1. Auto-Discovery

Include auto-discovery tags in the HTML header of the web page. Some podcasting and RSS readers will automatically detect that an RSS feed or podcast is available if such auto-discovery tags are included in the web page header tags.

More on Auto-Discovery - http://www.feedforall.com/knowledgebase/a334b.htm

2. Add A Podcast Icon

Add a standard “podcast” icon to the website. The icon should appear “above the fold”, meaning that the website visitor should not have to scroll down in order to see it. The standardized orange icons are symbolic of podcasts, and podcast listeners will instantly know that a podcast is available when they see such an icon. The icon should link to the URL of the podcast feed.

3. Submit To Podcast Search Engines And Directories

There is a large and growing number of search engines and directories that are specific to podcasting. Submit your podcast to all the podcasting search engines and podcasting directories.

List of Sites to Submit Podcasts - http://www.podcasting-tools.com/submit-podcasts.htm

4. Use All Means Available For Promotion

Use all of your existing communication channels to let your audience know that a podcast is available. Be sure to include a mention of the podcast in any email signatures, newsletters, and forum posts.

5. Optimize Transcript

Create a show transcript as part of the RSS feed, and include important keywords from the podcast in the show transcript. The show transcript should be optimized for search engines. Use standard search engine optimization techniques. You can also use a PHP Script (RSS2HTML, located at http://www.feedforall.com/free-php-script.htm ) to display the show transcript on your website.

6. Optimize ID3 Tags

Use search engine optimization techniques when optimizing your ID3 tags, so your sound files will be easy to locate via the various audio search engines.

Optimize ID3 Tags - http://www.feedforall.com/audio-file-optimization-tips.htm

If you are spending the time and energy to publish a regular podcast, make sure to give it the exposure it deserves.

About the Author: Sharon Housley manages marketing for FeedForAll http://www.feedforall.com software for creating, editing, publishing RSS feeds and podcasts. In addition Sharon manages marketing for RecordForAll http://www.recordforall.com audio recording and editing software.

That’s why, no matter what you believe, you’re absolutely right.

If you believe you’re not good enough to be successful in business, you’re right.

If you believe you have to struggle and work hard all the time to get ahead, you’re right.

Beliefs — which are thoughts that you’ve had a longstanding habit of thinking — eventually become your reality.

I know, I know — you don’t want to be overworked and unsuccessful.

No problem. Outgrown and outworn beliefs can simply be dropped at any time. We’ll get to how in a moment. (Remember when you believed in the Tooth Fairy?)

But first, please, let it sink in that whatever reality you’re living has been created by your beliefs. Accepting the connection between what you’ve been living and what you’ve been thinking is essential if you want Law of Attraction on your side.

Not really sure what you believe? Take a look at what you’re living. It’s always a match to what you believe.

Most of you have an abundance of blessings in your lives, and that’s wonderful. You created that. Awesome!

Nearly all of you also have things going on that you’d like to change. You created those too. Awesome!

When you truly get it that you create it all, then you really know “the secret.” It’s the secret of who you really are. Not some lowly, powerless human struggling to get ahead. You are spirit, eternally creating, eternally evolving, eternally choosing.

As spirit you have the innate power to create anew and anew — simply because you choose to.

What’s the path to changing those old beliefs? Here are the steps.

(1) Identify an aspect of your business that you don’t like. (Not enough income? Irritating, unappreciative customers? A hopelessly messy office?)

(2) Investigate to uncover the beliefs that created it. (Money is hard to get. No one understands the true value of my work. Neat people are boring conformists.)

(3) Acknowledge that what you’ve manifested was inevitable, given the beliefs you’ve been holding. Think about it — how could you not have manifested the result you have, considering your habitual thoughts?

(4) Determine the new belief you now prefer. “I now prefer to believe in my talents and ability to attract success.”

Note 1: Even though you probably won’t fully accept the new belief yet — and you have no idea how or when you will be able to accept it — stating it begins to attract it to you.

Note 2: It doesn’t work to affirm “I now believe in my talents.” That would be a lie, as your circumstances have clearly shown that you do not hold that belief. You can’t manipulate the Law of Attraction by wishing — it accurately reads your vibration.

Note 3: But you can truthfully say, “I now prefer to believe in my talents.” Or “I’m now willing to believe in my talents.” Simply having the preference or the willingness is enough to start you attracting what you want!

You don’t need to struggle against your old beliefs (it’s a waste of effort). Just build your sense of possibility and optimism about the new beliefs you prefer.

About The Author

Andrea Conway, M.Ed., C.C., is the law of attraction success mentor for solopreneurs and small business owners ready to make all the money they want at the business they love. Get an instant bonus e-report, “Fire Up Your Business Success Using the Law of Attraction,” when you subscribe to her free e-zine at http://www.succcessfulselfemployment.com. You could qualify for a free 30-minute coaching session!

Search Engines send these programs, also known as robots, to ‘crawl’ and ‘index’ websites to help determine their relevancy and ranking.

If your copywriting is not spider friendly, you’re missing out on one of the most powerful, cost-effective ways to achieve online presence: search engine optimization (SEO).

Consider these facts:

How To Achieve SEO

While online marketing strategies such as inbound links score points, many industry experts are of the same opinion: content is king! This is reinforced by the search engines themselves. For instance, Google advises webmasters one of the keys to a high ranking is to “create a useful, information-rich site.”

Essential ingredients to effective SEO copywriting:

1) Determine the best keywords for your business and target market

Choosing and using the right keywords within your web pages can make the difference between a top 10 and top 500 search engine ranking. To maximize targeted traffic to your website, you need to establish:

Depending on the nature of your business, your SEO copywriting might need to be ‘regionalized’ to reach your target market. For instance, a bicycle repair shop in Seattle, Washington might use the keywords: “Bill’s Bikes bicycle repairs Seattle” as web traffic from another city would have little or no benefit.

2) Assign one to three keywords per page

Increase your chances of appearing on search engine results by using one to three keywords or keyphrases per page. For example, a Toronto-based web developer might have the following keywords on his home page: web design Toronto, web development Toronto, websites Toronto.

3) Create keyword-rich copy

Once your keywords are established, you need to incorporate them into content-rich SEO copywriting. Search engine spiders look for pages that are relative to a search phrase, so they like to see phrases repeated. As a result, your SEO copywriting should ideally comprise a keyword density ratio of three to seven per cent. This is calculated by dividing the keywords by the total number of words on the page.

If your keyword density is too low, search engines may overlook your website. Meanwhile, overly aggressive SEO copywriting can get you flagged as a “spammer” and result in ranking penalties.

Test your SEO copywriting

Test your SEO copywriting today with one of several keyword density tools available on the Web.

About The Author

Rick Sloboda is a Senior Web Copywriter at http://www.webcopyplus.com Test your web copy with a free keyword density tool http://www.webcopyplus.com/tools Get more SEO copywriting tips http://www.webcopyplus.com/faqs

I’m not saying that because I know other financial services professionals will be reading this article. I truly, deep down in my heart, believe it. We may be in a business dominated by numbers, rules and regulations, but when you get right down to it, our business is dedicated to helping individuals and families.

The financial health of a family is serious business. Financial decisions can affect mom, dad and the kids, not just in the here and now, but for generations to come. Getting on the right path can be the difference between a family affording Harvard or a community college for their kids, between enjoying a carefree retirement or working at age 70 just to pay the bills. Our job is to educate people about money so their golden years don’t turn out to be rusty years - so they can take steps to help point their finances and their futures in the best direction possible.

While our intentions are good, there is one thing that often stands in the way of doing the right thing for people and their families: getting the chance to sit down with them and tell them about it. Connecting with a client is one of the most critical aspects of our business. We can’t help families if they won’t talk with us. After 15 years in financial services, here are eight principles that guide my business as a whole and my every interaction with clients to build relationships that last.

1. BE GENUINE and MISSION-DRIVEN. You can’t fake passion for what you do. And if you are here for any reason other than helping families achieve their dreams and goals, you are in the wrong business. People will see right through your intentions and not give you the time of day if you’re not genuine. (WFG) is a company driven to make sure there is No Family Left Behind(r) financially. That’s a cause to be proud of and a mission to be motivated by. When I sit down with a family, I think about how things might have been different in my own family if someone had taken the time to talk with my mom and dad and get them thinking about how money works and the steps they could have taken to protect what they built. When I sit down with a client, I feel like I’m sitting down with someone from my own family and I’m ready to do whatever it takes to help them get where they want to be.

2. BUILD A RELATIONSHIP. Get to know your clients. Not because you feel you should, but because you want to. Share personal stories, learn about their family and let them know you take your job seriously and you’re there to help them. As the person working with them on the financial part of their lives, you are a member of their team. Clients care about how much you know, but they care even more about how much you care.

3. GO FOR THE GOAL. Behind every client is a family and every family has a dream or two they want to accomplish. You need to know what those dreams are in order to help them strategize on how to get there. Completing a needs analysis with your client is an important first step because it gives you a snapshot of where they stand. But while needs are important, it’s your responsibility to see the big picture and how can we meet those needs while getting the client on the road to his or her dreams. As financial professionals, we’re here to help solve problems. Focus on the goal and figure out how you can help your client achieve it.

4. EDUCATE. Most people graduate high school without a financial education. No one is teaching families how to manage their finances and make informed decisions about their futures. Most people at some point in their lives get into financial situations they don’t know how to navigate. We need to fill the education gap. It’s important to educate clients on the financial fundamentals and take the time so they really understand the whys and hows of money. Financial Dream Map(tm) is a needs analysis strategy that gives you an opportunity to teach clients about vital financial concepts while assessing their needs and identifying their goals. I love that takes an education-based approach. An educated client is a long-term client.

5. SHOP AROUND. Our clients benefit from our independence. Since sales agents are not a captive field force selling products from only one company, we can help clients find the solutions that best fit their needs from a variety of different providers. Every family is different, and needs different products and services. We can’t give a one-size-fits-all solution. We can go shopping for our clients and get them the best product or service that fits their situation and goals.

6. SERVE DON’T SELL. How many times have you met with a client and been hit with the old “What are you going to sell me today?” stigma? My response is always, “What can I help you with today?” By letting the client know I’m there to serve them, we can have a conversation and let their goals and dreams guide my service. Stand strong on your recommendation. If a family doesn’t take action on your recommendation, you really haven’t helped them.

7. MAKE YOURSELF AVAILABLE. Whether it’s for clients or teammates, I believe in the 24-hour rule - no time is a bad time to call me. I view myself as a partner with the client, a member of his or her financial team. And as such, I want to make sure they know I’m there when they need me.

8. DO THE RIGHT THING - EVERY TIME. If you always let the client’s needs and goals guide your recommendations, you can’t go wrong. By finding the most suitable product for the client that will help him or her get where he or she wants to be, you are putting your client first. And when clients feel well served, they will refer you to their friends and family.

About The Author

Jeff Levitan is a Senior Vice Chairman with World Financial Group who splits his time between Chicago, Ill. and Cumming, Ga. A veteran WFG field leader, Jeff has achieved many career milestones and is an inductee in the WFG Millionaire Hall of Fame. He recently became a first-time father with the birth of his son. http://www.wfgnewsroom.com/

What Sort of Advice Was Given…

It was actually recommended that articles only need to be 250 words long and that the person asking the question should include 4-5 hyperlinks. Another person suggested to write a 500-word article and to include many hyperlinks, because the only purpose of the articles were to create back links.

There is some truth to this… A person could write a short article and get it submitted to many article directories. And, simply generating back links is one way that a webmaster can increase his or her position in the search engine rankings.

But, writing a 250-word article will probably not result in that webmaster being considered an expert on the topic that he or she is writing about.

Experts In Their Fields

Taking the time to create an informative and helpful article will help a person to be considered an expert in his or her field. Imagine for a moment if some of the most famous names on the Internet were to only write brief articles to generate back links. Would Matt Cutts (http://www.mattcutts.com/blog/) receive the recognition that he does if he just scribbled a few sentences here and there? Would Joel Comm (http://www.joelcomm.com/) be considered an Adsense expert without writing informative how-to articles and books for those wanting to make money from Adsense? Would you know or care who Robin Nobles (http://www.searchengineworkshops.com/) was if she did not create in-depth articles about search engine optimization? Would you even be bothering to read this article?

You can generate a bit of traffic by creating back links by hammering out low-quality articles. But, if you want to be known as an expert, you need to take a different approach and provide the quality information people are seeking. If you have information and expertise that others are unable to find on the Internet, then you will get many more visitors as a result of writing an article.

If you are looking for more than simple back links to your site, then it is worth it to take the time to write a high-quality article. A high quality article, that is written with the reader in mind — not the search engines — is more likely to actually get clicks (human visitors) into your site. This is what separates the very successful webmasters from those who are simply getting by.

To be known as an expert or an authority in your area requires articles and information that human beings will actually read. After reading this kind of article, a person will think to himself “This author has the information that I am looking for” and the reader will then visit the writer’s website.

How To Succeed With Article Marketing

A well-written article can be submitted to literally thousands of publishers of ezines, newsletters, and free reprint article sites and can result in dozens and sometimes hundreds of back links for a website. Now, not every publisher will pick up your article, but for the ones that do, you get a back link. More important than the back links though is the number of people that will cite your article, forward it to their friends, and reference it in their own articles that they are distributing.

These high-quality articles are how a webmaster becomes known as an “authority” on a topic. When you write for the reader and offer something of real value, you will reap the rewards with a huge influx of traffic to your website.

How To Fail With Article Marketing

Generalized junk articles that are filled with hyperlinks and self promotion will only result in a few back links, and people who actually read those less-than-quality articles are not very likely to ever visit your site.

Poorly written articles are also unlikely to get published in ezines and newsletters where you can reach potentially thousands of readers in a single day.

The worst thing about the low-quality junk articles is that if people do read them, they might always think of you as a “junk peddler”, and most people don’t buy from people whom they perceive as “junk peddlers”.

As a webmaster, you need to decide for yourself what goals you have in mind for your article submission campaign. If you limit yourself to only generating back links, you will not see the full potential of visitors and traffic that you could be getting to your website.

A Final Thought…

An article that is good enough to wind up on sites like http://www.About.com can give you a huge and consistent growth in traffic for some time to come. Articles that are picked up by large newsletters like http://www.SiteProNews.com can deliver thousands of visitors to your website in a day, add to your credentials as an “authority” website, and will create a situation where your website is one of the first places that people turn to for information in your field.

The bottom line is that if you write for the human reader instead of the search engines, you will be rewarded with many more visitors, and you can gain an authority status among your visitors.

The choice is yours. You can spend an extra hour or two creating a high-quality article that will be published on more websites creating more back links to your website, establish you as an authority in your field, and allow you to see thousands of visitors in a day when your article is published in one or a dozen ezines. Or you can save the extra hour or two and pray that your limited efforts will amount to anything of real value.

About The Author

Trey Pennewell is a writer, who writes about online marketing. Learn more about our Pay For Ranking SEO services at: http://www.linksandtraffic.com/

Here are four excellent tools and how to use them.

1) Internet Archive - Also known as “The Way Back Machine” at http://Archive.org

There are actually many facets to this amazing site but the feature that I use most is the ability to look at a historical snapshot of a website/domain. There is a box on the site where you can enter any url, and it will show you “snapshots” taken of that website over time.

For example, if your were to enter my domain “williecrawford.com” you’d see be able to sift through actual archived pages from my website between December 1998 and today. Every week or two a new snapshot of the site was taken and stored in the Archive.org database.

That lets you confirm how long a website has been online (provided it was archived), lets you see how a business evolved over time, and will even reveal to you things a marketer may have been testing that perhaps didn’t work out.

I use this tool to confirm how long a site/person has been in business. I also use it to confirm how long a person has actually been in a particular niche or discipline. I use it in deciding who to actually form business relationships with.

If you discover practices contrary to your own standards, or that a potential business partner hasn’t been totally honest with you, then you certainly want to proceed with caution… or look deeper.

2) Google Alerts - At http://www.google.com/alerts/

You can set an alert to have Google notify you via email any time that it finds a new occurrence of a term online (on a webpage, blog, etc.)

I set alerts for my name, my product names, my urls, and competitors’ names/products/urls. Any time the system finds someone “talking about” the target term, it will send you an email (at whatever frequency you specify) notifying you of the new finds.

Once a day, I get emails notifying me of where my target terms has just been discovered. This points you to places where you are being blogged about, mentioned in articles, discussed on forums, etc.

It could alert you to positive or negative publicity that you want to be aware of.

3) Tweet Beeps - Similar To Google Alerts, Only On Twitter.com

Found at http://tweetbeep.com/ I use Tweet Beeps the same way that I use Google Alerts. Any time that my target phrases are found in ANY Twitter posts, I get a notification. That will point out to you discussions that you may want to join for various reasons, to include “damage control,” thanking them for a nice compliment, to answer questions about your product, etc.

One creative way to use Tweet Beeps would be to ask those “tweeting” positive things about your product for testimonials, or to become your affiliates.

4) International Association Of Joint Venture Brokers

Found at http://IAJVB.ORG, The International Association of Joint Venture Brokers is a collection of joint venture brokers, super affiliates, product owners, publishers, and webmasters who use the site to keep track of product launches.

The site is a database of upcoming and ongoing product launches, live events, tele-events, and even free giveaways. Members of the site enter their events into the database as an easy way to recruit new affiliates AND to let other members know that they are “claiming” a given launch date.

Savvy affiliates search through the database looking for product launches in their niche. They understand that when you know about an upcoming launch a month or more in advance, you can do things to gain a tremendous advantage in the search engines before most other affiliates EVER hear rumors of the launch.

During many product launches, your potential customers often go to the search engines to see what reviewers have to say about a given product.

Affiliates who knew about, and obtained a review copy of a product a month in advance, will have their reviews listed at the top of the search engines, getting sales from people who are not even on their lists… or have ever previously visited their websites.

Members pull up the listings of other launches planned in their niche and use that information to plan when they will do their own launch. This keeps them from going “head-to-head” with big launches that would otherwise drown out their own. This also shows them launches that they could perhaps piggyback on.

They can often get mention of their product INCLUDED in an upcoming product, or they can plan on releasing their product just as the commotion from a big launch is dying down.

Perhaps your product does the same thing as product with a huge launch planned, but your product is cheaper. You could time your launch to catch potential customers who have a heightened awareness of the problem that your product solves, but who couldn’t afford the other product. You can sell to a lot of customers who actually feel POWERFUL resentful towards the product that they wanted but couldn’t afford.

As you can see good intelligence is extremely valuable. You absolutely must know what is going on in your niche. Fortunately, with the above four tools, it’s very easy.

About The Author

Willie Crawford is an internationally-acclaimed speaker, author, seminar and radio show host, and leading Internet marketing expert. When not out fishing in the Gulf of Mexico, Willie can be found sharing his 12 years of online marketing experience with members of The Internet Marketing Inner Circle. Join them at: http://TheInternetMarketingInnerCircle.com

Teleseminar mistake #1: Using a cell phone or Internet phone instead of a land line. According to conference call line providers, the quality of the call is only as good as its weakest link. Sometimes Internet phones create echoes and cell phones degrade the line quality for all the participants. Also, whenever someone has told me they were unable to connect to the conference call line, it turns out they were using a cell phone, even though I tell people not to.

Teleseminar mistake #2: Neglecting to turn off entry and exit chimes. Although every commercial conference-call line includes a command for turning off the chirps that signal someone coming on or getting off the line, many experienced teleseminar presenters fail to eliminate these distracting sounds.

Teleseminar mistake #3: Giving participants the moderator access code. Conference call lines provide users with two access codes - one for the moderator and guest and the other for participants - so that the call organizer can mute participants and their background noise with a single command. If you mistakenly give participants the moderator code, their barking dogs, typing and office sounds can disrupt or even ruin the call.

Teleseminar mistake #4: Relying on computer notes. If you have your teleclass notes printed out, rather than reading them off your computer screen, you won’t worry if the power goes out during a telephone session. For the same reason, make sure you have your call-in number written down on paper instead of only in a computer file. Although a power failure during a call sounds unlikely, it’s happened to two presenters I know. Spread your notes out across your desk to avoid distracting listeners with the sound of paper rustling.

Teleseminar mistake #5: Sipping water or coffee audibly during the teleclass. Always have a glass of water near you in case your throat gets dry, but use a straw to avoid gulping noises on your recording. On one conference recording I purchased, the emcee sounds like he’s not just sipping but slurping every minute or two. Whenever listeners can’t help but notice such things, they’re not paying attention to the content of the call.

Teleseminar mistake #6: Recording in only one audio channel. I like to listen to teleclasses on my portable CD player as I walk around our lake. Last month I returned a $199 teleclass collection for a refund because the recording played only in my left ear. After five minutes, it hurt to listen.

The surest way to take care of important logistical details is to use a reminder checklist, the way pilots do before takeoff. Got my water and straw? Chimes off? Then take a deep breath and concentrate on communicating your seminar content.

About The Author

Veteran teleseminar presenter Marcia Yudkin specializes in high- ticket, high-value teleteaching courses. To find out more about your teleseminar options, download a complimentary copy of “66 Ways to Use Teleseminars to Promote Your Business or Your Cause,” go to http://www.yudkin.com/teleteach.htm . Discover how to plan, promote and deliver profitable teleseminars, whether you’re an entrepreneur, business or health professional, nonprofit organization or corporate marketer.

Imagination is one of the world’s greatest forces. Human beings have progressed and developed in direct relationship to their collective imagination. All of our world’s greatest achievements were once just thoughts in the minds of people who dared to dream them.

When I travel I’m always amazed by the efficiency of airlines. They get a bad rap from time to time, but when you really think about all that goes into it, it truly is amazing. What imagination there had to be to have the first flight take place? Each phase from man’s first flight to the multidimensional concept of air travel had to be taken as an idea in someone’s imagination before it could become a reality. Like all visionaries, those who dared to conceive had to break through the limited thinking of those around them and declare something like that possible. Leonardo da Vinci, one of the world’s greatest thinkers, inventors and artists, drew elaborate drawings of flying machines all the way back in the 15th century. It has been written that he created a machine that did fly, but the religious leaders of the day labeled it an instrument of evil and made him destroy it.

The most dynamic aspect of imagination is the act of forming mental images of what does not yet exist in our world. Another level of imagination is creating a new idea or combination of ideas stimulated by and based on previous experiences. But there is something I refer to as creative imagination that takes us a step further than just forming mental images. Creative imagination spurs action?it causes things to come into existence. When we are creatively imagining something, we are actually causing it to come into being because it has been formed for the first time in our minds. Our images contain creative power. Our thoughts are like magnets, literally drawing to us that which we think about with passion or emotion.

In order to achieve your dreams you have to suspend disbelief and allow yourself to dream and do it on a repetitive basis. Shakespeare said, “All the world’s a stage. And all the men and women merely players.” He was a master at creating a theater in the mind; with patrons of his plays suspending disbelief for a few hours to believe what they saw on stage was true. The same happens to people when they go to a movie. You know what you’re seeing is fictitious, but you suspend disbelief in your mind for those two hours and feel all the emotions as you’re watching the movie as if it were real. The same is true with your imagination. If you would suspend disbelief and allow your mind to go to positive places, thinking about what you want to be present in your own reality, if you think about those things with enough feeling and enough belief, you begin to manifest them in your life.

I truly believe your thoughts rule your world. That’s why you need to be very careful about what you think about. Most people think about what they don’t want, what they’re afraid of, or what they can’t do. They focus on the negative, and guess what? They likely to lead a very unhappy, unfilled life filled with anxiety rather than achievement. Whatever you think about, your world eventually becomes.

One of the challenges is the way most people are programmed to think. The majority of the messages we receive when we are very young involve conformity, and most people end up programmed that way. As a child, you were taught to obey or suffer consequences. So it’s little wonder that when most people reach adulthood, the majority choose to perpetuate conformity as the easiest and most expedient approach to life. We prefer not to rock the boat because our need for approval is usually far stronger than our desire to do something great.

I personally believe that conformity is one of the greatest psychological evils of human kind. Not saying that there are not some rules for the sake of civilization that need to be followed. I’m talking about conformity that breaks a person’s spirit?that takes away a person’s capacity to dream a better life for themselves and have the drive to achieve it. The need to conform, to get approval from others, usually becomes the far greater need in our mind over achievement and doing something great. The person caught in this destructive habit never does anything worthwhile with his or her life. He wants to do something great, be independent and do important things, but he can’t. His need to always be approved of prevents him. The conformist is filled with the need for approval and he or she can never get enough. He runs from one person to the next seeking compliments and endorsements for his behavior and or actions. As a child, he or she probably turned to teachers. When he started to work, he turned to his boss and fellow workers, and in marriage he turned to his mate. The conformist must always have someone around him to pat him on the head and tell him when he’s doing a good job. This bolsters up his poor self-esteem. By constantly seeking approval, he escapes from the responsibility of creating his own success and happiness and becomes totally dependent on others for his well being.

In order to be leader, a trailblazer, you have to break away from conformist thinking.

If you were to take an assessment of how you think, are you more interested in approval from others and conforming (i.e. an average, ordinary life and average, ordinary existence) or are you interested in achieving something great? If you’re going to aspire to do something great, to lead people, and make something significant happen in your life, then you have to drop every part of your desire to be a conformist. And the problem is conformists probably surround you. You may be married to one, surrounded at your job by some, and even parented by conformists. Your need for their approval needs to diminish if you want to make your dreams come true. In my opinion, the opposite of bravery is not cowardice; it’s conformity.

About The Author

Ed Mylett is an Executive Vice Chairman with World Financial Group, a member of the company’s Chairman’s Council and an inductee in WFG’s Millionaire Hall of Fame. He lives in Chino Hills, Calif. with his wife, Kristianna, and their two children. This article first appeared in Opportunity, World Financial Group’s business and lifestyle magazine, vol. 3/issue 2/Quarter 2 2008. http://www.wfgnewsroom.com/

And yet it seems that so many budding Internet marketers are finding it hard to break through VNB - the “Visitor Numbers Barrier.”

When I started, I thought there was some magic elixir or secret technique that would transform my visitor numbers! If only I could find THE ONE successful method!

Well, this article is to let you know that while there may be hundreds of ways to get visitors to your website - I’ve selected some of the techniques that work best for me.

And they can work for you, as well.

Because, if there IS a secret of success, it is this: “Don’t rely on ONE way to generate traffic. Become familiar with MANY.” Better to have many visitor doors to your website, rather than just one, don’t you think?

I’m still surprised how many serious Internet marketers neglect the basics. And one of the most basic ways to increase your visitor traffic is to be absolutely certain that your website is listed by the search engines.

Don’t trust the search engine spiders to do your work for you. All the major search engines have detailed and easy-to-follow instructions on site submission, as well as how to create and submit site-maps.

I don’t think Facebook needs a great deal of introduction, does it? But you can mine value for Facebook if you look for opportunities to include your website on information that you provide.

Then, there is what I call the secret power of blogging: search engines LOVE blogs. The search engine spiders thrive on novelty and change, and if you write or post a new entry to your blog every day - or every other day - the search engines will recognize what is going on and begin to rank your website blog higher than a website that doesn’t change its content from month to month. And a high ranking means visitors to your site.

Don’t forget that you can leverage your signature in online communities or discussion groups. If your product is specifically niched, then you know that there are loyal and relevant online communities or discussion groups who want to hear from you.

And, your forum signature could be a goldmine once you have thought through the best way of expressing your product’s unique feature so that readers find your website irresistible.

Would you like your web address to be seen by ten million people in ten minutes? Well, it’s possible - if you’re careful! Because there are three kinds of people: those who love Google Adwords, often known as Pay Per Click, those who hate it - and those who haven’t tried it.

Many people just go nuts trying to get their advertisement absolutely perfect. And, if you don’t read the small print, you could find that your budget is exhausted quickly. But if you follow the guidelines and budget sensibly you could attract many, many hundreds of paying visitors on a daily basis.

Do you remember those kid’s stories where the fairy Godmother tells the child to repeat a word three times for magic to happen? Well, here’s that word: “eBay”, “eBay”, “eBay”.

There - I’ve said it. eBay is perhaps THE most underestimated visitor generating resource. Ignore eBay at your peril. There are many, many resources available on the web where you can discover how to sell products on eBay. Until recently you could sell digital products (i.e. eBooks, which you can download) but the rules have changed and you can now only sell physical goods, so your eBook will have to be on a CD. Personally, I think it’s a good move, and opens up many possibilities.

Don’t forget that Ezines and Newsletters are the Grand Daddy and Grand Mommy of all website visitor attraction and list building activity. The thing is this - Ezines and Newsletters work!

If you love your niche product, you’ll have LOTS to say about it, and there will be people who want to hear what you have to say. I built an opt-in subscriber of almost 3,000 with a business coaching Newsletter.

Another way to get visitors to your websites is to write your own ebook. I’m not embarrassed to say that we’re not talking great literature here. We aren’t talking about the Pulitzer Prize. We’re not even talking more than, maybe, 30 pages, double spaced, and size 12 font.

But the fact is this: your eBook will attract visitors to your website single-handedly.

Later, you can offer your eBook to affiliates so that they send visitors to your site as well! If you’re more of an audio expert than a novelist, why not create your own podcast? Uh? Well, a podcast is a series of audio files that is distributed over the Internet to iPods and other music players and personal computers. This is the future - and it’s fun!

The fact is, everyone loves information but don’t always find printed pages the best way to get it. If you can provide the same information that can be played on an iPod or similar media player, or a mobile phone, you’re offering a higher value product.

You needn’t start from scratch - you can plug your product or service almost immediately by converting your existing articles or eBooks into .mp3 recordings. (.mp3 is the industry standard audio format that is widely accepted for iPods, mobile phones etc.) Remember, you have, on your hard drive, stuff that you have written, or will write, that you can add value to by converting it into an .mp3 recording.

Again, it’s the basics that are often the key to increasing your visitor traffic, so you might need to shine your light on your meta tags. (To put it briefly, a “meta tag” is used by search engines to allow them to more accurately list your site in their indexes.

To be honest, it works most of the time, but not always! Search engines are always changing their methods, and some use Meta tags a lot, while others don’t, but I would not want to neglect this technique. It is a small piece of the mosaic that completes the whole visitor traffic picture.

How many times have you wanted to speak your mind? Well, now you can - and it’ll help drive visitors to your website. How? Leave testimonials on other people’s sites. This won’t take you a second, but your web address will be around for years. Go for it. It is so simple, and so little done.

Another technique I used to attract visitors was to write a priority email to opt-in customers with an attention-grabbing subject such as “The Top Ten Myths In Your Industry.” Or, offer something like this as a freebie. Make certain that there are clear links to your website, and a compelling reason for the reader to visit.

Finally, I don’t think YouTube needs much introduction! It’s simply one of the largest websites devoted to online videos covering every single subject you can think of - and more! So how can you use the power of YouTube to get more visitors? Simply this: upload a video of you talking about your niche.

Many cheap digital cameras have a video option - and you do not need a high-end movie camera. You could get a friend to film you. Or, you could use a built in camera on your PC or Mac, if your model has one. Aim to talk for not much longer than 10 minutes maximum, and sign off with your website address. Again, this is much easier than you would think.

Remember, so many people focus on one traffic building technique, and one only. I hope I’ve shown you that there are many ways - and you should have fun with all of them. My best to you.

About The Author

Did you find these suggestions helpful? Is your website making you money? Go to ultrasimplewebtraffic.com to find out more and claim your free visitor traffic mini course by James Gladwin.

“Help! No One is Responding to My Offer”

The person posting, let’s call her Susan, went on to say that she loves her work and gets great results for her clients. She’s excited about a new service she’s promoting, yet no one was responding to her emailed offer.

Now Susan is no slouch when it comes to marketing. She sold classified advertising for a big city newspaper, she’s been to lots of marketing and sales classes, and has a stack of marketing-related books on her desk.

The emailed offers she’s sending reflect her best efforts. And yet, something isn’t working.

When this happens Susan’s self-confidence as a business owner falters. She wonders if she’s somehow missing some essential talent needed to run a successful business.

I know I’ve felt this way when my promotions are unsuccessful. Perhaps you can relate?

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So What the Heck is Going On!?

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There are any number of reasons offers fall flat. One reason that gets overlooked by most marketing experts (including me until recently) is this:

We fail to acknowledge our customer’s need to belong.

(Note: I want to acknowledge my teacher and mentor, Mark Silver, of http://www.heartofbusiness.com on whose work this article is based.)

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The Need to Belong is a Powerful Human Motivator

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Thousands of years ago, human survival depended on membership to a tribe. In a tribe, our ancestors had a better chance of getting food, shelter, and protection. To be cast out of a tribe was more often than not a death sentence.

Today belonging to a tribe is no longer about physical survival — at least not in an obvious way. Yet it remains a powerful influence on what we do; on what YOUR CUSTOMERS do.

In fact, your customer’s need to belong is so important that it actually trumps their need for your solution and their ability to pay.

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How the Need to Belong Affects Whether Your Customer Buys

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When your customer sees or hears your marketing message–whether it’s on the home page of your website, an email you sent, or a post card you mailed, his or her decision to take the next step is proceeded by three “micro-decisions.”

In order to take the next step (for example, click the “Buy” button) your customer must answer yes to all three questions in this order:

1. “Can I fully be myself and feel fully accepted if I work with this company?” (Do I Belong?)

2. “How much do I want really this?”

3. “Can I afford it?”

Your customer must answer “yes” to all three questions in order of importance to act on your call to action. If at any point they answer “no” you’ve lost them:

This is why addressing the need to belong is so important.

It also may seem a little mysterious to you as a business owner. Perhaps you’re thinking, “all this makes sense to me but how exactly do I help my customers feel like they belong on the home page of my website?”

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How to Create a Sense of Belong in Your Marketing

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No, you don’t need to start your marketing message off with “Hey I love you. Here comes a great big hug just for you!” Even Barney the dinosaur doesn’t say that at the very beginning of the show.

Plus you’d probably creep people out a little.

Here are four ways to reassure prospects “yes, you’re at the right place to get the help you need,” so that they can take the next step.

1. Begin your marketing message with who you help and the problem you help them with.

For example, “technical consultants who are tired of struggling to get their next contract.”

2. Expand on the problem by addressing issues such as:

If it feels tricky for you to address emotions in writing, try addressing these points as you would if you were in a conversation with a trusted colleague.

When I began writing the way I speak, I found it became a lot easier to write about customer problems in a way that was natural and empathetic but still within the boundaries of the business relationship.

If you’re still feeling stuck, re-read the first few paragraphs of this article to get a sense of how I introduced the problem and expanded on it.

3. Introduce your solution only after you’ve addressed your customer’s experience with the problem.

Once you’ve covered the problem and your customer’s experience with it (in steps 1 and 2) you’ve told your customer in effect:

“I understand your problem and know how awful it feels to struggle with this problem. You’re not alone.”

You can demonstrate your expertise and talk about your solution. Again, in this article, I first talked about the problem in detail. I then transitioned to “here’s what can cause this problem” and “here are steps you can take to take care of this problem.”

4. Once you’ve discussed the problem, the customer’s experience of the problem, and your solution, add your call to action.

At this point folks fitting your ideal customer profile will be feeling seen, heard, and accepted enough to be ready to learn more about how you can help and what it will take in terms of time, money, etc.

This is where you can add a call of action like, “Click here for more details and to register for my xyz program.”

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Bottom Line

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There’s an old adage that “People don’t care about what you know until they know you care.” In this case, it is so true.

Your marketing needs to first address your customer’s to belong before you say a word about value-added and cost. Otherwise, your customer will move on to another vendor who makes them feel better understood.

About The Author

Judy Murdoch helps small business owners create low-cost, effective marketing campaigns using word-of-mouth referrals, guerrilla marketing activities, and selected strategic alliances. To download a free copy of the workbook, “Where Does it Hurt? Marketing Solutions to the problems that Drive Your Customers Crazy!” go to http://www.judymurdoch.com/workbook.htm
You can contact Judy at 303-475-2015 or through her website.