Articles
Autoresponders: The Key To Successful Email Marketing?
The best outcome of your first online marketing campaign is a big response. The worst outcome is being overwhelmed by thousands of responses awaiting your response. Online buyers expect instant response to their information requests. Time is money, patience is thin!
So if you aren’t able to respond quickly, not only will you frustrate your potential clients, but you’ll wear yourself out trying to handle this alone.
The Amazing Autoresponder
That’s where you hire the inexhaustible personal email assistant, the autoresponder. Just set up your autoresponder to perform all of the tasks you need, and then you’re free to move on to the next campaign.
The autoresponder catches those email requests and in a split second sends information back. You can set the autoresponder to actually sound personal by sending the friendly, welcoming note that you wrote.
The autoresponder also captures the email information of prospects or buyers. That’s absolute gold for building your email list. Smart Internet marketers use this list to stay in touch on a regular basis.
The saying is that the money is in the list and this is true, although it is really in the buyer list.
Now you don’t have to irritate with daily emails. Many marketers email daily (and sometimes multiple times per day but this is inadvisable) and can be very aggressive so you need to strike a balance between offering good advice and going for the sale. A 3:1 ratio is a good balance, so for every email that is just going for the sale, provide 3 valuable emails offering good advice and tips to help the reader.
Of course, email marketing is a great way to give them a “sneak preview” and as a pre-sale buying opportunity for your new product along with many free tips.
Another great use of the autoresponder is to send regular newsletters.
Offering a free niche market newsletter helps you get those valuable email opt-ins. Some prospects want to learn more about your product before buying. The newsletter is a tool for developing trust with potential buyers.
The fact is that buyers would rather choose products from trusted sources than take a chance on the unknown, so keep the relationship solid with regular, meaningful communication. Your autoresponder can handle multiple lists and different messages. That gives you a way to tailor the email to prospects for each product.
One of the biggest mistakes that marketers make is failing to target the message for each product prospect. They get lazy, write one message and one thank you note and then move on.
And this is such a common mistake that 90% of marketers make, including those who know better and even teach segmentation techniques to their buyers and readers!!! This undoubtedly brings their integrity into question in the minds of their subscribers, so always practice what you preach!
The autoresponder is capable of so much more work for you. Give each list a distinct name that relates to the product so that you can easily identify the list.If the autoresponder tool seems daunting, take time to view the tutorials.
Even if you have an active list under management, scan the tutorials to see if there are new tricks you can learn for maximizing the effectiveness of your autoresponder emails. Keep your electronic personal assistant busy and you’ll make more money online with less effort.
There are many autoresponder companies out there to suit all types of business needs. The good thing about them is that they will grow with you; as your list grows your cost will increase, but if you are using the tool correctly, you should be making more than you are paying i.e. it is an investment rather than an expense.
There are free autoresponders out there but they are limited with what they can do so it is always best to sign up to a paid service. Prices range from around $9-$19 per month for a list of up to 500 subscribers and the most popular all have free trials so you can try them out to see which one works best for you.
As a marketer I would personally recommend either Active Campaign or Aweber.
I use Active Campaign as it is more powerful and versatile than Aweber, although it has got better over the last couple of years.
Although the primary purpose of an autoresponder is to automate the email sending process, it is also important to send regular broadcast emails to your subscribers, especially if there are any trending topics in the news relating to your niche, and also to tell them more about you and what you are up to.
This creates a more personal connection with you and builds more trust and likeability.
And this leads me nicely onto my next point…
Autoresponder Email Marketing – Make It Personal
As already discussed, the technical options that you have make it possible to send personalized emails from your autoresponder that can seem like the real thing.
Not every buyer knows about autoresponders, so it gives them the sense that you created an email individually for each reader i.e. just for them.
When you write an email, start with the name of a trusted friend in mind and write as if the message was just for that friend. Then edit out the friend’s name and set up the message so that your autoresponder takes over and inserts the prospect’s name.
Personalization isn’t just for emails – use it as an intro to your ezine, too: “Hi, Susan, here’s some great new ideas for using the XZY Information system that I know you’ll appreciate.” Use the name that the prospect gives in the information gathering form.
Add the name naturally as it would occur in conversation. Internet marketers can make the mistake of over-using the name just because it’s easy to insert electronically. Read the message aloud.
Would you use the name that many times or does it sound phony? Yes, people love the sound of their own names, but when it’s over used, the reaction is that you’re being a fake and that send the buyer fleeing.
Don’t let spell check defeat you. First, be extremely careful when you type a name into the autoresponder list. If the name was automatically added to a list, don’t change it. Some names are spelled differently on purpose.
There is an ongoing dispute between Teresa and Theresa as to which is the accurate spelling of the name. Answer: the way she wants it! Also, be careful that the name isn’t changed in the final spell check.
Avoid the marital status question. Don’t add Ms, Miss or Mrs to any correspondence. For one thing, email isn’t that formal. You don’t need to guess on this one or you’ll surely be wrong more often than right.
While the generic “Dear Friend” or “Dear Internet Marketing Colleague” seems impersonal, at least it doesn’t make obvious mistakes that are humorous to some people and blatantly offensive to others.
Use the name when you ask for the order. Remember to be personal when you make the final pitch.
What’s more appealing to you: “Everyone needs this marketing package to increase sales” or “ I want to see you enjoy the kind of success I’ve had with this product – so, Stan, are you ready to make serious money online? If you are then click here. . . .but wait, Stan, I’ve got one more bonus that’s just what you need!”
That’s a personal close using the name and showing interest in the prospect’s success. So keep it real, keep it personal and keep making contact with your list so that the first sale isn’t the last one.
OK, so there are a few things to bear in mind when using an autoresponder and writing emails for your email marketing campaigns.
Email is a very powerful tool if used correctly and can be very profitable, but always put your prospects needs before your own and you will surely be successful.
How To Find Inner Peace And Calm In Times Of Chaos
During these turbulent times it is very easy to live in a state of constant worriment! At the time of writing, everyone is pretty much in a global lock-down which also causes a lot of feelings of isolation too.
But there is always hope, and it is even more important to find things to be glad about on a daily basis.
Here is a post about the science of gratitude.
And if you want to go deeper, take a look at the Grateful Mind training here.
Even the Bible recognised this basic human need thousands of years ago:
Be joyful. Grow to maturity. Encourage each other. Live in harmony and peace. (2 Corinthians 13:11)
However, when the news is filled with negative emotion and our surroundings are chaotic, it can seem overwhelming and stressful to be trapped in the house, full of uncertainty.
Yet it is important to realize that peace and tranquility come from within and can be found even in the most challenging times. Making an effort to find this inner peace is one of the most important things you can do during these times.
So, how do you find inner peace in these time?
Well, here are 5 things that you can start using today to combat stress and achieve inner peace. There are many more, but these are as good a place to start as any.
1: Meditation & Yoga
Meditation is great way to calm the mind and focus on your breathing in order to stay present in the moment. Yoga and meditation practices allow you to feel balanced from within and allows you to reflect on outside surroundings rather than consuming them.
Starting with a guided meditation or a yoga class on YouTube is a great way to start practicing without spending money. They will teach you breathing techniques that can help you calm down when you find yourself stressing out and you will notice that you are not as anxious and overwhelmed.
Alternatively, use an app like Headspace to practice meditation and mindfulness.
Meditation allows you to slow down and start appreciating what you have in your life; friends, family, roof over your head etc. and allows you to put things into perspective.
Yoga is a little like meditation in motion and so is also great for physical as well as mental wellbeing.
They may not be for everyone but could be worth a try if you are feeling stressed and isolated.
Develop A Routine
It may sound a little boring, but developing a routine, even when stuck at home, is a crucial way to find structure in your life when there are challenges put in front of you.
Waking up at the same time, making time to workout each morning, and reading before bed are a few examples of tasks you can incorporate into your daily routine to keep you feeling calm.
Many of the most productive and successful people, do the same thing every day, including the weekends; no Saturday morning lie-ins for them, so doesn’t that indicate how powerful routine can be?
If you have children and are homeschooling, then having a routine is incredibly important for them too, and will allow you to get them into study mode when required.
Of course, you can also add a little spontaneity too, but the general day should be well-structured so you know what to expect.
Get Outside
Even though we may not have the ability to go shopping or be in public to get out of the house, we can always take our dogs for a walk or go on a hike in nature to relax and get rid of the feeling of being trapped in the house.
Nature is a great stress reliever that will help you feel gratitude and inner peace throughout these tough times.
Taking a 30-60 minute walk each day is a great way to stay active and get a breath of fresh air to reduce your stress and anxiety levels.
Even getting outside into your garden (if you have one) can boost your mood; you don’t even have to do any gardening (although this will have physical benefits too), just sitting in the sun and listening to the birds singing can instantly make you feel better.
When you are constantly surrounding by technology filled with news that may seem concerning, your stress levels are likely to rise, and you will feel worried. When you step away and let go of this attachment, you will instantly feel calmer.
Beware The News
When chaos is going on around the world and there is stress in the air, the news is the main source that people base their opinions on and process information from.
However, the news is very quick to only announce negative news and alarming stories, which can make the brain feel overwhelmed, anxious, and stressed. The UK tabloid press is particularly good at this.
The problem with consuming too much news, is that you get a very skewed vision of the world that is NOT reality, and this can have a major impact on how you feel.
It is important to stay up to date with current events, but it is also important to not let it consume you.
Many of these things are out of your control and after you take all of the precautionary measures that you can, it is important to step away from the news in order to relax the mind.
Read A Book
Reading a book is great way to clear your mind and distract yourself from your surroundings when they seem overwhelming or negative.
It is a great way to restore your emotions and reduce stress without staring at a screen or scrolling through social media.
When you read a book, you are improving your brain function, and this has proven to improve mental wellbeing.
Whether it be an educational book, self-help book, or fiction, you will find that you are able to learn a lot and grow both professionally and personally in an enjoyable way.
And why not pick up a Bible if you are feeling really low. The pages of the Bible are filled with hope which we all need in these uncertain times, so perhaps now is the time to delve into the Word. You never know, it could be the beginning of an incredible journey of self-discovery for you.
OK, there are 5 things that you can do to combat stress and achieve some inner peace.
Why not try one (or all of them) and see which works for you, and if you have any that you want to add, let me know.
Stay safe and be strong…
Self-Discipline: 7 Benefits Of Being Disciplined
Every day we have choices to make. Wake up early and go to the gym, or get an extra hour of sleep? Pack a healthy lunch to take to work, or buy something when lunchtime rolls around? Throw a little extra money in your savings account, or buy that new gadget or pair of shoes you’ve been eyeballing all month?
Deep down inside, we know which actions will yield the best results. Yet many of us struggle with making the best decisions – and fail to reach our full potential as a result. How do we overcome these challenges? Self-discipline is the answer.
Why Is Self-Discipline Important?
If you want to be successful and reach your goals, self-discipline is the most crucial skill to master.
Frequently, the best choices aren’t the fastest, easiest, or most pleasant. So you must exercise a high level of control over your emotions and behavior.
Improving your ability to do what is best for you regardless of initial desire is the only way to make consistent progress in life.
As such, if self-discipline is your foundational skill, you grow more effective in everything you do.
7 Benefits Of Self-Discipline
When you develop a stronger sense of self-control, you can expect multiple improvements across many areas of your life. Here are ten benefits of self-discipline.
1- Better Physical Health
First, improving your self-discipline leads to improved physical health.
Exercising control over the quality and quantity of food you consume, establishing a regular fitness routine, and drinking enough water help you maintain a healthy weight, reduce your chances of illness and disease, and increase your chances of longevity and vitality later in life.
This does require a lot of self-discipline for some people, but the benefits will enhance pretty much all areas of your life.
2- Better Academic And/Or Career Success
Next, self-discipline can help you to make choices that could potentially lead to higher academic and career success.
Sometimes you must choose between studying longer hours and spending time out with friends, or staying late after work to complete a project and heading home to relax.
Self-discipline helps you see the value of delayed gratification, which pays off down the line.
This is especially important in the modern world as the vast majority of people want it now and are not prepared to wait.
3- Better Relationships
Third, self-discipline improves your relationships because you become a person who follows through on your commitments.
People in your life learn they can trust you to do what you say you will, and they view you more favorably.
Having self-control and doing what you say makes you a more reliable partner, friend and worker, so all types of relationships will benefit from becoming a more disciplined person.
4- Better Control Of Your Finances
Next, gaining better control over your finances is another direct benefit of self-discipline.
While it’s more fun to spend money than it is to save, the disciplined individual sees the long-term benefit of putting money away for a rainy day. This is also linked to the benefits of delayed gratification mentioned above.
That’s not to say you pinch pennies and sacrifice quality of life.
Self-discipline isn’t supposed to make you miserable. Instead, it’s about weighing the pros and cons and making decisions that bring you closer to your goals.
Examples of financial self-discipline that don’t require total restriction include regularly putting a certain percentage of each paycheck into your savings account or sticking to a budget that allocates a certain amount of money each month for discretionary spending.
This way, you still get to enjoy the present, though, not at the expense of your future and you will have the opportunity to splurge out occasionally.
5- Fewer Regrets
Another benefit of growing more self-disciplined is that you’ll have fewer regrets because you make better choices in the first place.
You’ll eliminate such problems as saying the wrong thing at the wrong time because you’re disciplined enough to think before speaking.
This is especially important nowadays, as you have to be so careful what you say in case you upset or offend someone, and social media makes this even more difficult to manage; always think before you speak or post something online!
You’ll avoid jumping to conclusions, give yourself time to gather information before making decisions, and make choices based on facts rather than emotion or opinion.
6- Improved Time Management And Productivity
With an ever-growing list of things vying for our attention, it seems that time is often in short supply.
One of the best benefits of self-discipline is improved management of your time.
For example, social media can be the ultimate time-killer if you don’t exercise self-control. While it can be useful at times, you can easily fall into the trap of mindlessly scrolling through news feeds when you could be completing other tasks.
By practicing self-discipline, you will become a lot more productive and this is really important for people who work for themselves at home.
Have strict times when you are working, have a space which you use solely for work purposes and stick to it and your productivity will soar.
7- Staying The Distance
Finally, self-discipline helps you complete tasks and projects that you start, even when you lose steam or desire.
Motivation is always high at the beginning of a new goal.
Whether it’s a new diet plan, a new business idea, or even new relationships to a certain degree, when things are fresh, there is nothing but excitement and stimulation ahead.
Yet over time, motivation fades, challenges arise, reality sets in, and its tempting to go back to something more familiar or move on to the next shiny object.
Exercising self-control and choosing to finish what you start, within reason, even when you lose motivation and desire means you not only have the finished project under your belt, but you’ve learned lessons and acquired skills you wouldn’t have had you quit.
Final Thoughts
As the American writer, philosopher and artist, Elbert Hubbard once said, “Self-discipline is the ability to do what you should do, when you should do it, whether you feel like it or not.”
Understanding the importance of self-discipline, then taking steps to improve this most critical skill is perhaps the best thing you can do for your personal development and likelihood of lifetime success.
How To Find A Niche Market
If you are a new online entrepreneur, picking the right niche can be the most intimidating part of the entire business model building process.
If you get this wrong you could be setting yourself up for a disaster where you don’t earn money, you don’t enjoy the work, and you waste an incredible amount of time putting effort into something that won’t pay off.
So it’s vital that you understand the correct elements of picking a niche that pairs passion and profits. There are very few marketers who come into this business without the goal of pursuing their passion.
But you hear so much stuff online about money that sometimes, it seems like passion takes a backseat so that you can focus on money and take the financial pressure off.
“Someday,” you think, “I’ll make enough money at this that I can then do something I love.”
Why wait?
You can start off on the right foot from the very beginning and not have to start all over again one day with a new niche and a new dream.
There are 4 steps to picking a profitable niche market and we’re going to go through them in this post.
Just to be honest; It does require some research, but have fun with this! Don’t do it all in one sitting – let your mind take time to savor the possibilities and engulf you in daydreaming about where all you might take these options.
Step 1 – Brainstorm Ideas
The best way to get started is to just do a quick and easy brainstorming session. Now is not the time to sort through and analyze your niches – just get them out of your head and jot them down randomly – we’ll weed out the ones that aren’t a good fit later.
Start by looking at niches you already know you like. For instance, you might like:
- Playing video games
- Gardening
- Playing golf
- Making your own jewelry
- Cooking
- Playing guitar…etc.
All of those are potential niches based on what you know you already enjoy doing. Forget about whether or not you’re an expert – just jot down current passions.
Next, consider what you’ve always wanted to learn but don’t know. For example:
- You’ve always wanted to learn better photography
- You’ve always wished you knew how to crochet
- You find yourself drawn to the idea of living a sustainable lifestyle
All of those “I wish I knew” topics are potential niche markets for you.
Sometimes, you can build a profitable niche based on experiences that you’ve had in life, such as:
- Surviving a troubled relationship
- Enduring a major health crisis
- Flipping a real estate property for a profit
Or, maybe you know someone else who is going through something – it doesn’t have to be directly related to you. For example,
- Maybe your neighbor is dealing with infertility
- You have a good friend who can’t figure out how to meet the right woman
- A sibling of yours suffers from panic and anxiety attacks
As you can see, there are niche markets all around you. Once you start training yourself to look for them, you start to see a world full of possibilities.
Don’t worry about lacking expertise. Some of the best blogs and leaders are those who track their journey from the very beginning. Sometimes, for an audience, it can be intimidating learning from an expert.
It feels safer and more relaxed learning from someone who knows what you’re going through and who can empathize with you easily. Even if you’re not going through the exact same thing, understand why there’s no such thing as saturation…
People like learning from multiple sources! You have a unique style and personality from other leaders in that niche. When people learn and search for solutions, they typically look in several places, not just one.
Step 2 – Research Already Thriving Niches
Another way you can come up with profitable niche markets is to see what’s being talked about by the media and bought in the marketplaces. This is easy because the research has basically been done, it’s just waiting for you to discover it.
Magazine covers at the grocery store can show you a wealth of information. So for example – if you picked up the latest copy of Woman’s World (or even just glanced at the cover on the newsstand), you may see the following topics being covered:
- Juicing for pain
- Food for Alzheimer’s prevention
- Inflammation and weight gain
- Diabetes
- Allergies
- High blood pressure
- End cravings while dieting
- Anti aging tea
- Stress relief
- Body makeovers
- Success tips
Those are a lot of niches that yes, are very narrow in some ways – such as food for Alzheimer’s – but it’s a sign that people are into the memory niche, and you can be, too. Instead of getting so specific as “juicing for pain” you could jot down “pain relief” as your niche.
News sites also provide a wonderful account of what’s being followed in the real world. Let’s take four of the top news and information sites and look at what we can find on there.
On FoxNews.com, in the health section, you may discover topics like marriage quality influencing heart disease, obesity and exercise. Under the lifestyle section, you learn about hidden costs when buying a home, the key to online successful dating, and favorite vegetarian meals for celebrities.
On CNN.com, you could learn about bitcoin as a currency, comfort food weight loss, and diabetes and dental health. You can separate these combined topics or keep them combined if you want.
On DrudgeReport.com, you might see a news story about riots or bioterror and start thinking about the prepper niche. There’s a story about electronics like tablets selling more than toys for kids. You also see a story about the price of electricity rising, so a niche about saving money or becoming self sufficient might be an idea.
On HuffingtonPost.com, you may see stories about retiring abroad, the key to creativity, in-office workouts, remembering dreams, habits of mentally healthy people, etc.
Online marketplaces can give you some insight into what sells well with consumers. You can look at top sellers at ClickBank.com, JVZoo.com, and Amazon.com to pinpoint some possible niches.
Let’s look at them one by one.
ClickBank’s marketplace shows some of the top niches as:
- Fat loss
- Woodworking
- Men’s dating
- Make money online
- Potty training
- Numerology
JVZoo.com’s marketplace shows some of the following topics selling well:
- Social media mastery
- Kindle publishing
Amazon.com is a great place to research both tangible and digital niche markets. You can go to amazon.com/bestsellers and look through each category to see what’s selling.
You can also look at hot new releases, top rated, movers and shakers and most wished for. These lists are updated hourly, so they’re as current as you can get, which will serve you well.
Click on a category and you can drill down further. Click on Books, for example and you can look in self-help. You can see that people want to know about:
- Being an introvert
- Marriage help
- Success tips
- Nutrition
- Spirituality
After you do a quick brainstorm and some fundamental research, you might have a very healthy, long list or a short one of about 5 niche markets you could possibly get into.
Next, it’s time to cut down your list even more. Don’t be hesitant about removing niches. They’re always there if you ever want to branch out and add another income stream, but you have to start somewhere with one niche, so avoid combining them just because you don’t want to give one up – keep in mind that it’s only temporary.
Step 3 – Discard Niches That Don’t Interest You
As you can see, picking a good niche isn’t something you do in 10 minutes in a flash. It’s a process that you give time to if you’re serious about building a highly profitable business because it’s going to require dedication by you.
Let’s look at some reasons who you would want to weed out a niche. Go through each niche idea you have and see if any of these reasons exist.
You can’t commit to writing, talking and leading the niche day after day. Many newbies hear instructions about keyword volume and price points of available products to promote, so they pick a random niche they personally have zero interest in.
Imagine you’re a man who loves golfing, but you pick the crochet niche because some guru pointed out something about keyword volume and product availability. It happens – and the poor golf lover not only doesn’t know about crocheting, but he can’t imagine writing about it every day. This is a recipe for failure.
Another reason is that there’s not enough monetization opportunity.
You want to investigate this because you may find a niche that you are highly passionate about, but if there is no way to make money from it, then it should be dropped.
Ideally, you’ll pick a niche that provides both tangible and digital items you can promote (or create).
Examples of this are:
- Weight loss – not only can you promote diet and exercise digital plans, but also food and weight scales, workout equipment, supplements and more.
- Stress relief – not only can you promote digital eBooks on how to combat stress, but you can sell products like aromatherapy machines and home spa products.
One more reason why you may want to cut a niche is if it’s overly trendy. Sometimes something is such a fad that it’s a waste of time trying to build an entire business around it.
It’s much better to have an evergreen topic, like stress, than it is to build a whole site around a trend, like rubber band bracelets. That doesn’t mean you can’t create a page somewhere online to profit from trendy topics , but reserve your major efforts for topics that are going to last.
If it’s too broad, you can either eliminate it or narrow it down and see what all you can come up with for it. For example, just tackling the “diet niche” can be overwhelming.
But you might want to build a site about:
- Dieting over 40
- Dieting post pregnancy
- Dieting for diabetics…etc.
Once you whittle down the niches and feel confident that you could write about or lead in this topic for the long-term and that it can easily be monetized with products, you’ll need to make a firm commitment to one (if you’re left with more than one).
Step 4 – Compare What’s Left Over
This is where some of the traditional guru advice comes in handy. There will be times when your passion for two topics is equal and both provide great opportunities for profits.
That’s when you turn to things like keyword search volume so that you can see how prevalent the topic is online. You want to use keyword tools to see what words and phrases people are using to find information in that niche, and how high the volume is.
You might be asking yourself, “What number am I looking for?” There is no set number. You can make a good income from volumes of 1,000 or 10,000. Should you go with a niche where there’s only 10 searches per month?
Probably not. You want to look at typical conversion rates – anywhere from 3-30% – and compare that to the price of what you’ll be selling.
So if you were promoting an average of $100 items on your site, where you earned 50% of the sale (or $50), and you saw a search volume of about 1,000 for a good keyword phrase, then even at a low 3% rate, you could expect 30 sales per month @ $50 commission, which totals $1,500.
Is that a sure thing? Of course not! You have to have everything in place for proper conversion. Online businesses aren’t a “build it and they will buy” scenario.
Reviews on Amazon can provide some insight into whether or not it’s a hot niche. It’s not just the bestseller’s list. You can look at products and tell to some degree. For example, if you start clicking on categories in Amazon, you might see something typical like coffeemakers with hundreds or thousands of reviews.
But keep clicking around and you might stumble on a niche that you didn’t realize was that popular. Click through on “chef tools” and you’ll see a comfort mat that has almost 1,000 reviews and sells for almost $60.
So that might be a niche for you, if you like cooking – not the mat, but maybe “comfort in the kitchen – for people who love the art of cooking” and everything you promote could be digital products about cooking (including ones you create) and tangible items that make things easier.
Available domains will be a factor in your decision, but please take time to play around with synonyms and phrases before you simply cross a niche off because your first domain idea is already taken.
For example, let’s say your niche will be diet for diabetics. Look for other words for diet, such as food, nutrition, diet plans, eating, meals, etc. Diabetics can be used as diabetes, too.
So you begin mixing and matching. You might try:
- DietForDiabetics.com – available at auction for over $1k
- FoodForDiabetics.com – taken
- NutritionForDiabetics.com – available at auction for over $3k
- EatingForDiabetics.com – available at the regular price
- DietPlansForDiabetics.com – taken
- MealsForDiabetics.com – taken
Then go through and switch diabetics to diabetes and see what you get there. Or switch words around:
- DiabeticDiets.com
- DiabeticNutrition.com
- DiabeticFood.com
- DiabeticEating.com
- DiabeticDietPlans.com
- DiabeticMeals.com …etc.
Do as much as you can to see what’s available and then if necessary, wait a day or two to see if any other possibilities pop into your head, such as:
- DiabeticFoodHelp.com
- DiabetesAndNutrition.com
- DiabeticMealPlanner.com … and so on
If more than one of your niches meets all of the above criteria, then what do you do?
You ask yourself, “Which audience do I want to serve?”
That’s what online success is all about – rolling up your sleeves and being ready to help people – whether they’re looking for diet help, relationship tips, golf advice or health insight – they need solutions, and they’re relying on someone who cares to help them find it.
This simple requirement – where you feel empathy for your target audience and truly want to solve their problems – is where you develop a loyal fan base who will convert at the upper limit of typical conversion rates for you, instead of the bare minimum.
Remember that if you’re in a rush, you can easily choose the wrong niche, spend weeks or months trying to grow it, and still fail because it wasn’t right for you. It might be right for someone else – and this is why some people hit it big in a niche and others try it and see zero success.
Another thing you might want to do, if you’re still undecided, is spend some time looking at your competition. But only do this if you are the type who won’t succumb to intimidation, thinking, “Oh there’s already someone much better than me out there.”
Always keep in mind that people want choices. That person you’re admiring might be a great joint venture partner for you one day. But your style and voice will be unique to you, and his or her non-audience will be thrilled to find your voice out on the Internet waiting to guide them.
Plus, think about how you yourself learn. When you want to learn online marketing, do you only listen to just one person? Or do you visit a few blogs, read a few people’s responses on forums, and follow different people on social networks who inspire and educate you?
Don’t beat yourself up if you don’t pick the right niche the very first time. Even with the best research and intentions, sometimes we get into a niche and just don’t feel it’s right for us.
If this starts happening, make a decision to cut your losses and try again. Remember what it was that you didn’t like about that niche and look for the opposite in your next one.
You have to maintain a fine balance between abandoning niches at the drop of a hat just because you’re not making instant riches overnight, and wasting too much time chained to a niche that just isn’t going to work for you.
Your next step is to build a blog. As a newbie, this is one of the easiest platforms to create and rank in search engines, and it’s the perfect place to let your target audience get to know you as their new niche leader.
If you want to start building a blog the right way, take a look at this amazing training that shows you how to build a blog the right way and how to build a list and monetize it. It is called Rapid Blogging Blueprint and consists of a training manual and over 3 hours of over-the-shoulder training and you can find out more here: warr.ws/RBB
Working From Home? Transitioning To Working At Home
Transitioning To Working At Home
Have you been forced to work from home due to the global coronavirus crisis? Obviously you are not alone during these strange times!
The initial joy of being able to work from home can be quickly replaced by worry, a lack of motivation and never-ending distractions.
How on earth do you get things done when there are so many distractions in your home? While home working can deliver a lot of benefits, there are a lot of challenges it presents too and many people seriously underestimate these!
In this post, you’ll discover some useful tips you can follow when it comes to transitioning to working from home.
Set Up A Quiet Work Area
With all of the distractions at home, it can be really hard to concentrate on work. This is especially true if you have kids at home.
So, if you want to ensure you can get things done in peace, it’s worth setting up a quiet working space.
Try and use a room that isn’t frequently used during the day. Place a sign on the door when you’re trying to work to let others know not to disturb you.
Make sure the workspace is comfortable too as you won’t get a lot done if you aren’t comfortable.
Start Work At Your Normal Time
One of the main challenges that can come from working from home is delaying the time you usually start.
It’s tempting to have a lie in and take longer to relax in the morning before starting. However, this only zaps your productivity.
If you want to ensure you stay productive, you’ll want to start as early as possible. The positive side to this is that the earlier you start, the earlier you’ll get to finish.
Limit Social Media Screen Time!
You’ll have a lot more time to check in on social media when you haven’t got the boss breathing down your neck. However, it’s easy to waste hours using social media accounts if you aren’t careful.
Many home workers find it useful to set limits on their social media use during working hours. It could be simply committing to using it during a specific time for example. Having limits in place makes you more aware of how much you’re using it.
Maintain Your Usual Work Routine
It’s really important to try and maintain your usual routine. This is linked to starting work at your normal time as mentioned above.
This means, getting ready for work in the same way you usually do.
So, wake up at the same time, have your usual cup of coffee and get dressed into your work clothes. It’s amazing how much of a difference this can make to your productivity.
These are just a few tips you can follow when transitioning to working from home. It can be a big adjustment, but there are lots of tools and tips out there to help.
Trying to maintain your usual routine is one of the best things you can do during these changing times and will allow you to be just as productive as you were in your work place.
Here are a few more tips to help you with productivity when working from home.
How To Be Productive Working At Home
As convenient and beneficial as working from home can be, it can also prove to be damaging to productivity.
The trouble is, up until now, you’ve associated your home as a space for relaxing. So, it can be difficult switching to a more productive mindset when you’re in the comfort of your home.
The good news is, there are ways to boost your productivity when remote working. Here, you’ll discover some of the best ways to stay productive when working at home.
Keep Your Workspace Tidy And Just For Work
You’re going to find it hard to stay productive if your workspace is cluttered.
So, before you start, take time to clean up the area you’re planning on working in.
Get rid of any clutter and organize the space.
The cleaner and tidier the space is, the easier you’ll find it to focus on your work.
Take Regular Breaks And Get Outside For Air
Suddenly being cooped up in the house all day can be detrimental to productivity.
It can cause issues with low mood and leave you feeling less motivated to get through your workload.
By taking regular breaks and making time to get out into the yard, it can really boost those productivity levels.
Spend just 10-15 minutes gardening or reading a book outdoors to help refresh productivity levels.
Always Prepare For The Day Ahead
When you go out to work, you know there’s things you need to do to get ready for the day.
You have a routine which prepares you for work. However, when you start working from home you don’t really have that.
Rather than thinking you can now work in your pajamas all day, make the effort to get dressed.
Create a morning routine which sets you up for work. That way, you’ll find it much easier to stay productive if your mindset is geared towards work.
Harness The Power Of Nature
Did you know that plants and flowers can help you to feel more motivated? Adding them into your workspace can help to brighten up the working environment.
Numerous studies have shown how effective greenery can be within an office environment. So, if you want an easy way to stay productive, add a few houseplants and flowers to your home office.
You can also utilize the power of scent too. In some countries, workplaces spray citrus scents to boost employee productivity. Try experimenting with different scents to see which ones make you work more efficiently.
Staying productive when working at home isn’t easy but it is doable.
The above are some of the best methods you can try to increase those productivity levels. Taking regular breaks away from your computer are important, not just for productivity but for your health too.
OK, I hope these pointers will help you to stay productive in your working from home during these unprecedented times, and stay safe.