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Jack Humphrey
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Excitement is in the air behind the scenes at ASC. And we
are bring that excitement out from behind the curtain to show you
all the great developments that are happening.
We are receiving rave reviews of our new support
situation. We are getting letters from members just to say how excited they
are about how helpful Dave Olsen has been specifically and the speed
of support in general the last few weeks.
William has released an upgraded ASC Site Build system so
that all new sites are on the latest version of Wordpress and
Wordpress Master. He's also created an upgrader for sites built before the recent
updates so you can upgrade your Wordpress to the latest version without breaking a sweat.
Pheedpress has gotten a nice upgrade as well. Our Velocity
publishing system nears completion and soon you will be able to host
your ASC publishing power anywhere you wish and do a LOT more with
it than ever before.
Sam Clark, our new Program Director has been an incredible
addition to the ASC Team and most members have experienced his
commitment, ideas, and work ethic fist hand with live chats, important survey
work to improve your membership among many other things.
He seems to be everywhere all at once and his energy has
infected all partners and staff at ASC. I hope you enjoy all the updates and articles in this
issue of the Authority Site Center Buzz!
Best Wishes,
Jack Humphrey
President & CEO
Authority Site Center
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"Technology is Important. It's not
everything." |
Back To Top |
By Dr. Rachna D. Jain
On one of my group coaching calls this
past month, we got into a discussion about how frustrating
technology can be. One of the participants mentioned that she
feels frustrated by how difficult it is to change her header
graphic, tweak her sidebar, and how confusing it is to install
plugins. After empathizing with her experience - (after all,
any seasoned Wordpress user has run into all of these
frustrations, and more!) - I reminded her that the technology
is important, but it’s not everything.
Of course, part of creating and
maintaining a well trafficked site does involve technology.
You have to have your site built on something, and the way the
site is built will have some impact on traffic. But
technology, alone, can not- and will not - account for
the 80% of your results. Yet people waste most of their time
trying to get the technology to work correctly.
One definition of insanity is: “doing the
same thing over and over, and expecting a different result.”
Isn’t it like that, though, when we keep fiddling, fiddling,
fiddling with the bits and pieces of our site that actually
(ironically) don’t even really matter?
As I told my group coaching call member,
and I’d like to remind you as well - technology is important,
but it’s not everything. When you are stuck on installing a
plugin or getting the sidebar to look just right,
remember—it’s content and marketing which drive traffic, not
perfect plugins or beautiful sidebars.
If you’re having a bad
Wordpress day, it’s totally fine to leave the technical stuff
aside and work on something you can do - writing an article,
bookmarking a post, or refreshing your Squidoo lens. You can
write a product review, research a new affiliate program, or
create your product funnel. It doesn’t matter what, as long as
it’s productive and moves you forward.
When you free yourself from worrying
about the picky details, you will better focus on the big
picture of traffic generation and monetization. This is
where the fun begins!
So, the next time you find yourself
worrying over widgets or stressing over scripts, follow my
simple advice: Close out your admin screen. Take a deep
breath. Walk away from the computer, and remind yourself:
technology is important. It’s not everything.
P.S. Make sure you attend Rachna's
Live Training calls on Thursday Night's at 8:15PM EST. |
There has been a number of seminars and
discussions about Bending the Web. One of the major benefits
of Authority Site Center is getting inside information on how
to handle the latest marketing trends.
As the rest of the internet marketing world spins their wheels trying to figure
out how to captialize on social bookmarking and news sites,
Jack, Howie, and the ASC Team are leading the way and showing
us how to smash through these barriers of Web 2.0 properties to bring a windfall of traffic.
If you have NOT read
Bending the Web. Set some time aside in the next few days and
read it. You can find it at http://bendingtheweb.com and it is FREE.
Testimonials For Bending the
Web Are Already Pouring In!
I was stuck at 500 visitors per day for a few weeks.
Recently I built a few Hub Pages and used "pingomatic" to
ping my profile page. I also used Pingomatic to ping my
Ezinearticles.com author page (it revived a few articles I
wrote and now they are getting decent traffic again). I
used Pingomatic to ping my profile pages on just 4 other
Web 2.0 sites that I have a profile page on.
I got close to 700 visitors yesterday, but more
importantly this is "Steady Traffic"...what I mean by this
is that this wasn't caused by a spike of 200 visitors from
a story that got picked up by Netscape. I didn't get
over 10 visitors from any one site...it was 1-5 visitors
for the most part from hundreds of sources...this is the
type of traffic that gets me excited!
Guys...you MUST do Hubpages...they are way easier and
quicker to make than Squidoo lenses. Squidoo is great as
well, but I can kick out a Hub Page in 10-15 minutes. |
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By Bonnie Lowe
 Did you meet people at a recent
seminar, workshop or summit? Or have you met people
“virtually,” perhaps in a forum?
Don’t lose that new connection!
Here’s what to do to make sure your new contacts turn into
valuable relationships.
Key tip for follow-up
communications or conversations: Don’t focus on
yourself, or the product or service you’re selling.
Instead, find out about them. Ask questions and
really listen to their answers.
When you met, what interests or goals
(professional or personal) did your new contacts mention? Is
there anything you can do to you help them achieve those
goals?
Did they talk about any problems or
challenges that you can help them solve?
What common experience or funny story can
you refer to later to remind them of your meeting and mutual
interests?
Step-by-Step Follow-Up
1. Soon after meeting your new contacts,
send them a short email. Mention something personal that you
remember from the conversation, say something nice about them,
and let them know you plan to stay in touch.
Example: “Hi Jack. I really enjoyed
meeting you at the Authority Summit and hearing your story
about how your son deleted your blog! You certainly have a
wonderful sense of humor. I’ll soon be implementing your
advice about toddler-proofing my own blog. I’ll let you know
how it goes. Once again, it was great meeting you!”
2. In your next communication, offer
them something of value. I’m not talking about a watch or TV…
it may be an article; one that you know your contact will find
helpful. You get bonus points for being the author of a
particularly insightful article related to your contact’s
interests, because while helping him/her, you also establish
yourself as an expert in their eyes.
3. If they have a blog (or forum), visit
it often and contribute value-packed comments on their posts
(or threads). Share and/or vote for their articles on social
networking sites.
4. Additional follow-ups can be a mix of
helpful “gifts” (sending articles, reports, etc.) and much
simpler communications. Your goal is to keep in touch on a
regular basis so the contact doesn’t forget about you. For
instance, for the simpler communications, you might send them
a link to a funny blog post, a cartoon or a joke. Note: Be sure to send only the BEST and/or FUNNIEST and/or RELEVENT
links or tidbits. Please, please, please do NOT become one of
those annoying people who stick you on their “joke list!”
5. Another thing you can do is introduce
your new contacts to other people you know who share the same
interests or may be able to help them in some way.
Soon you will have built a strong rapport
with your contacts. You’ve interacted on a regular basis, have
gotten to know one another, have become friends.
What you’ve been doing is building
powerful relationships by giving, helping, and serving their needs… not your own. They, in turn, will be happy
(even eager) to help you, ask for your advice, maybe even
invite you to join them in an exciting new business venture.
Even if no direct business-building
benefits come out of your new relationships (though I’m almost
certain they will), you’ll have expanded your circle of
friends. That’s always a good thing, for a variety of reasons.
Did you know that most people have about 250 friends, family,
professional and personal acquaintances in their “sphere of
influence?” So even if you and Jack don’t match up for a
business venture, Jack may very well recommend you to someone
he knows who needs your expertise.
Building new friendships may sometimes
seem like a lot of work. But its worth it. Not just from a
personal standpoint, but from a professional one, as well.
If you make it your personal mission to
help others succeed, they’ll do the same for you!
Discover more great tips
about building a successful online business at Bonnie’s blog. |
ASC
Now Offering Live Chat
The Results are in and by an
overwhelming majority, Our members say
YES to
having a
Live Chat Room for support and trainings. Go to our forums
and you
will find the access in the open discussion
area.
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By Bill Wardell
When you start your home business, the details
of business can get a little overwhelming. As in everyday
life, the little things usually fall to the bottom of the
list, and may sit there for a long time. If you want to be in
control of your cash flow, you need to have a budget
prepared. If you don't have a budget for your home business,
you may find yourself stuck where no home business owner wants
to be.
What is a Business Budget?
A Forecast of how
much you plan to spend on various business expenses. Most
businesses develop a budget for each fiscal year and some
budget for 2, 3 or 5 years at a time. Most businesses will
adjust their budget throughout the year.
According to Denise O'Berry, author of
Small Business Cash Flow, "Your budget should be a living
document, not a piece of paper that ends up hidden on some
duty shelf." She also advises that business owners
monitor and adjust their budgets every month and adds, "A
budget will help you identify peaks and valleys in cash
flow so you can anticipate them in advance and deal with
the issue prior to it becoming a crisis."
Creating
your budget can be as simple or as detailed as you would
like. If you have accounting software you can use the
budgeting features it provides. Otherwise, you can create
your budget manually using a spreadsheet. If your business is
new, your figures will have to be estimated. Otherwise, you
can take the average of your past financial statements to get
a more accurate assessment of spending trends.
Here are some
tips of what to include in your budget:
- Make a
list of every possible expense for your home business
- Make
adjustments for fluctuations in your home business
- Think
about the future. Will you have significant changes to your
overhead expenses? Do you anticipate having significant
changes to your income from your site?
- As your
business/site grows, make sure to adjust for the increase in
your cost of goods sold or other costs of doing business.
- Your cost of doing business will likely increase as your
revenues increase.
- Create a secondary budget and a list of
resources for outsourcing your mundane tasks. Always ask the
question, is this the Best use of my time and money for my
business.
Remember, your budget can be as general or
detailed as you like. For example, you may have a single line item for advertising costs, or you may have several
line items that detail each advertising program that you
will use.
Analyze
your budget results. In simple terms, cash flow is the
total cash received less the total cash spent. If you
don't have a grasp on cash flow for your home
business/site, consider creating a cash flow statement.
Together with your budget, you will be empowered to manage
the finances for your home business/site.
As
Authority's in our niches, we have been advised to watch our
stats and evaluate which things are working for us and what
things are not working for us. This advice is also true for
the revenue we bring in from AdSense Ads, TextLinks Ads, or
any other type of advertising you are currently doing on your
site.
Make sure that you are continually looking at ways to incorporate new strategies for your advertising dollars that
you spend and that you take in. Do you have an advertising
structure? Do you have a media kit? If so, is it available
for download for anyone interested? Is it being updated to
reflect the true value of the advertising space on your site?
Jack has
written many posts on the subject of advertising and has some
very valuable information if you are willing to take a few
minutes and implement the strategies he has covered.
Here is
a direct link to the advertising posts he has made: http://www.jackhumphrey.com/fridaytrafficreport/?s=advertising&x=5&y=11
For more
information and a group response, post your questions in the
forum or look for posts that may have already covered your
questions. Also, there are two calls each week that are
available to ASC members, and are places where you can get
your questions answered.
Every
business, and your site is a business, depends on money to
survive. An effective budget will help you plan for the
future and manage the present, which ultimately helps improve
your chances of success.
Bill Wardell Is the Senior
Editor/Creator/Developer of Online Security Authority, the Author of "Don't Take Candy From Strangers" and an
Authority Site Center Certified Coach. Speaker and Radio
Show Host, Publisher, Researcher and National Radio Guest!
Hear what is happening in the world of Online
Security, and listen to our latest interview.
Is your child's safety worth 5 minutes of
your time? We have created the OSA Agreement to open the
lines of communications and limit Internet access, to
inquiring little minds. For your Free Agreement, join
thousands of other concerned parents and download it. Click on
the OSA Agreement, link at the top of the page. Your
child's safety is a click away. |
By Sonny Wylie
1. Locate a business partner with the same objectives you
have for a more strategic operation. Sharing marketing
information, trading leads, and selling package deals are
among the things that you and a partner can do to maximize
both of your businesses.
2. Branding your business and your name will give your
business a big boost. Writing articles for submission to e-zines
and websites is an easy way to accomplish this.
3. To
draw traffic to your site from auctioneers and bidders, run an
auction on your site that is relevant to your site’s theme.
Doing this on a regular basis will keep them coming back and
could increase your non auction sales as a result.
4. Brainstorm once a day or once a week for new ideas. It can
mean the difference between success or failure for your
business. New ideas are the life blood of any business to stay
competitive.
5. Use other successful businesses and people as models for your business. Don’t duplicate them exactly, just
learn what makes them a success and use the same methods.
What worked for them will most likely work for you.
6. To improve your business, you have to take some risks.
There are businesses that would rather not do any
advertising unless it is free, but you sometimes have to
spend money to get the best results. It can boil down to
getting what you pay for.
7. Emotional words, such as security, love, freedom, relief,
happy, fun, satisfaction, etc., can be good sales trigger
words. Use them in your advertising to achieve good results.
8. Request that people review your site. You can improve your
website based on the comments you receive from reviewers and
convert those reviewers into regular customers
9. Outsourcing some of your workload will free up more of your
time and help make you more productive overall. Some of the
work that can be outsourced are accounting, secretarial and
marketing. This will be more cost effective than hiring
employees for these jobs.
10. Make
a package deal of a product and a service. Offer an hour of
consulting with an ebook you are offering for sale. The boost
in sales will be remarkable.
About The Author: Sonny Wylie is an affiliate marketer who specializes in
getting newbies off to a running start. Learn how to jump
start your internet career at eCash101.
Editors Note: The partners and staff at Authority Site Center would like to give Sonny Wylie a special and public THANK YOU for accomodating us so graciously in Las Vegas at the Authority Summit. He took good care of us. Thanks Sonny ;) |
Preview of Coming Attractions
We are very excited to share with you a
sneak peek of Velocity. We are not going to give any firm
dates on the release of velocity...But hopefully it will
be in your Christmas Stockings (But Please Do NOT
quote us on that)
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By Bonnie
Lowe
I recently started thinking of my blog as a
dog. (I named him Ernie.)
Why did I do this? Why should you do the
same? Because a dog needs care and commitment to thrive. If you
get lazy or distracted and ignore your dog for a few days, it
will suffer… it may even die.
The same can be said of your blog. If you
want your blog to thrive, treat it like a dog!
Here are four
reasons to think of your blog as a dog:
1. Dogs and blogs need to be fed.
Dogs love to eat. You should “feed” your
blog every day, not just when you’re in the mood. Scraps are
alright once in a while, but for best results, fill it with
delicious and nutritious quality content. Keep it out of the
garbage!
2. Dogs and blogs need exercise.
Dogs need exercise and they love to go for
walks. They want to explore, to experience new sights and
smells. If they’re male, they also love to leave their mark. You
should “walk” your blog every day. Explore and experience other
blogs, sites, social networks. Leave your mark by commenting and
participating. Be sure not to leave any crap!
3. Dogs and blogs need to be protected.
Dogs depend on you to protect them from
fleas, ticks, distemper, heartworm, rabies, pissed-off cats and
other threats. You should protect your blog from spam, viruses,
copycats, pissed-off commenters and other threats. Use
protective plug-ins like Akismet. Back up your files with a
service like Carbonite. Turn competitors into colleagues. Don’t
be afraid to let your blog take risks, but be wary about
confronting bigger, meaner blogs!
4. Dogs and blogs need to be loved.
Dogs bring us so much joy because they give
us unconditional love. They are social animals, and they need
love in return. You shouldn’t have a dog—or a blog—if you’re not
going to love it. Like a certain football star interested only
in the money his dogs could earn, your success will be
short-lived if you are interested only in the money your blog
can earn. Your readers will know whether you are passionate
about your niche and truly love your blog. Show your blog love
every day, or it may turn on you!
Treat your blog like a dog, and you'll
enjoy years of slobbery, face-licking fun!
Bonnie Lowe offers more great tips on
blogging, building successful websites, and online earning
strategies at Bonnie's blog.
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FOR ASC MEMBERS:
A HUGE THANK YOU To Everyone who filled out the Survey.
The Feedback has been amazing and will help shape the
future direction of ASC! If you still have
not taken the survey, you have until Friday, October
19th at 1pm EST We will be
announcing the Winner of a Free One Year Membership
Soon!
NOT AN ASC MEMBER?
Check out some of our products:
Hope You Enjoyed The Newsletter This Month!
Best Wishes,
Editor, Friday Traffic Report
President and CEO, Authority Site Center
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