Internet Marketing Blog | Product Reviews

If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!

Internet Internet Marketing Product Creation Self Improvement stress Stress Management

Information Overload And The Internet Marketer, Part 2: Stress Management Tactics

Information overload happens when you are attempting to learn too much, too fast.

What a statement for the 21st Century! I can just hear the groans — this is the INTERNET! Of course it’s too much, too fast! Because you are an Internet marketer, I am guessing that you just think that stress comes with the territory. But, does it have to? Let’s explore what we might be able to do to alleviate this.

A lot of the stress and apprehension, and our sense of overload that we carry comes from feeling our lives are out of control. We plainly feel overloaded. Is this a new thing? Is this a part and parcel of having entered a new century?

Ponder this quote, and decide for yourself whether or not this came from a post-Y2K speech:

“...[W]e don’t know what information is relevant, and what
information is irrelevant to our lives. Second, we have
directed all of our energies and intelligence to inventing
machinery that does nothing but increase the supply of
information. As a consequence, our defenses against information
glut have broken down; our information immune system is
inoperable. We don’t know how to filter it out; we don’t know
how to reduce it; we don’t know to use it. We suffer from a
kind of cultural AIDS.”

~Neil Postman

Resource: <a href=”http://www.eff.org/Net_culture/Criticisms/informing_ourselves_to_death.paper”>http://www.eff.org/Net_culture/Criticisms/informing_ourselves_to_death.paper</a>

This speech was made in 1990! Not in 2006 at the writing of this article. We’ve been dealing with technology-driven overload for much more than two decades.

Are you suffering from business stress? Business stress is experienced during times of conflict, heavy loads, bereavement, illness, anxiety, or fear. It is a description of the frenetic pace of business life. Everybody responds in different ways to stress. Some people are able to cope and take it in their stride, but others find the burden is too heavy, and buckle under the strain.

Taking the necessary steps to prepare yourself for the stress and , many times, the rejection that all new businesses confront ,will allow you to develop your background and experience and create a truly successful business.

Surveys indicate that stress levels are at an all-time high, and a key source of that stress is information overload. There is a tremendous amount of information on the Internet. If you move toward it judiciously, you will benefit. If you don’t approach it shrewdly, you may end up suffering from information overload. One common reaction is to start pitching large portions of your saved info into the E-File 13. And you probably are deleting some really good, needed information mixed in with all that junk mail you receive.

Your office space and your computer workspace are mirror images of you and your business. An organized, shipshape workspace will allow you to be more productive and less stressed. Once you devise your plan for keeping what is essential and throwing the accumulated junk away, you will suddenly find that your surroundings are very pleasant and not so conducive to the info overload you’ve been dealing with. You will stop losing so much time searching for files. As a matter of fact, you might even find yourself with enough time for an evening out!

Always keep in mind one of your top reasons for entering the world of online business, and leaving behind the nine-to-five routine. You are in this to have FUN! Don’t let temporary activities create stress. Don’t feel like you have to do every single thing perfectly. Interact with visitors to your site, and create a real community of like-minded folks. Perhaps you could even include your experiences with information overload and stress to your newsletter readers. It would open the door to real conversation where everyone will learn new ways of dealing with our digital age.

I will leave you with two quite brilliant observations about dealing with stress:

“Half our life is spent trying to find something to do with
the time we have rushed through life trying to save.”
~Will Rogers, Autobiography, 1949

“There's never enough time to do all the nothing you want.”
~Bill Watterson, Calvin and Hobbes

To your Success,

Carlo Selorio

Popularity: 4% [?]

business Focus information Overload Internet Marketing Life Updates Self Improvement stress

Information Overload And The Internet Marketer, Part 1: Focus Tactics

You are wallowing in two things today: 1) information overload and the glut of just more stuff in your inbox, and 2) a true sense of blame for this electronic-world-gone-crazy that has so relentlessly dumped all of this in your lap. To be fair, however, from your PC, out to the multitudinous servers of the global highway… they are simply doing their job. However, are YOU doing yours? Much of this pandemonium and overload could be controlled with just one word:

FOCUS.

Whose fault is this? Again, to be fair, a lot of your overload may have to do with increasing spam. But most of it has to do with your avid interest in information, and perhaps your habit of signing up with way too many interesting, information-bearing newsletters, membership sites, and the like. Hmm? Really, just who is the real adversary?

Remember the wise old ‘possum named Pogo, created by the cartoonist, Walt Kelley? I recommend his words to all the technologyholics reading this article:

"We have met the enemy," Pogo said, "and he is us."

Resource: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pogo">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pogo</a>

Okay, so maybe you are too young to recall Pogo and his daily “support” for those who waited, wiggling in their chair, for the evening newspaper — and the cartoon section — to arrive. (Go check Pogo out at Wikipedia

When you finally realize that you are your own worse enemy… then what? Some people ignore. Some shrug and keep on with the status quo. And some seek the change they need. Points one and two will cause the stress to continue. Point three is not only the solution, but it is DO-able!

What causes stress? You are an internet marketer, or aspiring to become one. You spend a lot of time online, and probably have a hard drive FULL of digital information. So much, in fact, that you’ve begun chunking it away in folders, saving it for the day “you have time.” Unstoppable, the info rolls in, in droves, each and every day. This is true business stress! How does your situation compare with a regular job and that type of stress?

Business stress is a widespread result of fear — fear of the ambiguous setting of so much economic chaos, the status of your job, and insecurity. When you are working within a large company, your fear might come from day-to-day transactions with your boss, or from coping with requests from management.

You, as a sole business owner, contend with many similar situations and feelings. We all are working toward being in better control over a chaotic world, and the status of your “job” online is also a daily rigor. You have traded one boss for many bosses… for your customers’ desires and needs are what drive your daily actions. You may not have management to report to, but between customer requests, and the demands of many subscribed services… there are still many entities that you are responsible for answering requests.

Fear manifests itself in the workplace in feelings of insecurity that your job might not even exist tomorrow. For the online marketer, this is also true. Yesterday’s big success could be quickly overrun with today’s new fad, new trend — and you are still out there drumming up customers in order to “keep your job.”

Back to Pogo. Once you see that you are causing most of this info overload by your own actions, and that, yes, you are your enemy, then you also should see that your course of action is to focus on what it will take to reduce that stress. Most of us tend to bring on more and more information in the inbox, out of a fear that we will miss something important. When you have multiple tasks and to-do lists fighting for your time, it is stressful and easier said than done, to focus on any one action.

Since it is obvious that this is not going away, we’ve all got to become skilled at managing our information overload. The key to this is to spell out your prime goals and then focus on the few peak goals that you would most like to achieve in the next specific time-span. Think about the next four weeks. Think about the coming year.

Focus on just one activity at a time. As a busy professional, your small business depends on you being able to de-clutter your schedule and your mind — not to mention your desktop or your computer screen! — so that you can focus on what is most important.

The next secret is to learn how to STAY focused. If you fire up your computer for a specific purpose, stick to it! It is all too easy to get sidetracked in the content-heavy Internet Highway. Information overload will happen when you are not focused. You will not be focused if you do not have goals.

The Web continues to grow rapidly, and users find it difficult to know where to begin. Part of your stress as a Web site owner is that you find it difficult to attract visitors. The solution? FOCUS on ways that will help lead that overwhelmed visitor to finding your site.

The Internet is incredibly fast — people now expect “instant gratification” when doing business online and can be unbelievably fickle. By placing yourself in the correct pathways, usually by your visible placement in the engines, that user’s need for immediate results could very well lead to a strong relationship with you.

If you are overwhelmed by all the information you are trying to learn, then here are some tips to help you overcome your information overload:

• Do not focus on what you don't know. Nobody knows everything,
  and we all had to start with baby steps, at some point in
  our lives.

• Focus on your long-term strategy, and you won't place dismal
  financial pressure on your new business. Remember, you LOVE
  this, and more than anything, you want to have fun with this
  business you’ve created. Set achievable goals and a 1-month,
  a 6-month, and a one-year plan into the future.

• Focus on creating a network and a community. Help others,
  both online and off -- in any way that you can. Be a
  lighthouse of hope for others -- by helping them, you will in
  turn enrich yourself, build your credibility and find
  supportive people for your network.

Are you seeing a way clear of your information overload? Hey, relax! Relax and focus. What would Pogo have to say about the incredible business you are building?

“We are confronted with insurmountable opportunities.”

Source: http://www.worldofquotes.com/author/Pogo/1/index.html

Popularity: 5% [?]

Affiliate Marketing Authority Become Blogging Expert Expertise Internet Marketing Known Expert List Building Self Improvement

How to become known as the expert in your field

Yes, you. Absolutely. A guru is simply an acknowledged leader or teacher. An expert is anyone who has mastery of a particular subject. Neither of these words means that you know everything there is to know. They DO mean that a particular subject is your specialty. If you have delved so far into a subject that you have created new ideas or a product around it, you have already exhibited mastery in your specialty.

But you’ll need more than intellectual understanding to give you the motivation to get the word out. So take a few minutes to do an inventory. Think back to your beginnings in your area of expertise. Remember your first published writings in the school newsletter. Relive your glory days as the class clown that had you holding your audience in the palm of your hand. In the years since then, how many hours have you spent working, reading, talking, writing, and thinking about your subject? Add them up as best you can. You didn’t realize it, but you were a guru in training!

One of the easiest ways to drive prospective clients and customers to your business is to become the expert in your field. The term Expert carries credibility and prestige that can open many doors for you, and, oddly enough, the term is relatively easy to acquire. This simple three-step process can help you quickly and easily set yourself up as the expert in your field.

Determine Your Niche

Instead of trying to be everything to everybody, narrow down your focus to the things that you are really, really good at. A friend of mine set himself up as an expert of leadership training for water treatment facilities. When he told me what he was doing, I asked, “Is there any money in that?” He smiled and said, “Every city’s got one, and I’m the only leadership expert in this field in the country.” He was frequently quoted in trade journals and asked to speak at their conventions. Find your niche and you’ll eliminate your competition.

Write about Your Area of Expertise

After you determine your niche, begin to write articles about your area of expertise. Every single day, tens of thousands of editors, web masters, and newsletter publishers are looking doggedly for unique and information-packed articles. If you can write articles that teach readers about your industry, you will find numerous places that will quickly publish your article.

I spent ten years as a trainer before someone, out of desperation, asked me to write an article for her trade journal. A few months later, another editor saw the article and asked if she could reprint it. Before long, I began to get inquiries from companies in that industry, and a snowball effect began to occur. The more business I did in the industry, the more of an expert I became. I followed with other articles, and within a short period of time, I became a recognized expert in an industry that I had never received any formal education in.

Write a few articles, and you can become a recognized expert in any field.

Speak as Often as You Can

When your articles begin to get published, you’ll start to receive requests to speak more often.

95% of the population has some type of nervousness about public speaking. So when you stand up and say what you want to say, the way you want to say it, you are doing what 95% of the population wish they could do. When you speak about your industry, you set yourself up as the expert on that topic. You gain instant credibility.

If you get nervous when you speak in front of a group, attend a public speaking class. It will be the best investment of your life; the more confidently you present your ideas, the more competent you will appear in front of a group.

Follow these three simple steps and you will become the recognized expert in your specific niche.

You have an inspiring message, a wonderful solution, or a great product. You have something people need. Now, you have to let them know about it. You want to teach people to think of you as a guru in your subject of expertise. Fortunately, that’s not as hard to accomplish as you might think. The hard part is convincing yourself.

To your Success,

Carlo Selorio

Popularity: 6% [?]

Affiliate Marketing customers Internet Marketing Sell More Selling Traffic Tactics upsell

How to sell more to your customers (upsell at point of purchase)

Adding upsells to our order form.

That’s right, regardless of all the different traffic techniques in the world, even with proven sales copy and conversion methods in place, even with years of studying and applying various direct and indirect marketing approaches, the one thing I have found that brings in the most money to our company is the ability to upsell each individual customer on an additional item they did NOT intend to originally purchase.

For those of you who may be unfamiliar with the term “upsell,” let me use an example from one of the world’s most famous companies to illustrate this point:

When people walk into the fast-food giant, McDonalds, to order a simple hamburger or a Vanilla shake, without fail they are presented with the phrase that has helped this company dominate the fast-food market:

“Would you like fries with that?” Other fast food outlets will ask you, “Would you like a drink or an apple pie with your meal?” This is another very effective example of an upsell.

These fast food giants sell millions of dollars worth of extra food and drinks worldwide every year because they know how to effectively use an upsell. So now you may be saying that that is all well and good for McDonalds, but I am in a totally different business. I don’t sell fast-food.

Upsell for internet marketing success

Upselling your customers is simply providing the next logical solution to your customer’s next logical need. It’s your job to always create that next logical need and continually sell and sell. There’s always one more thing to sell.

One of the major mistakes I find in dealing with small businesses is that they believe once their business has provided their product to the customer, that’s the end of the process. There’s nothing that could be further from the truth.

Every sale needs another sale because every need that’s satisfied will create still another need sometime in the future. The conclusion you should draw is that you need to create the upsell and continue creating upsells as a neverending logical step in the launching of an effective marketing mission.

You might say, I don’t have any product or service to sell as an upsell. My answer to that is, develop one.

Even if you don’t produce the product or service, someone else does and that someone else gladly will pay you to allow them to have access to your client base so they can upsell your customers. There’s always something else to sell them.

The practical implications to upselling will most likely result in forming joint venture relationships. Businesses today operate differently than before.

Another good example can be seen in mail-order flowers. On the average, there’s actually 6-10 days from the cutting of a flower before a customer receives it and puts it in a vase in his/her home, whether as a gift or simply to brighten up his/her home. The lag time is caused by the traditional distribution system of wholesalers, distributors, and retailers. A real entrepreneur, who worked literally for years on an idea for flower delivery in up to 9 days, created a direct from the grower to the customer via Federal Express. Today, that generates $10,000,000 in sales. What was the entrepreneur’s product? It was an idea worth $10,000,000.

That business is merely a series of relationships between a catalogue company, Federal Express, and several independent flower growers throughout the United Slates. It’s a business of joint ventures. Even though this guy didn’t actually have the product or service, he created one.

This leads us to finding Your Business Within Your Business. A real powerful concept is to challenge yourself, your clients, vendors, and employees to constantly search for new businesses within your business.

There are an unlimited number of offshoot businesses you can create. You can have an offshoot of consulting to those people you sell to. You could then communicate and market and also do seminars and workshops.

For car dealers, they can provide extended warranties and insurance to new car owners. For a contractor, whether it’s heating and cooling, pools, pest control, or whatever, they can also provide annual service contracts.

An example would also be a pool contractor, who for instance, might use upselling through the offering of an annual service contract to clean and service a pool four times a year. This can dramatically improve his bottom line. In fact, this can actually double the value of your customers by an added income of 40% when they sign an annual contract.

Let’s say the service call for a pest control or pool service call is $100 and there are 100 customers per year. There’s a gross of $10,000, which is $100 per customer. The upsell strategy is an annual contract where you’re going to visit four times a year. The cost for each visit to the customer is $100, so the total cost at this point is $400 (before giving a discount.)

If they buy today, you give them a discount of $150, so $250 is the cost to the customer. If you close just 40% of these people, your new revenue is $10,000. 40% of 100 is 40 people times $250 which is the cost of the annual contract.

So, the new value of these 100 customers is $20,000, $10,000 for the service call ($100 x 100 customers) and another $10,000 for the 40 people who paid $250 for the annual contract. The value per customer is now $200. You made $20,000. You still have the same 100 customers. They’re now worth $200. That’s double the value.

What service can you upsell to your clients? Virtually every business can add a newsletter or an extra month of a diet plan for half the original price. Maybe a consulting service could be provided. The possibilities are endless. Let your creative mind work for your business instead of limiting it to just one product or service.

To your Success,

Carlo Selorio

Popularity: 7% [?]

Audio Best customer relationship Free Resources Internet Marketing MP3 streaming audio Traffic Tactics video

Hi All,

OK Here’s the third part of the of the Free Resources Online I’ve been providing….

Best Free Resources, Part 3 — Creating Audio And Video

Audio

Digital download services might be big news today, but the model of Mp3 downloads has been around for quite a few years. Digital downloads, most frequently offered in the fashionable Mp3 format, have speedily become a preference of many music fans due to the Mp3’s ease of transfer and lower cost. Digital audio players are continually improving.

In brief, this is the process that leads to successful audie: There are software that convert the music, or other audio such as voice, to a small digital file. This is usually a WAV conversion to Mp3, which uses a codec like Mp3 or WMA (Windows Media). Today, Mp3 is no longer the solitary game in town, and when it comes down to compressing your audio for storage on your PC, there are many codecs to be had, such as Advanced Audio Coding or Windows Media Audio. Both of these new options are “perceptual coding schemes.” As with the Mp3, they throw away the audio information that they deem to be as least important to the quality of the sound.

Since CD-based Mp3 players have been around awhile, prices have fallen significantly, even on high quality units. There are sound recorder programs designed to perform directly with your sound card — so, you can record almost near-perfect quality audio from your sound card.

Stats show that at least 30% of surfers are “auditory,” and therefore, if you do not have audio on your site, then you are losing out on quite a bit of traffic. Streaming audio gives credibility to your Web site. It has never been more simple — or FUN! — to create streaming audio for your Web site. Most in the Internet Marketing groups will agree that streaming audio on your Web site will help to increase your sales. For Internet marketers, selling products on the Web, streaming audio can increase your conversion rates as well. For Newsletter marketing: Sending your newsletter with streaming audio on it and with links coming back to your Web page, is a good way to increase your conversion rates.

Adding streaming audio to your personal site makes a lot of sense and can be a whole lot of fun. To place streaming audio on your site, as well as find a wealth of information, voiceover professionals, hosting, tools, and more, visit Google and use keywords in these topic areas. The amount of information is simply astounding.

Be careful to not overload your Web site with audio. If you have a lot of audio buttons to choose from, most visitors will choose NONE. However, when you simply have a couple of audio buttons on your site, this encourages folks to listen to your message. A single audio button, done right, can be very powerful, and is usually enough to communicate your point. Speaking of “your point”…

HAVE a point! This maybe sounds obvious, but many ambitious marketers place audio on their Web site only because they CAN, and for no other discernible reason. Nobody will care about how technical or alluring your audio is, if it doesn’t portray much of a point, related to your offerings, which is why the visitor is there in the first place! Have a specific purpose and reason pertaining to your products, for using audio.

Video

Shooting and editing has been revolutionized by the onset of Digital Video. Music video production companies or freelancers, for instance, specialize in the writing of treatments for music videos, coverage of live shows, video editing, and developing video for the Internet. They also, of course, produce the actual videos. A good rule of thumb for not only professionals, but novices and Marketers wishing to place video online, is to plan out your intention and theme for your event and then get your final video production to echo your theme.

What problem does your video need to get to the bottom of? These days, the necessity for return on investment is crucial. For your special event, create a video with an emotional angle which will set the mood and tone.

Characteristically, here are the stages: the pre-production stage, the production stage, and the post-production stage. The stages necessary to generate a video will vary, depending on style and content.

Digital cameras are revolutionizing the perception of business, and new business lines of attack are being developed. Recent emergence of truly portable digital video players and the beginning of video-on-demand via the Internet have recently arrived. Now, because of widespread availability of high-speed Internet access, inexpensive desktop video editing is available to anyone who is interested!

You are in great company! When Google “speaks,” people listen! What is Google up to? The giant SE is increasingly ramping up an item that will unquestionably become the Web’s premiere “vending” machine for videos. We suggest you navigate over to Google, click on “Video” and dream up ways to utilize this in your online ventures!

Now that I’ve completed the Free Resources 3 part article series, Make sure you take action right away.

Take Care and God Bless.

To your Success,

Carlo Selorio

Popularity: 3% [?]