RSS Feed

Archive for June, 2009

10 Top Blog Formatting Tips

by Kari Wallace 1 Comment »

Have you ever clicked on a link to read an article or opened a book and found that you just couldn’t bring yourself to read it? That’s probably because it wasn’t formatted to be easily read.

There are some general rules you should consider when writing a blog post. Obviously informative content is a key piece to your success, but it also has to be easy to read.

People are in a rush to get the information they want and move on. Everyone has a very busy life and if they are taking time to read your blog, you owe them to make the post readable. By the way, thanks for reading my blog.

So here are some tips for formatting a blog post:

1. Use lists – A list will allow readers to skim through the content and easily get what they want.

2. Text Decoration – The proper use of bold, underline, and colored text can help make a page easy to read. Use formatting to draw attention to important words or phrases, don’t use it so much that it distracts from the message.

3. Colors – Use limited colors. Too many will take away from the post. Make sure to use contrasting colors so that it is easy to read.

4. White Space – Don’t be afraid to use spacing between paragraphs or images. A little space can be easier on the reader’s eye and keep them around longer.

5. Dark Text on Light Background – Studies have shown that even though you can read light text on black background it is hard to keep someone’s interest. The dark background might look cool, but for reading it can make a person tired and be difficult to keep in focus. (Light Text on Dark Background Poll)

6. Animated Graphics – This is a tough one. Although a great way to draw attention to a particular area of the page it can also add stress on the eyes and distract from the rest of the page.

7.  On-Screen Fonts – The font is important. Verdana and Georgia fonts are recommended for screen reading. You should also go with 12pt or slightly larger.

8. Headings – Use headings to break up sections. Use white space and text decoration to make the headings pop out on the page.

9. Short Paragraphs – Short paragraphs allow for quick scanning.

10. Short Sentences – People can read short sentences easier. Make sure to avoid college writing. Write your blog post like you are having a conversation with someone. There are even a few services you can sign up for to call and make a recording. The recording is then turned into an email and sent to you. What better way to make it sound like a conversation then to actually make it one? I will be checking these services over the next couple of weeks and I’ll post a review.

For more information check out Web Readability or Writing For The Web

Do you have any blog formatting practices you like? Does anyone use a speech to type service?

 

Original Web Content: What’s the Point?

by Kari Wallace 3 Comments »

The web can be used to find useful and entertaining information on pretty much any topic you are interested in. This is one of the things that make the internet so appealing to a never ending supply of customers.

Many website owners are desperate for content and just copy content from other sites or books. By doing this they are missing out on a lot of opportunity. There are plenty of reasons why original content is important and critical to the success of your web page or blog.

Some of the top reasons you want original content are:

  • Search Engine Ranking: If your content isn’t original then most search engines will penalize you. Search Engines can provide valuable free traffic, so you lose a lot if you don’t take the time to create original content.
  • Interest: To really create a loyal following you need to show people who you are. By writing your own copy you can add in things specific to you. If people can relate to who you are then they will be much more interested in what you have to say.
  • Credibility: You build credibility in your name if you are offering valuable, original content to readers. The readers will be more likely to listen to what you have to say. Let’s face it most people aren’t creating web copy just for fun they also want to make a profit. If people aren’t reading what you write then there is no chance you are making any real profit from it.

Coming up with original content does take more time and effort, but the rewards are well worth it. Increased readership and more search engine traffic can be a huge benefit that will make up for the extra hassle of using your own content. Writing your own content also gives you a way to find out more about the topic your content focuses on. Hopefully you have picked a topic that actually interests you.

There is a lot more to consider when writing web content. More to come on that in future posts…

Would you like to quickly and easily turn your blog into an automated cash generating machine? I highly recommend you check out Bloggers Profit Circle today!

These resources, tools and tips to make money from blogging are now strategically packaged into one full-blown membership site, designed to hold beginners by the hand and indulge in the mastery of profitable blogging like never before!

Click here to join Bloggers Profit Circle now!

 

Four Golden Rules of List Building

by Kari Wallace 1 Comment »

There are many sources and articles in the internet available for everyone to read and follow in building a list. Sometimes they may be confusing because there are so many and there different ways. Different groups of people would have different approaches in building an opt-in list, but no matter how diverse many methods are, there are always some crucial things to do to build your list.

Here are the four rules that you should have in mind when building your first (or the next) list:

Strategy #1:  Put up a good web form in your site that immediately follows the end of your content. While some may say this is too soon to subscribe for a website visitors application, try to remember that your homepage should provide a quick good impression. If somehow a website visitor finds something that he or she doesn’t like and turns them off, they may just forget about signing up.

A good web form for subscribing to an opt-in list is not hard to do. Just write a simple short statement about how they would like to see more and get updated about the site. Then there should be an area where they could put in their names and e-mail address. This web form will automatically save and send you the data’s inputted. As more people sign in, your list will be growing.

Strategy #2: As mentioned in the first tip, make your homepage very, very impressive. You need to have well written articles and descriptions of your site. Depending on what your site is all about, you need to capture your website visitor’s fancy. Make your site useful and very easy to use. Do not expect everyone to be tech savvy. Invest in having good programming in your site, make your graphics beautiful but don’t over do it.

Don’t waste your time making the homepage too overly large megabyte wise. Not all people have dedicated T1 connections, the faster your site gets loaded, the better. Go for a look that borders between simplicity and sophisticated knowledge.

Strategy #3: Provide good service and products. A return customer is more likely to bring in more business. Even then and now, a satisfied customer will recommend a business always. Word of mouth and recommendations alone can rake in more business than an expensive ad. As your clientele roster grows so shall your list. With more members on the list, the more people will get to know about what you have new to offer.

Strategy #4: Keep a clean and private list. Never lose the trust your customers have entrusted you. If you provide e-mails to others and they get spammed, many will probably unsubscribe to you. Remember, a good reputation will drive in more traffic and subscribers as well as strengthen the loyalty of your customers.

I hope these four powerful strategies will help you in some ways!

By the way, do you want to learn how to create your own list from scratch, and explode your list size and quality in your niche? If you say yes, then I’d like to introduce to you, the Profit Email Club.

Profit Email Club has everything you need to learn how to build your own opt-in mailing list, connect with your subscribers… and turn it into a profitable venture!

If that’s not enough, you might want to check out List Quad home study course.

List Quad is not your average course on list building, though — don’t make that mistake in assumption. List Quad is the result of over 3.5 years of experimenting various techniques to building a highly responsive opt-in list so that the owner can milk it for what it’s worth!

So, click here to learn more about List Quad home study course today!

 

Grab Top Notch Resell Rights Products From Search Engines

by Kari Wallace 2 Comments »

If you want to really set yourself apart from the rest of the would be marketers trying to make their way in the world by reselling E-Books and private label articles that they found on various websites, you need to learn to branch out and take advantage of your researching skills.

Sure, you can make life easy for yourself and join all kinds of different paid membership website – and that is a great way to get started as a web marketer – but if you really want to kick your business into high gear (and high profits) you need to take advantage of the search engines.

Now, it can be quite difficult for people to master using a search engine because often we do not really know what to look for.

You can start by typing in Resell Rights or something of that nature, but all you will end up with is a list of hundreds of thousands of different websites all trying to make a buck off of you. Therefore you need to learn to be much more specific with your searches if you hope to get anything done.

You can keep using Resell Rights as your basic keyword. Heck, you should even put that phrase in quotations so that the search engine you are using will bundle those two words together – then add on some extra words to focus the results that you get. Want to deal in E-Books?

Make your keyword “Resell Rights” E-Books and see what you come up with. Are private label rights products more to your liking? Add “private label” to your search string.

Did you happen to read about a particular product that sounded interesting but you completely forgot what it was called? Even something that has escaped your memory is easy to find as long as you remember the rough genre.

Just add the genre and the type of product to your basic “Resell Rights” search string and you will find it in no time flat.

So, are you looking for high quality resell rights products? Look no more!I’d like to introduce to you, the Instant Product GoldMine.

In this Instant Product Goldmine membership, members have access to over a hundred top notch Internet Marketing products and titles that you can resell and keep the sales for your own.

Click here to learn more about Instant Product Goldmine

 

5 Ultimate Ways To Write A Web Copy That Sells

by Kari Wallace No Comments »

Everything about a write-up – its perceived value, efficacy and message – rests upon good copy.  Copy is substance and without it, even the most skilled and well-meaning writer and his article will be ignored or derided, the article’s message lost and considered worthless. Is it still any wonder why people go through great lengths in order to produce a good piece of writing?  Learn the ways you, too, can make copy good:

Ultimate Way #1: Know what you’ll be writing about.
There is nothing worse or even more pathetic than a writer who bluffs. True, many writers have written well-fabricated tales and passed them off as genuine but they were able to do so only because they backed up their writing with plenty of research.

If you were asked to write about cryptozoology right now, for example, how much would you be able to produce without using a single reference? Probably not a lot even to convince your 7-year-old niece.

To avoid groping blindly about regarding your subject and make your copy good, do research.  Use at least three good references for your write-up. If you have to interview someone for it or try something yourself, then do so. This will allow you to gather enough information to use with your write-up.

Ultimate Way #2: Think about your readers
Your readers or audience have different voices. To make your copy good, consider carefully what it is they like and are interested in and then zero in on those. Speak their language so they become much more comfortable with what you have to say.

If you’re writing for kids aged 9 to 12, for example, you wouldn’t use the kind of language you write with if your audience were men and women in their 20s and 40s, right?  Remember that you’re trying to sell an idea through your writing, so speak to your readers in a way they can easily relate to.

Ultimate Way #3: Watch your grammar
If you were a good listener during your grammar class, you might want to heave a sigh of relief. A high premium is placed on good grammar and if you want to make copy good, make sure you avoid hideous grammatical and spelling mistakes.

Be careful with subject-verb agreement, punctuation marks, tenses, sentence completion and clauses. Bad grammar is never viewed as good copy and is even dismissed as very amateurish and unreliable, even if it’s an expert talking.

Ultimate Way #4: Mind the headline
The headline serves as the introductory statement to your write-up. Without a good headline, there’s a good chance your target readers might ignore your article and look somewhere else. This is something you can’t allow to happen. Imagine having to miss 7 out of 10 readers just because your headline doesn’t work.

Make sure your headline is effective, clear and concise. It should interest the reader, make them wonder, raise their curiosity, even intrigue them so that they have enough reasons to want to read more.

Ultimate Way #5: Make copy easy to read
Finally, to make copy good, it has to be relatable and easy to read. If you’re writing about planting roses for beginner gardeners, for example, don’t make it sound like an instructional material for producing fossil fuel. Read your work out loud – if it sounds like normal speech, then you’re on the right track.

Mind your readers. They are, after all, the end users of your work and they should be able to like what you offer them.

If you want to learn how to write your own high converting sales copy, or double – even triple – the response of your current sales letter, look no more!

We highly recommend you to check out our bestselling course, Mastery Of Words — 2 hour digital home study course to incredibly profitable online copywriting.

Click here to read more about Mastery Of Words now!

And you might want to look at Copywriter’s League as well. Copywriter’s League is a more affordable alternative for people to pick up the skill of salesmanship in print.

 

How To Build A List Of Eager Subscribers

by Kari Wallace No Comments »

When using e-mail as the media of your marketing and advertisements, you eliminate the need for high costs. Email is free and if you can manage to make your own promotional advertisements you can also save a bundle there. With an opt-in subscribers list, you are pretty sure that what you are sending out is received, viewed and read by the subscribers and not simply being deleted. They have signed up for service and have consented in receiving it.

This means that there are constant reminders to your subscribers about all your products, new products and services as well as any promotions and special deals you are having. There is also the chance that they can be forwarded to other potential customers as they tell their friends and families about you and your site.

Of course you should be also aware that a subscriber may unsubscribe when they feel that they are not getting what they want or expected. Make sure that they are satisfied with your opt-in marketing strategies and keep them excited in receiving your newsletters and catalogs. Here are some tips that can help you build a list of eager subscribers.

Make your promotional materials interesting and fun. Try to use a little creativity but not too over artsy. Build around what your product or service is about. For example; if you are selling car parts, put some pictures of what is new in the auto parts world, a new wing door possibly that can fit any car and make it look like a Lamborghini.

Try to research what people are looking for, these way, you stay one step ahead of them all the time and you will be their bearer of new tidings. They will be eager to receive what you are sending them because they new you always have fresh and new things to share with them.

Write good articles that can be very informational but light at the same time. If your subscribers enjoy your articles, they will go to your site by clicking the links that you will be putting on your newsletter to read some more. You can provide articles that can connect to many people. Be diverse in your articles. Put something humorous, then put something informational, then put something that has both.

Are you wary about this because you don’t like writing? No problem, there are many professional and experienced article writers that   can do the job for you for minimal fees. They know what they are doing and can provide the need that you have for your newsletters, the money that you pay for your articles are going to be met by the many sign-ups and the potential profit from the sales that you will get.

Create and send an E-book to your customers about anything that is related to your business or site. Use your knowledge and expertise in the field you have chosen to help other people who are similarly interested. Offer this e-book for free. You can write about anything informational and helpful to your subscribers. For example; you can do manuals and guides in so many things. This e-book could be used as a reference for many people.

Share this e-book with everyone, even other sites; just make sure that they don’t change the links in the e-book that will lead people to your site. If you want, you can always get some people to write it for you just like your articles. Your investment once again will be covered by the great marketing this will generate.

Add e-coupons in your newsletters that will help them avail to special discounts. Put a control number in your e-coupon so that they can only be used once. When people get discounts that can be found in your newsletters, they will be eager to receive your newsletter in anticipation of what you are promoting next.

If your subscribers can get benefits from your newsletters, they will be very eager to receive them. Just don’t flood your mailing list with mails so that you don’t annoy your subscribers.

By the way, do you want to learn how to create your own list from scratch, and explode your list size and quality in your niche? If you say yes, then I’d like to introduce to you, the Profit Email Club.

Profit Email Club has everything you need to learn how to build your own opt-in mailing list, connect with your subscribers… and turn it into a profitable venture!

If that’s not enough, you might want to check out List Quad home study course.

List Quad is not your average course on list building, though — don’t make that mistake in assumption. List Quad is the result of over 3.5 years of experimenting various techniques to building a highly responsive opt-in list so that the owner can milk it for what it’s worth!

So, click here to learn more about List Quad home study course today!

 

How To Craft A Killer E-mail Subject Line

by Kari Wallace No Comments »

An opt-in list allows you to provide newsletters to your subscribers with their consent. When people sign up, they know that they will be receiving updates and news from your site and the industry your represent via an e-mail. But that doesn’t mean that all of those who subscribe read them at all.

Many lists have been built due to an attachment with free software or for a promotional discount and such. Some are not really interested in receiving e-mails from companies and just treat them as waste of cyberspace and delete or trash them without so mush as opening the e-mail and scanning them.

You can change all that. While forwarding an email message is relatively after producing your newsletter. Getting people to open them is not as easy. You don’t want to waste all the time and effort used in making the newsletters, you want people to read them and have their interests piqued. Interested enough to go to your website and look around and most especially purchased and acquire your products or services.

One of the numerous ways you can tempt or persuade your subscriber is by providing a well thought out and well written subject. The subject of an email is what is often referred to when a person or a recipient of an email decides whether he or she wants to open or read an e-mail. The subject could easily be regarded as one of the most important aspect of your  promotional e-mail.

Your subject must be short and concise. They should provide a summary for the content of the e-mail so that the recipient will have basic knowledge of the content. This is really vital in grabbing the attention of your readers and subscribers. You want your subject to instantly grab the attention of your subscriber and get them to be intrigued to open up your mail. Remember, it is not necessarily true that a subscriber opens up subscribed mails.

A good subject must always be tickling the curiosity of your recipient. It must literally force the recipient to open the mail. A certain emotion must be ignited and get them to open the mail. It is essential to use specific words to get the reaction you need. Keep in mind that the recipient or subscribers spends only a few seconds looking over each subject of the e-mails he receives. You must grab your reader’s attention right away.

There are many forms you can use for your subject. You can provide a subject that says your e-mail contains content that teaches them tips and methods on certain topics. An example of this is using keywords and keyword phrases such as, “How to” , “tips”, “Guides to”, Methods in and others like that.

You can also put your subject in a question form. These may include questions like, “Are you sick and tired of your job?” Or “Is your boss always on your case?” Try to stay on the topic that pertains to your site so that you’ll know that your subscribers have signed up because they are interested in that topic.  This form of subject is very effective because they reach out to your recipients emotions. When they have read the question on your subject, their mind starts answering the question already.

You can also use a subject that commands your reader. Statements such as “Act now and get this once in a lifetime opportunity”, or “Double, triple and even quadruple what you are earning in one year”. This type of subject deals with the benefits  your company provides with your product and services.

You may also use breaking news as your subject to intrigue your subscriber. For example, if you deal with car engine parts you can write in your subject, “Announcing the new engine that uses no gasoline, It runs on water”. This creates curiosity with the reader and will lead them to open the mail and read on.

If you want to learn how to write your own high converting sales copy, or double – even triple – the response of your current sales letter, look no more!

We highly recommend you to check out our bestselling course, Mastery Of Words — 2 hour digital home study course to incredibly profitable online copywriting.

Click here to read more about Mastery Of Words now!

And you might want to look at Copywriter’s League as well. Copywriter’s League is a more affordable alternative for people to pick up the skill of salesmanship in print.

 

5 Greatest Ways of Promoting Your Blogs

by Kari Wallace 1 Comment »

Marketing your blog is not all that hard to do. You have to be persistent and want success however if you want your blog to do well. You cannot just make a post and forget about it. You have to continue updating your blog and marketing it so that it will become popular and one that everyone wants to read. There are other ways as well that are good marketing your blog. Keep reading for more information.

Interviewing people and posting it on your blog is an excellent way to market it. Just be sure that the people that you interview pertain to the market of your blog. You want all of your posts to be relevant, including any interviews that you might do. For example, if your blog market was vacuum cleaners, and you did an interview with the owner of Hoover vacuum cleaner; that would definitely pertain to your market.

Contests are another way that you effectively market your blog. Having contests on various things would be a lot of fun, and something that will keep your readers coming back. Everyone loves to win things, and you can also make the prize that you are giving away relevant to the market you are promoting on your blog.

Press releases are also an excellent way to market your blog. Sending out a press release or having one made for you is a great idea. You will find that they are even affordable for most budgets, and some companies offer a package deal for example, if you let us write your press release we will submit it for half price. Who could resist a deal such as that? Especially when you are budgeting and trying to get the most from your funds.

Comments on a blog are also a very important aspect of blog marketing. You will want to be sure that you always answer and acknowledge the comments that are made to your blog as well as others. When you show that you are an actual person that can hold a conversation, you are showing others that you are real and that you really and truly have the best intentions for your blog. Make sure that no comment goes unanswered.

Marketing a blog comes naturally for some and can be a little harder to focus on for others. Another important thing that you will want to do for your blog is to be sure that you find links. Exchange links, get one way links, and ask for more and more links. You will never have enough links to your blog. The more links the better in this case.

Blog marketing is not hard to do. Just be sure that you follow all of the proven and tried techniques that others are talking about and you wont go wrong. Just don’t give up and keep on marketing because it will pay off sooner or later.

Would you like to quickly and easily turn your blog into an automated cash generating machine? I highly recommend you to join Bloggers Profit Circle today!

These resources, tools and tips to make money from blogging are now strategically packaged into one full-blown membership site, designed to hold beginners by the hand and indulge in the mastery of profitable blogging like never known before!

Click here to join Bloggers Profit Circle now!

 

Grammar Is Not Everything In Writing A Good Copy

by Kari Wallace No Comments »

It may seem like a contradiction but grammar is indeed not everything when it comes to writing copy. When producing an article, news story or press release, there are various factors that have to be considered in order to write truly exceptional copy – the kind of copy that people will find useful enough to actually finish reading. Find out what these are and learn how to use them together in order to maintain balance in your written work:

  • Content matters, first and foremost.

Content in this context refers to substance – the overall worth of the write-up. It doesn’t refer to the number of words used or type of words you chose to use.  What does your write-up say?  What value can the readers get out of it? Are you substituting good grammar and big words because you have nothing else to say?

Although you shouldn’t be afraid of big words, it’s always better not to complicate things for your readers. Determine your target audience first – their interests, capacity, what they find useful and interesting – and then write for them. By placing more importance on what your readers can get out of your write-up, you will be producing more substance out of your copy. After all, what’s great grammar if there’s nothing good in what you have to say?

  • Focusing solely on grammar is distracting

One common mistake among writers is obsessing about grammar when they begin to write. As a result, they get distracted, derailed from their train of thought. Imagine having a really terrific idea and then worrying over where to place a comma or which clause to use first.  The great ideas and content that could have come out of you as a writer and made your writing better can get lost or confused with other ideas and concerns.

When writing, don’t worry too much about grammar, at least at first. Write down words as they come to you.  Don’t let the subject of grammar bother you when inspiration strikes.  Only when you’re done should you then go over what you have written to check and improve it. Only then should grammar be a concern. After all, how can you proofread something you haven’t even written yet?

  • Even the greatest focused on substance and not on form

The great American writers Ernest Hemingway and William Faulkner had a famous rivalry.  Faulkner, a writer praised for his intricate prose style (that initially confused his readers), criticized Hemingway’s trademark simplicity.

Hemingway fired back, saying that there are ’simpler and better words’, even saying that Faulkner shouldn’t think that ‘big emotions come from big words’. Refusing to give in and use what he called ‘10-dollar words’, Hemingway continued to write in his simple, easy style. He is still a well-loved and much-admired author today.

Grammar is not everything, but…

Grammar may not be everything but it is still a major component of good copy. You can’t just ignore the value of good grammar because it isn’t the be-all and end-all of writing.

Good grammar is equated to professionalism and is considered the true sign of a skilled and experienced professional. Furthermore, it’s also considered as one of the signs that what you have written is reliable. Bad grammar, on the other hand, is for amateurs, lazy writers and scammers.

Although grammar is not everything in writing copy, don’t ignore it. Use it as a means to improve what you have already written and progress as a writer.

If you want to learn how to write your own high converting sales copy, or double – even triple – the response of your current sales letter, look no more!

We highly recommend you to check out our bestselling course, Mastery Of Words — 2 hour digital home study course to incredibly profitable online copywriting.

Click here to read more about Mastery Of Words now!

And you might want to look at Copywriter’s League as well. Copywriter’s League is a more affordable alternative for people to pick up the skill of salesmanship in print.

 

Free And Low Cost Way To Promote Your Website

by Kari Wallace 2 Comments »

You have finished making your own website. You have introduced your company and presented your products and services. You have added propositions and promos to catch your target audience’s attention. You have achieved the dos and don’ts of building a company web site. But why isn’t your website a major success?

Maybe you’re not planning the key to the best promotion of your web site. Here are some guidelines on how to acquire free web site promotions for your company’s success.

If you have started to promote your web site, keep it constant. If you promote your site with persistence, it will catch your audience’s attention.

Be patient. Try each method in promotion until you acquire the best, free promotion there is. You have to accept trial and error for your web site to reach the top.

There are many ways for your web site to be seen. Here are some free web site promotions you could try until you find the most effective.

  • Free promotions such as search engines and directories would give your web site the deserved traffic you always wanted. Make sure to check your web site’s ranking to know whether or not this type of free promotion is right for you.
  • Make a deal with other web sites on trading links which could help both web sites. Make sure to use words that could easily interest the audience.
  • Find free classified ads that could boost the promotion of your web site. These ads could be seen by other people who you are not targeting for, but may as well be interested in your services.
  • Free and low-cost internet banners are spread all through out the World Wide Web. Banners that pop-up at the top of a page or in a separate window would automatically catch your target audience’s attention.

If your web site and its free promotion did not work even after accomplishing these methods, analyze your web site. Track down all visitors, advertisements, and transactions. Then locate errors in your web site. Upload new files to your web site continuously for audience to return for new products and services. Monitor your own web site if it’s up in the market or down.

Then be ready to try the methods again and surely it will work.

It has always been said that the best things in life are free. Yes they are. And as soon as your free web site promotion proves to the audience its worth, then you’ll believe it’s true.

Would you like to know how to explode your profits with Internet marketing even if you don’t know how to market today? Then I’d like to introduce to you, the “Internet Marketing Citadel“.

Conceived and materialized to teach Internet newbies how to use online marketing tactics to start making money from scratch, syllabus covers topics such as: List building, copywriting, traffic and SEO, niche marketing, product creation, Google Adwords, auction sites and eBay, affiliate marketing, blogging, joint ventures… And the list goes on!

Click here to learn more about Internet Marketing Citadel now!