Jason’s Tips
Why Outsourcing Is Important: 7 Tips To Get The Best Bang For Your Buck
Outsourcing is the smart marketers most potent weapon and something that you need to seriously consider as early in your business career as possible.
Is it a scary prospect to pay someone to work for you? Yes, but if done right, this should be seen as an investment rather than an expense and the return on investment in your new team member can explode your business growth.
I certainly wish I’d started earlier, but fear kept me back; would I waste a lot of money etc.?
So, to help you feel more confident, let’s show you 7 ways you can outsource and get the maximum bang for you buck.
Let’s be candid – You can discover these outsourcing secrets the easy way or the hard way, but you’re going to find this out sooner or later.
The hard way is the way most marketers do it. They make mistakes when outsourcing, lose time and / or money, and then learn from their mistakes.
I propose we cut out all that nonsense and I’ll just tell you what you need to know here and now.
Ready?
1: Outsource customer service as soon as humanly possible.
Reason why: If you don’t, you’ll waste half of each day doing things like answering support tickets, changing email addresses for members who changed their email address (yes, that is a thing) issuing refunds, answering questions and so forth.
Your focus should be on building your business, not answering support tickets (“When I log in, I see a funny thing at the top that says I’m logged in… is that what it’s supposed to say?”) I’m not kidding, that is a real support ticket I once received.
Another reason why: Your virtual assistant who is handling your support can shield you from the negative ninnies.
What’s a “negative ninny,” you ask? It’s that person who buys your product and then rants on for 6 pages on how awful your product is, how awful you are and so forth.
You don’t need to hear that stuff. Just tell your V.A. to handle it for you without ever telling you about it. (In this case, refunding the person and removing them from every list is all that’s required.)
And by the way, if you’re thinking that your products will be so great, everyone will love them, well then, I know you haven’t created any products yet.
I don’t care if you invent the method for turning pixels into gold, someone will hate it. And that’s okay, as long as you don’t have to hear about it.
2: Outsource the things that bring you profit FIRST.
So, let’s say you want to outsource website building, content creation, product creation, sales writing, software creation and so forth.
That’s the project to outsource first.
Maybe you pay someone to create a product for you, and then you turn around and sell that product to hundreds of buyers. BOOM! You’ve just made your money back and much more.
But what if you don’t have any customers yet? And no list? Then maybe you need to outsource the building of your squeeze page so you can start list building so you can start selling stuff to your list.
Whatever will put you in profit first is the thing you need to outsource first. This way you’re not coming out of pocket by thousands and thousands of dollars without seeing a return.
3: Pay outsourcers based on the JOB, not by an hourly rate.
You want to know going in what it’s going to cost you to get a specific job done. And a true professional will be able to tell you exactly what it will cost.
So not only don’t they know exactly what the job will cost – they also don’t know if the outsourcer is dragging the job out longer to make it pay more. Yes, it’s been known to happen.
The exception to the non-hourly rule?
Your virtual assistant or customer service person. Because of the nature of their work, in most cases paying them by the hour is the way to go.
4: Outsource work you’re putting off.
Did you create a new product, but you haven’t edited yet? Or maybe you haven’t built the website or made the sales letter.
All the time you invested in creating that product is going to waste.
Outsource someone to do what you haven’t done, so you can get it online and start making sales as fast as possible.
5: Outsource what you’re not good at, and what you don’t like doing.
Sure, you love building websites, but let’s face it: You haven’t updated your website skills since 2007. Or you know how to write sales copy, but you HATE doing it.
Those are things you should be outsourcing.
By focusing on your strengths as well as strategically planning your business, and letting other experts handle the rest of the work, you’ll make more money faster than if you try to do everything yourself.
6: Outsource the instrument playing while you conduct the orchestra.
There may come a time very soon when you have a system in place for making money. It could be as simple as create a product in your niche, write several pieces of content preparing people for the product, record several videos leading up to the launch, and then launching.
Yet all of that is a lot of work. You’ve got sales copy to write, JV’s to contact, swipe emails to write, etc.
If you can afford it, outsource everything you can so that you can focus on working ON your business instead of IN your business.
Sort of a no-brainer, don’t you think?
7: If you haven’t yet outsourced something – what are you waiting for?
If you already have an online business, or you’re in the process of building one and you haven’t yet outsourced something, then odds are it’s simply because fear is holding you back.
Go to somewhere like Fiverr, Upwork, Freelancer or Craigslist and outsource a small job, just to see how it works.
I promise, you’ll be hooked, and your business will grow twice as fast.
There is not a seven-figure internet marketer out there who doesn’t outsource. So, isn’t it about time you did, too?
How To Use Video In Marketing
In the old days, just about everything online was based on text and images. It wasn’t because people weren’t interested in watching video; it was simply a matter of the slow streaming and download speeds that were common at the time made them virtually impossible to watch without the dreaded buffering ruining the experience.
It could take several hours to download a single movie, or 10-20 minutes to download a music video and the vast majority of people just don’t have the patience to wait that long.
These days, smooth streaming is possible in many areas of the world because download speeds are getting faster all the time. It’s now possible to stream full HD videos with little to no buffering in a large portion of the world.
Now that internet speeds have made this possible, video has quickly taken over as the type of media that most people prefer to consume online.
Even websites which previously focused primarily on text or image content have now moved toward video, including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and more.
You may be wondering if video could even be helpful for your business.
Perhaps you’re in a market that doesn’t usually make use of videos often but does that mean that you should ignore it?
Absolutely not, and it may just make you stand out from your competitors if there is a lack of video in your niche.
The truth is, just about any market you can think of can benefit from the use of videos.
For example, think about a local paint contractor. You might think the company would have no use for video, but this is one way such a company could actually stand out from the crowd.
Most people in similar businesses just post photos of their work on their websites and social media, but videos could increase their business in many ways.
For example, using videos could:
- Show their work in a much more detailed way than you can with simple photos
- Bring in additional traffic through SEO and posting videos to various video sharing and social media sites
- Attract search engine traffic, since videos tend to rank more quickly and easily than other content
- Present your content in a more effective way than other types of content
Almost any type of website can benefit from the use of video.
Restaurants can use it to show the sizzle of the steaks they serve. Professionals who offer a service can use it to demonstrate their abilities.
Retail websites can show how well their products work, or how high the quality of their material is. Tutorial websites can create lessons that make it easier for students to learn.
Creating Videos
Videos can enhance nearly every site, but a lot of people are worried that it’s too hard to create videos.
However, that simply isn’t the case any more. You can use basic tools which are free or very cheap, such as Screencast-o-matic to record basic videos.
And if you have a webcam, you can record both your screen and yourself at the same time.
In fact, these days creating simple videos is not much harder than sending an email or posting on a blog. If you already have a blog or website, you are definitely capable of making videos.
There are plenty of services that make it easy to create videos, including:
Animoto >> warr.us/Animoto
Vidnami (Content Samurai) >> warr.us/ContentSamurai
Rocketium >> warr.us/Rocketium
Doodly >> warr.us/Doodly
These services will have you cranking out all sorts of videos from sexy animated videos to doodle and whiteboard videos in next to no time at all.
Editing Videos
And you will probably want to edit videos too and this is where Camtasia comes in.
Camtasia is a very powerful and user-friendly tool to make editing you videos a cinch.
And if you want to master Camtasia, you should really take a look at Camtasia Mastery as it is an incredibly comprehensive video training course taking you through all the editing options and tricks to make the most out of Camtasia.
Finally, let’s look at some ways to use videos profitably — how to really make the most out of your videos.
Here are a few great ideas for ways to incorporate video onto your websites:
- Think about uploading your sales videos to YouTube. This could give you the added benefit of getting additional traffic from YouTube and search engines.
- Do roundups of similar types of videos. You could make a blog post with several different videos, all focused around a specific topic. For example, you could title your video, “5 Ways to Draw Trees” and embed five different video tutorials, describing each one.
- Film yourself or someone else using your product in order to demonstrate how easy it to use, how well it works, etc.
- Approach a topic from two opposing viewpoints, including one or two videos from each side in order to represent both points.
- Use video to demonstrate something that might be difficult to understand with text or images.
- Use video to show examples of what you can do, in order to get clients to hire you.
- Have a video pop up asking visitors to follow you on social media, subscribe to your email list, visit your sponsor, or take some other action.
The best way to use video is explained in a fantastic training called Video Marketing Insider and this is quite simply the best course on video marketing that I know and the creator is constantly adding and updating the content.
Plus you also get access to a number of softwares when you sign up so I suggest you check out Video Marketing Insider as soon as possible.
If you want to dive a bit deeper, then there are another couple of posts that you may find useful which cover the benefits of video in marketing in more detail and you can find part 1 here and part 2 here.
OK, there you have it. A quick overview of why you should be using video in your business and a few tips on how to incorporate them. Now get recording…
7 Benefits Of Self-Discipline
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.
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 including health, success, relationships and more, so it is a really important skill to learn how to master, don’t you think?
Here are 7 benefits of self-discipline.
1- Improved 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.
With better health comes increased energy and a better sense of well-being which will help you to get more done and have more success which leads us nicely into point number 2.
2- Greater Academic/Career/Business Success
Next, self-discipline helps you make choices that 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.
This is especially important if you are an entrepeneur/solopeneur; you must be able to focus on the long term strategy for your business and practice delayed gratification by ploughing any profits you make in the beginning back into your business.
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.
If you keep your word, people will respond to that but if you are someone who says one thing but does another, this will make people think you unreliable or maybe even dishonest, so having the self-discipline to keep to your commitments will really help all types of relationship flourish.
4- Better Financial Health
Next, gaining better control over your finances is another direct benefit of self-discipline and this one cannot be underestimated!
It is linked to point 2 above where you practice delayed gratification now to have a better reward later.
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. You still get to enjoy the present, though, not at the expense of your future.
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 will also affect how you live and enjoy life. You will need to takes risks occasionally, but they should be considered risks.
You don’t want to be one of those people who ends up saying things like “If only I…” or “What if…” and has so many regrets in their life.
Use your self-discipline to make informed choices and to make great decisions to move you life in the way you want.
6- Better Time Management
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.
It is a real positive feedback loop which can have a dramatic impact on the way you achieve the things you really want.
7- Increased Resilience
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.”
These 7 factors may seem like small things when taken individually but they stack up and if you do manage to get a hold of your self-discipline, you should see a dramatic impact on the way you live your life and what you can achieve and isn’t that worth it?
Do You Give Up Too Easily?
Taking The Easy Way Out By Giving Up
When we are confronted with situations in our lives, one of the easiest ways to handle it is to give up. It’s too hard; we tell ourselves.
It’s easy to get to a point where it seems as though all that time you’ve invested in a dream or goal and the time till its fruition can be very daunting and even unobtainable.
There will be times of excitement, enthusiasm, creativity, but they can quickly be followed by despair, discouragement, and the desire to quit.
It’s just simpler to bury your head in the sand, but you’ll never grow if you keep doing this and you won’t have the kind of life that you truly want and deserve.
So, why do we give up so easily?
In all honesty, I think that us humans are just simply wired to want to give up; sad, I know, but it appears to be true nonetheless!
This stems from the fact that we crave instant gratification and if you are striving towards a distant goal, the brain doesn’t like delayed gratification; it wants results and rewards NOW!
So, basically we’re born to look for instant gratification. And this could be for good reason in the past as we may have needed immediate benefits to ensure our survival. But do we need that instinct now in the modern day world? Not really.
We are very much present-oriented, and so when we’re not getting what we want immediately, we get anxious and want to give up.
Maybe you’re disappointed or tired because you haven’t succeeded yet after lots of trials and attempts with nothing to show for it.
Believe me, you are not alone. I can pretty much guarantee that everyone has experienced this in their lifetime.
But, if you found ways to persevere, those situations would go away before they got out of hand.
If your situation is a financial one where you don’t have the necessary funds, you may need to seek other ways to make money.
Of course, it’s bad enough having to work one job as many people are not happy with their jobs. Adding yet another job into the mix can be a hard pill to swallow.
However, if you focus on the goal of taking care of the situation, this can get you through it. You may only need to work that other job for a temporary amount of time.
Life can get even more difficult for many people as they get older.
When you get past a certain age, you are not as easily employable as you were when you were younger. If you are having trouble finding work after being let go, will you keep going until you find something? There are a fair number of people who will simply give up.
Perhaps you have thought about starting your own business. It’s certainly much easier to do that with the internet these days. This too, takes a lot of work, especially since it is getting more competitive all the time. But, those who put in the time tend to make it happen.
Others, simply quit. It’s interesting to note that people who quit, often do so right before the time where they would start seeing some successes in their business.
We tend to have more medical issues when we are older as well. Taking better care of ourselves requires perseverance and habit changes. Many people will simply throw in the towel and take their chances with their health as they age.
It’s not usually the correct choice, however. It can take a commitment both in time and attitude (preparing yourself to be ready) but it can be well worth the effort of knowing that you won’t have to handle worse conditions later.
What Are The Consequences Of Giving Up?
The thing about instant gratification is that it is a mirage, an illusion.
When you look at successful people, many think of them as overnight successes but actually NOTHING could be further from the truth!
Most successful people have failed and suffered rejection many times. Did you know that Sylvester Stallone was rejected over 1500 times when he first approached Hollywood with the script for Rocky?
And to make it worse, they offered to make the film for him, but only if he didn’t star in it!! But he stuck to his guns and it worked out for him eventually when Rocky and Stallone became an “overnight success!”
So, bear this in mind when you feel low and want to throw in the towel. Don’t suffer for mediocre and live a life of regret. Persevere and do what your future self will thank you for.
If you really feel like giving up remember these 7 points to hopefully keep you on track:
- Remember why you started in the first place and how much you wanted it.
- Analyse why you want to give up.
- Visualise the ultimate goal and reward you’ll get if you persevere.
- Plan your journey towards your goal and be prepared to modify it if it isn’t working.
- You are not alone and can find others to support you when it gets tough.
- Have an attitude if gratitude for what you have got and how far you have come.
- When planning goals, set small achievable milestones and reward yourself when you hit them. Your brain likes pleasure so this can help you to keep going.
Life can be tough sometimes and it is very easy to give up and live a less than fulfilled life, but you really owe it to yourself to become more resilient and to persevere whenever you encounter any obstacles you meet.
Everyone deserves to have a rich, meaningful life full of happiness and success but it takes work and you must be willing to do whatever to takes to overcome life’s challenges.
As mentioned in the bullet points above, gratitude plays a huge part in how you approach life and if you want to learn more about gratitude, there are some more posts here and here.
Good luck and NEVER give up 💪
Mistakes Are Proof That You Are Trying!
Stop Beating Yourself Up
Do you make mistakes? Do you make a lot of mistakes?
Of course you do. We ALL make mistakes and this is how we learn and grow as human beings.
So, why is it that when we make a mistake, we spend so much time dissecting and agonising over it and wondering “what if?“
Often times, we allow a mistake or wrong decision to negatively impact our lives long after the incidence occurred. By doing so, we end up being unable to actually enjoy the present and take advantage of new opportunities and experiences.
After all, our time here is limited and each passing moment cannot be replayed or started over. It is difficult to enjoy the newness offered in each day when your mind is constantly troubled by regret and negative self-feedback.
In this post, we will discuss why it is perfectly okay to stop beating yourself up over a mistake and how habitually doing so can affect your own well-being, as well as the people in your life.
And, as the title of this post suggests; if you are making mistakes, it is proof you are trying!
So, here are 3 quick ways to stop beating yourself up over all your mistakes.
Remember That You Are Human
In case you haven’t noticed, human beings are literally programmed to make mistakes. We are not given an instruction manual at birth detailing the correct way to handle the vast array of decisions and events we experience throughout our lifetimes.
Of course, you should strive to make the right decisions and handle situations to the best of your ability, but only with the knowledge that you will not always do so. Yes, it is fine to make mistakes, really!
Any mistake you end up making should not come as a total surprise, but should instead serve as a reminder that you are a fallible human being, just like the billions of other people around you.
Being human is a beautiful thing. We are capable of so many emotions, creations and discoveries. However, we are far from perfect and mistakes are sure to happen. Always keep that in mind.
Change Your Perspective
A great way to avoid beating yourself up over a shortcoming or wrong decision is to not always regard the situation in a negative manner. Instead, try to realize that mistakes are a mandatory part of the learning process.
Consider this, every single thing you have ever learned how to do with any level of expertise has been achieved through trial and error. This process in no way ends just because you have become an adult.
For as long as you live, you will continue to encounter new situations.
That being said, it is silly to think that, as an adult, you will somehow be able to respond to new situations the right way from the start.
In fact, if you ever reach a point in your life where you fail to make a mistake here and there, this is probably a bad sign. If nothing you do poses a challenge, this means you are at a place of stagnation.
It is important to consider each and every mistake as a lesson that allows you to adjust, modify your actions and do better the next go around.
Treat Yourself As You Do Others!
That sounds like a really strange thing to say doesn’t it?
Well, look at it this way; almost all of us do our best to forgive other people after they have messed up. This is especially true when thinking about the people closest to us.
Sure, we may be upset and even angry for a while, but we usually don’t hold the issue over the offender’s head for long periods of time.
Considering this paradox, try to change your vantage point the next time you are avoiding granting yourself forgiveness.
After all, nobody is closer to you than you.
Knowing that forgiveness is a mandatory part of maintaining external relationships, you must also realize that this requirement holds true for nurturing your own mental environment.
OK, so there are 3 quick ways to get over the mistakes you are making in your life.
If you want to have even more peace and clarity in your life then you should really think about using the practice of mindfulness in your daily life.
If you want to learn more about mindfulness, download a Mindfulness Tips Report for free here
Brainstorming Techniques: How To Do Effective Brainstorming
The pressure to come up with ideas can be overwhelming. Constant content creation seems to be a requisite of the workplace these days.
There’s a demand from your boss to find new ways to improve the workplace, your college lecturer wants to see a different approach than anyone else has shown, or you’re an entrepreneur and you recognize that without flagging yourself as someone who stands out different to the rest, you’re going to sink among all the other “me too” product creators.
The first thing you need to do is quit thinking of ideas as things that just happen. You’ve heard of brainstorming, right? That’s a situation where people decide to cognitively generate ideas.
They make the decision that they will create ideas within a timeframe – not that they will sit around the office for days, weeks or months waiting on some mysterious Muse to appear and give them a sign.
So, what exactly is brainstorming?
Brainstorming is a method people use to generate ideas to solve clearly defined design problems. In controlled conditions and a free-thinking environment, people approach a problem by such means as “How Might We” questions. They produce a vast array of ideas and you can then draw links between them to find potential solutions.
So, in essence, brainstorming is an activity that helps your organization generate more innovative ideas. Brainstorming is just one of many methods of ideation (the process of coming up with new ideas) and it occurs near the beginning of the creative process.
Why Use Brainstorming?
The complex business challenges of today require new solutions—trying to use what worked in the past simply won’t work any more.
Brainstorming is an effective way to:
- Get the creative juices flowing in a safe environment
- Produce a large number of ideas
- Generate ideas quickly
- Expand your arsenal of alternative options
- Get people unstuck
- Build enthusiasm
- Solve tricky problems
How do we brainstorm effectively?
Before we begin, here are a few brainstorming rules:
- Get everything down
- Defer judgment
- Encourage wild ideas
- Build on the ideas of others
- Stay focused on the topic
- Be visual
- Go for quantity
OK, now you’re ready to gt started, the first thing to do is write down all known facts and assumptions about the subject at hand. Then for each fact or assumption, ask “what if…?” Take the opposing view in your question.
“What if something else could create the same result?”
“What if we didn’t have a specific resource, then how would we create this?”
“What if everyone called in sick one day, then how would we minimize the damage?”
“What if I had only 10 minutes to do this – is there a template I could use over and over again to speed things up?”
Always challenge assumptions.
And remember, anything and everything is on the table; don’t stifle your imagination as you can cull ideas in the next step.
Strip things away
Often, we get caught up in finding new ideas to add to the existing processes we have in place. But it’s as valid to think about cutting away ideas as it is creating new ones.
You might have two different products in mind to create, and two different websites to market them through.
But by focusing on cutting out ideas you may discover that there is a core group who require both products – and then build just one website aimed at that core group.
Use different discovery tools
Many people swear by mind maps. Some prefer a word processor document – and others prefer spreadsheets.
Get away from your comfort level by using a different medium to dump your ideas out into. The process will feel different and make your brain respond differently – and often more creatively.
OK, so there are a few techniques that you can use to make the most of your brainstorming sessions.
And you can use this process to create a really strong stand out brand that is instantly recognisable. And if you want to learn more about branding the right way, then check out this free report here.
Branding Your Business
Chances are, you’ve already heard about the importance of building a trusted and unique brand.
Words like “brand awareness” and “brand recognition” are often tossed around, and are synonymous with achieving success and gaining a strong foothold in your market, especially when there are thousands of other businesses competing for your customer’s attention.
That’s what this little post is all about.
Defining Your Brand Message
When it comes to maximizing your income, and establishing a strong foothold within your market, you absolutely need to build a unique and recognized brand that aligns with a clear and direct brand message.
Your brand message explains to potential customers what you have to offer, and how committed you are to providing quality and value.
It’s your job to lay the groundwork as to what you want people to know about your business and then work towards supporting that identity through demonstrating knowledge, skills and capabilities to deliver what was promised.
However, your customers will be the ones who decide what your overall brand image is based on their interactions with your business.
A well-defined, strategic brand message can build instant credibility in your niche, while helping you gain authority in your market and shape how customers perceive your business. It’s quite often the key difference between a well-structured online presence, and a faltering business that is struggling to connect with its audience.
So, how can you build a recognized brand that provides a clear message that resonates with your market?
Start by thinking about your target audience and what is most important to them. Once you’ve evaluated your niche, you will be able to position yourself so that you are directly addressing their most burning questions, concerns and needs.
To do this, you need to gather as much intelligence on your market as possible, which you can do easily just by looking at the competition.
Take things to social media and begin by evaluating social signals – which are clear indicators as to what is currently in demand, popular and selling well. The higher level of interaction, the more advertising dollars spent, and the more engagement; the better.
Knowing how to develop a strategic brand message begins by recognizing what is already successful and improving on it within your own business.
You want to become the go-to person in your niche market, the obvious choice when customers are considering who to turn to when making their purchasing decisions.
When you work towards building an unwavering presence in your market, starting with a strong foundation of trust, you’ll immediately eliminate the barriers standing in the way of you connecting with your target audience.
To do that, you need to learn as much about them as possible so that you can build a brand around what is most likely to capture their attention.
And how do you do begin? It starts with what is called a U.S.P.
What U.S.P Really Means
Let me get right down to it. USP stands for unique selling proposition (or unique selling point), and it is critical that you establish what yours will be right from the start.
Sure, those are components of your overall brand that help people identify your products and recognize you, however, a USP is far more important than that when it comes to building your customer base, and breaking through the barriers of resistance that most businesses experience when they first appear in their market.
A USP is what truly tells potential customers how you are different from the competition. It helps to align your goals with your customer’s. Your USP tells them that you can be trusted, that you have their best interests at heart, and that you fulfill all promises. And most importantly, a USP ensures you aren’t a faceless brand.
This would include key factors that differentiate a product or service from its competition, such as the lowest price, an extended, no-risk guarantee, a unique or exclusive product or offer not found anywhere else, or the first-ever product of its kind.
To start, think about what your product or service has that the competition doesn’t.
Consider ways you can highlight those differences and emphasize the benefits. Paint a clear picture as to why a prospect is making a wiser, sound decision to purchase your product instead of someone else’s.
Your USP is the driving force behind clearly illustrating value and giving potential customers a reason to purchase from you rather than the competition. That’s its one and only job.
OK, that’s it for now but if you want an expanded version of this post covering other points such as creating a powerful brand, the 4 essential elements of a killer brand, plus a handy check list, then click here and you can download a handy pdf to read whenever is convenient.
And if you want to learn more about how businesses use branding then check out this great course called B.R.A.N.D. here.
Lead Magnets: 5 Steps To Creating A Desirable Lead Magnet
If you are new to online marketing, you may not know what a lead magnet is so let’s start there.
The idea is that once they have opted into your email list, you can then send them regular emails with tips and tricks and the occasional offer. You can read more about using autoresponders to send automated emails here and you can read this post about finding great lead magnet ideas.
So, how do you create a desirable lead magnet that your visitors will be unable to resist?
Well, follow these 5 quick steps and you’ll have a great lead magnet put together in no time at all.
1 – Know Your Audience
This is by far the most critical part of creating anything for your prospective visitors and buyers. You must know the audience you are trying to attract, and you must know them on a deep level.
A lead magnet is a highly targeted gift that solves one problem for your readers. Remember, less is more.
Your niche may have a number of sub-niches and you can create different lead magnets for each different sub-niche.
For example, you may be in the Internet Marketing / Online Business niche and you could develop a separate lead magnet for those interested in using blogging, Amazon Kindle, Ecommerce etc.
These are all types of online business but vary dramatically in what the audience needs.
You can create a generic lead magnet for “Online Business” but it won’t be nearly as successful as more specific, targeted lead magnets.
If you already have a website, listen to your readers. If you allow comments on your posts, what are they saying? Any questions you see are potential lead magnets.
Browse forum boards in your niche to see the kinds of questions people are asking for more insights into the problems your readers are encountering.
OK, so you know your audience and what their problem is. Onto step 2.
2 – Brainstorm Lead Magnet Ideas
Now you have an idea as to what problem your lead magnet is going to solve, it’s time to get creative.
DO a brain dump and get everything out of your head. Nothing is off limits at this point as you will go through everything later and discard what you don’t need.
The important thing here is to always have in mind the research you carried out in step 1.
It can be very easy to go down the wrong route and to start creating a lead magnet that you think your readers want.
If you find yourself doing this; STOP.
You already know what your readers want so just give it to them.
Go through your brain dump, get rid of what you don’t want, and then start to think about what type of lead magnet you want to create which moves onto the next step.
3 – What Type Of Lead Magnet Will You Create?
OK, you’re really moving now!
You’ve done your research and got a seed of an idea for your gift which will be irresistible to your visitors.
Are you creating a “how-to” type gift? If so, this may work well as a quick tutorial type video, unless your niche tends to dislike video (although this is rare nowadays)
Are you creating a checklist, tool list or resource guide? If so, then a simple pdf report may be best.
Are you creating a motivational type of gift? Then perhaps an audio would work best.
Once you have decided on the format, now you can move onto the next step and actually start creating it.
4 – Create Your Lead Magnet
OK, now it’s time to put everything together and create your amazing free gift.
Research the topic fully and make your explanation as to how your readers can overcome the problem as simple as possible.
If you are writing a report, make sure it is easy to read with good use of headings, paragraphs, bullet points, graphics etc.
You can create great reports in MS Word or Pages and convert them to pdf’s, but if you want to take your reports up a notch, then consider looking into either Designrr or Sqribble to create eye-catching pdf reports.
If you are recording a video, you can use free or cheap screen recorders such as Screencast-o-matic and if you want to edit it, you can use something more powerful such as Camtasia.
If you want to record and edit audio, you can use a free tool called Audacity.
Once you have created your lead magnet, the final step is to get it live on the internet, so onto the final step.
5 – Upload And Automate
So, you now have your sexy new lead magnet. That’s great, but now you need to get it online so people can find it, opt-in and then download it.
Firstly, you’ll need to sign up to an autoresponder service such as Active Campaign or Aweber. You will use these to generate some code for an opt-in form, and, more importantly, to send automated emails to people who sign up for your free gift.
Once you have signed up to an autoresponder, go and create a form that people can fill in. This will then generate some code that you will need in a minute.
You may also want to create an email sequence to welcome your new subscribers.
Now you have your opt-in form code, you need to create a web page for people to visit to read about your free gift and to opt-in. This is normally called a squeeze page or landing page
There are many page builders out there, but I prefer Convertri or OptimizePress.
Choose a template and create your squeeze page. Keep it simple, perhaps an image of your gift and a few bullet points explaining what they’ll get.
Once you have designed it, you need to add the form code from your autoresponder to the page so there will actually be a form that they fill in with their details to get their gift.
The final part is to upload your free gift so they can download it after signing up.
You can upload it to your own website or use something like Amazon S3 which is incredibly cheap; in fact, you get the first year free.
Once you have uploaded your gift, you can add the link to it in your welcome email.
OK, there are the 5 steps you need to create a desirable lead magnet.
I know there are a number of technical moving parts involved in doing this, and if you have any questions feel free to contact me.
And here is a handy infographic that you can use as a reminder of the steps to follow.
Manifestation For Money: Does It Work?
Everyone has an insight, a voice that comes from within ones soul. This is the voice responsible in influencing and directing us throughout our life.
It involves transforming yourself and taking charge of your life. If you stay stagnant then life will not happen for you. You might never experience the true potential of yourself.
Life is not only about the style of living, sleeping, eating, working and travelling but to explore, experiment, observe, thoughtful processes and taking risks towards change.
Change leads to improvement. So an important question is how to improve? How to bring about change within one’s self?
For that purpose, what you need to do is to take actionable steps to improve yourself. Push yourself out of the traditional and comfort zone, family values, controlling powers of other human beings and meet the real you! This will definitely transform your life.
Why does success only come to those who work harder for it?
It is because millions of people have no idea what are they capable of doing. Following conservative ways to live life blindly is no different than being dead, doing nothing and simply copying.
Ask yourself, “Are you a copycat?”
Before even considering using manifestation for money (and anything else for that matter), get ready and be open for change that you have never experienced before. You will be challenged to get out of your comfort zone and live the life that you’ve always dreamt of.
You are free to live in your own unique way with a strong identity rather than being a copy of others. If you strive for change, you can build a world of success of your own.
Shake off the insecurities, confusions and doubts to enhance confidence, power and ability to attain your heart’s desire.
Let’s begin with what we mean by manifestation.
It refers to the process, an action or an event that clearly enables us to see or show us something abstract or conceptual.
Basically it is indicating the movement of transformation of a mind concept into a reality-based act. That is why we stress upon taking action to bring your thoughts, feelings and ideas into a tangible experience.
You Are Important
Your life has a goal, which is to win. Winners are leaders, those who lead life in their own way and leave their legacy behind.
The one thing that holds us back from creating our legacy is in our subconscious mind; our past, our mistakes, our regrets and unpleasant memories. Left unchecked, all of this no doubt holds you back from progressing and achieving what you desire.
The human mind has an inborn tendency to seek and grasp on negativity. Biologically, there is a part of our brain called the “lizard brain” that is the oldest part of our brain stem, responsible for the most basic of instincts; survival. This part of the brain governs our flight or fight attitude towards challenges and breaking comfort zones and is designed to keep us safe from harm.
I know no one really wants to live a life of drudgery, producing nothing, being stuck in a 9 to 5 job doing the same thing over and over again just to pay bills. That is a very distorted and warped version of life. Some people die at 25 years old and don’t get buried until they are 79 years old.
Financial success is a major goal for the majority of people on the planet because having a lack of finances is a real pain point. If you have very little disposable income, it is very difficult to live life to the fullest.
This doesn’t mean you need to strive to be filthy rich, but rather to have a degree of financial independence where you have enough to not worry about it. This is not the same as greed although some folks will call you greedy for wanting more!
Think less, speak less, and observe more with your eyes and your heart. It takes faith, action and the belief that you will succeed.
You will get to where you want to be. Trust in yourself, your capacity and your ability to achieve it.
The key to unlocking your true spirit and road to find the peak of manifestation is to “Be Consistent And Never Give Up” because true change takes consistency and this is how the law of attraction works.
The Law Of Attraction
As you may be aware, the law of attraction has been around for centuries. In the past, people used to meditate and calm their mind and visualize and force themselves to believe that whatever they wanted was already in existence for them to manifest it in reality.
This was an uphill task because as human beings we’ve been conditioned with negative beliefs since young. These beliefs may have been passed down by our parents, teachers, other adults, friends, etc.
As a result, when we try to believe in the impossible, our subconscious minds do not align with our positive thoughts because deep down we feel like we’re lying to ourselves.
Thanks to technological advances, we’re now understanding that beta and theta waves can be used to reprogram our mind with positive beliefs and clear out the negative beliefs. It’s akin to starting with a clean slate.
Whether you believe in manifestation or the Law of Attraction or not, it is definitely big business and if you aren’t achieving the levels of success in your own life, it may be worth putting your cynicism to one side and giving it a try. What do you have to lose?
One of the top selling products that uses a set of audios to transform your mind was created by Eddie Sergey and it’s called 15 Minute Manifestation.
15 Minute Manifestation Review
This product has sold thousands of copies and has been an online bestseller for years. Let’s see why it’s so popular…
The Good Points:
The beauty of 15 Minute Manifestation is its simplicity. Listening to audios is a breeze. No need to write down anything or concentrate and visualize in a meditative pose. If you’re new to reprogramming your mind, this product is perfect for you.
There are many positive reviews and testimonials from customers. This is great social proof that the product works.
15 Minute Manifestation has been an online bestseller for years. That inspires more confidence.
Removing these obstacles on your own is a Herculean task because they’re embedded deep in your subconscious mind.
With the audios in 15 Minute Manifestation, the negative beliefs that are holding you back will be removed when you listen to the first audio in the series – The Natural State. This is a great way to start your journey.
The second audio, ‘Your New Story’ will help you create positive, life changing beliefs so that you elevate yourself to the next level where success is achieved with a lot less effort, since you’re no longer getting in your own way.
In the third audio, ‘Moving Towards Abundance’, your mind will be gently trained to manifest results at an accelerated rate. You’ll start feeling better and notice that positive results are coming every which way you turn. This is a good place to be in.
This step-by-step easy to follow method will encourage consistency. So many people start off motivated with other law of attraction methods, but after a while they stop because they lose interest.
With this method, you can just play the audios and do other stuff while the sounds work on your subconscious mind.
You get 3 audios (15 minutes each) and you need to listen to each audio once every single day for a week. This will last for 21 days which is enough time to make this practice a habit… and you’ll be much more likely to manifest your desires.
A special technology is used to create these ‘theta wave’ audios which are received more easily by your subconscious mind.
The Bad Points:
The sales copy is a little unbelievable and may raise red flags for people who are more cynical.
The whole story about Eddie having brain cancer and curing himself by listening to binaural beats seems a bit far-fetched. It may have been true or maybe it’s just marketing hype. Whatever the case, the product works and the wall of testimonials on the official website is proof of this.
This product is only available online. So, you will need a debit/credit card to purchase it.
Those who prefer reading books to listening to audios may not like this product because it’s completely audio-based.
Should You Get It?
After watching the video on the official website, there’s no denying that the product does seem awesome. The good news is that you can try it risk-free because of the 60-day money back guarantee.
This is more than enough time to effect change in your life by listening to the audios daily. You have everything to gain and nothing to lose.
The system itself is easy to follow. Unlike other visualization methods that require concentration, the 15 Minute Manifestation audios program your mind with theta waved with no effort on your part.
So, this product is definitely worth getting and testing. Once you start manifesting what you want in your life, you’ll probably end up becoming one of the positive reviews on that site.
Give it a try and watch your life transform before your eyes.
Is Happiness A Choice?
Let me ask you something? Is happiness a choice? Can people really choose to feel happy or not?
There are conflicting studies and opinions about general happiness and choosing to be happy. Both arguments have merit, but the truth seems to be somewhere in the middle.
There are certain conditions that do affect one’s ability to choose happiness such as depression and other mood disorders. Some people have difficulty controlling emotions, but it’s a skill that can be learned with practice.
Before jumping right in and learning ways to increase happiness, you need to learn about conditions that may make it difficult to will yourself to be happy. Depression and other mood disorders, ADHD, PTSD, a disability, grief, or poverty make choosing to be happy more challenging.
If you are dealing with any of these issues, there are still practical ways you can increase your happiness, but it may be more difficult. Keep in mind that change takes time, but it is achievable.
Choosing To Be Happy
Choosing to be happy is more than just willing yourself to feel happy. Part of it is thinking positively and thinking happy thoughts, but there are also more practical ways to make yourself happier.
Temperament is partly genetic, but it can still be improved with practice. Below you will learn about some things that you can do in each area to make yourself happy.
Improve Social Relationships
Improve current relationships by reaching out more often, opening lines of communication about past negative experiences, forgiving or seeking forgiveness, or making more time for your friends and family.
Make an effort to make new friends. Take on a new hobby, take a class, join a club, or go to different places in order to meet new people. You can also reach out to others online through social media or dating apps. Don’t be afraid to talk to new people and exchange phone numbers with people you get along with.
Invite friends and family members out for lunch, shopping, or have them over for coffee. Reach out. It can be tempting to wait for others to make the first move so be bold and take the initiative yourself; I’m sure your friends and family will truly appreciate you making the effort to reach out to them.
Improve Temperament And Adaptation
Practice pausing before you react to something. Give yourself a moment to get your emotions in check so that you respond in the way that you really want to rather than having an outburst.
This is a skill that can have a profound effect on both you and those around you; no-one likes to be around someone who gets moody or angry at the drop of a hat.
So, when something triggers you, pause, take a breath and think about how you would want someone to treat you in this situation.
Try to be more open to other people’s ideas and practice letting go of your need to control.
Improve Your Finances
Increase your income by finding a new job, asking for a raise, or taking on a second job. This is not always easy and can be risky, but could definitely be worth it in the long run.
Be open to other career paths. It’s very easy to become comfortable in your career, but is it really what you want to do? Being stuck in a job/career that doesn’t inspire you can be a real drain on your happiness; it’s not just about money, but the sense of fulfillment you get out of what you do.
Look for things you can do to earn a passive income. This is where the internet can come in to play.
There has never been a better time to start an online business and this could just be a side hustle to help you make a mortgage or car payment and if you can set up a business with a recurring monthly payment for customers, all the better.
Pay off debt or avoid taking on debt. if you have any debt, but especially large amounts of debt, this should be an absolute priority for you before anything else. This can be quite painful to begin with but you must take responsibility and deal with it and by doing so, you can feel much happier about yourself.
Set a budget and stick with it so you can have money to do the things that are important to you. Linked to the point above about debt, stop spending money that you don’t have on things you don’t need!
Embrace Or Change Society And Culture
Embrace local culture and society if they’re a positive influence in your life. Learn, explore, and enjoy your environment and the people you share it with.
Don’t be afraid to change your environment or seek change in your current one. Do what you can to be a positive influence. Stand up for what you believe in and speak out against social injustice.
Positive Thinking
Choose a positive mantra and repeat it several times a day. Positive thinking may feel and sound a little cliched but it does work to put you in a better frame of mind.
Keep a gratitude journal or make a list of things you’re grateful for. Gratitude is really powerful and you do have a lot to be grateful for.
Here is an article about the science of gratitude and if you really want to take your gratitude practice to the next level, then take a look at the Grateful Mind training here as it is a fantastic course all about using gratitude in your life.
Make sure you’re not practicing negative self talk, and if you are, change your inner monologue.
Watch comedies and do other things that will make you laugh more. Laughter really is the best medicine 😁
Practice smiling even when you don’t feel like it. People smile because they’re happy, but people also become happier when smiling.
You can choose to be happy, but it’s more than just saying “I’m happy”.
Choosing to be happy is choosing to focus on the good in your life, and having the courage to make changes in your life that will lead you to more happiness. You have options and you can choose to be happy.