Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Vietnamese Coffee is Strong and So is My New Book



If you haven’t ever ventured to try a Vietnamese coffee I highly recommend you consider it. Made with fresh ground coffee grinds that rival espresso in boldness, and condensed sugary milk, this concoction is an eye opener for even the most seasoned of java sippers. I had one tonight after dinner and spent the next two hours sending payments to our writing staff, 28 to be exact.

My schedule is still a mess since getting back from NYC a few days ago, as I’m headed out of town again for the Holidays this weekend. So much going on, so little time, it all seems kind of strange sometimes. Working in this industry, I’ve obtained a special kind of freedom, the type of freedom where you don’t really have to answer to anyone but yourself each day. It’s as good as it sounds, take my word for it. And if you are after such a freedom, my new book might just help you get there.

The book is going to be called Strange Business, and probably won’t be released till late Feb or early March. I’m going to release it at first as a Kindle only download, just because the publisher takes so long to print the book, and I want to get it out as fast as I possibly can. Plus my other book is near the top of the charts for technical writing on Kindle, so I plan on hitting #1 for at least a few categories on Amazon with the digital release. The paperback will almost be like a compliment to the digital release.

For those wanting a sneak peek, here are just a few of the chapters from the rough outline I’ve been working off of. Note as I’ve been writing I’ve modified some of these chapters, and added a few note listed here, but this will give you an idea of just how cool this book is going to be.


The Truth About the 4 Hour Work Week
-Hard work is the key ingredient to success
-The internet never sleeps so neither should you
-It might take 50 web businesses to get that diamond in the rough going
-Internet marketing is about test, test, test
-Internet marketing rewards perseverance

Storage Unit Office
-The cheaper the better
-Why today you don't really have an excuse for a big nice office
-Store everything on the web for round the clock access
-Your money must go into marketing and marketing collateral like newsletters (icontact), sales letters, etc.

Why I spent $38,000 on AdWords Last Year
-Keep it simple
-Kill contextual ads
-Geo target if you must
-Try all hours
-If you sell business solutions pause on weekends
-Trust the phrases you think people will search (newsplex pet friendly example)


Article Marketing for Knuckleheads
-It's Ezine Stupid
-More is Merrier
-No Spin Zone (articles that read well perform well)
-Look towards your competition (top results)
-Syndication Isn't Just for Love Boat
-Leverage Team Members
-Be Consistent

Banner Ads Suck and So Does Your Facebook Page
-Social Media is a flawed marketing tool, stop wasting your time
-Image ads are useless on most sites, impressions are no good b/c they just waste your money faster
-Video ads have yet to be proven, lower your ad to the lowest possible technology for the best reach
-Flash and Java clog up your site, use them sparingly
-This isn't art class, this is make money time, so stop with the big site budget and spend your money on seo and pay per click
-Video on site, fake live chat, and other deceptive ploys are not only useless they are insulting

Bikni Babe Usability
-Make your site as noticeable as a girl in a bikini
-Keep it simple, and predictable
-Give them every reason to get in touch (phone, live chat, email, everything)
-Get Started Not Buy Now
-Smile Till it Hurts (you need to put your picture and preferably bio on there. People like buying from other people, they want to feel like they are making a difference)
-Why the Olympics Got Value Right (Bronze, Silver, Gold strategy works wonders)
-The lower the cost the higher the acquisition rate will be

Ruthless Email Marketing
-Email them once a week whether they like it or not
-Add people that email you, buy something, or even think of you to get your list built
-Create products that are low cost or free just to get interested people on your list
-Use icontact
-Write conversational emails, not boring promotions
-Dare to discount
-When in doubt, ask your list
-Become a email marketing champ with practice
-Give them plenty of chances to opt-in
-Think of What YOU want in your inbox, then put it in theirs

Why Services are Better Than Products
-Services are more in demand
-Services are easier to sell
-Services typically have a higher margin of profit
-Services are implementable even in product heavy businesses
-Services often have no or little competition (The trash guy shortage)
-Services are for those with a pension for making money often

Let Your Personality Do The Talking
-In Your Ads
-On Your Site
-In Your Emails
-At Speaking Engagements
-Around Your Employees

Internet Marketing is More Fun with Friends
-How to Recruit Affiliates (link connector example)
-How to iron out partnerships that will benefit all involved
-How to get paid to partner
-The Leverage of Cheap Allows for Unlimited Partnerships Online
-You Need Help

Why You Need a Football Team to Run Your Business
-Only do what only you can do
-Your outsource heaven: The Philippines
-Your Momtastic Solution
-Your Project Management Dream: Basecamp
-Create Your Own Systems
-Hire Locally If Possible
-Let Your Team Tell You What to Do
-Treat 'Em Well
-Your Greatest Asset

Do This Now
-Create a vision list
-Write out a list of all sites you want to build
-Sort by cost / possibility for success
-Find a cheap website guy or gal
-Sign up start AdWords the day your site goes up
-Research and Register relevant domain names (domain name bonus)
-If you plan on branding yourself get your namesake domains
-Get IN Touch with Your Higher Calling

……


Strange Business: The Unconventional Guide to Internet Marketing coming to a bookstore near you soon!

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