Content Creation Strategies: Brainstorming Beyond Simple Observation

Observation is your best source for content creation strategies and delivering the type of content your audience really wants but we all run short on ideas now and then. If you find yourself getting stuck with this, here are some excellent ways to get the content creation idea ball rolling again.

1. Read/watch the news and current events. Pay attention to what’s happening in the news and many times you’ll find something that ties in perfectly to your audience’s interests. For example, if your target market is parents of teens and stories of online dangers or even of inspiring kids is a potential subject to share and comment on.
2. Keep a notebook with ideas. Always keep a little notebook or your mobile device handy when you come across ideas. Sometimes a little story about what happened to you at a restaurant or your kid’s soccer game can become a relevant lesson to your readers.
3. Product reviews. People always appreciate detailed and honest product reviews. A good review will discuss a product’s features and potential benefits. It will also clearly show who the product is suitable for and perhaps who it is not. It will also talk about any potential drawbacks to be aware of.
4. Conduct case studies with your clients and customers. Case studies are perfect because they can be highly-informative, but also provide amazing testimonials for your business.
5. Interview other experts/celebrities in your market. Now I don’t mean get Angelina Jolie or some other big-time celebrity; instead, find people in your market that others turn to for information, guidance, and even entertainment.
6. Have someone interview you. This is an super easy way to create content simply by answering questions. You can even have your own readers submit questions for the interview.
7. Look at previous content and expand on it. If you previously created some popular content, see where you can expand it or possibly target a certain aspect of it in finer detail.
8. Create a ‘Top 10′ list. If writing isn’t your thing, this is an easy way to come up with plenty of ideas in bullet point form. For example, ‘Top 10 Ways to Use SEO to Drive Traffic to Your Blog.
9. Entertain. People use the Internet for information but also for entertainment. You don’t always have to come up with earth-shattering information to impress your audience. Have fun, inspire them or make them laugh.

I hope you found these ideas to be helpful ones. What are some of your ideas and suggestions for content creation strategies that have worked well for your online business?

Marketing With Email

I refer to marketing with email as relationship marketing, and it has been the lifeblood of my business since coming online in 2006. To create memorable email marketing messages, it is important to focus on your audience while also aiming to promote your products and services in a way that appeals to and serves them. You want them to remember you after they close the email, especially if they choose not to click through to answer your call to action. How to create those memorable messages is as easy as following these eight tips.

1. Never Forget the Welcome Email – Every new autoresponder (I recommend Aweber to begin with) series and every new optin to your autoresponder should receive a welcome message or a message that explains the coming series. This will let your audience know that they succeeded in signing up, or that a new series is starting on a list they have been a member of for some time. It’s a nice thing to do that will excite your audience and make them feel as if you are thinking of their needs.
2. Always Tell Your Audience What to Expect – It’s important to explain to your audience about what to expect. This can be within your welcome message, or it can be in a message following the welcome message. Explain to them that they’ll get a new message every week or every two weeks or every day – whatever you’ve decided – and how important it is that they read the messages. It’s a good time as well to invite them to offer feedback to you about the messages and information you’re sharing with them.
3. Explain to Your Audience Who You Are – They want to know who you are and why you are the one to share knowledge with them. What makes you special? Don’t brag too much, but do tell them why you are the one who can help them with their problems. Share the books you have written, podcasts you produce, awards you’ve won, other publications you’ve created, and any certifications or education you’ve completed that may be relevant to what you are doing online. Include life experience that got you to where you are now and how that experience can help them.
4. Use Simple, Direct Language – Avoid using lots of big (I call these 10 gallon) words when expressing deep thoughts or hard to understand concepts. Choosing the simplest language will make your message more memorable and understandable to your audience. Using words that are too complicated and too big will bore them to death, even if your audience is full of geniuses. Be direct and to the point and avoid being long-winded, and you’ll get better responses.
5. One Idea at a Time – Each email message should encompass one idea at a time so as not to confuse the audience about what you want them to do. Having more than one or two CTAs (Calls to Action) can also confuse your audience and leave them wondering what to do. You want each message to stand on its own in such a way that there is no doubt about what you expect your audience to do.
6. Create a Good Catchword or Phrase – When you think of different known brands and commercials, they come up with super simple catchwords and phrases that you can’t forget. A really memorable one is “Life’s messy, clean it up!” That’s so simple, yet most of us know this came from the company Bissell™. If you can create something like this and use it as your sign off, they’ll remember your brand better. I use the phrase ‘to your massive online success’ and people remember me for that.
7. Timing Is Everything – Each audience is different, so at first you’ll need to test different times to send the messages to your audience. Each autoresponder service has some stats that they will share with you which you can use as an initial guideline about when to send messages. But, you should use A/B testing to ensure that you are sending messages at the right time.
8. Create Heartfelt Messages – Depending on your audience, sometimes sending really heartfelt messages that help you get closer to your audience will make them feel closer to you and more attached to you. Be careful not to over share and make people uncomfortable, but sharing your journey of earning zero income to a successful six-figure online business is perfectly acceptable.

Creating memorable email messages can take some testing and tweaking, but trying one or all of the tips in this list can help bring you a lot closer to making all your email marketing messages more memorable. List relationship marketing will definitely increase your results and your bottom line.

Debbie O’Grady, dubbed the ‘Queen of Accountability’ by her clients, will make sure you stay on track to get everything done and achieve all of your goals in business. Her goal is to hold people accountable so they can make their dreams come true. I’ve known her for about five years now and can honestly say that she walks her walk and talks her talk.

She also has a brand new book available called The Accountability Edge. I was one of the contributors to this book and am amazed at the others that Debbie connected with to contribute their thoughts on and experiences with accountability as well. It turns out that having someone to be accountable to can do more than increase your income potential.

In this interview we get down to the basics as to how Debbie got started with her online business, what she did previous to coming online, and how she intends to revolutionize the world of entrepreneurship with her strategies and methods for helping people get started, stay on track, and accomplish their goals. She also shares more about her background and how she came to be working with people online. Recently I was with Debbie at a Mastermind event she coordinated as the facilitator and was impressed at her skills with this.

Debbie is someone you will definitely want to know. I would encourage you to start by reading her book, and then reach out to her on social media to see what the future may hold for both of you. Whether you are a small business owner or an entrepreneur, accountability will definitely make a difference in the results you experience, now and in the future.

Hosting live events can change the way you are perceived by your local community, as well as by your prospects all over the world. I have not hosted more than thirty of my own workshops and events and want to explain to you how this came to be and why I am encouraging you to do something similar in your business.

I can remember years ago when I visited Home Depot and saw the schedule for their live workshops prominently featured by the main entrances to the store. For the life of me I could not figure out why this was so important to them. Then I attended one on how to replace the tile on your bathroom counter top and suddenly the bright light went on in my brain. These workshops gave them the opportunity to show off their expertise, showcase their staff, and recommend their products. Very smart.

So how can we emulate this model in our own business? The answer is to start small and grow over time. The first event I hosted in my own city took place in a small room at one of the local hotels. They charged me twenty-five dollars and gave me a three hour time frame. I had five people show up, mainly because I only invited people by calling or emailing them personally. This was in 2006 and I did not yet have the confidence to ask more people to attend. It went very well. We had a mastermind style discussion, with each of us sharing our thoughts and ideas on the topic of marketing ourselves and our businesses online. And I still know all five of those original people!

Within a year I decided to partner with a woman named Dr. Jeanette Cates so that we could host larger events and workshops across the United States. We did five of these over a two year period until we both decided to go our separate ways. Jeanette and I remain good friends to this day and continue to support each other in our business endeavors.

With this experience under my belt I was ready to host even more live events and workshops to attract people who would be interested in what I was doing in my online business. Now I offer two live events each year, either in Las Vegas or Los Angeles, as well as three or four Retreats in Santa Barbara for my smaller groups. My goal is similar to that of Home Depot in my example above. I get to show off my expertise, showcase my clients, and recommend my own courses, products, and programs.

You can do the same thing, no matter what your level of expertise or your topic. This is exactly what I am recommending:

• Commit to hosting a small event within the next thirty days
• Choose a local venue and invite three to five of your friends
• At the end, ask for constructive feedback on your presentation
• Schedule another event within sixty days and invite more people

Typically I prepare a PowerPoint presentation to use throughout my event, but you can also do it with just some notes or handouts. I like to prepare a Workbook for attendees to use to follow along, as well as to provide them with resources, additional information, and my contact details. I also give everyone who attends a copy of one of my books to thank them for coming.

If you want to take this to the next level, plan out in advance what you will offer people who attend as a follow up to your presentation. For example, at my last event I offered my Platinum Mastermind program to those who wished to apply. I handed out applications on the last day and several people joined my mentoring group. You may also want to offer special deals on your books, products, and courses throughout your event.

I sincerely hope you choose to incorporate live events and workshops into your business in 2015. It will definitely change the way you are perceived by the community and increase your bottom line in the long run.

Eve Koivula is a  self-proclaimed Lifestyle Business Discovery Mentor. She lives in her native country of Finland, a place I have adopted as my second home because I’m there every year to visit my extended family and have come to love this country very much. When I first heard of Eve through a mutual online connection I knew I had to reach out to her to learn more about what she was doing and how we could build a relationship based on our commonalities.

Marketing since the 1990s, Eve has an incredible background that made coming online a natural choice. She says that although methods of marketing have changed over the years, the basic principles have not. She is also trained in graphic design, something I always envy because of my lack of skills and ability in this crucial area.  Her site – Neat Home Business – is one I would encourage you to visit.

Another of Eve’s talents and interests is that she competes with lifting kettle bells and coaches with people to help them excel with this, too. She has earned both National and World titles and has many videos on her YouTube channel where she demonstrates the proper techniques.

Eve and I had a discussion of how athletics and business are very similar when it comes to being successful and working efficiently. We share many of the same goals and ideals for the people who come to us and want to build a lucrative online business.

I will meet Eve in person when I travel to Finland for the holidays, so please leave a comment here if there is anything you would like for me to ask her about marketing, sports, or life in general and I will add it here in this post when I return from my trip.

I was reading Neil Patel’s insightful post on how to influence purchasing decisions and realized that there is still so much I need to learn about this for my own business. Even if you are driving massive amounts of free and paid traffic to your websites, chances are that less than 1% of these visitors are actually purchasing anything from you.

But it turns out that you can actually influence people to make a purchase. Take a close look at this infographic to learn more:

The conclusion is that we can easily influence customer reviews by encouraging customers to leave them for us and by then sharing them on our site. This will quickly increase conversion rates. Also, top notch customer service is a must for each interaction and transaction. Do whatever it takes to do your best for each person and the word will spread like wild fire. These word-of-mouth recommendations provide social proof as to your character and integrity, and you will be able to influence purchasing decisions on a regular basis.

Letting Go of the Past

I was reading Tara Kachaturoff’s excellent post on the topic of letting go of the past in order to have a more productive and powerful 2015, and it reminded me of the importance of doing this on a regular basis instead of just once a year.

We tend to get stuck on people, events, and habits that may have served us months or even years ago, but that no longer have a place in our minds or in our physical lives. This is an excerpt from Tara’s post that is food for thought here:

“Moreover, the process of letting go …

• frees you to engage in your life’s next great adventure
• energizes your soul as your confidence soars
• creates space so you can welcome in other people, things and ideas that align with your heart and soul
• signals growth in that you’ve “been there, done that” and now you’re ready to do new, bigger and better things
• presents you with the opportunity for refreshment and rejuvenation —  mentally, emotionally and physically; yes, as you engage in new input and learning, new neural networks are constructed within your brain

Okay, you’ve asked the question, now what? Answering a question is interesting, but that’s not going to change anything. It’s not going to get you where you want to go. The real magic happens when you take action. Life rewards action.”

During the remainder of this year and into 2015 I vow to eliminate a toxic business relationship from my life, to understand more fully that someone I have been trying to help with his health issues and his income does not want or appreciate my help, and to seek out new business relationships with people who are open to changing their lives in a major way by stepping into integrity around their current situation.

If you have spent time trying to get a friend, loved one, or business associate to ‘see the light’ in regards to a situation that is definitely not working for them, slowly step away and understand they do not want to change. Letting go of this responsibility will free you up to help others who are ready to allow prosperity and well being into their life right now.

As Tara so eloquently phrases it…

And, when you decide to let go, on your terms — of whatever it may be — a thought, a mindset, a memory, a habit, a job, a client, a personal or professional relationship — that’s the moment the universe opens to you. It creates a space where you can invite other things in — those that are personally selected and aligned with your vision and values.

Just preparing this post has lifted a huge weight off of my shoulders. What are you willing to let go of as we round the final corner before heading into the new year?

Living the Internet Lifestyle

This morning I received a message from one of my online friends, where he shared that he is now working from a city about twenty-five miles north of where he lives in order to rekindle the fire in his business. I’ve been doing this for the past three and a half years and it works unbelievably well.

I live in two cities, eighty miles apart here in southern California. One is Santa Clarita, a suburban city of almost 300K deep in the desert. It’s still 85 degrees Fahrenheit or so every day, and I love living out in the country among the owls, possums, and even the howling coyotes.

My other residence is a mile from the Pacific Ocean in Santa Barbara. This city has a unique appeal that makes me feel like I live in a small village. It’s ‘sweater weather’ this week, and the waves have an extra flair as they crash against the shore after last night’s full moon.

Going back and forth between these two cities has kept me on my toes when it comes to maintaining my creativity, writing prolifically, and feeling blessed to have this amazing life of an online entrepreneur.

You can do the same thing no matter where you live. I wrote about this in ‘Living the Internet Lifestyle’, one of the books I published as a part of my pursuit to help you get started online. I continued the discussion in my later books, as well as at my live events and the Retreats I host several times a year in Santa Barbara.

It all begins with your desire to jump start your business in a huge way. Then you choose the destination where you want to spend more time. I initially did this in a city named Ventura, which is on the beach about forty-five miles from Santa Clarita. I would leave my house in Santa Clarita on a Friday morning and make the one hour drive over to Ventura to enjoy the ocean and the cool breezes. I would sit and write on a bench overlooking the beach or at a nearby coffee shop and then have lunch at one of the little places along the pier. After lunch I would check in to the hotel and do a few hours of work before heading out to dinner. The following morning I would work until checkout time and then go back to my bench to write some more before heading back home. I ended up being in Ventura for about thirty hours, which was just enough time to feel rejuvenated and invigorated to keep my business moving.

Several years ago I realized that my business was doing well enough for me to have a second residence in Santa Barbara, a city I fell in love with almost thirty years ago when I attended their first international film festival. I now have two lives in these two diverse cities and love every moment of it.

Do you have a place you get away to on a regular basis? Please leave a comment and tell us more about how this has impacted your business.

New Marketing Strategies for 2015 : Online Marketing Tips Podcast

It’s almost 2015, so it’s time for some new marketing strategies to build and grow your online business. That’s the topic of this podcast, and I also answer a variety of questions from those on the live call.

The focus of this podcast training call was online marketing tips for online entrepreneurs, so I referenced my recent post on New Marketing Strategies for 2015. In this article I share my insights for building a lucrative and successful online business in the coming year and beyond using a three-pronged approach of having a book, a blog, and a podcast to increase your credibility, visibility, and your bottom line.

You may be just starting out with your hosted WordPress blog, in which case you’ll want to use a robust autoresponder service such as Aweber. On this call I also discussed using a premium theme and using free, rebrandable reports for your free giveaway on your site. These are listed below and include:

• 8 Free rebrandable reports from Dennis Becker, to be used as free giveaways to build your list, or in any of a number of other ways.
• The new WordPress theme I’ll be using very soon. It’s incredibly versatile.
• The autoresponder service a majority of online entrepreneurs use, Aweber.

I take questions from those who attended the live recording, including why it’s important to use a domain with your name in it as your main site, how to install the Pinterest button on your browser, the name of the local publication I’ve written a column in for the past three years, promoting your blog posts once you have written them, and using a plugin called Pretty Link to shorten and track your affiliate links.

This online marketing tips podcast, as well as all of the calls in my podcast series is intended to teach you and other new online entrepreneurs how to take your business to the next level quickly and effectively, and as a way for me to share my exact Case Studies, secrets, and advice on creating a profitable and lucrative online business using the ‘multiple income streams’ approach. People on six continents have now discovered that starting an Internet business is the fastest way to achieve both time and financial freedom, as well as to great success in all areas of your life, and you need help to get there quickly. That’s why I started this online marketing tips podcast for my community.

You will see that each podcast session is first recorded live as a teleseminar, and then repurposed into a podcast to extend my reach to the world. Please join my list (opt in on the right) to be included on these calls, and be sure to introduce yourself and share your site for optimal exposure for years to come! Also, check out my Podcast Show Notes site to see how you can subscribe at no cost to both of my podcasts, and please leave me a review on one or both of them.

You may now pick up my popular training on winning affiliate contests and other online marketing tips for only seven dollars at Affiliate Contest Secrets. Use the discount code CONTEST to bring the price down to $7. This training has been completely updated for with the latest information, strategies, and Case Studies for you to use in your own business.

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