Clickbank and Cashcrate: Proof of Payments

I got two surprises in the mail this week. Clickbank and Cash Crate decided to send me a check. They aren't much, but I'll use them for web hosting, domains, and other related expenses. I don't think I've spent even half an hour working between both sites in the past three months. Despite this, Clickbank still brings in cash.

I had forgotten about both of them due to other things demanding my attention these days. This was just the kick in the arse that I needed. So far I have created one wordpress blog, generated various keyword lists for future projects, gracefully bowed out of freelance writing work, and sincerely plan to make internet marketing my sole income before the year's end. I also have a few E-reports planned. Many have asked, so I think I might create a few reports detailing how I manage to get Clickbank and Cash Crate checks completely EFFORTLESSLY.

All work and no play makes me a very depressed person, so I'm definitely planning to do some things that I enjoy. For example, a novel writing contest is held every November. I usually watch in awe as writers make their dream of becoming a published fiction author a reality. Not this year! I'm gonna be right in the thick of things! It'll probably be challenging to complete that goal between work and studies, but I guess that's why they it call it a "Writing Challenge."

Enough chit-chat, here are the scanned proof of payments. Personal info was blotted out:)

We Pay Mail - Get Paid to Read Emails

If you use your email frequently, you might as well get paid for it! We Pay Mail is a PTR (paid-to-read) program that's been around for a couple of years. They pay up super-fast and have a low pay-out of $5.00.

We Pay Mail won't make you rich by any stretch of the imagination. However, if you're like me and could use some extra cash for things like gasoline or pet food, you should definitely look into it. At the very least, paid-to-read programs will add to your bottom line :)

Is The Ebook Movement Suffering Because of Sub Par Writers?

Some time ago, I received an email from an IM who said they were having trouble breaking into print. The...entire...email...was...written...exactly...like...this...
Can...you...imagine...reading...this...email...? Reading this aloud, I sounded like a low-budget version of Sylvester Stallone. I hope their pitches to editors weren't written like that. If so, it would explain a lot...

That's a mild offense compared to an ebook I read that was written completely omitting commas some periods syntax and basic structure had missssspellings und was ver dffcut to red. I had no idea where one thought ended and another began.

Are your eyes sore yet? That nagging little editor in me wants to lash out at someone!

My concern is this: are these "average Joe" writers having a negative impact on the ebook movement? I read a blog post that said, "most ebooks are crap." I don't know if they were talking about ebook content or ebook writers specifically. Since I'm in the process of finishing my ebook, this concerned me.

The sad truth is this: not every person is a writer. Sounds rather uncomplicated, right? It seems that people who long to communicate their thoughts also long to communicate via the written word. This is understandable, but can be an ugly situation.

You don't have to be the Shakespeare of the Internet. I'm only saying that a little high school English review goes a long way. Being conversational is fine; being grammatically lazy is not fine.

Ezine Articles Resource Boxes

What makes for a killer resource box when article marketing? I've always either been too PBS-news-report-y or too traveling-sales-woman-y. Striking a balance is incredibly difficult for me. Because of this, I've been using the Aunt A.I.D.A. technique.

Attention
Interest
Desire
Action

First, I try to really grab their attention. This is really hard because my readers are usually in a complete trance after reading my articles. What can I say? I'm just that good...hehehe.

Next, I pique their interest. I normally use a question for this, but I want to test some other ways to go about it.

If they're still reading, I've got to hit this one outta the ball park. Really knock their socks off and make them almost salivate over and desire what you're offering. Rough example: a beginner golfer may not be interested in advanced techniques that will rev up their game in less than 24 hours, but a frequent golfer who's sick of losing to his/her buddies might be.

Hopefully, you were able to see where I was trying to go with that example. Throughout the preceding sentences, you'd really target that person, your target market.

Note: The above example may sound a bit too much like a sales letter, but the objective and general means are the same. You want the prospect to click your link for more information, so you use descriptive language. Easy-breezy formula, right?

Which leads me to the final ingredient (can ya smell what I'm cookin'?), action. If the prospect has kept reading through the previous sentences of your resource box, tell 'em what to do next. Er, I mean suggest what they should do next.

For example, in our golfer scenario, we might write something like, "If this sounds good to you, and you know it does, head over to My Golf Stroke Sucks to check out even more free information to get you swingin'." Sorry, I couldn't help myself. It may seem crude, but my CTR is about 50% using this simple strategy. Be sure to use anchor text (a.k.a. your target keyword) and not just the name of your website like I did.

There are A LOT of people doing much better than me in that respect, but if you're struggling with your CTR, give it a try and build on it.

One More Page Before Ebook is Complete

I've gone and done it. Created an ebook, that is. This is my second day of actually writing it, and I have one more page to go until it's complete. Hopefully, I will have the ebook up for sale by Wednesday or Thursday.

I'm not going to market this ebook in the traditional way. At least not until I try my own approach first. There will be no corny 60 page sales letters filled with hype and false promises. I don't know if I'll create a content site surrounding the product, or a simple order page. We shall see...

I don't have the capital to use PPC right now, but I'm considering giving it a try if my free marketing techniques bring a favorable return. The only resource that I really have right now is TIME. But who ever really has enough of that?

Regardless, I've been clocking in 14 to 18 hour days. Did I make every hour count? Not at all. Although I'm happy to say that my blog-browsing has been considerably reduced;)

Hi-ho, hi-ho, it's back to work I go...

Die, Sales Letter, Die!!!

If I see another 30 page sales letter, I just might freak. What's with them, anyways? Does anyone actually read every word of the letter? I'd venture to say no.

Yes, selling your product is important. I only ask that my eyes not be sacrificed for your sales tactic. What many Internet marketers don't realize is that writing for the web is different that writing for print. Sounds simple enough, right? Apparently, the line isn't so obvious in the IM field.

I've always said that you can see a sales letter a mile away. You know, the white background and yellow highlights that make you want to grab a pair of sunglasses. Let's not forget the ever-popular, "Dear Friend," or "From the desk of."

I'm a huge Ingrid Michaelson fan. Her song lyrics are simple and concise. When asked about her song writing style, she said that she likes to get her point across in as few words as possible. The little light bulb in my head flashed when she said this. Web readers don't want to spend hours reading my pitch.

My point is this: if you're truly targeting the right audience, you don't have to give them a hard sell. If your target audience is hungry enough, they won't require much bait (certainly not 10-50 pages of bait). Quickly, and clearly, outline why and how your product fulfills a need. Use bullet points and bold font where appropriate.

Besides, sitting there for 45 minutes reading why I should buy your product is kind of ruining that whole "instant gratification" thing.

January Round-up

JANUARY 2008




Freelance Writing: $0.00 (not writing for clients for a few months)

Associated Content: $ Who really knows?

Cashcrate: $ 10.85

Gangster Greed: $ 2.03

Internet Marketing: $145.67

Ebooks/Reports: $0.00

Residual Income(aka. revenue sharing): $ 1.45

Adsense: $8.26


Overall, this has been a lousy month. The blame is absolutely all mine. A lot of time was spent researching, analyzing, and perfecting my internet marketing technique. I expect things to look up after I've completed my digital report. Keeping my fingers crossed....

Affiliate Marketing Experiment...The Jury's Still Out

I dove into the jungles and murky waters of affiliate marketing a couple of months ago. After surviving a severe case of "Analysis Paralysis" and "Procrastination Probation," I tried my hand at putting together an article marketing campaign. Could I possibly find myself earning the infamous $200+ per day that internet marketing gurus promise/claim/advertise? Let's see...

First, I went to Clickbank and searched for a product that had a gravity between 20 and 50. Using my own personal version of logic, I figured that a product with a gravity above 50 may prove to be too saturated for the purpose of my experiment. I also deduced that products with a gravity below 20 may not have enough traffic to garner any results within my 14 day timeframe. Note: I no longer use this criteria due to lack of variety.

After choosing a product that fit the above criteria, while still managing to be interesting, I went in search of keywords relevant to the product. What words and phrases would people use to find "my" product? This process isn't always what it appears. Sure, you could type a main product keyword into any free keyword search tool and come up with some viable options.

What about using keywords that would inadvertantly lead visitors right to your product or landing page? We've all gone in search of information on the internet, only to find ourselves miles from where we first started searching. Let that information marinate...

Keywords in hand, I created blogs that targetted one main keyword. The title and address of the blog were given keyword-rich names. For example, if your keyword is "dog training," the address of your blog would be "dogtraining.xxxx.com" or "dog-training.xxxx.com." Your blog's name would also be Dog Training or similar. It's search engine ranking. I mainly focus on ranking for the search term on Google, with the hopes of other search engines picking me up later.

I didn't want to overly invest myself since I had no guarantee anything would actually pan out. I've seen people go at article marketing hard. I didn't really want to work hard for this experiment. I wanted to work smart.

I wrote two blog posts for my affiliate blog and one article went to an article directory (Note to self: Place articles in article directories that have a high PR next time). All articles focused on specific keywords. I only use one keyword per article. Keyword density is about 1-3%.

In hindsight, I should have written about ten articles and divided them between the two sites. It took the article directory about a day or two to accept my article.
I social bookmarked my blog post and crossed my fingers.


THE RESULTS

I never got a high ranking on Google for my selected search term. SEO can be funny that way. My blog never received more than 35 uniques per day. As of this posting, my total volume of visitors, according to Google Analytics, is a little less than 600. My one article at the article directory gained over 400 views and 89 clickthroughs, giving me about a 21% CTR. I earned a total of about $103.00 through six sales, four of which came through my affiliate blog.

I've tweaked some of my affiliate marketing steps, but I'm thinking of returning to my original model. One article that nets you $73.60 isn't too shabby.

A lesson in marketing and sales prowess

Who would have thought that a five-year-old could teach me more about sales prowess in two minutes than four years of college combined? This little story that I forgot to share with you guys actually inspired a fiction piece.

I was, of course, angsting over what to include in my business plan when the doorbell rang. I wasn't really expecting anyone, so I took my time getting to the door. In the ten seconds it took me to reach the door, my doorbell had rang six times, coupled with numerous pecks, scratches and kicks at my door and window. I was absolutely livid. How dare someone bang on my door like that! Opening the door to give the culprit a shot of my fury, I was surprised to find two little girls no older than five and six; one raven-haired, the other strawberry blond.

The strawberry blond proceeded to silently thrust a battered, but unopened bottle of Aquafina in my face. The brunette, not to be outdone, quickly took two steps forward and shoved a sticky, half-empty bottle of Orange-aid at me. She confidently asked, "Do ya wanna buy something to drink?"

I decided to humor myself, and asked, "How much is it?"

The brunette replied, "A dollar." Observing the orange stain on her t-shirt and the orange ring around her mouth, she clearly had already taken her share off the top. She sure has the marketing spirit. Buy low, consume, sell high. At least that was her system.

I politely told her no, and said goodbye. I thought my ordeal was over until the brunette quickly turned toward me again, fist on her hip, and asked, "Are you really sure?" in a way only little girls can. By now she was tapping her foot in the grass, eyes determined to convince me of the horrendous mistake I was making in not buying her product. Talk about a hard sell.

Twenty minutes later, I'm a dollar poorer and staring at a sticky, half-empty bottle of Orange-aid. Darn, I should have gotten the Aquafina.

I wanna be a Pro Blogger!!!

What does it take to become a pro blogger? I've asked myself this question since I first discovered the blogging revolution. The answer seems to lie in possessing a combination of marketing savvy, charm, and a bit of writing talent.

Marketing Savvy
Pro bloggers are some of the best marketers around. Check out John Chow's blog and notice how he's not shy when it comes to advertising. He's actually rather ad-heavy, but it works out well for him because his blog has substance. Like Steve Pavlina, John Chow's blog has a certain...

Charm
Pro bloggers tend to be charming. It's no secret, really. There has to be something about them that keeps you coming back for more, otherwise there would be no pro bloggers. In order to be "charming," I think you should be passionate about your blog topic. Yes, I realize that keywords and search volume will muddy things a bit. As a GENERAL guideline, follow your heart and the money should follow you (I have numerous blogs that go against this grain of advice).

Writing Talent
Bloggers, in general, should be able to effectively convey their ideas in written form. You don't have to be Socrates or Maya Angelou, although you should have basic language structure mastered. Above all, pro bloggers are engaging. Think of it this way...you're telling people about your breakfast this morning. How interesting is that going to be to the masses? More interesting than I would have ever imagined, apparently, because pro bloggers what about that exact topic regularly. I had cold pizza this morning showered in a flurry of Parmesan cheese. Was I engaging enough? Can I be a pro blogger now? Pleeeeease?

Rosie's Blog and nirvana...of sorts

How many of you read Rosie's blog? Until very recently, I had not. I'll be brutally honest here: celebrity blogs don't interest me in the least. What, the paparazzi doesn't give enough face time? There's something about Rosie, however.

Her blog reads like a mosaic of prose, Hallmark sincerity, and 1st grade writing class. It's a combination that works for her.

Reading through Rosie's blog posts made me think more about the image I want to convey to you guys. I question whether I am providing a superficial overview of myself or if I'm really accomplishing what I originally set out to accomplish. The intent of this blog is within the realm of literary therapy. A journal is much too private at times and leaves me alone with my thoughts. This is absolutely fine for the most part. The problem is that I already KNOW what I think! I want to reach outside the confines of my own limited perception. Am I making any sense?

Yes, the theme of this blog is my journey to a debt-free life. The pursuit of debt-free living is but one aspect of my life. I don't have the time or energy to devote a blog to each mini-me. So, fair warning, from this point on you will read posts describing my thoughts on financial freedom as well as life, love, politics (sparingly), and the world as I experience it.

This should be interesting...

Smart Goal Setting

Smart goal setting is something I've done consistently for years. My problem is supplying the action required to take the goals from my notebook to my reality.

Smart is actually an acronym for a goal setting formula. When writing down your goals, you should make them specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and time-specific.

This formula works for a number of reasons, but most times I notice that I lack the sticktuitiveness to accomplish anything. I completely lack focus and it really makes me... oh, wait, I think I just thought of another goal!

Why do clients keep doing this?

Indecision is seriously impacting my livelihood. The indecision is not my own. I can't count the number of times clients have contacted me to work on a freelance writing project, only to disappear two days later. For instance, I had a project lined up that would have brought me an extra $600 dollars in a week. Did I need that money? Hell, yeah! Did I get that money? Hell, no! Could my time have been better spent seeking clients who actually intend to have me complete their project? I think you get the picture.

The point of this rant is this: When someone contacts and retains me to work on their project, I'd like to WORK on the project. This means the project details and retainer fee must be sent to me. I felt like giving this client a piece of my mind, and suing for lost wages!

Lesson of the month: Don't pencil anyone into your calendar until the retainer fee is actually in your possession. Seems simple enough. However, when you're in need of cash, things can get a little murky.

The Weigh-In

Wow, it's been a long time since I've updated you guys. I'm sorry. The short explanation is that I fell CONSIDERABLY short of my goal. I had some luck with affiliate programs, but nothing to write home (or blog) about.

For the month of November, I turned my attention to freelance writing once again. I opted to work directly with clients rather than bidding sites or AC. I have student loans to pay! I've been getting some semi-steady work this month, but things are pretty lean for me in the freelance writing world. What is up with that? Holiday effect, perhaps? I don't know.

Add to my troubles the fact that I've had health issues all month and you've got a very broke Gerrica.

However, thanks to Think and Grow Rich, I'm still in the fight. I've been making some residual income in addition to my freelance writing jobs. Once again, the income isn't significant, but it's there.

I do find myself wondering just how the hell I'm going to make things work in December, though... Here's a (very) rough outline of my plans and goals for the month of December:

1. Write and market an e-book/e-report by Dec. 15, 2007
2. Create six new niche sites/blogs
3. Diversify income (Adsense just isn't doing it for me.)
4. Earn $3,000.00 total for the month
5. Invest 10% of earnings
6. Avoid death-by-exhaustion while trying to hit freelance writing deadlines.

*There are many typos and grammatical errors in this blog post. I apologize for that. My brain is still boggled by the 10,000 words I have to write in the next few minutes for a client project.

Conquered my Mini-Challenge

If you only learn one thing from this blog, let it be this: You CAN make money blogging in less than ten days. The mini-challenge involved making a profit (however small) from a brand-new blog in ten days or less. I researched, created, and got my blog indexed in six hours. I was simply testing the waters. I KNOW that you can too!

Bonus: The website I researched and created for my mother ranked #2 out of over 20 million on Google today. I never submitted the site to search engines or promoted links to it in any way. We had no idea the search engines "knew" it existed, for lack of better description.



*Market Research
*Traffic
*Conversion
*Product

...those are the basic keys to internet marketing success. Those things performed in that order are so effective (and simple) that it's scary!

If shameless gloating offends you, please do not read this post :)

As you know, my mini-challenge began today. I created a website today on a popular topic, wrote one article, and did some social bookmarking. In less than 45 minutes I ranked #11 for the phrase on Google. For the broad search I ranked #21. Now for the traffic.

How is everyone else doing?

*New Mini-Challenge*...Wanna Join?

I have a "fantabulous" idea! Some of my visitors who are new to internet marketing expressed concern over how to actually get started. I posted a step-by-step intro to internet markteting, but some felt it was too time consuming for absolute beginners. Reading over the post, I can see how it may have overwhelmed some of you!

I propose that we start even smaller. How would you like to see some cash flow in ten days or less? If you haven't joined the famed "Thirty Day Challenge," (or even if you have) why not join the "10 Day Niche Blog Challenge?"

The objective is to create a blog on any niche of your choice and gain a profit from it all in ten days. Any takers?

The 30 Day Challenge

I signed up to follow and participate in the 30 Day Challege at the end of July. I haven't really been able to follow it the way I want to due to my computer's slow download capabilities. I'm forever grateful to those who provide a day by day summary of the lessons, but I feel as if I'm not receiving the full benefit of this experience. Is anyone else having trouble downloading the podcasts and videos?

Freelance writing for the Internet can be your ticket to success

I began freelance writing in earnest in the summer of 2005. I strategically designed query letters, subscribed to numerous print magazines, and learned the names of magazine editors by heart. I polished my article ideas, sent out the above mentioned query letters, and eagerly awaited acceptance letters. They never came.

It goes without saying that I was greatly disheartened. I had done everything by the book and had absolutely no results. Being the ever impatient person that I am, I decided to seek out other ways of earning an income writing. It was at this time that I was introduced to web writing.

I wasn't extremely optimistic, but didn't exactly have much to lose. I devoured freelance writing and work-from-home forums. I felt enough confidence in myself to take the next step. I gathered the names of various ezines and developed query letters.

One of the great things about web writing is the rapid response you get from editors. You don't have to worry about remaining a starving artist from buying all of those magazine copies. Back issues are usually online just waiting for you to view them. They don't often pay as much per word as their glossy counterparts, but ezines are typically less competitive and offer a nice per-word-rate.

How you can get started:

Decide what type of writing you want to do (web writing has many facets, including, SEO content writing, PR freelancing, website copywriting, article marketing, and more)

Google the phrase "ezine directory," or similar.

Make a note of the internet magazines you are interested in writing for, their rate of pay, special instructions, contacts, etc.

Read over some of their previous published material to find out what tone of writing the editors prefer.

Write out those query letters! You will find many online resources dedicated to this topic. My only advice is to K.I.S.S. (keep it short & simple). Email makes the ezine world move much faster, which means editors don't have the time to read an overly-detailed query. Spare them and yourself the trouble. You can find a good email query letter template on Anne Wayman's site.

As the Nike commercial says, "Just do it." Create a plan and jump in. If you need more help getting started with freelance writing, online and off, you should really read Anne Wayman's ebook, Getting Started With Profitable Freelance Writing. She has a wealth of experience and her advice has gotten me more than a few freelance writing jobs.

How Get-Paid-To programs can be easy money

As everyone knows, I've decided to try my hand at making money online. I was reintroduced to GPT programs and I must say that I really like them. They won't make you rich, but they'll provide some extra money for household and business expenses.

Currently, the only Get-Paid-To programs I can recommend are CashCrate and Gangster Greed. I've tried signing up for others but I had issues registering. If I am able to register and have good results with the programs, I'll let you know.

Assuming that you're completing surveys, here is how to ensure that most of your offers go through:

Use true information when completing the surveys

Don't use a P.O. Box address unless they are acceptable

Clear your computer's cookies between offers from the same company

On CashCrate, try $0.40 and $0.50 offers first. I've found that they confirm the fastest.

Think carefully about completing offers that require you to enter your social security number, as these may effect your credit.