EOY 2018

     It’s happened once again!  We are at the end of another year.  A bit difficult to believe but twelve months have come and gone and I am now posting my last blog for 2018.  I would have never thought that almost 365 days ago when I began I would reach 100 blog posts during 2018.  But it has happened with this post!

     Many things have happened during this past year that I would like to take a few moments to speak about.

    “ It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to heaven, we were all going direct the other way - in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only.”  Charles Dickens “A Tale of Two Cities”.

     As I look back over the year it seems to me that Mr. Dickens may have had 2018 in mind when he wrote those words so many years ago.  It appears that we sit on the verge of many great and unbelievable discovers and advancements for mankind, however we are unable to control our most basic fears and achieve peace amongst ourselves.

     With the advancement of the internet a real plethora of information is available to the entire world simply for push of a few buttons or clicks of a mouse and yet worldwide we are some of the most foolish people who have lived.

     We go into the beginning of each new year with the greatest of hope for humankind; however, by the years’ end we are faced with many disappointments.  2018 has been no different.  We felt that perhaps during this year we could draw mankind together with a bond of love and peace.  But what we have seen is the constant activities of mass shootings, gang violence, almost a total lack of human compassion, and sadly the devaluation of the value of human life in general.

     Perhaps as Mr. Dickens stated this has only been another year “in a superlative degree of comparison only.”  We are coming to the end for the statistics of 2018.  How will they “stack up” to the numbers of years past?  How will we use what we have learned during this year to in some fashion help us build a better year to come?  Or, have we been able to learn anything at all?

QUOTE TO CONSIDER

THOUGHTFUL GEM

"There can be no better time to change your future

than the moment in which you currently live."

The Many Facets of Viral Marketing

     In the beginning, e-mail was the one way that viral marketing was started. Since that long ago day, viral marketing has gone from a marketing strategy to an art form and there are many ways to accomplish the objective of creating a successful viral marketing campaign. Seven of those ways are:

1.         E-mail: It was first but it is still around and still used. It is, however, getting a little harder to use as more and more government restrictions are placed on it. Still… it does work and if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!

2.         Newsletters: This is an extension of e-mail but it a very effective tool. If you include enough timely and valuable information, a good newsletter can drive up the number of visits to your website.  Free, periodical newsletters are enjoyed by many people.

3.         Blogging: Providing the tools on your website to enable bloggers to interact with one another is a terrific way to get the message about your product of service out there and being talked about. Bloggers have their ears to the ground for new products and services.

4.         Chat Rooms: A chat room on your website can and does encourage interaction among your customers and that can’t be a bad thing. Also, you can use the chat room to schedule special events like having an expert available to answer questions on a given day at a given time.

5.         Tell-a-friend Script: If you add this with a statement saying that e-mail addresses supplied will never be shared with third parties, you can increase your potential customer list greatly.

6.         Video Clips: Including cool video clips on your website will keep the interest up and increase traffic.  Everyone knows that we are an extremely “visual” society today.  Most people would rather WATCH information about your product instead of reading about it.

7.         Flash Games: Although they are a little costly to start, they are an extremely effective tool to get your viral marketing campaign going. Once they are launched, they require nothing more from you.

     Try one or more of the above suggestions and see how they affect your bottom line!

QUOTE TO CONSIDER

THOUGHTFUL GEM

"To grasp the minds of your listeners is a joy.

To touch their hearts with your words is a miracle."

Viral Marketing Campaigns Using E-books

     Viral Marketing sounds like something bad but it is actually something very good. It is, also, a powerful way to generate traffic to your website.

     Think about how a virus spreads from one person to another. One person gets sick and just by sneezing they can give the virus to many other people… those people get sick and share their germs with everyone they know and the next thing anybody knows is that there is an epidemic. That is the very concept of viral marketing. The idea is to get everyone to spread your marketing message around because they have had an enjoyable experience with your site or products/services and want their friends and family to have a similar experience.

     Now let’s look at using an E-book to start your viral marketing campaign. First you create an E-book… a really good one that has links to your website, to your sales page and affiliate links to products and services that you recommend… and you give it to three people. In the book you encourage those three people to give it to their friends and family.  For your information it’s not that difficult to prepare an E-book.  Just take a little time and you’ll have prepared before you know it.

     And then your E-book is spreading across the Internet like wild fire. Digital information duplicates easily and quickly so before you know it, thousands of people could be reading your free E-book.  People that you may never have had the opportunity to reach before through your other methods of marketing.

     Make certain that you let people know that they have permission to forward the E-book around the Internet. When you create the E-book, you have the right to give people certain rights. One of those rights could be that you allow them to give the book to other people. Make it clear that this book is free to give away. You’re not wanting to make any money off the E-book itself.  You’re looking for that marketing information to bring new customers to your website and sell them your products or services.

     You can write the E-book yourself, use private label content or you can hire a ghostwriter to prepare the content. There are a lot of ways to create an E-book. Once you have your E-book written, use software to create your E-book.  Just check out sources on the Internet.  You may be surprised to find how easy this is to do.

     Before you know it your web site will begin to be visited by MANY individuals looking at your other products or services.  They will become your PAYING customers in no time and this is the life blood of your business.

QUOTE TO CONSIDER

THOUGHTFUL GEM

"Everyone has something to sell,

how do you make your 'something' worth buying?"

Using E-mail for Viral Marketing

     Viral marketing has an array of possibilities and ways to achieve your overall goals. However, just like everything else, preplanning and the right setup to create success are the things you will need to make it work for you and your e-business or for that matter any business!

     The first thing you want to be sure you don’t do is get over-zealous. The one thing you need to avoid at all costs is spamming. Spamming is still used widely, but with the government establishing more restrictions and fines you don’t want this to be a problem for you. The professional image of your site will also suffer if you send mail blatantly. You can easily fall prey to this practice if you are not careful in how you operate your business.

     Spamming requires a database that contains a huge list of e-mail addresses set up so that the message can be delivered with one click. The problem with it (aside from the governmental restrictions and associated fines) is that it irritates the recipients and kills the validity of your campaign, which in turn kills the factors that would motivate someone to visit your site or even refer your site to others.

     You need to personalize e-mail campaign by creating your website with personal appeal. You must see to it that your website makes your customers feel safe, secure and cared for.  E-mail is important, because it is going to be one of the most affordable ways to keep in touch with your customers. And you will absolutely want to do this consistently.

     The proper way to handle e-mail permission is to first let your customer know that you will not transmit their e-mail addresses to third party companies. The next thing to do is to attach the need for their e-mail addresses to benefits they can receive.

     For example: Coupons or discounts that are only available to members who receive e-mail notifications. With each e-mail you send the viral marketing effect takes place.

     You also want to reassure your customers that their contact information WILL NEVER be sold or used for any other purposes other than your specific business needs.  This will add extra feelings of security to your customers.

     When you have happy customers who feel safe and secure on your site they will automatically tell their friends about your products/services thus continuing your viral marketing campaign.

QUOTE TO CONSIDER

THOUGHTFUL GEM

"Marketing is like trying to sell 

someone else your dream!"

Get Your "Buzz" On

     Viral marketing has matured a bit over the years. There seems to have been a shift to the web not just being seen by agencies and brands as another tick box for any ad campaign, which is significant enough, but now being the medium where a campaign is launched to create a buzz before it hits TV and print. Even before a movie is released this used to be seen as the pre-launch buzz-generation activity. Big business “gets it”.

     Buzz works! It can work for small and start-up businesses, as well. The planning stage of a viral campaign will set out objectives and develop the viral theme for a buzz. There are three core components to any viral campaign and businesses of any size can use them. They are:

1.         The creative material: The viral agent that embodies the message you want to spread in a digital format (image, video, text, etc). The trick is to put together material that people will be eager to share with their family and friends.  As we know, people are much more eager to share “advertainment” and advertisement.

2.         Seeding: Distributing and placing the agent online in places that provide the greatest potential spread. Direct viral material downloads or links on specialist viral third-party web sites in order to create awareness and spread before users get to the campaign destination site.

3.         Tracking: Measuring the spread of the campaign to provide accountability and prove success. It is absolutely vital that you know what is or is not working. The only way to get that information is to track the results of your seeding.

     Lessons have been learned, trends have been developed and there is definitely some science involved in creating a buzz successfully. The buzz technique is here to stay and, if used strategically, it can make a difference to the success of your e-business.

     Do you have a new product coming out?  Have you written that provocative new E-book?  Whatever the case in your situation, getting the “buzz” out by using viral media may be the way to go for you.

QUOTE TO REMEMBER

THOUGHTFUL GEM

"The only thing spreading faster than a wild fire

is a viral message - - - make yours a good one!"

Give It A Chance

     I know - - - I said I wasn’t going to concentrate on all these business ideas for my blog and now I’ve gone back to doing just that.  It seems I might owe you a bit of an explanation for my madness.  Well here goes - - -

     Today many people are having a really hard time financially in making ends meet.  They are trying to find that “something” on the side that is going to be able to help them in just getting by each month.

     I feel and have for a long time that the internet is “hands down” the simplest means to accomplish this.  It can provide a person with the opportunity to start their own business and produce those needed funds with very little capital output when compared to other business start ups.

     The problem is that many people are still a bit afraid of trying to figure out the internet and how they can use it to make the extra income they are looking for.  So I decided to include some of the basic information as to how they may be able to face this seemingly daunting subject.

     These posts cover a varied list of subject matter, but all are intended to help individuals to see if they can more comfortably apply some of the items and start their own internet business.  I’m not making any guarantees that they will be successful.  We all know that there is a lot of work involved in owning and operating a business whether it is online or a brick and mortar store.

    But having the information available to help make those operations somewhat easier is always a plus for the business owner.  We also have to consider that not everyone will want to set up a full blown ecommerce store on the web, but may only want something smaller that they can manage by themselves which is going to provide them with extra funds every month.

     So many of the points that I will be discussing are provided to assist an individual in just that way.  Helpfully some of you will find just the points you need to help you in venturing into a small side business of your own. 

     Now don’t get me wrong.  I will still from time to time let you venture deep within the cobwebs of MY mind and see some of the unpredicted things that I have floating around in there. Besides we can’t always stay on the subject - - - We’re Only Human!

QUOTE TO CONSIDER

THOUGHTFUL GEM

"At times the greatest and strangest journey

is within ones own mind!"

Have Others Do the Work For You

     Some E-books combine very well with an affiliate program. When the affiliate receives some extra benefit from promoting the viral message, like being able to brand your E-book with his affiliate links, the affiliate makes a sale when a reader buys through a branded link. You benefit from increased traffic on your website because the affiliate is willing to promote your E-books for you.

     Be absolutely certain that your message includes a clear call to action. There shouldn’t be any doubt whatsoever about what you intend recipients to do. Make sure that the instructions are perfectly clear so that recipients know HOW to act. The action that you require should be simple and obvious as well. Don’t make things complicated or it will confuse the reader, such as by adding numerous links.

     Remember the K.I.S.S. principle: “Keep It Simple Stupid!” The incentive should be clear to those you want to take action. Readers will look at your offering for about seven seconds before they move on. If it takes longer than that for them to figure out what it is you want them to do, they will move on. Don’t make your message vague or difficult to comprehend. If you do, chances are you will lose them. You must respect your readers enough to express your message clearly.

     Once you are sure you have an E-book that will be of value to an affiliate program, approach them with your idea and be able to show that it will be mutually beneficial. 

     Viral Marketing using E-books is one of many techniques that all together have a cumulative effect in attracting customers and subscribers to your business and in attracting targeted visitors to your website. You will very soon find out that this is an excellent way of increasing sales, subscribers and referrals.

     Having trouble finding the E-book that would work well for your affiliate program?  Then WRITE one and you know it will work well!

QUOTE TO CONSIDER

THOUGHTFUL GEM

"It's a beautiful thing when you

can accomplish something together."

B2B Marketers Do It Too!

     B2B Marketers use viral marketing by e-mail as a marketing tool. Viral marketing can work well for B2B providers, as long as the following is true:

1.         The product or service has to add value for the sender, as well as, the receiver.

2.         The offer has to be deliverable. You don’t want to offer a product that you can’t deliver if demand grows rapidly.  NEVER offer a product that you do not currently have in your possession or if you think you can wait and see the response BEFORE you get it prepared.

3.         The offer has to be easily transferable to others. E-mail and Web pages provide the best medium to facilitate this.  However, make sure you have all the links in place to make the delivery run smoothly.

4.         The best viral marketing campaigns use existing networks to move the message along.

     The basis of viral marketing has been around for a long time. The idea is that you incite your customers or referral sources to pass on something about your business to their network of colleagues and friends. Those that pass on your information get something in return. The “something” might be a gift or service related to your business. Talking about these “bonuses” would be the topic of a completely different blog post.

     Using e-mail makes it incredibly easy to pass information on to a friend or colleague, especially if it involves something fun or free. With millions using the Internet worldwide, the potential for exponential growth is tremendous. The great things about viral marketing are that it is free and works virtually by itself. Once you make an offer and provide the facility for referrals, viral marketing spreads like… well… a virus…but the good kind.

     To implement viral marketing at your business; first, start with your customer base, then incite existing customers to refer new ones. Second, go to your referral sources. Service providers, your outside network and colleagues can be encouraged to provide referrals that lead to business.

     If your customers are stressed business owners, offer a reward that provides relaxation and leisure... like a weekend away to some local “hot” spot (if your budget would allow for such a gift).  Whatever you choose to use make sure you are thinking the best for your customers.  If you always put your customers FIRST they will loyally support your business.

QUOTE TO CONSIDER

THOUGHTFUL GEM

"Sometimes we have something to say.

Other times we just need to say something!"

3 Steps to Find "Freebies" to Add to Your E-Book

     Those of us who regularly shop on line are familiar with the array of free gifts, free bonuses and just plain freebies that are offered to a visitor on a website to encourage them to buy. How could you collect, select and offer free gifts, which will be valued as much as the original merchandise that is being purchased, put these gifts together and add them to your E-book? There are just three steps to do that very thing. They are:

1.         Identify your key words in each chapter of your E-book. Now, type those words into your favorite search engine. You are looking for free E-books on the same subject in more depth, by a greater expert than you are, or by someone who gives a new and fresh angle to the topic. Add a link to the free E-book in each chapter of your E-book.

2.         Research the Internet for related free gifts. Now you are looking for things that you could give as free gifts in your E-book that will make it more appealing and give it more pass-along appeal to your readers. For example: If you are selling gardening supplies, find a planting guide on the web that can be downloaded and include that as a gift in your E-book.

3.         Download the freebies. Visit the freebies pages on those web sites. Most sites have freebies and encourage you to distribute them.

     Other key words I have searched for are freebies, free E-books, and free reports and then give the key word that I wanted the free stuff for. Like… “freebies for gardeners”.

     Give your reader the best that you can offer. Give them your book, additional reading material and free gifts to boot. Everybody loves a bargain!  And in the process you have the potential of gaining loyal and faithful customers for many years to come.

QUOTE TO CONSIDER

THOUGHTFUL GEM

"Surprise someone - - - 

Most things are never free!"

I HATE Writing Articles --- Isn't There an EASIER Way?

     There may be a tremendous amount of truth to the title of this article in relationship with you personally.  However, you have to realize that owning, running and maintaining an internet based business or any web site for that matter requires that you have articles. Plain and simple, everyone who has a site knows this. Even those who don’t have sites but are frequent internet users know this as well. Articles quench the thirst for information and knowledge of the people. Plus, articles provide many other benefits for the site.

     The benefits that articles provide are putting a site high in the ranking in search results of keywords and keyword phrases that pertain or are relevant to his or her site. They also provide attraction to website visitors when they are appreciated and are linked to your site from another site or newsletter. Articles provide for the increase of the confidence and trust levels of customers to your site and company. Let’s face the facts:  Articles are IMPORTANT!

     Many articles are also beneficial to both company and its traffic. When the readers like the articles, they will tell more of their friends, family and peers and recommend your site to them, providing for a larger volume of traffic. You get bigger sales if your traffic trusts and believes in you. Your products or services would be much easier to sell when people know you know what you are doing and talking about.

     So, we have established that articles are very important to your site and to your business. Articles are crucial, and to keep ahead in the game, a site must have good, fresh, compelling articles, it is imperative. There is one dilemma though, not many people like writing articles.

     Many website owners would rather spend their time on something else, and unless you’re a big time company, you don’t have the necessary resources to use for a pool of article writers. Plagiarism or the copying of other articles is HIGHLY frowned upon and could easily get you into legal troubles, worst case scenario; a hefty fine and jail time.  So what are the other options?

     For starters if you hate writing articles and you can’t afford to hire people to write for you then don’t. Get free articles. The first place to look for free articles is the public domain.  Here you won’t have problems with copyright infringement and the following penalties and fines if you get caught for plagiarism.

     Public domain articles are articles freely given to the public for public use. You can do whatever you want with them. You can place it on your site, name it as yours, or put it in a newsletter: it’s your decision. Always remember though, not just ANY articles will do, you will have to choose articles that are very relevant to your site.

     The downside to public domain articles is that since it is free for everybody, many of your competitors may have access to them as well. Since every site needs to be original and unique even though you have the same niche, this could be a predicament. You may also have to edit them a bit to place more keywords and keyword phrases to make them better and thereby more appropriate for YOUR site.

     Another way to get free articles is to allow other sites which have the same subject or topic as yours to submit articles to your site. This would be only to augment your existing content or else all your articles would be leading to other sites since these articles would have resource boxes with them that could link or direct the readers to their site. That’s why it is important to have your own articles; you could use them to link your site to other sites as well.

     But, to truly feel the impact of what a good article means for you, go for original ones. There are many article writers who do part time and freelance article writing jobs that charge only minimal fees. You can get good articles that have all the keywords and keyword phrases you need and people are looking for at a reasonable price.

     The investment you make for these articles would be worthwhile because you could use them for all the benefits you could offer. You hold copyrights to them and you will be able to use them anyway you want.  As your articles help you in building your business and your site, you will have more articles to write and maybe then you won’t be having second thoughts about articles.

     Writing articles is like many other things we fear in the operations of our businesses.  Facing that fear, as difficult as it may be, will provide great benefits for the future income flow of our company.  So put fear behind you and start writing!

QUOTE TO CONSIDER

THOUGHTFUL GEM

"Often conquering the fear of the task 

is greater than the task itself!"

How to Create an Outline for All Your Articles

     As we continue our series in article writing you may learn an interesting method to make your article writing not only easier but more enjoyable.

     We’ve done it through junior high, it expanded longer through high school, then on into college it became chapters. No matter how many times a person has done it, writing articles has proven to be a task many have continuously avoided. Now at a time when writing articles could help your job or work, facing the job at hand can still be faced with unfriendly behavior.

     While there are a great number of people who do not have the same attitude in article writing as others, there are still those who would rather walk on piping hot coals than do some article writing. What sets other people apart from other concerning article writing is that they are prepared and have some methods and procedures in writing articles.

     One of the methods you can use to prepare yourself when tasked to write an article is creating an outline first. Creating an outline for all your articles makes you better prepared when you get to the actual task. You have an idea of what to do first and make a plan for your succeeding steps. Being prepared makes the job easier and faster. Being organized will allow for disorientation to be shunned away.

     An outline can act as the design or blueprint for your article. This will guide you in creating the introduction, body, and conclusion of your article. Here is the point: You can write down some of the ideas and sentences that you feel will look good in your article before you even start to write the article itself. This could be some of the focal points that could help make your article creative, interesting, and appealing to a reader.

     A carefully planned and fully prepared project would guarantee and ensure a problem and worry free procedure that can virtually go without any hassles. Creating an outline for all your articles will get you ready and you will breeze through writing an article in no time at all. Here I will provide you with some tips and guidelines in how to create an outline for all of your articles.

     Do a couple of brainstorming sessions and jot down your brilliant ideas first. Think of some ways to attract the interest of your reader. Designate a time frame where you can write down all the ideas that you can use for your articles. By this time you should have done all your research and information searching. Review and reread your ideas and notes, gain mastery and sufficient familiarity with your topic so that writing them down later on would be easy for you.

     The next step is to discover your sub topics and sub titles. As you would provide a first sentence for your article, one that would immediately grab the attention of your reader, you would need some as well for your sub topics. To be concise, you would need to get all the facts that will support and go against your point.

     These are the frames or skeleton of your article, now it’s time to add the flesh and the meat of your article. You will need to connect all your paragraphs and sub topics together as you go through this process. This will form the body of your article. While the introduction will usher in the ideas of your paragraph, you will need a conclusion. The conclusion will wrap up your points and drive home the point of what you are saying in your article.

     The outline for your article would also require you to write a draft first. This may take more than one attempt but remember that it is called a draft for a reason. Your outline would be perfected as each draft is written and this draft is meant for your eyes only so there’s no reason to feel ashamed. As you go on, you will clearly see the bigger picture and write an article that will perfectly suit what is demanded of it.

     Read and reread what you have written down. Always refer to your outline so that you won’t drift away from what you had first written down. It’s not hard to be caught up in the moment and get lost in your writing frenzy. Your outline will help you keep it on track. All those hours spent in outlining your article will not go to waste. This will serve as your guide in writing articles. Trust in and rely on your outline because this will prove to be a very helpful tool in writing all of your future articles.

     Now reread this article and get started on preparing your first outline for your next article!

QUOTE TO CONSIDER

THOUGHTFUL GEM

"Your imagination will take you to wonderful

places you can enjoy forever.

Write down these adventures so others

may join you in the joy."

4 Things ALL Articles MUST Have

     Let’s continue our discussion about article writing and how you can be able to produce better writing for your publishing needs.

     The importance of articles on today’s websites and with internet based companies is immeasurable. They dictate a lot in the success and the drive of traffic into one’s site.   It has become a key element in making a site work and earn a profit. A website operator and owner must have the good sense to include articles in his or her site that will work for them and earn them the many benefits articles can give to their site.

     Articles have been known to be the major force in driving traffic to a website. Articles are a factor in giving site high rankings in search result pages. The higher a site ranks the bigger slice of the traffic flow pie he gets. With a huge number in traffic flow, there are more profits and more potential for other income generating schemes as well.

     But, it is not just about stuffing your site with articles; they have certain requirements as well. These requirements must be met in order to obtain the maximum benefits an article will provide for your site. A well written article will catch the eyes and interest of your customers and keep them coming back for more.  They would also be able to recommend your site to others.

     You may think that you are incapable of writing articles for your site.  You are very mistaken.  Here are some tips to help you and assist you in writing your articles. Below you will read about four things all articles must have to make them successful and helpful in making your site a profit earning and traffic overflowing site.

•           Keywords and Keyword Phrases

     An article must always be centered on the keywords and keyword phrases of your site. As each website visitor goes to a site, there are those who are just merely browsing but are actually looking for a specific “something”. When this happens, a searcher usually goes to a search engine and types in the keywords they are looking for (e.g. Toyota Camry, Meningitis, Tax Lawyer and Etcetera). It could be anything they want.

     The Important thing is that you have an article that has the keywords that are related to your site. For example, if you maintain an auto parts site, you must be able to have articles about cars and their parts.  There are many tools on the internet that provide services in helping a webmaster out in determining what keywords and keyword phrases are mostly sought out. You can use these tools to determine what keywords to use and write about in your articles.  

•           Keyword Density

     Now that you have your keywords and keyword phrases, you must use them fully. An article must have good keyword density for a search engine to “feel” its presence. Articles should at least have ten to fifteen percent of keyword density in their content for search engines to rank a site high in their search results. Getting a high rank is what articles do best for a site.

     Keyword density is the number of times a keyword or keyword phrase is used in an article. The number varies depending on the number of words used in an article. An effective article must have a keyword density that is not too high nor too low. With a very high density, the essence of the article is lost and may turn off a reader as well as the search engines. It comes off as overeager. A low number may be ignored by the search engines.

•           Good Article Content

     Like what is stated above, you cannot just riddle an article with keywords. They must also be regarded as good reading material. Articles must be able to entertain people as well as provide good information and help for their needs. Articles should be written well with correct spelling and good grammar. If you want people to trust you, make your work good and well thought out.

     People respond well to figures, facts and statistics. More people will respond to your writing if your research allowed you to state:  “Ninety-three percent of all people find that their eyes are drawn to the colors red and blue within a website.”  Instead of just writing: “Many people like red and blue as colors.”  Try to get great information and as many facts as you can. A good and well written article will boost your reputation as an expert in your chosen field or topic. As more people believe in you. They will be able to trust you and your products.

•           Linking Articles

     And another important thing to remember: If you are going to submit articles to ezines and/or contribute your articles to newsletters and other sites, DON’T ever forget to include a link to your site. A little resource box with a brief description of your site should always be placed right after the articles you have submitted. If people like your articles, they will most likely click on the link directing them to your site. You will need to do some research on this topic and see HOW the ezines, newsletters, etc. want you to submit this information to be accepted by them.

     Writing articles is not for everyone, but it is a great way to get your site rated higher and provide a supply of interested visitors.  You will also find that the more you write the easier it will become for you.  Before you know it --- YOU --- may become the “go to” person for articles on your specific topics!

QUOTE TO CONSIDER

THOUGHTFUL GEM

"On a 2 lane highway you get half the road.

Just don't take the middle half!"

3 Things You Must Do Before You Submit To Article Directories

     To all writers and non-writers out there, now is the time to start digging up those creative writing skills and bringing them back into your “sack” of experiences that you are able to call upon for making additional income. In the next few posts I’m going to write some information about how you can improve your abilities in writing articles or other items and getting them published in various ways.

     With modern communication technology comes the popularity of information-based marketing, which is one of the oldest and most effective techniques in getting targeted prospects to sites and converting them into buyers. This is why article writing, submissions and publications are also getting popular. Believe it or not it’s not that difficult to put your word to paper and make some decent money in the process.

     There are already many tools that people can use to make the process of distributing their articles more easily. Though this is invaluable in getting the contents more exposure, which is only half of the story.  Let’s take a look first at the common mistakes that some people make before submitting their contents to article directories:

1. Confusing the reason to promote the articles with the reason to write them.

     In article writing, there are three key benefits why you are promoting them; branding, lead generation and promotion, which are all part of your optimization efforts.

     But there is only one reason why you write an article, and that is to inform your audience. If the article is not focused on this primary and most important purpose, it will fail to achieve the three promotion benefits because no one will be interested in reading them.

     You need to figure out first how to get people to read what is in your article, and then make them click on your resource box. You can achieve this by producing better content.

2. Failing to maximize the promotional opportunities of article marketing.

     You may know already that your articles can help you generate additional links back to your site. But do you know that you can get more visitors and better search engine results from those same articles?

     Mention keywords at strategic places. Just be sure not to overdo them. Some are even using anchor texts which are also an effective method. But it is important to know that the majority of directories are not able to support this.

     Remember that is not only about the links back to your site. Part of doing well in your article marketing is getting picked up by publishers with a large number of audiences and gaining the ability of leveraging other brands because of the quality of your work. Better search engine results are also great benefits.

     But these things do not put much money in your pocket. There are other factors that can turn your article marketing efforts into an opportunity that can boost your earnings. Not just increase the number of visitors to your site.  Start out with a plan and see to it that your article will serve the function that you intended it to have.

3. Publishing content that does not help your readers.

     Maybe in the process of writing articles, you are thinking that all you wanted was links back to your site. And any visitors it can generate are fine.

     Guess what? Not all article banks and directories are going to accept your content automatically. Oftentimes, they have some guidelines and specifications on the articles that they are accepting.

     You can double the number of sites you submit to by writing articles that the directories want to share with other people. All it takes is one publisher with a hundred thousand readers to increase your potential audience overnight.

     Write the articles that publishers want in their publications if you want your article marketing to work the most effective way for you. This also means you have to obey the standard guidelines, spell checks, researching on a good topic and even hiring a writer to produce a good content on your behalf if you feel you can’t handle the job yourself.

     In the end, it is all really a matter of choice on your part. You can start getting a little exposure from increased links back but on a very basic level. Or enjoy massive exposure from a little extra time making quality contents.

     It will be your choice. You may not be aware of the fact that an article submitted on directories is not meant to have the same level of exposure as highly-targeted content ones geared on a narrow group of people.  Once you learn the difference between these two it will surely help you know what kinds of articles to write and to submit.

     Then the increase in YOUR income will begin to climb to new heights!

QUOTE TO CONSIDER

THOUGHTFUL GEM

"Sometimes my writing is outstanding,

until I let the words get in the way!"

Getting Organized for Taxes

     It’s coming up on that time of year once again and you need to start preparing NOW for the preparation of your tax returns.        

     Filling tax returns need not be a frustrating experience, if all the relevant documents are submitted along with the supporting claims for exceptions and deductions. Preparing in advance by keeping good records will make the process easier and smoother thus easing the possible stress levels of all individuals involved. 

     Perhaps the first thing to do is to file the tax forms early or on time and not leave it to the last minute where hundreds of things can go wrong due to the rush to get things done.  Some people forget you can file for an extension; however, that does not exempt you from the payment of any taxes that may be due.

     Having proper supporting documentations every step of the way is also another “do” point that should be taken seriously. Ensuring all ID numbers are filed with the application is also important as forgetting to include this can cause unnecessary delays and inconveniences.

     Being self employed or having a home based business requires a little more work in terms of filling tax returns. All corresponding documentation should ideally be supported with the relevant receipts, bills, sales slips and any other business related expense notifications.  NOTHING is too small as to think it should not be included.

     Areas that can be considered for claims would include office equipment, mileage records, business entertainment, supplies bought for the business, utilities and many other items which a good tax preparer will help you remember to include on your return.  

     Using financial bank statements to make a comparison on the final deductions made and whether there are any discrepancies is another important element to look into. Although you may want to think that EVERYTHING is deductible, you may want to educate yourself with the various government publications that are available.  It will also help to have a good preparer available if you have last minute questions.

     Mortgages are also another element that one can claim against when it comes to looking for tax deductions. The payment made on the interest can be used to get added relief from tax payments.

     If the business entity decides to support any charities or other similar kinds of needs such as volunteering for a good cause, this can also be a tax deduction platform for the individual.

     These are some items I thought of mentioning.  PLEASE refer your specific return needs to a competent professional in the tax field.  My comments are not to be accepted as specific laws or items that may apply to your specific needs

QUOTE TO CONSIDER

THOUGHTFUL GEM

"Sometimes I think the new tax forms are

going to become very simple.

It will only be one line:  

Add up your income and mail it in!"

Thinking

     Today I was sitting at my desk and I let my mind begin to wander.  I began to think of how things could be different in the world if people would only resolve to treat others the way they want to be treated.  I understand that is making the world situation seem a bit simplistic but why couldn’t it be that way?

     The thought came to my mind about areas where they are involved in “mortal combat” almost constantly.  Then because it is a “certain day” (like Thanksgiving or Christmas) they can decide to have a cease fire day!  Why can’t they decide to have two such days, or maybe three, or may they could decide to make fight any more at all!

     Again I realize that I’m making this seem a little easier than it would probably be; however, why couldn’t they at least give it a try?  It seems to me that most countries are only happy when they are at war with someone!

     So here I am sitting at my desk thinking:  There was a Monkey’s song back in my day.  You younger ones will have to ask your parents or grandparents to explain to you who the musical group “The Monkeys” were.  But that song had a line within it that went something like: You knew the difference between “selling out” from “compromise”.  It seems today that no one wants to compromise, they only want to win.

     Again don’t get me wrong:  There’s nothing wrong with winning, but at WHAT cost!  In almost every situation there are those elements of “give and take” that have to be considered.  It would seem to me that getting something would be better than winding up with nothing.

     Who knows:  If people would actually take the time to think maybe there would be many areas of conflict that wouldn’t have to exist!  Maybe we could find some ways that you could get along with each other and not always be looking for things that we would have to disagree on.  We might even find that we could live together in PEACE, if we would only stop and THINK!

QUOTE TO CONSIDER

THOUGHTFUL GEM

"If you stay quiet people can only think you're stupid.

Don't be quick to open your mouth and remove any doubt!"

Rights

     Just because something can be done doesn’t mean it should be done!  Maybe you’ve heard that expression or something similar before.  I think it was best said as “Just because something is lawful, doesn’t mean that it is beneficial.”

     It seems that in many places in the world today people are constantly demanding “They have rights!”  And they will do practically ANYTHING to make certain that they will make sure they HAVE their rights.

     We get ourselves into various situations and then try to get ourselves out of them by claiming we have rights. Because certain actions may be our “legal” right, it doesn’t mean that we gain any benefits.  Let me give you an example:

     It could be possible that you have “a right” to purchase a certain product and upon purchasing that product you would be released from captivity.  BUT, if you were released TEN other individuals would be executed.  Now this is an extreme example to say the least.  But would exercising ‘YOUR” rights be the beneficial thing to do?  By costing the lives of ten other individuals it doesn’t seem to be very beneficial.

     Consider this scenario also:  With everyone making claim to getting THEIR rights, how could anything get accomplished?  How could the “rights” of one not, in some way, counteract the “rights” of another?  It would become an action upon which NO ONE would have any rights and nothing would get done.

     However, if we, even if for a moment, considered the possibility that giving up “our rights” to gain the greatest benefits for others, we would find ourselves living in a more appealing world of mankind.  Do you think that such a scenario would ever be possible?

     Well, the fact is, this scenario has already taken place.  Some two thousand years ago Jesus was sent to earth to instruct us as to how we should live and treat our fellow man.  After a three and a half year ministry this man was executed as a criminal and a blasphemer.  However, he had committed NO crime.  He actually had a “legal right” to life everlasting.  But he gave up HIS rights so that hundreds of thousands (literally millions) of people could have an opportunity for life.

     This was the greatest gift that mankind has ever received.  Our only requirement to gain this gift is to give up our rights to make decisions for ourselves and follow the guidelines that have been given to us as part of the requirements of obtaining this gift.  Sadly few in comparison to the total of mankind will accept this option.  Most will reject the offer and continue to demand “THEIR rights!”  As strange as that may sound:  We’re only human!

QUOTE TO CONSIDER

THOUGHTFUL GEM

"Concerning the Law of Driving:

You may be right!

You may be DEAD right!"