Hey gang. It has been snowing forever up here in Kelowna and everything is buried under 3 feet of snow. I pretty much can't drive anywhere (except down to the mailbox to see if anybody loves me) because where I live unless the snow plows come by I'll never get out of my neighborhood even though I have semi good tires on my Mazda.
Well when I say semi good I mean they're all seasons but at least new. Yet when it snows like this I'm a little hooped. I can't go very far.
All I can do is hang around the house and wait for things to happen and gawk out my front window.
But hey I can watch some of my neighbors whip around the neighborhood in their big SUV's,Trucks and Hummers with their big snow tires. Burning donuts and grinning. I hate that.
And I can also watch people walking their dogs with big leashes( so they can poop on my lawn) and looking happy about it. I don't know what so fun about winter and dog walking. I hate this ritual too.
And shoveling my driveway. I must of done it 15 times in the last week. I need a bigger shovel and a new pair of gloves. For sure I have come to hate that.
And I'm pretty sure deer hate snow. There are quite a few roaming around my area. I saw one at six in the morning yesterday looking for something to eat. But everything is under 3 feet of snow. He went away hungry with a "this is pointless" look on his face.
And I'm pretty sure the police, ambulance attendants, and tow truck companies also hate snow. I've seen too many ugly accidents lately. Nothing funny about this.
And I'm starting to hate Christmas music. Especially Shania Twain and Celine Dion. They're both Canadian and so am I. So I can hate them if I want to. Shut up already both of you.
No I can't really think of anyone that likes snow. Except maybe skiers, snow board freaks, snow mobilers and ice fisherman,. And you guessed it. I hate them all too.
But maybe I'm getting a little stir crazy. Maybe I'm the grinch and this is "whoville" Maybe I should settle down and just be thankful for a house, food, hot coffee, Christmas lights,
my computer, my guitar, my beautiful wife, my kids and my health.
But on second thought why does it have to SNOW so much. I hate snow!
Monday, December 29, 2008
Friday, December 26, 2008
Business Social Networks. What to do and what not to do
Business social networks are the latest rage that everybody is getting on board with. There is a right and a wrong way to use these sites and I want to touch on a few issues.
What these sites are not is a place for you to blast your ad daily to other contacts there. It doesn't seem to matter how many times this gets said there are still people that seem to want to send you canned business spam messages non stop. They even post to the forum discussion area of the site as though their business is some sort of a discussion. Stupid to the max!
Don't misunderstand me. Everyone is there to promote their business opportunity and we all know it. The fact of the matter is nobody signs up with somebody they don't even know. You should be there to actually get to know people and people should get to know you. If I were to go into business with you what could I expect from you along the lines of friendship and expertise.
It is actually exactly the same as the real world. I am much more likely to buy a product or service from someone I know and trust as opposed to salesman who jumps on me when I walk in the door.
The way to think of these sites is like a big party. You wouldn't walk up to people and say "Hey want to join my business" without even introducing yourself. You'd be the biggest jerk at the party.
All of the preceding chat may be a bit redundant so here is what I feel should be done to be successful.
#1) Daily invite others
New people are joining rapid fire and this is your chance to make a first impression. Just saying welcome and inviting them to be your friend is all that is necessary. Try to do at least 5 people a day. Read about them first. There may be some people you don't want or need to connect with.
#2) Comment on others blog posts
Showing genuine interest in other people's blogs is the key. Once again there seems to be people that want to blast their ad here. Stupid to the max again. Just be real and don't even comment if you don't really care about what they are saying. Although I think you should leave a hyperlink to your business somewhere in the comment. Truthfully I have learned a lot about marketing just by reading other established internet entrepreneurs thoughts.
#3) Ask questions about others
Go to their page and ask genuine questions about their business or family. Once again we are building relationships.
#4) Add videos to your page
Make your page as educational and interesting as possible. There are lots of people on Youtube that have a wealth of wisdom you can tap into. Download their video and put it on your site.
#5) Participate in groups and discussions
Set yourself a goal like I will post 5 intelligent comments to discussions today. Be consistent and once again hyperlink your business in your posts.
Success in home business is a matter of getting your presence about you and your brand out there on the web. What kind of reputation do you want? Remember bad reputations travel twice as fast as good ones.
What these sites are not is a place for you to blast your ad daily to other contacts there. It doesn't seem to matter how many times this gets said there are still people that seem to want to send you canned business spam messages non stop. They even post to the forum discussion area of the site as though their business is some sort of a discussion. Stupid to the max!
Don't misunderstand me. Everyone is there to promote their business opportunity and we all know it. The fact of the matter is nobody signs up with somebody they don't even know. You should be there to actually get to know people and people should get to know you. If I were to go into business with you what could I expect from you along the lines of friendship and expertise.
It is actually exactly the same as the real world. I am much more likely to buy a product or service from someone I know and trust as opposed to salesman who jumps on me when I walk in the door.
The way to think of these sites is like a big party. You wouldn't walk up to people and say "Hey want to join my business" without even introducing yourself. You'd be the biggest jerk at the party.
All of the preceding chat may be a bit redundant so here is what I feel should be done to be successful.
#1) Daily invite others
New people are joining rapid fire and this is your chance to make a first impression. Just saying welcome and inviting them to be your friend is all that is necessary. Try to do at least 5 people a day. Read about them first. There may be some people you don't want or need to connect with.
#2) Comment on others blog posts
Showing genuine interest in other people's blogs is the key. Once again there seems to be people that want to blast their ad here. Stupid to the max again. Just be real and don't even comment if you don't really care about what they are saying. Although I think you should leave a hyperlink to your business somewhere in the comment. Truthfully I have learned a lot about marketing just by reading other established internet entrepreneurs thoughts.
#3) Ask questions about others
Go to their page and ask genuine questions about their business or family. Once again we are building relationships.
#4) Add videos to your page
Make your page as educational and interesting as possible. There are lots of people on Youtube that have a wealth of wisdom you can tap into. Download their video and put it on your site.
#5) Participate in groups and discussions
Set yourself a goal like I will post 5 intelligent comments to discussions today. Be consistent and once again hyperlink your business in your posts.
Success in home business is a matter of getting your presence about you and your brand out there on the web. What kind of reputation do you want? Remember bad reputations travel twice as fast as good ones.
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Traffic to Your Website. Are You the Tortoise Or the Hare?
We all know the old fable of the tortoise and the hare. I have come to realize that the tortoise is what you want to be when trying to get traffic to your website.
The hare approach takes you down a path of believing that one can be made rich overnight. Buy this tool and your troubles are over. Follow this method and then traffic will suddenly appear. It never happens and you just run around in circles wasting money.
Well like it or not the internet and running an online business are still subject to the laws of the universe that all of us live in. Hard work and perseverance will work here just like anywhere else offline you may be working. People will take notice of you if walk down the right paths on the internet.
The following is a list of things that the tortoise would do everyday to promote his business.
#1)Make a least 5 contacts everyday. There are lots of lead sources out there for FREE. These can be found on sites like face book, my space etc. They don't even have to be business contacts at first. Making friends is wise and the more contacts you have the better. Even if they have no interest in your affiliate program or starting a home business. They may have friends that they will steer to you down the road if they like you.
#2)Join a social business network. These sites are the new rage and your target market is going to be there. You don't have to join a lot of them. Just one or two good ones. The important thing to remember is not to bash people over the head with your business. Treat it like you are at a party. Build friendships by genuinely taking an interest in other people's businesses and lives. Posting blogs, adding comments,adding friends,posting videos of others,creating your own video, and participating in discussions is the tortoise approach and it will work over time.
#3)If you don't have a blog website get one and post to it daily. It can even be like a public daily diary if you want. Search engines will pick up on your blogging. Remember you are building a brand and your blog is where people will find out about you. Lots of pictures of yourself and your family are good here so learn how to use the blog layout in the back office. You can put your affiliate link somewhere on the page thus promoting your business. Start a blog network and add other peoples blogs you like. This will draw traffic from other blogs to you as well. Link a few other sites with traffic to your blog but not too many. Otherwise it can look too busy and cluttered and turn people off.
#4)If you can, learn to write articles and submit them to free article sites. It is really not that hard and everyone has a field they feel expert in. There are lots of categories for you to write in and at the end of every article is your signature box where you can steer people back to your blog where your affiliate links lurk. If your articles are good they will get picked up by other websites and it will have a viral effect and your link will be found on lots of pages. Write them all the time and get your name out there.
#5)Consider joining Twitter. This is the latest rage where people with similar interests share short little comments like "I'm at the airport" or "my car won't start". Your chat can only be 140 characters and Twitter counts it down for you when you post. The amazing thing is you are forming friendships which eventually turns into business for you. It may seem pointless when you first look into it but like I said it is the latest rage.
So there you have the things I know will work over time for your home business. There are tons of good affiliate programs and home businesses out there so in my mind that isn't the key factor in your success. Finding the right program with the greatest pay plan is secondary. Can you do the tortoise things? Can you eat an elephant one bite at a time? Yes we can(as Obama would say)
The hare approach takes you down a path of believing that one can be made rich overnight. Buy this tool and your troubles are over. Follow this method and then traffic will suddenly appear. It never happens and you just run around in circles wasting money.
Well like it or not the internet and running an online business are still subject to the laws of the universe that all of us live in. Hard work and perseverance will work here just like anywhere else offline you may be working. People will take notice of you if walk down the right paths on the internet.
The following is a list of things that the tortoise would do everyday to promote his business.
#1)Make a least 5 contacts everyday. There are lots of lead sources out there for FREE. These can be found on sites like face book, my space etc. They don't even have to be business contacts at first. Making friends is wise and the more contacts you have the better. Even if they have no interest in your affiliate program or starting a home business. They may have friends that they will steer to you down the road if they like you.
#2)Join a social business network. These sites are the new rage and your target market is going to be there. You don't have to join a lot of them. Just one or two good ones. The important thing to remember is not to bash people over the head with your business. Treat it like you are at a party. Build friendships by genuinely taking an interest in other people's businesses and lives. Posting blogs, adding comments,adding friends,posting videos of others,creating your own video, and participating in discussions is the tortoise approach and it will work over time.
#3)If you don't have a blog website get one and post to it daily. It can even be like a public daily diary if you want. Search engines will pick up on your blogging. Remember you are building a brand and your blog is where people will find out about you. Lots of pictures of yourself and your family are good here so learn how to use the blog layout in the back office. You can put your affiliate link somewhere on the page thus promoting your business. Start a blog network and add other peoples blogs you like. This will draw traffic from other blogs to you as well. Link a few other sites with traffic to your blog but not too many. Otherwise it can look too busy and cluttered and turn people off.
#4)If you can, learn to write articles and submit them to free article sites. It is really not that hard and everyone has a field they feel expert in. There are lots of categories for you to write in and at the end of every article is your signature box where you can steer people back to your blog where your affiliate links lurk. If your articles are good they will get picked up by other websites and it will have a viral effect and your link will be found on lots of pages. Write them all the time and get your name out there.
#5)Consider joining Twitter. This is the latest rage where people with similar interests share short little comments like "I'm at the airport" or "my car won't start". Your chat can only be 140 characters and Twitter counts it down for you when you post. The amazing thing is you are forming friendships which eventually turns into business for you. It may seem pointless when you first look into it but like I said it is the latest rage.
So there you have the things I know will work over time for your home business. There are tons of good affiliate programs and home businesses out there so in my mind that isn't the key factor in your success. Finding the right program with the greatest pay plan is secondary. Can you do the tortoise things? Can you eat an elephant one bite at a time? Yes we can(as Obama would say)
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