2008 June

- Jun 30th, 2008
- Build A Landing Page in 30 MINUTES
  Posted in HOW TO's (NEWBIES...!!), Online Business, by Andrea
- 66 Comments
Every now and then we have to do something painful. Like Work. So I wanted to take something of the supreme grotesque William Wallace level of pain, and show you, well, as he says : “FREEDOM”

TODAYS PAIN: Build a Single page – Landing page / Sales page. No staff, no frills.

In the interest of keeping this shorter, I will ‘assume’ you have certain skills. Please comment if there is an area that you would like more instruction.

1. Select a Domain Name

Lets head on over to GoDaddy.com and find one that is available. My site topic (and Lord help me, I hope she never finds this on this blog) is this: I have a fantastic friend and I want to help her find a guy! I debate between marrymiriam and marrymyfriendmiriam.com and go with the latter since its obvious SHE had no involvement. I am certain there are better names, but at $7 each, I will be happy to splurge when / if necessary.

When checking out at GoDaddy, I skip to checkout. I skip about 10 pages of offers and continue to checkout. Dont let all their offers distract you and confuse you. I use the paypal details I have on file, checkout, pay, and transaction complete. I even take 15 seconds in there to find a current coupon code so that the domain does cost me $7 as mentioned and not $10. The code OYH3 has been working for me consistenly for the last several months.

TIME = 5 minutes

2. Domain Hosting

I need to host my website. I already have an account with eboundhost – an unlimited domain account. I go into my whm account, which is basically the URL of my maindomain.com/whm (the main domain is the account you signed up with originally). I click on create a new account. As instructed, I submit the new domain name, select a username and password .. which will also be my FTP user/pass – click OK and wait a few seconds.. until SUCCESS! A new account has been created.

Time – 3 minutes

3. Point it in the right place

I am promptly emailed all the pertinent details for this new domain/website . Most important information is the Nameservers, user/pass, and the I.P of the doman. I go BACK to godaddy and then select manage domains. I click on my new domain – marrymyfriendmiriam.com and then click on nameservers. I select custom nameservers and basically exchange the information in the email from godaddys default nameservers to eboundhost (my web host). Click ok, and its done. It takes a few seconds, but I am already getting to step 4.

Time – 3 minutes

4. Allow Your Files to Connect to Your Domain!

I head over to my FTP client. I am a bit old fashioned here, as I am using WSFTP. I dont even think you can get it now, but there is no lack of free FTP programs, and they all work pretty similarly.

I select new account. I put in the name field however I wish to refer to it (Marry Miriam) and then in the host name field I put in the I.P address. It will look something like this 65.119.24.35 (-totally made up). After 24 hours or so I should be able to put in the domain name, but the I.P address allows it to work right away. Then I put in the username, password, (the ones my web host emailed to me), click save password and then ok..

I am IN!!

Time= 2 minutes

5. Now – To connect with your Visitors! The Web Page

My plan is to make this like a salespage, pitching my friend, and inviting single Men to leave us with their contact information. Thats the only action necessary. When you need to create a single page site, there are plenty examples that are very easy to mimic.. like almost exactly. They all look the same, and the only part that differs is the graphics. How do you do this?
In your inbox you have probably received no less than 10 pitches in the last few days to a wide variety of incredibly similar (is that an oxymoron?) landing pages –

a. Select the one you like the best.
b. Go to View tab, click page source, and then copy the source – paste it into a notetab or an html editor and save it as an .htm or .html page.
c. Make sure to also right click on images and copy those as well. Not logos, but other graphics like borders or backgrounds (EDIT: DO NOT COPY GRAPHICS THAT ARE IMAGES. THIS WAS AN ERROR. Here is what I meant to say – IF YOU SEE A BACKGROUND WITH A COLOR YOU LIKE – JUST CREATE A BACKGROUND WITH THAT SAME COLOR – often times the background you are seeing is NOT an image, rather a color – you will find out if you can read the code or when you upload the page.. .. you can easily google HTML colors and find the whole spectrum of the rainbow to select from without COPYING someone else’s images.)
d. Go to your FTP – create an images folder and upload all the images there (binary) (REMEMBER – YOUR OWN LOGO!! YOUR OWN GRAPHICS !!). Put the new html page in the root folder.
e. View the page online. Go back into the html page and remove all the unnecessary text or code or replace with your own text.

Time: 12 minutes

Troubleshooting:

**Text get messed up? Did you remove a block of text, a table perhaps but neglect to remove it completely? Most of these pages are created using original HTML, which is what makes it so easy to rip off, but also not very friendly if you get something wrong. I suggest you use block out codes like (the stuff that looks like < --!) if you cant get it right. Just don't embarrass yourself and make sure to delete the copy of whatever was being originally promoted and just leave the code bare in between the blocked out signals. **Another suggestion to avoid issues. Find the source of the tables and add border="2" inside the <> to them one at a time. Then you will be able to SEE the table you are working on, whats included. When you have finished the work, go back and remove the border. This has been extremely helpful to me the past few years. I am not a big ‘code’ person so I have been shocked to find where a table started and ended!

For the page being discussed – I have enough of my own niche landing pages, that I can just rip off from myself – but they usually originated from some other pitch.

6. Let’s REEL Them IN.

Once you get a lead, it is your responsibility to convert that lead into a sale. Now we head over to Aweber. Click new account. Then go to create web form. I add a little text, then save it. I click get HTML – take the javascript code so I can track results, and then just plop the code into the page, usually between some center tags to keep it centered. I have not yet created a first autoresponse, but to do so: click follow up on the list settings tabs, and then go ahead and start writing…

Time: 5 minutes

The only part I cannot help you with here is the graphics. I am using images of my friend, so It’s not an issue here. Typically I can head over to Rent a Coder and pick up some decent graphic work .. or I may get a minisite graphics package around the $60 price range.

Tell me what works for you here, what’s still confusing? Thanks!

- Jun 24th, 2008
- Getting off the Get Rich Quick Highway. Next Destination? A Marketing Hybrid.
  Posted in Information/Ebook Marketing, Online Business, Personal Baby Steps, by Andrea
- 84 Comments
I didn’t do it on purpose.

I didn’t have a 4 year plan, anticipate my next move, or really… have any choice. I was under a spell.

It started out very innocently. In 1999 I learned some HTML. In 2000 I was hired to work on some websites, and their affiliate links (whatever the heck that meant). A short while after that (and a lot of riduculously interesting information that I am omitting for effect) :

I joined an email list.
Then another.
Then another.
Then I bought an ebook. or two. or three. or ten.
Then I signed up with Site Build it.
Then I stayed awake for 8 pm Eastern time (3 am here) to listen to a teleseminar. again. and again. and again.
Then I was on 30 mailing lists.
Then I bought a coaching program. or two
Then I joined a membership or four.

I witnessed more urgency in a stream of ‘if you dont buy / use this / know this then you will NOT be able to succeed online’ pitches than an Emergency Room MD. Trauma care patients don’t know copywriting like these guys. I wonder if the survival rate would increase if John Carlton was pitching each patients case.

The IM’er (as it is labeled for short) Experience.

Lately I have been ‘hanging around’ (in the Social Media sense) a different online crowd. These people may refer to themselves as Internet Marketers, but many don’t know who Mike Filsaime is, or perhaps even John Reese!

While we are always reinventing ourselves, the IM path may sound something like this.. rich jerk, niche marketing, resale rights, PLR, Warrior Forum, Earn $100 a day, list building secrets, social media domination, adsense is not dead, blah blah blah. A more traditional marketer may have their success tied more to scalability, building relationships, and clients. Their means to an end is to create a self sustaining line of work, and yes, a nice revenue stream. (which could actual happen accidentally rather then intentionally – almost never in the IM’er space)

Life is a series of experiences that mold us into who we are. We are the products of our own ‘choose your own adventure’. I dont mean to sound so holistic here, but I feel I owe respect to the experience I had, even if I am prepared to question the fuel that drives it. I also have more leeway to do such since I am partially responsible for supporting it.

Last week I wrote about the surprise I had attending the Mashable Tel Aviv Event to discover so few marketers were aware of web concepts I have been embracing for so long. I also wrote that I had a half written post to dust off about the subject. Here is that post. Partially.. some of the work was done for me in the meantime:

A few days ago the debate was on full steam, ironically, starring.. John Reese and Mark Hopkins from Mashable..

I don’t see that John has anything he needs to defend. Its like a local musician being accused of ‘selling out’ since he wrote a song that became a top 10 single and made him famous. Yes, you owe a lot to your fans, but it helps to have a lot more of them, and it helps to be able to afford to keep doing what they like you for .

Next the advent of the e-book, while not making many people at home millionaires, due to it’s ‘mass production’ is able to share golden nuggets of how to take advantage of the web for a much lower price tag than hiring consultants. I haven’t earned from each e-book, but I have learned from each one.

Mark – it is simply that as an outsider to an experience you didn’t have, the vision from where you are sitting allows you to see this for what it actually is. Well, what it is to YOU. A survival of the fittest, MLM style society. Hey I hear you – when my friends start pitching AGEL and NuSkin to me (actual network marketing companies) I laugh and roll my eyes in ridicule – and think they are on crack. However, to them its a very real adventure, they love the products, and its potentially lucrative, so who are we to judge? Maybe more people are losing money than earning, but the same 80/20 rule applies to this as with any other industry. Or the more realistic 95/5 – it CAN be done. You CAN become famous in Hollywood. You can get rich online. Just not many will. Should they stop making movies since it fuels others desires to have what they most likely can’t?

For me? It is directly as a result of this experience, one that caused me to part with so much of my hard earned money, and take time away from my family, that I am able to claim what I can today. I may not be able to drink Pina Coladas all day while the money racks up in my account, no Ferrari in the garage, or a house in the Hamptons (as we have been so frequently pitched).. but I most certainly could get a sick paying job in a big firm, could consult with the best.

How?

Because I DIDN’T learn what they teach new college graduates, because I DIDN’T learn traditional marketing. I learned how to market in a way that turns the web into our own personal ATM’s. I learned marketing the Rich Dad way. I am too wise to go back and relive it, but I cant change what I know, and yes.. I actually make money online.

Internet Marketing is definitely poised for a ‘face lift’, I expect a lot more crossover between the two different arenas. However, as long as people wake up and type in ‘make money online from home’ on Google, there will be products created to cater to them.

Not that there’s anything wrong with that.

- Jun 16th, 2008
- Mashable Tel Aviv – Welcome to Extreme Networking
  Posted in Online Business, by Andrea
- 87 Comments
A few nights ago I got out of my pajamas, charged up the digital camera, forgot the business cards, and made my way oh so far to Tel Aviv. In the U.S., a typical commute is around an hour each way. When an hour away is another City and another climate, it just seems much further and requires an ‘event’ to get me there.

I would like to think the video below says it all, but actually it says very little

1.

Most of the people attending have jobs! They were just going out for a good time and to hang out with like minded people. How admirable. Really. I mean that. Company names and positions were being thrown around, and yes, inevitably, cards are passed, ideas are brewing, and networking happens.. but its hardly organic. It’s hard work. This is called extreme socializing. or extreme networking. Only the most adventurous, and daring need apply. Unless you just want lots of free booze.

2.

If you notice in my video, I say that I expect to see a lot of personal videos going on. Not only was I SO wrong, if you even listen closely there is more amusement and questioning about the video concept. Of course, the adorable Adam Hirsch did catch on and said “So we’re doing the video thing.” (ok, I think it was Adam).

Here was a room with some of the greatest emerging Hi Tech companies, many involved in video technologies, and other than flixwagon (a cool Israel based company that allows you to broadcast your ‘life’ from your phone), I didn’t see a camera in the house .

Note to self: we are still a way off from too much ‘self branding’. Time is ripe. Move full speed ahead (no pun intended).

3.

My involvement in the Internet Marketing Space is actually more of a ‘niche’ than the accepted norm of online marketing. Here were people creating SEO platforms who have never heard of Stompernet. Someone else I met was hired to do ‘online marketing’ for a startup, but never heard of twitter. The idea of just building websites that make money (yes, what I do) was a little lost. As a result of this anamoly, I plan on dusting off a half written post about the difference between Internet Marketers and .. yes Internet Marketers. No Typo. Stay Tuned.

4.

Wanted to give a shout out to the local twitterers who helped break the ice and build up the momentum for the remainder of the evening. Some of you are in the video… otherwise you know who you are! Lets do lunch, k?

Enjoy The Video

….sorry about the dark. I am a work in progress.

- Jun 11th, 2008
- Are Websites the new Brick & Mortar?
  Posted in Idea of the WEEK, Online Business, by Andrea
- 6,697 Comments
Imagine YOU live in Anycity, Anystate, USA and notice that your local shopping area is not selling Widgets!

EVERYBODY NEEDS WIDGETS!!

so you decide to take the plunge and open up your own local Brick and Mortar ‘We sell the BEST Widgets’ Store. You take another mortgage, borrow from your savings and family and open shop.

Unfortunately, if you are like the majority of small business owners… you do some business, but slowly (or maybe like a stab to your heart quickly) realize that maybe.. just maybe people don’t need widgets as much as you expected, or neglected to consider that the ‘widget store’ a few miles away is in a preferred location, with twice the amount of stock. Another small business. Another failure. Another statistic.

Over high up on my pedestal I look down on the mom and pops.. rather pity (in fact fear comes to mind too).. Don’t you know the place to be is ONLINE? Can you empathize with the hard worker who is putting his guts into this business only to cater to the people in his/her immediate vicinity? Its like being a first hand witness to the Rat Race in action.

BRING IT ONLINE

The motto could be ‘why aim to serve FEW when you can aim to serve MANY’

Typically I educate that the cost of failure when venturing online is almost non existent next to offline businesses that fail. Domain names cost $10, hosting is $120/year, free website builders abound. All you have to lose is time.

That’s if you want to make a small splash on the web. I however, plan to drop a cannon.

As I am currently positioned to dump a sizable amount of money into a website, I am faced with this thought:

Have I been naive all along?

Is there really as much difference to someone putting all their eggs into one expensive fancy website and someone opening up a local store?

Certainly the web has a much much wider market than Anycity, but how hard do you have to work to attract just the RIGHT visitors from the billions of website users, and competing websites. Will my ‘example’ 80,000 web visitors be comparable to the 80,000 pedestrians that walk into your local store? Statistically a greater %age of people who walk in a store will actually make a purchase than actions will result (even it be giving away something free!) from a visitor to a website (I made up this statistic but I am sticking with it). This actually means that you need probably triple to quadruple the quantity of website visitors to reach the same bottom line. This requires proper online promotions and staff to market the proper channels, which means ongoing costs.

Are websites becoming the new Brick and Mortar?

- Jun 4th, 2008
- Social Media Windfall Exhibit: 5 Minutes at Twitter. Lives are Changing
  Posted in Online Business, by Andrea
- 42 Comments
Is Twitter a distraction? Hell YES. Can you get more business done without it? Well, it depends on how you define your business.

WARNING: The following is all 100% true and I have never met any of these people before.

Part 1

(and part 11 which is just a short scroll down is even better.. so dont go anywhere)

Last night I track down all local twitter peeps to connect and follow. Living overseas, (Jerusalem), the list isnt long, and therefore the connections are that much more powerful. The rest of the world follows the rule of 6 degrees of separation. With Jews and Internet Marketers, there are 2.

It turns out that many of us will be at Mashable’s event next week in Tel Aviv. Great networking opportunity. But I say, why wait until I get there to start: (My running commentary is in bolded black – the images are taken directly from my twitter account)

–hmm Andrea thinks to herself – somebody suggested something to do with marketing their wares (aka themselves)

–Now I see that as an open invite, DONT YOU?

–I jump in. Too much EGO? Perhaps, but I have 140 characters, I am not wining and dining them

–I would say I got Bite #1

–and Bite #2!

–I try to turn the tables on him for fun

–He is a nice guy, but making it clear where his talents lie.

–Problem solved in 140 characters. (Naturally I took a quick glance at their websites to be able to come to this conclusion)

– and it just gets better.. and I dont only mean with the fundraising. I mean…..

READ ON:

Part 2

Social Media Expert Chris Brogan has just finished up a series on Developing a Personal Brand Online

– I chose to write this now since Chris had just made a good morning appearance on twitter. Since it was so early in the morning EST (like 7am), and I thought now would be a good opportunity to tell him how much I enjoyed his series.

–Chris thanks me back! … I was continuing with my day.

–I refreshed at Twitter to see if there was an update to Part 1 above, and nearly missed this. Glad I didnt. Chris has over 8000 followers. I wonder if my famous brothers could
headline an event and get 8000 people to show up (dont answer that).

–Holy Cow. My blog has been pretty subpar lately (only in terms of quantity ) and here is this unsolicited plug. I comfort myself in the 7am thought.

–Chris tells me I am not safe. People look back at what he writes. I know this. I do it too.

–It is true. I have some great stuff coming, but a lot half written (on topic – including how a new connection on facebook is now investing in a website I am building)!

Then I realize what story is better to tell than this one?

This means that you are going to want to read the post after this one too!

Immediate Gratification. Its a Social Media Windfall!

A snapshot of my Gmail Account for the minutes following that ‘twit’. People are following me on twitter, friending me at Facebook, and signing up to my mailing list, and hopefully RSS feed. Since I snapped this screen, It has grown, with more email subscribers, and a linkedin invite, but not too shabby, eh? (names rubbed out for their privacy)