Need Help Setting Up Your Website With Wordpress?

My friend, Angela Wills, is giving a free webinar where she will give you three keys to setting up your Wordpress blog for success.

You know I advocate using ONLY Wordpress for your site, you can read my post eons ago here about what I think about Wordpress – I know, that was a long time ago but since that time Wordpress has only gotten better and better. You shouldn’t even consider any other way to set-up your site.

So, back to the reason for my post – if you still don’t have your site set-up, you must sit-in on Angela’s free webinar. Here are the details:

So You Want to Make Money With WordPress?
I’ll Give You THREE Keys to Setting Up
WordPress For Success & Profits!

LIVE Webinar Monday, April 2nd at 8pm ET!

Click HERE now to REGISTER!

Register for this webinar and you will:

• Learn 3 keys to setting Wordpress up for success
• Receive a video recording of webinar
• Receive a PDF Transcript of webinar

Since Wordpress is FREE, there’s nothing to lose. Click the link now and register for this incredibly informative webinar.

Click HERE now to REGISTER!

Hope to see you there!

Reba

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Who Knew? Maybe You Can Write After All

Photo by http://www.planetofsuccess.com/blog/

When it comes to internet marketing you will find that you must be able to produce content for your website. Some people are natural-born writers, all they have to do is hold a pen up to paper and the words start flowing. And then there are people who struggle to write even a few paragraphs.

Developing your own unique writing style will help set your writing apart from others, even if you fall into the group of people that finds writing difficult. Here are five suggestions to help develop your writing style.

1.  The best writers have a love of words and are avid readers. Believe it or not, reading is a great way to develop your writing style. The types of things you enjoy reading are probably things you would enjoy writing.

Reading other peoples’ writing will also give you insights on your own writing. As you read, some authors’ styles will seem to pop out at you as very good or very bad. You probably have a writing style similar to the authors you enjoy reading.

2.  What are your writing strengths? Some people are great at writing news-oriented stories, while some people prefer to write reviews and opinion pieces. If you like to teach people things, your writing strength could be how-to articles. If you enjoy coming up with slogans and catchy headlines, you might be a natural when it comes to copywriting. There are many types of writing to explore.

3.  In order to develop your writing style, you need to practice. Try writing something everyday. The more you write, the easier it will get. Experiment with different styles and techniques. You will see some types of writing come easier to you. Blogs and journals are a great way to get writing practice.

These “practice writings” don’t need to be masterpieces, and you can delete what you write if you want. The point is to keep your writing muscles flexed by exercising them a little each day. Your natural strengths will come out as you try different forms of writing.

4.  Embrace your personality and voice as you write. Use words that you would use when you speak. If your writing sounds unnatural and awkward, your reader will be turned off. Let your personality come out in your writing. Have a conversation with your readers as you would with someone you were speaking to face to face. If you like talking about certain subjects, write about them.

5.  Free writing can also help you develop your unique style. Sit down in a quiet place and set a timer for five to ten minutes. Clear your head and start writing what comes to your mind, and keep writing until time runs out. Don’t worry about grammar or spelling. Just write whatever you think of.

When the timer goes off, read over what you have written. It may not make sense, but it can give you ideas for other things to write about.

Writing is a necessity for an online business. Even if you think you will outsource your writing, it is still important for you to be able to put an article or blog post on the screen, or reply to an email. Use some of the suggestions above to strengthen your writing skills and make your online business better for it.

Until next time ~

Reba

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It’s Been A While But I’m Back Now

It’s been quite a while since I posted on this site but I always knew I’d be back. Over the years I’ve had a bunch of sites and year before last year I went through my files and took them all down, all but this one. I didn’t take down this site  because I LOVE internet marketing, I guess you could say it’s my passion.

At the time when I decided to take down my sites, I had just been promoted at my job and it was taking a lot of time and energy to get my new department turned around. I didn’t have any energy left to do internet marketing. I’d get home at 7 or 8 at night after being at the office for up to 12 hours that day.  I had nothing left. So, I had to decide where my focus would go and at the time it was to my day job, which pays me a good salary.

Now fast forward to the present, my day job is the same job but my department is under control and has been for a while. I know the systems and processes I implemented  like the back of my hand. I arrive at 8 in the morning and leave promptly at 5. Since we moved closer to where we work, I’m home at 5:30. Additionally, our daughter graduated from college where she played volleyball for four years, and we don’t even travel to watch her play any longer. I now have some time and I’m feeling the itch to come back and build my online empire !

So I thought I’d make this post to let anyone who might be subscribed to my feed know that I’m back and they will start seeing posts again. Sometime in the next couple of weeks I’m going to sit down and make a plan and set a direction for this site and I’ll post that information then. I would be working on it this weekend but on Tuesday morning my hard drive crashed so I ordered a new computer (the one that crashed was old, I really needed a new one anyway). I should get it tomorrow and I imagine I’ll spend the weekend downloading my stuff from Carbonite (I LOVE CARBONITE) and loading up all my software. I’m not sure what I’ll do about all my saved passwords but oh well, I guess I’ll figure them out as I go. Once all that’s done, then my mind will be free to do some planning.

I want to thank everyone (if there is anyone) who is reading this post. Thank you for sticking with me, I know I’ve been a little undependable. I’m hoping to correct that image of me in your eyes.

I’m also going to send out this post as an email and give all subscribers the opportunity to unsubscribe.

Thanks again and I’ll be talking to you again within the next couple of weeks.

Reba

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New FTC Rules

I haven’t read much about the new FTC rules that became law yesterday, but I thought I’d pass on a couple of good links to other blog posts talking about the subject. I’ll update this post with more links as I run across them and comment when I know more about how to deal with the rules.

http://blogs.forrester.com/marketing/2009/10/the-end-of-marketerblogger-relationships.html

http://masscontrolsite.com/blog/?p=59

Until later…

Reba

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Don’t Be Afraid To Promote To Your List

The Internet Marketing Sweetie line of fantastic products is expanding again. Just a little while back I talked about the Information Product Sweetie course and was going to get back to you with a review. Please forgive me that I never got back with the review, my daughter’s college volleyball season started and we’re so busy traveling to watch her play that I can’t see straight (she’s a senior, it’s our last year).

Since then, Melissa Ingold has taken the reigns and launched a  new product that I think is important to let you know about since it teaches something that I’m not very good at, email marketing. I thought maybe some of you might need training in that area as well and this new ‘Sweetie’ product fits the bill, it’s called Email Marketing Sweetie.

Yeah, I’m guilty. I have a list, many of you have subscribed, but other than the initial emails you get when you first signed-up, you’ve never heard from me. That’s because I prefer to post here, on my blog, it just seems easier for me. But establishing a quality, long-lasting relationship with my subscribers is important to me, so I’m going to be making some changes soon. I hope you will learn from my experience and start using email to better the relationship with your readers and customers as well as increase your revenue along the way.

For me, and maybe for many of you, establishing that relationship may seem like a daunting task, but I’m learning from Email Marketing Sweetie that it is absolutely critical in order to maintain a successful online business. Heck, I get emails from marketers all the time and they aren’t intrusive in the least, in fact, I enjoy getting most of the information that is sent out. Selling can be intimidating for many of us and selling to your list can be even harder. But if you want to have an online business, tapping into your customer-base is one of the most lucrative resources you have. Not utilizing that resource can be detrimental to your success.

Now, if you have not yet made an attempt to promote your business to your subscribers, you can’t act hastily by inundating them with an onslaught of email promotions. Start out slow and test the waters first. An initial email letting them know you will be sending them valuable offers will open the lines of communication and lessen the shock value of advertisements appearing in their in-boxes. This is an opportunity to sell yourself and your business while gaining their trust before the “sales” even begin.

I was informed of an upcoming membership launch that could prove to be very valuable to my readers. Before that launch (that I’m going to promote by email), I plan to send out an email letting my subscribers know that I’m going to start sending them emails more often. That will ease them into the fact that they will begin to hear from me on a more regular basis. That way any subscriber who truly is not interested in receiving my promotional offers will have the opportunity to unsubscribe.

Is it scary? Sure, but if I want my internet business to flourish, I will need to get over the fear. The information I plan to send is very useful and my readers will miss out if I don’t let them know about what’s happening in the internet marketing world that could help them further their businesses.

And that’s the good news, most of the people on my list, and yours too, will most likely appreciate the information. Now, this does not mean that I’ll be sending out multiple offers on a daily basis until my  address is exiled to the world of SPAM. Please, never do that to your list, I know how it feels and I usually unsubscribe, however, it does mean that I will have to stay on top of contacting my list and make a point of doing so frequently enough to stay current and fresh in their minds without filling their in-boxes with clutter.

It is also important to maintain a balance between content-driven emails and those containing promotions. That means that I’ll have to create more content so I have enough to post here on the blog as well as send out to my list. Selling to your list requires a delicate balance. I’ll need to mix it up without mixing messages. In other words, my emails will need to alternate between information and advertising without blending the two. I do not want to take the risk of my message getting lost. I want to continue to be a voice my subscribers can trust without becoming too sales-driven. I also want to make sure my promotions are clear without getting lost in content.

I’m thinking it will be good to send one promotion for every two or three information-driven emails. This way, I will not come across as overbearing but will still be taking advantage of possible revenue-building opportunities.

So join me in my new endeavor and don’t be afraid to promote to your list. It can and will prove to be a lucrative decision.

If you feel like you need help learning how to do email marketing to your list, check out the new Email Marketing Sweetie course. It’s only $27.97 until October 9th, after which it’s regular price will be $47.95. But even if you’re reading this post after October 9th, the course is well worth the regular price.

I’m going through the information now and will report back in a few days with a review.

Click Here to Learn More About
Alice Seba’s “Email Marketing Sweetie” Course

Only $27.95 through October 9th!

Until next time.

Reba

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Develop An ‘Elevator Pitch’ And Tell The World About Your Business

Over the years I’ve heard many business authorities talk about the benefit of preparing an ‘elevator pitch’ for your business. I never much cared to write one, much less deliver a ‘pitch’ in an elevator of all places, so I didn’t participate. For heaven’s sake, an elevator is not a place where you want to talk to other people, right? Aren’t we all supposed to fixate on the numbers as they change when moving from floor to floor?

All kidding aside, what I didn’t realize is that developing an ‘elevator pitch’ is not so much about where it’s delivered as much as it is about knowing what your business does and being able to tell others. It’s about taking your company’s main focus out of the obscure recesses of your head and putting it into words for the world to hear. Come to find out, doing this isn’t always an easy task.

When the ‘time’ presents itself, and it will present itself, having a memorized ‘elevator pitch’ for your business will help you communicate what your business does and you won’t have to worry about going off on a long-winded, disjointed, tangent. In fact, a well constructed ‘elevator pitch’ helps others quickly decide whether or not they want to know more about your business. And the fact that you know exactly what to say when that ‘time’ presents itself, gives you a distinctly higher possibility of having your audience want to know more.

One thing I learned while writing the ‘elevator pitch’ for this website is that summing up what your business does is not all you will gain. The process of writing the pitch actually helps you realize what the one most important thing is that you want your customer to know about your business.

What is an ‘elevator pitch’?

An ‘elevator pitch’ is a succinct summation of what your business does. It should be easy to understand and should take no longer to deliver than it takes to ride an elevator to the top of a short building. It should be delivered in such a way that it excites the listener and entices them to want to know more.

How do you write an ‘elevator pitch’?

• Do not use a cookie cutter template that is easy to find on the internet. Make your pitch unique and give it personality.
• An ‘elevator pitch’ is not a sales pitch. Do not allow it to sound cheezy.
• Your pitch must be easy to understand by anyone, even your grandmother. Do not use acronyms or industry jargon.
• The core of your ‘elevator pitch’ should convey benefits to your customer. This is where you should explain why your business is unique and better than your competitors.
• Ensure it is no longer than 30 seconds. This will drive you to focus on what’s most important about your business in the eyes of your customer.
• Lastly, memorize it, rehearse it, inject passion, confidence, and personality.

Delivering your ‘elevator pitch’.

• Practice it, and then practice it again, and then again and again. Out loud in a mirror. Determine how it will be different when delivering it to different audiences and practice it some more. Get to the point where it rolls off your tongue naturally.
• Get over any apprehension you may have about ‘tooting your own horn’. Delivering an ‘elevator pitch’ about YOUR company is all about telling how YOU will deliver.
• Speak at a pace that shows calm confidence. People can be put-off when you speed through a rehearsed speech. Make sure it sounds natural.
• Remember the first rule of sales – ABC – always be closing. Give your speech to everyone, don’t save it for only those you think are customers, you never know when a potential customer is sitting at your table or…standing in the elevator with you.

An effective ‘elevator pitch’ is designed to give its audience enough information that they will know what you’re talking about and then have enough interest to want to know more. It should not overwhelm, intimidate, or make the other person feel dumb. And it should not be so detailed or long that they tune out.

Here’s version 2 of my elevator pitch for Internet Marketing Boomer and I still think it needs work, actually, a lot of work:

“I help internet business owners find success online by explaining and teaching online marketing concepts through the articles I post on Internet Marketing Boomer. I do that by examining, reviewing, reporting and recommending internet marketing knowledge products as well as writing about how to set-up an internet business and website, how to drive traffic to that website, and examining the different options people have to make money online. Basically, with what I write, I help internet business owners find the information they need to succeed online.”

The tag line I’ve developed for my ‘elevator pitch’ is:

“Helping internet business owners find the information they need to succeed online.”

Keep it concise, to the point, and easy to understand. Deliver it with passion, confidence and personality while keeping it shorter than an elevator ride up a short building. Do all that and you will have an ‘elevator pitch’ that not only helped you pinpoint what your business does but will allow you get a lot of people interested as well.

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Information Products Have Major Online Demand

Draw from your experience and knowledge to make money online.

Having information that other people want and can use gives you a virtual treasure that can flow from your experience and knowledge to your keyboard and on to your bank account. We’ve all seen the non-fiction books and information products that fill the shelves at bookstores but online they are especially popular and are filling the needs of millions around the world who are hungry for the advice and insight a little experience and knowledge can provide.

If you are a baby boomer, chances are you have and infinite amount of experience in a plethora of different subjects and areas. The fact that there are scores of people searching the internet to find information at  any given moment, provides you an opportunity to share your knowledge and make a profit as well.  By selling non-fiction information products and sharing your knowledge on a certain subject, you can build an entire line of products that target a single niche of consumers.  Or, you can branch out and offer solutions in a multitude of niches to reach millions of people worldwide who need guidance.

As an online information product provider, you will enjoy keeping almost 100% of the profits for yourself. In the print publishing industry, the author only receives a small portion of the proceeds after agent and publishing house fees. Online is totally different, there’s no agent, you are the publisher, and there are very few expenses involved in setting up a website.

Typically, a non-fiction book at Barnes and Noble would cost the consumer an average of $9.95 to $39.95.  When you sell information products ready for instant download on the internet, quite often depending on the subject matter and your audience, you can demand a higher price.  I personally have purchase information products about internet marketing that cost as much as $1000. In smaller niches outside of the ‘make money’ niche, it will depend on your knowledge and the value of that knowledge. Some eBooks may only bring $4.95 while others may be worth as much a $500 or $1000.

Online digital products do not take up physical space or need to be purchased and shipped which aids in keeping overhead costs low.  Even if you outsource the creation of your information product, you’re still able to recoup the investment after a short period of sales.

Why are consumers so hungry for online information products?  In this age of rapid high-tech development your readers want information now, not the next business day. Your customer may be sitting in an airport, accessing your eBook from their laptop so they can read it on their flight.  If their child is up sick crying from colic at 3:30 in the morning, a mom can’t drive to a bookstore to get a self-help book – but she can go online and download your eBook and put your advice into action within minutes.

Another reason information products are such an attractive purchase online is because they most often come with an ironclad money-back guarantee. This gives the consumer added assurance they are purchasing something they can use, and if not, they don’t have to worry about wasting their money.

If you are seeking a way to make money online, consider developing an information product that will fill a need in an area where you have knowledge and experience. There are many people seeking your knowledge and it could be a very profitable venture for you.

In my next post I will review an information product that will teach you to create information products. The item I will be reviewing is call Information Product Sweetie and was written by Alice Seba. Alice is a well known and respected author and trainer in the ‘work at home mom’ (WAHM) community. Her products are geared at teaching ‘work at home moms’ to run their own online business so they can stay home and care for their children. However, it’s my experience that her products cross-over to most anyone who wants to learn the topic.

Until next time…

Reba

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Create Your Own Products and Sell Them Online

I just ran across a post on Mashable that I thought might interest my readers. It’s called ‘15 Places to Make Money Creating Your Own Products‘. In the article Josh Catone lists 15 print/make-on-demand companies that will make ‘just one’ of just about anything (within reason), and most will drop-ship the item to your customer. Some even give you a place on their site to sell your product.

Below I’ve reprinted the 15 places but be sure to read through the comments on the article at Mashable. The readers have added at least 10 more great sites. With info like this, there’s nothing stopping you from starting your own online business.

Go to Mashable’s article for descriptions of each site.

CafePress -print-on-demand tees, card, mugs, etc.

Zazzle – same as CafePress

Spreadshirt – mostly print-on-demand tees and sweatshirts

PikiStore – same as CafePress and Zazzle

Lulu – print-on-demand books, CDs, DVDs, etc.

CreateSpace – same as Lulu, owned by Amazon

Blurb – print-on-demand books only

TasteBook – print-on-demand personal cookbooks

CDBaby – CDs – lots of Indie Artists use this site

The Game Crafter – make your own board game or card game

SpoonFlower – print fabric with your own custom design

Ponoko – will turn a 3-D drawing into a product-toys, housewares, furniture, jewelry, etc.

Shapeways – same as Ponoko

ImageKind – print-on-demand art and photography

deviantART – same as ImageKind

Enjoy the list and let your imagination run wild!

Until next time…

Reba

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What Makes Twitter SO Hot?

People really love Twitter! There’s evidence everywhere you look, from the Twitter badges on the sidebars of blogs to those who put their Twitter address the signature of forum posts, it’s plain to see, people adore Twitter. Heck, I never see my daughter on FaceBook anymore (what???), she said she rarely logs in because she likes Twitter better. So, what is it that makes this social networking site so lovable? Let’s find out.

The question posed by Twitter, “What are you doing?” has become almost as popular as AOL’s “You’ve got mail.” So much so that it has even caught the eye of offline news mediums such as USA Today, CNN, and ABC. And for those who think Twitter is just a place for computer or Internet geeks, rest assured it’s nothing of the sort.

In some ways, Twitter is like other social networking sites in that it’s a way to interact with like-minded individuals. Whether one is a stay at home mom who craves adult conversation, an at home worker who misses the water cooler chit-chat from past jobs, or a business owner who wants to reach more of their target market, this form of social media fills a need. It makes it easier for people to connect with others in a way they might not have previously been able to.

I follow it on my IPhone at work, of course, I can’t watch it all day, but I do take a look ever so often. My daughter plays college volleyball and Tweets about what’s going on with the team and herself throughout the week. I like to see what she has to say. In addition to watching what’s going on in the internet marketing world, I also follow my political representatives to see what they are currently working on in Austin (I’m in Texas) and Washington D.C..

The fact Twitter is easily accessible and even simpler to navigate makes it a favorite as well. Anyone can create a Twitter account of their own with nothing more than a user name and a password. Once that’s done, it’s easy to customize your profile and begin following other tweeps, as those who use Twitter affectionately call one another. To follow what another person is doing, just visit their page and click the follow button. You’ve now been added as a follower and when you log-in to your account you will see their messages on your screen or timeline as it’s called.

If you want to use Twitter when you’re not at home or if you don’t have access to your computer like I do with my IPhone, it’s no problem. Inside your account you can choose whether to have messages sent via cell phone or instant messenger programs. Just browse to your settings and choose the devices tab and in a few steps you’re good to go. This feature makes it possible to tweet on the go. This is perfect for those who travel frequently or while out and about come across something interesting or amusing that they’d like to share with their followers.

Twitter’s arrival has also led to the creation of different platforms and applications to make it even easier to use. Popular applications include, Twitter Fox, Twhirl, TweetDeck, and TweetMyBlog. Twitter Fox and Twhirl give users who prefer the instant messaging look and feel a way to use Twitter in somewhat the same manner. Twitter Fox is an extension for the Firefox browser and Twhirl is a desktop application.

TweetMyBlog is a way to automatically post updates from a user’s blog to Twitter. In order to use it you need a Twitter account and an RSS feed from your blog. It will automatically post a tweet using your account when your blog is updated.

Tweet Deck is another desktop application that allows for more organization of updates. Instead of posting all tweets one right after the other, it allows the user to organize tweets into separate columns within the application. For those who have customers and friends on Twitter this is a great feature as the different categories can separated into separate columns.

If you’re interested in marketing your business on the internet, you will serve yourself well to try Twitter. Most every business industry now has tweeps that Twitter, follow some, tweet some yourself, and before long you will have your own following and so will your business.

Feel free to follow me at @RebaCollins.

Until next time…

Reba

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31 Days to Kick Your Blog in the Butt

Grant Griffiths, owner of the fantastic blog, Blog For Profit, is going to be running a ‘kick yourself in the butt’ series to get your blog in shape and I highly recommend you check it out. Grant’s blog is one of the best to read if you want to learn how to make your blog profitable and the tips and ‘kick butt’ he’ll give you during this series will definitely help you put your blog on the map ~ or the internet.

The series will start October 1st and there will be a daily post to help you get your blog started or, like in my case, back on track. I’m going to be following along as well, as Internet Marketing Boomer has fallen off the wagon and I need to get my butt in gear too.  So be sure to join me.

To get even a better ‘butt-kickin’ sign-up for the daily emails that Grant will be sending out each day in October as an enhancement to the posts he makes on the blog. Signing up will make you more accountable and you’ll receive a bit more info than if you just read the blog. I’ve known Grant for quite a while, he’s not a spammer and if he says he’s only going to send you one email a day, you can believe him, and if you get sick of him, you can always unsubscribe. Like I said, no worries about spam with Grant.

During the month of September to get you ready for the ‘butt-kickin’ series, he’s going to make a daily post on Twitter. So you might also want to follow @GrantGriffiths there as well.

During the series I’ll post how his tips have helped this blog.

Until next time,

Reba

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