Digital Profit Success

Give Value And Wealth Will Follow

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The way to become successful is to NOT worry about the money you can make but rather on what you can do to help others to reach their own goals.

 

By being a person who gives value, you will find that the money will follow. For money is proportional to the value you give to the world. In other words; give more value and the cash will follow.

 

It is an easy mistake to make; thinking about how much money you can make and I bet many new marketers make it even if they don’t admit it. But the sooner you move your focus away from YOU and on to your customers/prospects, the sooner you will become successful.

 

What can you do today that will give value to your subscribers? Try it for a few weeks and you should be pleasantly surprised with the results.

 

What do you think about this; are you a value giver and has it worked for you?

Your Mission Statement

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When you are trying to establish your brand, you also need to create a mission statement that really defines your brand.

In all honesty, it is probably best to create this first so you really know and can focus on what your brand stands for.

So what is a mission statement? Well, put simply it is a short paragraph or line that tells prospects what your business is about, what you do and why you do it. This is your goal, your vision and your commitment.

From here, you will then have a more inspiring vision that you can use in order to inform your other choices – such as your choice of logo and brand name (if not using your own name as a personal brand).

Now your logo really stands for something. And when that’s the case, people can stand behind you and come into line with your ideals and become your biggest fans.

 

What Is A Brand?

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Any marketer worth his salt knows that branding is crucial to their long term success but many of them make the mistake of thinking that a brand is all about a logo, but this is thinking too simply.
 
So if a brand isn’t just a logo, then what is it all about?
 
Well, one other obvious aspect of a brand is the name. Your company needs a name and likely this name will also be the name of your website. Having a brand name like this for your website is one of the best things you can do to start getting attention for your business immediately. Try to make your name congruent with your business and easily recognisable.
 
Google has stated that brands are far more successful at search engine optimization these days, and certainly from a user’s perspective, brand names are a lot more memorable and professional sounding. In other words, calling your fitness based website something like ‘FitLand’ will work much better than ‘FitnessAndHealthArticles’.
 
You also need a visual style. Once you’ve created your logo, you’ll have chosen some colors and maybe some images that will relate to your business and that will form the basis of these logos. Now you need to take those colors and shapes and work them into everything else you do. If your logo is red, your website and your social media pages need to incorporate this red color. Having this consistency across your logo and website helps to tie everything together and makes it easier for people to remember you.
If you want to learn more about branding and how it fits into your business success, you may want to take a look at this free video.

Build A Blog And Make Money Part 7

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blog2Monetizing Your Blog

As a niche blogger, you want to always be thinking about your reader, but not to the point where you neglect your own financial success. That should be a strong part of your formula.

So after you map out the categories for your blog, you can rotate the topics when you create new content. Each time you pick a topic, think of two things:

  1. What good, valuable tips can I share?
  1. How can I monetize this post?

So let’s use weight training as our example again. Suppose you wanted to create a blog post called 7 Tips for Weight Training at Home. You would create 7 tips and for one or more of those, include a casual mention and link to a particular product.

For example, you might have a tip about choosing an area with plenty of space, and you could talk about why that’s important, and then say something such as, “If you live in a small area, then I recommend choosing space-saving equipment, like resistance bands that use your body weight.”

Then link to the one you recommend and talk a bit about it before going on to your next tip. The last thing you want to do is write one big ad. The reader should walk away feeling fulfilled if they don’t happen to buy anything that day.

You’ll be building trust with your readers that way.

What other monetization can you place on your blog? Banner ads – but don’t create a hostile environment on your blog where banner ads and buttons are flashing all over the place, blinding your readers.

Depending on your theme, you might be able to place a horizontal banner ad right below your header. You can promote products as an affiliate or promote your own products. These are usually called Leaderboard size.

The sidebar provides ample opportunity for vertical banners and smaller buttons. Try to select choices where they match the color of your site, or complete it in coloring – as long as it doesn’t clash.

You can also put banner ads and buttons inside your actual blog posts. So let’s say you were reviewing an info product from JVZoo or ClickBank. You could look for affiliate tools from the product creator and embed them into your posts so that they align with your text to the right or left, or break up lengthy blog posts right in the middle, too.

Make sure you monetize with text hyperlinks whenever you blog. These convert well. You don’t want every other word to be a hyperlink, but sprinkle them throughout wherever relevant.

Some blog themes don’t make your links stand out very well when you make them, so always go to the extra step of bolding the word or phrase and underlining it. Depending on the colors of your blog, you might also want to make them blue, like a traditional hyperlink.

Some of your monetization will occur from repeat contact with your readers. If your reader doesn’t notice your sidebar opt in form, they might sign up if you include the form at the bottom of your post.

There are plugins that can do this – or, you can simply paste the HTML code into the text – not visual – portion of your blog post. That way, not only are they expose to your offer during that first blog read, but you can promote to them repeatedly (as you serve their needs) over time and enjoy repeat commissions and sales.

Build A Blog And Make Money Part 6

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Get Ready to Start Posting

Some newbies mistakenly start creating content and putting it all on pages. This messes up your navigation. You want just about everything to be a blog post, not page.

Click on Posts and you’ll see some subtopics you can navigate to. Start by going to Categories and edit the Uncategorized option to something else.

Have you mapped out your site yet? You need an idea of how to have a well-organized site, so just as you did with your niche research, go through the process and group concepts together.

For example, let’s say you were in the “exercise over 40” niche. You might brainstorm the following:

  • Safety
  • Low Impact
  • Weight training
  • Kettlebells
  • Zumba…etc.

You could safely nestle Kettlebells under weight training instead of having dozens of categories all over the place. You might put Zumba under a category called Recreational Fitness.

Create a set of Categories and make sure you format them the same. For example, capitalize the first letter of each word like this:

Weight Training

 

When you create categories, you can have “parent” and “child” categories, which simply means you can create it so that it looks like this:

Weight Training (parent category)

-Kettlebells (child category)

-Dumbbells (child category)

Under the Posts section, you can add tags – but it’s easier to just add them each time you create a blog post where it asks for tags.

In the final part of this mini training we will look at monetizing your shiny new blog…

The Downsides of Living The Digital Lifestyle

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Living as a digital nomad means that you’re able to grab your laptop and travel the world. This normally means that you are involved in some kind of online business model, which in turn means that you earn money as long as you have access to a computer and an internet connection. This allows you to work where you want and how you want and many people use this to fulfil their ambition of seeing the world and of living a lifestyle of freedom. This is one of the truest examples of being free and it’s something that many people who work online aspire to.

But let’s not pretend that this kind of existence is all rainbows and sunshine. Like with any lifestyle, there are downsides to this style of living too and it’s very important that you understand what those are and that you are able to cope with them. So what are they?

There’s No Place Like Home

One of the most obvious disadvantages of being a digital nomad is that it robs you of your ‘creature comforts’. Travelling around means that you’ll probably be living in hostels and eating cheap fast food when you can. If you’re someone who loves to kick back on the sofa with a cup of tea and a blanket, then you might find this a bit difficult.

You Will Miss Family And Friends

Assuming you’re a regular person, you’ll probably find you start missing friends and family after a short while and this can be hard as you’re constantly travelling. It’s especially hard when you see them start to get married, attend important events or generally continue with normal life that you’re no longer a part of.

It’s Hard to Return

When you’ve lived a life that is full of fun and adventure, it can be very hard to return to normality. You may find it difficult fitting into a more regular (read boring!) routine and many people find they must keep travelling as a result because they quickly develop “itchy feet.”

You Need To Work

Even with a very passive income model, you will still need to do some work to make ends meet. This can be difficult when you have 101 exciting things that you would rather be doing, but all you can do is to sit in a dingy coffee shop somewhere and plough through your tasks.

Working Can Be Difficult

The simple fact is that working on the move on a laptop is challenging and there are many ways in which you may be forced to compromise. Sometimes your internet connection will be down, sometimes you’ll struggle to find a power point. Sometimes there will be a lot of sun glaring on your screen and bees buzzing past your keyboard. This makes travelling and working that much more difficult and shouldn’t be underestimated!

Your Business May Suffer

There are some things you simply can’t do while travelling – meeting people in person is a great example. I was recently given the opportunity to star on a YouTube channel and the company invested in me by buying me filming equipment and lighting equipment. This was all very exciting – but it wouldn’t have been possible if I didn’t have a home to store all those things in!

But please don’t let any of this put you off – living the laptop lifestyle is still a fantastic experience. You just need to realize that it isn’t perfect either!

Build A Blog And Make Money Part 5

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blog4Creating Your Pages

In your dashboard sidebar, go to Pages and if it’s not already taken down, delete the sample page. Now it’s time to add the pages that will help you create a formidable presence online.

Start with your About page. The About page is intended to help your readers get to know who you are, what the site is all about, and how you intend to help them. It’s best to include a picture or video along with the text so that they can get to know you.

Watch how you word things. You don’t want to be an Eeyore about things. If you’re launching a “make money online” blog but you yourself haven’t succeeded, then word it like this:

“I learned a long time ago that it’s beneficial to send the elevator back down to help the person on a lower level than you. So as I discover great, new information on how to make money online, I’ll be teaching it to you, to help you climb the ladder of success.”

That sounds much better than something like this:

“I am a struggling, out of work man who is about to get kicked out his apartment if I don’t learn this Internet Marketing stuff fast, so this is my journey to see if I can succeed. I’ve been trying for 2 years and haven’t yet made a dime.”

No one will want to learn from that person. There’s no need to lie, either. The first example is a simple, motivating and inspiring account of how you like to help people. And even newbies usually know more than some other newbie, so approach it as a community where everyone helps one another learn best practices.

Create a Disclaimer page for your blog. This is where you should comply with any laws and terms of service, disclosing that you might make money as an affiliate, for example.

Another good page to have is a Contact page, which we discussed earlier. You want some way of people contacting you easily. On your contact page, you also might want to include links to your social

Depending on where you are in your journey, you may want to have a Products or Services page – if you yourself have created products or offer services of your own.

Just make sure it’s relevant to the blog’s topic. For example, don’t have a blog about cooking and put an offer to read Tarot cards for your cooking blog readers. The topics don’t match.

If you’re not yet a product creator or service provider, then create a Resources page. Here, you can list certain products you want to recommend, or you can link to search results pages in sites like Amazon.

If you do have your own products, then you’ll want to have an Affiliates page where you provide information on how people can become an affiliate to promote your products.

In part 6 we will look at Posting your content…

Build A Blog And Make Money Part 4

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Optimizing Your Widgets

Widgets are what goes into your sidebar – and this is a prime monetization spot for most marketers in any niche.

You can have the small search widget at the top, but directly under that, make sure you have a Text widget with the code for your opt in form. There are also plugins you can get to do the same job, depending on what email autoresponder you’re using.

As a newbie, you might have no money for start-up costs. If so, go with a tool like MailChimp. It’s free, but limited. If you have $1 for a first month trial, and $19 a month after that, then go with Aweber.

When you’re in your autoresponder tool, it will ask you if you want to grab the code and you will grab the HTML code and paste it into the Text widget before saving it.

You always want to be building your list form your blog. Marketers don’t say “the money’s in the list” for no reason. They know that it takes multiple encounters with a person to get them to trust your recommendations, and having a list is the only way to ensure they interact with you again.

You can use Text widgets for any kind of HTML code you want to place there, so if you’re an affiliate, you can put vertical banners to promote products, or you can install AdSense code if you want to go that route.

Some bloggers, as they gain footing in a niche, will sell ad space in their sidebar to other marketers. You can do this, too, but just starting out, it’s not a viable income stream.

Include links to your social networking business pages in a Text widget, including:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • Google Plus
  • YouTube
  • LinkedIn

The other widgets are all under your control – categories, recent posts, recent comments, etc. Just be mindful of the user’s experience. You want them to see comments because it’s a way of showcasing the fact that you have a thriving blog. You won’t at first – and that’s okay. No need to go pay for phony blog comments.

In part 5 we will look at your Pages…

Build A Blog And Make Money Part 3

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Useful Plugins

Newbies can get carried away with plugins, if they’re not careful. The more plugins you use, the slower your site functions. But there are some things that help your visitors have a good experience while on your domain.

You want to use Akismet to help stop spam. No blogger wants to be dealing with the amount of spam that comes in automatically to their site. This filters out most of it.

Install Contact Form 7. This will be used for your Contact page and it’s a free plugin. Instead of just putting your email address live on your Contact page (which helps spammers scrape and use your email address), use this form. They will need to fill in their name, email address and leave a message for you. This gets sent directly to your inbox.

Greg’s Threaded Comment Numbering is a good plugin that’s free to use. It helps your visitors communicate with one another on your blog and helps you build a community. If Mary wants to respond to Jack, she can – and then Jack can respond to her comment. It helps people see the flow of conversation better.

WP Socializer is a good plugin that’s free for social sharing buttons, but you can pick any you prefer. Basically, you want to make sure it has all of the hot social sites, including:

  • Facebook
  • Google Plus
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest

You can have others, but those are the big ones. For increased sharing, traffic and profits, make sure you place the buttons above and below the content, and possibly hovering as they scroll on the side.  When people can share content, it helps you make more sales.

There’s a good plugin that you can use to help you build a list and promote products. It’s called Covert Messenger. You can get the lite or Pro version, and this is a discreet, non-intrusive popup that gently appears in the lower right side of your screen.

It doesn’t block the reader from seeing the content they’re looking at, so they never get frustrated and have to exit out of it. But it does catch their attention from the corner of their eye.

Here, you can promote products you created, products you’re an affiliate for, tout your opt in freebie, etc. The Pro version has more options, but if you’re new, you might want to start with the lite one and upgrade later.

You’re going to get bombarded by plugin offers over the years. There are plugins that do just about everything under the sun. Resist the urge to automate everything on your site.

Some automation is good, but overdoing it erases you (the human element) from the site, and you won’t be able to build that bond with your readers. Look for the best plugins to help with whatever task drags you down most.

For example, if you’re running an Amazon review blog, there will be plugins to help you quickly and easily create links to products. The faster you can do this, the more time you’ll have to write more reviews and increase your commissions.

In part 4 we will look at widgets…

How to Create a Versatile and Effective Logo

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When you create your logo, you will be developing a symbol or a stylish way of writing your company name that you will subsequently use to represent the entirety of your brand. As you can imagine, this is an important consideration as you are going to be using that image in every piece of marketing and on every product and service you put out.

So it needs to be good. The question is; how do you make sure it is?

Brainstorming The Idea

Coming up with a killer idea is going to be the most difficult part to start with but there are a few ways you can get over that blank screen staring back at you.

The first is to look for inspiration. Create a mood board by collecting anything that gives you ideas or that you like the looks of. At the same time, draw down all the related images and symbols that you associate with your industry or niche.

The next thing you can do is to try combining that imagery in various ways alongside your company name written in various fonts. Don’t be afraid at this stage to try absolutely anything – just throw out every idea and see what sticks. You will eventually end up with a few different designs which you can then decide upon by asking around. As a rule, the simpler ones are preferable as they will prove to be more versatile ultimately.

It’s worth noting at this stage that the colors you choose are likely to affect the coloring of your website, of your products and more – so don’t choose a color that’s too garish!

 Creating Your Logo

To actually create your logos, you need to use vector software, the most popular example of which is Adobe Illustrator. This software has the advantage of creating images that you can subsequently edit with ease and which you can scale to any size with no loss of quality.

You might find in future that you need to use different versions of your logo. For instance, if your logo is white and it needs to appear on a white background, then you might have to invert it or make it a light grey. Illustrator will allow you to do this quickly and easily, as will having a relatively straightforward and simple logo to begin with. Follow this advice then and you’ll be able to ensure your branding works in as many different situations as possible.

If you want to know more about branding and how it can fit into YOUR business, take a look at this FREE video here