There are several ways to measure your goals, ranging from simple to complex and free to expensive. Sometimes it makes sense to spend money on tools, but when setting goals for your own purposes, keeping it low cost makes sense.
For instance, use a spreadsheet when first starting out. Most people associate Microsoft Excel with spreadsheets, and that costs money. However, there are free alternatives, such as Open Office Calc. The Open Office suite of products is available on multiple operating systems. This software is fully functional and compatible with Microsoft products. The best part is it is free.
Sometimes, you will need more sophisticated tools. For instance, when you work on multiple projects simultaneously and there may be dependencies associated with some of the goals, you’ll need to have a better method than a spreadsheet to manage these. This is also true when you have multiple people that you need to measure their contributions to the projects.
While you could use spreadsheets for this, they are not meant for collaborative activities. The reporting features are lacking in a spreadsheet program. A program such as Microsoft Project gives you more control over these types of features.
Keep in mind the tool should not be used as a means to run the projects for you. They have their uses, but the responsibility rests with you, or the project manager. Also, you have to consider some flexibility in the measurement as not every item will go according to plan. You may need to make some adjustments along the way.
Being too rigid with the plan can cause problems within a team. Strict adherence to a tool will make the projects rigid, by definition. On the other hand, you do need some ways to accurately measure the goals. It’s a delicate balance that requires compassion as well as firmness.
When choosing a tool, try to get your team involved, so they know what to expect. This isn’t always possible as some companies already have solutions implemented. If this is the case, you will need to manage the expectations of the team and provide any training and assistance needed to make the tool work for them.
Your manager determines what course you are to take. This is based on organizational goals or tasks that he or she has been given. Many managers are not adept at setting goals for themselves, let alone for other people. This can lead workers astray and is something that SMART goals can help with.
If your manager is not familiar with the concept, try to become an advocate. This is going to require you learning what it’s all about. It’s not a bad idea to take some training on the concept. There are courses available online, and you can start by searching for the term on YouTube.
Keep in mind that YouTube videos can be posted by anyone, so make sure you scrutinize the videos carefully. If someone sounds like they don’t know what they are talking about, move on to another one.
If your manager is not initially on board, you may need to take the initiative and start using the concept for your own goal setting. It’s much easier to convince people when you are successful with the concept. Trying to convince them from a purely theoretical perspective is not as effective. Managers want results and are afraid to try something that is not proven in their minds.
You may need to negotiate to position your ideas in a positive light. For instance, you can suggest that by setting goals using a SMART framework, you can get more done. Therefore, tell your manager you are willing to take on more responsibility to prove out the concept to him or her.
If your manager is not yet ready to accept this concept, at least you have planted the seeds. It’s likely he or she will look up the concept online based on you suggesting the idea. This will create an atmosphere of familiarity. When you bring it up again sometime in the future, your manager will be more receptive to the idea because it’s not a foreign concept.
One last means of getting manager buy-in is to document your experience with it. For instance, you could set up a journal and show how you used the framework to get your personal goals accomplished. It’s difficult to argue with success when it is recorded for your manager to read.
Having tips about SMART goals is great. However, sometimes it helps to solidify the concept by describing some applications of its use, which are described here. For clarification, the acronym is taken to stand for, Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Time-Based.
Exercise Program
Goal: To work out every day for 20 minutes per day and achieve a Body Mass Index (BMI) of 20. I will use the X System to attain that goal.
Explanation: The specific part of the goal is to achieve the Body Mass Index of 20. It is measurable as I can take a BMI reading throughout the period to compare. It may be attainable, assuming I believe in the X System or have used it before. It is realistic in that if I go to the gym and the assumptions are true, I will reach the goals. For time-based, I have given it three months and 20 minutes per day.
Save for College
Goal: To save $50 per month in a 521 account and continue to do this until my child is ready for college as the cost of college keeps rising.
Explanation: Based on historical trends, college costs rise every year. Therefore, it is reasonable to assume that they will continue to rise. The specific goal is to use a 521 account, which in the United States, allows for tax breaks when saving for college. My bank statements will allow me to measure whether I am saving enough each month and make the necessary adjustments. These goals are attainable as long as I can continue working. If I made some projections based on the number of years before needing the money, this plan is likely to be realistic. However, the best course of action would be to compare alternate plans to see which would give the best return. The frequency (time-based) is monthly over some years.
The ideal situation is to be able to address each of the five components of SMART. Don’t worry if you find some overlap. As long as you can work from your plan, it won’t make much of a difference.
Of course, you will certainly be aware that setting and achieving goals requires a lot of self-discipline, so if you want to learn about growing your own self-discipline then download the featured resource below which is a free report all about the power of self-discipline; download it, read it and take action 😊
If you have read this post, you’ve now got traffic coming in, which is great. Now you need to make the most of that traffic, which means persuading visitors to take a specific action.
The idea here is that converting your traffic creates more benefits and help for your audience, while generating more profit for your business.
To that end, this part is going to show you how to start to optimize conversions on your website, in your ads, and within your email campaigns.
Let’s get right to it…
Get The Basics In Place
Let’s start by making sure you’ve got the basics down, and you’re using optimization best practices.
The first thing you need to understand is that conversion optimization isn’t based on just one factor. Instead, it’s about optimizing multiple factors.
Here’s what you need to put into place:
We’ll cover these exact issues in detail throughout this article.
Each piece of content or each page of your website should have one clear goal. If you try to point your audience towards taking multiple steps, they’re going to get overwhelmed or confused.
You want to keep it simple. One goal per page, and everything on that page is designed to help the visitor take the desired action.
There are a variety of ways you can convert your visitors to have them take a specific action.
Here are examples of the types of goals you might set for your content:
This isn’t an exhaustive list, as you may have specific actions you want your audience to take.
Remember, however, that you should pick just ONE primary goal for each piece of content (or for each page on your website).
Sometimes marketers have one clear goal (such as “buy a product”), but they still give too many options. For example, they might give the prospect the option to buy Product A or Product B or Product C.
If you want better conversions, then tighten your focus. Pick one specific action, limit the options within that action, and then focus the content on getting the visitor to take that specific action (e.g., buy Product A).
In addition to setting content goals (the action you want your users to take), you also need to select your metrics and set goals around those metrics.
For the purposes of this article, the one metric we’re most concerned about is the conversion percentage.
The key here is that you need to be realistic with your conversions.
For example, you can’t expect a 20% conversion rate on a $100 product with a cold audience. For this example, your conversions are more likely to be around 2% — more for warm audiences, better sales copy, and so on.
Be realistic so that you don’t get disappointed. But at the same time, always strive to do better and increase those conversions using the tips and ideas you’ll learn in this article.
You can have all the other pieces in place as far as conversion optimization, but if you aren’t giving your audience what they want, then your conversions will suffer.
That’s why you need to do your market research in order to determine:
Which brings us to the next point…
Take these steps to do your market research:
Take note that while you should use all these methods in order to get as much insight as possible, the best way to find out what your audience wants is to see what they’re already buying.
As you do your research, you’ll want to utilize these tools:
Next…
A survey can help you get better insight into what your audience wants. Follow these tips:
Next…
The more you know about your audience, the easier it will be to craft offers and content that really resonate with them. Finding out what they’re already buying will help you select the right offers.
However, learning about who your audience is – from their basic demographics to their hopes, fears and desires – will help you create content that makes each prospect feel as if you’re speaking directly to them.
If you can forge this sort of connection with every piece of content, you’ll see your conversions rise.
One way to learn more about your audience is to spend some time observing them, talking to them, and even becoming a part of the target market. You can:
For example, if you spend time talking to dog owners or viewing their online conversations, you may find that many small dog owners struggle with a pet that seems to “rule the roost” despite the small size.
That tells you that you can create products and content that address these issues, but you can also speak directly to these dog owners in a way that will resonate with them
(e.g., “It seemed so simple – you were going to clip your dog’s nails, but the next thing you, know his lip was up, and he’s snarling at you…”).
Another way to learn more about your audience is to research their demographics using Google.
For example, you’d search for “dog owner demographics” or “demographics of people with diabetes.” Then make note of:
… And anything else you can dig up.
Be sure to use reputable sources of information only, such as those coming from universities, news organizations and professional research organizations (such as Pew Research).
When a prospect lands on your page, they’re going to be wondering why they should do business with you instead of your competitor.
If you want the sale, the subscriber, or some other conversion, then you need to give your visitor a reason.
Here’s a real-life example: Papa John’s pizza rolled their USP into the slogan, “Better ingredients, better pizza.” While other competitors (such as Domino’s Pizza) set themselves apart based on the speed of delivery (30 minutes or less), Papa John’s set themselves apart based on taste.
Here are the different ways you can set yourself apart from your competitors:
This is not an exhaustive list – you’ll want to do some brainstorming on your own to determine what makes your business and your offers unique.
Be sure to research your competitors to see what USP they’re using so that you don’t pick the same one. You’ll also want to pick a USP that your prospects really value.
You don’t need to strongarm your audience, use psychological tricks, use click bait or do anything else to trick or manipulate your audience into taking action.
If you’ve got a targeted audience, you put a desirable offer in front of them, and you explain this offer by sharing benefits, then you’ll naturally get the conversions you desire.
On a related note…
Your reputation is one of your most valuable assets, and it has a big impact on your conversions.
If you’ve got a great reputation in your niche, you’ll always produce better conversions than those who have poor reputations.
So, you will now be hopefully be generating more traffic to your website, and converting that traffic into either leads and/or buyers. For your convenience, you can get all the tips mentioned in both posts in a single handy detailed report; just click on the featured resource below, download, read it and take action 🙂
It often seems that confidence is elusive, like a smoky mirage. Sometimes, it feels magical and wonderful; other times it can be frustrating.
But I’ll let you in on a little secret: you can build up your self-confidence without having to resort to any crystal ball. ‘How?’ you ask.
It’s simple.
I know that some people exude confidence and may be naturally confident, but many have honed the skill that it looks natural, yet they are natural introverts.
Keep reading to find out more about self-confidence and why it matters.
Self-confidence isn’t tangible. You can’t touch it and say, “This is confidence.”
It’s something we get a feeling for when we, or others, have it.
Likewise, we can recognize when someone lacks it. Even when they try to attempt to compensate for it, we sense it and feel bad for them.
The good news is that self-confidence is a soft skill, which means you can learn it and apply it to your daily life. It’s not fixed, like your height for example. It’s mainly based on your mindset and the actions you do to follow through.
Bear in mind that confidence is infectious. Even though we can’t see it, we still sense other people’s confidence levels in the way they behave and speak.
When someone is confident, they exude excitement and energy. You’re motivated to work hard and feel that same energy.
The downside is it goes both ways. When one person lacks confidence, it can deflate everyone around them. They just get the sense that there’s no point in trying.
There are different reasons why being confident can improve your life.
Below, you’ll find a few examples of how it can make you a happier, more fulfilled individual.
This is by no means an exhaustive list, but it gives you an idea as to how much having, or lacking, confidence impacts all areas of your life.
We all need confidence to bring balance and a sense of direction in our lives. Making a conscious decision to develop your confidence will allow you to take positive risks. It gets you out of your comfort zone and puts you on the path to success.
So what?
That’s what life is about. This is what boosts your self-esteem and makes you better at everything you do.
We all make mistakes. We all fail and meet obstacles in our lives.
The key is to understand that failures are a necessary part of progress. Read that again and really take it in.
Often, we feel that when we fail, it’s the end of the journey. But that couldn’t be farther from the truth.
To fully embrace your failures, you have to think of them as detours. When you’re forced to change lanes or take a detour that doesn’t mean the entire journey is over. It just means you’re taking a different path, but you’ll get there eventually.
Now, why do some people succeed after failing and others don’t? Those who manage to learn from their mistakes. They go over what went wrong and find a way to fix it.
Let’s take a second to think about Thomas Edison and Michael Jordan. What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you think of these two names? Success? Fame? Glory? All of the above?
How about failure? You’re probably saying to yourself, ‘These are two of the most prominent members of society. They haven’t failed.’
Well, sorry to burst your bubble, but they have—many times, in fact. Yet, they’re smart enough to use their failures as stepping stones to aim higher and work harder. Imagine our much our lives would have been impacted if these two men had given up every time they failed!
One of Edison’s quotes about refining the light bulb is, “I haven’t failed. I’ve found 10,000 ways that won’t work.”
Many times, we can be our own worst enemies. We critique every move, every word, and every thought over and over again.
In moderation, it can be a great incentive to do better. Although, this only works if we treat ourselves with the same kindness and empathy, we show others. Sadly, it doesn’t happen very often.
Own up to your bad decision, embrace it, and move on. That’s now part of your DNA; it’s helping shape a stronger, more resilient person.
Imagine it being part of your arsenal or a superpower. Now, you’ve turned your mistake into something that can make you more resilient and less anxious.
Self-confidence is an integral part of who you are. Understanding why it matters can mean the difference being happy and being miserable.
Having that self-assurance can help boost your relationships and career. You’ll also be able to inspire others to become happier, more fulfilled individuals.
So, what are you waiting for? Decide today to work on achieving solid self confidence today and watch it transform your life!
Being confident requires self discipline and many people struggle with this, so if you want to harness the power of self discipline, check out the featured resource below for a free report; download, read it and take action 🙂
Becoming self-disciplined is a process, and the quality of being disciplined is like a skill. The more you practice it, the better you’ll get at it.
Generally, the fundamentals are the same no matter which book you read.
This article will simplify the process for you so that you can get started today without having to read a 200-page book.
So, are you ready to boost your self discipline? OK, let’s get started…
If you don’t know where you’re going, you’re not going to get anywhere. In order for you to exercise self-discipline, you’ll need a goal that challenges you – and most worthwhile goals will.
Are you trying to lose weight? Or do you want financial freedom? Maybe you want to be a better parent? Or become a popular author?
The goal doesn’t matter as much as having one. List a few goals that you’ve always wanted to achieve.
Once you have the list, it’s time to focus on one goal. If you’re ambitious, you can focus on 2 or 3 goals. But you shouldn’t bite off more than you can chew.
So, it’s best to only focus on one or two goals at a time and give it our best when it comes to being disciplined.
It’s important to know why you want to achieve the goals you have set for yourself. Dig deep and find out the emotional reason behind your desire. For example, if you’re trying to lose weight – it might be because you want to appear attractive to the opposite sex.
There are no right or wrong answers here, but it’s imperative that you know your “why” for achieving the goal. When the going gets tough, you’ll need to look at why you’re doing what you’re doing – and this will motivate you to stay disciplined, so you achieve your goal.
Very often, if you’re not where you want to be, it’s because something is broken in your daily life. Almost always, it comes down to your habits.
Maybe you’re eating too much junk food which explains your excess weight. Maybe you’re spending uncontrollably, and that’s why you’re in debts.
Once you know what habits you need, it’s a matter of harnessing self-discipline to achieve them.
It’s always best to make small, gradual improvements. Trying to climb a mountain in a day is impossible and you’ll just end up quitting.
By taking small steps daily towards your goals, you’ll ultimately achieve them. So, build self-discipline by completing small tasks first. Then slowly and surely keep seeking improvement until you’re unstoppable.
Having a plan will mean that you know what you need to do daily. A routine is crucial for success. Your mind loves structure. By giving it a daily plan to follow, you’ll build the habits you need to achieve your goals.
These efforts will compound, and you’ll reach your goal much faster.
Aim for 85% to 95% compliance with your routine and habits. No matter how disciplined you are, you will make a mistake and give in to temptation here and there.
If your compliance is 85 percent and above, you’ll definitely be on track to achieving your goals.
Find an accountability partner who will hold you accountable to the actions you are determined to achieve, and if for some reason you’re not quite on track, they can help you to get back on track
Willpower can fail you at times. You may suddenly binge eat at night because you can’t control your food cravings.
Or you may skip a workout because you just had a fight with your spouse and you’re not in the mood. Or maybe you binge watched a Netflix show and neglected to do your work because the show hooked you.
These things happen. You must forgive yourself and carry on moving forward.
They then decide to just let themselves go and carry on with the bad habits and give up on their goal. All because they slipped up once and think it’s ‘game over’.
It’s not. You still have some ways to go. Acknowledge your mistake and analyze why you slipped up.
Maybe you need to remove all snacks from your kitchen, so you don’t binge eat at night. Or maybe you should workout first thing in the morning, so you don’t skip your training sessions.
Once you figure out a way to rectify future mistakes, you’ll increase your compliance and prevent future slip-ups. Self-discipline is easier when conditions are right.
Last but not least, all worthy goals take time to achieve. Consistent effort over time creates greatness.
If it were fast and easy, everyone would do it. The reward comes from the way things are set up. You must pay the price for your goal. That price is sweat, effort, time, consistency, patience, and self-discipline.
Keep these 9 tips in mind when trying to become self-disciplined. Discipline is doing what needs to be done, even when you don’t want to do it. It won’t be easy… but it will be worth it.
As you can see, self-discipline is an important skill to master, and if you want to increase your power of self discipline then check out the featured resource below for a free detailed report; download, read it and take action 😊
We are living in the age of technology and information. The world is basically a global village thanks to different communication platforms such as social media sites and mobile telephony.
Affiliate marketing is a concept that has been built primarily on the platform of information communication and technology. What are some of its benefits?
To the entrepreneur, marketing costs are considered a necessary evil because they consume a lot of resources but still have to be incurred all the same. You can’t create brand awareness and increase the number of sales without properly investing in product marketing.
Affiliate marketing is even better at this because you only pay the affiliates or publishers depending on the number of sales made. Without creating conversions, the affiliates earn no pay and the business does not incur unnecessary expenses.
Using minimal resources, you can reach a high number of customers. The program is efficient because it makes use of the internet and social media sites that are frequented by several potential customers.
The traditional methods are expensive and may not even reach the target market. A consumer is more likely to notice an advertisement on the internet as opposed to other media such as billboards and radio.
It’s always nice to be your own boss. The challenge that most people and especially young people face is the lack of capital to start a new venture. Affiliate marketing does not need any premises or capital to start.
It is an ideal way to generate capital and also find your footing as you begin your journey to self-employment. It is also a perfect home-based business that can give you some good income.
Once you learn the basic concepts of affiliate marketing, you can succeed in it as long as you are willing to put in work and learn along the way.
You don’t have to possess experience to successfully participate in an affiliate program. There are a lot of resources available even on the internet to help you find your way through.
It is very difficult to determine the exact impact of most marketing campaigns but with the affiliate program, that is very much possible. A marketing team can keep track of the sales generated as a result of the marketing efforts and change strategies if the situation warrants it.
It is also possible to get instant feedback from customers and that helps so much in improving customer service by designing products and services that match their preferences.
These are some of the benefits of the affiliate marketing program that merchants, publishers and even customers can get to enjoy.
So, as you can see, affiliate marketing is an incredibly viable online business model and if you want to get started, then you need to start using your blog…
A blog is fairly easy to set up. The most important thing is usually the functionality. Will visitors find it easy to access the content that they need? Will they find the content useful? How easy is it to use the different icons available on the site?
These are some basic questions that one must ask before setting up a blog. It therefore calls for a user-friendly interface that can appeal to the different types of people that access your blog on a regular basis.
Over the last five years, blogs have become very popular. Not only have they given several aspiring content creators a platform to grow their talent, they are also a part of social media that makes communication and reaching of a target audience easier.
What are some of the principles to observe when using your blog to run affiliate marketing campaigns?
What sort of vibe will visitors receive when they first visit your blog? This is important because it sets the entire tone for subsequent engagements.
You therefore also have to focus on the design so that it’s attractive and user-friendly. Too many cluttered advertisements send the wrong signals to visitors. The first thing that will come to mind is that you are only after making money. Let the headlines and lists portray the blog as a place where visitors can actually find useful information.
It’s like building a relationship. It takes time and a little convincing. Create content that is useful to the customer before guiding them to an affiliate link. T
he information provided will be enough to build trust and convince them to take a look at what the blog is promoting. You should also make sure that the content created is tied to the product being promoted.
There is nothing more difficult to rebuild than trust once it’s lost. When customers click on the affiliate links and then end up buying the products, they are in actual sense buying your advice.
If their expectations are not met, you will be viewed as a liar who is only out to enrich himself or herself. Promote only genuine products on your blog, more so those that you have already used. You can try and describe them well and at the same time share your experience.
Do not fill your blog with adverts that will not bring you any meaningful income. Focus on brands and products that will give you reasonable commission.
After all, the reason why you are carrying out affiliate marketing on your blog is so that you can make some cash.
Such a page on your blog consists of useful links to products or websites that are related to your area of specialization. Visitors can find these links helpful and discover products that they were originally not looking for. It’s a win-win situation.
Follow these affiliate marketing tips, and you’ll be on the way to becoming a successful affiliate marketer in no time. And if you want to know more about affiliate marketing check out the featured resource below for a free report; download, read it and take action 😊
