Colin Klinkert Dot Com

What Else Can You Do To Become a Pro?

In a previous blog post, I spoke of taking advantage of the great resource StumbleUpon and the different types of marketing that some of the most popular Social Media Networks are looking for.

We discussed that if you are going to Digg, your posts need to appeal to the general masses, but StumbleUpon really likes the individual niches and specialty markets

So, lets go into today what you can do to make sure your posts get online.

• Instead of having a link round up on a weekly basis, change it to a weekly themed-resource list.

• News is great for Reddit and Digg, they love this kind of stuff, but if you are going for StumbleUpon, you need to focus on content that is not time related, something that is just as beneficial to the reader in 6 months from now as it would be today.

• If you have a post that needs to be in context with time, then it probably won’t get picked up by SU.

• You can make your posts short, but you need to have some good content, utilize some great tips and advice to help your readers.
• Remember, when you have a new reader, you need to sell your content right from the beginning. You want something that will help them right from the beginning. You will not keep their attention with a prologue of 500 words or more, they will give up and move on to the next one. Stumble Upon will be bored, uninterested and pass you by. Make your posts clear from the very beginning.

• Keep it simple, but leave the personal stuff out. Your personal stories may be interesting to your loyal readers, but to a brand new reader, they won’t really care.

When you are trying to get your blog noticed by Stumble Upon, don’t waste your time on the things that won’t interest them, but use the tips that will grab their attention, and you will see your traffic numbers soar.

Please Write your Review and Stumble My Blog HERE - Thank You

What can you do to become a pro-blogger?

Well, you need to get a lot of traffic to your blog.

And now you thinking….’I already know that, but HOW am I going to do it? I have some trade secrets to let you in on. By using these trade secrets, you too, can become a pro blogger.

Today, you are going to learn some great tricks of the trade to grab the attention of StumbleUpon, and use their platform to set your blog on fire. These tips and tricks will get you anywhere from the hundreds up to the thousands of StumbleUpon visitors each day.

StumbleUpon does lean toward some niches more than others, and you need to use this to work for your advantage. You will find that StumbleUpon can be one of the greatest viral marketing tool out there. So here are some tips:

• If you do have a niche that is lacking in the mass appeal, StumbleUpon will be a great boost for you where the others won’t. Digg uses a broad forum which keeps their power from weakening in traffic. StumbleUpon works a bit differently by creating more specific categories, providing a more targeted audience.

• Write posts that appeal to the particular social media, if you go for the general appeal, you are going to lose your followers. For instance, Del.icio.us likes anything that their users prefer, Digg likes the appeal of the masses. You have to have content that is going to get thousands of hits, or you won’t become a pro-blogger.

• When you are writing for StumbleUpon, you don’t need to worry about pleasing the masses, matter of fact, you benefit more by sticking with your niche, yes, even your small ones, and this will bring you some highly targeted traffic.

• So, write your content for your niche, not for the general public. By doing this, you will increase your chances to your post will be submitted to receive more traffic in a more specific category.

In another blog, I will go into the types of posts you should and should not be making. I will go into the types of content and the things you can do to make your blog more appealing to StumbleUpon.

Please Write your Review and Stumble My Blog HERE - Thank You

Farrah Gray is a young motivational speaker who wrote a book in 2004 called: Reallionaire

He was 19 back then and has since written a new book: Get Real, Get Rich

‘So What?’ You ask…

So what is that I am busy reading them, (one at a time of course) starting with ‘Reallionaire’ and it makes the basis for todays post. Farrah has a unique writing style and has written the book based on his life from the age of seven and at the end of each chapter, summarizes what he learned and what we too should learn and take on board.

Reallionaire Affirmation

At the end of each summary, there is an affirmation and here is one that I want to share with you today:

‘opportunities are everywhere. I can rise above any circumstance with hard work, integrity, faith and especially persistence.’

I think the key things to take from that is - No matter where you are at in life right now, you can improve your lifestyle and you should not blame anything or anyone but yourself. Rise above the bad or negatives in your life and make a change… Make it your goal to do it…NOW!

Check Them Out At Amazon:

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Can I Use RSS FEEDS To Increase Traffic?

Traffic is something we all want when it comes to our websites and blogs. There are a variety of ways to do this, but the one method that is rising to the top is through RSS FEEDS.

I recently wrote an article on ‘what is an RSS feed, and how to Set them up“. Here is the followup article to that. If you haven’t read the first one yet, click here to do so now.

What does RSS stand for? RSS stands for Really Simple Syndication or Remote Site Syndication. They both mean the same thing, so it doesn’t really matter what you call it. No matter the name, it works as a great traffic generating tool. You could go to any popular news website and see the feed options. This is a great way to stay on top of the latest headlines and news all over the world.

How Do You Get RSS Feeds?

You subscribe by clicking on the RSS button, then you will automatically get the news into your reader, or a reminder on your homepage. This is a simple way to stay in touch with your favorite websites and blogs. Are there advantages to RSS over Email Marketing?

Yes, and the main advantage is there are never any spam complaints, you have a 100% deliverability without any of the problems. You can usually count on your message being delivered to the readers.

When you have set up your RSS feed, you should submit it to the RSS FEED directories. Your message will have greater exposure to readers. You can do this in a matter of minutes then gain all the benefits.

A great site to read up on this is rssfeedgenerate.com. Here you will find some great instructions on the “How To’s”.

Another recommendation is to check out Mashables RSS Toolbox.

Does RSS Help Search Engine Rankings?

RSS is a fantastic tool for increasing rankings on the search engines, that is if you have it on your website. You probably already know that search engines love the websites that are continually updating their content, and the RSS Feeds will help your website to accomplish this. You will therefore achieve higher rankings on the search engines as well as increasing your website traffic. This is a win-win situation!

The keys to making money on the Internet is to increase your traffic and build up a mailing list. You can do this by using RSS Feeds, if you don’t take advantage of this great tool, you will be missing out and tons of opportunities.

There are 5 Key Points in using RSS Feeds to help you monetize your website and bring in lots of traffic.

1. Learn how to use RSS Feeds, If you aren’t sure how they work, educate yourself, start using this great tool and become familiar with it.

2. Attach links from other blogs and websites which will increase your your own popularity and traffic to your links.

3. Once you set up your RSS Feed, submit it to the RSS directories. This will increase your search engine ranking and increase the popularity of your link.

4. Keep your RSS Feed up to date which will have your site indexed by the search engines frequently.

5. Take advantage of the RSS Press Release. You will be able to use this instead of email marketing, helping you to spread your information and news to your readers the moment it comes in.

6. This is great for real-time advertising. Let’s say for example that you have a client that wants a particular product that you currently out of. You can use RSS to notify him when it comes available. Your customer will be well served and this will increase their loyalty to you. You will be taking care of your clients which will bring more money to you.

7. It is so important to create your own Brand! You are establishing your own credibility which is huge in this business. You will be putting your name out in front your readers just by using RSS Feeds. You will eventually become a trusted source of information.

You should now have a few ideas on how RSS Feeds can be used to generate traffic which is the key to your success.

Follow Me on Twitter: http://www.TwitterColin.com/

No I’m not quitting

Having said that, I am sick of people new to the industry feeling they need to spam their affiliate links all over the web. 99.99% of the time with no result other then to make yourself look like a tosser!

Comments are moderated these days so it’s a waste of time making spam posts, they won’t get approved. It wastes your time, my time and does nothing but hurt your reputation.

This is a short ‘Rant’ post because like a second hand car salesman business, there are some VERY good and VERY honest people that sell used cars; but if you say you are ‘used car salesman’ what is the response you get from others? Friends, Family? Do they say ‘wow, that is awesome!’? I doubt it…

Well our industry has a similar connotation! Even though we have so many great, amazing marketers who’s main focus and goal is to educate others and help them lead a better life… there are, due to the ease of labeling, ‘internet marketers’ who spam, fail and clog up our industry and with it the reputation of those of us who want to be positive and make a real difference!

Where am I going with this? Well anyone can be an ‘internet marketer’ even if you lose money at it! You can still self proclaim yourself an ‘internet marketer’. Guess what, if you post a bunch of spam, or even comment on forums promoting a product or service, you are ‘marketing’ on the ‘internet’, welcome: ‘internet marketer’.

From now on, I am an…. Interactive Marketer!

The difference? I interact with people both followers and friends and we work together to produce better results then are currently available, we work to advance the standard and truly help and educate people.

I challenge you to label yourself an ‘Interactive Marketer’ and walk the walk!

Check out the Posting Contest I have running: Click HERE to learn how you can win $100!

Pay Per Click Advertising Does Have Some Disadvantages…

As I have written in an earlier post, PPC is considered to be of the best and most affordable forms of advertising on the search engines. You can use Pay Per Click advertising to bring in targeted traffic and generate leads and sales in your particular niche. You will use this type of advertising to lead traffic to a website landing page in order to obtain immediate sales, or gaining future clients. This is a multi-million dollar industry and will continue to grow. There are however, a few disadvantages and pitfalls. If it were perfect, everyone would be doing it, but as it stands right now, there are are many who don’t.

What Are The Disadvantages?

Let’s start off by first explaining that keywords are bid on by marketers to use in their ads. The Pay Per Click Company will display the ad when somebody enters in the keywords, which will link the browser to the marketers website.

As the user enters the keyword into the search engine, there will be an ad showing up along with other sites in order for the user to choose from. If the ad is clicked on, they are taken to the website and the marketer then pays for that click. The marketer only pays when the ad is clicked on, not just being viewed.

As you are choosing your Pay Per Click advertising, be picky in the companies you use. There are so many companies to choose from, and as with anything, some have greater advantages than others like some of the smaller companies.

The reason the smaller companies may not be as advantageous is they may not have the exposure that the larger companies may have. You want to put your ad where there will be a lot of exposure allowing your keywords to be in the forefront of those looking for your product type.

There are also some of the Pay Per Click companies that are not equipped to operate like the larger companies are able to. The top runner of all the Pay Per Click companies that dominates the Internet is Google Adwords.

Don’t be one of the many who have lost tons of money on Pay Per Click ad. The reason so many have lost out is because they have not had a clear picture and aware of the complex issues involved.

You need to take the time to learn the bidding process, be creative in your ads, make sure they are relevant to your campaign. Be prudent, this is crucial to your success in anything.

Be sure that you are appealing to your market. You want to make sure you are unique, not dealing with the competition of several hundred marketers using your same keywords.

Just imagine finding out after you have bid for keywords, that there are numerous other Pay Per Click marketers who already have these positions in place. You do not want to end up on the bottom of the search engine pages, and you don’t want to spend all your money trying to outbid your competitors.

There are other methods that work just as well, sometimes if not better, than Pay Per Click.

According to some recent studies, it has been shown that the Pay Per Click conversion rates are actually lower than other methods such as article marketing.

Let’s say for instance you get 50 hits on your landing page through your PPC ads, but you only made one sale. What does this tell you? Do your homework, compare your PPC advertising to your article marketing, how many hits turn into sales.

The biggest disadvantage to Pay Per Click advertising is the time you need to dedicate to learning the complex methods it involves. This is not something you want to jump into without your research and knowledge of how it works. You will end up spending a lot of money with no returns.

Pay Per Click is something that you need to venture into slowly, carefully, with your eyes wide open. Have an alternate method in place, and test this out slowly, don’t put all your eggs in one basket.

You will be well on your way to successful marketing when you know all your options. Test it, then do it!

Check out the Posting Contest I have running: Click HERE to learn how you can win $100!

I have a few sites in the ‘internet marketing’ niche as you know. One is a year old in 2 weeks, ViralUrl and we (Frank and I) do have a VA that works on the support desk but we are still logged in there all the time we are online and answer tickets very fast.

I mention that because it is not a small site, and we are both very busy, but we have taken a conscious decision that one of the things that will differ us from other sites is our customer service. Well now I am in the process of launching ViralNetworks! and am coming across the same situation. I also have a personal VA and she too will man the ViralNetworks! helpdesk once we launch, but I will also be about to handle all the questions she can’t in a very timely manor.

I get many positive feedbacks as a result of this and I am certain it leads people to feel more comfortable doing business with me and spreading the word of my site (The ever important Viral aspect).

Here is one that just came in then and inspired this post:

Colin,

Thank you for your quick response. I was easily able to set up the
email add and send it. I have been in sales and sales management for many
years and have always insisted that getting back to customers be a number
one priority.

I am hoping that using your service will be the start of much sucess
in my online efforts. There is much to learn , but if the response level
stays this high, I’m sure it won’t be long before the campagins are
working on all cylinders.

Once again, I would like to thank you for your quick response. I
can’t wait to start recommending your software at every opportunity. Call
on me any time for a testimonial.

Sincerely yours,

Bruce ********

That’s not to toot my horn, but would Bruce, (in this instance, there are MANY others like this) say that he is very happy and can’t wait to recommend my service to everyone if I had taken 3 or more days to get back to him and address is concern… my guess is not.

I never sold many of my shares during this massive loss as it remains an unrecognized loss and would only be a ‘real’ loss if I did sell. If the market recovers in the coming 18 months or so, I would have made that loss back.

But today, after seeing the rally (yes, I bought at the end of the day, AFTER all the shares rose 5-10% so maybe I missed an initial run, but I still think the shares are cheap and the stock market will rise once again.)

This could be a temporary rally in the bear market and it could still be falling, but I feel in 1-2 years from now we will be looking back on these prices and thinking they are cheap.

Myspace is the largest social networking site in the USA and along with Facebook, one of the largest in the world.

So when they launch a brand new ads module that is now open to the public, it is worth standing up and taking notice. Whilst they have a tonne of traffic and a huge market, they also have the ability to target the users your ads are shown to.

Myspace Ads works on a CPC module and min bid is 25cents. Here is a chance to get a lot of traffic, fast for decent prices. 25 cents a click may sound a bit expensive, but surely it’s worth a test, some of the keywords you can get will be much cheaper then you would pay on adwords.

This is big news for anyone that does PPC marketing as it creates a chance to capture a lot of leads into your sales funnel.

Don’t know what a sales funnel is or how to set one up? Don’t know PPC marketing, niche marketing or Facebook ads? Please be sure to signup to my RSS feed as these are topics I will be covering shortly.

Check out the Posting Contest I have running: Click HERE to learn how you can win $100!

Did you know that You can make money just by keeping a blog?

Niche Market Blogging For Money

Have you thought about starting your own Internet business at home? If you have, then you are not alone, there are millions who are now making money online by creating niche market blogs.

Don’t worry, this does not mean you can’t do it, matter of fact, you have access to more tools and ideas than ever before.

What Is A Niche Market Blog?

Blogging is a great way to get started, and when I mention blogging, I don’t mean your personal family blog, I mean Niche Blogging.

What is a niche?

According to Wikipedia: niche (plural niches)

(architecture) A cavity, hollow, or recess, generally within the thickness of a wall, for a statue, bust, or other erect ornament. Hence, any similar position, literal or figurative. “Images defended from the injuries of the weather by niches of stone wherein they are placed.” –Evelun.

(biology) A function within an ecological system to which an organism is especially suited.

(by extension) Any position of opportunity for which one is well-suited, such as a particular market in business.

An arrow woven into a muslim prayer rug pointing in the direction of Mecca.

Something To Offer

In order for you to make some money online, you need to be able to have something to offer in exchange for the dollar. So, what can you sell and how do you know if it will be in demand or popular?

How do you know if your niche  market is something that Internet shoppers are interested in?

Where To Begin?

Let’s begin by checking out the web sites, publications, and periodicals that others are reading and shopping for. A great place to begin is Amazon.com.

This is like a giant library of information just waiting for you to take advantage of. You will be amazed when you begin to gather ideas as easily as thumbing through your favorite magazine.

You will have only spent a few moments on Amazon, and have so many ideas, you won’t know which one to use first for your niche market blog.

Magazine & Newspaper Subscriptions

The first place you want to go is to look at the magazine and newspapers offered on Amazon.

Once you are in this area, look to the left side of the page and you will see a long list of categories. You will find unlimited amounts of ideas for your niche blogging here.

Categories

• Antiques & Collectibles
• Arts & Photography
• Automotive
• Brides & Weddings
• Business & Investing
• Children’s Magazines
• Comics & Graphic Novels
• Computers & Internet
• Cooking, Food & Wine
• Crafts & Hobbies
• Education
• Electronics & Audio

As you can see to the right, there are a lot of different magazines and publications distributed on a regular basis. These magazines are not here to fill the pages of Amazon, they are here because they have a huge audience that is willing to spend money on these subscriptions.

Time To Get Ideas

A place to start are the topics that interest you. If there is something that you find interesting, you will find it easy to write about. You want to get a topic that you will enjoy researching, and your knowledge and enthusiasm will show in your writing. Wait till later for the more difficult topics, after you are more of an expert in niche market blogging.

Start small; don’t go up against the big guys that are in the giant niches like fitness and weight loss. You want to stay in the smaller niches where you will have a lot less competition. Leave the giant niches to the pro’s. You will find some great success in these smaller areas.

Keep It Simple

Here are some ideas to check out:

• Knitting

• Crocheting

• Needlepoint

• Pottery

• Jewelry making

Check It Out

As you go through the magazine subscriptions, look to see how often they go out, if they are only a ‘once a year’ thing, it may be because they don’t have a large enough audience . Most of the more popular craft and hobby magazines go out at least quarterly, and these are the ones to check out.

Once you have decided on a niche idea, take that topic and put it in Google and search for any news or articles on that topic. You may come up with some interesting news or articles on your subject.

Just One Idea

As you can see, there are a lot of ways to get ideas for niche blogging, and this is only one of them. Go for what you love, what interests you, not only will you have a lot more information to work with, but you will thoroughly enjoy the entire process. You may wonder if you are even working at all.