30 Day Challenge - Days 7-12 Summary

Posted on August 13, 2008
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Here’s an overview of days 7 through 12 of the 30 Day Challenge:

Day Seven:

Day Eight:

Day Nine:

Day Ten

Day Eleven

Day Twelve

The last six days have mainly focused on traffic building, a step which is transferable to any online business.

Again, the 30 Day Challenge is free and well worth the time and effort. You can use my summaries as an overview and go sign up now!

The 30 Day Challenge

Kirk

30 Day Challenge - Days 1-6 Summary

Posted on August 7, 2008
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I’ve been following along with the 30 Day Challenge and find it extremely valuable for novice internet marketers. I bet even jaded veterans can find information of worth.

Here’s a quick summary of days 1-6 for those who are behind:

Day One:

Day Two:

Day Three:

Day Four:

Day Five:

Day Six:

So far, this is all focused around testing the niche and keywords for a positive response. It looks like if the reaction is as desired, the full-blown business will be developed later.

Remember that, as their catch phrase says, “There is no charge for awesomeness!” Everything they’ve shown to this point is free. Yes, some utilities, such as Market Samurai, are on a free-trial basis, but they do show old-fashioned workarounds to the jobs handled by the software. Also, I personally prefer shelling out a few bucks for domain names and hosting, but they have temporary options for that as well.

So head on over, register if you haven’t, and schedule some time to watch the amazing 30 Day Challenge training series. It’s only been six days so far - you can catch up easily! Click below:

30 Day Challenge

Kirk

30 Day Challenge

Posted on August 2, 2008
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One benefit of Twitter - finding out about Internet Business happenings such as the 30 Day Challenge.

Ed Dale and gang have just started this year’s 30 Day Challenge. The goal is to make your first $10 online within 30 days and they’ll walk you through every step of the way.

And, amazingly, IT”S FREE! So check it out:

30 Day Challenge

Even if you don’t think you have the time to complete a lesson every day, it’s still worth checking out. When you sign up there is a preseason lesson page which takes you through a number of videos that review various web 2.0 tools. I’d sign up to watch those alone!

So take a look!

Internet Business - Part Time

Posted on July 27, 2008
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I’ve been slammed with my normal 40 hour a week job and the 20 hour internship for grad school and assorted normal duties and responsibilities and enjoyments for a normal life. Which has left me wondering…

What are the minimum hours needed to start an internet business?

Affiliate Marketing Mayhem!

Posted on July 17, 2008
Filed Under Affiliate Marketing, Internet Marketing | Leave a Comment

So how many different pitches have you received to buy John Reese’s Traffic Secrets 2.0?

And from how many different internet marketers?

It’s interesting to watch as well-known figures in the field develop new products for release. They might give the first notice of an upcoming launch…and then let the mayhem begin! Every email from that point on is joined by several more as affiliate relationships are forged. As they all make their sales pitch, bonuses are thrown in to add value and increase the likelihood of buying through their link.

I think I had emails from eight different people on launch day!

So, what do I take away from all this?

1. Affiliate marketing is important.

Ok, that’s an easy one. With the number of ’successful’ marketers advertising this product, it reinforced the possibilities that exist in gaining commissions on other people’s products. If a product can add value to someone and I can offer that product then I gain value as well.

2. Always consider the impact on your reputation.

Sometimes I get the feeling that I’m being sold mainly so the other person can make some money, not because they actually think I will get the help I need. One downfalls of the mailing list is the ease of flooding people with offers. Mailing lists could be more effective with longer term vision, creating year-long communication strategies that inform and inspire, with appropriate products announced that fit into the plan. By doing so, reputation proceeds product, increasing the value for both parties.

3. Share information without making money.

Check Neil Shearing’s blog entry. This brief entry gave me another reason to trust him, his information, and his products.

I’ve taken the same approach. Even though I do not have an affiliate relationship with Reese, I think his product (and the process by which his announced, promoted and then launched it) is worth knowing about.

4. There will be more.

Next time another successful marketer launches a product, take note! Watch to see who teams up, how and how often they communicate, the way they add value or create scarcity or urgency, and track the plan over time until the launch.

Most importantly, take a continual ‘gut check’ for your response. Notice whether you feel encouraged or depressed, supported or overwhelmed, valued or cheated. How we feel leads how we buy.

Kirk

John Reese Traffic Secrets 2.0 - New Video

Posted on July 12, 2008
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Here’s the third video in his pre-launch series.

John Reese Traffic Secrets 2.0

It’s interesting to watch how he plays against the norm at the end, pointing out that he’s not using any pressure building tactics, such as a limited number of products or incremental price increases, to accelerate sales. John chooses honesty, transparency and authenticity to attract potential customers by answering questions, explaining motivations for establishing his new company and being direct about the launch process.

I’m curious to see whether he can deliver on the hype.

Kirk

Copywriting and Autoresponders

Posted on July 7, 2008
Filed Under Autoresponder, Copywriting, Internet Marketing | Leave a Comment

I’m sure you’ve heard the quote that “content is king.” That simply means that words are the most important tool of an internet business. You may read them on a blog, on a company website, or through emails…whatever the case, successful writing is the direct link to a successful business.

One copywriter I follow is Michel Fortin. He has some great information on copywriting that you can read for yourself here.

I recently received a Twitter post from Michel that pointed to a series of autoresponder videos. This is one of the current areas I’ve been studying - it’s worth a view.

Kirk

Traffic Secrets

Posted on July 4, 2008
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I was recently pointed to a new video by John Reese, a well-known figure in the world of internet marketing.

Watching it, I was amazed at the great information in such a short video! A must-see!

Traffic Secrets 2.0

After the first video there’s an opt-in for a second video. Do it - you won’t regret it.

Traffic Secrets 2.0

I hope you get as much out of them as I did.

Kirk

Don’t Be Pressured Against Your Will

Posted on June 26, 2008
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I just read a post by Yanik Silver over at his Internet Lifestyle Blog. Check it out:

5 Ways To Make A Hard Decision A Little Easier

This resonated with another experience I’ve been having lately - an annoying email responder series that is calling me to make a decision for their product.

I am on a number of email lists, to see if there are any products I am interested in, any products I should recommend and to observe other people’s copywriting. As you might expect, I get bulk quantity emails every day.

The first thing that bothered me was the free book offer that waits until the end of the process to insert the charge for shipping and handling. It’s not much and I probably would’ve paid it if it had been mentioned up front if not for the late-stage slip in. In this case, my gut response was that it was ‘tricky’ and not fully honest.

And once I had that experience I’ve started to pay attention. In general, the emails I receive from this fellow tend to be pushy, take an arrogant tone, and come off slightly demanding. At this point I’ve mentally thought I’d probably never buy anything from this particular person.

Each of us has different triggers for making decisions. One of mine is the desire for authenticity and honesty in the presentation. If I get the feeling that something isn’t above board or that I’m being given the full-court press, I tend to dig my heels in and head the other way.

So another important factor in decision making is knowing one’s triggers and cues and emotional tendencies. The more I understand why I do what I do, the better I can evaluate each decision wisely.

Kirk

The Secret of Internet Business Structure

Posted on June 22, 2008
Filed Under Internet Marketing, P2C2 | Leave a Comment

How many of you feel completely overwhelmed by the amount of information you receive on Internet Business and Marketing?

I’m raising my hand here.

So many people are putting out so much material. Invitation after announcement followed by sales pitch with services tacked on. With all the possibilities it’s impossible to decide where to begin.

In my own analysis of what is available, I’ve created a paradigm to use when making a decision on whether or not to plunk down a bit of my cash.

I call it P2C2, the steps involved in creating an Internet Business.

  1. You must have something to sell, a PRODUCT.
  2. You have to find and communicate with those who want your product, the PROSPECTS.
  3. You need to work on your methods of getting your prospects to buy your product, making CONVERSIONS.
  4. You will nuture your converted prospects by giving them the best possible products and services, creating long-term CUSTOMERS who will return again and again and promote you to others.

I use this format to evaluate every offer sent my way to determine where it will fit into my overall plan. This assists me in focusing my resources on products that will benefit me in the stage of business I am currently working on (no sense buying traffic generation materials unless I’m ready to generate traffic in step 2) or enables me to plan ahead and look for the support I will need in an upcoming stage of my business development (such as setting up a list-building service, which is one of my current step 2 priorities).

You should be able to use this paradigm as well to sort through your own strategy. Most importantly, utilize the structure to move forward and not get stuck in analysis paralysis

Kirk

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