John Wallace

2010-06-18T04:11:00.001-07:00

How to buy leads if you have not clue what you are doing http://ping.fm/P8UAq

2010-06-18T04:09:00.001-07:00

Become the Jason Bourne of online marketing http://ping.fm/QGKXi

2010-06-18T04:07:00.001-07:00

Give your Business A Boost Today! 10 Great Internet Marketing Tips http://ping.fm/CMHmu

2010-06-18T04:05:00.001-07:00

Want To Crush The Opposition? Top 10 Search Engine Marketing Tips http://ping.fm/UklmK

2010-06-18T04:04:00.001-07:00

Search Engine Marketing Strategy Tricks http://ping.fm/hGnis

2010-06-18T04:02:00.001-07:00

How To Use Social Media T Market Your Business On The Top 3 Sites http://ping.fm/o11i4

2010-06-18T04:00:00.001-07:00

Get Yourself On The First Page Of Google http://ping.fm/hzrKt

2010-06-18T03:59:00.001-07:00

Get Yourself Onto The First Page Of Google

2010-06-18T03:49:00.001-07:00

Why Choosing A Web Developer Is So Important http://ping.fm/y6iDu

How To Build A Converting Lead Capture Page

2010-03-08T08:12:00.000-08:00

You may be an ad copy writing genius (we all wish we were), but without a professional and relevant landing page it is ultimately time and productivity wasted. So to make sure the sales process is achieving the maximum conversion rate you must, must, must pay close attention to where you send your prospect.

People are driven by pain and pleasure, to write a killer ad/headline you must learn about your market and what is their pain, this will then form the basis of any ad and lead capture page.

Metaphorically your landing page should be regarded as an oil well, this is where you have the chance to strike black gold!

With that in mind it is critical that it begins with a riveting headline (You can also use a sub-headline at the very top of the page, however the font should be smaller than the main headline). The headline should not be about you it must be about them. Importantly the headline should not be a closed question, by this I mean the question posed should not result in a “yes” or “no” answer. It will be too easy for the prospect simply to think no and leave your site. Create curiosity and a solution for their perceived pain or problem, so that they need to give their details to learn more.

The format of the page is also crucial. Their eye must be immediately drawn to the headline. Do not place “you stuff” at the top of the page. This style/strategy is reserved for your blog. There should be no further distractions such as affiliate links photos etc.

It has been proven that 70% of leads respond to the headline thus you cannot put enough stress on producing a compelling headline.

When creating a landing page you have to think how the respondent will view the page and take into consideration the page fold (what they will see without having to scroll down). In practice, concentrate on what they will view before they scroll - remember you only have a couple of seconds at most to connect with them!

So before the fold you will need:

Killer Headline
Relevant Video
Inviting Opt-In box

I would suggest the video be made against a plain background (no distractions) and then uploaded to any social media video site such as Viddler, for the purpose of embedding onto your LP. Once again to avoid distraction I would suggest having a pro account with Viddler, there are a host of benefits not least the absence of their logo, thus not giving the option to click on it and be taken to the Viddler site. Its running time should be no more than 90 seconds and, as said before, relevant to your headline.

The opt-in box should have an aesthetic arrow attracting the prospects eye and should offer good reason for them to opt-in.

Beneath the fold, you should continue with light sales copy introducing them to your opportunity, asking questions of your prospect.

This will be followed by up to 5 bullet points including both features and benefits of the opportunity you are promoting, try and be creative with the design of your bullet points ( e.g. animated pointing finger).

Then you should have testimonials, I would personally steer clear of income claims. Once again be creative, maybe using the strip of paper effect.

Finally at the bottom of your page add a second opt-in box. If your prospect has bothered to read your whole page, don’t make them scroll back to the top to submit their details.

So in summary, beneath the fold you will need:

Light Sales Copy (intro and content about you)
Bullet Points (5 max, inc features and benefits)
Testimonials
Second Opt-in Box

Remember you will probably have less than 2 seconds to "connect" with your potential customer, so make your page count…otherwise you might as well go back looking for a J.O.B!!!

Legitimate Home Business Checklist

2010-02-16T07:59:00.000-08:00

If you are considering making the move to start a home business, you will have already been warned about the scams that plague our industry, in short it is becoming more and more difficult to find a business opportunity that is not going to take your money and head for the hills.

So with that in mind how do you find a legitimate home business that stands out from the scammy crowd? In this post I will list certain things that should definitely be on your checklist when choosing a home business opportunity.

The first question I would ask would be how long has the company been in business? Ordinarily I would say they should have been successfully in business for 5 years. Most scams or bad business opportunities would not have made it to that mark, so already you will greatly increase your chances of finding a legitimate home business if you apply this rule.

Every home business wants you to think that theirs is the stand out opportunity that you have been looking for, so be prepared for an element of hype and fluff on pretty much every one you investigate. It will usually come in the form of incredible income claims. Now don't get me wrong, it is possible to earn yearly 7 figure incomes, I am personally friends with people that have achieved that magical figure. But here's the warning…any home business that guarantees you will make hundreds, thousands or even millions of dollars should be immediately dispatched because they are flat out lying! there is simply no business out there that can guarantee this, for one simple reason, and that reason is you, how you apply yourself, what skill sets you possess, how much time you can afford your home business, the list goes on and on, will affect your earning potential.

I personally think the most important factor is what they will do for you. Education and ongoing training is crucial to your success. A genuine legitimate business will offer this as a matter of course. They will also supply you with websites to utilise, sure in the long run you will need to get your own site but in the initial stages they should provide you with websites for you to use, ultimately they would include some sort of personal customization tool for you to add your personal touch.

You will also need questions answering. Members should have access at all times to at least 3 of the following, up-line members, forum, email support, phone support and a live chat facility.

There are two more factors that will be crucial to your success, the compensation plan and a proven business system. A proven successful business system is something you can tap into and get up and running quickly so that you don't need to waste time reinventing the wheel.

Finally, the compensation plan. You will have to evaluate how hard it will be to get into profit, will it be possible to earn a full time income, are the income expectations reasonable and you should be getting paid from your very first sale.

I could go on and dig deeper but the above are, in my mind, the crucial factors when choosing a legitimate home business opportunity. Use this information along with your instincts and you should manage to avoid all those nasty bottom feeders that give this industry a bad name….

A year In Real Estate Vs. A Year Online

2010-02-15T05:28:00.000-08:00

Over the weekend I found myself looking back to my brief time as a real estate agent. I presume this was brought on by the fact that it was late Sunday afternoon and I remember that uncomfortable feeling that used to afflict me at the same time when I had that JOB. The weekend would be coming to an end and the grim reality that Monday was fast approaching bringing with it another week of corporate misery.

You see prior to my one year in Real Estate I had had a successful career in the live music industry spanning nearly 20 years. With success came longer hours more time spent away from home and as I now had young children I needed to spend more time with them, thus I decided on a change of career. If I'm totally honest I didn't think it through and possibly made a rash judgment, but that is not the point of this post.

So I changed Rock 'n' Roll for Real estate….ha what was I thinking! I then proceeded to embark on what I can honestly say was the worst year of my life. First of all I had never worn a suit in my life (bar the usual outings to weddings, funerals etc) and here I was at the age of 44 having to wear one 5 or 6 days a week. I had a boss who would tell me to do my top button up and roll my sleeves down to conform (I hate that word) with the company dress policy. I would leave for work before the kids went to school and arrived back minutes before they were off to bed. I would have to work every Saturday, there was nothing more to my life than selling units of bricks and mortar, believe me when I say it was a soulless existence.

But one day I tried an experiment, I stared intensely into a mirror for 30 seconds, no blinking or flinching. I looked deep into my soul and asked myself 3 important questions: "Am I living my best life?", "Am I doing everything possible to create my own reality?" and "Am I selling my family short?" After two No's and a Yes I knew what I needed to do and the very next day I handed my notice in to the shock of all my work colleagues and decided to start my own home business.

I'm not going to pitch the opportunity I found online, but I will tell you how with their immense training and support I now make an income well above my previous boss and are now able to live life on my and my families terms. Last year, my first full year online, allowed me to make trips to the Dominican Republic, France, New York, Las Vegas, Lake Tahoe and Santa Fe, so far this year I have visited my sister in Boston and at the end of this month I will re-visit New York for 2 days intensive training followed by 3 days checking out that phenomenal city.

So, if while reading this, you find yourself in a similar position to where I was 18 months ago, go find the nearest mirror, be brave, be honest, don't break your gaze or flinch and begin the process to start living your best life….

How To Add Meta Tags To Your Blogger Blog

2010-02-09T03:54:00.000-08:00

We all want our blog posts to be read by as many people as possible, indeed what would be the point otherwise!! The first step is to optimise your blog, and in this example it will relate to your Blogger account. Your standard template will not include meta tags, so you will need to manually add them to achieve a higher ranking, the process is simple just follow the steps below...  

1. First login to your Blogger.com account.

2. Then click on ‘Layout’ and select ‘Edit HTML’ tab.

3. Now search for the line of code directly above the boxed selection below (it will be about 9 rows down from the top). Then simply add the code in the boxed section directly beneath it.

Now just change the capitalized letters with your own text. ‘Keywords’ meta tag can have any number of keywords.

Analyzing Meta Tags

Adding meta tags to your website/blog is not enough it is important that you then analyse their effectiveness. So here's the cool bit, you can use this free tool to get a report on how your meta tags rank and then optimise if necessary, you should be aiming for a score of +90%. It is called SEOCENTRO. It does not require you to register. Just fill your website URL and anti-spam code and you will be produced with a ‘Meta Tag Analysis Report‘ (see the image below).

There you have it!

WARNING: DUE DILIGENCE NEEDED...

2010-02-04T10:47:00.000-08:00

If there was one warning I would give to a virgin online entrepreneur, it would be do your homework.

I have overspent on a host of programs and tools, hoping they would catapult me to immediate success with my home business. Follow my initial concept and you too will waste hundreds, if not thousands of dollars trying to achieve the dream you set when you first embarked on your entrepreneurial journey.

Now I'm not going to name names here because I blame myself for not carrying out my own personal research before purchasing, but all I will say is there are a lot of charlatans out there that will take your money and give you little in return, so save yourself $$ and time and do your due diligence before parting with your precious cash to some as****e who will use it to fund their shallow existence.

Online Success Comes With A Coach And Mentor

2010-02-03T04:22:00.000-08:00

It's something I hear about all the time, you know, person decides they've had enough of their boss and their J.O.B and finally decide to do something about it and fulfill their dream of starting a new business that will allow them to work from home.

After a few online searches, they're off! they spend money buying countless courses on how to make thousands of dollars working from home, then put what they have learned into practice….days pass, the days turn into months and guess what, they receive nothing in return. They take stock of the situation and tell themselves that the reason for their failure is obviously the product they are marketing…

So back to the drawing board! More searches, more products, same mistakes, this process can go on for years as they desperately look for the secret that will unlock their dream of financial success and security.

But the one question they failed to ask themselves was, if I were learning a new sport, language, skill would I not try to find a coach or mentor to help me? Of course you would. Ultimately you would want to find someone to teach you the basics while focusing on the things that will give your business a strong foundation and get it producing results in as quick a time as possible.

An Internet business is the same as any other skill you desire to learn, without a coach you could spend years learning from your mistakes, but in that time give up because you are not reaching the goals that you initially set yourself.

So if there is one nugget of advice I would give to anyone just starting out is look for someone who has the experience and knowledge base to walk you through the minefield that is the internet. Someone who is totally savvy with new marketing techniques as the marketing landscape is constantly evolving and someone who made money 5 years previous may not have the same success today.

You will need to comprehend all aspects of internet marketing including:

Lead Generation
Automated Followup
Website creation
Creating Your Own Brand
Sales Conversion
Creating Multiple Streams Of Income
Building A Residual Income

Add to this a business that works on autopilot 24/7 and you will be giving yourself the best possible opportunity to build a successful online business. Of course everything I have mentioned is worthless without guts, determination and persistence by the owner, but bring that to the table and we will see each other at the top!

In summary I would refer to it as creating an online entrepreneurs incubator, nurturing individuals and giving them the best opportunity to achieve success and the ability to live life on their terms. So if you're tired of failing on the internet see how you can put all those mistakes behind you….

http://TheEntrepreneurIncubator.com

Why I Hate Twitter...

2010-02-02T07:12:00.000-08:00

First let me get something straight…I don't actually hate Twitter, it's been a good friend to me, it's made me laugh, cry, make money, learn, the list goes on. But what really annoys me and spoils my user experience is freaking' spammers and people that use it solely to pitch their business opportunity.

What planet are these people on! There is one shining light that these same people will not remain in business long, these myopic individuals totally fail to understand the Twitter concept, it is not a free version of Pay Per Click, it's a social media platform, that's right SOCIAL media. You can reach out and connect with like minded people, socialise, create friendships, sure you can also show people what you do to generate an income, but at least introduce yourself first….

Can you imagine walking into a bar, going straight up to a complete stranger handing them your business card and then turn away to leave saying "call me"! This is effectively what happens on Twitter when it is abused, all I can think is they are using the premise that throw enough mud and eventually some of it will stick…well I've got some bad news for these marketing retards you're on a fast track to failure.

So if you are one of those reading this, this is a message from a new company I incorporated, TwitterAttorneys…."cease and frigging desist", your tweets will not be read and you are clogging up cyberspace with your inane sales pitches….go to your local pharmacy and order a bottle of "Attraction Marketing" take two spoonfuls a day with food and you will be cured before you know it.

Life After Google?

2009-12-18T05:17:00.000-08:00

I still remember the day the beast turned nasty and boy was I nervous. You see I had made the classic mistake of relying too heavily on the Google monster, you've no doubt heard the phrase "all my eggs in one basket" well that was pretty much me, but now I was on the verge of my basket being filled with an omelette…

Before the worm turned I had managed good success, implementing strategies mastered by attending countless webinars and reading a ton of books. Less than $5 dollar leads a 15-20% conversion to sales ratio, my budget increasing exponentially, thus more sales. Then the first slap, closely followed by another and then the threat of a lifetime ban!? I turned everything off and, luckily, deleted all my campaigns, had I just paused them then the mother of all slaps and a lifetime ban would have become a reality…so if you are reading this and still have paused campaigns following a slap, DELETE them now.

So, I analysed the fallout, 2,000 leads a month became 200, sales dried up and here I was looking into the abyss, I needed new sources of traffic and I needed them fast. I soon realised with my success on Google, I had been neglecting what is the core of a sustained career online….me. I had not invested nearly enough time in "Me Inc." This had to change. So I devised a new strategy, it was not rocket science and soon started bearing results. The key components were as follows:

1. Invest more time in a simple blog. Not to blatantly pitch my opportunity but simply let people know who I was and how I could help them and offer value in exchange for their patronage.

2. Articles, articles, articles. I set a target of 7 new articles a week.

3. Implement a content distribution strategy, thus "buying" up more and more Internet real estate.

4. Combining article writing with video production offering value and trust, thus building a following that would listen when I offered solutions to their situations and giving them the opportunity to break free from their current torpor.

5. Social Media. Sure I had a Facebook, Twitter and YouTube account but had I really applied myself to get the most out of them…No! So a diligent and creative approach began and I was amazed at the results, which continues to this day. Follow me on www.twitter.com/JohnnyWallace

6. My list. Sitting there with thousands of prospects that I kept in contact with, but I didn't just want contact I wanted a relationship, a relationship that involved trust meaning, once again, if I were offering solutions people would sit up and listen.

7. List Builders. I left this till last as this was the biggest source of traffic and sales. I signed up to more than one and even had multiple accounts with the same provider. My copywriting skills improved ten-fold and I started generating top ticket sales earning $1000's in single commissions from a product that cost $400 for a years subscription to their top platinum membership. Leads, and quality leads at that, costing 50c each!!

I still use PPC at the moment solely Bing and I will be back on Google in the near future. But the purpose of this is to push the notion that it is possible to have a lucrative online business without relying heavily on Google, all of the above are low cost solutions and anyone new to this great industry should build their brand without exception. In the long run Google will be a much more stable and effective platform to market your business, no more conmen, scammers and charlatans, no more ridiculous income claims, the genuine opportunities will prevail and those life changing dreams will become reality.

Feeler, Thinker, Knower...Which One Are You?

2009-12-15T03:05:00.000-08:00

Every person that steps foot on this planet of ours is one of the above... period! Sure, if you're a psychiatrist you could delve deeper and create sub-categories, but ostensibly each and every one of us falls into one of the above catergories.

Now, you can have a bit of all of them, but you will always have a leading trait...which one are you? Me, I'm a "thinker" first, and then split between a "feeler" and "knower" depending on the scenario. Now, the next step is how you recognise these people, and gaining this knowledge will help you in your social and business life, if you can quickly determine a persons trait you will be able to develop a relationship faster and control it's progression, especially from a business perspective...

So let's look at each type and in this instance let's assume each one of the above are eating out at a restaurant...

Mr Knower arrives at the restaurant with his wife and even before he sets foot inside he will have pretty much made up his mind what he will be eating and very possibly what his wife will to!! If he has visited the diner before he will certainly know what will arrive on his plate. Knowers are the intuitive ones: they may not actually know how they made the decision, but they are sure it’s right (incidentally this certainty of being right doesn’t actually make them more right than anyone else!).

Next to arrive is Mr Thinker, now, once seated he will read every page on the menu checking out each ingredient in every dish, maybe to see if he thinks the combination works, or to check that he has no allergy to scotch bonnet chilli or whatever, he will consider whether the food offers value for money...then of course the wine menu, what would compliment what he's about to consume...are you beginning to get the picture?

So, now Mr Feeler arrives. As he enters he will check out every other table before being seated, he wants to see what dishes appeal to him, he will take in the aromas from tables and kitchen looking for something to stimulate him into choosing, because this guy is ruled by his heart, his feelings will determine his choice.

Each will take differing times to order , ordinarily Mr Knower will have ordered first, followed by Mr Feeler who by now would have been seduced into a selection, meanwile Mr Thinker is still devouring the menu and wine list!!

So what is the point of all of this? Think about it. From a business perspective when dealing with prospects, if you can ascertain which group your prospect falls into, you will be able to react appropriately, satisfying the needs of each social group member, thus increasing your chances of a successful outcome...believe me I use this day in day out and if you master it you to will see the results...however, should you ever come across someone who says, "I think I know how I feel", you're on your own!

Leadership = Success

2009-12-15T02:59:00.000-08:00

When I first began my online business I was unsure what skills would be most important to guarantee success...technical nous, creativity, copywriting skills, video marketing the list was long and exhaustive. There were so many thoughts on what I should master first that I overlooked the most important success defining factor...LEADERSHIP.

Without it you will drift in the doldrums of mediocrity destined for failure. You could be a grea copywriter, a PPC maestro, you may also have the best product to market but without enduring leadership these skills will not convert to hard cash. If you lack leadership maybe you should take a long look in the mirror and ask some hard questions, "Am I cut out to run my own business?", "Should I not just get a job where I get a reasonable salary in return for my undoubted skills?"

Now, I'm not for one moment saying that you should enter back into the Rat Race, but and this is a big "but", you have to be realistic and understand that you must possess or begin to learn leadership skills.

You often hear the phrase "born leader", now that's great, but if you weren't, hey learn!! And you can, leadership can be developed. Find the leaders in your midst and study them...what do they say, study their body language, how do they dress, dissect everything about them and begin adding those facets to your skills and grow as a person.

The biggest mistake home business owners make is when speaking to prospects. You must control the conversation on your terms and get them to follow your lead, if you are to recruit them they must believe in "You Inc". Remember they will do what you do and say, my friend.

So get out there and create that leadership mindset and see the difference it will bring....

I Can't Afford To Go To The Event….

2009-12-14T03:54:00.000-08:00

I remember saying that and I had convinced myself I was right, my sponsor put forward a compelling argument, but I thought it would be better to use the expense needed to add to my marketing budget, that I would wait until I was generating better sales….

Move forward 6 months and the next one came around, in Lake Tahoe, Nevada to be exact. I compared my sales over that period to the previous few months and while there had been an increase that could only be put down to my greater knowledge of the industry I had entered, but this improvement still did not have me at the level I had set myself. My sponsor once again put forward his argument, but this time with added vigour, "did I want to be successful?" or was I happy to just make ends meet, you know, just like most J.O.Bs.

I had to listen to his compelling argument, because here was a 7 figure income earner at the top of his game, and me potentially ignoring his advice. So I scraped together the money and head west to the beautiful resort of Lake Tahoe. I live in the UK so after many hundreds of dollars and a 27 hour door to door journey, I finally arrived.

Immediately I had the feeling I had made the right decision, the enthusiasm generated by fellow attendees, was apparent from the welcome reception….could this really be life affirming?

Four information packed, educational and jaw dropping days later I returned, my head spinning with the near overload I had experienced. But hey, guess what my productivity increased exponentially, I did not want to waste the golden nuggets given to me, I had to utilise the education that I had received. 3 months passed, 3 mentions on the "Saturday Superstars" list and a bank account that said "go on treat yourself"!! The Tahoe event was in March 2009, I have attended two further events in the Dominican Republic and Las Vegas since and guess what….yep my business has gone from strength to strength. Now I find myself having the same conversations with my burgeoning team members as I had with my sponsor, to the point that if they want my full commitment to their success then they must repay that by attending the same events.

There is no substitute for the impact attending events will have on your business, there is not one, and I mean not one, successful online entrepreneur who has made their fortune without pitching up regularly to these life changing events. So, to put it bluntly, get your head out of the sand, find the money and make the next one, alternatively there's always a J*O*B out there for you….