Blog, What 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.

The Importance of Education

Your blog acts very similarly. It educates people, which is an oft-overlooked part of the sales process. For instance, I’m currently looking at buying boating supplies, such as a VHF radio and a GPS, which I know next to nothing about. The sites that I buy from are those that help me figure out what to buy and don’t expect me to figure it out for myself. Also, if I’m searching for a product, such as a boat radio, my search query will look like this: “best radio for boats.” The results that hit the top spots are those sites that have a blog about how to find the best radio for a boat. I don’t search for Panasonic VHF-U6574 (not a real model) because I don’t know it exists. Thankfully, there are electronics dealers that understand  this and guide me towards the right radio for my needs.

As for something less technical, such as a book, a Twitter course, or a consulting package, the process is exactly the same. In my Twitter Rockstar blog, I talk about how people can use Twitter more effectively, some current problems with social media, and issues with Twitter time management. All of these posts explain problems and show how my Twitter Rockstar course can help.

If you are a consultant, posting once a week about a related topic will show your customers that you not only know what you are talking about, but will show them a little bit more about what makes you unique and how your approach can help them.

You Complete Me

Buying is a very personal decision, and anything that you can do to bridge that gap will do wonders for your business. Just imagine trying to buy a car without the help of a dealer…just you and a bunch of cars. The process would be horrible and you’d have no idea where to start. The salesman, just as a blog does, completes the car buying experience.

Regardless of what your product is, consider adding a blog to help educate your potential customers and show them a little bit more “behind the scenes” action. The SEO benefits alone will make it worthwhile. However, just make sure that customers can easily find their way from your blog to the sales page for when they are ready to buy. If you are successful, you’ll lead them down a path like this:

Introduction -> Education -> Solve Problem -> Sell Your Product -> Continue Education

The process is cyclical, so make sure to keep that relationship growing. Many times, your customers become the best part of your sales force.

Why You Need a Blog is a post from: Nathan Hangen

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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 someone else’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

Need Cash? Create a Product! is a post from: Nathan Hangen

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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?

Why I’m Removing Twitter Updates from Facebook is a post from: Nathan Hangen

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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.

How to Launch a Website is a post from: Nathan Hangen

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Chris Brogan mentioned that he prefers McDonald’s coffee to both Starbucks and Dunkin Donuts…this I do not think he is right about. However, in the rest of the post he argued that branding is more than just communication. In what he referred to as “owning distribution,” Chris made a wonderful point that addressed the need for brands to move beyond marketing.

Sure, being the “Kleenex” of tissues is great, but what if you can’t find a place to sell the tissues? More importantly, what if your competition is keeping you from being profitable? On the internet, the competition is increasing every single day. It is a cheap and easy medium to delve into, which means you have to work harder in order to control the distrubution of your product and not just the branding portion of it.

McDonald’s brand isn’t necessarily coffee, but since they have a shop on nearly every busy intersection, they own a large majority of the real estate capable of selling coffee. That means, when they try to brand their coffee, the transition is simple because people were already going there anyway. Why make an extra drive to Starbucks or Dunkin Donuts if you are already at McD’s?

To bring this to the internet realm, think about the products you buy and sell online. I bet that many of them are from the “known brands” in that niche. Amazon was known for books (talk about owning a HUGE stake in distribution), but now they are moving steadily into other territories. Media (digital and physical) for starters, but to prove my point, consider the Kindle. With that device, Amazon not only pioneered the “official” format of the digital book, but owns the medium in which it can be purchased and read. Sure, you could argue that other readers can be found for cheaper (such as Kindle on iPhone), but where do you go to buy the books? Amazon of course!

So while this was not an original idea of my own, I think that studying distribution methods in your niche might help you improve your brand presence and as a result, your bottom line.

What do you think?

Also, are you a social media bore?

Chris is Right is a post from: Nathan Hangen

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Image by Edward Dullard

When I first entered the realm of internet marketing, I bought into the hype and figured it would only take me a few months of studying, minimal work, and a bit of patience before I was making 10-50k per month. I figured I was smart enough to make more than everyone else and that I wouldn’t have to do a lot to make it happen. Boy was I wrong!

Internet marketing is certainly a legitimate way to make a living, but it can take years of studying, years of practical application, and a lot of patience before it pays off. This is the part that most people dont’ want to hear, but wouldn’t you rather know the truth so you don’t give up before  your efforts pay off?

I almost quit after a few months of work because I wasn’t seeing any return, but I decided to stick it out and keep trying. As it turns out, I made the right move…I also learned a lot along the way.

Internet Marketing is NOT a Game of Short-Term Profit

Regardless of what the “Gurus” tell you, IM is not a quick and easy to make a load of cash. Sure, there are exceptions to this, but for most of us the road is long and difficult. I don’t tell you this to dissuade you from trying, rather I tell you so that you know what to expect.

Regardless of how you want to make a living online:

• Writing poetry
• Publishing novels
• Blogging
• Ebooks
• Membership sites
• etc

It will take a lot of planning to get you on the right path. You’ll need to define yourself, create an elevator pitch, and keep pounding away with your brand until you get a breakthrough. It could take weeks, months, or years, but if you find the right angle and keep pouring effort in, you will crack the wall. Once you see that first crack and smell blood, you can start the onslaught and break the shit out of that wall.

Your Brand Might Change

Mine has…it changes all the time. My readers and customers see different things in me than I saw, so I respond with new insights and strategies to help them achieve their goals. If you meet them halfway, you’ll find that the difficulty of the process is drastically reduced. You’ll start gaining traction in your niche and people will start talking about you. The buzz will turn into momentum, which will turn into a steamroller ready to take the world by storm.

Just keep at it and don’t give up. You can make it happen if you just keep chipping away at your long term goal, one small step at a time. It worked for me…I’m sure it can for you.

The Long Slow Road is a post from: Nathan Hangen

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Well, I must admit how surprised I am by the manner in which I’ve retrained my brain to view every product and experience from a marketing perspective. As I spent a few days at Disney in Orlando, FL, I tried to get out of the work mindset, but kept finding myself thinking in terms of monetization and marketing rather than fun and relaxation.

Don’t get me wrong, I had a blast with my family and I am ever so grateful to be home from Afghanistan, but I really enjoy what I do and I can’t help but be influenced by it on every occasion.

Now, what Disney has done is monetize in such a thoroughly remarkable manner, that you cannot help but make it out of there without giving them more than you intended to. How do they do it?

Well for starters, every single ride ends in a gift shop. It is fairly easy to see why they do this and they don’t make any apologies for funneling you into their theme gift shops immediately after a ride. However, even though I am aware of the tactic I still find myself wanting to tap into the experience by memorializing it with a gift. My kids are tugging on my arm for various stuffed animals or nick knacks and in an effort to see them smile I make a purchase…at each and every single shop!

Now, don’t get me wrong here…I’m a sucker and I am not beneath paying my kids for a smile (they know this), but what Disney has done here is let you capture a portion of the experience and take it home with you.

Now, how can you do this with your business? Well I have learned that when people buy from you or your competitor, they are generally buying based on more than just the product description. People don’t spend a lot of money and when they do let go of a few hard earned dollars, they want the buying to be an experience and not just a quick parting of the ways with their cash. As a business owner, it is your duty to make buying from you an experience that people will enjoy. If you have a theme, integrate it into every aspect of your business website or homefront.

Be remarkable in the way that you capture the feeling of your product within your own walls (physical or digital). Take your customer on a wild ride, give them something for free to show what you can offer, and then funnel them into your store. If they enjoyed your ride, then they will most likely buy from you.

You can do this with email newsletters, with free eBooks, or any other digital medium. This is where your USP comes in and where you can really differentiate yourself from your competition.

Another thing that Disney did amazingly well was to monetize every little thing they could. You could buy a drink and get a super duper awesome cup for a ridiculous price of $8.99, get your picture with Darth Vader, get a night time glow in the dark thingy that looks awesome even though you have no use for them otherwise, or just buy a really expensive autograph book so you can stand in line all day to get autographs of men dressed in character costumes. Yes, Disney does this very well and they’ve learned how they can charge more than standard prices for goods that are nothing out of the ordinary.

A T-Shirt from Disney, something you would expect costs 20 bucks, cost around $35…but how do they get away with this? Well, they offer an experience that no one else can. They have learned how to create a premium experience, which is exactly what Disney World is imagined to be. There park is nothing spectacular, but they create an amazing experience that your family will never forget. Their employees all smile, they have amazing parades and fireworks, and they do little things like sprinkle pixie dust on your little princess to get her to smile the rest of the day. They also own Mickey Mouse and the rest of  his friends, not to mention the Disney movie stars, like Princess Jasmine or Aladdin…the list goes on and on. Disney has created an empire of experience and in going to the park you get to suspend disbelief and become a hero for a day. You get lost in the magic.

To apply this philosophy to your business, you need to #1 – overdeliver always. Always underpromise and overdeliver if you can help it, because you will create a customer experience that is heightened and creates euphoria. People want to shop where they experience pleasure in the process. You can do this with your customer service policy.

Also, make sure that you monetize everything you can – within limits. I’m not talking about taking every dime from your customer, but instead consider giving them a chance to spend their money in any way that they want to. Offer bulk packages and single packages. Break up your merchandise into singles so that customers can buy “ala cart.”

Segment your market so that you can offer target specific products and merchandise. For instance, let’s say I sell meditation products. My job is to find out what types of people are looking at my store so that I can create an experience for each of them. Some people meditate religiously, some for stress relief, and others because it just feels good. I could create an email campaign for each person and then create a different product or package for each of them. The goal here is to let people buy what they want, not to force them to buy a certain product because it is the only one in your store.

Lastly, give people an opportunity to buy at every turn. This doesn’t mean you need to force your products down their throat, but you can integrate a buy now button on any webpage or email. You can put it in the sidebar of your main site or in a nice letter delivered to their home address. Let people buy every part of the experience because you never know what they’ll have their sites on.

Sure, business isn’t all about making money, but you shouldn’t be afraid to let your customers buy from you in any increment they choose. Create an experience that cannot be duplicated by your competition and offer them something at the end of their ride to remember their good time. Buying and selling is more than just a dollars game, it should be an experience that neither party will forget.

Lessons Learned from Disney World is a post from: Nathan Hangen

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