Hey guys,

You’ll notice that I’ve gone from updating this blog once a day to not having updated it for the last month. This isn’t because I’ve left, because I’ve given up or because I suddenly make much more than I did before. It’s because I have some exams! So, I have to work, work, and work some more basically.

The exams will be finished in about a month and I’ll be able to come back and updated each and every day! For now, I’m going to try and stick to updating the blog once a week. I have some KILLER information about 12 reports in the working and a special announcement to make. So, keep checking the blog!

Speak soon. Wish me good luck for my exams.

For anyone wondering, I’m taking: Further Maths, Economics, Psychology, Physics and French. (Also doing a marketing degree outside of college).

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Every website has a lot more shoppers than buyers. Online business owners have addressed this problem by studying consumer preferences. Here are some of the top reasons visitors don’t always become customers, and suggestions for improving on any limitations that apply:

• Ease of use. Shopper’s don’t spend time trying to navigate a site that is confusing, difficult to use, or requires too many clicks to complete a transaction. Business owners can encourage shoppers to finalize sales by simplifying the process. Buttons, especially “add to cart” and “proceed to checkout”, are best displayed prominently, preferably above the fold. Changing quantities, colors, and adding and removing items or changing shipping method should be easy to accomplish. Check-out instructions should be clear and simple. Customers appreciate the efficiency and respect for their time that a smooth purchase experience provides.

• Functionality. Websites that don’t work the way they should will not only lose sales, but discourage future visits from potential customers. It may be worth the investment to hire a knowledgeable web master to design and maintain the storefront and shopping cart. A smooth-running website not only increases sales, but also frees the business owner to focus on other activities that can ultimately lead to more traffic and more conversions.

• Availability of information. Is an item in stock? How soon will it ship? What is the cost? What shipping and payment methods are available? Consumers are more likely to complete a sale when they are provided with sufficient information to answer all their questions about a product or service. Providing an FAQ page is one way to provide answers. A convenient link to detailed information about specific products also helps. Many websites also include a contact form or live-help telephone number for customers with additional questions.

• Credibility and security. The online business owner’s website is her one means of instilling confidence in the buyer. Some ways to do this include:
- providing a physical address, telephone number, and email address
- displaying the VeriSign or other certification authority logo
- clearly communicating the website’s privacy policy
- publishing an “About Us” page that explains the company or business owner’s background, objectives and accomplishments

• Multiple payment methods. Businesses that accept multiple forms of payment show significantly higher sales. Accepting credit cards, whether by setting up a merchant account or by using a third-party service such as PayPal, is crucial. The benefit of using PayPal is that it also allows customers to pay by direct transfer from their checking accounts, providing yet another option.

Business owners who put themselves in their customer’s shoes will develop insight and be positioned to make positive changes that can lead to higher conversions, increased revenues, and greater profits.

Did some snooping around with Google and found this; a complete list of Chris Mcneeny sites. He’d probably kill me if he saw this!

Here’s a quick tip for all you new guys out there who are just entering the marketing world. Set yourself goals through the use of the minimum payout option inside CPA networks or ClickBank etc. When i first started off, i set my minimum payout to $100 and each time i reach that goal, i move it up. It helps me stay motivated and keeps the momentum of my success going forward. I strongly advise you guys do it too!

Whenever you have one of those “I hate my job days!” (never happens to us internet marketers ) just do the following:

On your way home from work, stop at your pharmacy and go to the thermometer section and purchase a rectal thermometer made by Johnson & Johnson. Be very sure you get this brand.

When you get home, lock your doors, draw the curtains and disconnect the phone so you will not be disturbed. Change into very comfortable clothing and sit in your favourite chair. Open the package and remove the thermometer. Now, carefully place it on a table or a surface so that it will not become chipped or broken.

Now the fun part begins, take the literature out of the box and read it carefully. You will notice that in small print there is a statement that reads: - ‘Every Rectal Thermometer made by Johnson & Johnson is personally tested and then sanitized.’

Now, close your eyes and repeat out loud five times; “I am so glad I do not work in the thermometer quality control department at Johnson & Johnson”

Have a nice day and remember, there is always someone else with a job that is more of a pain in the arse than yours!

Viral marketing is unique and quite extraordinary. We share with friends and family the bargains or freebies we were able to get. If we can copy the freebie we will do it and give it to people that we know, if for no other reason than to make ourselves look good. Everybody knows somebody, and just like rumors, these freebies can spread fast.

You can use viral tactics to market your newsletter, your web site, products and services you’re selling, practically anything. and you will have an opportunity to make a profit when someone clicks through the advertising on the freebie. The beauty of this technique is that the advertising is free for you and the benefit is free for the user/potential customer. In other words, it really is one of those rare win/win situations.

The process is actually very simple. All you have to do is find resources where you can download free stuff, then turn around and give it away to your visitors. There are numerous online resources where you can download the freebies. For example, you may begin by offering your visitors free e-books and free software.

The software might cost a substantial amount of money to develop, but in the long run it’s a one time fee for a decent stream of visitors. This is only one idea of many. You will find that the options are endless. Find something your visitors want and watch them roll on in!

Free web hosting is another form of viral marketing. You can provide this for free on your server to small businesses or beginning internet marketers. In return, you place a banner ad at the top of each site advertising your products and web site.

This will increase the number of visitors to your website and is an effective means of advertising with little expense.

In summary, Viral Marketing by definition is any advertising and/or marketing technique that, once started, spreads like a “virus” without you having to do any further work.

Over the last few days, i’ve been reading back over some of Gary Halbert’s (a true genius) copywriting material. I really look up to Gary and realized that i haven’t mentioned him once on this blog. So, for those of you who haven’t heard of Gary, he is the guy behind the most famous letter in the world of direct mail. The following letter was sent to over 600 million households and has generated millions of dollars! There’s a lot we can learn from it:

5687 Ira Road

Bath, Ohio 44210

Phone: 1-216-666-9356

Dear Mr. MacDonald,

Did you know that your family name was recorded with a coat-of-arms in ancient heraldic archives more than seven centuries ago?

My husband and I discovered this while doing some research for some friends of ours who have the same last name as you do. We’ve had an artist recreate the coat-of-arms exactly as described in the ancient records. This drawing, along with other information about the name, has been printed up into an attractive one-page report.

The bottom half of the report tells the story of the very old and distinguished family name of MacDonald. It tells what the name means, its origin, the original family motto, its place in history and about famous people who share it. The top half has a large, beautiful reproduction of an artist’s drawing of the earliest known coat-of-arms for the name of MacDonald. This entire report is documented, authentic and printed on parchment-like paper suitable for framing.

The report so delighted our friends that we have had a few extra copies made in order to share this information with other people of the same name.

Framed, these reports make distinctive wall decorations and they are great gifts for relatives. It should be remembered that we have not traced anyone’s individual family tree but have researched back through several centuries to find out about the earliest people named MacDonald.

All we are asking for them is enough to cover the added expenses of having the extra copies printed and mailed. (See below.) If you are interested, please let us know right away as our supply is pretty slim. Just verify that we have your correct name and address and send the correct amount in cash or check for the number of reports you want. We’ll send them promptly by return mail.

Sincerely,

Nancy Halbert

P.S. If you are ordering only one report, send two dollars ($2.00). Additional reports ordered at the same time and sent to the same address are one dollar each. Please make checks payable to me, Nancy.

Saw this over at Dean Hunt’s blog and couldn’t resist reposting this.

I’ve seen quite a few funny bloopers during my time online but haven’t “captured” them. From now on, when i see one, i’ll post it here!

In body building, your diet is one of the most effective weapons you can have if you want to achieve maximum potential.  Diet is so important to the body builder as it not only supplies the body with the energy needed to perform your exercises as well as giving you the nutrients you need to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

A good body building diet will include a lot of protein.  It is critical for building muscle, losing fat, and contributing to the overall health of our tissues and organs.  You should be consuming 1 gram of protein for each pound of your body weight.  Body builders should increase that amount to a gram and a half per day.  Good sources of protein include meat, fish, and milk.

Carbohydrates should also be a big part of the body building diet.  Carbs are a major source of the fuel our body uses for activity.  You should include complex carbohydrates in your diet through starches and fiber.  That means eating pasta, whole grain rice, and whole grain breads as well as potatoes.

Believe it or not, fats are also an important part of a body building diet.  Our bodies need fats to function correctly and efficiently.  They are an energy source for the body and regulate most of our bodily processes.

The key for including fat in your diet is to consume the good fats as opposed to the bad one.  Good fats are unsaturated ones found in olive oil or flaxseed oil.  Unsaturated fats are ones that are liquid at room temperature.  Saturated fats can clog your arteries and lead to health problems, so they should be avoided as much as possible.  Animal lard and butter are saturated fats and are solid at room temperature.

You should also have adequate fiber in your body building diet.  Fiber helps your body flush out impurities on a regular basis and helps contribute to weight loss.  Some good sources of fiber are whole grain as well as nuts and seeds.

Finally, you will want to include a lot of vegetables in your diet as well as a moderate amount fruit.  Fruit can cause you to retain water and contribute to a larger amount of sugar that you would otherwise need.  However, vegetables contain essential vitamins and nutrients that you body needs to operate efficiently.

A good body building diet is one that is balanced and nutritious.  You should consume the majority of your protein and carbohydrates in the morning and eat five or six small meals daily instead of three large ones.  A good diet is important to effective body building, so know what your body needs and then go for it.

Just found this guys. I think you’ll like it!

Get a @cia.com email address.

How cool is that???!

Check it out: Click Here.