As I mentioned in my Saturday Project Update, I’ve finally hired a designer to help me create a new web design, which I hope to unveil in the next month. The reasons I am dong this are twofold:
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.
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 
The Time Crunch
Let’s face it. As bloggers and business owners, we don’t have a lot of time to spare on social networks. Personally, I like to spend time on Twitter, but I don’t have a lot of extra time for Facebook, YouTube, and LinkedIn. Sure, I make time when I can, but it just isn’t that easy to find time in an already jam packed day. This is why I tried to cut corners and use Twitter to automatically update my status in Facebook. I used this feature for several months and thought it was working well, but it looks like I was wrong and now I’ve decided to pull the plug.
What Went Wrong
I use Facebook different than many people. I don’t keep a fan page (I have one I just don’t use it) because I like to stay connected and I think that having a fan page can at times look pompous. I don’t have 5,000 friends on Facebook because I just don’t have time to get there. As a result, I’ve got a mix of old friends, new friends, family, and associates that see my status updates. Although most of my business associates, blog readers, and fellow networkers understand the use of Twitter with Facebook, I would constantly receive comments from people about how many status updates I had on Facebook. Many of them simply didn’t get it and worse…many didn’t want to.
My family and friends don’t need to see what I’m doing on Twitter. It simply doesn’t interest them. My old high school pals thought I was crazy and wondered who I was talking to. They want to talk about their kids, their jobs, and their pictures…not blogs, RT’s, and social media.
I thought maybe I could educate them…pique their interest. I was wrong. They simply don’t care.
Why It Doesn’t Matter
No one told me to remove my updates, but I knew that someone might eventually. I didn’t want to be removed from news feeds and I didn’t want to scare away any friends or family members. I realized that posting the same message everywhere can be rather redundant and I’m thankful for the lesson in humility and in understanding an audience. The fact is, if people want to learn about what I do on Twitter, they can follow me there. Nothing wrong with posting occassional links on Facebook that point to a Twitter page, but it is important to remember to treat Facebook like the medium it is.
I don’t believe there is anything wrong with using this feature on Facebook, but there is a time and a place. It might work better on a fan page where you can target a specific demographic or audience. I’d recommend keeping it there.
I know how to use Facebook, but I’ve been too lazy to do it. Thankfully, I’ve gotten a gentle reminder to get back to the basics and to make time for interaction on Facebook. I’ve got a group there I’ve been slow to promote, and I’ve got some other promotions I need to manage. Being lazy just won’t cut it.
Where are you trying to cut corners in your marketing efforts? Where could you improve personal interaction? These are questions we should be asking ourselves every day regardless of how much time we have to spare.
Then again, I could be crazy…what do you think?
This is a quick video I put together about the importance of giving clear direction to your customers. If you want to create something new, chances are high that people will be slow to get involved because 1) they don’t understand your product, and 2) they don’t know how to use it. Watch this video to see a great example of a company that gets it.
Can’t watch the video? Click the link below to read more.
PodcastWebrepreneur Radio - How to Build an Online Business Empire
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