We all have a hundred different ideas that we feel could be a smashing success in our industry.
Whether it be the idea for a new product or service, there’s more ideas than there is time.
This is where you need to learn to reign in all of those ideas you have and construct an action plan that not only fleshes those ideas out so you can weed out the likely winners from the duds, but it will help you focus on boosting productivity.
Why do you need to do this?
Because it’s been proven that the human brain can’t focus on more than one thing at a time.
When we try to divide our attention, we end up scattered. Our quality also suffers. While learning to multi-task may seem like a great idea, narrowing your focus so that you’re tackling one task at a time will always produce better results.
So, what can you do when you have more ideas to grow your business than you have time for?
Begin by jotting down the top ideas that come to mind. Don’t write summaries or get carried away with hashing out the details. Instead, write down titles for each idea.
Then, tear them apart, one-by-one. Be realistic with your expectations and the time you have to spend on each project. Think about your core audience and what they’d be most interested in.
Create a priority list based on all the ideas you have. Again, keep your audience in mind because the ideas you have may not align with what your market is actively looking for.
Otherwise, you’ll spend more time thinking about and analyzing ideas, versus bringing those ideas to life.
A project management system is a great tool when it comes to not only fleshing out potential ideas but in staying on track with the projects you’re working on.
Day-to-day operations can be exhausting to keep track of. With a system in place that makes it easy for you to assign value to projects, allocate time and be able to generate a quick snapshot at where you are during each project will make it easier to stay focused on your end goals.
There are countless project management tools available to you including Asana and Basecamp.
You can easily create schedules using Google Calendar found here:
https://gsuite.google.com/learning-center/tips/calendar
By now you probably realise that there are different ways you can improve focus and subsequently, increase productivity and quality output and I have covered a number of them in this and other blog posts.
And now I want to give you a few more tips and strategies that I hope will help you. You can never have enough ways to boost your productivity, right?
Previously I have mentioned the importance of narrowing your focus down to one main goal at a time since it’s been proven that our brain responds better when we are working on one project at a time, rather than attempting to multi-task.
Use project management tools such as Asana or Basecamp to help you stay on track.
What projects aren’t panning out? What do you feel is less likely to be a success?
What tasks could be wiped off the to-do list? Take a step back and evaluate the things you’re spending your time on, staying on the lookout for ways to free up your time and improve your focus.
This is an important one when it comes to staying focused. If you’re finding yourself burned out working on tasks that you are simply not interested in, chances are the quality of your projects won’t be up to par.
Instead, learn to delegate the tasks that you don’t personally enjoy. Not only will you be able to increase output, but you’ll be able to provide a higher level of quality to your customer base by turning to the experts.
Struggling to complete a task because you lost focus?
And finally…
We all struggle with focusing on tasks, especially repetitive or mundane ones. Even the most organized of us all has those moments where no matter what we do to try to refocus on our goals, it feels as though we’ll never get ahead.
So cut yourself some slack when this happens. Acknowledge the fact that you can only do so much. Sometimes taking a step back and giving ourselves permission to simply take a creative break is enough to boost productivity and re-focus on the bigger picture.
Here are some steps to take that may help you with that:
Well, as I’m sure you can appreciate, there is a lot more to be learnt about increasing focus and productivity; far more than can be covered in this short post, but if you’d like to know more about this, then click on the featured resource below where you can pick up a free report, Stay Focused For Success, that covers this topic in more detail. Download, read it and take action 😊
Writing your own original articles and blog posts is mandatory if you own a list or run an internet business. Blogging is risk free and should be part of any online business.
Mandatory. Part of your standard operating procedures. A basic staple. Something you can’t do without. You get the picture.
Blog articles can be used in so many ways that I’d need to write an article just to explain all the ways you can profit from articles. 🙂
More on that another day.
In today’s post I’m going to show you how to write an incredibly easy blog article that is specifically for beginners within your market.
The idea in a nutshell is this –
Answer a set of three basic questions related to a topic relevant to your target audience.
If you can answer just three simple questions, you can crank out article after article for newbies in your particular field of interest or expertise.
These three questions are –
Let me walk you through writing an article with these questions as the backbone of your content.
Before we get into the 7 very easy steps, let’s take just a quick look at the schematics of your article. In order to write an 800-1000 word article, your basic needs for the various parts of the article would look something like this…
Opening (125 Words)
Question #1 (250 Words)
Question #2 (250 Words)
Question #3 (250 Words)
Closing (125 Words)
_______________________
Total = 1000 Words
Now, on with the show…
Most people don’t spend much time on their title and that’s a no-no. It’s a flagrant foul in basketball. A bounced check. A driver cutting you off in traffic. Things that are mindless.
As with everything I ever say about writing articles, your title is important. Very important. Imagine this scenario…
You’re searching the internet for blogs or sifting through articles at your favorite directory in hopes of finding some useful tips for selecting curriculum for your upcoming homeschooling year.
Which of these would you take a closer look at…
While all of these are related to choosing your homeschool curriculum, “The Easiest Way…” and “5 Questions To Ask…” probably have more appeal. If you’re pressed for time, you probably aren’t going to read all five … you might read two.
And the title is going to determine which two gets your attention.
So, first things first, it’s important that you create an appealing title. We’ll talk more about this in another lesson, but three simple “rules” that I go by in crafting titles that I’d like to pass on to you are…
So, determine your title and then begin the writing process.
And don’t forget Amazon.com. Go and find the bestselling books in your niche and take a look at the Table Of Contents for more inspiration for articles.
You’ve got about 30 seconds to get your reader’s attention if you’re going to get them to consume your entire article. That’s not much. It’s important that you get them interested quickly. I’m going to share three to get you started…
Choose one of these openings (or one from the related article coming tomorrow) and write approximately 125 words as your introduction to the article. Be sure to transition from your opening into your first question.
You can do this in one of two ways: (a) Specifically mention that you’ll be answering the three most asked questions from beginners, or (b) Simply answer the questions without ever actually posing the questions in the text of your article.
If you’ll recall from earlier, question number one is…
“What is _________ ?”
Simply plug in the topic of your article into that question … and then answer it in approximately 250 words.
Give a brief explanation of the topic in your own words and then move on to the next question which builds upon the first question.
That question again is…
“Can you show me an example of ________?”
Now the article is taking shape. We go from an introduction to an explanation and now we have an illustration. You’ve explained what it is and now you’ll explain what it looks like. Provide an example. A case study. An illustration. A method. Something the reader can identify with to better understand what you’re saying.
After providing some sort of example, move on to question number three…
From earlier in our lesson, the final question is…
“How can I get started with __________? “
It all climaxes with 1-3 simple steps the reader can follow in order to begin practicing your teaching.
You can either give the reader ONE action step to take in order to get started (I.E. The first thing you’ll want to do is enroll in a class.) or you can provide them with a simple set of THREE steps to put into practice as a sort of mini-system (I.E. Step
One is… Step Two is… Step Three is…).
To complete your article, you’ll want to use your final 125 words (approximately) to close out your content. There are two components of the article close that I think are necessities if you want to see any results from your efforts.
Most people use the same generic resource box with each of their articles. In other words, it’s the same resource box regardless of what the article is about.
That’s a big mistake in my opinion.
With an ever-changing audience reading articles about ever-changing topics why would you want to use a never-changing resource box?
I mean, think about it: the reader has warmed up to you at this point. You’ve shared something useful. They like your style. They are pumped up and ready to take action. Why blow that moment with a resource box that does nothing to really enhance or continue or build upon where they are at this moment in time?
Let me give you an example:
If I’ve just explained what tennis strategy is about, pointed them to an example of tennis strategy and briefly outlined how they can create their own tennis strategy – which is more effective at this point…
Obviously, having just read the article on tennis strategy, you’d be more likely to take action if resource box #2 was in place … because it’s a continuation of the article. It’s part 2. The sequel. The rest of the story.
Note: And, upon visiting my site and registering for the free report, you’re automatically going to receive my free newsletter as well anyway.
The point is this: a carefully crafted resource box — one that is specifically relevant to the article itself — will outperform a generic resource box. You’ll get more results by using a resource box that builds upon what’s been shared in the article it is attached to.
So, that’s an incredibly easy way to write a good blog article.
You can crank out an entire series of these articles for beginners. All you need to do is answer three simple questions.
It works for any niche. Any topic. Any person. So what are you waiting for?
If you really want to know more about the power of blogging, you can take a look at the Rapid Blogging Blueprint training course or if you just want a few pointers for now you can grab the featured resource below for a free blogging report; download, read it and take action 🙂
Are you ready to start getting more out of your life and to start getting the results you want? For many of us, success is a very slow process and one that involves a huge amount of work and effort.
For others, it all seems to come very naturally. We all know those people, the ones who seem to have the Midas touch – who seem to strike lucky no matter what they do. What’s their secret?
It’s making that cognitive shift that will help you to start making the progress you want to see in your life and moving away from a fixed mindset to a growth mindset. And here are five of the biggest ways that changing your outlook can change your fortunes…
Problems Become Challenges
A success mindset turns problems into challenges.
It means that you stop seeing setbacks as the end of the world and start seeing them as new opportunities to kick ass and take names!
When you take this approach, nothing can stand in your way!
And Failures Become Learning Experiences
You might have this idea in your head that highly successful people can never put a foot wrong or make a mistake. That’s far from the truth though.
They see it as a chance to try again – now with new information!
You Feel Amazing
When you genuinely believe you can do anything, it doesn’t just affect the way you walk around the office and conduct yourself in business.
It changes the way that you present yourself and feel about yourself. In short, you feel awesome.
You Become Instantly More Attractive
What is the secret to attractiveness in both genders? You guessed it: confidence!
People who are confident tend to be more charismatic and positive, so others will naturally tend to gravitate towards them.
You Finally Start Getting What You Want
Finally, when you adopt an open mindset for success and everything that comes with that, you’ll finally start to get what you want.
When you have a clear goal and mission, anything becomes possible. It’s just a matter of time.
‘Create a success mindset’ they say.
‘Just go after the things you want in life’ they say!
‘Take risks’ they say…
Some people seem to be able to rewire their mind with ease, but for others it can be a real struggle to change the way they think from negative to positive.
Here are the top five challenges of creating a success mindset:
You Don’t Know What You Want
This is a surprisingly common issue and one that rarely gets brought up.
How can you go after what makes you happy if you don’t really know what that is? How can you find a goal and stick to it when you fear commitment?
Clarity is key to changing the way you think; once you know what you want, you can put your efforts into achieving it, but it you aren’t really sure about what you want, you will make excuses to procrastinate, and you’ll never make any progress.
Having Weird Aims
Or what if you know what you want in life, but your aims are just too weird or unattainable? What if you don’t want to start a business, travel or start a family. What if you want to be an acrobat? And you’re 60?
What if everyone will laugh at you?
I’m not saying that you should restrict yourself, but you need to be realistic.
If you want to know more about enjoying the journey, check out this training because it is important to not just enjoy the end goal but also the whole process: Enjoy The Journey
Being Conflicted
Or how about being torn between travelling and settling down with the person you love?
What if your heart is genuinely pulling you in two different directions?
What if going after your dream, means saying goodbye to people you love, or turning your back on the things that made you who you are?
This is where clarity can help, but ultimately you need to decide what is most important to yourself.
Being Honest With Yourself
We are prideful creatures, and our very psychology is wired in such a way as to protect our fragile egos. We don’t want to admit to our failures, and we don’t want to feel like we’re going backward.
And it’s even more difficult to blame the person in the mirror, but the responsibility for your own path in life is ultimately yours!
Responsibility to Others
It’s easy to say that you should take a leap and apologise later but what if people are really relying on you to be mature and stable?
What if your goal is to go travelling but your wife just got pregnant? Yes, there are ways around this too – you can explain how important this is to you and convince her to come with you.
But it won’t always work. And at the end of the day, you’re always going to be giving your child a less stable home.
There are answers to all these problems of course – but just know that the path isn’t as simple as some would have you believe!
If you want to know more about changing the way you think, check out the featured resource below for a free Strong Mindset report; download, read it and take action 😊
As I mentioned in my previous post, one of the best things you can do to expand your business is to start a YouTube channel.
It’s the most popular video-streaming service boasting massive online traffic, and constant streaming services – and ultimately, it will maximize exposure and help your brand become recognized within your market.
And if you can get YouTube monetization enabled, you can even make some extra cash right inside YouTube itself.
So, let’s look at four more ways to get your YouTube channel more views and subscribers.
Now it’s time to determine the types of marketing videos that you want to create.
Keep in mind that you need a good balance of variety while still sticking to your overall theme. The last thing you want is to confuse subscribers who are used to finding one type of content on your channel with a whole other thing.
On the other hand, viewers enjoy a variety of video content, and there are different ways that you can produce quality content while still sticking to your theme and brand.
Depending on the type of channel you are planning to create, you’ll be able to offer a variety of content.
For example, if your channel is being created to promote other products and services, consider creating case-study style videos that highlight the progress your existing customers have made.
Another type of marketing video is a How-To, DIY, or Tutorial. This is a good idea for when you want to demonstrate to potential buyers exactly how to use one of your products.
If your company sells home furnishings, then a How-To video about how to arrange furniture is a great way to showcase your products and educate the consumer.
Another good marketing video idea is a Listicle. These are especially popular for when you have several points to cover.
For example, a baking company may want to create a listicle video that discusses their most popular bakery treats. They can go over each dessert they offer, and then next to it on the screen list, promote an event that it would be ideal for.
And for practically any type of company, a funny, behind-the-scenes, candid video is sure to engage viewers. Show some bloopers from videos you’ve created, how you come up with video ideas, and anything else that helps viewers see the human side of your business.
For example, a telecommunications company could shoot a video of their customer service department. In between shots of representatives helping customers, some employees could be shown having fun. This is a great way to humanize your company and connect with your audience on a deeper level.
In order to both maintain and grow your YouTube audience, it’s imperative that you know all about your current viewers and overall market. You’ll want to be able to create a visual snapshot of who your average customer is.
In truth, market research should begin long before you create your YouTube channel. The more you know about your target audience, the easier it will be to create engaging content that they’ll be interested in.
When you’re inside of your YouTube admin panel, head on over to the Analytics tab.
This is going to give you a tremendous amount of information concerning your content and the type of visitors you’re getting as well as what they are spending time watching.
On this page, you will find:
View Counts– the number of times your videos are being watched;
Average Watch Time– how long people stay on each video;
Revenue Generated– money earned;
Interaction Rate– physical engagements with content.
Pay close attention to the demographics section as well, because this will tell you:
Location in the world that your videos are being played;
Age range of viewers;
Gender of viewers.
Use this information to help your channel grow by knowing who your market is and what they want from you.
For example, make sure that your videos are being watched where you primarily offer your services. If they aren’t, then think about marketing video ideas that can help localize your content.
Depending upon the type of company you own, you’ll want to make sure that the age group and genders it’s meant for are also watching your content. If they aren’t, then come up with some new marketing videos that target these specific groups.
And finally, the YouTube Community profile is a fairly new feature that’s starting to become quite popular. It’s basically a timeline for you to post and interact with your followers.
This is where you’ll want to post pictures that are relative to your channel, polls that will help you understand your audience, and even some fun, engaging content.
Just like your business does in the real world, you should keep tabs on your competitors on YouTube. Not only can they help you better understand your audience, but you’ll be able to find inspiration from the successful channels in your market.
Set some time aside each week to review a handful of top channels in your niche.
Pay attention to the videos that receive both the highest and lowest number of views. Watch them yourself and pay attention to the different elements included in the video as well as the general style.
All this information will help you improve, as well as shape your content so that it will likely appeal to most your market.
And just as you do for your own videos, take time to scroll through their comments. See how viewers respond, both negatively and positively. Perhaps someone has even referenced your brand in these comments.
Take notes of their descriptions and titles, what keywords they use, and see if you can apply it to your own content.
Another great way to learn about YouTube success is during your downtime, when you can relax and watch videos from some of your own favorite channels.
These aren’t the channels of your competitors, we’ve already covered that. This is when you spend some time in off-market channels, meaning that you’re studying how other channels outside of your niche are increasing engagement and driving in traffic.
Just because they aren’t in your niche doesn’t mean you can’t learn something valuable from them.
In fact, it’s quite the opposite. By studying other markets outside of your own, you’ll likely be able to generate fresh, new ideas that your own niche hasn’t yet seen.
You’ll also begin to see a pattern based on the content style that people are more excited about as well as how the channel owner chose to produce that content and in what formats (candid, professional, how-to style, etc.)
For example, what about this video is holding my attention? Remember that YouTube is all about clicking, clicking, and clicking.
If this is a channel that you’ve been subscribed to for a while, then what keeps you coming back? Is it the graphics, variety of videos, tone, style, or something else?
Look at the techniques they use to keep viewers returning day after day. Perhaps they include giveaways, fun facts, candid interviews, or live streaming sessions. Are any of these something that you can do on your own channel?
Get those creative juices flowing!
If you want to know more about setting up your YouTube channel the right way, check out the featured resource below for an expanded version of this article covering 11 tips; download, read it and take action 🙂
It’s common for those born in the 70s and 80s to look back and think, “Ahh… life was so much simpler back then.”
This nostalgic reminiscing may actually contain a kernel of truth if we stopped to look at the millions of people suffering from FOMO.
With the advent of technology, the proliferation of mobile devices and the constant barrage of social media notifications – one is ‘wired’ into life almost every waking moment of their existence, and this is not a good thing!
Just look around and you’ll see countless people with their faces glued to their mobile phone screens, oblivious to their surroundings as they go about their daily activities.
This scene would have been unseemly in the past but has become the norm now.
When you have FOMO, you’re constantly trying to get the most out of the day. You’ll sacrifice sleep to spend more time on social media.
You’ll always feel the need to do more, be more and get more.
This may seem good if one is looking at it from a self-help perspective… but very often, a person with FOMO is usually engaged in non-productive, busy work that neither elevates their mind nor their life.
Now, as a business owner or marketer you may think that FOMO is a good thing, as it can make your product or service irresistible, and you are right; FOMO is a very powerful marketing tool, but it must be used sparingly, or it can lose its efficacy.
If you are using the power of FOMO by adding scarcity to an offer, it must also be genuine scarcity; don’t tell people that they only have 7 days to get in at a special price, only for them to see the same price/offer 30 days later!
So, FOMO does have its good and bad points depending on your perspective!
If you notice that you or someone you know is displaying the signs below, you can be almost certain that you/they have FOMO:
Since social media is designed to keep you hooked, you’ll be getting a mild dopamine hit every time you check your notifications. Likes, ‘thumbs ups’, comments, etc. are all little hits of ‘validation’ that keep you glued to the platform.
By putting your phone aside, it’s almost as if your world has come to a standstill and you’ve left the ‘party’ – and you’re missing out. Definite FOMO!
A candle that burns brighter because it’s burning at both ends often burns out faster. We live in a world where motivational gurus often preach philosophies of ‘hustling’ and ‘grinding’.
So, now we have stressed out people with frazzled nerves who don’t want to waste a minute while in their pursuit of success – another sign of FOMO.
This is a very obvious sign. If someone has to update their social media with photos of their food, or ‘check in’ to whichever location they’re at or post all their thoughts and feelings on their Facebook wall – chances are high that they have FOMO.
The need to be seen by others is a secret need to feel significant. It’s also a desire for validation. This can be seen on Instagram where people blatantly share glamorous lifestyle photos in an attempt to appear successful. This too is a disguised sign of FOMO.
If you’re photographing and/or video recording everything (to post on social media) instead of enjoying the moment… yes, you have FOMO written all over you.
There’s a reason Netflix posts all the episodes for a TV show at one go. Not only does it give people the opportunity to binge watch and spend more time on Netflix… but it also appeals to people who have FOMO and can’t bear to miss a single episode. It also keeps them on the platform for as long as possible.
Gone are the days when people would wait an entire week to watch the next episode of MacGyver or The A-Team. Now, it’s all instant and dumped in front of you all at once. Gorge as you please… with a side of FOMO.
If one hates staying home alone and spending time in quiet, they probably have FOMO. They may try to fill the time with unnecessary activities.
They may want to meet friends at social events – and will feel terribly left out, if not invited. The need to be a part of everything will have them constantly stressed out.
In a nutshell, they have a serious case of FOMO.
A quick Google search for ‘tips to overcome FOMO’ will give you a list of practices you can adopt and apply to end this pesky problem.
The sooner you overcome this fear, the better. Like the saying goes, “Quiet the mind and the soul will speak” – and you’ll discover true joy and inner peace.
Overcoming FOMO and any limiting belief requires a change to the way you think, and this requires a lot of self discipline. If you want to know more about harnessing the power of self-discipline, check out the featured resource below for a free report; download, read it and take action 😊
