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Search Status Plugin On Firefox Gives Readings For Page Rank

by on July 30, 2010 in Uncategorized

Just came across this really useful little plugin for Firefox.

Go here – http://www.quirk.biz/searchstatus/

download the plugin for free. What it does is to give you a reading of Page Rank and Alexa ranking for every site you go on to. Once it’s downloaded, look in the right hand corner of your web page. There you’ll see two bars, one for Page Rank, the other for Alexa. Low page rank run from 0-10. The nearer to 10 the better your ranking.

If you click on the symbol before the Page Rank bar, which looks a bit like an @ sign with a p in it, you can pull up more information on the page you’re on, such as info on indexed pages and backward links.

Why would you want this plugin?

Well, mainly for researching old domains. If you’re keen on an old domain but its page rank is poor, you might want to buy your own new one. If it’s already rated 2 or 3, buying that domain will give you a leg up, so to speak. Foir domain purchases, the Whois button on the drop down menu is useful as it tells you when the domain was registered and when it’ll expire. Very useful for working out the domain age if this info isn’t provided by the vendor. And of course, the higher the backward link count, the better the domain.

You can find a video tutorial on more of the plugin’s features here.

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Underground Traffic Blueprint

Underground Traffic Blueprint

by on July 28, 2010 in Uncategorized

The Ultimate Traffic Generation System

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Ryan Deiss and ‘Grey Hat’ Techniques

by on July 25, 2010 in Uncategorized

Ryan Deiss is something of an seo expert and he’s just published two reports – ‘Perpetual Traffic Report’ and ‘The Authority Codes’ – which go some way to alleviating the worry over changing Google algorhythms and Google slaps.

He points out that consumers are moving away from sponsored and ppc ads and instead going for organic search results. While ppc ads are getting 1-2% of clicks, position 10 on the organic search is getting 3%.

In the first report he notes there’s a move away from Google ad words and back to seo. Go to his site and watch him talk to you about what he calls the ‘Ranking Triad’ – the relationship between Content, Links & Activity. It’s an entertaining delivery, too.

Ryan asks, How can you combine Black Hat and White Hat techniques in such a way as to create a solid foundation for your business with some automation involved while not pissing off Google? So, ‘Grey Hat’, anyone?

His answer – The Authority Codes.

.EDU and .GOV links on super popular and respected sites are usually seen as IMPOSSIBLE to get until now -

With the Authority Codes it’s easy, and the ‘codes’ are FREE through Ryan.

You can grab a copy of the Authority Codes here.

According to Ryan, just one of these powerful links could move your site on Google, Yahoo or Bing by as much as 100 positions OVERNIGHT!

He also has some free software to go with this. If you know how to open an air file, please tell me! I guess I’ll have to google that one…

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When you feel like jacking it in, that’s when you step it up even more

by on July 22, 2010 in Uncategorized

If you’ve been in internet marketing for even as long as six months, I’d be surprised if you haven’t had a day or two when you’ve thought to yourself, Sod this.

Information overload. Are you there yet? An inbox every morning stuffed with so many-money making possibilities your brain is beginning to seize up even after two strong coffees. You buy this new system. Then that new system. They pile up like dirty washing. And, later that week, before you’ve opened systems 1 and 2, you’ve bought system 3. And you still haven’t gotten round to writing a post on your blog this week, or emailing your facebook group, or putting in an appearance on – how many twitter accounts do you have?! Oh, and then there’s the forums you’re supposed to be taking an interest in…

If only someone would tell you how to focus. How to do more marketing and less scratching around…

As if that weren’t enough, eyes burning red from hours in front of your screen, you tune in to somebody on a webinar who kindly reminds you – yet again – that 95% of people in internet marketing aren’t making any money. Someone else that same day tells you it’s more like 98% who are not making any money. Oh,boy. Were you ever in the top 2% at school? This doesn’t look good. Where’s the whiskey?

So let’s pause a minute. The business. You’re running a business, remember? So what do you need most of all? People. Subscribers. That’s where your focus should be.

Now, part of building that business lies in – yes, you’ve probably heard it before – taking action. Normally you have to follow up with your prospect several times before they order from you. Are you pestering them? Well, that’s a fair question. So take some time to make your second and third email a little different from each other. Each time a little more persuasive. Break up the sales letters, be friendly once in a while without seeking any gain.

There’s an art to it – but you only learn it by doing it.

Or, of course, by talking with a mentor. The best online marketers have learnt from a mentor. In my experience, few of them are great writers, but many of them have learnt how to write good, or even great copy, by copying from their mentors.

The successful online marketers aren’t afraid of failure and are totally committed to getting going, not getting it right. You don’t have to get a business right the first time round, but you do have to broadcast your message on a regular basis – and with style (or at least some passion;) – or you’ll never make more than pocket money.

In many ways it doesn’t matter what you market – low ticket or high ticket – it matters you keep doing it. And every now and then, just because you keep doing it, you’ll break through a wall, you’ll pick up a nugget of information that will give you a little more leverage than you had before and perhaps just enough so that you no longer think of throwing the towel in.

It’s really down to a question of your stamina. If you want it bad enough, you’ll get it. Now, I couldn’t say the same of the arts, (I’ve written 4 novels and had one published in spite of having a good agent), but I think with marketing, there are certain lessons you can learn which, once applied, and refined, will almost guarantee you success.

So, when you next feel like chucking it in, taking a deep breath and tell yourself you’re going to step it up. And at the end of the day, go and do some yoga!

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Internet marketing scams

by on July 22, 2010 in Uncategorized

When you first approach the world of internet marketing, you can’t help thinking, This can’t be real… this has gotta be a scam. Rhymes with spam, man. And, in most cases, you’d be right. But guess what, you so wanna believe you’re wrong;)

So you go for this… and that… and wo, there’s another one! Chase it down… into a dark alley. Damn, lost my money again…

Was it a scam?

OK, this is my honest take on it. I’m not going to go into specific cases – you can read a very good article citing examples clicking here – but stay with me a minute, come back to that link, after this.

Most internet marketing opportunities aren’t literally scams. They are probably just imperfect systems. They require ideal conditions in order for you to gain from them. Let’s take mlm. Your average mlm, home-based opportunity requires you to get people to join your team. – But for what?

The chance to make some money, dumbhead.

OK. I get that. But what are you selling?

Cue laughter. The chance to be in my downline, stupid.

Your what?

Yeah, you know, my downline, man, it’s like part of a chain that goes 5 levels deep. No, 7. I forget. But it’s cool. You just have to recruit your entire family – and that aunt you never speak to – and you’re doing fine.

And that’s marketing?

Er, yeah, kinda. Get with the program, man.

And you could sell a new product with this, er, downline of yours?

Hey, man, don’t be so negative…

OK, so maybe it’s not that easy to sell these ‘opportunities’, and maybe they’re really little more than pushing money and emails around. And if you have big network of sometimes gullible friends, you can make some money. But what happens when the ‘opportunity’ and your downline gets tired?

Who cares, as long as I made enough money, right?

OK, so this is where I interrupt. I’m serious about becoming a better entrepreneur. I’m serious about being able to take any business and do the marketing for that product or service. No matter what. I am serious about becoming an expert in lead generation. And I am serious about helping other people achieve the same – or even better.

So what about these high ticket, direct marketing schemes, or systems, or whatever they’re called? These guys are charging big bucks for joining like this YourNetBiz thing of yours.

Why the high ticket? Well, that’s the business model. That’s all. YourNetBiz offer a lot of value and a lot of support. When you join my team, for instance, you gain instant access to The Six Figure Mentors -which is an excellent EXTRA resource you wouldn’t get with any other high ticket item I know of.  Would you expect to go to a college or university to study online marketing and pay only $97? Exactly.

The point is, with YourNetBiz, you can learn in your spare time, AND DO SOME MARKETING, too. And when you start to generate sales, your commissions will be higher than anything you’d see on an affiliate program. This is the busines model. It works.

Does it mean I have to, like, work at it?

Yep. At the beginning, you most certainly have to put the time in. If you don’t, you wont’ get results and you may even give up thinking, Oh, hell, it was just a scam. You have to study and you have to take action. But you know what, when you start attracting leads, when people start to see you’re here to help, they will happily pay what you’re asking…

What I do with YourNetBiz is I coach people and turn them into entrepreneurs, not email pushers. You have a choice, either you want to take it up a level or stay where you are. The internet is growing at 10% a year in the US. If you’re at all business-minded, you have to conquer this environment. Yes, you probably could muddle through on your own – but why go solo when you can work with someone with years of experience in marketing and multiply your chances for success? And make money while you’re at it;)

But how do I know who’s a good mentor and who’s a bad mentor?

Simple, listen to your gut. Get to know the guy before you sign up. I wouldn’t take on a new team member until he or she had visited my site at least 3 or 4 times. I don’t look for dilettantes. When I signed up to my mentor I’d watched at least half a dozen of his videos and returned several times to his site.

OK, this guy has something, I thought. Let’s do it. But only then. People who get scammed? On the whole they rush into things. So, if you’re reading this, I’d say, take your time, look around, come back here, open a dialogue, weigh things up. Then I’ll know you’re ready…

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Ten tips on how to write persuasive copy in internet marketing

by on July 17, 2010 in Uncategorized

How do you get your reader to quickly identify with your point of view. That’s to say, how do you get a reader to trust you? Well the obvious answer would be to make them an offer they can’t refuse. But that still leaves the question, how do you do that?

It helps if you’ve a natural flair for writing, or even story telling – the best salesmen always tell a good story. But if you’re neither of those, there are techniques you can use that will draw your reader in. I’m a fairly seasoned copywriter, but I’m still coming across clever sales techniques that hook a reader and get him to stay a little longer with the story you’re telling.

Here are ten of the most recognized strategies in the game.

Say it again

Most of us don’t like repetition. It gets on our nerves. And yet, the funny thing is, in a sales situation it’s kind of comforting. It starts to create ‘a ring of truth’ to what is being said. Of course, you can do too much and you can do it in such a way you begin to confuse rather than persuade. So say it again in different ways, perhaps throwing in a story or example to support your point. For my money, this technique should be used sparingly. True, some people can be bludgeoned into submission, but you risk losing your reader if your repetition – and therefore your style – starts to get in the way of your communication. Point at the front, point repeated in the middle and end is absolutely enough on a sales page – and too much in an email!

In terms of seo, repetition will help raise the density of the keywords you are bidding on.

Get quickly to saying ‘Why’

‘Why should I read this, considering your offer? I don’t even know you. Why?’ That’s what a reader is thinking in his or her subconscious. Answer? Because. And what’s because all about? The benefits. The solution you’re providing. Your reader wants to see those within a few seconds of hitting your sales page or you’re toast. So for the ‘why’ side of your copy, you want to make use of bullet points and subheads so people can see at a glance the benefits you have waiting for them on the other side.

Your Why could also include ‘proof’ of what you’re saying is true. Personally, I get a little tired of seeing other people’s earnings as a screengrab – they strike me as slightly demeaning of the reader. At school, we called it showing off. Although every marketer will justify his showing off as ‘providing evidence’ for me this kind of thing is so ubiquitous as to be almost meaningless. To my mind, it should be self-evident from the website’s look and feel and the tone of voice that this person knows what he or she is talking about.

Say it with empathy

Let your reader know you’ve been in his or her situation. You understand his or her problem. You’ve been there, but with due diligence you’ve found a way out of your situation – the one your reader is still stuck in – and improved your life and NOW you want to pass on some of your knowledge to improve your reader’s life. Why? Because it feels good helping other people. Writing with empathy also requires you to agitate your readers. Remind them of their own frustrations, get them a little rattled. We become more impulsive when we’re a little heated, don’t we. And when we get impulsive in a sales situation with think, ‘Hang it all!’ and reach for the credit card. Me, included!

Of course don’t forget to be on point for having the solution for the agitation you’ve created, and don’t go waffling on about irrelevant stuff just when you’re so close to closing anyway!

Say it with humor

By which I don’t mean crack jokes. I’m referring to the art of self-deprecation. What you’re doing here is you’re showing your readers that you have the self-awareness to see life not just from your own point of view. You might be an expert but you are not arrogant or smug. Which is equivalent to saying: you are probably trustworthy. I say, ‘probably’, because you still have to prove you are about to deliver great benefits along with your likeable demeanor;)

What do other people say?

In a word – testimonials. Quote your students, your team members, your friends – it doesn’t matter, really, no one’s going to check out your testimonial for its veracity, but if it looks good, your readers will buy into it. All but the most cynical will think, ‘Oh, he’s got fans, it must be OK!’ What do you say to $10,000 a month and a better lifestyle? That’s right, get your readers thinking optimistically about their future. This thing you buy now can actually bring you a better future should be one of your key messages, (especially with a high ticket item). Let’s cherish them that thought for a moment. But don’t overcook it, or you’ll start to lose credibility. Make ‘the dream’ sound entirely achievable not fantastical.

Say, Welcome to the tribe

We all have an innate feeling of wanting to belong to a group, don’t we? Even better if that group presents itself as caring and knowledgeable. Key to this technique is getting your readers to ask themselves, ‘Where could I be in a year’s time if I joined this group?’And, just as importantly, ‘What will I have missed out on it if I don’t?’ Instil a little fear, but do it with subtlety (and empathy) or you will alienate your reader. Say it out loud Anticipate your readers’ objections. So say them out loud. It’s another form of empathy, isn’t it? You’re saying, ‘Hey, I know what you’re thinking, and I’ve thought about this too, but you know what…’

Say it like it’s a good story

Why do we love stories so much? Because they provide us with moments of escape, moments when we can identify with other people, moments when we can forgive and forget… The marketer’s story, if told well, and not at great length, can draw us in and let us be persuaded. The story somehow stands as something bigger than any of us, it has mythical weight, and we accept it as such. Our acceptance makes us receptive to being sold to.

Say it so they want more

This technique is particularly effective in an email to your subscribers. You introduce your subject, outline a few useful tips and then provide a link to website from where they can acquire more useful tips.

OK, so those were my top ten tips. What would you like to add to the pile?

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Sometimes even large companies don’t have a clue about internet marketing

by on July 14, 2010 in Uncategorized

I had an interesting meeting today. A copywriter friend had recommended me to a guy involved in data capture for a big pharmaceutical client. This guy, A, called me up to discuss first of all whether I’d be interested in creating a few press ads for him. Sure, I said. What do you need? I proposed a meeting in London, West End, and he agreed to that.

We met in a ‘Scandinavian’ cafe in Gt. Titchfield Street called Kaffeiene – picture a narrow cafe with lots of wood – and ordered our coffees. (Great coffee by the way). So we sat at a tall, narrow table and A. took out a recent ad that he said he was hoping to improve on for his client. Fairly boring, but not as bad as the other he’d shown me which looked more like an ad for Quickfit than anything remotely medical.

So A’s task was to attract people to sign up for a drug trial. (I shan’t be specific, for obvious reasons, this is a confidential brief). I took notes – top benefits first, secondary next, and tone of voice… What was interesting to both of us was that his client had only got as far as local press and radio but hadn’t even contemplated internet marketing. This is a million dollar company we’re talking about!

I scribled down some suggestions – squeeze pages, giveaways, facebook pages, ppc and facebook ads, article writing… To my mind, fairly basic stuff, and yet… this company is still in the 1990s…

We couldn’t help remarking how ironic it was that a company that has some of the most innovative minds in research has some of the most conservative minds in marketing. They throw thousands at research and thousands in the bin on their rather outdated marketing.

Anyway, what had looked like a two-three day job writing some ads may now become something a lot bigger – a proper integrated campaign. Which just goes to show how important it is to meet people whenever you possibly can. Had we done everything over the phone we might not have explored the brief further. Of course that isn’t always possible, but it seems to me we become increasingly lazy about the face-to-face. Skype is great, but even then it doesn’t – and shouldn’t wherever possible – replace a meeting in a cafe, with good coffee, and pen and paper and a handshake at the end of it all. All kinds of things can come up in a face-to-face that will remain latent in an mail or phone call. And of course trust grows quicker when you can look a person in the eye.

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Learn Internet Marketing With A Generous Marketing Mentor

by on July 9, 2010 in Uncategorized

Is this anything like your story?

You tripped over a url one day – like a bit.ly or a tinyurl – something about a fantastic system generation Mr P $100,000 a month on auto pilot, maybe you were on twitter or facebook… anyway, whatever, and that link took you tumbling down a well till you landed on a – guess what – a landing page. Otherwise known as a squeeze page, or lead capture page. This funny looking, solitary page with lots of red type and quotes was so ripe with plumy messages, you couldn’t help but type in your name and email and downloaded your ebook or report, and maybe you went on straight away to buy your first product … and then you did it again… and again… and again…

…until you’d wake up mornings to find your inbox littered with bold messages, promising easy ways to wealth and abundance… And so  you got hooked, chasing this online income, these easy pickings you’d been reading about, eyes nearly popping out of your head… but somehow – were you jinxed or something – it seemed everyone else was making money and you were just spending it.

Work from home became work-from-home hell

If you haven’t already discovered it, you possibly know the solution already: you need a mentor. A coach. Some training. And not just any old mentor, a mentor who is going to make him or herself truly available AFTER he or she’s sold you his system, his product – because all mentors have them.

So don’t struggle alone – no, life’s too short.

Get a generous marketing mentor to help you

Why do I say generous? Because if he or she isn’t, he or she doesn’t really understand the value of attraction marketing. To attract people – to market, to make money – you have to be generous.  It’s quite simple really.

Internet marketing has a lot to offer – money, freedom, the fun of helping others dump their boring day jobs and move on to something that gives them more satisfaction… But it takes work to get there.

Information overload?

If you are just starting out in internet marketing, chances are you are already overloaded with information. You could have been working at this game for a few months and still made little money.

You have a vague idea what seo is. You muck around with google’s keyword tool and make a list. That’ll do it, you think. A week later you wake up to see you’ve just spent $200 dollars and still haven’t got a sale. I’ve been there. All the gurus have too. Again: solution: a generous marketing mentor.

Working hard and getting nowhere just doesn’t feel fair, does it. The damnest thing is, you know you have it in you to be a successful entrepreneur. Hell, you’d settle for a few hundred dollars a month just now.

How to get ahead in internet marketing

If that’s how you feel, you have to take action. And that means you need to learn internet marketing from a generous marketing mentor who will stick by you and bring you on, introduce you to his network, keep feeding you marketing tips and encouragement.

Did I say a few hundred dollars a month back there? OK, let’s think bigger now. Six figures big. Think that’s not possible? You and six figures? Believe me, it is possible. You just have to take action. And keep taking action. With your generous marketing mentor by your Skype.

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Find the right online marketing mentor for YOU and you’ll start making money

by on July 9, 2010 in Uncategorized

You’ve probably heard of people talking about personal branding. But how do you brand yourself when you aren’t even an expert yet, when you aren’t a known commodity, like Heinz or Playboy? Good question.

The answer is actually quite simple: find an online (marketing) mentor you feel comfortable with. Someone who gets back to you when you’re stuck. Someone who shows you what he’s learnt and is learning (even the experts never stop learning). And finding that online mentor is without doubt quite a personal thing.

As a mentor, myself, it’s one of the reasons why I never try to ‘sell’ what I’m offering.  It’s almost like a date situation. The harder the guy tries to win the girl the more he alienates her. It’s just got to flow. So what should you look for in deciding which mentor to go for?

  • Reliability. If you pick up a sense that this mentor is just fishing for more residual income through having another member join his/her team, you could probably do better elsewhere. This mentor might not be for life, but he or she will have to be for the life of your getting on your feet in this business, or you will struggle.
  • A certain expertise. When you visit the site of someone promoting themselves as an internet marketing mentor, read their stuff. Are they informative, helpful, teaching you anything? Or is it all self-promotion wrapped up to look like tuition. What evidence do you have – apart from this mentor telling you in a video – that he or she deserves the title of mentor?
  • The mentor’s primary company – is it reputable? Do some research and ask the mentor for an honest take on the company he or she works for, or with.
  • The product. Is it a product you feel you can sell?
  • Do you have a sense this mentor is genuinely eager to include you in more than a bunch of video tutorials? Will he be getting you together with other entrepreneurs, what kinds of networking events, online or face to face, can you look forward to? This experience wants to feel like the beginning of not just one but several opportunities.
  • Most mentors in my experience come with a ‘high ticket item’ – that’s to say you buy the product you’re going to be selling as a sort of membership fee. What you’ll typically get for that fee is access to:
  • A suite of digital products that will help you with internet marketing
  • An extensive online library of video tutorials, webinars, ebooks etc.
  • A network of entrepreneurs
  • Links and other tools that will help you promote yourself and other businesses you may be involved in

Once you have found a mentor you trust and get on with, together with YourNetBiz tour high ticket item, focus on a few set tasks to begin with. Don’t scatter yourself in the early days. Be consistent. Even two hours a day, every day is better than 14 on the weekend and nothing during the week. Think of the early days like learning to play an instrument. Your body and mind isn’t used to holding a guitar or violin. Grow the calluses before you turn your finger tips raw. So let’s say you’re all set up. You’ve followed the video tutorials, read some of the ebooks and you’re ready to get marketing. Now a good mentor will be there for you as you go along. There are some who disappear at this point. Not cool. Again, this is why you don’t want to rush in to joining the first nice guy you come across. Nice doesn’t always mean reliable.

Remember, though, your mentor also has a life, and also doesn’t have the answer to every little question on internet marketing. The main thing is you have a dialog and can work it through together.

With time, you’ll start to build a list and have prospect of your own. You won’t need quite so much ‘hand-holding’ – but a good mentor will stay in touch; you never know when you might need each other on some other venture. If you’re willing to work and work closely with a MENTOR who is willing to help you maximize your strengths, it won’t be long before you start reaping the rewards you deserve.

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Personal branding

by on July 9, 2010 in Uncategorized

I’ve been reading about personal branding today – google’s top rankings on the subject. Expert Dan Schwabel has some pertinent tips on the subject and I wouldn’t disagree with any of his points. But I would say you could simplify this subject. Some people get paid nice chunks of money to analyse who you are and turn you into a ‘brand’.  The media makes us believe we need to fork out thousands of dollars for the privilege of discovering what our personal brand really is. It’s very easy to read all the advice and the analyses and end up feeling, ‘Well, I’ll never be a brand then, I’m just not extrovert enough and can’t afford the Armani suit.’

To develop personal branding, I submit, it’s mostly a business of distilling the POSITIVE YOU from the everyday you. And then turning that essence into persuasion. In many ways it doesn’t matter what type of person you are – quirky, funny, emphatic, sweet, girl-next-door, down-to-earth lad…

The fun part comes from tapping into those parts of you you like, those parts you know your friends and family like. And yes, warts and all. If you can harness those qualities and put them into communicating to people who show an interest in your business, you have the beginnings of a personal brand.

Take Richard Branson. Son of a rich man, had it easy – that’s what people were no doubt saying in his early days. But the guy had passion,  and when he turned a New Oxford Street basement record store into a chain of record stores and a record label, people forgot about his privileged past and locked in on that very British quality he exuded in abundance – that of the (nutty?) explorer. You look at the Virgin brand today. They write the best copy out there. I’m a senior copywriter – and I tell you, I read their copy. Because it’s the best. It’s direct, it’s passionate and not afraid of pushing the communication frontier. Virgin are always ahead of everyone else. So all their copywriters are writing with a certain passion, a certain cheekiness – cheekiness with intelligence, though – because they have been given the license to push the envelope by the spirit of entrepreneurship that Branson projects – his frontiersman spirit of going round the globe in a balloon.

So, to bring things back to you, and your efforts in creating a personal brand, just think about those positive qualities your family appreciate in you. (Let’s hope there’s one or two!) Then work those qualities into your communications with the outside world. And guess what, you’ll have discovered your personal brand.

As a thank you for reading this post, here’s a free report on attraction marketing – relevant to the above.

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