I came across this product review and it sounded like pretty good stuff.
We all need to keep a can of lubricant handy around the shop and house.
But all lubricants are not created equal. Many have specific purposes and some have features you don’t want.
This seams like a pretty good home and shop lubricant - take a look.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6tW71Q95QoI
A pocket sized unit that would even start a car without a battery.
Here is a product review on the Genius Boost
This neat little gizmo has a light built in. It also has a USB output so you can charge a cel phone or computer.
Have a look at this pocket battery booster:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6T2v7UunJDo
Getting A Little Chilly In Your Workshop?
Maybe it’s time to install a little heater.
If you have gas in your garage a gas heater is probably the right solution.
In this video you’ll watch how to hang the heater and run the vent through the roof. Keep a 1″ clearance between the vent pipe and anything combustible.
Up on the roof you should also use high temp silicon to caulk the storm collar to the vent pipe.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dTsJL_XOi3w
I know you’ll enjoy this musical break from doing it yourself.
Camille and Kennerly make great music. And when they played a theme from one of my favorite movies I just had to share it.
So enjoy this video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ltqD5gJoLiE
Taking the newly laminated bench-top that was glued up in the last video to a flat square and true shape is the topic in this video.
Keep an eye out for how to sharpen and adjust your plane blade and a look at some chisels to be used in a future video
Have a look:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A7aZB21cNzE
Here you’ll discover how the workbench top pieces made in the last video are glued together.
It is usually better to spread the glue out with a roller to get even glue coverage. Using a scrap piece of wood will work if you don’t have a glue roller.
The more clamps the better – watch the video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PRLqfvQufqM
.
We’re not talking about a real pro bench made out of hardwood here, this is a high quality poor man’s workbench made out of common lumber you’ll find in any lumber yard.
This first video in the series discuses some design considerations and shows you how to prep the wood pieces for the first glue up of one of the top components
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=idVew6hgqrY
The next video in the series shows how to glue the pieces together – Click here.
There are numerous dangerous places in an average home and babies and young toddlers are too young to understand the dangers.
A good home baby proofing plan is essential.
This video gives you a lot of valuable tips for baby proofing your house.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OHCkyv2ln2I
For many of the dangers around the home it’s common sense for us not to get hurt. It’s common sense for us because at some point in the past we were educated as to the danger.
Put a street wise city kid in rattle snake country and he is in danger. Put a toddler in the average home and you’d better be watching them. It takes time and training for kids to understand the dangers.
That’s why most parents look for those dangers ahead of time and take measures to prevent the kids from getting into trouble.
This video gives you a number of good tip to child proof your house.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tyzTU47eMW4
The isolate certain sections of the plumbing system so it can be worked on and maintained.
There are different ways a valve can be attached to the pipe. The copper pipe in this video could be soldered back together, but there are other ways.
This video shows the use of compression fittings. Sharks tooth fittings are also commonly used these days.
Watch the video and see how easy it is to do.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D0ftheIfTjY
Despite their expense stone counter tops are not maintenance free like their plaster cousins.
There are of course many different types of stone. Some are too porous or absorbent to be used for counters.
But all stone absorbs liquids, so you have to prevent this or slow it down by applying products that fill those voids.
This video will give you some great tips on maintaining you stone counter tops.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oyk1URW_6FY
One of the best ways to protect your trees from these critters is to build a fence around the trees.
All as you need is a few wooden posts 6′ high and some plastic deer fencing.
This video shows you how to build a deer fence
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jhx5kT3llaU
This jig offers a portable take anywhere sanding solution.
Yes if your in your workshop and you have a vise on your work bench you can put the belt sander upside down in the vise.
I really like the 90° edge sanding feature of this jig.
I use a similar jig on the job to edge sand MDF pieces. I have a two foot fence before and after the belt sander which allows me to edge sand 8′ strips of MDF and keep the edges nice and straight.
Watch the video to see this jig in action.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GvTvEBQ1Lss
But a belt sander can do so much more. Learn to finesse your sanding technique and this machine will be your favorite sander to go to.
This video gives you the tips and techniques for how to use a belt sander.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5gNwIL-hbuw
Improve the versatility of your belt sander with this jig.
Click Here to go to this page.
And how about the pressure you put on the sander and the wood?
Want to keep your work piece from moving all over the place?
What grits are you using?
Watch this video to find out the answers.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_7YFh4xL9Ec
You need to see the mark when you have your welding goggles on.
You want marks that are not easily rubbed off.
And you want a durable marker.
Watch this video to see what markers are available and which is best for your work.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B57N_SZKA3U
The other thing is when working with metal there is usually a little bit more precision required.
If you have ever tried to mark metal with a pencil you will know that the lines are hard to see.
There are much better ways and this video shows you how.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V2QT2C5larE
Do you know the right drill press speed for what you are doing?
The speed does make a huge difference for various tasks and sizes of drill bits and other accessories.
Most of us can’t remember this information. So it is a good idea to have a drill press speed chart some where close to the drill press.
Most drill press motors have a stepped pulley, with a belt driving another stepped pulley on the quill of the drill press.
To change the speed it is a simple matter of moving the belt up or down on the pulleys.
This video will show you how to do that and give you some additional tips for operating the drill press.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VEzzptHP34U
Click here to see the drill press speed chart on the next page.
It’s possible to repair small damaged spots in a vinyl floor.
But you need some of the left over pieces from when the floor was installed.
I usually hide such repair material in a place where they won’t get thrown away such as in the joists in the basement or up in the attic.
This video shows you exactly how the repair is made.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hPh6XEDUHeE
Is it time for a new floor? Here are some of the newer floor options
In addition to the old stand byes carpet and sheet vinyl this video shows you some of the newer options.
they all have their advantages and disadvantages such as durability and some you are able to refinish in the future others not.
Be careful where moisture is a concern, real wood products don’t handle water too well.
Watch the video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hRE5mXpCMFA
Maybe all you need is a repair to your existing vinyl floor?
Check your local building code for the height requirements. It will probably be between 32″ and 36″.
This video shows you how to mark the wall for the handrail installation.
There are a couple of interesting construction tips in this video. See if you can pick them out.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wYBYzxsH8bs
It might be OK to get out your knife for that big fat carpenter’s pencil, but what about your finishing pencil.
It’s difficult to sharpen a finishing pencil with a knife unless that knife is really sharp, and we all know how often that is.
This video will show you a construction tip for sharpening that pencil on the job.
Watch it might surprise you.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vq1jSKxxf9Y
Test Post from Gotta Go Do It Yourself http://www.gottagodoityourself.com
I came across this video, a few short paragraphs by an unknown author put to inspiring music and some awesome images.
An interesting way to get you to ponder the message.
It may also be interesting to ponder what message you have that could be presented in a similar fashion?
Enjoy:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zyQ5ZSMENF0
If Pinterest is part of your business marketing plan, here’s a simple article that answers a simple question you may also have:
What is the proper etiquette if you want to pin an image to multiple Pinterest boards? And, is it spammy to do so?
Alisa Meredith provides an excellent answer and tips!
Your pin is good. Really good. It is an amazing image with keyword-rich description and linked to an out-of this-world blog post. The whole world needs to see it.
But, which board should you pin it to? The one with the most followers? The group board? The one with the right subject matter? Is it considered spammy to pin it to many boards?
Pin it to Your Blog Board
If you have a blog (and you do, right?) you need to have a board that houses all your great content. Only your great content. This is a quick and easy way for people to see what content your business writes and what you’re all about. You may find it’s your most popular board!
Every blog post you publish to your own blog needs to go here. First. So you don’t forget. Do it now.
Pin it to Your Most Popular Board – Maybe
If your blog board isn’t your most popular, find out which is. I use ViralTag for scheduling, analytics and for getting information like that. It’s a little cumbersome to use, but the price is right!
If your pin relates at all to the subject of your most popular board, pin it there. Give it the best chance to be seen by your followers. If it doesn’t relate at all, find it another home.
Pin it to Related Boards
If your blog post is about, let’s say, which type of cookware is best for making omelets, you might pin to your cookware board, your omelet board and your cooking board. (Now I want an omelet). Not all of your fans follow all of your boards, and you don’t want the guy following only your cooking board to miss out because you only put it on cookware, do you?
Pin it to Group Boards
Group boards area incredibly powerful for getting large numbers of repins, likes and clicks back to your site. So, pin it there, too! This gives your pin greater exposure as not just your own followers will see it.
What About Appearing Spammy?
Read more and get all the details at the original article
Here a simple truth.
“Keep You Temper. – Nobody Else Wants It.”
— John Mason
“Gain Control Of Your Time, And You Will Gain Control Of Your Life.”
Osteen has been featured in success magazine about the power of words.
If you say you will be talented, strong or successful you will gravitate toward that.
“If you want to know where you’re going to be five years from now, just listen to what you’re saying about yourself. Your words are telling what’s in your heart.” – Joel Osteen
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ad62Qij9XNA
Always be testing something. Better conversion rates can massively increase your success. In this article you will discover 11 different ways you can make changes and test to see which way works better.
Luckily, there are a ton of tests you can run to optimize your blog for clicks and conversions. So, to help you get into the habit of always testing stuff on your own blog, here is a list of things you should try out for yourself. Remember — what doesn’t work for one blog, might work for you!
Note: Blogs are very variable by nature, oftentimes making it difficult to completely isolate the variables you’re trying to test. While you should do your best to isolate your variables, keep in mind that your tests may not be perfectly scientific.
Blog Publishing Optimization
Things you can test to optimize your blog publishing activity …
1) Frequency
Is more always better? Test your publishing frequency to identify your “sweet spot.” Is there a point at which an increase in volume of posts doesn’t actually equate to more or better results? At what point are you sacrificing content quality for the sake of quantity?
Suggested Testing Methodology: Increase (or decrease) your publishing frequency by a certain amount for 1-2 weeks. Then, isolate the number of views you received to those new posts and compare it to the views of the new posts you published during one of your typical 1-2 week time frames. Continue testing until you find your frequency sweet spot.
2) Timing
Do certain times of the day and days of the week correlate with better traffic results? What about how far apart you space your published posts — does that impact an individual post’s performance?
Suggested Testing Methodology: Test publishing at a variety of times. Then export your blog analytics (e.g. HubSpot’s Pages Report), sort by time of day and day of week, and analyze trends you see in performance.
3) Content Balance
Which blog content types (e.g. text-only, SlideShare-based, infographics) and topics perform better for you? Knowing this, what’s the ideal content balance? In other words, while SlideShare-based posts may perform best in terms of traffic, you probably can’t only publish SlideShare posts.
Suggested Testing Methodology: Test different content types and subjects on your blog, then analyze how those posts perform. Map blog content to your various content goals to determine what your ideal content balance is (e.g. X SlideShare posts per month for traffic, X posts per month about subject A to support campaign B, etc.).
Blog Subscriber Email Optimization
Things you can test to optimize the notification emails you send to blog subscribers …
4) Email Subject Line
Do your subscriber emails generate more clickthroughs when you use a generic subject line (e.g. “Here’s Your Latest Blog Post”), or when the subject line matches the title of the blog post you’re emailing about?
Suggested Testing Methodology: Test a generic subject line for a period of time until you have a large enough sample size of emails that your test is statistically significant. (Learn what “statistically significant” means for marketers here.) Then, test subject lines that match titles of the blog posts you’re emailing about for the same number of emails. Compare the performance (in terms of clickthrough rate) of those emails.
5) Email Timing
Read More At Pamela’s source article
If you want to dramatically increase your Facebook engagement you should take a close look at this article and make sure you aren’t making these mistakes on your Facebook page.
This post originally appeared on the Insiders section of Inbound Hub. To read more content like this, subscribe to Insiders.
Just because you have a kitchen doesn’t mean you’re in the running for the next episode ofChopped. I mean, sure I have a kitchen too, but my list of specialties includes cereal, macaroni and cheese, and toast that’s often burnt.
Well, the same can be said for Facebook: Just because your business has a Page doesn’t mean that you’re using it right. Even with 10 years of Facebook behind us, we’re all guilty of committing our fair share of social oversights and slip-ups. It happens to the best of us.
However, before we all start thinking about what Facebook’s next 10 years will bring about, let’s be sure that we’ve got a handle on what Zuck’s given us to work with so far. Below are the eight most common mistakes brands are making on Facebook.
1) Unoriginal Tone
Everyone has a few little peculiarities and mannerisms that set them apart from the next guy. Certain sarcasm or unparalleled modesty will come across in your communications and serve as a defining aspect of your identity.
The tone that your brand employs works in the same way, and each bit of language you put forth should be aligned with your overall messaging, objectives, and goals.
For example, what does the tone of this post from Philippine Airlines say to you?
Photo from Carly’s original post
If you answered: “What tone?” you read my mind.
There isn’t anything unique about this post. It’s vague and so overly simple that it could have been posted by almost any brand.
What brands are failing to understand is that the way a brand sounds and interacts will ultimately work to set a customer’s expectations for the rest of the interactions they have with your company. Point being, don’t try to squeeze yourself into a mold that just doesn’t fit, but instead, create your own identity. If you want to see some examples of brands with brilliant tone in their writing, check out this blog post.
2) Way Too Much Content
With the introduction of short form social platforms like Snapchat and Vine, people have developed an insatiable appetite for snack-sized content. The brands that are dominating their industries have not only recognized this shift in consumer behavior, but they have in turn begun to adopt a more succinct approach to content creation.
Unfortunately, Mercedes Benz missed the memo.
Photo from Carly’s original post
Just because Facebook budgets a bit more space for content than platforms like Twitter doesn’t mean that you need to fill it. This post, for example, would have been much more appealing and effective without the long text accompanying it. In fact, according to research by Buddy Media, posts with 80 characters or less in length have 27% higher engagement rates.
Believe it or not, nuggets of information can pique your audience’s interest more effectively than long-winded explanations. To put it quite simply: less is more.
3) One-Way Engagement
The copy you put on Facebook should begin a dialogue, not just a one-way broadcast.
Your Facebook Page is no place for stale traditional marketing efforts focused on pushing out information that may or may not speak to the needs of your audience. Facebook is a modern marketing machine that runs best on quality content that is designed to feel more like an authentic exchange and less like a static offering.
After all, Facebook is a social network. It thrives off of native content that doesn’t just speak atcustomers, it speaks with them. For example, look at the way these two Budweiser posts performed:
Photo from Carly’s original post
The post on the left that talks at the audience boasted far less Likes and shares than the post to the right, which probed the question, “Is your fridge stocked for the weekend?”
In order to land a sale, you must first build a relationship, which is why issuing content that engages your audience isn’t just recommended — it’s necessary.
4) Inconsistent Branding
Get the rest of the details at Carly,s original post
Your blog should form the core content strategy in your business. Think of it this way, your blog is “land.” you own.Whereas, your social channels are all “rented” land. While it’s important to build an audience on your social sites (Facebook and Twitter recommended, at minimum), here the must do practice, provide regular invitations (links) to come read your blog posts, join your email list and, of course, ultimately do business with you!
Here are eight current blogging practices that may be near the end of their lifelines:
1. Post Five Times a Day to Increase Traffic
It was once considered a standard rule that traffic is directly proportional to the number of posts. Therefore, to increase traffic, you upped output and frequency. There are many bloggers who would benefit from an increase in post frequency. However, each blogger’s threshold of that frequency will vary.
For example, a prolific high-profile blogger such as Michael Hyatt recently stated: “I used to recommend blogging five times a week. For some time now I’ve blogged two to three times a week and have seen the same level of reader growth. By cutting back the frequency I freed myself up to do other things.”
Hyatt also referenced Tim Ferriss’ book, The 4-Hour Body, where Ferriss discusses the concept of the Minimum Effective Dose (MED). The MED is the “smallest dose that will produce the desired outcome” or as Ferriss quotes Olympic coach Henk Kraaijenhof: “Do as little as needed, not as much as possible.”
The concept of blogging as much as is needed to maintain or grow traffic is a new one. No longer do you have to increase blog frequency to increase traffic. Glen Alsop from Viperchill posts once or twice a month and gets 120,000 visitors per month while Seth Godin posts daily (sometimes even twice a day) and has similar stats.
New Rule: Therefore, the new rule of blogging is to find your frequency sweet spot. It may be more or less than your current frequency, but by experimenting, you’ll be able to find your optimal posting frequency – the minimum number of posts needed every month to keep your blog on an upward trajectory.
Put another way, Hyatt states, “To make progress on the things that matter most, we can’t afford losing ground by trying to do too much — even if we’re trying to do the right things.”
2. Leave Blog Comments
Like most people, I was quite surprised when Copyblogger closed off comments on its blog. Weren’t comments supposed to be the life-blood of engagement? And wasn’t Copyblogger all about encouraging a dialogue with your blog audience? These questions swam in my mind before I read Sonia Simone’s post explaining why.
It seems that the decision was in large part administrative. Copyblogger receives a lot of spam and to sift through that was becoming counter-productive for them. Instead of comments, they encouraged their audience to start a discussion on their social media outposts, most especially on Google Plus. But more than that, they lobbied that those who have something substantial to say should say it on their own blog and reference the Copyblogger post.
What Copyblogger ended up doing, in fact, is helping us remember that the only way to cut through the noise is to produce substantive content. And if a comment is thoughtful, then why not put it on its own pedestal as a complete blog post?
New Rule: Thanks to Copyblogger, the new blogging rule is to write out a blog post in response to a post and expand your initial comment to include a divergent viewpoint or more insights. Remember, if your insights are substantial, they probably warrant a blog post of their own.
3. Outsource Your Blog to a Professional
Content creation has always been outsourced and will always continue to be outsourced. But more and more bloggers are now realizing that outsourced content will never get them the leadership status they crave. This point is ironic coming from me, as my company produces content for clients.
Neil Patel recently wrote an excellent article for HubSpot titled “Why You Should Write Your Own Content,” where he said, “Content writing isn’t just something that I do on the side. It is a core component of what I preach and practice every day of my life. Content is that important. As an entrepreneur and a content marketer, I recommend that you write your own content.”
Patel cited five reasons why entrepreneurs should write their own content: better expression, brand authenticity, experience of speaking and responding to your audience, and staying abreast of industry trends.
New Rule: Produce your own content. If you absolutely can’t, then make content creation a bilateral process. Have brainstorming content meetings where the client and the bloggers together forge topics, direction, and voice. I encourage my clients to write their own posts in addition to the ones that we write for them. And I have seen the results first hand.
Entrepreneurs who write for their own blogs (in addition to outsourcing content creation) are more confident about what they want to say and are more in tune with their audience than those who outsource the entire process.
4. Always Write 100% Original Content
Oh pffft! With so much pressure to create content, bloggers need to cut themselves some slack and embrace the time-saving practices of content curation and repurposing. No one creates 100 percent original content all the time anyways. People are always getting inspired by others and riffing off of others.
New Rule: Curate, re-purpose, mash-up other people’s content and give your unique take on it. Give attribution and credit to your sources and references always.
Go to Salmas original post to discover the other 4 old Practices you need to change
5. Not Every Post Needs to Have an Image
6. Stick to One Type of Format
7. Write a 500-Word Blog Post
8. Don’t Publish Your Articles on Third-Party Sites
The 3 types shown are:
1:44 ► Google+ Scheduled HOA Events
2:51 ► Google+ Traditional Event with an HOA included or inserted
3:47 ► YouTube Live Event using the HOA ‘quick’ option
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SpZBwp5XO2A
In this video Brendon shares six practices of great leadership.
One of the most important topics talked about is vision. If there is no vision there is no leadership.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6SOTBHAcLV4
Vision
Enlist others
Integrity, stand for somenthing
Empower others to win
Evaluate what is going on around us
Honest , direct, immediate feedback
Encourage, inspire others on a continual basis.
That’s a common misconception.
The truth for most is that they fail over and over again till they learn their lessons. They never quit.
Now here is the key point Successful people treat failure differently then most other people do.
In this article by Saren Stiegel you’ll discover the techniques successful people use:
1. They don’t blame anyone; instead they get curious about the facts.
By taking responsibility for all setbacks, you become curious about what worked and what did not. Not sure how to take responsibility? Start with the facts. The fact is that there was a failure: you didn’t get the job, you didn’t make the sale, the relationship didn’t work out, and so on. Those are facts. Anything beyond that is an interpretation, a meaning you’re giving to the situation.
Successful people drop the interpretation, all blame (outward and inward), and instead reflect on what’s true and what’s up for interpretation. This gives you the power to recreate the interpretation.
I’m not saying that the failure IS your fault and you need to shame yourself. I’m saying that when you investigate your actions and reactions, you take back your power and then you can you learn and grow.
Some questions to ask yourself:
- What did I miss?
- How could I have done better?
- Who has had successful results in this realm and can see my blind spots?
2. They don’t get stuck in the past or the future; they act now.
I invite you to consider how much time you spend thinking about the future versus the past.
- Do you have buyers’ remorse?
- Do you wallow in regret?
- Do you get indecisive and change your mind often?
Successful people take action fast. They move quickly and decisively, learning from mistakes, while moving forward. Instead of waiting until they’re ready or lamenting not getting enough training, successful people just keep growing. They take classes, read books, ask questions.
Release thoughts of the past being different. It’s over. You can’t change it. Remind yourself: That was just another experience that can contribute to reaching my goals right now.
3. They use failure as a call to action.
Why can’t we be kind to ourselves and create a life that’s radically successful? Why is it that you can feel a tremendous amount of frustration with fear, but still not take different actions? Likely, you haven’t experienced enough pain.
Get the rest of the details back on Seren’s blog post
We are never buying what we think we are buying.
It’s all about feelings.
The key to getting people to open their wallets is to get them to open their hearts.
What future experiences are your customers hoping to get?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aJlCnAhcsvU
“The Best Way To Close A Sale Is By Getting Your Customer To Open Her Heart”
– Marie Forlio
Here’s the thing – You got to give it everything you got.
You gotta want success as bad as you want to breath.
You can’t just kinda want it.
You gotta want it bad!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oXJ1FZKwI7c
I like Star Wars and Camille and Kennerly’s Masterful music. enchanting costumes and great video work.
So the next time you go on one of those Jedi adventures – here’s some background music to spur you on.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TAxdlPZ37Gc
City life? Country life?
A big house or a loft downtown?
Days in the sun, on the beaches of the world?
Making a difference?
Doing what you love.
For me — Being An Entrepreneur Is The Good Life
Think about your good life as you listen to this song
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jZhQOvvV45w
What’s to complain about?
It’s just got to be the good life.
Here’s the thing: We all know that providing value to our customers and prospects is the thing to do.
We also know that in this internet age social media is one of the most effective ways to provide that value to the largest number of people.
The trouble is how do you get good at doing social media without spending a lot of time learning how to do it effectively?
In this presentation by Rebeka Radice you’ll learn her 12 steps to becoming a social media master:
12 Steps to Master Social Media
So lets get started, Rebeca’s got some must do steps here to get you up and running on your way to becoming that social media master we all wish we were.
1. Choose Your Channel
Facebook, Google Plus, and other social networks allow you to interact with potential clients. You can also find your next job, shop, sell, buy, auction and exchange just about anything you can think of.
No matter your reason for using social media, make sure you choose your main networks wisely.
Choose one or two social networks that allow for the greatest exposure and then use them daily. We all know time is money. There’s no sense in starting something if you’re not going to consistently stick around.
2. Define Your Target Market
Do you know who your target audience is? Have you identified your specific area of expertise?
Don’t try to cater to everyone by being all things to all people. If you want to reach the right audience, your content should be hyper-specific. Write your posts and speak directly to their wants, needs and desires.
3. Share Appealing Content
Sharing content in an appealing way is tougher than it seems. How often have you stumbled on a post or tweet that left you shaking your head at an opportunity lost?
Share interesting, relevant and insightful content and share it often. This is the single best way to establish your expertise and credibility.
You have knowledge others need. Give it away freely!
4. Listen and Respond
While social media is an excellent communication tool, it is also a very beneficial listening tool.
As you listen to your customers, take time to truly hear what their needs, wants and desires are. Then work to fulfill those needs with your content, time, compassion and genuine feedback.
5. Establish Your Genuine Voice
People want to get to know the real you. Social media gives you the opportunity to share your authentic voice, no matter the format.
Discover more about your genuine voice and the rest of the tips on Rebeka’s blog
In this video Will exposes a number of insights, principles that lead to success. Some of my favorites are
Watch, get more insight on success an Will’s take an the above points:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ucv8O75erpg
I know in the internet marketing world the leaders I follow are the ones with absolutely huge visions.
Visions that align with my vision about helping as many others as possible to become successful.
The visions we share provide hope to our followers and the more hope we can provide the larger the number of followers we will have
Napoleon Bonaparte put it this way:
“A Leader Is A Dealer In Hope”
As an entrepreneur you have a dream, all entrepreneurs do. You set your goals, craft your vision based on those dreams. And no doubt if you examine your dreams closely you’ll discover they align with your core WHY.
This is a great song. Take a moment sit back and reflect upon your dreams and you why in life. Enjoy:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bg5HbooxKm8
How bad do you want it?
The choice is yours
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lsSC2vx7zFQ
‘Look Up’ is a lesson taught to us through a love story, in a world where we continue to find ways to make it easier for us to connect with one another, but always results in us spending more time alone.
If you haven’t seen the following video, it is powerful and true. Take it to heart leaders wherever you may be serving. -
Written, Performed & Directed by Gary Turk.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z7dLU6fk9QY
“Chivalry never died, the gentleman in most men did.
Being a male is a matter of birth.
Being a man is a matter of age.
But, being a gentleman is a matter of choice.”
– Unknown __
We’ve heard it since we were kids. “Watch out who you hang out with”.
But its matters way more than that. You position in life today is probably a result of the people you hang out with.
Here is a great article that delves into the reasons:
Have you ever noticed how the people in your life affect you? The impact can be so significant that one of the best things we can do to change our lives for the better is change our peer group.
In the 1930s C.S. Lewis started a small literary circle called the Inklings. The group started with J.R.R. Tolkien, and eventually included others like Owen Barfield and Charles Williams. The influence on works in progress of the different members was huge.
Lewis actually scrapped the first draft of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe after his friends heard some chapters. They considered it “so bad that I destroyed it,” he said. It’s impossible to discount the influence of our friends.
That’s why Solomon stressed friendships so much and so often. “Iron sharpens iron,” he says in one place, “and one man sharpens another.” He also warned about negative friendships: “Make no friendship with an angry man, and with a furious man do not go, lest you learn his ways and set a snare for your soul.”
Our peers really matter. And we can put that to work for us if we’re intentional about it.
Usually we drift into peer groups. They could be associates from work, our kids’ school, church, whatever. The important thing to notice is how often these relationships just happen. They’re not intentional. But if iron sharpens iron, shouldn’t we be careful about the kind of edge others are giving us?
Instead of random relationships, what if we could create communities that helped everyone involved achieve their goals together—like Lewis and the Inklings? We can, and these kind of intentional relationships are invaluable in at least three areas:
- Learning. Getting connected with a good group can accelerate your learning, provide key insights, help you find important resources, and teach you best practices.
- Encouragement. Whether it’s business, family life, or our faith journey, life can be tough. A good peer group can give you the validation and support you need to keep going and rise above the tempests.
- Accountability. We need people who can speak into our lives and help us when we’re veering off track. The right peers are essential for this.
And of course, it’s not just about what you get. You can offer the same learning, encouragement, and accountability to others in the group.
These peer groups can take different shapes and configurations ** Read More **
We’d like to read your comments.
It may just surprise you how much Facebook in favoring video posts these days.
If you are an internet marketer this deserves a closer look.
The speed your Facebook video can be shared with your followers can is equally amazing.
This article will tell you more:
“
A battle royale may be brewing between two internet juggernauts over video. Facebook said it is introducing new YouTube-like features in an apparent effort to capture more of the video market.
Starting today, Facebook users can now see how many views a video has received on the site once it has been uploaded to the social networking site. This is something that’s been part of YouTube’s service for years. Facebook says its is to help users discover new, popular videos.
Facebook is also testing a feature on mobile that displays related videos after users finish watching a clip. This feature has also been on YouTube for a long time. In addition, Facebook also has future plans to allow users to embed Facebook videos on third-party sites.
Facebook vs YouTube – Which Gets More Views?
I did an experiment today to compare YouTube with Facebook videos.
I posted a still-shot from a YouTube video and included the link to the video this morning. After 5 hours, the post had only reached 9 people, and the video itself had been viewed by four people!
During the afternoon, I uploaded the same video to Facebook, and as you can see in the image below – the reach and engagement were noticeably higher.
The story is much the same on mobile too. As of 5 pm ET, the YouTube post had been viewed by 11 people, while the Facebook video post had been viewed by 70 people.
I’m not the only one to discover that Facebook videos get more engagement. SocialBakers did a study last year and found that Facebook videos got a 40% higher engagement rate than You Tube videos. It makes sense actually. Facebook wants people to use their service!
What does this mean for the average small business owner? — Find Out Here –Images taken from the origi nal article
It’s almost crunch time. The world is full of bad currency. The printing presses are running overtime. The governments get to spend (distribute the extra currency) at its current value, but it is just a matter of time until the unsuspecting public gets wise to all this excess paper and it value will plummet big time.
Watch “The Hidden Secrets Of Money ” to discover this sinister truth.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EdSq5H7awi8
Live your life on your terms.
Fear, Double – put them aside.
Come back again and again.
Discover your why. Your why will push you forward.
It’s up to you to decide!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GwfhH8yDZQo
Push on to greatness
Never give up, never give in.
The audio-video guy Mike Steward made this short video to show you exactly how it’s done.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_AIwa9S26hs
So what’s your next video going to be about?
Here are some of the media sources Mike showed in his video.
Richard shares his advice on listening to your people, being a great motivator, looking for the best in people and a whole lot more.
He also shares his insights on how the dividing line between success and failure can be very small.
Watch the video and discover more:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VH35Iz9veM0
This is a great song. This time listen to it from an entrepreneurs point of view and it becomes extra special.
Just close your eyes, listen to the music and bring to mind what you really believe you can accomplish.
Enjoy:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eAM2-hg7xJs
Entrepreneurs have to really believe to achieve their goals.
Believe
Believe in yourself.
Believe in your dreams.
Believe the vision
If your an entrepreneur at heart, this is a fun video to watch
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T6MhAwQ64c0
As if right out of Apple’s marketing playbook this satirical Ikea video has hit the marketing jackpot as it has gone viral in the last few days.
This video titled “Experience the Power of a Bookbook” was created to promote Ikea’s 2015 catalog. They took an interesting aproach as they portrayed their catalog as if it was a new Apple product launch.
“Content comes preinstalled via 328 high-definition pages,”
“To start browsing, simply touch and drag.”
“download” — from one’s own mailbox
I think this video will bring a smile to your face. Feel free to share and comment.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MOXQo7nURs0
P.S.: For more online marketing wisdom get your 7 day trial at our marketing community site
https://isuccessformula.com/chris/?id=lee33&tid=EDIkea
If you will change everything will change for you.
So here’s the great message from Jim Rohn on personal development.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZR1wYcB1IM
In this video Tony Robbins explains the difference between winning and loosing and how small that difference can be.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C3sk0rQS58c
Why do you need to promote conversations on your blog?
Comments to your post add value for future readers. When you get a loyal following, your blog can turn into a community with followers coming back again and again and interacting with others in the comments.
So here is a great article by Darren. He gives you 13 tips to get those great conversations going.
What I do want to focus on in this post goes beyond getting comments and how to grow ‘conversations’ (something that I think is a little deeper). There is some overlap – but I hope this post goes beyond that previous one.
The biggest conversation killer in my own life is simply that I’m too busy. This is true in ‘real life’ as well as blogging. If you don’t set aside time to have conversation it is highly unlikely to ever happen because it takes time.
Again – I’m not talking here about leaving comments (leaving a comment can take a second or two) – but actually engaging in conversation means listening to what others are saying and thoughtfully responding in a way that goes deeper, adds value and says something meaningful – this takes time and if you don’t prioritize it you’re not likely to fit it in.
As mentioned in my post on how to get comments, ‘asking questions’ is a powerful technique for starting off a conversation. If you want people to respond to your posts include questions within them – it’s key to get the comment thread started, however it’s also a great technique for keeping the conversation going.
One way to add depth to a conversation and to draw out more from those commenting is to take their comments and ask questions of them that elicit a second response. Rather than just responding to someone’s comment with a ‘great point’ type comment – why not go a little deeper with a question that draws them into extending their idea.
Not only is asking questions powerful – but so is answering those that readers ask. This can be challenging when you get a lot of comments on your blog (I’ve had to hire someone to help me manage this lately) but it makes your posts more meaningful and helpful to readers who come away wondering about some aspect of what you’ve written.
The beauty of blogging is that posts that one blogger publishes can inspire other bloggers to write posts on a similar topic on their own blog. While the comments section of your blog might be the place that most of your readers interact with your ideas – a good post might inspire multiple conversations in all kinds of places in the blogosphere.
It is important to be aware of these offshoot conversations and to participate in them. Start a vanity folder in your news aggregator to help track them and when you find them visit the blog and add value to the conversation there. Don’t feel you need to drag people back to your blog – but add value on that blog. In doing so you will build a relationship with the blogger who has posted about your idea but also potentially could find yourself a few new connections (and even new readers) among their readership.
I’ve talked many times about writing blog posts that are useful and unique (the secret to great content) – however it struck me recently that the same advice actually applies to comments. If the comments that YOU leave (either on your own blog or others) are not actually useful (if they don’t add value and/or depth to the conversation) and if they are not simply echoes of what others are saying (ie unique) then there is little point in leaving them.
One of the best ways to kill a conversation is to respond to something that someone else has written with a generic comment like ‘great point’. Before you comment, consider what you’re writing. Does it add something to the conversation? Will it elicit a response from others? Is it unique from what others are saying? If the answer to these questions is ‘no’ – work on your comment until it does.
Let’s get the conversation going – leave a comment below.
Are You An Internet Marketer?
This internet marketing system may be what you are looking for.
Nothing to loose – Lots to gain!
30 day free trial ends tonight Sept 3
Click Here — http://freetrial.itsabigidea.com
One of those age old quotes:
“It is not because things are difficult that we do not dare; it is because we do not dare that things are difficult.”
– Seneca
One of my mentors for marketing is Vick. Here is a video he posted on his blog going into some of the advanced techniques you need to know to be really successful.
To join Vick’s Big Idea Mastermind Group click here.
Watch the video on Vick’s blog
These are simple things you can do that are totally in your control.
The results can be amazing.
Here is an article that gives you the insights:
The result was amazing!
The next day the post had 50+ comments, was on the front page of Digg and it was being linked to by blogs everywhere. The old version had received 2 comments and had previously gone largely unnoticed.
This is the power of paying attention to how your blog posts look.
Why Polishing Blog Posts Works
There are a number of important reasons why polishing blog posts is worth putting a little extra time into:
- First impressions – in the same way that your overall blog design conveys messages to readers about what your blog is about and whether they should subscribe – the formatting and design of single posts says a lot about you to first time visitors.
- Grabbing Attention – loyal readers may rarely visit your actual blog if they follow it via RSS so one might not think post design matters – but in actual fact post design has a massive impact in the realm of RSS where there is little to set your posts apart from others. A good picture or clever use of formatting can really grab the attention of someone scanning through their feeds.
- Reinforce Content – visuals in a post can reinforce points that you’re using within content. Illustrative images, video, charts, graphs, tables etc – all will connect with visual readers in a way that text cannot.
- Connect with Web Reading Habits – most web users don’t ‘read’ content word for word. They scan content, looking for elements of web pages that draw their eye and for keywords that connect with what they are interested in. As a result the way you design your posts can be the difference between someone actually ‘reading’ your post or just glossing over it.
How to Polish Blog Posts:
Following are a number of areas that I consider when polishing blog posts ** Read More **
You know I was at an internet marketing conference a couple of months ago where they brought all the people earning $5K or more up on stage. Then they asked each of them for the secret of there success. Of the 15 people on stage (out of about 400 in the room) 50% of them said the biggest thing contributing to their success was mindset.
Here is Frank Kern’s take on the right mindset:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m6yv-fiEiYE
In this video Frank Kern interviews Dan Kennedy, and between the two of them you will be amazed at these multitude of sales copy nuggets.
This is a copy writing resource.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Au3l4yBG__M#t=117
Do you use the brilliant sales copy strategies revealed in this video?
Otaku
Sell to people who are listening and maybe, they’l tell their friends.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xBIVlM435Zg
In this video you’ll discover Jonah Berger’s key steps to make your content contagious.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5q2JoXpfdZU
Every time I make a blog post, a WordPress plugin automatically makes posts on a number of different social media sites for me. One of the best sites I have found at getting traffic back to my blog is StumbleUpon. So I found this video that explain what StumbleUpon Is and how to use it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rbx-MiQUL28
There are a few things to look out for first.
This article may help:
Image by geminicollisionworks
Today I want to talk about Quality Control – one of the last tasks that I recommend before hitting publish on your blog posts.
Having put so much time and effort into getting the content of your post into tiptop shape it can be tempting to put your post ‘out there’ for readers to engage with as soon as possible.
However, taking just few extra minutes to check for ‘errors’ can take a post to the next level.
This is an area that I admit I need to improve.
On a daily basis I find spelling and grammatical errors on my posts and embarrassingly, so do my readers.
I put it down to excitement and wanting to get posts out quickly – but if I’m honest with myself I’m sure it’s also partly laziness.
While some of your readers will gloss over these kinds of errors and won’t let it impact how they engage with the content – some will not be so forgiving and will be distracted by your mistakes.
Every spelling error that you correct and every awkward sentence structure that you improve removes a barrier to readers engaging with your content.
The solutions are simple (yet a struggle for so many of us):
- Take your time in writing posts
- Take time to look at spell check in your writing tool of choice.
- Reread your posts to see how they flow (sometimes reading them out loud will help).
- Have someone else look your posts over (I know of at least two bloggers who do this for one another – they have logins to each other’s blogs and edit the post that the other one writes on a daily basis).
- Test to see if links in your posts work.
