What is the difference between personal and niche blogging?  Niche blogging is typically around a specific subject or niche, for the express purpose of making money.  Money that can come from a wide variety of sources – Google, MSN or Yahoo ads, CPA offers, affiliate products, homegrown content (reports, audios, videos, courses, paid memberships, etc.).

The premise being, that by building a blog (or website) around one primary niche, that it will be easier to gain higher search engine rankings, due to the fact that the blog has a singular focus.  That certainly may be true.  While there are many niche and micro-niche blogs that do very well traffic-wise and also produce a decent revenue stream, it can involve a tremendous amount of work.

Most niche bloggers spend a considerable amount of effort ferreting out long tail (multi-word) keywords, in the hopes of getting a few visitors each, from a large amount of low competition keyword phrases.  Often times though, time spent on compiling keyword research supersedes creating compelling blog content, which is why most people visit a blog in the first place.  And there are many marketers who have more than one niche site, which just compounds the problem.

The other challenge for niche bloggers or site owners operating in multiple arenas, is that most are not experts on their chosen topics.  Some even have little or no interest in the subject.  They simply picked niches that they thought would be potentially profitable and had no desire or plan to become [...] Continue Reading…

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While on the surface, these may appear to be same terms, there is actually a world of difference between the two.  Those who understand the distinction, stand to become leaders with an active, healthy organization.  Those who do not are likely to struggle in Network Marketing.  If they are lucky enough to build much a downline in the first place, they will find it difficult to grow, with a fair amount of attrition occurring.

Fundamentally, Network Marketing is all about people and the relationships you build with them.  How you interact with the people who join you in your business.  Too many in MLM focus on simply bringing in as many warm bodies as humanly possible.  These are the ‘Recruiters’.  To them it’s just a numbers game.  As they say “Some Will, Some Won’t, So What – NEXT!”  While that adage may be true to some degree, it is shortsighted and counterproductive to building a sustainable organization and a long term residual income from it.

Sponsors, on the other hand, do not look at their business as a cattle drive.  They fully understand that true MLM success is about helping their downline achieve THEIR dreams and income goals.  They recognize that if they spend time helping others to succeed, then the results will benefit everyone involved, including THEMSELVES.

And that is the trademark of a good sponsor.  If all you care about is recruiting without giving, then your results will be nowhere near what could have been achieved by embracing a ‘sponsoring [...] Continue Reading…

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As you know, I am always preaching about having an MLM Lead System.  Why?  Because it is what today’s successful MLM leaders must have to maximize their online recruiting efforts.

In the good old days, leads were generated by traditional ‘warm marketing’ efforts.  Opportunity meetings and upline conference calls preached making and contacting your list, just like they had done and their mentors before them had done.  But there’s a problem with that.  Frankly, not all MLM distributors share the same traits as their company’s top producers, who may have better social skills, more outgoing personalities, some sales experience or were perhaps blessed with a much larger circle of influence than the average person.

Network Marketing has come a long way since 70s, 80s & 90s, where that was the accepted way to conduct MLM prospecting.  Surprisingly, many MLM organizations are still preaching this methodology as gospel, saying it can take loads of time and considerable work to find qualified recruits.  Then when new distributors get discouraged from their lack of results, they are often chastised for their failures, as a lack of commitment and dedication.  Or worse, being charged hundreds of dollars for outmoded ‘training’ systems, to try and compensate for the true problem – a flaw in the technique.

While many have failed to embrace the latest lead generation techniques, you do not have to be among them.  We now have at our disposal, prospecting tools that make lead generation easier, simpler and much more cost effective, greatly enhancing the [...] Continue Reading…

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With the downturn in the economy, more and more people are looking at various Network Marketing opportunities as a way to either replace a lost job or augment their existing income.   It is certainly a sign of the times, as this is not an option many would embrace in good economic times.  Some uniformed people even consider MLM to be nothing more than an unsustainable ‘pyramid scheme’.
Yet there are many Network Marketing companies that offer real products/services and have enjoyed a long run of success.  And in fact, the MLM business model does have attractive qualities that make it worth consideration.

The cost of entry is usually very low.
It can be a part time or full time job.
Support and training is readily available.
It can supplement existing employment.
You can work from home and set your own schedule.
There is the opportunity to build a residual income.
You can leverage the efforts of others.

Yet not all MLM companies are the same and it is important to do your homework before hopping on board.  Here are some things to weigh before joining any Network Marketing company.
PRODUCT – Are you a product of the product?   Often times a person will fall in love with the product, be it nutritional, skin care, candles, etc.  Maybe they lost weight or have gotten compliments on how young they looked.  Passion for the product is a great motivator for initially getting in and some Distributors can succeed on sheer belief and their own personal enthusiasm.
COMPANY – How good is [...] Continue Reading…

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Article writing should be part of your overall marketing strategy, as readers want valuable content and search engines reward those who provide it.  Article writing is not rocket science but there are some missteps often made that reduce both the ability to attract visitors with your articles, as well as the potential to motivate a reader’s actions.

1) Not Focusing On Readers – Understanding the reader’s needs, desires and concerns should be the primary focus of your article writing.  Use survey results, buzz lists, forum queries and search engine keyword research to find out their burning issues.  Then ask yourself the following:

Is your article too generic to be of real value?
What benefit will your article offer them?
What problem will it help them to address or solve?

2) Putting Out Crap – Respect your readers enough to put forth quality work.  Conversational article writing does mean you have license to butcher the English language with grammatical or punctuation errors.  And for heaven’s sake, please use the spell check function.

Sadly, too many IM gurus preach quantity over quality, which is why you will often find articles that appear to have been written by a trained chimpanzee.  This can include articles which are merely rehashed PLR materials or articles written by freelancers who don’t have a good grasp on the English language.

Article spinning and multiple submissions to various directories can give you additional backlinks and the potential for more eyeballs, but if your goal is establish yourself as a leader and authority, then taking [...] Continue Reading…

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Blog traffic is they key to your success with a profitable blog.  A lonely blog is a sad blog indeed.  But more importantly, it is also a non-producing one.  Meaning that little or no blog traffic, directly correlates to few people viewing your blog posts, only a smattering of newsletter signups, a dearth of Tweets, no Facebook love, affiliate offers left unclicked and a distinct absence of potential new recruits for your primary Network Marketing opportunity.  This, we can all agree, is not an ideal situation.

Like all internet activities, web traffic is the driving force of all monetization efforts.  Whether the goal is Adsense clicks, CPA offers, product sales via affiliate banners and links, opt-ins to build your mailing list or enticing high quality prospects to contact you about your MLM business… it all comes down to getting visitors to your blog.

While there are many varied ways to get people to head your way, here are three common ones that you can implement now for some serious blog traffic.

Blog SEO – Search Engine Optimization (SEO) can be a complex subject, so I won’t get into a lot of details here.  But for starters, you must have a WordPress blog, hosted on your own domain.  And even though WordPress blogs are inherently search engine friendly, you should also be using the All in One SEO Pack plug-in to optimize your URLs, Titles and Metatags.
Article Marketing – This is a time-tested method for generating traffic to your blog.  Simply write articles [...] Continue Reading…

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As you may know, or will soon find out, producing new content on a consistent basis can be a demanding and formidable task.  Often times, you will find yourself lacking fresh ideas or just not feeling particularly creative.  So what can be done, when the wheels are spinning but there is no forward movement?

Use Other People’s Content (OPC).

And before you start in with the righteous indignation, please hear me out.  I am NOT advocating that you blatantly steal or plagiarize someone else’s intellectual property.  What I am suggesting however, is a few different ways that you can utilize existing content, while staying within ethical guidelines.

Here are a few options to consider.

1. Cruise on over to some of the article directories, such as Ezine Articles and Buzzle.  Type in some keywords or keyword phrases relevant to your particular niche, hit the “Search” button and see what titles/descriptions appear.  Be sure to take note of what titles grab your eye, as you can also get some great copywriting techniques from this process.  As you scroll down the page, click on an article that catches your interest.  ‘Tips and Tricks’ type articles can be a fabulous source of ideas.

Often times, I will read through four or five articles on a given subject.  While the topic may be the same, you will find that each author has their own perspective, opinion and writing style.  From there you can take idea snippets that will form the basis for your own unique spin on [...] Continue Reading…

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There are millions and millions of blogs out there.  Like websites, the completion for eyeballs is fierce.  So whenever someone comes to your blog to read your content, you need to make sure that you first grab their attention and then hold their interest.

Otherwise, visitors are just a fickle mouse click away from heading elsewhere.

So, how do make your blog posts stand out?   Is there a secret formula that will cause surfers to stick around, opt-in, hit the RSS button, check out affiliate products and spread their love for you on Facebook or Twitter?

Good question.  While sadly, there is no magic wand that can be waved, here are few simple tips that will point you in the right direction:

1.  Understand the needs, interests, desires and concerns of your readership.  Answer the question – How will this post add value?

2.  Hook your reader’s attention with a catchy or clever title.  You can glean title ideas from newspapers and magazines (especially tabloids).  Asking a question in the title can be also a powerful draw.  Follow up in the first few sentences to let people know what the post is all about.

3.  Write in a clear conversational manner.  Pick a single topic and keep it interesting enough, so that your readers will stay for the entire post.  Spelling counts and so does grammar, but a blog post is not an English Lit. paper, so don’t get too wrapped up in making it perfect.

4.  Keep it sweet and simple.  Blog posts are not [...] Continue Reading…

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As you strive to be the ‘go to’ guy or gal in your specific area of expertise, the more information you provide, the more you will build trust, enhance credibility and establish authority.  Which leads to increased subscribers, new recruits into your organization and a growing number of people spreading the word about you and your blog.

You see, the truth is that you ARE your content.  Which is why your content, be it written, audio or video, should be a reflection of who you are and what you want to become – as a leader and trusted advisor to your blog visitors.

But there can also be some challenges with creating quality content.

1.  Time – I hate to say it but Network Marketing leaders have the same time constraints as everyone else.  Sometimes more.  I absolutely love talking on the phone and often spend 6 to 8 hours a day speaking with prospects, assisting associates with growing their business and brainstorming with other successful marketers.  Which doesn’t leave much gas in the tank for sitting down and putting out content that my readers will enjoy.

But remember, your blog is the very lifeblood of your online success.  While it’s easy to put content creation off until ‘tomorrow’, this can be a self-defeating mindset, which will keep you from reaching your desired monetary outcome, whatever it may be.

2.  Ideas – Sometimes writing articles, putting thoughts into a blog post or coming up with a fresh video can seem overwhelming.  But don’t fret, [...] Continue Reading…

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