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- Dec 18th, 2008
- 5 Comments
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My sister is getting married in a few weeks.
I wont steal the limelight from those female bloggers who specialize in whining about too many parties and family obligations.
I pretty much have to just show up (6000 miles away) and find something to wear.
The showing up part will begin as my flight is this Saturday night.. first to LA to visit family, and finally arriving in Atlanta for the wedding.
So naturally I waited until this week to start looking for a dress.
In my attempts to avoid wrestling my way through miles and miles of American prom chinze and tafetta to find the perfect dress, I went to a local rental place. I ran into a good friend there who directed me to another place in another area of town. I maneuvered my way through this literal maze and thankfully squeezed my car into some corner. The store has nothing in Navy. Waste of my time. Ok, I didnt want to mention NAVY and why I need to find navy, so don’t get me started.
I noticed another store when I was parking and make my way over there.
It’s around a corner and up stairs. I walk in. The woman working there gives me the once over. Then she says
“we have nothing in your style here”
There is nowhere to go from there except exit. Here I was desperate to get rid of my money and own a dress, and instead I left her alone in her hard to find empty store, with no customers.
With economic times being so tough, can you really afford to sum me up because today I am not dressed like YOU?
You didn’t see me yesterday and you don’t know what I am capable of tomorrow.
Reminds me of the famous scene in Pretty Woman: (its the first minute of this clip)
Q: So I have 2 questions for you:
- Where can I find a nice long slinky navy dress that doesn’t have rhinestones and flowery yuck all over it?
- Can you tell me some more Big. Huge. marketing mistakes?
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- Dec 9th, 2008
- 6 Comments
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Last post I showed off superior open and click rate numbers from my aweber account and offered to give YOU some insight into how I got those numbers. All YOU had to do was ask.But you didn’t.
I don’t blame you. I blame myself.
I didn’t write it well enough, compelling enough, or clear enough.
This is a perfect example of the difference between those results I like to get and those that most people suffer from.
It’s called BAD COPY.
I have a friend who excels at Pay Per Click. She can identify keywords, match them up with products, and get google to send her traffic that converts to sales.
However, she wanted to know why none of these buyers were making follow up purchases. They were not responding to other offers. Again, these are buyers, and she was offering them more of what they already had proven to be interested in. The products were NOT the problem.
It’s called BAD COPY.
Since you DIDN’T ask, I don’t have to answer, but I will share this:
If you do not take Copy seriously, you are making a big mistake, HUGE mistake.
Internet Marketing without copywriters, would be like a James Bond movie with no villainQ:Can Copy be learned? I honestly don’t have the answer. I am certain that anything worked on enough can be improved, so maybe this would be a yes? In the meantime, if your campaigns suck, know your strengths. Are you a copywriter?
or are you really good at something else?Q: Can you afford to focus on what YOU are really good at, and bring someone else on to do the copy?
Q: Can you afford NOT to?
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- Dec 2nd, 2008
- 4 Comments
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I sent a few emails to a certain friend.The next day, I whined to him….“why didn’t you respond?”
His answer - (here is the slightly toned done version for this ‘family’ blog)
“Crap copy Andrea. I know you can do better.
It’s as if you are trying to jump straight into my bed without any foreplay.
Give me some reasons why.
Give me a reward of what I get on the other side.
Give me some foreplay.
If I didn’t answer emails its your fault.
There was no foreplay. Or they were confusing. Or they were just s@#t.Deal with it Yager.”
You can email me for the complete version if you are so inclined.Why would I share this with you?
Let me tell you what these few sentences have done for me:
Whether I am emailing friends, family, maybe even you - I see those words. I think these words when I instant message, when I am on the phone. It has improved my ability to get what I want, and how I want it, and much faster.
I have become more honest. This copy has liberated me. It opens doors, and allows me to shrug it off if they are shut in my face.
Tell me what these words say to you?
In case you take my friend above too seriously, who only wrote that since he knows what I am CAPABLE of, feast your eyes on this image. From just a few of my 41 email lists at aweber, you can see the %age open rates and click through rates. 20% open rate is great, 30% is fantastic, 40% is phenomenal. That’s not my opinion. That’s fact.
Are you interested in numbers like this?
Tell me you want more below, and I may just dedicate my next blog post to how YOU can increase your OPEN and CTR (click through rates) with your email marketing.
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- Nov 26th, 2008
- 25 Comments
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Affilicon has come and gone.I was surprised with the professionalism, the quality of the sponsors, the stage set up.
I was impressed by the free water, delicious lunches, Tequila and Sushi, and the plans being made for future events.
I was delighted by how much the boys outnumbered the girls, and the number of native English speakers…
….and mostly that I was not nervous speaking in public and really loved it.It was an honor meeting and presenting with Ran Aroussi, Yigal Pines, Sam Michaelson, and Felix Leshno.
I also got to meet / know a little better Charlie Kalech (thanks for ride from hell man), and several other internet addicts from Jerusalem and environs.
I love my new PR agents of cool, Lloyd and Ilya. It felt like reconnecting with old friends, even though we just met.
A special shout out goes to Graeme from Gibraltar. He sat in the front row of my presentation, since he knew it was important to me that people come and listen.
But WHO Moved me Most of all????
YOU!
here you are:
I invited you to exchange cards, to come talk to me, and boy did you!
Sometimes I behave in ways that I cant explain. Do I HAVE to give you a really good explanation why i wanted to hand out my card to everyone and receive theirs in exchange? Do you not know how opportunities happen?
I dont buy lottery tickets, but I sincerely believe that it’s entirely possible a card in that pile could make me or them a LOT of money.
Before you go, here is a TEST:
Find for me what is different in this image and the one above? Let me know below. Tell me how long it took you, and your thoughts. There is a lesson to be learned here.
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- Nov 20th, 2008
- 20 Comments
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I own some really crappy websites.
What makes them crappy? They don’t even deserve to be called WEB 1.0, they are so ugly. They have garish colors, layouts, bright banner ads, and probably some old style animated gifs. Like this big NO-NO image to the right..They barely do anything I would recommend to YOU, and they earn a FRACTION of what they should and COULD be earning.
Yet, these websites are among my most valuable online assets. Their combined worth in the 5 figure range.
There is a ONE word explanation to this.
Backlinks.
Before there were all the distractions that the current SEO (Search Engine Optimization) experts suggest, before Article Directories, Before Social Media….
Someone’s full time job used to be:
“Hi. My name is Andrea, and I represent crapsite.com. I think our sites have a lot in common and wonder if you would consider a link exchange?”
This was when people read their emails, so the conversion rate was fairly high. It was not DONE with Page Rank in mind. This preceeded page rank! It was done in the hopes that someone would see the reciprocal link and come visit your site. But when Page Rank was born, these links gave you the competitive advantage. And still do.
Not only has NOTHING changed (except the reciprocal part), but for some it in the basis of their successful business model. Bloggers for example. As successful blogging is usually determined by how many other bloggers engage, link to you (technorati ranking), it is simply the more links to your blog, the higher your PR ranking, the more successful. That doesnt mean $$$, although it certainly could.
Dean Hunt, from deanhunt.com has made a professional career out of creating “buzz” for himself and for others, essentially building up websites and careers with Backlinks and Raising Googles PR.
You will be hearing about him in blog posts to come as we are going to start a little head to head. He may have used the word duet, but I think controversy is what will be called for, yes Dean?
Check out this spoof he made on Google’s Page Rank. Ok, so it’s only moderately amusing (am I allowed to say that?), but it features the amazing Josh Groban, and it does continue to exhibit how Dean manages to get places as he has now managed to secure a link from my site to his. Nice work.
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- Nov 13th, 2008
- 3 Comments
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If I asked you to do work for me, but only hinted at a possibility of financial reward…
say a year or two down the road….
what would be your response?
WAIT! Dont answer yet. There is more to the question.
I would require that you give me your best quality labor! Which means not physical work, but to share with me your MIND, perhaps a nice chunk of HEART & SOUL.
And Time.. oh yes, it would require lots and lots of time.
Tell me. Tell me. Tell me.
The truth!!!! Not only would you think I am insane, you would probably think me rude, and an assortment of other unmentionables.
and… now you know why sooo many blogs go silent.
There is a HUGE distinction between Blogging for Dollars and Blogging for Impact. In fact, I may start a little controversy here,… and even though I had planned future posts on blogging for ‘money’, I think it is the rare blog that is able to support even ONE individual in a comfortable fashion.
However, let me jump to the Punch Line.
“Good things come to those who wait”
Not too funny, but I will be laughing all the way to the bank.
By Blogging for IMPACT, or SUCCESS, with passion, with YOU in mind, NOT my wallet, many opportunities have come my way.
Israel is hosting it’s first International Affiliate Convention. It is well known to me, not from locals, but from being told the world over, that Israel boasts some of the top Affiliate earners across the board. In fact, I had the great honor of working extremely close with one of them (May he rest in peace).
I will be speaking about ‘Making more money from your traffic’, focusing specifically on List Building and Membership Sites. Come witness live a sexy powerpoint. This 2 day convention is thorough and filled with powerful speakers on an incredibly wide range of topics. I look forward to meeting others. Maybe you?
If you CANT just somehow make it over to the Holy Land, I may figure out a way to get a video clip, images, and well, I can at least share with you some highlights from the event.
Interested in attending? Visit the Affilicon - Affiliate Marketing Conference Now!
To summarize, don’t neglect looking at the BIG PICTURE. Often times We spend so much of our time in our daily microscopic lives, we fail to see the potential in well… in just potential.
I urge you to SEE the potential in the potential.
Have you ever experienced a “Big Picture moment?
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- Oct 27th, 2008
- 23 Comments
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I DO have a video for this ‘way to make money online’. However, I require at least *10 requests for this video before editing and delivering.The Story:
I had been receiving lots of calls for meet ups and consultations, and while it was taking me away from my regular ‘work load’, seeing possibilities where others usually do not.. well its just soul food for me.
Another day, another call, another meeting at the Coffee Bean.
However, what happened next took me by surprise!
A local marketer invites me to meet with him, and I assumed the regular position. I am ready to be pitched an idea, a problem, a thought, anything, and am fully prepared to smooth it out, make it real, add my 2 cents, solve his problems, and most certainly, MOST CERTAINLY, not hear something new.
This may sound like an overreaction, but the room started closing in on me, my heart started racing. It was due to BOTH the power of the idea (in some ways so darn OBVIOUS and UBIQUITOUS) and the fact that it was not (until then) something I would have suggested myself. How dare he!!
How many times do you see Celebrities walking around in Nike Apparel? Endorsing any number of events or products in commercials?
heck, I get major Oakley and Nike hook ups due to my brothers’ relationships.
Now:
Imagine taking YOUR Product.
(Yes, YOU who sells physical goods, or as a consultant you can offer this to your client/s)Approaching An Online Marketer who knows how to Promote
Offering them to SELF BRAND the Product, enabling the marketer to even suggest a product and attach their name/brand to something physical. What an Ego Trip! (yes, it worked for me being the marketer who was approached - Ego was back in check.)
Look around at all the online hotshots. 1000’s of followers, subscribers. Buzz. Exposure. In their respective fields, they have become household names.
Think Mutually Beneficial Relationship.
You offer to provide them with whatever shwag you are producing (cups, t-shirts, stationary, office supplies, etc etc). You continue as you always have with offering the fulfillment of the items. Would this work for a service as well? Why the heck not??
Here are the benefits:
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1) you make money, they make money
(figure out a %age deal that works for you) -
2) you get more exposure, they seem more important
to be ’sponsored’ privately -
3) one good deal leads to another. this will be true for
both parties.
Thank you Ezra Butler for teaching me, enlightening me, approaching me, and finding me a marketer worth the value of her own brand!
(*I reserve the right to change the number of video requests at my own will)
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1) you make money, they make money
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- Oct 10th, 2008
- 10 Comments
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Here is a question I DONT have to ask you.I have stated it in the past and will state it in the future (very near). Here it is:
Do YOU think Video helps to sell a product?
If someone can exhibit visually in addition to written HOW a product works, and the benefits you can expect to receive, sales will increase.
Anyone going to argue with that?
Good.
So here is my question.
Tell me how you feel about Audio?
If you hit a squeeze page, sales pages, any page, and there is audio that plays automatically, as simple as a welcome and as thorough as a reading of the content on the page… are you MORE inclined to sign up? Does it draw you into the content?
Naturally with all mediums, it depends on the content, same with videos. For arguments sake, lets say the voice is not whiny, annoying, too monotonous, too strong accented, etc..
The voice is pleasant
The audio explains what you can expect to receive
The audio is personalHere is an example (new window will open) of how I use this feature to allow you to listen to my introduction to a call I recorded (just under 2 hours FABULOUS MEGA PACKED call just btw
) - I personally think IN this case you want to know what comes next. Unfortunately I didn’t record the intro to the call with this purpose in mind - I was only talking to the people listening. I have learned that lesson and from now on, I speak to BOTH crowds. YOU + THEM.
Has that audio, my voice, etc., encouraged you to sign up - or the opposite?
How easy was that to create you ask? So easy. A very simple step by step process. If video is something that only ’she and he is doing’, then this is certainly a very nice baby step in that direction.
I was so hasty in removing all opportunities for ME to earn from this blog, that I removed some real valuable tools. Especially those I felt were being sold by every online marketer… but, it is a really good product! This extremely easy to use, step by step audio creation tool is being sold for a heavily reduced price for my blog readers, and something I have used MANY ways.
Here are some features:
- It’s Attractive (lots of color and style selections)
- There is NO Time limit to the playback (I have put up 3 hour calls!)
- It can be programmed to play Automatically (or not..)
- It’s NOT downloadable (for some this is a real advantage)
- The listener can be directed to ANOTHER page when the audio is complete. Therefore you can include some audio + images of why a product is awesome, and then direct your visitors, via your affiliate link, to the product sales page!
AND…AND….AND…
If you feel this product can help you, check it out, but PLEASE just answer the question for MY benefit. Does Audio do it for you?
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- Oct 2nd, 2008
- 21 Comments
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Here is something ELSE at which I excel:
I spend money. I am really really good at spending money.
Therefore I decided I could use this superb, and certainly unique quality, to assist YOU in making some extra cash today.
Not long ago I was chatting with an online superstar and he asked me ‘what are my 7 focused results?’. I could dedicate an entire blog post (or a product) to this discussion, but the outcome of that discussion, despite having names hurled at me (a focused result is a much harder concept than just the sum of those 2 words!), was something that should change the landscape of how I do business.
I felt compelled to just deposit some money in his paypal account.
I would like to do the same for YOU.
Can you share with me an:
- idea
- concept
- somehow to be more productive
- something your grandparents, mentor, etc. told you,
- something you read on a blog
- or heard in a speech
- etc., etc.
Please DO NOT think I am asking for your next million dollar idea. I have more than I can handle of amazing ‘money making’ ideas. I am seeking philosophies, thoughts, stories. I am seeking ways to add to my quality of working life, and see more fruits from my labors. I want a little piece of what makes YOU successful in my corner.
If you can comment here, I will be happy to be the judge of what it’s worth, and send it along to your paypal address.
Feel like sharing, or just getting off your chest, with no money added in the mix? ‘Freebies’ strongly encouraged as well.. just dont disappoint and leave without saying ANYTHING. Certainly you have something to share?
Watch, Learn and Earn or your money BACK! (hahaha - it's 100% FREE!!)
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