Why Even a Big List Won’t Save You from Bad Strategy
A big question I get asked all the time here and on Copyblogger webinars (right after how to generate traffic or build a list), is “How can I get more people to respond/buy/subscribe?” In my previous post, I talked about what makes content truly successful, and I gave a big answer, but for this particular issue, great content is only part of the solution. What more do you need? I will tell you now, it’s not just a big list. In fact, a lot of seemingly successful people are not doing that great and only look like they do because of the size of their list. Smaller businesses are …
Join Darren Rowse and Chris Garrett in Portland Oregon: Thursday 10 July 2014
This post is left for archive purposes, the event was July 2014 Want to join Darren Rowse and me for a day of blogging talk? Or maybe going to World Domination Summit and getting in a day early? I’m thrilled to be able to share that Darren Rowse and Chris Guillebeau have arranged a ProBlogger training day in Portland Oregon on Thursday 10 July. They invited me along because I guess Darren would be lonely or something? The …
How to Go from Author to Successful Online Business
Since I let slip that I was a wannabe fiction writer, a few people have asked me questions about the modern author/publishing business: “Can you make a full time living as a writer, without being freelance?” “What should a modern indie author do to maximise their business?” “For successful self-publishers, what would we do differently?” I’ve answered these questions and more in various comment areas, forums, and social media. In fact, I am going to be …
The “Simple” Secret Behind Copyblogger’s 8 Figure Business
What is the secret behind Copyblogger’s 9 straight years of growth? How has it been achieved without any outside investment, without sales people, and with close to zero advertising? Join Chris Garrett and Tony Clark as they talk about: The simple secret to success (and why it is not easy) What you need before you create your product The truth about real Minimum Viable Products, and the fatal trap too many people fall into How you can use this…
Why New Products Fail
What is the difference between new products that take off in popularity and those that essentially get ignored? How do you know when your new product is ready to sell? Today I would like to share with you the key strategy that will allow you to not only sell more of your products and services to more people, but will also reduce refunds and improve your audience’s relationship with you. In The Mainframe podcast, Tony and I have been covering the MVP (Minimum Viable Product) process for creating products and moving into how to simply and successfully launch those …
How to Grow Your Long-Term Authority
Why do some people manage to stick around forever, while other people and brands seem to be here one day and gone the next? What is it about some people that makes you warm to them, while others give off a dodgy vibe that repels even the most tactile extroverts? As mentioned earlier, Tony and I have been creating this new podcast called The Mainframe, and so far we have focused on launches. If you listen carefully, though, there are some themes …
Grow Your Authority With Your Geekiness
How do people really connect and build friendly relationships? What is it that causes people to want to hear from you more than anything else? In marketing we talk about “value” a lot. Value is important, but I feel value often speaks to need more often than it does want. Serving needs is a minimum requirement. We want to stand out and be seen as more than that. We have to attract people who want to read our content, who are happy to work with us. While you can certainly attract a lot of people…
Apple is investing in Solar Energy!
This Post was Originally published at Apple is investing in Solar Energy! on Start Investing Money Tim Cook: New solar farm will be Apple’s ‘biggest and boldest project ever’ – ZDNet ReutersTim Cook: New solar farm will be Apple’s ‘biggest and boldest project ever’ZDNetCook touted this solar farm would be able to produce enough power for almost 60,000 California homes, or translated another way, enough energy to fuel Apple’s new … Read more … California Flats Solar Project agreements with Apple Computers buying…
TopCashBack Review
TopCashBack is described as the UK’s highest paying Cashback site, so it definitely seems worth taking a look at it to see what it is all about. The site states that it already has a whopping 4 million members and is growing all the time. So how does it work and in what way could it benefit you? Find out in this TopCashBack Review. The Basics The way that TopCashBack works is that they pass on their advertising commission direct to the customers who visit and use the site. Basically, you just need to browse the current offers and retailers listed on…
Top Tips for Saving Money During a Divorce
Divorce is one of the most stressful things that people can go through during their life. Apart from the emotional and mental toll that a divorce can take, splitting up a marriage can also have a big impact on a person’s finances. From hiring a lawyer, to paying for court costs, relocation expenses, a house sale, and more, there are many different yet unavoidable ways in which a relationship split takes money from the pocket. However, there are also a variety of ways to save money during the process of a divorce, as long as you’re aware of them. If you want to spend as little cash as possible when splitting lives and assets, it’s important to do some research and …
4 Tips to Save Your Family Money This Summer
For our family, summer promises fun, a break, a vacation, and relaxation. We can plant flowers, grow gardens, spend time at our local farmer’s market, and travel. But summer can be expensive for families who try to “do it all.” Along with some planned activities, unexpected summer fun can pop up out of nowhere – and so can the expenses! Here’s how you can manage the finances of your family’s summer fun without breaking the bank. 1Prepare for the Unexpected Already having cash stashed away for both planned …
15 baby toys that you can make for free
Who said babies have to be expensive? I am due in a few weeks with baby #3 and let me tell you that I have learned that you don’t need most of the baby stuff that stores try to sell. Especially when it comes to toys. Babies tend to want to play with everything and anything and it doesn’t matter if it is a $50 toy or one that you make for free. I love these simple DIY baby toys from around the web. Most can be made for free or nearly free with items that you already have at home. …
Subsidized vs. Unsubsidized Student Loans
As educational costs continue to rise, many students find themselves borrowing money using student loans in order to come up with the cash they need to pay for expenses. These loans can be used to pay for college tuition, room and board, fees, books, and other necessary items. When borrowing money for college, students have two different types of federal student loans that they can access: subsidized and unsubsidized. What are the differences between these two types of loans? Which type of loan is more attractive for students? Subsidized …
Which Winnie-the-Pooh Character Are You?
One reason the Winnie-the-Pooh characters created by A. A. Milne have lasted for decades is the uniqueness of their personalities. Most of us know real life Tiggers, Eeyores and Poohs. In fact, most of us can see some of these three in our own lives. I don’t claim to know exactly how these three would manage their money, but this article is a fun exercise in speculation. Because I believe that our personalities and…
10 Frugal Landscaping Ideas to make Your Yard Amazing
So, I’m starting to research frugal landscaping ideas to make my yard amazing this Spring. Bloggers have so many fab ideas! There are so many back yard projects, curb appeal DIYs that it’s hard to narrow down what will not only look best for my home, but also won’t hurt my wallet too much! I would like to share with you some of these creative and inexpensive landscaping ideas with you. Below, I’m sharing my top ten finds! Enjoy! Plant Perennials by Sunset Before You Mulch by Rosemary on the TV DIY Wheelbarrow Planter by …
Financial – and Life – Lessons from 40 Years of Marriage
As I bask in the celebration of our recent 40th wedding anniversary, complete with surprise readings from each child, child-in-law and grandchild, I can see some great personal finance applications of the principles Jan and I used raising our four children. My quandary is that in order to share the financial lessons, I am obligated to share what our kids had to say in their readings. I therefore ask myself, “Is this more about boasting on what great kids we have or helping my readers with their finances?” I will let you be the judge…
The Ultimate Bundle: Over 75 books worth $1,000+ for just $29
I am excited to be partnering on the Ultimate Homemaking Bundle for the next few days. It really is an amazing collection of eBooks, courses, printables, and a lot more that you can pick up for $29. There are so many great books from Best-Selling authors, bloggers with millions of followers, and true experts in a variety of topics. Click here to see all the books/courses/printables included! The bundle was designed to help you nurture the beauty and productivity in your home and family relationships with proven, simple, and effective tools that really give you a boost as a homemaker – help, inspiration, tips, encouragement…
What’s Your Financial Personality?
Ever notice how finances can affect you emotionally? I’ve known people who hate the idea of spending their money altogether and some people who don’t know how to make a budget at all. What if there was a scale that you could use to classify your financial personality? Yes, I can see it now. Instead of making up a boring answer when your financial planner asks how things are going, you can simply select your personality…
15 Kitchen Tips & Tricks that would Make MacGyver Proud
MacGyver. Remember him? If you watched television in the later 80’s and into the early 90’s, you’ll know exactly who I am speaking of. He always had some trick up his sleeve and a way to solve nearly everything problem and he knew how to get out of every situation. Even life or death situations. He just always had THE solution. My kitchen can be a battle ground some days, but I’ve found some tips and tricks that I think would make him proud. Thanks to…
The 10 best airports in Asia
Leading consumer aviation website Skytrax has published its latest annual World Airport Awards, and for the third consecutive year, Singapore’s Changi International Airport took the crown as the world’s best airport. However, Changi isn’t the only world class facility of its kind in Asia — which is why Skytrax has released its list of the 10 best airports in Asia. The Skytrax annual rankings are based on the impressions of over 13 million flyers from 112 countries. More than 550 airports were included in the survey, which covers 39 service and performance parameters, including facility comfort, location of bathrooms, and the language skills of the airport staff. 10. Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KUL) Yearly passengers: 47.5 …
Defenders of the web: The people behind 7 influential security companies
Browsing the web may be easy, but ensuring your digital safety is not. That’s why there are hundreds of companies around providing numerous products to safeguard consumers and companies from malicious actors. While many of these companies offer seemingly identical products, some of the best are not only protecting users but researching what hackers are doing and exposing them. Here are a few of the most influential companies on the market today, the people behind these firms, and some of the important vulnerabilities they’ve brought to light. Kaspersky Lab: Eugene Kaspersky Kaspersky Lab was founded in 1997 by the storied Russian security specialist Eugene Kaspersky. From the beginning it has …
Berkshire Hathaway made $1.3 billion on financial weapons of mass destruction; earnings beat
Berkshire Hathaway, the conglomerate run by billionaire Warren Buffett, had a pretty good first quarter. Operating earnings jumped 20{0e584ec94eaa64d073763ee1dc286a1f4d0f941424b1448bbfd01af7d90f9475} year-over year to $2,583 per share. Analysts were looking for $2,373 per share. To be clear, that’s for each A-share of Berkshire Hathaway, which closed at $215,800 on Friday. Total operating earnings jumped to $4.24 billion during the quarter, up from $3.53 billion a year ago. Operating earnings from Berkshire’s insurance underwriting business grew 4{0e584ec94eaa64d073763ee1dc286a1f4d0f941424b1448bbfd01af7d90f9475} to $480 million. Railroad, utilities and energy business …
These 18 tech companies offer the best benefits, according to employees
Employees who work at tech companies are some of the most pampered employees on earth. Gourmet food, free beer and wine, health clubs, day care, doggie day care, are standard fair at large companies, and pretty common at startups, too. But, it turns out, those are not always the benefits employees most care about, according to a survey conducted by Glassdoor.Amazon: 3.6 out of 5 HP’s employee satisfaction rating: 3.7 Employees’ favorite three benefits: Job training, volunteer time off, maternity and paternity leave. An employee says: “Outstanding coverage, low deductible plans, and they’re …
Here’s why Instagram demographics are so attractive to brands
Instagram has suddenly become the go-to social network for young adults and teens in the United States. In a new report from BI Intelligence, we unpack data from over a dozen sources to understand how social media demographics are still shifting, including the migration of young users to photo-based social networking. Access The Full Report And Its 20 Charts By Signing Up For A Trial >> Here are a few of the key takeaways from the BI Intelligence report: Instagram has edged out Facebook and Twitter in terms of prestige among young users. U.S. teens now describe Instagram as “most important,” while Facebook …