Let’s Stop Making Silly Mistakes
I love to write. That would have to be a given, considering what I do for a living! Because I enjoy writing I must also enjoy reading. In order to become a better writer, I have to be able to read good writing.
As I browse through the Internet I’ve found some consistent mistakes that lots of bloggers, writers, websites and article marketers make. It’s not that I’m a stickler for mistakes – or that I like pointing out what others do wrong. I’ve made some of these same mistakes, and I continue to make them.
In fact, my best friend and professional proofer will tell you I make them often 
But they are still mistakes and they take away from the professionalism of any content. They are distracting.
And in this world of highly distractible people it’s important to get and hold their attention for as long as possible.
1. Grammar and Spelling This is a simple error – USE SPELL CHECK. You may think that correct spelling isn’t important or that an occasional misspelled word is endearing. It isn’t. If you are producing content and want to be seen as an expert, then you’d better write like one.
2. Sentence Structure This is a bit trickier – but still workable with Word. Most of the time a software program will pick up sentence fragments, run on sentences or mismatched single/plural subject/verb combinations. Write in Notepad, drop it into Word and check for errors and then back to Notepad to take out the Word coding.
3. Content Of course the content has to be excellent, interesting, accurate and SHORT. Where is the time to read a long post?
On that note . . . . the rest later this week!
Topics: Core Concepts | No Comments »
Flock To It!
Several years ago I did the 30 Day Challenge with Ed Dale. He’s made some changes to the format this year that will make it better than ever (August). If you’ve never done the challenge check out his blog. It is fun and you are sure to learn a few things. This year may be a bit about flipping sites.
Anyway – that is where I learned about Flock, the social networking browser. I am the first to admit that I do social networking poorly – VERY poorly. I have a theory about social networking and business that I won’t share here. That’s for another time.
However, if you do like social networking – using Facebook, Twitter, Flickr and the like – then you really should check out Flock. You’ll be able to post to your blogs right from the browser in a way that is easier and seamless. You’ll be able to follow your favorites and have all the information come to you, instead of browsing and surfing to find what you need.
Mozilla provides the power behind this social web browser. Take a look and see- you may find it is functional for all your needs – even beyond social networking!
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Writer’s Block
When I was young I used to read about the life of a writer. Stuck in front of a typewriter (OK – do you even know what that is anymore?) with a blank sheet of white paper staring back at them.
Nothing on the mind. No thoughts flowing to the fingers. Struggling and stressing with bottles of empty wine and beer strewn about the chair, the writer finally gives birth to an opus.
That is the fate of the fiction writer. The professional who creates a written work of art that flows and ebbs like the tide, entertaining and enlightening at the same time.
That struggle is the one I experience when I am writing blog posts! It is funny how I can write fluidly and quickly about medical, health or fitness topics. The words come quickly and easily. The explanations of complex medical topics are reduced to language that my 10 year old understands.
But when it comes to writing creatively; entertaining and enlightening like the fiction writer – I’m at my wits end. These short paragraphs took me over 20 minutes to pen, while the same length about diabetes or high blood pressure may have taken me 5.
The funny thing is that I can’t imagine having trouble writing about medical topcis! And yet I know that there are people who can’t imagine writing ANYTHING easily. It is one of the reasons that I love to use PLR content – the bones are there. I can make it mine, record it, combine it or tear it apart. But I’m not starting from scratch.
When I’m writing a creative piece starting from scratch is a must. . . but when I’m writing a technical piece, full of statistics and research, I’d rather have the work done for me.
Topics: Product Creation | No Comments »
Getting Backlinks Using PLR
This is one of my favorite topics. I write articles. I do this for living and so I should figure out how my members are able to use these articles to the best of their ability.
Every website needs quality backlinks. You can get them from:
social bookmarking
open forums
article directories
podcasts
video sites
press releases
blog comments
And I’m sure there are a few things I’m forgetting. But you get the point.
The other day I predicted a huge influx of online consumers by 2014 as the number of physicians available to treat patients falls and the number of patients drastically rises.
As you build those authority sites you need content to get good backlinks and that is where article directories play a huge role.**
Although I produce private label rights content I DO NOT believe that you should post this content “willy nilly”* all over the Internet. Private label rights material is designed to give you a backdrop against which you insert your own voice, opinion and more information to make the content original and your own.
Looking for some easy content for a blog post, ezine article or want something you can video tape? Then PLR “as is” works just fine. But when you want to post it to article directories, use it for Press Release fodder or post the information to forums it is time to make it original!
Dori Friend has a new product she is marketing called SEO Nitro. In it she qualifies backlinks and calls them Supporting External Links when they come from quality sites and actually MEAN SOMETHING to the search engines.
You want supporting external links from quality sites that have a page rank over 3 and that can grow organically.
Use your PLR to develop original and quality content that you can post, link, add or insert to other quality sites in your niche. You will grow a BUSINESS that works, works for you, and creates an income.
*Sorry about the use of such a dorky expression Just couldn’t help myself.
**Remember that you can use PLR in the health and wellness to post quality articles even when your niche isn’t matched exactly with the article. For instance, an article about acne can be linked with your site about high blood pressure in the resource box by saying, “Gail writes about health and wellness issues but focuses on high blood pressure resources at http://highbloodpressureresources.com
Topics: Core Concepts | No Comments »
New Healthcare Reform, Physician Shortage and You
Whether you agree with the political climate and health care reform bill or not, the thing has passed. Whether we like it or not, by the year 2014 legislation has dictated that insurance be available to all Americans at a cost effective price.
Who wouldn’t agree with health insurance for all Americans?
But the cost of that insurance goes deeper than tax credits, poorly written policies and new policy holders. And most of those costs are beyond the scope of this short blog post.
Give me another minute to make my information marketing point – I think you’ll appreciate the potential.
One of the interesting aspects of the new health care reform will impact the number of physicians, physician assistants and nurse practitioners (I am a non-practicing member) available to treat the large influx of individuals.
BEFORE the passage of this bill the Association of American Medical Colleges was predicting a shortage of 46,000 full-time primary care doctors by 2025. This number also represents a conservative overall shortage of 124,000 physicians, not counting residents.
Now that the reform bill has been passed those numbers will be significantly higher and happen sooner.
Imagine the millions of people who were previously uninsured or under insured who are now trying to get appointments with their primary care doctor to treat chronic migraines, high blood pressure or congestive heart failure.
The phones are ringing but there aren’t physicians to treat them. The offices are swamped, there aren’t enough doctors, and people are now waiting 3 to 4 months for an appointment.
The laws of supply and demand will eventually take care of the issue. However, it takes 9-12 years of school to produce a doctor from high school graduate to board certified physician.
That’s a long time to wait for an office visit.
And that is where you, the online information marketer, can make a significant dent in your niche.
The American Pew Project has estimated that 64% of Americans are searching online for specific disease or medical problems. That percentage has not changed significantly since they began keeping statistics even though the number of people who have internet access has grown significantly. 27% are searching for alternative treatments and well over 40% are looking for information on diet, nutrition, vitamins, supplements, exercise or fitness. (Graph at PLR-Health-Wizard.com)
I predict those percentages will take a huge leap forward as people are rushed through their doctor’s visit and told to get on an exercise program, eat a better diet low in saturated fats, lose weight, and reduce their stress levels.
Doctors may not have time to educate patients today about their health risks but they certainly won’t have any more time in 2014.
You have the opportunity TODAY to develop a valuable resource both the physicians and patients will appreciate. Spend the time to develop an indepth resource of information aimed at a specific population of individuals that you can then market to doctors, dietitians, health clubs, NP’s, PA’s and physical/occupational therapists.
We are now poised, with great knowledge, before the anticipated lack of medical resources to develop an authority site packed full of needed and accurate information that will support the work being done by medical personnel.
YOU have the opportunity to develop this site. YOU have a four year lead to develop, produce and market a site that has the potential to become a huge money maker through advertising, product sales and affiliate sales.
Pick a niche – exercise programs for those with high blood pressure, diabetic control, extending your life with congestive heart failure – use white hat techniques to build a BUSINESS and watch the rewards come rolling in as medical personnel are unable to meet the incredible demand that is coming.
Topics: Business Ideas | No Comments »
Newbie Netrapreneur – Do You Do This?
We all make mistakes. We all get sucked into the promises of the next greatest, best, cheapest or most expensive way of making money online, working in our pajamas or just getting a bag of money to withdraw from the closest ATM.
It happens to all of us. It happens to any of the great gurus, anyone who’s making any money or anyone who’s making no money. It is a function of the human condition to search for the path of least resistance. And the promises made in sales letters that you can make money while sitting in your pajamas is just that –
the path of least resistance.
But, there are other mistakes that are less obvious but more insidious. Mistakes that can ruin a business or significantly impact the bottom line. What are those mistakes and how can we avoid them?
1. The vacuum cleaner. The vacuum cleaner is an individual who sucks in all kinds of information. They are an education hog. These people want all the information they can have before they make a move to do anything. Although they are related to the perfectionist, and may have perfectionistic tendencies, their real challenge is the inability to take action without having all the information at their fingertips.
2. Perfectionism pretty. I think we all know what a perfectionist is. These are the people who feel controled by their environment. They are unable to make a move or take any action without a sincere belief that the action they do take will have positive effects and they will make no mistakes. Perfectionism is a character trait that isolates individuals from the rest of society and negatively affects their ability to produce anything.
3. King of Certification. This individual may seem like a perfectionist on the surface but if you dig a little deeper you’ll find a sincere desire to produce results that is not tied to a negative self-esteem or self-image. The King of Certification enjoys education. This is the person who has multiple college degrees and feels they must have a Word press certification before they are able to launch their first blog. Once certified they feel comfortable outsourcing what they don’t know, such as graphic design or content development. However, they are fully assured that they cannot be successful unless they hold a specific certification or degree in their hot little hands.
4. The avoider. This mistake is simple. It is a mistake of placing our heads in the sand and believing that the world will stay the same. It will be the same today as it was yesterday and the day before. Fortunately or unfortunately the Internet has significantly impacted the way in which people do business. In generations past we went to college, got a job and stayed with the same company for 30 years. We put money in our retirement funds, retired and moved to Florida. Today things may not stay the same for 30 months, much less 30 years. The individual who believes that things will be done tomorrow the same as they were today is avoiding information that they know to be true in order to remain in a place that’s more comfortable for them.
These are only four of the mistakes that new entrepreneurs can make, whether they are working online or off-line. These are extreme variations of these characteristics that can cause issues in our lives. However, if you find that you resemble just a small part of one of these it’s time to take a better look at the way in which you manage your time, your life, your family and your business.
People who are willing to take a hard look at their actions and make changes had a higher rate of success than those who continue to do the same thing but expect different results. New entrepreneurs must continue to evaluate how they do things, changing the ones that get no results and improving the things that do. As entrepreneurs we are not paid by a company but are only paid when our company produces results. So let’s go make results!
Topics: Core Concepts | No Comments »
My Life In The Dentist Chair
Yesterday I had to go to the dentist office and get my teeth cleaned. Not a pleasant experience for me under the best of circumstances, but yesterday was a bit worse. I had neglected getting my teeth cleaned for about 2 years.
It’s not that I hadn’t been to the dentist. I must be there every 3 months with one child or another. Just not for me.
I was performing a task that needed to be done – going to the dentist – but it wasn’t accomplishing the end results I needed – getting my teeth cleaned. In fact I didn’t even recognize that I wasn’t getting the results I needed.
Each day we make movements in marketing our products – or at least we should! – but do we take a hard look at the results? Are we satisfied with the results of our blogging, article writing, PPC, or advertising? Heck – do we even know what the results are?
Having an online business often means that we are the only person who works in that business. At least initially we wear all the hats from accountant, researcher, graphics design, product creation, secretary, IT manager, equipment procurement, marketer – OK, you get the gist.
And sometimes, when we’re involved in all of these tasks, we can lose track of the desired results, especially when we are getting some results and don’t know how much we’re leaving at the table.
Evaluating marketing results is an essential part of getting the most bang for your buck. Learning the basics of analyzing where your customers originate, how to calculate a conversion ratio and how to improve it must be on the list of things to do for all Internet Marketers.
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