Work Yourself Up!

How to Network and Get Connected

In business, you can do a lot on your own, but it certainly helps if you know people.  Even if you're not looking to do "joint venture" deals, a good network of people is great for brainstorming and bouncing ideas off of.

But how do you start?

Take a look this report on networking by a guy who calls himself the "Most Connected Internet Marketer."  It had some great tips on how to get people on the phone, get a response to an email, and more.  Plus, this guy give you his personal mobile phone number, so you can call him.

It's only $7, so definitely check it out.

47 Social Bookmarks with One Tool

Social bookmarking is a powerful tool in promoting a website. But going through all of those social bookmarking sites is very time-consuming and downloading all toolbars is madness! That's where SocialMarker.com comes in, the free service designed to reduce the time and effort needed to socially bookmark a website.

Check it out...

Social Media Daily - Free Web 2.0/Social Media Traffic & Promotion Guide

Looking to get a handle on "Web 2.0" and social media stuff?  Need more web traffic?

"Social Media Daily" teaches you how to use Web 2.0 and social media to drive traffic to your website in an easy to implement step-by-step format.  FREE!

The thing I love about this is that you can easily outsource most of it for just a few bucks.  Definitely take a look.

Get the report.

Some People Are Pissed!!

Wow.  I make a few comments about how the "gurus" are in trouble and some people really dug in...

I understand the frustration.  There definitely are those who are trying to take advantage of people in this business.  And there definitely are a few, or maybe even more than a few, who aren't that successful, even though they say they are.  More on that in a second...

My point of the "Gurus Are Screwed" post was that this business is changing.  There was a time when you could be really successful simply by putting up a single-page website with text.  But as technology has moved forward, people are starting to expect more.  They want their information served in different ways, they want to be entertained more, and they want to look "behind the curtain."

I'm not saying this out of ill will for "gurus."  It's my opinion that there will always be a place for text-based sales letters, so they'll be ok.  And they'll be able to make money by driving traffic to affiliate offers via PPC or whatever else.  They'll be able to make money with Adsense or something similar...

But people who don't keep up with the level of personality and charisma via audio, video, and other advancements in online technology won't have the status they have today.

That's it.  I'm not saying that those with lack of personality and charisma are bad people.  They're simply not ready for the next phase of online marketing and will have to stick to more "old school" methods.

A lot of the comments which came through didn't get that.  They focused on how the "gurus" only make money selling "make money" stuff, or how many of them are hustlers.

This is true.  Many are hustlers.  And take away the "make money" income from most of these guys and they wouldn't really have a business.  With that said though, isn't the "make money" stuff a business?

To those who are frustrated... If it makes you feel better, the next time you get a "make money" email, lookup the address at the bottom on Zillow and get property value.  You'll see that a lot of the "gurus" aren't doing as well as you might think.

Why the Majority of Online "Gurus" are Screwed

John Reese wrote a blog post recently about how the "Mr X" thing isn't working with Internet marketing anymore and how IM people have to brand themselves.

If that's the case, there will come a point when only the most dynamic, most charismatic people will prevail.

And when that happens, all the techie geeks who simply sit in front of their computer for hours at a time and really can't connect with people are going to have limited success. The bar will be raised by those who do brand themselves and people like most of the "gurus" we have now, won't be able to keep up.

It's already started to happen...  Don't believe me?  Check out some of the videos which have been released by "gurus" lately...especially the ones where two of them get together.  The inside jokes, the "template" they're all following, and how they can't relate to each other, much less people who are watching...

The "transparency in marketing" trend is going to kill these guys off, when they attempt to share their personalities, yet lack the social skills to connect to anybody.

Times are changing in online marketing.

It's kind of like when music videos started to become popular.  Suddenly, musicians like Christopher Cross had failing careers.  A great songwriter and great musician, but the business made changes he wasn't ready for.

IM will be the same.

So, if you're got charisma, be prepared...your time is coming.

Thoughts?

"Mr. X is in Jail!"

Saw a thread with this title on a popular online marketing forum.  It seems that one of the guys involved with the current online marketing "hot product of the week" had some recent legal problems when criminal charges were filed against him, alleging fraud and imitation of a licensed professional. 

According to a press release by the arresting sheriff's department, this guy was selling ebooks by "medical experts," with claims to treat attention deficit disorder, irritable bowl syndrome, head lice, female and male infertility, chronic body odor, yeast infections, scabies, ringworm infections, poison ivy, depression and anxiety, shingles, high blood pressure, hives, eczema, vertigo, pink eye, warts, and migraines, among others. The press release says that these books were not written by medical professionals.

Once the word got out, people started questioning the online marketing product.  They also started to question people promoting the online marketing product.

I'm not here to discuss the guilt or innocence of Mr. X.  The court will figure that out just fine.

What I want to know is your thoughts on the ethics of online marketing...

Is there anything you won't do for money?

Are there some products you just won't sell?

Are there some people you don't associate with or promote products for?  Why?

Post responses below...

Need Money for Your Online Business?

One of the big advantages of marketing your business online is that, compared to doing something offline, it doesn't take as much money.  You can do a lot with some time and effort.

But if helps if you have money.  You can outsource a lot of the work, get more done, and get where you want to be faster.

If you need money for your online business, you should take a look at Prosper.  It's perfect for the self-employed, because the money comes from people just like you...people who understand what you are doing through.

Take a look via the link below and let me know your results...

The Logo for This Site...and How it Came to Be

In October, I decided to create a logo for this site and the other stuff I'm releasing under the "Work Yourself Up!" name.  Decided to do it via a "contest" on SitePoint.com.

Here's a thread I posted about the process as well as the entries which were submitted.

What happened...

I picked a logo I wanted, only to find the designer was from Israel and was unable to accept Paypal or a standard check.  Wanted me to get some kind of special money order and send it to him via registered mail.

A huge pain in the ass for me, but I liked his work and wanted to deal with him.  And because I hadn't been specific about how he would be paid, just assuming that everybody has Paypal or can accept a wire, it was only fair. 

But when I asked if there were other options to send him money, such as Xoom.com, I never heard back.  A couple more emails... Never heard back.

So I ended up getting the logo I've been using here for the last 5-6 months from a guy on Scriptlance.  Gave him the elements I had used an an example and he did the rest...and for a lot less money, too.

Mistakes I made with SitePoint...

1. I didn't get in and leave feedback for the logos which were being submitted, as they were coming in, just assuming that no feedback meant I didn't like it and that I'd make my final selection after the contest was over. 

But these guys, from what I can tell, are willing to work with you to get the project and expect to get feedback as the contest process is happening.  That's a good system, so if you're willing to give good instruction to people and comment on logos which are submitted, SitePoint's "contest" system might work for you.

Giving feedback and being more on top of the process would have probably gotten me more submissions and better quality submissions, which probably would have gotten me better results.

2. As I mentioned above, I didn't get specific with how I was willing to pay people.  I've gotten so used to sites like on Scriptlance, which has a built-in escrow system, I didn't think anything about it.

I still think SitePoint is a good system and would recommend it.  It's very cool to see the amazing things that people from all over the world come up with.

If you guys use SitePoint, or have used it in the past, please let me know. I'd love to see the results you've had! 

Thoughts on Stuff

Literally...

This is a great article on stuff.  And I feel the opinion, even if you don't agree with him, is really needed in this community, just to have something other than the "I've got a garage bigger than the average house and it's full of luxury cars" sales pitch so common with online marketing gurus.

Feel free to post thoughts below...

3 Steps For Instant Traffic

So you have finally found a profitable niche, after hours of research and you’ve created a content based website for it. Or maybe you’ve worked a couple of weeks to create the ultimate e-book or report, have spent hundreds of dollars on graphic design and thousands on a killer sales letter.

You’ve clearly done your homework and have developed a small online business with high potential for great success. The only problem is, no matter how good the sales letter, the graphics or content, you won’t make a cent if potential customers never get to see your website.

Here are 3 proven steps on promoting your high quality website for instant targeted traffic:

1. Pay Per Click Advertising

This is without doubt the fastest way to get your site in front of thousands of potential customers. While most people use only Google Adwords it would be wise not to ignore Yahoo’s Search Marketing or MSN’s adCenter. Many internet marketers make this mistake and miss out on tons of top quality, low cost traffic.

If you don’t have a lot of experience with PPC you should read as much as you can on the subject before spending money. This type of advertising is very powerful, but if done incorrectly can lose you a lot of money. Read many articles on article directories such as ezinearticles.com and also do a search on Google for “perry marshall adwords” to learn more about PPC.

While doing PPC you will generate opt-ins, sales and even affiliates from your site – this is extremely valuable information so make sure you gather it.

2. Solo Ads

When you have a top quality site, with good conversion rates, buying a solo ad can be the easiest way for instant profit.

A solo ad is an email ad that you write (or hire someone to write it for you) and pay a webmaster with a highly developed subscriber list in your niche, a one time fee to send the ad to the entire list.

This is why it’s very important to have conversion data. Let’s say that after Step1, you realized your site has a conversion rate of 5%. This means that if you buy a solo ad for a list with 2000 subscribers, you’ll make somewhere around 100 sales. Depending on the price of your product, you can make a very nice profit with practically no extra work on your part.

To find places where to run solo ads, just use Google and search for “solo ads”, “buy solo ads” or “yourniche + solo ads”.

You can also search for sites in your niche that appear in top spots on Google, Yahoo and MSN and have an opt-in form. Contact the webmasters show them your product and offer to pay them in exchange for a solo ad.

3. JV Partners

We’ve practically started to talk about finding JV partners at the end of step2, but in step 3 we’re going to go even further with our proposal.

While solo ads are a great way for generating instant cash, wouldn’t it be great if those webmasters would keep promoting your product on their site and to their list on a regular basis? And with no extra effort or cash spent on your part?

It may sound too good to be true but actually it’s very achievable. After you run a few solo ads on different lists you should update your conversion information. Be sure to make a small report about this because you’ll need it.

All you have to do now is to approach the same or different webmasters and ask them if they’d like to become your affiliate. Give them a high commission percentage, the conversion report, the link to your site, banners, and the e-book or report you are selling.

If you do everything correctly, business owners will be more than happy to become your affiliate and practically do all the work of sending commissions your way.