Internet Business Success | Solo Mompreneur

Blogging for Dollars

Almost any day of the week you’ll find someone online who’s asking, “How do I monetize my blog?” or “What’s the best way to make money with my business blog?”

Here’s the way I would answer those questions and go ahead and throw rotten eggs at me if you wish.

“Stop thinking about the money.”

“Stop focusing on blogging for dollars.”

Instead …

Continually strive to improve your writing skills
Reach out and brainstorm with fellow bloggers
Link to other people’s posts
Better your best freebie offer and give it away on your blog
Invite people to do guest posting
Deliver clear and consistent marketing messages
Reward your commenters
Visit blogs in your niche and build community
Understand the needs of your target audience
Strut your stuff with personal flair
Ask others how you can help

How are you monetizing your blog?

Social Media Site Designed To Help You Get Things Done

By Melanie Kissell 10 Comments

I decided to go on a hunt for a social media venue that focuses exclusively on PRODUCTIVITY – one that’s designed to help
entrepreneurs and other solo professionals GET THINGS DONE.

Productivity is vital to your success. With all the online noise and distractions, an ongoing business-building learning curve, and the solidarity of working from home, productivity can be a challenge.

Take a look at the short video below. I think Blellow is a community worth checking out.

Blellow is a community with a focus on productivity. It’s a place for freelancers and professionals to collaborate, find work, and solve problems!

What are you producing in your business these days? Are you producing results? How would you rate your productivity level on a scale from 1 to 10?

Filed Under: Build an online empire, Productivity, Social Media Marketing, Social Networking Tagged With: Blellow, Freelancing, Internet business success, Productivity, Social Media

Best Way To Communicate With Your Audience

By Melanie Kissell 12 Comments

To tap into the needs of your target audience and ramp up your marketing results …

Communication is the key.

Of course, there are many ways to “talk” to your prospects, clients, and customers.

Are you aware of how your target audience prefers to communicate?

Figuring that out is the cherry on the ice cream sundae!

Your audience may prefer to communicate with you by:

Email
Phone Call
Text Messaging
Hard Copy Newsletter
Social Media
Video
Podcast
Ezine
Direct Response Mail

A “best practice” for marketing your products or services is “Test Before Invest” – and that could mean an investment of either time or money or both. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Building relationships online, Customer Care, Email Marketing, Ezines, Online Marketing, Online newsletters, Podcasting, Social Media Marketing Tagged With: Communication, Customer Care, Customer Service, Email Marketing, Ezines, Internet business success, Marketing your services online, Podcasting

Let The Tomato Throwing Commence!

By Melanie Kissell 4 Comments

You may not agree with what I’m about to say, and that’s okay.

Because when it comes to making money online, you have to do whatever floats your boat – whatever works for you.

Most every online marketing expert teaches this two-step process for having tremendous success with your business:

1.) Identify problems people are having.

2.) Offer (sell) them the solutions.

Sounds great and it’s not bad advice.

Millions of people turn to the internet every day searching for solutions to everything from acne to a zipper that’s stuck. It’s just a fact of life.

Someone who’s suffering with back pain in the middle of the night doesn’t go to their local emergency room anymore – without checking the internet FIRST – hoping to find some information that will bring them relief.

Can you prosper from selling solutions to back pain and a myriad of other problems people are having? Absolutely – if that’s what floats your boat.

I lean in that “other” direction. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Blogging, Build an online empire, Following Your Passion, Making money on the internet, Online Marketing Tagged With: Blogging, Internet business success, Marketing your services online, Online Success

Plan To Market Wisely Or Plan To Go Down The Tubes

By Melanie Kissell 9 Comments

Did you know there’s over 100 marketing platforms you can take advantage of to build your business and your brand, even if you’re on a $0 budget?

It’s true!

BUT … here’s the catch:

You won’t experience a lick of success in your marketing efforts unless you choose platforms you sincerely enjoy working and ones that fit into your schedule and lifestyle.

I’ll give you an example …

My friend and newbie online marketing pro, Sheila Atwood, of Newbie Lifeline has experienced tremendous success building her business by utilizing forums as a marketing platform. I envy her and I think that’s awesome!

Give yourself the gift of getting to know Sheila and let her give you some tips about adding forums to your marketing plan.

For me, forums wouldn’t be a good choice. Why? It’s not because I don’t enjoy meeting new people in my target audience, learning about what others in my niche are doing, networking with like-minded business professionals, or striking up interesting and vibrant conversations that, ultimately, direct people back to my website or blog.

Who wouldn’t love THAT?!

However, forums wouldn’t work for me because I don’t have the amount of time and devotion needed to make them work. In addition to my online business, I work outside the home, as well, and my offline commitments eat into a BIG chunk of my week.

A better choice for me, considering my schedule and lifestyle, would be blogging and social media venues. And I’m happy to say these two arenas are where I’ve experienced the greatest success in my marketing efforts.

If your curiosity is piqued, your budget is tight, and you’d like to find out more about over 100 marketing platforms, just download a Free Shoestring Marketing Kit.

Which marketing platforms do you enjoy the most? Which ones are working best for you?

Filed Under: Blogging, Building relationships online, Online Marketing Tagged With: Forums, Free marketing tools, Internet business success, Marketing platforms, Marketing your services online, Shoestring Marketing, Social Media

Your Blog is Your Best Attraction Tool

By Melanie Kissell 4 Comments

Every success-minded online marketing entrepreneur, business coach, consultant, self-employed professional, and freelancer needs a blog.

Here’s an equation I learned from Lexi Rodrigo that demonstrates the foundational components of online marketing success:

BLOG + EMAIL MARKETING = PROFITABLE ONLINE BIZ

Your business blog is your most powerful tool for attracting prospects, clients, customers, and even joint venture partners because:

1) It’s a platform for showcasing your talents, skills, and specialized knowledge. It puts you center stage in the spotlight!

2) It encourages interaction and builds community with people who share common interests, objectives, and goals. It’s the perfect place for your target audience to hang out, enjoy the view, and gather some helpful tips, resources, and expert information from you.

3) It’s a place to share the need for and demonstrate the results others have experienced from using your products and/or services. Case studies and product reviews are two of the most popular and most attractive types of blog posts.

4) It’s easy to use and provides you a central location for your online marketing and networking efforts. From all other locations on the internet, always strive to send people back to your blog to gather more information on a topic, subscribe to your list, or learn more about you and what you have to offer.

Your blog is the hub of all your business-building activities. What are some ways you are making your blog a strong magnet?

Filed Under: Blogging, Building relationships online, Email Marketing, Internet Marketing Tools, Joint Ventures, List Building, Online Marketing, Service Business Owners, Small business owners Tagged With: Blogging, business coach, consultants, entreprenuers, freelancers, Internet business success, Marketing your services online

Tapping Into Your Inner Monkey

By Melanie Kissell 10 Comments

“Monkey See-Monkey Do” is a phrase you probably became familiar with as a child.

My mom had her own endearing version that went something like this …

“If so-and-so is going to jump off a bridge, are you going to jump off, too?!”

And the obvious answer, of course, was “No”.

But in the arena of online marketing and small business ownership, “Monkey See-Monkey Do” can be a really good business building strategy. The goal is Not to become a copy cat but to become aware of what other success minded marketers are doing and put your own fingerprint on those tools, tactics, and techniques.

Here’s how you can start tapping into your inner monkey:

1) Have you seen an opt-in form and offer that’s really attention-grabbing and triggers you to take action? What are the elements that appeal to you the most? Is it the shape or colors used that caught your eye? Or maybe the graphic? The call to action? The location on the page?

Scrutinize your own opt-in box and freebie offer and incorporate those elements that you find most effective.

2) Have a favorite blog or two or three that you visit regularly? What is it about those particular blogs that strike your fancy? What are the blog owners/authors doing that keep you coming back for more? Are they great storytellers? Do they offer fabulous tips related to your niche? Is it their sense of humor that attracts you? Maybe the layout of their blogs?

Begin weaving those ”I’ve-got-you-hooked” components into your own blog.

3) Ever come across social media profiles that just knock your socks off? A short bio that causes you to click the person’s link immediately to discover more? What kinds of adjectives or action words have they used? Do they note only their business expertise or are personal facts included, too? What is it about their profile that intrigues you?

Read your own profile/bio with discerning eyes. Then re-vamp it to be as compelling as your favorites.

There are lots of creative ways to tap into your inner monkey. When you “See” something that’s working for someone else, start “Do”-ing it!

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Filed Under: Blogging, Improving writing skills, Online Marketing, Small business owners, Storytelling Tagged With: Bio, Blogging, Internet business success, Online Success, Social media profile

Time to Tie up the Loose Ends – Affiliate Marketing Part 5

By Melanie Kissell 11 Comments

Before you read the grand finale on affiliate marketing, be sure to go back and read Parts 1-4, if you haven’t already. They’ll help you tie up any loose ends about the common mistakes people make as well as the wonderful benefits and expert tips for affiliate marketing success.

Here are the two questions people ask me all the time:

“What is the best tip you can give me, Melanie, about affiliate marketing so I can start making some money?” And “What’s the best way to start?”

The answer to both those questions is the same. You need to focus on finding the RIGHT people to promote and recommend to others.

GET TO KNOW potential affiliate partners first. Follow them on Twitter, befriend them on Facebook, communicate through emails, attend some of their free teleseminars, opt in to their list, and read their blogs. Observe what they are doing and how they conduct themselves to decide if you resonate with them or not.

Common Mistakes and How to Avoid Them – Affiliate Marketing Part 4

By Melanie Kissell 8 Comments

Affiliate marketing can be an excellent way to get started in business online or a powerful, profitable addition to a current business.

There are amazing and wonderful products to sell and wonderful product owners to partner with.

Being an affiliate marketer isn’t just about making money, it’s about promoting products that you believe in and are passionate about – this is key to becoming a successful affiliate.

But what if affiliate marketing doesn’t seem to be working for you?

Here are some of the common mistakes to avoid when you are starting out as an affiliate marketer:

1) There’s a disconnect with your visitors

No matter how interesting and informative the content of your site is, most of your visitors won’t stay and browse unless you have injected some of your personality into it. Add some personal details, perhaps a photo or an about me page, and try to make the content sound as though you are actually talking to your visitors. Write conversationally, as if you were speaking to your sister or your best friend.

2) All lookers and no buyers

This problem is generally caused by failure to really pre-sell the products you are promoting. Anticipating the needs of your audience and convincing them that your affiliate product will address that need should increase your conversion rate. A well designed site will have your customers prepared to buy the product before they even click on the link.

3) Not taking names

Don’t forget to ask your customers for their e-mail addresses, whether that is to receive a newsletter, e-book, audio, video, or a free report. If you don’t, you are missing out on a great opportunity. Very few people buy from a site on their first visit. So capture their e-mail addresses in exchange for something of value so you can gain their trust and confidence and ensure you have future chances to sell to them.

4) Leaving out the human element

Human elements sell better than clever copy every time! Don’t rely on advertising over testimonials. Although banner ads in the sidebars on your webpage can lead to affiliate sales, they are not as effective as personal recommendations and endorsements.

Online customers are becoming immune to traditional advertising but the human element of a recommendation can still dramatically increase your sales. Even though your customers are probably aware that you make a commission from recommending a product, they will reason that you would not endorse something you didn’t believe in because that would damage your reputation and credibility.

Do write a heartfelt enthusiastic endorsement. It may take some practice, but it will be well worth the effort when the commissions begin to roll in.

5) Tell before you sell

Too much sales-y stuff and too little content turns people off. Whether you are promoting affiliate products via a website or information products, your customers will want to learn something from you rather than reading a blatant sales pitch.

As a general rule, you should be aiming for 90% high quality informative content and 10% sales content on your site.

6) Repeating the same mistakes

Many affiliate marketers find they are only making a small profit from one product, so they decide to promote a large number of products in order to increase this income. All you really achieve with this is repeating a formula that doesn’t work very effectively.

If you are not generating much income from your affiliate products, look at different ways to market them. Having a few well-marketed products is always better than hundreds that get little exposure. Don’t be afraid to try out some new marketing platforms and strategies.

See you for Part 5 – The Grand Finale!