There are kazillions of blogs and other websites out there with the familiar adsense ads splashed all over the sidebars and integrated into the content of their websites. There are marketers raking in the cash selling e-books on how you can get rich with adsense and live the good life with an easy passive income. Then you have the software that will generate thousands of adsense "junk sites" as I call them which are supposedly optimized for the search engines and some that even add semi-relevant content pulled from random article sites. I guess what irritates me most about these software programs is that they contribute to the degradation of my search experience while I'm looking for answers on a certain topic. How many times have you typed a keyword into Google to research some topic and end up on 20 different junk adsense sites before actually finding something of value somewhere? These type of crap programs enable people to generate thousands of these "slum sites" which are plastered all over the internet. These bottom feeders are just wasting your time and grabbing a few cents from your wrong turn. It's no wonder that Google is forced into taking measures such as the "Google Slap". I once read an interesting article where Google's AdSense marketing was referred to as "CrackSense", I had to laugh when I read this phrase, because it rings so true! Think about it. You spend all kinds of time and resources building your business and attracting traffic to your website. Do you want your visitors to buy a product you have created? Maybe you have an affiliate site. Why would you want to sell your traffic off for a few cents, just so someone else can turn it into much bigger bucks? Shouldn't YOU be the one converting it into bigger bucks? I find this absolutely astounding! Ok, with that said, I have to admit that I have learned a lot about internet marketing over the past year & a half (and still learning). When I first started experimenting with marketing and set up my first website, I had those typical AdSense ads plastered all over the place just like the other chumps out there. But it didn't take me long to realize that I was throwing away what little traffic I was getting for a few cents. Sure, you can reason that maybe your visitor wouldn't have bought anything anyway, so why not have a "tip jar" to catch them on the way out? Maybe there's some merit to that logic, but I just can't help thinking that maybe that same visitor would have stuck around a little longer increasing the possibility of making that sale or capturing a new email address. Instead you sold them off for a nickel. I think I'll just stick to appreciating and maximizing the value of my visitors rather than pimping them off for next to nothing.
Monthly Archives: March 2007
The Magic Of Video Marketing
Have you ever come across an interesting e-book, software, or other product, got pretty convinced by the sales copy, but still knew nothing about the person who's selling it? I think that often times the deciding factor in a purchase is how trustworthy or even visible the author is. How willing are you to spend $47, $67, $97 or even $300 on that product that you just can't live without, but you've never heard of the author before? Is there contact info on the website? A blog? Whois Info? No? Hmmm. Visitor expectations are rising all the time and one of those expectations are that they want to know more about the person that they are buying from. Blogging is in my opinion, one of the best ways to let your visitors get to know you. Wouldn't you be more inclined to purchase from someone who has a presence on the internet and cares enough to share useful information with you? Of course! As an internet business person, this should be a vital component in your marketing system. Show people that there is more to you than some pitch man pushing your latest product. So how could you take blogging to the next level? I recently read a post on James Braush's blog where he's giving away a wireless camera to a trackback of his choice. When reading this it occurred to me that adding video to your blog IS that next level! James has probably "arrived" in the internet business world to that initial desired level. I still have some ways to go, and what better way to share this journey than by making this blog a video blog! By showing you directly through video the results of taking action on your business, I may inspire some of you out there to come out of your comfortable "sleep" and realize that this can be your reality too! Making a visual connection can allow people to understand that being successful is something tangible that you can attain, and not just something that randomly befalls a lucky few by random chance. Stick around this blog and tag along on this journey with an average guy as he transforms himself into a "2%er". Maybe you should try this on your blog. Do you sell products? Are you more likely to buy from a friend as opposed to a digital billboard? James Brausch posted a pic from a cruise that he was on a couple of weeks ago, and for me, that one pic posted on his blog created a connection between James the man, and the integrity of his products. If a single picture can speak a thousand words, just imagine what 15 frames per second can do!
Interesting Angles on Freedom
The book Black Rednecks and White Liberals appears to offer some interesting perspectives on freedom. I feel that many people really do believe that they are free in their personal lives because they have a J.O.B. that allows them to pay their bills and mortgage, and drive a decent car. But is this really freedom? The American Dream? Being in a J.O.B. or "Just Over Broke" as the addage goes, is just that. Suppose you lost your job tomorrow. How long would you last with your current debt load? Would your life be affected dramatically? Could you just walk away from your J.O.B right now and go full time into business for yourself? No? Is this really freedom knowing that unless you trade a minimum of 8 hours of your life everyday in return for money, that you will not be able to see your dreams come true? Suppose you start a new business. What is your goal? Do you want a business that runs itself? With a new business, you could very well end up in another J.O.B. situation. I have a good friend who left her job and started a restaurant a few years ago, and she ended up working 16 hour days to the point of burn out. The business failed as a result. What she effectively did was create another J.O.B. for herself. I wouldn't exactly call this freedom. In fact, she was even LESS FREE than before! Whether it's a traditional "brick & mortar" business or an internet business you should definately not overlook the "freedom" aspect of your plan. In fact "freedom" should the the objective of your plan! After all, freedom to live your life to the fullest is what it's all about. Don't trade one J.O.B. for another. Keep your mind open to outsourcing those time consuming tasks as your business grows. The advantage of Internet Business is that there are many ways to set your model up for passive income. Working a few hours a day to create "internet vending machines" that will generate income while you sleep, while you're on vacation, etc is very exciting and rewarding to say the least. Real freedom comes from working smarter, not harder. Plan for a business system that will give you freedom. Don't trap yourself into a self created J.O.B.
Everybody Likes A Comode-ian!
James Brausch is giving away a free CD from one of the funny comedians who were performing on the cruise that he took over the weekend. Why was he on a cruise? Did his buisness survive without him? Check out his blog and find out for yourself.
Creating Your New Website & Some SEO Tips
Probably the biggest challenge in any new business is taking that first step. You have a vision, you want freedom and a great income. Now you've resolved yourself to make the move. What next? This is where most people experience "motivational paralisys". If you're starting on your own, lack of information on what to do next can be a real blow to that initial burst of motivation. Here's some info that may help. When you've done your market research and have that new product that you created or are referring as an affiliate, or even retailing, you are ready to get your first website. The important thing is to get your website as soon as possible. Even before you have a clue about the design of the site, get your domain and at least put a basic framework or placeholder there. Or better yet, stick a squeeze page in there and start collecting names and building your list. Now you'll have a receptive audience already primed for your product when you're ready to "go live". The main idea here is to get the clock ticking on the age of your website. Google especially, takes the age of your website into consideration for ranking. Even if you don't plan to "go live" for a few months, get something there to get the clock ticking. Besides, this will also keep you commited to your goal, now that you've invested in the domain and hosting. When choosing a domain name, it's smart to use your best keyword in the name. If you're selling pellet guns, for example, then something like "bestpelletguns.com" would be favored by the search engines when some one searched for the term "pellet guns". Did you ever notice that many of the top listings in the search engines have the keyword you typed right inside their web address? Hmmmmm Choosing a host is another thing to consider. There are many out there, and depending on your needs, sometimes you have to be careful. I use dreamhost, because I like the flexibility of having "Crontab" available for my auto responder software. Some webhosts don't offer this feature, and if you're running any web based scripts for your sites, you may need to look closer at what the web host has to offer. Dreamhost also gives me the choice of two PHP versions and unlimited domains and MYSQL databases under one account! Also you're space and monthly bandwidth is insane! You start out with something like 10 gigs and it increases every month! When creating your home page, remember to design your page around your best keywords, but don't make it obvious, or over stuff your content with them, or it will have the opposite effect. Back to the example with pellet guns. Let's say that your are specializing in antique pellet guns and "antique pellet guns" is your top choice for keywords. Be sure "antique pellet guns" is in your page title, your heading, body (of course) and even footer as a inernal link to yourself. These are some small basic things that can make a world of difference. Even for google. The next step for cranking your rankings in the likes of google is to get back-links to your website. Create a blog, write articles and submit them, get active in forums (but don't get sucked in by all the bad advice that is floating around in these places). Getting back-links to your website is essential for high "organic" rankings in Google. If your back-links are coming from sites with a high google page rank, then all the better. These basics should get you started in the right direction. Just remember, taking that first step is the most important. Without action, it will never happen.
James Brausch Testimonial
James Brausch is writing a book based on his blog postings over the past year. The last couple of paragraphs in this post is a brief testimonial which I would like to leave in support of his new venture. A book like this is long over due for the internet entrepreneur and I applaud him for this. This book is not an e-book, but rather a real tangible book that you would buy from amazon or your local book store! The information contained within his blog over the past year is the most valuable info I’ve ever come across in my quest for freedom. His blog just recently turned one year old by the way. (Happy Birthday!)
What appeals to me about James is that what he has to offer is straight up stuff without the BS. When something works, he shares it and leaves it up to the reader to do with it what they will. Sure, you can waste away your life and money chasing all the next “big things” offered by the so-called gurus, or you can take what James has to offer. I’m saying this as someone who’s been down that road before. When you’re ready to leave the herd and apply his advice, you will finally see the light and be on the road to real success. I’m currently working my way towards the ultimate goal, determined to remain on a true and focused path.
James’ story of how he started from pennyless, homeless and drug addicted, to a success filled and joyous life will convince you that no obstacle is too great to overcome and succeed. You will be inspired to get your game face on and get serious.
James Brausch’s real world techniques are the reason I’m profiting online and growing today. His words are truly inspiring and provoke the call to action that needs to be awakend from within!
Thanks James for being the genuine article and a true credit to the Internet Business Community!
Creating Your Own Products
If you're an affiliate marketer, or even a newby to the whole marketing thing, I would suggest that you seriously consider creating your own product. With your own product you can keep 100% of your profits as opposed to a percentage from affiliate sales. With a decent sales letter and a form to collect email addresses, you can start to build a long term business that will give you solid results. You just need the motivation and the willingness to visualize, create a plan and take action. Creating a product really isn't that tough. Believe me, you KNOW something about something that someone else out there is itching to learn and willing to pay for it. Information products are in very high demand and can give real value to your customer. Think about it, let's say you are good at golfing, and you have a certain swing that gives you fantastic accuracy when driving the ball. Don't you think there aren't literally thousands of golfers out there that would love to know your secret? This one technique of yours could take their game to an entirely different level! What do you think that is worth to golf lovers struggling with their game? Think you don't have what it takes to create a product? You do. It's that simple, end of story. Before I created the AmazingCloaker, I was clueless as what my product was going to be. I took a study course by James Brausch called the "Info Product Creation" Course. He steps you through the entire process of creating a product starting with "Brainstorming" and market research. These are both very simple techniques believe it or not, that didn't take much time at all, but made all the difference in the world. This is exactly how the AmazingCloaker was born! The AmazingCloaker allows you to safely secure your affiliate links, but also gives you the power to generate extra profits using the cloaking techniques in my free report available on my main page. As I create more products, I will likely make this (or another) blog my central point for promoting all my products. James Brausch is creating a video product in his course, and he lets you "sit in" via 5 hours plus, of videos during the whole process from start to finish! Creating a video product is what I would also remcommend even if you're a programmer like me. The advantage of video products are that they have a higher perceived value and can be created much quicker than if you were writing an eBook or a software application. Support is also not so much of an issue. One thing that keeps affiliate marketers from stepping up to their own products is because they don't have to deal with support issues. eBooks & Audios / Videos will minimize support issues. Pricing is also very important. Don't price your product too low! You want to attract quality buyers. Selling something too cheap will devalue your information and people won't take you seriously. Not only this, but you will tend to attract the lowly bottom feeders that will waste your time with all types of petty issues. You don't need that. You are not a non-profit orginization! We are in business to become a member of the 2%'ers. We want to free ourselves from the bonds of the "wage slave" lifestyle! Am I right? So don't sell yourself short because of a lack of confidence. You want to start attracting quality people and positive influences into your life. Another thing to consider is releasing your product on DVD. You might be thinking, "Are you crazy Jack?! That would cost a fortune!" Up until I read about what James Brausch is doing with DVD products, I thought the same thing. It turns out that you can have your product produced on a CD / DVD through a third party company who will produce & package the CD complete with graphics, shrink wrap it and even handle the order page and mailing! It all comes out to around 2 bucks per disk and a few bucks for shipping if you have them ship it to your customers. They will even ship and properly barcode your products to Amazon if you are participating in the Amazon Avantage program! You simply download the software provided by Kunaki and design your CD/DVD with the builder using built-in templates, or your own graphics. Upload the info with your media and you're good to go! It's actually cheaper to produce your product this way! I am seriously considering offering the AmazingCloaker as a CD based product and getting into the Amazon Advantage program. If you haven't considered selling your products via Amazon, you should seriously consider it. Amazon gets 55% of the sale. Now before you click off this site thinking I've lost my mind for splitting 55% with them, think about this. If you were affiliating out your info product, you would have to do a 50 – 65% split with your affiliates to get a respectable amount of affiliates to push your product. This is no different, except that you have Amazon "affiliating" with you. This is like getting a Super Affiliate representing your product with thousands of targeted visitors every day! Ok, now you know what to do, so what are you waiting for? Stop what you're doing right now, get the Info Product Creation Course and start creating!!!!
Recommended Book
The Irresistible offer by Mark Joyner is recommended reading by James Brausch. It's available from Amazon.com at a very reasonable price. Check it out!
11 Reasons Why You Should Keep Your J.O.B.
Why the heck would you want personal and financial freedom when it's so much more comfortable to have a J.O.B.? Here's 11 advantages to keeping your J.O.B. 11. If things go wrong, you can blame someone else 10. It's nice to be patted on the head in appreciation for your 70 hour weeks 9. You can keep a low profile and blend in with 4 billion other people 8. You can avoid those menacing beaches in the Bahamas and that awful sunshine 7. You can maintain a healthy marriage with your TV set in the evenings 6. That six-pack just goes down better after a hard day's labor 5. Making someone else rich gives you a warm fuzzy feeling inside 4. Patterns of complacency are comfortable, kinda like that morning slumber 3. Invisible Handcuffs like Health Insurance, 401k plan, Vacation days are just plain comfortable 2. The alarm clock industry would be devastated if everyone quit their J.O.B.s 1. You don't have to mess with stuff like quality time with your wife and kids or that life of joy. Give that 2/3 of your life to "the Man" instead. Ok, are you ready to give yourself a promotion and devote more time to your business or keep it as business as usual? Everything in life is YOUR choice. Your current situation whether good or bad was created by your past actions and decisions. A good start is giving your TV the heave-ho. I've also been guilty of letting the TV distract me as background noise once in a while even though I'm not much of a fan. Regular mindless television will merely contribute to your complacency and brainwashing. Think of it as a life sucking vampire bent on keeping you down in the cycle of debt. If you only watch TV 2 hours a day, that adds up to 14 hours a week, or 28 days of your life every year! Now let's assume that you take this same 2 hours every day and apply it towards reaching your goal of a prosperous internet business. Maybe you're new to the game. Now you've just claimed back that 14 hours a week to learn the ropes. You have to ask yourself what's more important? Your television, or your financial and personal freedom? When you're old and haggard are you going to look back on your life knowing that you did your best, or cry about all the time that you pissed away wallowing in the world of TV? Now is the time to do something about it! Stop right now and make your master plan for what you will do today. Don't get worked up about accomplishing everything in one day. Take it one step at a time, keep focused on your goals, and stay away from the "gurus" with the latest and the greatest. If you can get a mentor who has already made it, all the better. Now go build your empire!