Once they have confirmed their email address they are opted into your mailing list. You now have a direct avenue to reach them in the future. Send an email that is highly targeted to your audience and get them to visit your website again. This time, they just might buy from you!

What makes a great squeeze page?

While it's not an exact science, there are a lot of elements that will make up an excellent squeeze page. Make the page design clean and bright. Light background with darker fonts are great. Use your own judgement but remember that white backgrounds traditionally convert better.

The following is a list of features your squeeze page should offer:

Powerful Headline - This may be the most important factor in your squeeze page. You need to ensure you have their attention from the very first line they read. Check out my post on Hypnotic Writing for some ideas.

Bullet Points - What does the reader gain by giving you their email address? Your bullet point listing should be short and to the point. Most importantly, it should be enticing. Keep the listing to the top 3-5 benefits your website will offer.

Sense of Urgency - This is a general rule of marketing. Create a sense of urgency so the reader feels as if they must continue or they will be missing out on something very special.

Opt-In Form - You obviously need a form to capture their information.

The last thing is to make sure you use action words on your forms "submit" button. If you have a form with just "Submit" or "Subscribe" on it's submission button, it is not attractive to the reader. Use action words to encourage them to submit their information. For example: "Access my FREE guide NOW!" would probably do a lot better than just "Subscribe Now".

My feeling is that squeeze pages should be short, sweet and to the point. Once the user has submitted and confirmed their information, be sure to follow up immediately with an auto-responder. This is a feature that most mailing list management providers offer. I personally use AWeber for all my list management.

That's the basics for a well converting squeeze page. Just like anything else in this business you need to test, tweak and test some more. Find that sweet spot and build yourself a huge list!

Technorati Tags: internet, lead generation, marketing, squeeze page, writing

Discover the Art of Hypnotic Writing

A few months ago I decided to look into, and learn about, internet marketing, affiliate sales & PPC (pay per click) techniques. The industry was interesting to me and I figured I could use my skills as a programmer to make me some extra cash on the side. I will write more on this in an upcoming post.

When I started learning I found that "writing" is the bread and butter of affiliate marketing & sales. I decided to educate myself and help improve my writing skills. I ran into a book titled "Hypnotic Writing" by Joe Vitale. I was a little skeptical because the cover art was pretty cheesy. I tried not to judge this book by it's cover (insert "buh bump bump" sound). Best decision I could have made as this book is awesome. I keep it on my desk now for immediate reference when I get stuck trying to spice up some of my sales copy or PPC ads.

So what is Hypnotic Writing?

As I was working on this post I stumbled across this article written by Chris Bloczynski, where he accurately defines Hypnotic Writing as:

"Hypnotic Writing is an effective technique that marketers and advertisers have used for years to make the most of people’s natural inclinations and conditioning."

If you consider the potential that a hypnotic sales letter or advertisement has, you can see that it's a pretty powerful technique. As a side note, Chris also wrote an awesome article titled 99 Headline Techniques Revealed that is related to this topic; I suggest you read it.

There are several types of hypnotic commands that can be used when you are writing your sales letter or ad copy. Here are a few methods mentioned in the Hypnotic Writing book.

Direction

Directing the reader to complete the action that you want them to. Just read the example below to see what I mean:

"As you continue reading this page..."

Quotes

It's a fact that people read what's in quotation marks. Ever notice that the headlines on various sales pages are almost always in quotes? People naturally read what is in quotes so headlines that are hypnotically powerful placed in quotes can be very effective. You can also use an actual quote from somebody famous or one that is inspiring and can be related to your sales letter.

"Finally! Free from the Rat Race!"

Conversation

Reading a conversational dialogue is a great way to invoke emotion in your reader. When the reader relates to the dialogue they place themselves in the conversation. This is a natural reaction and can be used to help with your sales conversions.

"Man! My tooth is killing me!" Johnny said.
"Ouch! I had my wisdom teeth removed last week." I replied
"Woah... Sounds painful!"
"Nah. Dr. Smith is the best! No pain at all."

These are just a few techniques that can be used in Hypnotic Writing. You're smart enough to see the benefits that Hypnotic Writing can offer you when used correctly. It just might be what your sales letter is lacking. Take some time and do some reading on the subject. In the world of internet sales, your ad & sales copy is your "pitch" so why not give yourself every advantage possible?

Oh, by the way. Notice how many times I mention "Hypnotic Writing" in this post? Repetition is also a method of Hypnotic Writing =)

Technorati Tags: advertising, hypnotic, ppc, sales, writing