Getting the Most Out of Blog Comments, Forum Posts and Other Community Sites

There's no doubt that you already know how valuable it can be to leave comments on other blogs, forums and so on as a way to get people to your site. These are just a few methods for generating targeted traffic and demonstrating your expertise on a particular topic. In addition, despite what some people might think, blogs and forums can be great ways to get new ideas for your own content or to find solutions to challenges you're facing in your business. But there's a right and wrong way to go about it, and I'm not just talking about common sense stuff like "don't SPAM people". Here are three ways you can use these types of sites and some ideas to keep in mind to get the most out of them and not annoy people in the process. Read more

Popularity: 2% [?]

An Offline Tactic for Online Business

It's funny how many good ideas are all around us, if you keep your eyes open. I was recently doing some work on the house, taking care of some summertime projects and such. While looking around on the Lowe's website (that's a hardware store for those of you not in the US), I noticed they had a really cool content idea that could be used in plenty of other businesses too. Here's what I found.

Read more

Popularity: 4% [?]

Tips for Creating the Ideal Business

The more and more I evolve as an entrepreneur, the more I learn about what I do and definitely DO NOT want from a business.

Keep in mind that there are a number of ways to make money, especially online. We really are lucky…don't take what you know for granted. No matter how new you are to this online business "stuff", you already know more than most of the people out there in the regular world. Most people don't even think "internet" when they think "business". They're still focused on big companies that require huge budgets, have high overhead and are glorified J-O-Bs, rather than the time-freeing activities we're all working on. Read more

Popularity: 17% [?]

One Simple Question to Guide Your Online Business Success

I've taken the plunge and jumped on the Twitter bandwagon, along with some other social networking sites…more on that in a minute.

But first, a quick story.  As I was reading some of the posts on my Twitter page, I noticed one from John Reese where he was responding to one of the people following his twitters…or twits….or whatever they're called.  Anyway, this guy had a really great question and it's one that I've wondered about for awhile.

So this guy named Mike Blaes said he's "…still baffled as to why so many marketers are caught up in doing things to try and "make money" and not actually building a business"

And John Reese replied saying, "I think it's because most people just don't understand what it means to build ASSETS in a business."

I won't post the whole back-and-forth here, but there were a few more related messages so if you're interested, feel free to go check them out.  But just that little exchange got me thinking…uh-oh!

A better question to ask rather than JUST focusing on the money is:

How can I provide the most value…to the most people…the fastest?

Then…how can I monetize that?

The rest will take care of itself.  That'll help solve the "which market do I go into" question and all sorts of other roadblocks that seem to come up as people learn about "this Internet stuff".

I agree with the focus on ASSETS versus "making money".  And one of your biggest assets (and ways to provide value) is your content.

Another good question we should all ask ourselves from time to time is:

What content did you create today that's going to make someone's life better?
Teach them something new?  Solve some sort of problem?

It should be pretty obvious that "providing value" isn't done by checking email, surfing forums, planning your next big project to the nth degree, surfing the web or any of the other random things that take up wayyyyy too much of our time. 

It's done by the start-to-finish creation of some type of content.  This could be:

• a special report
• a mini-course
• an ebook
• a podcast
• a video
• a DVD
• a CD
• a newsletter
• a tip sheet
• a checklist
• an online tool
• software
• an article
• a blog post

…but create SOMETHING.  (Or have it created, but this isn't a post about outsourcing)

One of my daily to-do's was inspired by Dan Kennedy…to do one thing everyday to fill the pipeline.  He talks about that all the time.

I think if you expand that to include doing one thing everyday to add value by creating some form of content, then you'll be well on your way to building a successful online business.

Am I off my rocker or what?  Leave a comment below and let me know what you think.

P.S. - Almost forgot to add this, but like I mentioned in the intro I've jumped in headfirst into the whole social media thing.  Feel free to come join me…I think this will be fun.  You can find me on the following sites (if you don't have an account, just sign up and give it a whirl):

Twitter Profile (go check this out just to see the cool background if nothing else)
Facebook Profile

I'll be posting some more about these in the near future and might even whip up a special report with some of my insights so far.

 

 

Popularity: 5% [?]

Excuse #5: I Don't Have Money for Learning, Basic Setup, Etc.

This common excuse for not starting your online business is hopefully one that's easy to overcome.  However, for some, it might be a legitimate excuse, so I offer some suggestions for how to do things "on the cheap" in the short blurb below.  Take a look…

Excuse #5: I don't have money for learning, basic setup, etc.

For some people, this may be a legitimate challenge.  After all, ANY business has certain costs involved and an online business is no different.  But for most people, it's a PERCEIVED challenge.  When you figure out what's actually needed in order to get your online business up and running, and you really run the numbers, the costs aren't that much.  You'll probably want to have the following:

• a domain name ($10)
• a free webpage editor like NVU ($0)
• a low cost web hosting account ($15/month)
• an autoresponder account through AWeber ($20/month)

In fact, you could skip those first three, get a free blog account at Wordpress.com, and add your autoresponder there instead.  But you have to be building a list (a topic preached ad nauseum, to be covered here another day).  You could technically get rid of the need for AWeber too, and just use one of the freebie email list managers.  But it's so critical for your business that it's one of the last things I'd consider skimping on.

As for the rest of the costs? 

Time.  Rolling up your sleeves and getting to work.

Creating content…adding value. 

Creating a place online where people can go where, when they leave, they're BETTER OFF than when they showed up. 

They know a little more, have answers to some burning question, or otherwise "got something out of it". 

What can you teach someone today or show someone today that will leave them better off than when they started their day? 

Doesn't take much money to do that.

Popularity: 4% [?]

Next Page »