Nathan Hangen

5 Ways to Unleash the Beast

An interesting thing happens when I start to write. I’ll sit down, trying to hammer out an idea, and I’ll write a good 100 words before I really feel like I know what I’m talking about. I view it as kind of a warm up for the real writing…morning pages if you will. Once I hit that spot, sometimes it takes more or less, I’ll promptly go and delete the first paragraph or re-write it into a proper intro. This allows me to stay true to rule number 2 and still provide valuable content. Once you’ve warmed up, go over your first hundred words or so and see if they really fit. If they don’t, remove them.

The Power of Positioning

This is a video post, click the link below to watch.

The King of Content

Content Is King, But It’s Not What You Think

We’ve all heard the adage that content is king, but usually that refers to the content in a blog post, eBook, or another form of web content. However, I’d like to propose that within that meme, there is a king of kings when it comes to content and it probably isn’t what you think.

Before we get started though, I want to share a story about what inspired this post. You see, I lost a friend recently to a longtime battle with lung disease. He was a good man and although I’m sad he passed, his life taught me so much more than his death. However, what really hit home for me was when I was on Twitter asking for a moment of silence and I was flooded with responses from people I’d never talked to before. At that point I realized that what makes social media so wonderful, is that if you take away the spammers and bots, you end up with a community that embraces each other…often without asking for anything in return.
The Power of Social Networking

At that moment, none of us were trying to make money or launch a product, we were simply trying to pay our respects to a lost friend of mine. I didn’t want anything but to just hang out and talk with people to share my respect for this man. Incredibly, and what is really cool, is that these people I’d never met before were sending me replies and DM’s as if we’d known each other for years. Such is the power of social networking, particularly Twitter.
What’s Your Agenda?

Now, let’s get back to the king of content. You see, when it comes to content, I believe there are 2 types: content that has a hidden agenda, and content that seeks nothing but to be shared. In my opinion, the latter of the two is by far the most powerful and important. You might say as a rebuttal that all of your content falls in to the 2nd category, but let me ask you…are you sure?

Look, I’m not trying to claim sainthood and say that no one should sell anything, but I am saying that your intentions should always be clear and good hearted. If you want to sell something, make sure it benefits people and that you believe, without a doubt, that it does. Don’t try to trick people into clicking your link or buying your product if you aren’t relying on transparency and there is not congruency in your message.

I’m tired of meeting people and getting to know them only to find out that they are not what they seem. Let’s face it, that’s easy to do online. The way I see it is this: If you are trying to build a long-term relationship with people online as a brand or business, then you need to be able to look them in the eye and level with them. You need to be comfortable sharing information with no hidden purpose or agenda other than to enrich other people’s lives. You need to be the best at what you do.

I don’t expect your business to become a charity, but I believe there are times to focus on profit and times not to. Don’t be afraid to share your secrets and don’t cling to everything you know like it is your last dollar. I’m betting that a lot of what you know was inherited from others and rather than trying to squeeze a dollar out of someone, why not help them earn one first. Life is too short to worry about money all the time and I’m a firm believer that if you do what you love and help others do the same, then you are already wealthy beyond your wildest dreams.

Why You Need a Blog

As a business owner, the odds are high that you have some sort of sales page for your product, otherwise you wouldn’t be selling much of it. However, although you probably spent hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars and hours crafting the perfect sales page, I’m wondering if you did the same for your blog? Wait…you don’t have a business blog? Why would you need one, you ask?

Well, for starters if you sell something, be it a product or service, and you don’t have a blog on your site, then you are letting your customers walk out the door. In fact, many of them won’t even walk in unless they see one. The reason for this is because these days, when there are so many other places to buy, having a blog allows you to introduce yourself to your customer as they walk in. Think of a blog as a salesman at a car lot. Although some of them are quite annoying, overall they are there to help you make a decision and guide you towards the car you want at a price you can afford. They educate you and act as a buffer between you and the company.

Need Cash? Create a Product!

Your Products Better Not Suck

I’d like to caveat this post by saying I don’t want to sound like I’m encouraging you to rip people off or steal people’s money. In fact, I’d say that if your product sucks, you should pull it off the market and either fix it or get rid of it all together. That being said, there is a lot of merit to the idea of creating a new product to help fill an income gap. When I first got started in Internet Marketing, I spent months trying to sell other people’s stuff. I sold everything from dating products to running ebooks, but honestly I never felt like I earned my money. Now, this isn’t to say that being an affiliate is wrong, because I love helping to sell good stuff, but when you rely solely on affiliate income you are stuck chasing commissions rather than letting them come to you.

Creating a product on the other hand, let’s affiliates work to bring the customers to you. Creating a product is probably one of the quickest ways that you can start making money online…that is, money that sticks…and really feel what it is like to be an entrepreneur.
The Formula for Immediate Cash

I’ve had moments in the past where I wanted to make a major purchase and couldn’t rationalize an extra monthly payment or taking the money from my savings. Years ago, I would have probably done nothing more than write the goal down and look at it every day until I either gave up or forgot about it. These days, my life has changed. I don’t have to look at a money goal with disgust any longer because I know that if I need cash, I can simply create an additional income stream to fill that need.

I can create an eBook, a video course, a novel, or even a physical product and use basic SEO and marketing to exchange my product for cash. Eventually, within months or even days, I’ll have the money I need to make that purchase. There truly is POWER in the idea that you can exchange your ideas for money…at will.
Be Patient

Sure, some projects take longer than others to complete or achieve, but that doesn’t mean that the process is any different. You should create a list of short-term, mid-term, and long-term projects and spend a little bit of time on each. Eventually, you’ll have multiple streams of income that work to save you from cubicle nation and help you design your own life.

I still sell affiliate products, but mostly those of friends that I’ve made online. I vet the products I sell so that I never lower the standard. However, I much prefer selling my own product to selling someoneelse’s. Not because I’m greedy, but because I want to own my own business. Step out of the mold of trying to make the easy short-term money and start building a business. Eventually, you’ll find that it doesn’t take that much work at all. Well, it won’t feel like work at least…not as long as you enjoy it