Lesson One: Best Business Practices -- And How They Can Increase Your Profits.........

3
Step One: Finding Your Focus...................................................................................3
Step Two: Your Business Plan -- and How to Use It.................................................5
Step Three: Setting Up PayPal...................................................................................9
Step Four: Taking Care of the Legalities..................................................................10
Step Five: Understanding Your Sales funnel...........................................................14
Step Six: Outsourcing (and Working It into Your Plans).........................................16
Summary....................................................................................................................19
WEEKLY ASSIGNMENT:.....................................................................................22
Lesson Two: Targeting and Taming Traffic -- How You Can Quickly Build Your List . 24
Step One: Market/Keyword Research Tools............................................................26
Step Two: Looking Elsewhere for your Target.......................................................30
Step Three: Exploring Traffic Generation Tools......................................................33
Step Four: Optimization...........................................................................................36
Step Five: Putting It All Together............................................................................38
Summary:...................................................................................................................41
WEEKLY ASSIGNMENT:.....................................................................................43
Lesson Three: Social Media, Branding, Advertising and Promotion..............................45
Step One: Before You Join.......................................................................................46
Step Two: Choosing Your Networks........................................................................48
Step Three: Create/Share YouTube Videos.............................................................59
Step Four: Advertising -- Should You?....................................................................64
WEEKLY ASSIGNMENT:.....................................................................................67
Lesson Four: Tracking, Testing and Tips - Listening To Your List.................................69
Step One: Cross Check your Site SEO.....................................................................69
Step Two: A/B Split Testing....................................................................................71
Step Three: Sign Up for Google Website Optimizer................................................75
Step Four: Other Ways to Track...............................................................................76
Step Five: Tracking Through Feedback...................................................................81
WEEKLY ASSIGNMENT:.....................................................................................89
Lesson One: Internet Marketing Training Checklist.......................................................90
Lesson Two: Internet Marketing Training Checklist......................................................95
Lesson Three: Internet Marketing Training Checklist..................................................101
Lesson Four: Internet Marketing Training Checklist....................................................106
LEGAL
(Stuff we have to say)

While we have made every effort to insure the accuracy and appropriate use of the
information provided, the authors make no claims or warranties, express or
implied, regarding anything contained herein.

All earnings and profit examples used herein are our actual results based on what is
presented, however we cannot make any guarantees of earnings or profits. Most
people who purchase this product will not even earn back the cost – but that has more
to do with lack of effort than the effectiveness of what’s presented. Still, your results will
depend on many factors, many of which we have no control over.

The owner and author of this book is not necessarily affiliated with sites that may be
linked herein and is not responsible for their content. The linked sites are for your
convenience only and you access them at your own risk. Links to other websites or
references to products, services or publications other than those of Analogy Marketing,
do not imply the endorsement or approval of such websites, products, services or
publications.
In some cases, purchasing a product mentioned by using the links provided may result
in a commission payment to us. That’s Affiliate Marketing In Action.

Certain names, graphics, logos, icons, designs, words, titles or phrases in this book
may constitute trade names, trademarks or service marks of Analogy Marketing or of
other entities. The display of trademarks on this website does not imply that a license of
any kind has been granted.

Any unauthorized copying, downloading, re-transmission, or other copying of

modification of trademarks and/or the contents herein may be a violation of
federal common law trademark and/or copyright laws and could subject the copier
to legal action.

We put a lot of time, effort, heart, and soul into this in order to help you
succeed by showing you how to copy our successful business models. We
hope you take advantage of it, but please don't abuse it.

We believe in Karma, and know good things will happen to you if you apply
yourself, follow our plans, and do right.

Besides, we don't want you getting hit by a bus.

 Internet Marketing Training Program
INTRODUCTION

You've set up your online business and you need to know exactly what to do next. This
four-lesson course is designed specifically to show you the way and walk you through
everything you need to set up -- no matter what type of business model you're using.

At the end of each lesson, you'll find an assignment. Take the time to complete it --
everything the assignment contains is geared towards grounding you well in the new
knowledge you've just acquired. (It's one thing to "learn" something and quite another to
put it into practice -- that's the part where most people say: "I'll do this later..." -- and
never do.)

Each lesson will contain at least one worksheet. Print these worksheets out and use them.

Lesson One: Best Business Practices -- And How They Can Increase
Your Profits

In this first lesson, we'll be focusing on best business practices -- and how making sure
you understand and incorporate them into your new internet business can increase your
profits tenfold.

Step One: Finding Your Focus

Make no mistake about this: The number one reason most new internet entrepreneurs get
derailed is information overload.

Even the term "information overload" has become another phrase we slip over glibly.
What it means is: Allowing yourself to be lured away from the dinner table by too many
hands dangling candy.

Before you ever set out on your journey, you should know the answer to these ten
questions:

1. What do you want to be best known for? In your niche? In life?

_______________________________________________________________

2. What does your business offer people and what is its mission?
 _______________________________________________________________

3. Is it a retail business or service oriented?

_______________________________________________________________

4. Do you have a clear vision of your goals?

_______________________________________________________________

5. What major, unique advantage does your product or service offer that your
competitors don't?

_______________________________________________________________

6. What is your biggest passion in life, as well as the most important thing in your
universe?

_______________________________________________________________

7. What are your top four strongest skills?

______________________________ _______________________________

______________________________ _______________________________

8. What is your unique, money-making advantage?

_______________________________________________________________

9. Are you planning to expand your business to include staff or outsourcing? On

what scale? When?

_______________________________________________________________

10.How much money would you like to make by the end of the year? At the end of
five years?

_______________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________

If any of these questions have caught you short, go think about them now. Write the
answers down.

Writing things down helps "ground" them -- make them part of your reality; of who you
are and where you're going. Simply reading or thinking them keeps them floating around
in the realm of possibilities to be tackled "some day".
And if you know the answer to these questions, you'll be much less likely to be led
off your path by some irresistible online offer!

Step Two: Your Business Plan -- and How to Use It

It's vital to have a business plan but, that being said, your plan can be as complex as a 30-
page detailed form designed to impress your bank manager or as simple as an outline
scribbled on a napkin.

The two most important points to remember when creating your personal business plan is
meant to be:

a. A "skeleton structure" -- to be fleshed out as you go

b. Flexible -- adapting to new information and changing demographics or needs

The U.S. Small Business Association currently provides an excellent interactive

business plan template, well worth using (no matter what country you live in. The
Canada Business Network also offers several types of free business planning tools.

If neither site appeals to you, simply search for "free business plan templates" on the net
to find the unique template that works best for you. If you are more of a visual learner,
you can use mind-mapping software. Bubbl.us is currently the easiest free mind mapping
software on the net -- five minutes of playing will make you an expert.
But no matter what type of business plan structure you use, there is one key point to keep
in mind: The more outside financing or startup funding your business needs, the more
detailed and formal your plan needs to be. (In other words, keep the business napkin
version for yourself!)

TIP: When considering buying a new product, check your business plan. If the new
product doesn't directly relate to your goals -- pass it by.
Review your business plan at least once a week.

Your business plan should also reflect both short and long-term goals. For example,
where you want to be...

 In three months
 In six months
 In a year
 In three year
 In five years

Be specific. The more concrete your ambitions, the more likely you'll stay focused on
reaching markers!
Keep It Structured

Another way to ensure you don't set off down the slippery slope of distraction is to make
structure your friend. Decide on the best structure for your business; then stick to it!

This doesn't mean forcing yourself to make lists, if you're just not a list maker. It doesn't
mean forcing yourself to work from eight a.m. to three p.m. every day, if your daily
schedule fluctuates around other people's schedules, or making yourself use an online
scheduling service when you prefer notes jotted on a physical desktop calendar.

It simply means creating a structure that works for you, naturally following your optimal
work patterns.

Creating a structure helps you produce better and more focused results, more
effectively, by:

1. Creating good habits

2. Helping you "practice" and quickly become comfortable
3. Ensuring you achieve a regular output
4. Helping you keep your focus narrow and simple
5. Assisting you in avoiding distraction
6. Ensuring you don't "miss" tasks you need to perform
7. Keeping you organized!

Go with your own natural learning and work style: If you are highly visual, use a daily
mind map.

TIP: Create a batch of daily mind maps a week in advance, for maximum
effectiveness!

If you prefer tactile, written data and find it helps "ground" things in your
consciousness, by all means go for daytimers, physical desktop calendars or lists.

If you prefer to keep everything digital, on your computer, use a service such as Google
calendar. And if you haven't signed up for your own Google Account, do so
immediately! It's free and you'll be able to help yourself, down the road, to a whole host
of basic but priceless tools, including gmail accounts, Google+ and Google analytics.
Find the best time to organize your day or week. If your mind is sharpest first thing in
the morning, write your plan for the day with your morning cup of coffee: If you're a
night bird, making writing your plan for the day the last task you do at night.

Whatever way you choose to work, set up a structure and stick to it! Structure is your
friend: Ironically, the more you indulge in it, the more freedom you'll create.

Working Within Your Budget

Your budget should be divided into two sections:

1. Startup (one-time set up fees, investments and payments)

2. Ongoing (your regular, monthly cost of operation)

Even if you are planning your business on a shoestring, you will need at least twenty
dollars a month set aside for an Autoresponder service (and we're assuming you've
already set up your website or blog and web hosting).

Without an Autoresponder, you won't be able to easily build your list.

Your budget can easily spiral out of control without a plan. The most common cause?
The more you dive deeper into the marketing world, the more you'll find yourself
presented with offers -- all of them geared to make you feel you simply MUST have
that product or you won't succeed.

Remember this: Not all products are appropriate for every online entrepreneur -- no
matter how awesome they seem! For example, if the type of content you have to write is
drop-dead simple, you don't need to invest in a high-ticket copywriting course -- no
matter how many "secrets" they tell you are vital to your success. And you don't need to
buy the latest traffic-generating software -- there are lots of simple, effective (and free)
ways to generate all the traffic you need.

Keep your cash only for offers that relate to your specific goals. Set a monthly limit.

And stick to it.

If you anticipate generating sales almost immediately, create a sliding scale, if you like.
For example, if you make forty dollars (after your regular monthly expenses) you might
want to allot a maximum of twenty dollars for investing back into your business.

How you choose to invest back into your business is up to you: It could be taking
advantage of a special offer, subscribing to a new service or having business cards
made up.
But if you plan in advance how much you can spend (proportionately) and where,
you'll be less likely to get sucked into the bottomless pit of spending more than you
make on special offers you don't really need.

Step Three: Setting Up PayPal

One of the first services you will need is a PayPal account, since you will most likely
find the majority of clients or customers are quite happy to pay this way.

You can have one personal PayPal account and one premier business account. Each
account must have its own email address and financial information. You can also
upgrade your Personal account to a Premier or Business account later on, if you choose.

If you already have a Merchant Account (a payment processor which allows you to
accept credit cards) -- for example, one associated with your Shopping Cart, which you
may wish to sign up for, if you are planning on selling a high volume of product -- you
can integrate it with PayPal through their Payflow system.

When your Merchant Account is set up, simply contact Payflow Support to have the
new processor information added to your PayPal account.

Once this has been done, adding a credit card is simple:

Log in to PayPal Manager as an administrator

1. Select "Account Administration"
2. Select "Accepted Card Types"
3. Select "Add Card Type"
4. Select the specific credit card type you wish to add
5. Select "Add Card Type" to update your account

Most likely, however, you'll find yourself keeping things simple at first: Sign up for a
personal PayPal account -- but be sure to "verify" it as soon as possible. To verify your
account, all you need to do is add a bank account. You'll want to do this anyway, so that
you can transfer funds to your bank account periodically. (And yes -- you can create
invoices from a personal account.)

You can learn more about PayPal by visiting their updated, newly-interactive PayPal
Help Center. If PayPal is new to you, "All About PayPal" is a good place to start.
Step Four: Taking Care of the Legalities

If you don't have a strong business background, you may be unaware of basic
legalities you need to pay attention to. These include laws specific to your state or
province, as well as federal laws.

For example, you may need to register your business... or you may feel that particular
step is totally unnecessary, especially if you plan to simply go by your personal name
and be a sole proprietor.

If you want your business to have a specific name and become a branded entity in its own
right, however, you'll also want to register that name so that no one else can take it over
and use it.

You would register your business name with your Specific state. If you are setting up a
LLC (corporation) or legally incorporating your business, registration is mandatory.
When To Use A Lawyer

It's always a good idea, if you can afford it, to invest in at least one exploratory session
with a business lawyer -- once you've firmed up your business plan and you're ready to
proceed. (Don't do it before that point, or you'll waste his time and your money, if you
don't know what you need help with.) A lawyer can help you determine what forms you
need to fill out and advise you on how to protect your business. Yes, you can download
forms online -- but practice your due diligence and ensure each form is up to date or the
correct form for your purpose.

A lawyer can help you make sure you've performed these tasks correctly (or can save
you time by doing this for you). He can also help you steer past potential hazards you'd
be otherwise unaware of.

Again, the more complex your business, the more imperative it becomes to use a lawyer.
The simpler your business (and business structure), the less likely you are to need one.

For example:

Probably Needs a Lawyer Less Likely to Need a Lawyer

 LLC company  Sole proprietorship

 Leasing physical premises  Business strictly online
 Trademarking your business  No employees or contractors
name
 One-on-one client service-
 Entering into financial loans providing
 Planning on hiring staff or  Simple payments via PayPal
outsourcing heavily

If you're at all unsure or want help (but don't want to hire a lawyer), you can also
use online services such as Legal Zoom -- a solid "third alternative" to either path.

Affiliate marketers may not need a lawyer, but do especially need to practice careful due
diligence and familiarize themselves with specific state laws concerning affiliate
marketing dos and don'ts.

If your business involves affiliate marketing, you'll also need to familiarize yourself with
the Can-Spam Act. Don't skip this step: The Can-Spam Act takes only moments to read,
and afterwards you'll know clearly what you can and cannot do in order to legally run and
promote your affiliate marketing business -- and not run afoul of the Federal Trade
Commission!

You'll also need to ensure you add to your website and promotions links to:
 1. Your Privacy Policy -- Mandatory. How you collect and use visitor
information, along with a reassurance that you will not share their personal
information. The FTC (Federal Trade Commission) requires this -- without it,
you may find yourself in trouble!
2. Earnings Disclaimer -- Mandatory, if you are (a) selling products (b) affiliate
marketing. You need to have a simple page link or paragraph discreetly at the
bottom of your page stating that your earnings are not typical, or that earnings
from your products or those you're promoting may vary. If you don't have this,
you risk an FTC shutdown.
3. Terms of Use/Disclaimer -- Recommended. Another vital document to include a
link to on your website! It allows you to disclaim liability for your website
content, state specifically what your site is being used for and disconnect
yourself from views expressed in comments to your blog or website.
4. Copyright Notice -- Recommended. Although copyright law allows that all
published material made public is automatically copyrighted to the author or
creator of the work, there are still many grey areas concerning internet material.
Its best use, however, lies in discouraging rip-off artists who like to lift and use
other people's content. (You really don't want others to come up first in Google,
using your material -- and, although this is not supposed to happen, since
Google traditionally allows only the originator of the work credit and discounts
all copycats, it's quite common to find that yours is the content being penalized
as a copycat version!) A copyright notice is a simple line somewhere on your
site or at the end or beginning of each article. E.G.: copyright © 2011 Mary
Smith-Jones
If you wish, you can also include a link to a copy of the Digital-Millenium
Copyright Act (DMCA). Opinions are divided on the effectiveness of this step,
with most marketers choosing to ignore this step. Those who abide by the
DMCA are able to pursue copyright infringers through official agents (list on the
DMCA page), but it seems to be mostly those making larger incomes who can
afford to prosecute and are aggressive about it that take this extra step.

This is approximately what the bottom of your web page or blog should look like, when
you've set all these safeguards and official pages in place...

You will also need to abide by your specific affiliate agreements and by a basic no-
spam agreement, when you post on forums or sites (be sure to read all guidelines and
rules to find out details, which can differ!) For example, Google AdSense may require
you to include and state different points than those contained in your affiliate agreement
with a specific marketer in a specific state.

How to Create Your Own Privacy Policy -- You don't need to use a lawyer to write a
disclaimer page or privacy policy. And if you use WordPress as your content system,
you can search the WordPress.org plugins directory, from directly within your
WordPress admin:
1. Select "Add New" on your Plugins dashboard page
2. Enter "Easy Privacy Policy" as your search term
3. Make a note of your Policy Page URL, when it opens up
4. Deactivate and delete the plugin
5. Create a link to your Privacy Policy URL at the bottom of your page, if needed

If yours is a static website, no problem -- simply use a free online site such as
Free Privacy Policy.com to generate your page.

Make sure that any generator template you use provides content relevant to your specific
country and state laws. Be careful, when using online generators, that they do not
contain links to your competitors! Look for reviews, to ensure they don't contain harmful
codes or unexpected "hidden" links.

DISCLAIMER: While resources like the Privacy Policy Plugin are effective for most
simple marketing sites, it really is advisable to consult a business lawyer or have
him create privacy policy and disclaimer pages for your unique site.

And, yes: As a "third alternative" to hiring a lawyer or using online templates or

generators, you can simply ask a forum buddy or other marketing peer if you can copy-
paste and/or adapt their disclaimer or privacy policy page. Just make sure its content is
equally relevant to your site and its material!

Step Five: Understanding Your Sales funnel

An online business without a sales funnel can be likened to a man standing on a

mountaintop and tossing eighty percent of his entire cashed paycheque to the four
winds. Without a carefully planned sales funnel, you'll miss opportunity after
opportunity to maximize your earnings.

The sales funnel model was invented in 1898 by Elias St. Elmo Lewis and it is still very
much in use today.

You can apply it to every sales campaign you run. And you can use it to create an
overview of all your sales campaigns, to ensure you don't miss steps. (If you're a visual
learner, you'll love this model!)

Here's how our example works... Your targeted visitor sees your sign-up offer and jumps
into your stream (i.e.: Parts with his contact information). He collects his "reward" -- the
mouth-watering incentive you've offered, such as a free five-page report or a "how-to"
video -- and is immediately directed to a special, exclusive "one time only" offer.
You stay in touch, and eventually present him with another offer -- your twenty-five-
page Report (which contains a voluntary link to your six-week intensive course. During
the course, you direct him to a basic, free "Silver" membership forum, to help him make
the best use of all the related materials he's bought.

He joins, and is presented with the option to upgrade to your exclusive Gold
membership, where he'll have access to resources that Silver members don't. Once he's
well established as a dedicated, loyal Gold member, you offer him one-on-one coaching.

That's the end of your first sales funnel (i.e. sales campaign).

But say he changes directions or decides your offerings are not quite right for him
halfway down the funnel at your twenty-five page report... You don't just let him leave --
you direct him to a more suitable sales funnel (either yours or presented by a near-
competitor... of whom you are an affiliate). So you make money on your subscriber even
as he's heading out the door!

Meanwhile, he's still on your mailing list, so when you're ready to present your next
sales campaign, he'll receive an offer to sign up for your next free incentive.

Finally, notice how one sales funnel naturally flows into a new one as it concludes. If
you have a solid business plan and clearly defined goals, you can plan your Sales funnels
like a seamlessly-woven, intricate ballet!

And you didn't just sell one product and "Goodbye, Mr. Customer!" -- Instead, you
presented him with opportunity after opportunity to build an enjoyable and rewarding
relationship with you and take his unique journey, with your invaluable help.

This is how you create "back end" customers who are loyal for life. These are the real
gems among your subscribers.

TIP: The key to effective sales funnels that embrace your customers rather than repel
them is FLOW. Each step should feel like a natural progression, with making
money taking a back seat to service. Get inside your customer's head and get to know
him, and you will be able to anticipate his needs and serve up the solutions -- just as
he is beginning to realize he needs them.
That's a perfect sales funnel model!

It's important to have exit points (and make the most of them by directing those
opting out to more suitable paid products) at regular intervals during each sales
funnel. All funnels have a natural life cycle -- so you have to work hard to keep your
customers interested and eager to see what you have next to offer them.
Always remember: A planned sales funnel allows you to organize and time your
offerings to make the most money from each customer or client -- and have them not only
thank you for it, but eagerly await your next funnel.

Step Six: Outsourcing (and Working It into Your Plans)

If you take a really close look at top marketers, you'll become aware they all indulge in
one crucial practice: And that is outsourcing.

Outsourcing is the online equivalent to hiring employees. And it's absolutely insane not
to plan to outsource, if you have set up your business for anything more complex than a
rigidly limited amount of service provided (by you personally) during rigidly limited
hours -- in other words, if your business is for pocket money only and is more of a
hobby, you might not need to outsource. For everyone else, planning to outsource various
aspects of their business should be a given.

Put it this way: Would PEPSI® be the multi-million-dollar profit-making company it is

today if Charles Guth had personally delivered every bottle to all the candy shops and
restaurants across the United States? Naturally, he contracted drivers to deliver the
bottles and concentrated on his own best money-making skill -- management!

(Pepsi's inventor, Caleb Bradham, actually went bankrupt in 1931 -- in spite of being
properly patented and marketed on a much smaller scale for many years).

Outsource contractors are not employees: They are independent online entrepreneurs
like yourself who provide specialized services on an "as-needed", package or contract
basis.

Outsource contractors, used wisely, can save you time and allow you to make more
money.

What Should You Outsource?

You can outsource almost every aspect of your business -- but should you?

If you're just starting out, you'll want to plan your contracting as carefully as you
plan everything else, with specific goals and checkpoints.

You may start out with just one outsource contractor as a regular part of your business...
or you may outsource a one-time-only, time-eating task such as setting up your shopping
cart. And then plan to add more as:
 a. Your business grows and broadens in reach
b. Your profits increase

One easy way to determine what needs outsourcing: Tasks can be outsourced; anything
needing either your unique, outstanding talent or your personality shouldn't be. (Of
course, anything can be outsourced, if you do it correctly... but if you're just starting
out, it's preferable that you become known and visible in your niche, and create lasting
relationships first.)

Make a list of everything that needs doing in your business. Highlight anything that you
lose money and time trying to set up yourself.

Those are the first tasks you should outsource!

How to Find Reliable Outsource Contractors

Another advantage of planning from day one what you're going to outsource (even if
you can't afford to do it yet): You can keep your ear to the wire and take note of
contractors who gather glowing recommendations from your customers, niche members
and peers. Word of mouth is the best way to find out who does an exceptional job -- and
who doesn't.

Many marketers on shoestring budgets are willing to start out with a new contractor in
order to get lower rates, but I don't recommend this. You'll end up spending too much
time reviewing her work and re-explaining how to do things. You'll lose time if she has
to re-do a project (or a section of it). And she may make as many mistakes as you would,
if you performed a task yourself.

On the other hand, if you go to someone who is at the absolute summit of their niche,
they won't have much patience with a fumbling "newbie" business owner. They'll expect
top-notch organization from you, delivered on schedule without a minute to spare. And
they won't hold your hand (unless you're paying them millions).

Your best bet is to go to someone whose expertise is independent of your skill level -- for
example, if you wanted your physical office painted, it wouldn't matter to a house painter
if you were a barrister or a private investigator -- he knows how to paint your four walls a
nice, bright butter cream with maximum efficiency in a minimum time frame (and the
best ones clean up after themselves, too). He'll charge you a set rate, regardless of
whether or not you're just starting out, because that's what his skill is worth.

On the other hand, if you're hiring him to help you paint, an experienced painter wouldn't
want to take the job on because he would lose massive amounts of time (and therefore
money -- as well as your job cutting into other clients' time) correcting your mistakes,
helping you undo things you've done wrong, showing you the correct way to hold
a brush, going to the paint store with you to select paint, etc. etc.

If in doubt, choose someone a few steps ahead of you, with similar business size and
mindset. Or choose a larger, more formal outsourcing company with set rates for specific
tasks.

Online tasks you may (or may not) wish to outsource traditionally include:

 Content creation -- copy writing, ad writing, website page writing, ad

creation, blog posts or articles written, information products ghost written, etc.

 Graphics creation -- banners for your affiliates, WordPress theme

customization, page headers or eBook covers designed, etc.

 Website design

 Affiliate management

 Autoresponder set up and management

 Shopping cart set up and management

 Social Media networking

 Promotion campaigns

 Office tasks -- uploading your completed articles to directories, answering

emails, etc. (The right virtual assistant can be a great help with these
miscellaneous time-suckers.)

 Customer Service -- make sure that anyone who handles customer service for
you is viewed by your subscribers as "the same as dealing with [yourname] in
person!"

TIP: Always, always check every reference! Start your outsource contractor off
with a small task, if possible, and keep tabs on whether or not she completes it to
deadline.
In short -- does your outsourcing specialist deliver?

Remember that outsource contractors are not employees: You won't be able to call most
of them up at the drop of a hat and ask them to do a task on the spur of the moment. You
won't be their only client, and you may have to wait for their services, if you
approach them at the last minute.

Many online entrepreneurs contract a set number of hours per month for
outsource contractors they know they'll need on an ongoing basis.

When you are dealing with outsource contractors, it becomes even more important to get
into good scheduling and organizational habits so you can make the most of her time
and get the best value for your dollar.

(We'll be revisiting outsourcing in our fourth and final lesson: "Tracking, Testing and
Tips - Listening To Your List".)

Summary

This first guide has been all about organization and structure -- making sure everything
is in place, dotting each necessary "i" and crossing every "t". Don't skip these steps in
your eagerness to surge forward and start making money: Sloppiness at this stage will
almost certainly result in time-consuming back-tracking later, as well as subjecting you
to the dangers of distraction and online overload.

On the following page, you'll find a two-part blank "Sales funnel" Worksheet set: One
you can fill in using MS Word, if you prefer text-based organization... and a graphic one,
for those who like visual or hands-on planning. (Use them both, for maximum
efficiency.) Print out as many copies of these as you like -- and use them to help
organize your campaigns until you've got the swing of funnel planning.

TIP: Don't just use the blank "Sales funnel" Worksheets for campaigns -- use them as
planning aids for other aspects of your business! For example, complete an "Outsourcing
Schedule" funnel.

Remember to complete your weekly assignment, after the worksheet!

See you back soon for Lesson Two: "Targeting and Taming Traffic -- How You Can
Quickly Build Your List"!
 My Sales funnel

Week 1

Week 2

Week 3

Week 4

Week 5
NOTES:
WEEKLY ASSIGNMENT:

This may seem like a lot of work, but it will feel a lot easier if you complete one
question per night over the next seven days. Carrying out your assignment in bite-size
pieces will help keep each step clear in your mind, and result in more focused attention
and retention on your part, (rather than trying to rush through everything at once and
remembering nothing).

1. Answer the ten questions in "Step One: Finding Your Focus".

2. Create a one-page "Working Plan" version of your business plan. Think of this
as a "thumbnail sketch" of your completed business plan.
Include:
 Your startup capital amount $_____________________
 Your projected monthly expenses $________________
 What you are going to sell (services or product
_____________________________________________
 Who you are targeting
_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
 Your mission statement, if you have one (can be worked into a powerful
tagline, if your mission statement is clear and strong)
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
 Define as clearly as possible your business goals, including how much
you expect to make by what date(s)
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________

Read the Can-Spam Act.

3. Create at least a Privacy Policy page for your site, as well as a Disclaimer page
or paragraph and a copyright notice. Consider Terms of Service also.
 5. If you are an affiliate marketer, read your merchant's or affiliate network's terms
of service carefully and make note of dos and don'ts.
6. Print out or fill out either the Graphic or MS Word Sales funnel form,
brainstorming potential offerings. Create at least one solid funnel and create a
timeline for the first two-three offerings.
7. Decide what you are going to outsource. Label tasks in order of priority and
work them into your flexible business plan.

Time for Lesson Two!

Lesson Two: Targeting and Taming Traffic -- How You Can Quickly
Build Your List

Now we are approaching the core of your new business, no matter what type of online
business you've chosen to create. And that's traffic.

Visitors to your site should turn into subscribers -- people who voluntarily give you their
contact information, so you can share information, build a community, gain their trust
and loyalty -- and occasionally let them know about your paid offers.

There are two types of traffic: Directed and organic. "Directed" means you've
identified your ideal customer and you are deliberately setting out to meet her directly --
via forums, mastermind groups, online clubs and social network.

Organic traffic is like the tourist who wanders into your physical antique shop: He
arrives by chance without being contacted by you directly, as a result of either being
in the neighborhood or searching for antiques.

You should make sure organic traffic is as targeted as possible and you should make
sure you help the wandering tourist find your antique shop (especially if it's in an out-of-
the-way location. To do this, you would make sure:

 Your shop is on a street that's on the way to a major tourist attraction -- not off
in a poor part of town where (a) no one spends money (b) tourists are highly
unlikely to go. (And if you had to start out in the latter location, you'd put up
signs, ads and hand out flyers close to other competitor locations.)
 Your storefront window is attractive, filled with the specific items sure to
entice that particular tourist inside
 Your display signs let him know clearly what he's going to find there (focusing
on the most important objects to that customer)
 You offer incentives such as "50% off to all tourists"

When your tourist gets inside your shop, you'd be sure to deliver on what its outside
(or your flyers or sandwich boards) promised. And you would create an emotional
connection by matching his conversational style and level of formality to your own,
using just enough personal observations to reassure him you understand where he's
coming from... but not so much that you turn into a bore, and make the conversation all
about you (and how great you are).

Above all, you make sure your shop is a comfortable place to be, with no irrelevant
merchandise cluttering the shelves and distracting him from the rare antique figurines
you'd like him to purchase. (In fact, you've made sure those are prominently and
attractively displayed!)
You're also aware of one of the most basic rules of retail: Namely that it can take seven
to twelve visits before a customer feels comfortable enough to buy. However, since you
know he's a tourist and you have a limited chance to "hook" him into purchasing, you've
also done everything you can to:

a. Make your store memorable -- and easy to find again

b. Stock it with targeted items geared to induce him to buy now (high demand, rare,
one of a kind, exclusive, just what he needs to complete a collection, etc.)
c. Add any other incentives you can think of, to convince him to buy now
(E.G.: The "50% off to all tourists sign")

Both organic and directed traffic are important to your success, but let's not waste time
theorizing on exactly how much each group is worth: Do your best to make sure both
chance visitors and directly-sent ones are the right type of visitors from the word "go" --
visitors most likely to want what you have to offer ("pre-qualified" or "targeted") and
also visitors who are:

 In the habit of buying

 Comfortable with the price range you're setting

There's no point gearing all your efforts to luring in tourists who will adore your antiques
but are actually students, in town on a shoestring budget. At the most, they'll end up
eating the free cookies and drinking your free coffee. And even though you'll both have a
lovely chat, this is your livelihood and business, and they'll waste time you could better
spend cultivating the rich, older tourist over in the corner -- the one who's walking out the
door because you didn't get a chance to bring out those antique millefiori lamps he was
actually looking for.

In reality, you won't want to be so focused on making money that you rudely kick out all
student tourists while making a beeline for the rich older guy: You'd want a nice balance,
where your student finds a small item he can afford (throw in a free "guide to collecting
antiques for the beginner" booklet) or gets his eyes opened to the world of antiques while
you have a chance to direct the older tourist to those Venetian Millefiori lamps. You'd
want to be able to share your passion (antiques, in this case) in a fun and helpful way --
while making a cozy income from it.

That's what you call a win-win situation: The student gets fed, remembers your store with
gratitude and comes back four years later when he's working as an electrical engineer and
pulling down a good salary (his newfound passion for antiques sparked by that 1780's
letter knife he purchased and your free guide, that fateful day he first dropped in). Your
rich tourist gets his Millefiori lamps -- and two days later unexpectedly returns, bringing
his wife and another couple he met on the trip to purchase, between them, a
Queen Anne chair and a set of rare daguerreotypes (paying your mortgage for the
month!)

When you relate your online business to a concrete, physical offline business like that,
it's much easier for a new online entrepreneur to see the parallels and instinctively grasp
what needs to be done to create that "win-win" customer/client situation.

Why? Because every one of us has favorite physical stores. Every one of us has been in
an unfamiliar town (or part of town) and discovered that "gem" of a shop -- and been able
to remember where to find it again; either because the location was so easy to get to or
because it wasn't -- but the store owner slipped that lovely bookmark with his store's
address (and a little map) on the back of it into your shopping bag when you bought that
fifty-cent lace doily.

If you keep your own real-world shopping experiences in mind at all times when
you're fine-tuning your website, adding content and setting out to meet your ideal
customer in the right places, you'll make better decisions about what works, when it
comes to funneling traffic to your storefront (i.e. website) door -- and what doesn't!

Step One: Market/Keyword Research Tools

Market and keyword research play a key role in bringing those ideal customers to your
online doorstep. The trick is to combine a balance of multiple techniques, rather than
focus on one single traffic generation method -- yet most people seem to end up with
tunnel vision. Either they go whole-hog on using Google AdWords' free keyword tool or
swear by "social search". Either they like Market Samurai or insist Traffic Travis
keyword research software/system is better.

The truth is... all these systems work well, to some degree. Your best bet is to use
common sense and think like your customer. Does she really input search terms like
"guava jelly make batch"... or does she type "how to make guava jelly" into her search
bar? (What would YOU type?)

On top of keyword research, survey your potential market. Turn to external sources to
find out what's hot right now and what is trending.

Let's go into each in a little more detail...

Surveys and Polls -- You can simply ask your potential audience what they need and
what they prefer. You can do this in forum posts and the social networks you frequent...
or offline by standing with a clipboard in your local shopping mall. (Get permission for
the latter, of course).
You can also invite people on your social networks (and forums, if allowed) to answer a
short poll or send them to survey links. Use an app like Polldaddy or Zoomerang, if
doing polling via email, mobile or a social network such as Facebook or Twitter. (With
social networks, you'll know if the polling or survey app is an allowed app because it will
be available for installation from within your social network, if so.)

If you need people to answer a more in-depth survey, you can create a free account with
an online survey company such as Survey Monkey.

All of these services have basic, free accounts, which are perfectly adequate if you're on a
shoestring budget... but you can also upgrade to take advantage of more powerful testing
and tracking tools not available at the basic level, so work that into your longer-term
goals and budget, if you find one that's a good fit for you. (The polling apps are quite
expensive, starting at around $199 per month... but Survey Monkey's "Pro" version starts
at a mere $19 CAD per month (if paid annually -- slightly more for monthly) and offers:

 Custom URLS and design options

 Unlimited questions and responses
 SSL/HTTPS security
 Ability to export via Excel or .PDF reports

You can also use Survey Monkey within Facebook or provide links within emails,
mobiles and your blog or website.

TIP: Keep Surveys as single-focused and short as possible -- Any more than ten
questions, and you risk losing your participant.

Use a combination of radio buttons (90% minimum) and one or two text fields that allow
your participant to share thoughts not allowed for within your "closed" radio button
responses.

A "closed" response is one that invites simple yes or no answers... or a small number of
rigid, pre-selected answers:
An "open" response occurs when your respondent has the ability to answer freely:

While you should keep open responses to a minimum, a single, focused "open"
question can often net you valuable suggestions or point out problems you can easily
solve for your niche (ones that your competitors obviously haven't tackled yet!)

Statistical Analysis Sites -- It's also important to analyze your competition. You can do
this easily by turning to statistical analysis sites such as Quantcast and Alexa.

These are easy enough to use: Simply register for a free account and input your
competitor's URL (and the URLS of other, nearest competitors, if allowed) and study
the results!

You'll be able to see data such as:

 What keywords your competitor is paying PPC dollars to "own"

 What keywords he is ranking well for
 His overall site ranking
 His visitor demographic

And more.

Let's take a closer look...

Quantcast -- If you're established enough with your own site, by all means take
advantage of Quantcast's sophisticated site analysis and tracking tools:
However, if your site is brand new (I.E. it won't show up yet in Quantcast)
and/or all you want to do is collect basic demographic data on your competitors,
don't be intimidated and don't overcomplicate things by forcing yourself into a
distracting learning curve with this stats site.

Simply type your competitor's URL in the search box at the top of the page,
and you'll be instantly served a statistical overview...

You can also scroll down the page for specific data categories, which you can
then expand by pressing the "See More" button at the bottom of each category
summary.
 Quantcast gives you information such as:

 Site visitor and user demographics for your country

 "Audience also likes" information
 Traffic frequency (per country plus globally)
 Business activity (if available)

The "Audience Also Likes" category can be an invaluable tool for finding other
places your audience likes to hang out. Studying these additional competitors
can help give you a much more complete picture of your ideal customer's habits
and preferences:

DRAWBACK: If your competitor is "small potatoes", you won't find enough

specific site data for that competitor on Quantcast to be useful.

Alexa -- This industry standard-setting stats analysis site has changed greatly over
the years... but (as with Quantcast) you can still help yourself to an instant
overview by simply entering your competitor's URL in the Search Bar at the
top of Alexa's home page.

More to the point, you can input either your topic/product -- and have Alexa
actually use an auto-suggest function to suggest competitor URLS to you!
And this is what would happen if you completed the keyword you were typing
(in this case, "bab" becomes "babies").
 You'd be served up not only an instant list of competitors and their sites (and
basic data) but also their top keywords!

If any of these competitors are a good match for your business, you can take the
listed keywords and use them in creating articles or blog posts!

Step Two: Looking Elsewhere for your Target

Analytical sites can be handy -- especially when you're starting to build traffic on
your own site and you want to measure yours against your competitors -- but don't
get too hung up on them and don't let them overwhelm you!

Use them simply to get a feel for competitor size and reach -- and a sneak peek
at competitor keywords and demographics.

But you can take a strictly "non-techie" approach to easily finding out what your
potential best site visitor is currently passionate about.

Offline -- Check out magazine stands in stores such as Chapters or Indigo. The basic
rule is... if there's a magazine for it, it's hot!

If there are no magazines for your topic, don't rule it out completely: Some topics are
too small and tight, niche-wise, to justify magazine investment... but they might be
large enough for you to dominate.
If there is a magazine relevant to your topic, however, use the cover headlines and
interior regular monthly "department" titles to tip you off to subjects that absorb
your potential customer's interest.

Online -- Visit sites such as eBay, Magazines.com and -- especially! -- Amazon.com.

Amazon will always be your biggest competitor, so go there and:

 Look for the "holes" -- topics not covered that you know your audience is
passionate about. Then cover them.
 Look for hot niches that are not overly generalized. Remember, as a small
online marketer, the more specific you can be with keywords and topics,
the more likely you are to rank well for these
 Consider becoming an Amazon affiliate and providing Amazon links on
your site!
Why add this extra step? Well, Amazon may look like it's commissions are small,
compared to independent online "gurus" and marketers -- but it makes up for it in
sheer volume of targeted competition. Your income can quickly jump from less than
a couple of hundred dollars per month to a couple of thousand with one well-chosen,
timely Amazon link... and the Amazon link on your site can often draw in much
targeted traffic.
The key is to pick a link to a product that is the natural, "next-step" choice for
your targeted visitors -- something that will delight them by dramatically
increasing the quality of their life: For example, if yours is a book review site,
place a link to Amazon's Kindle reader in your sidebar, along with a short
paragraph about its unique benefits.
(Then make sure you have your own eBook uploaded to Kindle!)

Complaints -- Another overlooked area of market research lies in what people are
complaining about within your niche.

There are several ways to find out these complaints:

1. Enter your keywords in Google, and let its auto-suggest feature show you if
there are any major issues. If your keyword doesn't show negative results, try
provocative "leading" keywords such as "recall" or "problem with". Then scan
the results to see if there is something you can address for your site visitors... or
use as a strong sign up incentive: For example, if your site was all about mobile
communication, a video explaining how to solve the problem with Skype's
playback device or tackling the most common iPhone 4 problem...
 Be creative! Think of other "negative" keywords you could use that might
supply clues for your market:

 Complaint with
 Sorting out
 Solving
 Fixing
 Fixing a broken
 The worst thing about
 Overcoming
 How do you
 Help with

Just keep going till something brings up a strong subject you can use in your
niche: For example, using the keyword "help with" would not work if your
current niche was "silk flower arranging" -- but would provide you with two
whopping big clues as to your target visitors biggest concerns, if your site dealt
with "self help":

You might want to take the keywords "help with depression" and "help with
anxiety" and write blog posts or directory articles about them, to draw in
targeted visitors.

2. Social Networks and Forums -- You'll also see specific complaints voiced on
your social networks and in forums you belong to or monitor. The advantage of
keeping on top of these venues: They're populated with pre-qualified contacts.
In other words, you've likely "friended" people with similar niche interests; or
you've picked forums dealing with your niche topic.

For this reason alone, there's one other aspect of social reach you shouldn't
ignore: And that's the power of social badges and icons. All social platforms
allow you to easily create "Like" or "Share" badges -- which you can then place
 on your website, to encourage your targeted readers to spread the word and help
your site go viral.

Make sure you put social badges and share buttons on every site you own!

Also beef up your site's interactivity by using apps provided by your social
network, such as Twitter's apps displaying your latest tweets. And in the
unlikely event social networking is news to you, the four main networks you
should strongly consider creating a consistent presence on (I.E.: At least 15
minutes per day posting and responding to comments) are:

 Google+
 Facebook
 LinkedIn
 Twitter

The key to building visibility and trust through social networking lies in the word
"consistency" -- and that means posting at the same time of day at least three times
a week (better daily).

Step Three: Exploring Traffic Generation Tools

Another method you can add to your traffic generation routine: Using niche-finding and
keyword-generating tools such as the ones we've already mentioned...

Google AdWords Free KeyWord Tool -- You can use this as a quick, stand-alone
keyword checker... or in conjunction with your AdWords account. (The
disadvantage of using it as a standalone: Nowadays, it only allows you one shot
at entering keywords, before it requires you to sign in.)

Here's how it works: You enter the keywords you'd like to check, fill in the
Captcha code, and set your matches to either "Exact" or "Phrase". If you have
two keywords you like and are in a quandary about which one would be best,
simply enter both (in fact, the more keywords you can think up, the merrier).
BROAD: results for each individual word E.G. if your keyword is "making soap"
you could get results for "making" or "soap"
EXACT: results for your exact keyword E.G. "making soap" -- you would only get
results for phrases containing "making soap" (but not "making" alone or "soap" alone)
PHRASE: Adds together the results for phrases that have all the words in your
keyword in the order you wrote them -- "making" and "making soap at home" but
not "soap making instructions" (add the latter as a separate keyword!)

Fill in the CAPTCHA code and submit. (You can also add other filters to give
you the type of results you want, in the order you prefer.)

When you hit the "Search" button, it serves up your results in two columns; one
on top of the other. The top column contains your exact keywords; the bottom
contains actual results...

Sort from highest number to lowest ("descending") and discard/ignore any

results under 1,000 monthly searches. The higher, the better -- up to 9,000. Any
lower than 1,000 searches and you know there's not enough interest; any higher
than 9,000 and competition is most likely too fierce. Then cross-check your
chosen results in Google's search bar:
If you see results in the millions, it's a sure sign your keyword is too broad.
Narrow it down to something specific: For example, if you had a millefiori
lamp in the antique store you're trying to promote, you might want to enter
 "venetian glass millefiori" instead of "antique lamp". (You're looking for a
search result under 150,000 -- and the lower the better!)

In other words, if you find a keyword that gives you 9,960 global monthly
searches in your Google AdWords KeyTool and only 3,400 searches in Google -
- you've hit diamond! Do something with that keyword (preferably register the
domain "VenetianGlassMillefiori.com" and start writing a Millefiori blog or
using it as a sales or squeeze page to drive traffic to your main site or offer!)

GOOD: 9,000 in Adwords: 3,400 searches in Google

BAD: 280 in AdWords: 3,600,429 in Google

ut it's not the end of the world if your favorite keyword has a high search
count in Google: You can level the playing field by creating inexpensive ads
in your social networks or with Google AdWords. (More of that later...)

There are also other keyword research tools with a solid reputation and years
of development behind them. Two of the best are:

Market Samurai -- Provides not only keyword research software you can
download but also a solid and very clear training system, starting with an
excellent video on "Introduction to Killer Keyword Research". (If you're still
mystified by keywords and don't really understand what makes a niche
viable, it's well worth watching!)

Market Samurai also offers a free trial -- but if you purchase it during the first 7
days, you currently get a 35% discount, bringing today's price down from $149
to $97.

Traffic Travis -- Works very well at the free level. You can turn it into a tracking
device by entering your website URL or leave that field blank and use TT
strictly as a keyword research tool. Its unique features include allowing you to
add or remove search engines, either in multiple or individually.
You can set how often you'd like to update your search rankings (daily, weekly,
monthly) as well as tell it how many results you'd like to see. (If you've entered
your URL, TT shows you if your site is in top ten for the keyword you are
working with. It tracks by collecting pages and noting search positions and each
keywords overall backlink counts.

The TT dashboard gives you lots of data for your site -- and those linked to you.
You can also save/export your dashboard data results as a report by selecting
PDF or CSV icon under the project icon. You can switch between different
projects, edit or delete them.
 TT also lets you enter your AdWords account to make your project data even
more relevant, if you desire. Its SEO section helps you see how your
competitors are ranking.

Drawbacks: Can be slow while fetching keyword results (we're talking seconds
here). There are also limitations on the number of searches per session.

Pros: Short, clear videos when you open each tab and a handy domain name
suggestion tool.

If you do decide to upgrade to the Pro version, the one-time fee is $97 at time
of writing.

There are other traffic and keyword software systems, but the ones mentioned in
this section have proven to be, over the years, the most consistently reliable with the
best support.

Remember -- never rely on any one system alone, but do use a combination of:

 Keyword search via Google (and its autosuggest function)

 Google AdWords, to check if there is a strong paid interest in your keyword
(i.e. do advertisers pay for it) and too much/too little competition
 A software system, if desired
 Actual market research from your niche members

And when you've done all that, you're finally ready to begin generating traffic for your
niche!

Step Four: Optimization

You've done your market and keyword research. You're starting to get a strong picture of
your ideal customer or client. You've collected powerful, targeted keywords, and
identified strong market needs.

Now what do you do with these keywords and how do you make the most of this
information?

1. Titles and Headlines -- Whenever it feels natural and logical to do so, include
your strong keyword in the headline or title to your blog posts, articles or sales
letter and squeeze page headlines. Don't force it, however! I
2. Meta data -- If yours is a static site, include keywords in your Meta description
and Meta tags
3. Plugins -- If yours is a WordPress site, install the All in One SEO Pack plugin --
and be sure to use it for each post! This powerful, reliable plugin allows you to
input your title, description and tags (keywords) by scrolling down to the
textarea boxes provided as you write or edit each post:

Create a Site Map -- Okay, so you don't do anything with keywords here -- but
creating a Site Map will make your website or blog much more palatable than
sites that don't create one and it will include your keywords, if you have named
pages or posts using them. You can auto-generate a Site Map for your HTML-
based static site using XML-sitemaps... or you can add the Google XML
Sitemaps plugin to your WordPress-based site right from within your plugins
dashboard. These generators crawl your site and index it automatically, so you
don't have to spend hours indexing and compiling it yourself.
4. Rename your posts -- WordPress will assign an arbitrary name to each post's
HTML file... but you can easily edit your post to replace it with your keyword.
All you do is click the "Edit" button and replace the highlighted area with
your keyword:

6. Submit Your Site to Site Directories -- There are lots of directories out there,
and you can directly submit a link to your site at most of these: However, it's
not really necessary to do this. Two exceptions apply:
Submit your site to DMOZ. (Submitting your site once to this central,
open directory project is the same as submitting your site to hundreds
of others.)
 If you find a highly niche-specific directory your market likes to
frequent, sign up and start submitting articles!
All this, of course, assumes that your content -- the material on your website; your blog
posts, articles, special reports, You Tube videos and other incentives -- is top notch.

But relax -- this doesn't mean you have to be the next Jack Canfield: It simply means you
have to give your visitors what they want: simply, directly and clearly. And your
content has to be easy to view/read -- with no distractions.

If you always keep these two directives in mind, your content will rock!

Step Five: Putting It All Together

There's no doubt that the preceding techniques are all powerful and necessary ways to
attract and draw in both more specifically targeted traffic and organic traffic searching
for your keywords.
But these are just the basics. And there are even more basics you need to make sure are
in place!

1. Include a Sign Up web form with a strong incentive -- All of these actions
you've been reading about would be completely useless without a sign-up form
on your website! The easiest way to create one is directly from your
Autoresponder: Then embed the code into your site. (Simply copy-paste it into
your Sidebar as a text widget, if you're using WordPress.)

Autoresponder services such as Aweber provide a selection of templates you

can use -- with customizable colors in most cases -- so that you can suit your
sign-up form to your site design.

But the most important component your sign up form has to include is a strong
incentive. People are naturally resistant to giving away contact information, so
you need to provide them with a reason so powerful it overcomes their
reluctance.

At the very worst, you want them to say: "Darn it, I have to give them my email
address. Oh well -- where else will I get a free "Easy Soap Making Instruction"
video?"
 At the very best, you want visitors to be so excited, they're eagerly scrambling
to provide it!

So make sure your web form itself contains at least two links: One in the
description at the top of the box ("Get your soap making instruction video now")
and one in your button. (Don't just use "Submit" -- Try something that hooks
the emotions like "Send My Video!")

As an online entrepreneur, always thinking about and including the "call to

action" -- telling your visitor to do something right now -- should become
second nature. You can include calls to action in articles, posts, ads, comments,
social networking posts -- and web forms.

2. Use Email! -- No point in having an Autoresponder unless you put its powers to
good use. And that includes staying in touch with your brand new subscriber by
email.

You can use emails to:

 Deliver mini-courses
 Send really useful, unique niche tips
 Impart cutting-edge niche information
 Let your subscribers know about great offers from other marketers
that you think would be a perfect fit
 Let your subscribers know about your next offer

(We'll go into more depth on creating effective email campaigns in our next lesson.)

3. Find a JV partner -- One of the best ways to quickly increase traffic is to align
yourself with a JV (joint venture) partner.

Don't worry -- this doesn't mean hiring a lawyer and going for a complex
corporate merger: It can be as simple as inviting a more experienced marketer
with a bigger list to be your affiliate! If you know how to do this properly, you
may be pleasantly surprised by receiving a "sure I'll do that" as a response.

Sure, they get thousands of offer, but here's the big secret about approaching
better-known potential JV partners:

 Most of the offers they get are amateurish, sloppy and unrealistic
 If you offer a niche leader something that will be perfect for their
subscribers, generate as little work as possible for them (and give
them a big incentive: I.E. commission, sales) they'll jump on it!
 The one incentive you can't offer, at this point, is a big list -- but take care of the
rest of their concerns and it's not impossible they'll help you get your big start so
you can quickly create one!

The two biggest mistakes to avoid: Thinking your experienced partner will do
all the "hard stuff" for you and thinking you can lean on JV partners for hand-
holding. (If that's what you're look for, hire a coach!) Au contraire, you need to
make it as easy as possible for a super-partner to work with you -- all they
should have to do is copy-paste the affiliate link you've already created for
them (along with a resource section or page, packed with affiliate resources
such as banner ads, graphics, an email series, FAQs, PLR articles they can
customize and use [optional], and your contact information.

If you're approaching a niche guru or super-affiliate, you may even wish to

offer 100% commission -- what you lose in sales, you'll make up for in targeted
traffic, with new additions for your own list! (Don't offer less than 75%
commission to super affiliates or niche celebrities.)

Finally, make sure your freebie incentive, OTO and/or bonus and paid product
are polished and ready to go before you approach your potential JV partner.

Make it a [profitable] pleasure for them to work with you!

4. Create an affiliate program -- Creating a wonderful product without an affiliate

program attached to it is like cooking a gourmet feast and inviting only one
person to the banquet. If you're doing it as a personal gesture for a loved one,
that's emotionally very satisfying -- but if you're opening a restaurant, you want
as many happy, paying customers as possible to pay for a seat at your tables!

One easy way to have that happen: Use the power of affiliate marketing! Invite
others to publicize your "feast", offering them commissions and incentives (such
as freebies that will entertain and delight their subscribers).

Make it easy for them -- as with the JV partners we just took a look at -- by
providing a resource section containing banner ads, email templates, graphics,
etc. You can also offer other incentives such as lifetime cookies or special cash
rewards or "prizes" for above-average performance.

If creating an affiliate program sounds too complex, you can always outsource its
management to a VA or Affiliate Manager who specializes in this area.

Or you can simply upload your product to an online marketplace such as

ClickBank, where affiliate management, affiliate payment and product
processing is all automatically done for you. (HINT: Still create a resource
section for your affiliates and let them know about it!)
 And there's one other powerful reason for allowing subscribers and customers to
become affiliates: Sharing part of your pie can create lifetime loyalty -- and
committed back-end customers!

5. Make sure your sites are secure -- A lesser-known part of traffic generation and
retention lies in creating secure sites: Ones that won't plummet in Google ratings
after a viral attack or lose your affiliates commissions (and interrupt your flow),
shaking customer trust, as you have to change or rebuild damaged sites.
Use only reputable web hosts such as Hostgator. Never share login information
with anyone except your trusted contractors, such as your VA or Affiliate
Manager.
Use a central, secure password manager service such as Roboform or Lastpass
for storing passwords. If you are operating from MAC OS X, 1Password works
very well.
When creating passwords: Use a minimum of nine characters, and make sure
you have a random mix of letters and numbers. (Avoid using actual words: If
you have to make up a "word" in order to remember, create a nonsense word
like "norflr" that you can remember but no one else can guess -- either directly
or with a program that inputs dictionary words!)
Finally, if you use WordPress, there are two key steps to take:

 NEVER use "admin" when creating your login name while

setting up a new WordPress blog -- use a random number-letter
combo instead (E.G.: "em90d3hh8") -- and be sure to make a note
of it (manually, as well as on your computer!)
 Do install the WP Security Scan plugin. (You can find it and
instantly install it by entering "WP Security Scan" in "Add New"
on your Plugins dashboard.)

Summary:

We've covered a lot of ground in this lesson! Don't worry if you're finding it hard to
absorb all the information -- focus on each step one at a time, rather than trying to rush
through everything at once.

If you need to take a week to get to know your Autoresponder and view all the videos and
tutorials, then take that week -- but schedule in a segment of time every day (not more
than your brain can comfortably hold!)
Knowing whether or not you are going to do things yourself or outsource will make a
difference to your business schedule -- the one you're creating in your daytimer or online
calendar. This guide should have given you a taste of what's involved. Looking at an
overview can help you decide:

 What to invest time in learning -- and what to outsource

 Whether or not it's important to learn a certain aspect right now
 Whether it can be tabled till you're further along
 What methods you're going to invest in -- and what you're going to ignore
 Roughly how much you're looking at, in one-time or monthly costs per
marketing tool or method
 How much to budget -- both right now and later

An overview can help you plan more efficiently -- but relax! Your weekly assignment
will focus only on the essentials you need to grasp right now.
WEEKLY ASSIGNMENT:

Again, don't try to tackle this all at once. Focus on one "question" per day and you'll be
miles ahead of your peers! (There are only six questions in this assignment, giving you
"breathing room" to stretch either task #1 or task # 5 over two days, if required.)

1. Start or refine your market research right away. Decide on at least 3

methods to use, and set them up. For example...

a. Install the Polldaddy app within Facebook, and run a quick poll among
your Facebook Friends (be sure to ask your Friends to "share" your
link!)
b. Go visit Chapters or Indigo, study the magazine section,
finding magazines that tackle your niche category. Take notes
c. Sign up for Survey Monkey and create a short, ten-question survey. Blog
about it and finish with a call to action, asking people to take the survey.
(Offer a bribe or reward, if you don't normally get a lot of response -- and
ask people to share the link.)

2. Always end polls, surveys, posts and sign-up forms with a call to action, as well
as asking others to "share". This may seem obvious to you, but studies show
more people will do it if you do the obvious -- and tell them what step you want
them to take next.

3. Identify 3-5 top competitors. (HINT: If you can run at least one in Alexa or
Quantcast, you may even be given a list of "similar" sites to study). Check out
their demographics in Alexa and Quantcast. Visit their sites and look for
feedback on their products. See if you can identify what their products seem to
be missing -- that you could supply (even if your product just has an easier
"how to" video tutorial with the download).

4. Search for complaints regarding your niche topic in Google, using phrases
such as "problem with", "complaints", "cons [your topic]", etc. See if those
complaints trigger ideas for blog posts, articles, quick "how to" videos or
products! Write these down and put the list in your project folder! (You do
have a project folder, right? Online or offline?)

5. Follow the first 5 steps in "Step Four: Optimization". Clean up anything that
needs cleaning up on your sites. (And add "share" badges, if you've already
started social networking.)
6. Decide on your sign-up incentive and schedule it for immediate creation.
Decide on a bonus and paid product too, and add those to the schedule. Begin
creation immediately.

Even if you're nowhere near this step, create a one-page tip list for your niche
and create a sign up form, offering this tip sheet (or anything else that is quick
but invaluable: E.G. a short "how to" video). Upload your tip sheet, Thank You
page and download link for the tip sheet -- and get that sign up form active on
your site, right away!

(There's no time like the present to start signing up subscribers right away --
and, when you get right down to it, that's the most important traffic generation
step of all!)
Lesson Three: Social Media, Branding, Advertising and Promotion

Social networking nowadays seems to play a huge, almost necessary part in branding
your business -- and helping your posts and products go viral.

By "viral", think "spreading like wildfire by word-of-mouth" -- something that's not

quite a trend and is highly interactive.

In this lesson, we'll look at a quick but thorough overview of the four most important
social networks and one that people don't usually think about (because they don't
realize it's a social sharing platform)... and we'll segue into advertising and promotion --
all an important part of branding and establishing your reputation, as well as building a
community. (You'll also find two handy worksheets you can play with, customize and
print.)

In our last lesson we touched on the four main social networks -- Google+, Facebook,
LinkedIn and Twitter. If there are other social networks more relevant to your business,
by all means substitute these or add them to your online social mix.

Overview of Social Platforms -- and How They Work

The most important factor to take into account is whether or not your niche community or
audience frequents a particular social network.

To find out, you'll need to keep your ear to the ground and monitor your top social
networks round the clock; preferably for at least a week or two.

Find out what time of day their presence is strongest -- then join in the conversation: It's
as simple as that.

One thing you need to know right now, however: It doesn't work to frequent social
networks in the expectation of making sales. Your primary purpose on social networks
has to be genuine, and has to be social. (Think "community" or even "club".)

What you are doing on these networks is becoming known, accepted and looked-for --
especially if you're new to your niche.

Better yet, think "schoolyard". You've just moved into the community from another
state, and you're the new kid in the class. The average person doesn't breeze in, start
telling everyone what to do, and demanding their interaction.

You make friends more slowly and naturally. (Face it, the only way people are going to
fall all over you as a new kid is if you're already a celebrity!)
So don't expect to take Facebook or Twitter by storm overnight -- but do expect success.
Sign up for all four platforms -- and schedule fifteen minutes a day (no more than half
an hour, maximum) to monitor the conversations you're served up.

Step One: Before You Join

Before registering for any social network, you'll need to put some serious thought and a
little preparation into what you want people to see and feel, once you arrive on the scene.
That means taking time to make the best of:

 Your profile photo

 Your short bio
 Your tagline

Have all three ready to upload -- most social platforms will ask for at least two out of
these three items.

You need to know:

 What message you want your photo, bio and tagline to convey
 Who you are talking to (your target subscriber)
 Who you are really talking about (HINT: not yourself and your
accomplishments and preferences, but how much your personality is going to
match theirs)

When you are setting up websites or straight business profiles, your focus would be
on what you can do for your best potential paying customer: When you are setting up
profiles on social media, "what you can do" is implied: It's more
important to make a connection by reassuring them you're on the same
wavelength. For example, while tradition states you should use a fairly
formal full-face headshot in profile photos, if your website and niche
focus is "winter cross-country skiing", you might want to have a hint
of wintry forest behind your head and a bright scarf round your neck.

With both websites and social networks, people aren't able to get to know you in person...
so your content, language and graphics have to do a good job of both honestly getting
across the "real you" and the message you want to convey about why you and visitors
or social friends will fit.

Ten Tips for Creating a Powerful Social Profile

Here are ten solid tips on making sure your profile photo and blurbs do a great job in
building your image (while letting your contacts see the real you:

1. Use the same photo on all social networks -- and on your website too

2. Focus on the person you want to attract -- and their likes, dislikes, needs,
wants and interests -- rather than bragging about your own accomplishments

3. Match your tone to your audience. Be more formal on more professionally-

oriented networks such as LinkedIn and (currently) Google+. Be chatty on
Facebook. Be succinct yet interesting on Twitter. And if your niche has a
"culture" which includes specialty terms, by all means use those terms. If your
niche is internet marketing, talk about JVs and CPM. If your niche is fishing,
talk about bucktails, crappies and coffee-grinders. If your niche is tennis, lace
1
your posts with knowledgeable comments about underspins and footfaults.

4. Write a fantastic (but short) description of what you're about. Familiarize

yourself with the number of characters or words allowed on each network, and
tailor your description to fit. Don't rush through this step -- spend as much time
on it as if you were writing a powerful resource box for an article directory; or
writing a headline for your sales letter!

5. Brainstorm with your friends, family and peers to come up with a catchy
tagline. (A tagline is just a slogan that gives listeners an instant impression of
what you're all about. Example: "Diamonds are forever" -- DeBeers (diamond
mining company).

Sometimes people remember your tagline better than they remember your
resource boxes and bios -- and taglines are crucial for branding, if you need
to brand your product or business.

6. Find the optimal time of day your audience hangs out -- and join them.

7. Be consistent and post regularly. (You'll soon have people looking for your
posts and tips, if they're valuable or interesting enough.)

8. Always remember that you can't "let your hair down" completely on a
social network: Your business will still be judged by your behavior there, if
people know you have a business. It's okay and sometimes even desirable to
make personal comments about your dog, kids, etc. -- but decide on your policy
about these personal areas before you make an off-the-cuff remark. (It's more
important to know what not to talk about than to worry about whether or not it's
too boring or chatty if you tell your Facebook friends you're "chug-a-lugging a
pint of chocolate soy milk".)

1 HINT: Specific niche jargon also makes for great keywords -- providing you know what you're
talking about!
 9. If you're brand new, try not to butt in to conversations until you've been
"introduced" or invited -- The only time "butting in" is acceptable is when
you're congratulating someone or sending sympathy (and, even then, express
your congratulations or condolences and say nothing more in that post). Once
someone responds to you, it's okay to begin conversations or join in. (Think
"schoolyard" again, and don't force things.)

10.Guard against being sucked into social networking purely for entertainment.
They can be enjoyable -- but total time-killers and schedule disrupters! (And
avoid playing games -- you really don't want potential customers or clients
noting that you spend six hours a day on CityVille; or become irritated because
you're pestering them with "Neighbor" invitations.

And most of all -- if a social network allows you to create a Page for your business --
create one! Straight away! (Worry about tweaking and fine tuning it later.)

Let's take a closer look at each of the four major social networks. Each one has a
slightly different demographic and focus.

Step Two: Choosing Your Networks

Social Network #1: Making the Most of Facebook -- Facebook is currently still the top
social network in most of the world -- though it is undergoing heavy changes, and there
are issues about privacy. Be diligent about Facebook privacy, because rules tend to
change with minimal notice, which the majority of users seem to miss.

But the fact is... if your main audience heavily uses Facebook, you need to join them.

Facebook Focus: Social connection, minimal business networking through Facebook

Pages

Benefits of Facebook include:

 "Almost everybody" uses it

 People who do use it often tend to be addicted (i.e. they check their Facebook
account several times a day)
 It is widely accepted emotionally (don't underestimate the power of emotional
validation)
 Location-based marketing easily available, if knowing where you are will give
your particular business an edge
 Allows you to make strong personal connections very quickly with subscribers
and fans by commenting or replying to comments (even just acknowledging by
pressing the "Like" button that accompanies every comment)
 Allows you to boost recognizability and become socially accepted, giving a
psychological edge
 Wide selection of apps you can use to (a) increase engagement (b) network
your business (c) increase branding.
Example: Facebook Page Coupons...

 Open graph technology which now allows sharing when off the Facebook
platform
 You can -- and absolutely should -- create a Facebook Page for your business!
This will not only help brand your business, but it will increase your visibility,
cement your "identity" and allow you to keep your personal life away from
your business -- while interacting in a focused manner with Page followers.
Drawbacks of Facebook

Nevertheless, before you decide that Facebook is all you need, you need to know that a
recent study run by Harris Interactive concluded that 35% of all Facebook users made a
2012 New Year's resolution to "remove people from my Facebook friends list that
2
aren't close to me".

36% also resolved to "take control of what I share". Part of this may be in response to the
lack of integrity in Facebook "Like" button usage, which saw Facebook advertisers (and
company Pages) reach new heights in deception last year to artificially gather high
numbers of "Likes".

This resulted in tactics like using (unauthorized) photos of Harry Potter cast members,
with calls to action such as: "If you love Harry Potter, click "Like", which get a lot of
people to give the company advertising thousands of likes -
- without those people ever clicking through to their Page
or Site. (Click-throughs actually revealed that the company
placing the Facebook ad actually had zero connection with
anything Harry Potter.)

(This is where the Google+ "+1" button has overtaken Facebook Likes in leaps
and bounds, since there is no way to manipulate recommendations.)

People are also loudly

expressing dismay
about Facebook's new
Timelines format,
which radically alters
the visual landscape
Facebook viewers have
become used to.
Whether or not they
will leave in droves still
remains to be seen.

(Timeline's layout is
radically different
from the old Facebook
format.)

Action to Take: Sign up for Facebook.

http://
2012socialmediaresolutions.c
om/ 2
2012socialmediaresolutions.com
Social Network #2: Making the Most of LinkedIn -- LinkedIn traditionally catered to a
30-something, professional, predominantly male demographic for many years (university
educated; upwards of 100,000k per year) but that hasn't been the case since 2009.

That's when LinkedIn seemed to wise up to the power of social networking, and quickly
adapted its platform to attract a wider demographic, relaxing its formal presentation.

While the majority of LinkedIn's users still remain above the norm at a "Graduate
School" level of education, the age range has grown wider (25-64), and females now
outnumber males:

Note also that there seems to be a higher percentage of people browsing from "Work"
than one might expect.

The inference you can draw from this is that people who frequent LinkedIn are
passionately focused on subjects to do with career.

LinkedIn Focus: Strong professional and business focus

Benefits of LinkedIn include:

 Social and professional validation -- nowadays many potential clients or

employers will check to see if you have a profile on LinkedIn -- even if they
don't visit LinkedIn themselves. If you do, this automatically increases your
professional credibility
  Fantastic, focused employment and project opportunities custom-served to
your "wall"
 Ability to follow and monitor competitors and key movers and shakers in your
niche
 Ability to increase your search-ability by joining Groups (and participating in
focused conversations, without spending a lot of time seeking such
conversations)
 Ability to present a truly well-optimized profile -- at greater depth than on
other social networks
 Ability to display your résumé or CV, if desired
 Allows custom URLS
 Shoots your findability up in Google rankings. (If you have a LinkedIn
Profile, you have a 75% stronger chance of appearing on the first page of
search results -- especially beneficial if you have a common name such as
Mary Smith.

Taking the latter as an example, let's quickly test out this theory. Not that there are
almost 27.5 million results for the name "Mary Smith".

Someone registering the domain "marysmith.ca" has nabbed top spot in the search
results. (Making a domain out of your name is always a powerful strategy, if you can
swing it.)

But here we are: LinkedIn's "Mary Smith" has nabbed fourth spot. (Note the custom
vanity URL containing the keywords "Mary" and "Smith", giving this particular Mary
Smith extra search-engine clout.)
(Giant info network Wikipedia grabs second spot.

An artist takes third spot -- no time to check out her SEO -- but it must be pretty
powerful, to rank third over LinkedIn!)

Not bad out of a potential 27.5 million Mary Smiths! (If we search with the name "Mary
Smith" in quotes, indicating we want an exact phrase match -- which most people don't --
our LinkedIn Mary Smith still holds fourth spot over 3 million plus other actual Mary
Smiths.)

This search power alone is one reason why you should subscribe to (and use)
LinkedIn, no matter what type of business you run.

(And remember to create that custom URL!)

Action to Take: Join LinkedIn.

Social Network #3: Making the Most of Twitter -- If you aren't familiar with Twitter,
you've either been hiding in a cave or stuck in a workaholic routine-rut. Sign up takes
less than a minute, if you have your tagline or short profile description and your favorite
profile photo ready. And there is zero learning curve in using Twitter -- though it's easy
enough to help yourself to their plain-and-simple Help section tutorial, Twitter Basics.

Twitter is the most immediate social network and the fastest to use. You can log on,
check the latest tweets from those you are following, check replies and re-tweets
from others and post your own latest tweets -- all in less than five minutes!

Twitter Focus: Instant, real-time connection. (Think "what's happening in my life right
now" and you've got the essence of Twitter.)

Benefits of Twitter include:

 App for iPhone/iPad, Blackberry, Windows 7 and Android mobiles. (Turn text
messages into tweets!)
 Short posts are expected -- only 140 characters allowed
 You can (and should) mix-and-match types of tweets: Promotional, personal,
helpful tips or links, etc.
 Hashtags (attaching "#" in front of words to focus attention on a subject to
those who are following that hashtag: E.G. #writingforbusiness)
 Instantly check replies and re-tweets of your posts by selecting your name tag
tab:
  Ability to create lists and favorites, to increase focus
 Sharing badges available for your websites
 Twitter app (streaming your latest tweet) available for your website
 Ability to direct-message Twitter contacts privately
 Trends displayed on your Twitter page (right-hand sidebar)
Allows you to use URL shorteners such as bit.ly to present links to your
followers. (Bit.ly also allows for instant tracking!)
Ability to upload photos. (Simply click on the camera icon and follow the
prompts)
 Ability to save your searches

Twitter makes it easy for you to discover new people or companies to follow. Simply
select "Who to Follow" at the top of your page. If none of the suggestions that open up
appeal to you, type a subject or name into your Twitter search box and you'll be presented
with a list of options:

(You can also select from the "View Suggestions", "Browse Interests" and "Find Friends"
tabs on that page.)
Action to Take: Sign up for Twitter

With all of these social networks, you don't need to take courses or have a marketing
degree to use them (remember, over fifty percent of the ones mentioned are meant for
the average population). Sign up is an easy process. Tutorials and videos abound, and a
wizard walks you through profile set up.

Managing Your Social Networks

You can also use social network managers such as:

 Seesmic

 HootSuite

 Digsby

And Twitter's own TweetDeck:

Social management software allows you to upload the same post to multiple social
network platforms, as well as keep an instant desktop overview of all activity on
your networks.

Best of all -- social management software saves your precious time!

Whether you use social management software or not, do be consistent about using
social platforms. The cardinal sin is to make brief appearances -- then disappear for
days or weeks at a time. Do this, and you'll create an impression of flightiness and
disorganization.

Post or comment regularly (even for five minutes a day) and you'll present an impression
of reliability and professionalism (as well as keeping yourself -- and your business --
very much in public view).
Remember to Share

But the best social network in the world won't help you, if you don't remember to
share and invite people to "follow" or "friend" you!

Always include sharing badges or icons prominently on your site

-- along with a short command (E.G.: "Connect with Me")
telling your reader what action to take:

Can You Sell on Social Networks?

The rule of thumb is not to sell directly. Not only will it put off most of your followers or
subscribers if they don't already know and trust you inside out, you may risk having your
profile shut down on that particular social network.

Of course, people do sell directly on social networks -- and get away with it. But it's like
playing Russian roulette: You never know when there'll be a live bullet in the chamber
that will go off. (I.E.: You'll get noticed or a jealous rival will report you -- and your
profile gets instantly closed.)

If you want to sell directly, take out an ad on your social network. You can set daily
limits, and run your ad for a short time to kick-start your campaign.

You are better to stay truly social on social networks -- remember, it's all about visibility,
trust, community and branding. Send people to vital information on your website
rather than directly to sales pages. (In particular, never, ever use any form of the words
"making money" on YouTube" -- lots of people do it, but it's risky.) And, speaking of
YouTube...

Step Three: Create/Share YouTube Videos

Not only does YouTube have its own social networking presence (and Facebook Page),
but share the link to any YouTube video with your social networks and you've trebled the
power of your social networking -- if you've gauged your followers interests correctly.
What you are doing is harnessing the power of two top social networks in one post!

YouTube takes the number three spot in Alexa ratings:

The trick to creating (or finding) powerful YouTube videos that will entertain, inform
or just plain delight your followers (as well as give them something to share with their
followers): Choose your categories and topics wisely.

YouTube allows you to

place your own videos in
specific categories.

Take a look at current

categories you can work with
by selecting the "Browse"
tab from anywhere within
YouTube. Then look at the
drop-down menu in
"Categories - All" to see
where the video you want to upload/need to find is best fitted:

When creating your video, do use keywords: In the title as well as in the description.
And be sure to include your link in these three spots, if it feels natural:

 The intro
 The middle
 The end
At the very least, including your website link at the absolute end is an essential "must":
Even more effective: Include your affiliate or website link in clickable button format.
(Just don't make it say: "BUY MY PRODUCT!")

You can easily do this by using a free service called Viewbix.

Viewbix allows you to:

 Choose a Facebook or YouTube video

 Add a description
 Add photos
 Add interactive apps
 Customize your link for color and size
 Share on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, mobile or even your website -- right
from within your video

Instead of your viewer having to quickly freeze your video, then manually type your link
into Notepad or another open browser window, all he has to do is click the Viewbix link
button(s) you've created:
Viewbix is free up to 10,000 impressions per month. If you anticipate getting more
views than that, their basic plan at $19.95 per month is not unreasonable.

TIP: Tell your viewer to click the link(s). He may not realize he can!

Both YouTube and Viewbix add something else to your sites, emails and social
networking: Interactivity -- the secret addiction of all current mobile and computer users
this new decade.

And if you don't have any of your own videos to share -- share others that will delight
your audience. Especially ones that are funny, quirky, irresistible or demonstrate a much-
needed "how to". Embed these on your blog and "Share" them.

But why not create simple videos for yourself? (Less than three minutes in length is
perfect: Less than two, divine!) Just keep a few basics in mind...

Image and Design: As with your social profiles and descriptions, when making videos,
make sure you think about and allow for:

 The emotions you want to stir

 The pace you want to keep
 The atmosphere you'd like to create
 The image you want to present
Integrate your website colors and logos whenever possible. (Your photo too!) Make sure
you include social networking share buttons and icons on all your promotional
material. Add your Facebook or Google+ Page URL to your business card or pamphlets.

If you are creating videos, remember that people will be viewing them at extremely
small sizes. Fill the screen with your main "message" -- your head, if you're talking; or a
close-up of the exact component you're working with, if doing a "how to" demonstration
-- and remove background distractions, whenever possible.

Using music is another way to enhance your videos -- but never assume that adding
music will make your videos more professional. (Sometimes, you don't want to seem too
slick!)

HINT: Don't use background music to make your videos "more professional" -- use it
to support your main message!

You can easily make a short video testimonial for your favorite affiliate product, or
give "ten tips" about your topic, to start off with. Most personal computers come with
Windows MovieMaker, which is very easy to use and quite adequate for basic videos.

You can easily find royalty-free (or just plain free) music clips at sites such as Partners
in Rhyme... or if you're planning on making lots of videos, join a music clip
membership site or even buy a PLR music clip library.

Music clips can be easily drag-and-dropped into background tracks in Windows

Movie maker. (Or invest in commercial software such as Magix Movie Edit Pro MX
-- at $69.99, its ease of use offsets the cost.)

The important thing to do right now is just make a video!

Action to Take: Sign up, create a Channel and Upload a video to YouTube.

Step Three: Planning Your Campaigns

Social networking is like anything else in your sales funnel: It needs to be planned into
your campaigns.

That doesn't mean you have to be rigid and artificial: But do be aware of your sales
campaigns at all times, and think in advance of ways to promote them through your
social sharing (including your YouTube presence).

You might want to run a Facebook poll, or offer a prize for Tweeting about your new
product. (Check rules and guidelines on your social networks first, to make sure your
particular quiz, poll or contest doesn't inadvertently break any rules!)
Creating Facebook and Google+ Pages becomes essential, of course. If you already have
a Page, publicizing your latest campaign by chatting about it is solid strategy.

Finally, there's one more step to creating successful campaigns -- considering whether
or not you need advertising.

Step Four: Advertising -- Should You?

There's no doubt that advertising can significantly kick-start any project -- but don't throw
your money away on glossy magazine ads or even the local classifieds.

Instead, consider advertising with niche-related ezines from close, but not direct,
competitors -- this can often be surprisingly inexpensive! For example, if you are a
Virtual Assistant, advertise on a copywriting or affiliate marketing ezine. If you are a
paralegal, advertise on a Financial Services ezine, and so on.

Also consider social networking ads (there's a "Create Your Ad" or "Advertising" link
on every social network site that offers this). You can even try out a Google AdWords
campaign from within your Google account.

The key point to remember: Set a daily limit. If you don't do this, your credit card can
quickly max out -- especially if your ad campaign is effective!

If you wish to become known, or you're trying to brand your product or site, try CPM
advertising (cost per mille -- you're paying for people viewing your ad, no matter
whether or not they click on it).

If you're advertising strictly to sell, use PPC. (You only pay when they take action and
click on your link.)

And if you simply don't have the budget yet to advertise, work it into your long term
plans and focus on all the other powerful techniques you are using, right now.

But the best ad campaigns in the world do take extra time and resources, so don't
be cavalier about "throwing in an ad". Expect to tweak your ads, trying out:

 Different graphics
 Different headlines
 Different taglines
 Different body copy
The rule of thumb: Make ONE tweak at a time -- and measure the results -- before you
go on to the next! Otherwise, you'll never know which tweak made your sales or
clickthroughs decrease or rise.

Above all, track your advertising campaigns and how they affect your ROI (return
on investment).

Track your social networking too -- it's easy to do with built-in metrics on most
platforms (especially if you're a paid advertiser) and services such as Bit.ly.

Finally, you'll find two more worksheets to print out: One on the next page and one after
the assignment. Customize and adapt these to your social networking and YouTube
campaigns. (Think of it more as a skeleton structure, to get your creative juices flowing.)

We'll be talking more about tracking in our final lesson... but now it's time for (you
guessed it) your weekly assignment.
 Worksheet: My Social Networking Overview

Google+ Facebook LinkedIn Twitter

Login: Login: Login: Login:

Password: Password: Password: Password:

My Social E.G. TweetDeck

Management
Software:
Login: Login: Login: Login:
Password: Password: Password: Password:

Page URLS:

Campaign
Name or #:

Paid
Advertising?

Campaign
Name or #:

Paid
Advertising?

Campaign
Name or #:

Paid
Advertising?

Bit.ly Links:

Graphic
Upload
Locations:
WEEKLY ASSIGNMENT:

As always, tackle one question per night, so you'll be less likely to rush through it.

1. Choose a selection of three strong Profile photos that support your "message".
[Optional] Ask trusted friends, business peers or family members which one
they like best -- and why. No matter what the answer (but keeping their
thoughts in mind) select the one you prefer. Have it in a dedicated folder, along
with your profile, article marketing resource boxes, tagline, etc., ready for
upload at any time.
2. Write a brief, one-paragraph description and do the same for a short bio.
If you are already a member of Twitter or LinkedIn, study the bios of people
you particularly admire in LinkedIn and on Twitter.
Analyze why you like their descriptions and bios. Check that it fits in with your
"message" -- and subscriber. (Keep in mind who you are talking to and try to
imagine what they would like to hear you say.)
3. Sign up to the social networks you've decided will be best for your business.
Upload your profile photo and descriptions. (Ensure written descriptions, etc., fit
into each network's guidelines re: number of words or characters allowed.) Add
contacts from your other networks or address books. Search in the recommended
and prompted fashion for new contacts. (Each network will "help" you out with this
by prompting you or showing you where to look.)
4. Determine a time of day that would work best for you, with social networking.
Decide how many times per week you want to invest (and for how many
minutes). Add this into your daytimer or calendar. Make it part of your routine
-- and set a timer, if you find yourself too easily sucked into "playing" on social
networks.
Make a firm commitment. And stick to it!
5. Study the apps available on your social networks. Brainstorm how these
would (a) benefit your subscribers (b) benefit your campaigns. Add one app per
network and create something, anything with your new app. Use it! (Take two
nights for this segment.)
6. Study videos on YouTube (and your competitors' sites and blogs.) Think about
what you'd like to create -- and why. Think about what your audience would like
to see -- and why. Plan a rough "video schedule" of possible videos.
Make one short video simply introducing yourself and your product or main
service. If you're not happy with it, don't upload it -- but it's important to put
your foot in the stirrup; otherwise, you're never going to get up the courage
to ride the horse!
(You don't need to purchase software: You can download (free) Windows
Movie Maker 2.6.4037 from Softonic.)
 My Video Schedule

Video Title: For Campaign: Date created: Date shared:

Subject/Description: URL: Software used: Where?

File format: No. of Views:

Video Title: For Campaign: Date created: Date shared:

Subject/Description: URL: Software used: Where?

File format: No. of Views:

Video Title: For Campaign: Date created: Date shared:

Subject/Description: URL: Software used: Where?

File format: No. of Views:

Video Title: For Campaign: Date created: Date shared:

Subject/Description: URL: Software used: Where?

File format: No. of Views:

Lesson Four: Tracking, Testing and Tips - Listening To Your List

Here's a subject people often avoid: Tracking.

There are countless ways to track, and you should use as many of them as you can.

You can track:

 Your website traffic

 Your website performance
 Your ad campaign results
 The results of tweaks or changes to content, headlines, graphics and body copy
 Social networking link click-throughs and stats

Before you ever start tracking and testing, however, make sure you have your sites
and landing pages thoroughly optimized for SEO (search engine optimization).

Step One: Cross Check your Site SEO

This includes checking:

1. Your URLs -- Use keywords in your URLS. For example, say your keyword was
"Hawaiian vacations"... you would blog about it and edit that post's URL to read:
http://www.myblog.com/hawaiian-vacations.html".

2. Your Headlines and Blog Post titles -- Use your keyword in your headline. In
fact, start your headline with your keyword, if possible. But if "Hawaiian
Vacations All They're Cracked up to be?" seems forced you, it's a sure bet it
will seem forced to directory editors too. In that case, it's okay to go with: "Are
Hawaiian Vacations All They're Cracked up to be?"

3. Your Website HTML -- If yours is a static site consisting of HTML and a CSS
style sheet (in other words, not WordPress) you need to make sure three
elements are optimized:

 Your Title Tag -- Put your keyword as close to the beginning as possible.
(Your title tag text will not be visible on your site.)
  Your h1 Headline -- Your actual headline enclosed by <h1> tags</h1>.
E.G.: <h1>Are Hawaiian Vacations All They're Cracked up to be?</h1>.
(The text enclosed by the <h1> tags will be visible as your major page
headline...)

On your actual site, people who land on that page would see this:

 Your Sub-heads --<h2> headings: E.G.: <h2>When Choosing a

Hawaiian Resort</h2>. Again, these would be visible on your displayed
web page (smaller than your main header). Secondary keywords are good
in sub-heads.

 Graphics and ALT tags -- Whenever you display a graphic on your site
-- even in WordPress -- you never want to see your HTML ALT tags
look like this:

(That is, with the alt=" " empty.)

You need to have a short description containing one of your keywords

within the quotes. (This description will not appear on your web page --
unless your graphic doesn't display, for some reason.)

Your ALT tags should look like this:

In WordPress, you would use your TAGS and the All in One SEO Pack plugin
to optimize your pages.
3
Once you're sure all your content is SEO-optimized to the best of your ability , it's time
to start actual testing.

When you write your web copy or landing copy, create a Notepad file
containing alternate headlines. Insert it into a "Testing" folder for that campaign.
3
But don't have a nervous breakdown over it! Seriously!
You can also include in that folder any combination of:

 Alternate graphics
 Alternate calls to action
 Alternate ALT tag descriptions
 Alternate sub heads
 Alternate ads
 Alternate body copy
 Alternate emails
 Background colors
 Button colors
 Buttons

Now you're ready to tackle the mysteries of...

Step Two: A/B Split Testing

You can test elements of your site... or test other sales aids such as social or AdWords
ads, banners and buttons for your affiliates, or your Autoresponder email-series emails.

Let's start with your site...

You will be measuring baseline results against final results.

A baseline result is where you are now -- for example, how many clickthroughs
you regularly score once your new landing page or blog post is on line.

Your final result is the result you gather after the last tweak.

In between, record the results for each change you make. (Don't worry: There's a
worksheet included in this lesson to help you do just that! Print it out, or customize it
yourself in MS Word.)

One other element to play around with? Placement! See if your share buttons bring more
social network click-throughs when placed:

 Near the right-hand top of your page (right sidebar)

  Near the right-hand bottom (always above the fold!)
 In the center
 At the bottom of your body text

In fact, wherever you think you want to try it!

Also test the placement of:

 Your calls to action (including "buy" or "download" buttons)

 Graphics
 Testimonials

And whatever else you envision in different spots.

This may sound like a lot of bother... but after you've done it for a few different
campaigns or landing pages or ads, it will become second nature.

Make no mistake: It's the people who bother to track and test who consistently see the
biggest results!

"How Long Do I Run Each Test?"

You want each test to run long enough to give you a reliable average... but not so long
that visitor interest peaks and starts to wane. It's different for every campaign, but the
rule of thumb seems to be to test individual versions for at least a week to no more
than two and a half weeks, maximum.

Remember -- only test one element per test. Otherwise you're into multi-variate testing,
and that's an art form meant for when you've totally mastered A/B split testing (which
we should really be calling "A/B/C split testing", because we're talking about three
different versions of each element at one time.)

If you're feeling confused, look at it this way:

 Testing three different headlines for one week = A/B/C split testing

 Testing three different headlines, three different graphics and three different
calls to action = multivariate testing

Remember the Golden Rule of all sales testing... and Keep It Simple!
The Trick with A/B Split Testing

But there's a real trick to A/B testing: You need to test your different variations of your
one element (e.g. your three alternate headline versions) at the same time, in order for
your split testing to render accurate results.

If that idea throws you for a loop, you've probably been imagining trying a header for a
week; then switching to the next version... and a few days after that, changing a graphic
(and so on). Well, that won't work. You won't get accurate results because traffic ebbs
and flows along with the time of the month, current events, peaking trends, sudden
calamities, new competition and a whole host of other variable factors.

In other words, your potential audience isn't the same on different days. A holiday might
give you artificially inflated (or reduced) results for one version. You need to test all
three versions of that one element on the same holiday.

So how do you test all your versions at the same time?

That's where your Google account and Google Website Optimizer come in! (We'll get to
that in a moment.)

One final word about "baselines" -- if you're starting a campaign from scratch, pick
any version to be your baseline -- it really doesn't matter, as long as you stick to that
consistently.

A baseline is only a true baseline when your first version already exists on the net (or in
your Autoresponder, if you're testing an email or email series).

In other words, if you already have your squeeze page up and running, the results you
glean from that right now will give you your baseline. You are actually going to add
your variations -- but you'll run the test from the day you post the two new variations,
writing in your existing results with your original version as a baseline figure.

If you post all three versions from scratch tomorrow, simply pick one and say it's the
baseline.

(And if that's really too confusing -- just call them Version 1, 2 and 3!)

Here's a worksheet to help you track your tests. Feel free to print it out or customize it to
suit your test more exactly!

TIP: Don't be afraid to use small graphics showing your website elements within the
Worksheet, if you're handy with screen captures or photo-editing software.
 Worksheet: A/B Split Testing
Campaign name:
URL: ____________________________

On-Site
Baseline #2 Final
Headline
Background color
Button (shape, type)
Button color
Button call to action
Final paragraph call
to action
Subheads
Keywords
ALT tag description
Body copy
Other ____________

Off-Site
Version 1 Version 2 Version 3

Social Ad
AdWords Ad
Affiliate Button
Affiliate Banner
Email Series
Other ____________
Step Three: Sign Up for Google Website Optimizer

Google's Website Optimizer is simple: You create the elements you want to test, "tell"
Optimizer -- and Google serves your different versions at the same time, at random.

Once you've set a test up, all you have to do is collect the results!

But wait -- there's more! Google Website Optimizer doesn't just offer simple A/B
testing: It's also capable of conducting true, multi-variate testing for you.

Your best bet is to go to the

Optimizer website right
this minute and watch the
simple video tour
explaining simply what
Website Optimizer can do
for you (complete with
diagrams):

The video promises you

can set up a test in "less
than five minutes": It really
is that easy (once you've
created your content) to do
exactly that.

You can access Website Optimizer from within your AdWords account if you are
planning an AdWords campaign -- it's part of the package; or you can simply log into
Website Optimizer from your Google account and sign up to run your own independent
tests.

"How Do I Know What to Test?"

But don't just start randomly testing squeeze pages or headlines, if you can help it: The
best place to start is at a true baseline -- your site.

You've already got it set up. Now go check which pages are spitting out visitors!
Where do you lose them? How long do they average on each page? Which pages
convert the least? (By "convert", think of the action you want them to take -- something
you'll have to specify when you set up your Website Optimizer test.

The successful action you want them to take could be:

  Subscribing through your web form
 Buying your product
 Buying your One Time Offer
 Visiting an affiliate site or another page

- It's really up to you!

Plan every test... in advance. (Use the Worksheet or a mind-map to help you
brainstorm.) Look at your current site results. Decide what you're not happy about. And
set a goal of at least 10% higher conversions than you're experiencing now.

Finally, keep screenshots, printouts and records of which versions worked, which didn't --
and which excelled.

Sometimes, it's that one tiny tweak that can mean the difference between hundreds of
dollars... or thousands. Two identical marketers can promote a similar product at the
same time -- and one can fail abysmally, with less than twenty sales, while the other hits
the jackpot with thousands of dollars.

The difference is usually in the testing!

Step Four: Other Ways to Track

Your cPanel -- We mentioned checking your site stats. If you don't know how to do this,
get your web host to send instructions -- it will be through your cPanel. Typically, the
process goes like this:

1. Find your welcome email from your web host (or ask them to re-send it, if
you've lost or deleted it)
2. Type your cPanel address in the browser
3. Enter your login name and password
4. Check your stats!
Once you're in, you'll see your basic data in the left-hand panel and specifics in the right:
Initially, you'll be most interested in scrolling down to "Logs" and checking out
your latest visitors -- as well as your Webalizer data.
Clicking on "Latest Visitors" will bring up a list of your domains (main, add-ons, sub-
domains). You can then click on the little Magnifying Glass icon beside the particular
site you want to visit...

When you open it up, you'll multiple sections -- one per visitor -- showing the HTML
page name they entered (highlighted in yellow in our example, below) and where
your traffic came from (in this case, a search bot from China's largest search engine,
baidu.com, indexing the site):

When you return to the Webalizer (under "Logs" on your main page), you will see the
same list of sites with the little Magnifying Glass icon beside each one. This time,
however, when you click on the magnifying glass, you'll see a graph representation of
your site traffic over the last 12 months...
If you select any underlined month in the left-hand graph column, a link will open up to
present you with extremely thorough stats, including:

 Entry pages
 Exit pages
 Hourly traffic
 Daily traffic
 Total hits, files, pages, visits, KBytes
 Unique Sites, URLs, Referrers, User Agents (visitors)
 Error messages visitors encountered (by code, with explanation)

And much, much more.

As you get used to studying your cPanel Webalizer, you'll develop a much better feel
for what these stats really mean.

But don't neglect them, when deciding what to test!

Using Bit.ly (and other URL shorteners) -- We mentioned Bit.ly in our last lesson:
Typically, it's used to shorten Twitter URL links, so that you don't eat up too many of
your 140 Twitter characters in a long link... but you can also use it:
  To cloak affiliate links
 On your blog or site

Before rushing to shorten your URLs, however, consider the reason you wish to do so.
Never just shorten so you can track: The click-throughs you record so easily via your
Bit.ly links could be offset by the traffic you lose, using a Bit.ly URL containing random
letters and numbers.

Using an URL made of your valuable keyword is usually better -- unless

you're deliberately cloaking an affiliate link against commission thieves.

Think about it: What will generate better traffic?

bit.ly/aa12Bc
or
hawaiian-vacations.html

Using Social Metrics -- Tracking through social metrics traditionally meant analyzing
individual data from each social network you habitually frequent. Rather than struggling
with learning curves on each (or discovering you only have access to the best tracking
and stats analysis data if you take out paid ads on those social networks) simply use the
WordPress Social Metrics plugin.

Download and install it from the WordPress Plugins directory exactly as you would
any other plugin; then configure the settings, under your Settings tab:

You'll be able to extract a comparison-based overview of your site's social stats at a

glance. (Just be sure you've installed "Share" or "Like" buttons for each network!)
That being said, each social network does have its own tracking culture. How many
resources available to non-advertising users varies on each one.

Things You Need to Know -- But before we get into what you can track, you need
to know what you should track!

Here are key points to keep in mind:

1. Average duration visitor interacts with your social site Page

2. The proportion of social site subscribers that actively engage with you
3. Who and how many are sharing and tweeting about your product, site or you
4. Which social sites are sending the most people to your landing page or website
5. Your "Bounce rate" -- how quickly visitors from your social networks leave,
once they land on your site
6. Conversions -- how many social site visitors engage and take the action you
want them to take from your social site links
7. What proportion of your traffic is coming from social networks -- and which
networks?
8. Which topics or links are generating the most traffic from social sites? The
least?
9. Whether or not you need to focus on increasing traffic from "low" sources... or
focus on the most active ones
Where other socially-driven traffic is coming from. Are you engaging in
article marketing and promoting it through social sharing sites? Is your blog
driving traffic to your squeeze page? Are you getting subscriptions through
word of mouth? Through YouTube videos? Share badges? Embedded,
interactive Tweets on your blog?
10.Referrals -- are your social site buddies sending traffic to your site?
Mentioning you in their blogs or social posts?

You won't become an instant expert... but if you're aware of all the areas we've been
discussing and start to add these to your tracking mix, you'll soon develop an
accurate feel for the ebb and flow of your traffic. After a while, being aware of your
stats (and where they're coming from) will become second nature to you.
And you'll be miles ahead of the other 80% of your peers who don't indulge in tracking!
Step Five: Tracking Through Feedback

Rather than simply focusing on stats and numbers, however, pay a good chunk of
attention to actual human feedback.

You can find it in several places...

How to use email feedback -- Social network response, forum interaction and blog
comments are great; but if you're sending out Autoresponder emails, don't ignore
email responses or take them for granted!

Email feedback in response to Autoresponder campaigns (as well as, to a lesser

extent, blog comments and social network comments) can alert you to:

 Problems with your system or product that need to be fixed

 Problems neither you nor your competitors have addressed... ones you can
create products to solve
 Suggestions you might want to invest in
 Opportunities you were previously unaware existed
 Overwhelming subscriber needs
 Tips on what people will pay for -- and what they expect for free
 Complaints you can turn into positive experiences for your customer
 Opportunities to acknowledge, thank and/or validate your customer
 Opportunities to grow your subscriber or customer relationship and build trust

This brings us straight to...

Customer Service and Trust Building -- Making a sale or gaining a subscriber isn't the
be-all and end all of making money on the net: It's simply getting your foot in the door.

What happens next will make all the difference between whether or not your sale is a
one-time wonder... or leads to a solid stable of happy, repeat buyers -- those golden "back
end" customers every marketer longs to have!

You want to perpetuate their great experience by:

 Staying in touch -- your Autoresponder with its planned email releases will
help greatly here; as do direct solicitations to interact through social networks
or social media Pages
  Providing top quality, immediate customer service

 Letting them know you care about their business, their problems and their
goals -- and that you are always "thinking ahead" to anticipate what they need
next

But how does great customer service "look"? How do you provide it?

Having a system is your first step. If you can't manage it yourself, hire a VA specializing
in customer service; or invest in Help Desk software -- but be sure to check how it
functions frequently, to make sure no customers are getting "lost" in the system; or can't
reach you due to glitches in your software.

TIP: Always provide contact information in your emails and on your site. Customers
usually won't abuse this or use it -- unless they're experiencing Help Desk connection
problems.

If you hire a VA, treat her as yin to your yang: The other half of your team. Let your
clients and customers know that she speaks with your voice: That talking to her is
exactly like talking to you.

Finally, be sure to "meet" regularly with your VA -- even by email -- to discuss

feedback she may have been getting... feedback you'll need to know, so you can tweak
your sites, systems and offerings for maximum ROI.

Answering Emails -- whether you personally answer these or your VA does, make
sure emails are always answered or acknowledged promptly... but there's no need to be
reactive. That is, don't drop whatever you're doing every time an email comes in.

Set aside a regular time every 24-48 hours and go through them all. (Studies show that
your best satisfaction results occur when emails are handled within twenty-four hours.)

Some tips:

1. Always acknowledge and reward great suggestions. There is nothing more

flattering for a subscriber or customer than to hear her chosen mentor (and
minor idol) credit her publicly by name -- or send her a free download of a
product she's contributed a suggestion for.

2. Thank your customers for complaints. Then fix the problem -- promptly. If
you want complaints to turn into positive encounters, always use positive
language and tell your customer what you're going to, and when.

3. Always take responsibility for mistakes. Excuses belong to the weak and
sneaky. Cheerfully admit your responsibility (but don't wallow in guilt). Then
swiftly tell your customer how you're going to fix it -- and do so.
 4. Always be honest with your subscribers, clients and customers. They are giving
you loyalty and trust. They deserve honesty and consideration from you.

5. Always remember they're motivated by the question: "What's in it for me?"

That goes right down to the smallest interaction: Whether or not they should
leave a comment; why they should read your blog post; why they should click
through on your link; and how much time they can spare you. If you keep this
question in mind and ask it on their behalf, you'll keep a much clearer picture
of how you can best fit into their lives!

How to Use Your Competition -- In "Lesson Two: Targeting and Taming Traffic"
you were introduced to statistics sites Alexa and Quantcast.

But, by all means, track your competitors, if they're "big" enough! Look for links to click
on within those stats site -- usually more detail will be presented.

Remember, however, that direct competition is fairly meaningless if you are looking at
a mega-giant like Pepsi. What you need to identify are things like:

 The traffic segment that company is ignoring or considers "too small"

 How you can benefit them

You're looking for a way to sell umbrella covers to customers of umbrella manufacturers;
Drinks to customers of salty popcorn vendors; pencils to notebook users, etc., etc.

But what if your competitor operates a small business, like you? He's not likely to be on
the radar of any stat analysis site.

Here's how to glean really useful data from your competition. (You should do this when
you're still in the brainstorming stage of any campaign or business plan!)

1. Look for feedback. See what his own customers or social networking "friends"
are saying about him -- and to him
2. Look for complaints. Focus on "what's missing" in his product; what customers
still need. Where the rough spots are in his service.
3. Look at what your competitor does right. Why is it right? Why are his
products popular? What need are they addressing?
4. Look at his audience. Are they your true customers? Is there a minority among
them you can serve better? Will that minority be lucrative and well-paying
enough to sustain your business?
5. Look at opportunities your competitor is missing . At this point, you ought to
know your competitor as well as you know yourself.
And if you really can't beat him, can you join him? Can you complement his product,
instead of competing? If so, propose a JV partnership. Become an affiliate.

But everyone is unique -- and so is every business. There's always opportunity, among
the millions of people who visit the net to buy, for true entrepreneurs to make a
comfortable living -- and for you to do it in a way that:

 Validates your talents, skills, experience and interests

 Creates prosperity for you and your family
 Creates satisfaction for your customer -- and fulfillment for you

Knowing your competition requires objectivity and clarity... but the rewards of being
able to see his strengths as well as his weaknesses, all while keeping your customer in
mind, are well worth the effort.

One point: Don't bother to track your own progress with Alexa or Quantcast right now --
your site and traffic won't be "big" enough for these mega-giants to notice. You'll get a
notice like this one:

Now you are much more aware of tracking and testing -- and their importance. You
know the type of data you need to collect and your own results will quickly show
you what works and what doesn't.

If you pay attention to even half the tracking and testing procedures we've discussed here,
you'll be well ahead of other online business owners just starting out!

Step Six: Taking Stock: Are You Ready for Outsourcing?

Like customer service, you can outsource even your tracking and testing. Not only are
there social media managers and VA specialists willing to help you with that, there are
also third-party companies like Kissmetrics who specialize in tracking.
Do start out by "doing it yourself", at first. Get familiar with your cPanel. See what
tracking options are offered in your social networks. Analyze data from your blog and
respond directly to feedback. If you do, you'll get a real feel for your business'
performance -- and you'll be less likely to be deceived by overpriced experts who don't
deliver what they promise; or by slick companies seeking to oversell their services. (You
also need to know how to pick a company -- and package -- that's a good fit for your
business at the level it is today. Many stats simply won't be relevant, if you're just
starting out -- so don't get hooked into paying for these!)

Build outsourcing into your plan from the beginning -- but be prepared to be flexible.

If you find you're really enjoying handling elements of your business that you were
planning to outsource, once you learn how to do them, scratch that off your
"Outsourcing" list. But make sure that the task you're taking on is making you money.

In other words, don't stuff envelopes only because you passionately enjoy it, if you want to
profit from your business: Stuff them because it brings you a financial advantage.

If it doesn't -- plan to outsource.

And if a task is enjoyable but wastes time you could better spend on direct income-
producing work, outsource that too. (Time really is money!)

Autoresponder Shopping Cart set up

If you need a shopping cart, this is yet another area to factor into your plans. Will you do
it yourself... or outsource it? Will you sign up with a company that does it for you?

Many people report feeling overwhelmed with tasks such as shopping cart set up -- and it
should be said that this is one area that can be more complex than setting up a social
profile or even populating your Autoresponder.

Two "rules":

1. Make sure the service you're paying for will be justified by the sales it brings
(and time it saves)
2. You get what you pay for. Use a reputable service that has good word-of mouth
reports.
There are literally hundreds of shopping carts (in multiple formats) out there in
cyberspace: My best tip is to use one that your niche is familiar with -- both customers
and future outsource contractors will appreciate the familiarity.
Research shopping cart software and systems as thoroughly as you would your potential
audience. Do you need beginner-friendly systems or can you handle open-source
software? Are you planning to outsource it? And do you need extra merchant accounts?

Common Questions 101

"What do you do with a Shopping Cart?" -- A shopping cart is not always necessary.
For example, if yours is a service-based business, you can easily invoice your clients
directly or invoice and accept payments through PayPal.

However, if you sell goods -- digital or physical -- you'll need a shopping cart.

You can sign up for product fulfillment shopping systems like Lulu.com where this
company actually creates the product from your design and ships it to customers. (For
example, if you want to sell t-shirts, you upload the design and they stamp it on the t-
shirts and mail it off to your customer.)

On the other hand, if you sell custom, hand-carved walking sticks, you might want to sign
up with a company such as Etsy, where they provide the "storefront" -- but you ship your
custom walking sticks out to customers directly.

If you sell digital products, the easy method might be to sign up with a marketing
network such as Clickbank, where they handle everything plus the kitchen sink -- all you
do is upload your digital product, provide a few affiliate resources (optional) and collect
your payments!

You can handle things very simply by uploading products to a protected area of your site
and using PayPal as your payment processor (be sure to check all the fine print!)

TIP: Use the WordPress Exclude Pages plug in to easily create "hidden" download
pages on your blog! You can locate and install it right from within your WordPress
database.

Or you may wish to invest in a Shopping Cart such as 1ShoppingCart. If you do, I would
recommend you do not abandon Aweber in favor of their built-in Autoresponder. It
doesn't have all Aweber's features and if you ever switched shopping carts, you would
have trouble exporting your list!

On the other hand, if you plan to run an affiliate program, 1ShoppingCart offers
superb resources!

Handling a full shopping cart system can be time-consuming, so this is one area to
seriously consider outsourcing to a VA specialist, when you're ready to start
making money from products.
With all these options, however, be sure to read the fine print!

A Tip On Learning/Handling New Systems -- If you think that learning new areas of
your business will be simply a matter of concrete, rigid "how to" methodology, you'll
always be overwhelmed with constant learning curves. Online marketing is half-method,
half-intuition... And a lot of observation, patience -- as well as a good ability to always
see the "big picture" instead of getting distracted or absorbed in small details.

One way to develop this balanced overview -- plan in advance and stick (more or less)
to your plan and timeline!

You can't be the expert on everything! Try setting up your own shopping cart -- and if
you find it's giving you a nervous breakdown, outsource it to an expert who specializes
in setting up that particular cart!

TIP: Once your business is ready to go, invest in a business mentor or coach! Find
one that's a good fit. A competent coach will help you keep your "big picture", give
you insider tips on great resources and help you figure out what step to take next.

Hiring the right coach could be the best money-making strategy you invest in! (After
all, you wouldn't teach yourself to fly an airplane -- would you?)

Understanding Online Advertising -- We've already covered online advertising, but

let's run over it a final time:

You can advertise your product with:

 Paid social network ads -- You can set daily limits, try different ad versions
to see which converts best and specify what type of add you want (pay per
view or pay per action)

 Paid Google AdWords ads -- Operates much as social network ads

 CPM (cost per mille -- you're paying for the number of views presented; no
audience action required. Good for exposure and market saturation/branding)

 PPC -- You pay "per click" when an action is completed. That action could be
anything from lead generation -- driving targeted traffic to your site -- to actual
sales (clicking on a "buy now" button and purchasing)

 EZines -- Make sure it's one your niche members read. Ad rates will often be
a lot cheaper than in "traditional" advertising such as newspaper, magazine or
TV advertising
  Related websites -- You can approach a related website owner directly.
Especially if you can show him why running your ad on his site will
complement his business and please his subscribers

And, of course, you can outsource your ad campaigns down the road (or sooner, if you
have the budget)

Whatever you choose to handle yourself and whatever you choose to outsource,
make sure you are gaining maximum enjoyment and financial returns from your
marketing mix!

And now on to our final assignment...

WEEKLY ASSIGNMENT:

You know the drill: One "question" per night!

1. Cross-check your site SEO to see if there's anything you overlooked in Lesson 1.
If so, fix it!

2. Sign up for Google Website optimizer and read their tutorials/watch the videos.

3. Access your cPanel and check your site stats. Are there any patterns you can
see? Any surprises? Things that need addressing or fixing?

4. Print out the Worksheet accompanying this lesson. Brainstorm as to what you'd
like to test and plan a simple A/B split test for Google Website optimizer. Begin
to create your alternate content.

5. Continue and complete your alternate content. Upload and run test.

6. Brainstorm and plan follow-up surveys and social campaigns to measure

feedback

7. Review all lessons. Make notes of what you need to go over again or spend more
time on. Revise your business plan, if you need to, as to what you're going to
outsource

Here's to your success!

Lesson One: Internet Marketing Training Checklist

 I have answered the ten questions in Lesson One, to help me find (or refine)
my focus

 I have:

 Found a template or mind-map for creating my business plan -- one

that suits my learning preferences ____________________

 I have decided to create my own free-form business plan

 Other ________________________________

 I have create a rough, preliminary business plan

 I will use my business plan as a gauge, to help me decide which products I need to
buy -- and which I should bypass for now

 My business plan includes short and long-term goals, reflecting where I want to
be:

 In three months
 In six months
 In a year
 In three years
 In five years
 Other ______________________

 I have made sure my business goals are stated as specifically as possible

 I have decided on a routine or structure that works for me (I understand I

can tweak it as needed)

 I have purchased or downloaded a daytimer or calendar software, and I am

creating my schedule (making it as flexible as it needs to be)

 I have included in my Business plan a budget reflecting:

 My start-up capital

 My ongoing, monthly budget projection

 I am keeping my cash only for offers that specifically relate to my current
and immediate-future goals

 I have a PayPal account/have signed up for a PayPal account

 I have verified my account by linking it to my credit card or bank account

 I have toured PayPal's Help Center and read "All About PayPal"

 I have decided my business will be best as:

 A sole proprietorship

 An incorporated company

 A limited corporation (and a legal entity in its own right

 If I have decided on anything other than sole proprietorship, I understand it is

highly recommended I discuss my business with a business lawyer

 If I have decided to:

 Register my business name (and have checked my state or

province regulations)

 Not register my business name -- I am operating as a sole proprietor under

my own name

 I understand that:

 It's always a good idea to have at least a consultation with a business

lawyer

 The more complex my business set up, the more advisable it is to consult a
lawyer

 I am investigating other legal options

 There's no need for a lawyer yet

 I have read and familiarized myself with the CAN-Spam Act

 I have added to my website a link to pages containing:

 Privacy Policy (mandatory, if any money is to be made through the site)

 Earnings Disclaimer (mandatory if selling products or affiliate marketing)

  Terms of Use/Disclaimer (recommended)

 A copyright notice (recommended

 Other ________________________________

 I have ensured that any online Privacy Policy templates do not contain links to
my competitors

 I understand a sales funnel will help me maximize my earnings by allowing me

to:

 Keep an overview of where I am, where I'm heading and what I still
need to do

 Plan a balanced set of offerings and contacts, maintaining a steady,

natural "flow"

 I understand a sales funnel:

 Will help me anticipate my customer's need and serve up

appropriate solutions

 Has a natural life cycle

 Needs exit points -- where I can direct subscribers to affiliate offers or my

own different offers on her way out the door

 I understand I can apply the "funnel" model to many aspects of my business, for
most effective planning

 I am aware of outsourcing, and plan to work it into my business plan:

 Now

 Later

 Other __________________________

 I am aware that outsource contractors:

 Are independent business owners like myself, and not employees

 Will most likely have other clients

 Rely on me to work in a structured manner, so I can make the most

of their services -- and they can save me time and money
 I have made a list of everything that can be outsourced in my business

 I have highlighted for (present or future) outsourcing every task on this list
that loses me time and money

 I have diligently searched for the right outsource contractors -- and checked their
references

 I have focused on making sure they:

 Compensate for my weaknesses

 Are an appropriate fit -- neither to new, nor too far ahead of my business
skills

 I am aware that common online tasks often outsourced include:

 Content creation -- copy writing, ad writing, website page writing, ad

creation, blog posts or articles written, information products ghost
written, etc.

 Graphics creation -- banners for your affiliates, WordPress theme

customization, page headers or eBook covers designed, etc.

 Website design

 Affiliate management

 Autoresponder set up and management

 Shopping cart set up and management

 Social Media networking

 Promotion campaigns

 Office tasks

 Customer Service

 Other _______________________

_______________________

_______________________

 I have allotted a set amount per month for outsourcing/I plan to do this in future
 I have printed out the Sales Funnel diagrams and:

 Plan to use them

 Have already filled at least one out

 I have completed my Weekly Assignment!

Lesson Two: Internet Marketing Training Checklist

 I am making an effort to "think like my customer", when determining

what keywords to use

 I am preparing to survey my potential market via:

 Poll

 Survey

 Forum

 Social network

 Personal contact

 Other ____________________________

 I have installed or used a Poll app on my social network or forum

 I have found a survey company I like and signed up for a (free or paid) account

 I have created my first survey, making sure that:

 I keep my survey as short as possible (less than ten questions)

 I ask mostly "closed" questions

 I have included at least one "open" questions with a generous text area
box for free-form, spontaneous, personal answers

 I have visited both Alexa and Quantcast

 I have analyzed a major competitor's data, paying attention to:

 Keywords my competitor seems to be paying PPC dollars to "own"

 Keywords he is ranking well for

 His overall site ranking

 His visitor demographic

 I am using Alexa's auto-suggest function to search for potential competitors I

don't yet know about (as well as gauging niche market interest)
 I have adopted relevant keywords in the auto-suggest results, and used them to
create blog or social posts for my business

 I have checked offline sources, when further researching my business

and confirming my business objectives -- such as:

 Magazines in grocery and corner stores

 Magazines in dedicated books stores such as Chapters or Indigo

 Ads in local newspapers

 Conducing personal surveys

 Asking my offline business networks

 Asking offline niche members I personally know

 Other _______________________________

 I have surveyed and studied online sites such as:

 Amazon.com

 eBay

 Magazines.com

 Other ________________________________

 I have particularly studied Amazon to uncover:

 Categories that are strong sellers -- and will suit my niche

 "Holes" -- topics not covered that my potential audience is concerned

about

 Hot niches that are smaller and more specific

 Other ________________________________

 I have considered becoming an Amazon affiliate to maximize even more

earning potential

 I have carefully checked their terms of service

 I have chosen products suited to my audience

 I have considered uploading an eBook to Amazon's Kindle program

 I have researched what people are complaining about on the net

 I have looked through Google auto-suggestions, prompting them with

"negative" keywords such as:

 Complaint with

 Sorting out

 Solving

 Fixing

 Fixing a broken

 The worst thing about

 Overcoming

 How do you

 Other ____________________________

` ____________________________

____________________________

____________________________

____________________________

____________________________

____________________________

____________________________

 I am checking complaints from my fellow niche members on:

 Social networks

 Forums I frequent

 Related niche forums I have found

 Membership sites I belong to

  Other _______________________

 I have included social sharing badges, buttons or icons on every site I own

 I am investigating apps to use on my social networks

 I am developing the habit of consistency in my research -- especially on

social sites

 I am exploring traffic generation tools, to see if they're a good mix for

my personality, learning preferences and business

 I have familiarized myself with the Google AdWords Free Keyword Tool

 I have familiarized myself with what consists of strong keyword search results
(higher numbers up to 9,000 in AdWords Keyword Tool; lowest results possible
down to 3,000 in Google's search bar for the same keyword)

 I am aware I can "level the playing field" with high-count keywords by

complementing them with paid ad campaigns through:

 Google AdWords

 Facebook

 Other _____________________

 I have checked out at least two or three other traffic

generation software/tools/systems, including:

 Traffic Travis
 Market Samurai
 Other _____________________

 I have found a comfortable mix of keyword research methods -- and I'm

not relying on any one method alone

 Mine is a WordPress site and I have installed All in One SEO pack for
maximum keyword optimization

 I have optimized on my blog:

 Post Titles

 Headlines

 Tags
  My All in One SEO Pack Plugin post description form fields -- with every
post I type

 I have installed the Google XML Sitemap plugin on my blog or WordPress site

 I am getting in the good SEO habit of renaming post URLs with keywords

 I have searched for at least one-three niche-specific site directories

 If I found any, I've submitted my site

 I've submitted my site to DMOZ open directory

 I am doing my best to give my visitors what they want:

 Simply and clearly

 Directly, with no distractions

 My content is focused and easy to read

 I have decided on a strong sign-up incentive for my blog or site, to attract

subscribers

 I have signed up for a reliable Autoresponder, ______________________

 I have read my Autoresponder service's tutorials and viewed their videos

 I have created a web form on my site

 I have included a call to action in:

 My web form header area

 My web form sign-up button

 My text

 Other ______________________

 I am setting up my first email series. I understand I can use Autoresponder emails

to:

 Deliver mini-courses

 Send really useful, unique niche tips

 Impart cutting-edge niche information

  Let my subscribers know about great offers from other marketers that I
think would be a perfect fit

 Let my subscribers know about my next offer

 Other ________________________

 I am considering using a JV (joint venture) partner, to help me promote

my products

 I have created an affiliate program

 I have created affiliate resources such as:

 Banners

 Ads

 Buttons

 Graphics

 FAQs

 How-to's

 PLR

 Other ______________

 I am using a reliable web host

 I have secured my site with:

 Strong passwords not based on recognizable words

 A central password manager such as Roboform

 The WordPress Security Scan plugin, if mine is a WordPress site

 I have completed my Weekly Assignment!

Lesson Three: Internet Marketing Training Checklist

 I have familiarized myself with the four main social networks:

 Facebook

 LinkedIn

 Twitter

 I understand how social networking works -- and that it is, above all, social

 I understand I am frequenting these networks mainly to:

 Build my web presence

 Become known in my online niche community

 Brand my business or product

 Help my fellow niche members (and potential subscribers)

 Other ____________________________

 I have carefully considered and chosen (to be used on all my networks):

 My profile photo

 My short bio

 My tagline

 I have determined:

 What message I want my photo, bio and tagline to convey

 Who I am talking to (my target subscriber)

 Who I am talking about -- even when I talk about myself (I.E. my subscriber!)

 I understand the importance of aligning myself to my ideal subscriber's

pace, online culture and interests

 I understand that the social personal I choose to reveal will substitute in people's
minds for the physical "real me"
 I am using the same recognizable photo on all my social sites

 I am focusing on the ideal person I want to attract

 I am matching my tone to my audience

 I have researched the strongest time of day for my audience to "hang out" on my
social networks

 I am posting regularly and consistently

 I have decided on a clear policy as to how much personal detail I will reveal --
and I am sticking to that on my social networks

 I am aware of social networking dangers such as popular games;

procrastinating; being there for sheer entertainment; spending too much time
there on personal matters

 I have signed up for:

 Google+

 Facebook

 LinkedIn

 Twitter

 Other _____________________________

 I am aware of the differences between all four

 I have familiarized myself with each social site's unique advantages and features

 I have created "Share" badges for all these sites

 I am keeping on top of Facebook's ever-changing Privacy Policies -- and plan

to make a habit of checking these at least:

 Once a week

 Every couple of weeks

 Once a month

 Other _____________________________
 I am aware that people are "tightening up" their social networking -- and being
more choosy (particularly on Facebook!)

 I am aware of social network managers such as:

 Seesmic

 TweetDeck

 HootSuite

 Digsby

 Other ______________________________

 I understand I can save time by using one of these managers to distribute all my
posts

 I am making an informed decision about whether or not to sell directly on any

of my social networks. (I understand this is not recommended -- and potentially
risky!)

 I am aware that social networking is more effective when I make it all about:

 Visibility

 Trust

 Community

 Branding

 I have considered creating or sharing videos uploaded to YouTube on my:

 Social Networks

 Blog

 I understand combining YouTube videos and my social networks is harnessing

the power of two major social networks -- in one post!

 I have registered with YouTube and created my own channel

 I am choosing my YouTube categories carefully, when deciding where to upload

my videos

 I am including my keywords in my video title and description

 I am including links to my site or landing page in my video at:

 The beginning of the video [optional]

 The middle [optional]

 The end

 I am using a service such as Viewbix to embed in my video:

 Affiliate links

 Clickable share buttons

 Clickable call-to-action buttons

 I am making sure my clickable links and chiclets contain actual calls to action

 I am aware of the importance of interactivity on my social and websites, when it

comes to hooking and engaging my audience

 When making my videos, I am remembering they will be viewed on a small

screen, so I'm:

 Cutting out distractions

 Focusing more on close-ups

 Other ______________________

 I am also allowing for:

 The emotions I want to stir

 The pace I want to keep
 The atmosphere I'd like to create
 The image I want to present

 I am considering whether or not using music with my videos is right for me

 I have found free or paid Video-making software that works for me

 I have created Facebook and Google+ Pages for my business

 I have added their URLs to my business cards and stationery

 I am planning my social networking around my campaigns, business plan
and sales funnel

 I have seriously considered whether advertising is right for me at this present time

 I have seriously considered if advertising would -- or would not -- be the best

use of my budgeted dollars right now

 I am planning to advertise in the future

 I am tracking my social networking results, to see which posts (or ads) reap
the most active engagement

 I have completed my Weekly Assignment!

Lesson Four: Internet Marketing Training Checklist

 I understand that I can -- and should -- track:

 My actual website traffic

 My actual website performance
 My ad campaign results
 The results of tweaks or changes to content, headlines, graphics and body
copy
 Social networking link click-throughs and stats
 Other _________________________________

 I have revisited and cross-checked my website SEO, fixing SEO mistakes on my:

 URLs

 Headlines or blog post Titles

 Website HTML, including Title Tags, H1 headlines and H2 sub-heads

 I have made sure all ALT tags on my blog or static website have a keyword-
optimized description inserted between the quotes!

 I am considering/preparing to test:

 Alternate graphics
 Alternate calls to action
 Alternate ALT tag descriptions
 Alternate sub heads
 Alternate ads
 Alternate body copy
 Alternate emails
 Background colors
 Button colors
 Buttons
 Other _____________________________

 I understand the basics of A/B split testing

 I realize these types of tests are best run for no longer than a couple of weeks
(and no less than one week)

 I am using the Worksheet in this lesson to plan my split testing

 I have signed up for Google Website Optimizer and studied the videos
and tutorials

 I have familiarized myself with my cPanel on my website, and studied stats

and other visitor data

 I have checked my site to see which pages are resulting in hasty visitor exits

 I am looking at cPanel stats for my:

 Entry pages
 Exit pages
 Hourly traffic
 Daily traffic
 Total hits, files, pages, visits, KBytes
 Unique Sites, URLs, Referrers, User Agents (visitors)
 Error messages visitors encountered (by code, with explanation)

 Other _____________________________

 I have checked to see:

 Where my traffic is coming from

 How many visitors I typically have

 Low points and high points

 Patterns and fluctuations

 Other _______________________

 I have determined:

 Where I lose them

 How long they're staying on each page they visit (on average)

 Which pages convert the least

  If I need to take action to boost those page results

 If I need to concentrate on making the most of (and refining) other

pages that do bring results

 Other _________________________

 I have decided on a clear, specific purpose or goal for my upcoming test. I

understand my options include:

 Subscribing through my web form

 Buying my product
 Buying my One Time Offer
 Visiting an affiliate site or another page
 Other _______________________

 I am trying out a sample test with Google Website Optimizer!

 I have recorded the results

 I have investigated:

 Bit.ly

 Other URL shorteners with tracking capacity

 I have considered whether or not an URL shortener's tracking capacity

outweigh the benefit of using keyword-optimized links

 I have installed the WordPress Social Metrics plugin

 I am committed to regularly tracking:

 Average duration visitor interacts with my social site Pages

 The proportion of social site subscribers that actively engage with me
 Who and how many are sharing and tweeting about my product, site or me
 Which social sites are sending the most people to my landing page or
website
 Which pages are attracting the most visitors organically
 My "Bounce rate"
 My conversions -- how many social site visitors engage and take
the action I want them to take, using my social site links
  What proportion of my traffic is coming from social networks -- and
which networks
 Which topics or links are generating the most traffic from social
sites? The least?
 Whether or not I need to focus on increasing traffic from "low" sources...
or focus on the most active ones
 I am tracking where other socially-driven traffic is coming from:
 Article marketing, promoted through links and social sharing sites
 My blog
 Spontaneous word-of-mouth referrals on social networks
 My YouTube videos? Share badges
 Embedded, interactive Tweets on my blog
 Referrals

 Other __________________________________

 I am tracking through:

 Email feedback

 Social networking feedback

 Other _______________________________

 I am making sure I:

 Acknowledge and respond to feedback

 Validate my subscriber or follower with my attention

 Thank subscribers and followers -- especially for complaints

 Understand that complaints are signs of actual engagement!

 Understand that complaints can clue me in to valuable opportunities

 Provide top quality customer care

 Help my fellow niche members (and potential subscribers)

 Let my subscribers and followers know I care about them/their

problems and joys
  Other ____________________________

 I am setting up a clear Customer Service system, in anticipation of soon selling

product or serving clients

 I have decided on the format for my customer service policies:

 I will handle contact personally

 I will outsource to an expert VA

 I will use "Help Desk" software

 Other _____________________________

 I have built a regular time to check my customer service email account at

least once into each day

 I am remembering to thank and reward:

 Customers, subscribers, followers

 My VA, if I have one

 I am accepting responsibility promptly for my mistakes -- and fixing them

 I am committed to being honest and real with my subscribers

 I have carefully analyzed my competitors through:

 Studying feedback or complaints about him on forums, social networks

or websites

 Looking at what he's doing right

 Looking for what he's missing

 Studying his audience -- and determining if they're my true audience too

(or do our businesses actually complement each other?)

 I am/am not considering outsourcing my tracking

 I am firming up my outsourcing plans, at this stage

 I have decided whether or not I need a Shopping Cart... or just an Autoresponder

 I have decided whether or not I need a product fulfillment company such as

Lulu.com
 I am investing in a business mentor or coach!

 I have decided to advertise/not to advertise

 I am going to use the following advertising methods:

 Paid social network ads

 Google AdWords ads

 CPM

 PPC

 EZines

 Related websites

 Other ____________________

 I am setting daily dollar limits on my CPM or PPC ads

 I have completed my Weekly Assignment!