Sunday, March 30, 2008

Build your list

One of the most important factors to online success is list
building. No matter what goals you're pursuing with your online
activities, building a good healthy contact list is vital for a
successful outcome.

List building plays a major role in developing good relationships
with your site's customers, clients and visitors. It can be used
to get more traffic, leads and sales for your site or business.

For these reasons contact building should be high on your list of
priorities when you're marketing or promoting on the web.
Fortunately, list building is an easy process that any site or
webmaster can quickly set-up as long as you understand two
simple, yet well-proven principles of list building.

To be really successful, your list building must incorporate
these two key elements. Without these two main ingredients you
will probably find building your contact list difficult and slow
going. So it is worth your while to fully understand and utilize
these two factors in your list building.

Any list should have these two key elements:

1. Value

Your list should have value. It should offer something valuable
to the one subscribing. It should offer important information,
quality content, special deals/discounts, and more importantly,
it should offer a valuable relationship or connection to an
expert in the subject area of the list.

Subscribers join a list for the benefits it will bring them,
whether it be valuable content, special deals or a connection to
an expert in their area of interest; your list must have value
for the subscribers. They must benefit from joining your list.

If you're building a list, just write down all the benefits
someone would receive from joining your site or list.

- receive important information - get special valuable content -
receive special deals/discounts - get training videos/workshops -
get timely announcements or news

Make these benefits your main selling points when you're
building your list. Don't forget there may also be a
psychological reason for joining your list - many people like
being part of a group or membership site. It's human nature, we
all want to be emotionally involved with certain topics or
causes, so don't ignore this aspect when building your list.
Everybody likes to feel included - lists can fulfill this
emotional need.

Simply give your subscribers something of value and you will
build your list quickly and easily.

2. Free

Whatever you offer - make sure it is Free. The quickest way to
build any list is to give away free valuable content,
information, videos, reports, ebooks, discounts, prizes...
everybody loves a free gift. Just make them an offer they can't
refuse.

Some marketers argue that giving away free items will attract the
"wrong kind" of customer or subscriber - people that will never
buy anything because they will expect it to be free. But this has
more to do with the nature of your gift and the kind of contacts
you're building - giving away free buying guides on how to
purchase real estate, fast cars, LCD TVs, laptops... will
definitely attract the right "buying customer". If you're into
selling, you just have to adjust your marketing to incorporate
the free element correctly.

Besides, giving away something free is the first step in starting
an ongoing relationship with your subscribers. It gets the ball
rolling. It is one of the most effective ways to build your list
quickly and easily. Just make sure you're giving away something
of value to the person receiving it and they will turn to you,
time and time again, to find what they're looking for on the
web.

So the next time you're building a contact list make these two
key elements the center of your activities. Just remember "give
them value and make it free" and you should have no problems
with list building.

Wednesday, March 19, 2008

Jump-Start Your Article



Information, much of it in the form of written content, is what
drives the Internet. As a result, article writing is extremely
important to Internet entrepreneurs who wish to succeed. But
sometimes circumstances arise when the articles just aren't
coming.

Writer's block happens to the best of us. I have cases of it all
the time. I'll be sitting at my keyboard, staring into a blank
screen, just hoping that a decent thought will jump into my head
and I can start typing again. One minute goes by, then two, then
ten, and nothing happens. Drat!

If this has ever happened to you, you know how frustrating it can
be. In my personal experience, writer's block usually occurs
when I have not adequately prepared myself to write at the
particular time at which I'm trying to write. What I mean is, I
have ideas for articles all the time. Unfortunately, they usually
show up when I'm in the shower, driving down the highway, in the
middle of trying to complete ten other things and something just
"pops into my head", or lying in bed at 3:00am. But, when it's
time to recapture my thoughts, when I'm sitting down and ready
to write, nothing.

If this sounds familiar, if you're in a bit of a slump or can't
seem to get or hold onto a decent article writing idea, here are
some tips:

1) If you get ideas frequently, but can't seem to recall them
when you need them, "sticky notes" and a small notepad work
wonders.

I know, it seems ridiculously simple. No rocket science here, but
I'm telling you if you've never tried this, it works. The
problem is not that you don't have ideas that can be transformed
into great articles. The problem is that you're not capturing
the ideas you have.

Keeping small notepads (we don't want to create clutter, because
clutter disrupts our ability to think and act clearly; a subject
for yet another article) around the house, in the car, on your
desks or anywhere else you tend to frequent, helps you to record
important or creative ideas as soon as you get them (or soon
thereafter). By taking time to "jot down" your thoughts as they
come, you create a means of saving them; a record and a resource.
Then, when you're in a position to do something with the ideas,
or when your "well runs dry", you have a great tool at your
disposal. (Note: Using a personal voice recorder instead of a
notepad, will work just as well.)

2) If getting ideas in the first place is your problem, here are
three quick idea sources: current news (What's going on that
affects your niche?), industry news (What are the new/hot trends,
what changes are occurring, what are people saying/doing? ), and
current problems or challenges your audience may face.

Each of these sources can be reviewed quickly without taking too
much of your time or effort. They can each provide the "seeds"
from which to generate interesting and helpful articles. In
addition, don't overlook the value of your own experience. Your
challenges, successes and failures are likely very similar to
those of other individuals who are involved and interested in the
same things as are you. Often, just writing about a subject and
offering readers a different perspective can provide a great deal
of benefit to your audience.

3) My final tip...Don't force it.

If you're experiencing difficulty with your article writing,
walk away. If you're attempting to write an article and nothing
is happening, STEP AWAY FROM YOUR COMPUTER (or paper or
notepad).

Turn your attention elsewhere. Feed the cat, walk the dog, get
some fresh air. Do something to break away from your writing.
Engage yourself in activities that are completely different. Then
return to your writing task with a refreshed mind and renewed
energy. I believe you'll find that you can write. If however,
your "dry spell" lasts more than momentarily, my advice is
still the same. Disengage, even for a period of a day or two if
needed, and completely immerse yourself in other things. When you
feel refreshed, come back to your writing and begin again.

Although there may be similarities in the actions of individuals
involved in the task, article writing is somewhat different for
everyone who does it. As writers, we all have different routines,
different rituals, and different methodologies according to what
works best for each of us. Invariably though, at some point or
other, every writer comes to a point when their engine stalls.

The best advice is to keep yourself renewed and refreshed on a
regular basis. Avoid getting so involved in your writing (or for
you who are entrepreneurs, any of the other gazillion tasks you
perform), that you exclude all else. This will help you to
maintain a fresh perspective, and that "freshness" will
certainly be reflected in your ability to write, as well as in
the quality of your writing.

But when a difficult period does arise, be prepared. Have the
tools in place to help you to get your article writing started
and going again. Hopefully the tips included within this article
will help you to do just that. Happy writing!

Friday, March 14, 2008

Fear Fear go away....


What do you do when someone you know has to deal with persistent
fears, anxieties, or even depression? Well the first thing you
need to do is to get the person to seek the services of a
professional who can lead them in the right direction and give
them the help they need. In addition, here are some other
techniques you can use to help the person cope.

Learn as much as you can in managing anxiety and depression.
There are many books and information that will educate you on
how to deal with fear and anxiety. Share this information with
the person who is struggling. Education is the key in finding
the answers your looking for in managing your fears.

Be understanding and patient with the person struggling with
their fears. Dealing with depression and anxiety can be difficult

for the person so do not add more problems than what is already
there.

The person struggling with the anxiety must realize that managing

anxiety and fear takes practice. When experiencing an anxiety
related situation, begin to learn what works, what doesn't work,

and what you need to improve on in managing your fears and
anxieties. As you do this, you will become better in dealing
with your anxieties.

Learn to manage your negative thoughts. A good way to manage
your fear is to challenge your negative thinking with positive
statements and realistic thinking. When encountering thoughts
that make your fearful or anxious, challenge those thoughts by
asking yourself questions that will maintain objectivity and
common sense.

Another thing to remember is that things change and events do not

stay the same. For instance, you may feel overwhelmed today with

your anxiety and feel that this is how you will feel the rest of

the week or month. This isn't correct. No one can predict the
future with 100 Percent accuracy. Even if the thing that you
feared does happen there are circumstances and factors that you
can't predict which can be used to your advantage. You never
know
when the help and answers you are looking for will come to you.

As a Layman, I realize it is not easy to deal with all of our
fears. When your fears and anxieties have the best of you, seek
help from a professional. The key is to be patient, take it slow,

and not to give up. In time, you will be able to find those
resources that will help you with your problems.