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Quick Tip: Get Widgety

29 Jan

Quick Tip: Get Widgety by Krista on January 29, 2013

WordPress.com widgets are a great way to add new content such as your Twitter stream, or to display del.icio.us links, a tag cloud and/or a calendar to your blog, either in the sidebar, header, or footer of your site.

To see the widgets you have available to you, log in to your WordPress.com dashboard and click on Appearance > Widgets. To add a widget, simply click on it and drag it up and over to the right of the widget screen, into the Default Sidebar, Header Area, or Footer Area section of your site. If you choose to use several widgets in your sidebar, for example, you can click and drag them to order them as you see fit.

Here’s a bunch of my favorite widgets:

•Text: Text widgets allow you to enter some custom text, say for a short “About” statement in your sidebar. Text widgets also accept basic HTML, so you can add headings, paragraph breaks, and links if you wish.
•Image: Just as the name implies, the image widget allows you to add a image to your sidebar.
•Tag Cloud: The tag cloud widget shows your most-used tags in a cloud format. The larger the type size for the tag, the more often it’s used on your site.
•Milestone: The milestone widget puts a countdown box on your site, that tells you how many days are left before the big event — you might use it to countdown to a product launch, to your wedding, your birthday, or a graduation, just to give you a few ideas.
•Goodreads: The Goodreads widget connects to your Goodreads profile and displays the covers of your recently read books.

The five widgets I’ve listed here are just a start — there’s many to choose from, and we’re just getting started. This week, Michael Pick brings us a new piece you’ll love on branding and how you can use image widgets to make your blog’s look unique. Additionally, Cheri Lucas will take us a bit deeper on how to use widgets to add your own personal design flair to your site. In the meantime, take a minute to peek at your widgets and drag a few to your sidebar — it’s never too early to start experimenting.

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CONTENT IS KING- OR IS IT…

27 Jan

CONTENT IS KING.

OR IS CONSISTENCY KING?

Not to long ago I was discussing this site’s statistics with my best friend. And I mentioned that I had a lot better results when I blog a lot. I mean daily. You see when you miss days the people who get the posts sent automatically- well they get nothing.
And new followers and fans- they get 100% of that same nothing.
Blogging is more than words.
It is ACTION.
Every time I blog I gain, I win. Not just from the perspective of building my business but of honing my craft. As I create more and more content I’ve noticed that my content gets better. It was pretty sweet as an epiphany. So I was on this high, thinking it was all good. I’d learned, I’d grown.
The lesson was simple: Content is King. Great content, and a lot of it was the crucial factor that was going to take me to the top. I had ideas concepts and a plan.

Fast forward a few minutes in our conversation (and in my mindset about 3 years lol) and my best friend shattered my illusion. How you ask? He simply said no, Consistency is King.
Ouch. Damn.
Yup folks he was right, I was wrong.
And it was earth shattering.
You see I’m big on not missing the obvious. I pride myself on being a thinker. And this time I out thought myself.

I was on the right track, wrong train. I live in New York City so trains are an integral part of my existence. I used them forever. Even now as an avid driver I use the train at times. It can be easier even if its not as cool. You see 42nd st is a hub. There are 10 or more trains meeting at this one destination. However if you hop on the 6 line and need the 2 line you are going to the wrong area. And this was my story.
I was focused on content- and a lot of it. And there in lies the answer to the riddle. Simply put I had the right idea- I was just reading it wrong.
Content is necessary. It is wanted.
But Consistency Is King.
It wasn’t my content, it wasn’t the quality. It was how frequently I posted said content and quality.

The true Linchpin is Consistency.
It always was and always will be in blogging. To blog is to do so freely and regularly.
And the statistics don’t lie.
When I’m consistent my traffic is as well.

Recently my wife was in the hospital so I blogged very little. I was fortunate to have some amazing new contact and a network. That pushes my content because they believe in its worth. That being said I’d have done even better if I was blogging more. So I’m writing tomorrow’s posts today. I’m working on being better than I can be.
A consistent work ethic will give me more than a great post.
It will give me consistent legitimacy.
It will make me better.
It will make my blog better.
And overall the discipline of blogging makes me a winner regardless of outcome.
#blogheavy.
#thriveorsurvive.

“If you can’t invest in you, who will?”

Thoughts? Concerns?
Questions? Think I’m wrong?
Let’s chat.
Need ideas?
Want to learn how to invite?
Let’s chat.
Want a mentor or maybe the guy who will bounce ideas back and forth with you?
Let’s chat-
Tony@Changeinadvance.com
@changeinadvance
http://www.changeinadvance.com
Or simply reply to this article.

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Updated Blogging Series

14 Jan

Updated Blogging Series

Hey folks here we have the complete postings of my latest series on why you need a blog. Every business benefits from a web presence, and as such yours should be brilliant, not lacking or dysfunctional.
I added additional articles from previous posts to aide your transition from novice to blogging machine.

-The Top Reasons Why Your Company Needs a Blog-
part 1
part 2
part 3

-Why you need a Blog and how to blog

Click here

-What You Blog is as important as How You Blog

Click here

-How To Make Money Blogging

Click Here

#thriveorsurvive.

Thoughts? Concerns?
Questions? Think I’m wrong?
Let’s chat.
Need ideas?
Want to learn how to invite?
Let’s chat.
Want a mentor or maybe the guy who will bounce ideas back and forth with you?
Let’s chat-
Tony@Changeinadvance.com
@changeinadvance
http://www.changeinadvance.com
Or simply reply to this article.

 

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Is Your Price Point killing Sales?

2 Jan

Is Your Price Point killing Sales?

Sales are the heart of your business 9 out of 10 times. Bloggers and a few other specific businesses may sell indirectly or not at all. So working from this premise we can assume that you want to sell product consistently and repetitively (we all want customers to come back).
Assuming you want long term cash flow and growth and you aren’t looking for a one hit wonder.
We will also assume your product is killer, has good branding, marketing, and social media presence.
So all of those factors being declared let’s look at a factor a lot of up and coming entrepreneurs overlook, the price point.

A quality product or service has to have a proper price point as well or you risk eroding your profits.

Priced too high.
When you price your product too high you may miss your target audience. Indeed the very people you want to buy or benefit from what you offer may not be participants. This is where knowing your key demographics comes in handy. Data is always your best friend even if its implications appear negative. Let’s say guy X wants his tee shirt line to sell for 35 dollars a piece. Now data shows us people pay way more, 5 times as much in some cases. However you have to have the immersion, the marketing, and PR to make it work. Not to mention the distribution channels and so forth.
Guy Y on the other hand only wants a small profit and undercuts guy X by 10-15 dollars a tee shirt. In this economy especially he may beat guy X. Also at that price point people may buy 2 for 1 which is only a few bucks more. His lower price point has created new price points and may yield greater sales. If 5 dollars more buys an additional tee many people will opt for that deal. Have we not doubled sales on average? I’d say that all factors being equal we probably have.
If we look at the Kardashians we see proof of this. Their mainstream line is at sears and priced to sell. It is not on rodeo drive or 5th Avenue. This is simply to maximize profits. When you appeal to the mainstream you open yourself up to a greater amount of potential clients.

Priced too low.
The opposite can be said as well my friends. If Honda dropped their flagship Accord Model 13,000 dollars people would stop and think. Most would worry. As an Accord owner twice over I know that I pay a premium for value. The Honda brand is synonymous with quality and reliability. To under price that would gut their brand. It all comes down to value. You have to offer it to get fans and customers. But you have to value what you offer and what you create. Establish this before you go to print or sign deals.
Often we get what we expect and if you expect too little you will be little

#thriveorsurvive.

“High achievement always takes place in the framework of high expectation.”
-Charles Kettering

Thoughts? Concerns?
Questions? Think I’m wrong?
Let’s chat.
Need ideas?
Want to learn how to invite?
Let’s chat.
Want a mentor or maybe the guy who will bounce ideas back and forth with you?
Let’s chat-
Tony@Changeinadvance.com
@changeinadvance
http://www.changeinadvance.com
Or simply reply to this article.

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How To Make Money ($) Blogging

27 Dec

How To Make Money ($) Blogging

YOU can make money blogging. Let me repeat that: You can make money blogging. It isn’t fantasy or fiction. Its only a matter of discipline and follow through.
I’ll list a few ways and tips below.

Affiliate Sales.
Love Amazon? Post your affiliate link on your blog for items you recommend. Why not make money off of the very education you culled from various books and sources.
Have a mentor? I do. And he has all kinds of great affiliate options. Not only did I make money but the items I sell are amazing. He packs value into every sale- (Thanks Ray Higdon). Anything that is worth having has an affiliate program. Set your blog up properly and people will click out of sheer curiosity. And we all know that a percentage of all clicks will buy. Free money, too good to be true? No just a click away.

Sell Your Value.
Webinars, courses, mentoring, audios- all have great potential. But the yield is zero if you don’t offer them. Offer webinars once a month for the dedicated few. Then watch that small number become large profits. One on one mentoring is highly profitable. You say, ‘hey tony I don’t know enough to sell jack squat!’. The answer there is look at how many people have 0 knowledge. You zero. If you can help people skip a few pitfalls they will pay. Time is money so why not save them time and make you money. Everyone wins. And for those that don’t want to “create” their competition, sorry folks- competition will only make you stronger if you are truly hungry. Also not everyone who buys will compete. Sell audio courses and mentoring every chance you get. People love freebies so do 3 for 2. Heck do 2 for 5. Its all profit and almost sero risk. You do the math.

adsense and its cohorts.
Adsense and the like can be useful. You may make a great deal of income on the side from it. I’ve used it in the past. The one caveat is that you don’t control directly what they post. I prefer the affiliate route for additional income.

Also don’t just mercilessly plug your primary company over and over. Network marketing is cool, but if all you do is harp on it you lose fans and future teammates. Also your existing company and team members won’t push your blog if its only focused on one product. That laser focus you’re bragging on is cutting into your income potential. It’s cutting your traffic and unique visitors to pieces as well. Focus on traffic. Blog consistently. It will bring you what adsense, and zealous focus on one product doesn’t. .

Lastly-
Talk about only what you know and like.
Don’t waste time talking about cars when Harley Davidson is your poison of choice.
People can smell the authentic. They know if you are wasting their time. It comes out your pores. It is reflected in your words. Make a choice, stick to it. And be original, be you. The readers love that.

#thriveorsurvive.

“Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing.”
~ Benjamin Franklin

Thoughts? Concerns?
Questions? Think I’m wrong?
Let’s chat.
Need ideas?
Want to learn how to invite?
Let’s chat.
Want a mentor or maybe the guy who will bounce ideas back and forth with you?
Let’s chat-
Tony@Changeinadvance.com
@changeinadvance
http://www.changeinadvance.com
Or simply reply to this article.

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In Case You Missed Me in Moov magazine

11 Dec

Click Here

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Complete (How to) Blogging Series

5 Dec

Hey folks here we have the complete postings of my latest series on why you need a blog. Every business benefits from a web presence, and as. Such your should be brilliant not lacking or dysfunctional.
I added two additional articles from previous posts to aide your transition from novice to blogging machine.

-The Top Reasons Why Your Company Needs a Blog-
part 1
part 2
part 3

-Why you need a Blog and how to blog

Click here

-What You Blog is as important as How You Blog

Click here

#thriveorsurvive.

Thoughts? Concerns?
Questions? Think I’m wrong?
Let’s chat.
Need ideas?
Want to learn how to invite?
Let’s chat.
Want a mentor or maybe the guy who will bounce ideas back and forth with you?
Let’s chat-
Tony@Changeinadvance.com
@changeinadvance
http://www.changeinadvance.com
Or simply reply to this article.

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The Top Reasons Why Your Company Needs a Blog- Part #2

2 Dec

The Top Reasons Why Your Company Needs a Blog- Part #2

Well folks now that you cut your teeth on the first part- let’s embark on part two of this magical journey into why your company needs a blog.

Rich Snippets, CTR and Google Authorship.
Ever seen those pics when you do a Google search of the authors face and then the topic underlined etc etc? Well that guy or gal is hooked up with Google Authorship and that look they have is what you see through Google SERPs.
Why do these rock? They have a higher CTR aka click-through rate. Statistics have shown that that posts with a Google+ portrait in search results are s-5 times more likely to be clicked- and that means more traffic, more hits, more followers and ultimately more conversions. Nice.

Social Media posts rock- but You own your blog content.
And you also benefit directly from it.
Facebook might say you naw bro, you violated terms. Twitter goes down some times and if you’ve seen recent news- they are cracking down here and there. Pinterest may come down with a case of the buyouts and you never know what the new parent company will opt to do. I could make a longer list but this suffices.
When you post to social media outlets you get some benefits. You close some sales. However they get millions and millions of pages that Google will index. Then they sell more advertising, get better stock valuations-and its all thanks to you.
So you should give them their pages to index in my opinion, without question.
Just don’t let blogging be under-sold or left out of the equation.

Obtaining fans/followers on your site is pretty sure to help achieve your business goals.
Want people to buy your products? Maybe call about your services or fill out a lead generation form? Any of the above and more work more friends and I guarantee you want all of it.
Well folks- people who read your blog are twice as likely to convert or more.
Blogging puts the odds in your favor.

Blog posts have much longer shelf lives.
Ezines, tweets, fb pages and the likes are fleeting, and will be forgotten or lost in the comings days, weeks, and months. Furthermore every timeline refresh pushes you to the side..
Your blog is a great place to create timeless content and focus on matters that either you care about or that are extremely relevant. Not to say you shouldn’t tweet and post about current events, elections and the like. However the important stuff is what you want people to see. Now and later, and all published on your blog.

#thriveorsurvive.

“Myself, Right, Through
An ignorant person with a bad character is like an unarmed robber, but a learned person with a blog is a robber fully armed.”
-Mickey Kaus

Thoughts? Concerns?
Questions? Think I’m wrong?
Let’s chat.
Need ideas?
Want to learn how to invite?
Let’s chat.
Want a mentor or maybe the guy who will bounce ideas back and forth with you?
Let’s chat-
Tony@Changeinadvance.com
@changeinadvance
http://www.changeinadvance.com
Or simply reply to this article.

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The Top Reasons Why Your Company Needs a Blog- Part #1

1 Dec

The Top Reasons Why Your Company Needs a Blog/b>

Everyone needs a blog. A great blog let’s people see what you and your company are about. So let’s make a strong list and get you on the right path. Here’s 5 quick tips.

A blog let’s visitors know you are on point..
Simple and easy folks. A blog will be a simple tool, almost a literary dialog that people can use to get to know you and your brand. They won’t buy products they don’t know. Show your expertise, let it speak for you. This will make them confident in spending both their time and money with you.

A Blog Builds More Traffic.
Sounds like heaven to many of my fellow entrepreneurs. It is real folks. If you blog regularly- and well- heck get it half right and you will draw the world of social media in. This will definitely bring more visitors to your sites. This can even add links to you from other sites, which brings the next point into focus.

Blog = SEO.
The more content you have on your site the better your chances of ranking much higher in Google search results for the keyword phrases Google will be looking for in anything you post. Every search engine is looking for pages that are specific, and from that viewpoint every post is a page. Ex: to rank in 90 different keyword phrases you need literally 90 separate posts. And each post/page has to be dedicated to a single concept aka keyword phrase.
You simply won’t rank well if you have about four pages. You know the typical spiel used: contact, about us, Meet the guy who….

Blog posts are link bait folks.
I’m pretty sure you all know that links from other sites to yours- aka inbound links and or backlinks are a key factor for getting higher results in your sites SERPs. Ill wager everyone also knows its hard to get a site to link from theirs to yours.
Most people won’t want to link to your home page, but you can lure them with great and useful content on your blog.
Lastly- when you see a good piece of content please include a link to that blog. The chance they return the favor rises astronomically.

A Blog is “Eats” For Social Media.
In the same way that you won’t rank well without blog posts its hard to get anyone anywhere to share your links on Facebook, Twitter, or Google+ if you don’t blog consistently about interesting topics. Content and consistency in great blog posts will get people posting about your blog posts all over the social media world. Valuable Content gets shared throughout all Social Media. And don’t forget that all those social media links will help with your SEO. Both Bing and Google see the sharing of your posts as proof positive you are your site is considered valuable. And that will be used to rank your sites. Another bonus is you get more direct visitors from these social media links.

One last thought: these blog posts give you something to post on any and all of your social media accounts.
Hey folks even I run out of things to say some days.

#thriveorsurvive.

“Do today what you want for your tomorrows.” ~ Robert Kiyosaki

Thoughts? Concerns?
Questions? Think I’m wrong?
Let’s chat.
Need ideas?
Want to learn how to invite?
Let’s chat.
Want a mentor or maybe the guy who will bounce ideas back and forth with you?
Let’s chat-
Tony@Changeinadvance.com
@changeinadvance
http://www.changeinadvance.com
Or simply reply to this article.

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MOOV MAGAZINE

12 Nov

Moov Magazine now features yours truly as a featured columnist.
See me in the fall edition.
My column is Making MOOVS

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