How to Use PLR

I just wrote a rather lengthy guest blog post on John Yeo’s internet marketing blog. It’s about using your PLR articles to create a short report. I gave as many details as I could considering I was writing a blog post… if you want to know even more I have a short report about it here.

Have a great day.

Growing My Small Business

In this post I’d like to share some thoughts about growing my small business and outsourcing. Here’s a post by Shay Rockhold that caught my attention. I like her story and analogy.

I have a hard time outsourcing my personal projects. I feel like I can do everything better myself, so I do it all myself.

But as I was buying coffee this morning, it hit me.

I have worked in retail stores where I was the manager. I called the shots. The owner was free to have multiple stores (and make more money) because he hired people (like me) to run his stores. Those owners were wealthy, played golf, and had little stress (that I could see).

But I have also worked for owners who always worked by my side. They micromanaged. They were limited because they could only work a certain amount of hours. They were limited financially. They worked 6-7 days per week. They stressed. It was miserable. In some cases, they made (after expenses) even less than I did.

The person serving me my coffee this morning was an employee. The owner would probably do a better job of running the store, but he was free to do other things because he outsourced.

I have a dozen niche blogs. I do not post on them nearly enough because I do not outsource. I did use PLR material once, but then did not do so again. (Again, because I felt I could do things better myself.)

So, in order to take my personal business (not my ghostwriting business, obviously) to the next level, I need to start outsourcing.

That was the most educational cup of coffee I have ever bought.”

- Shay Rockhold
www.shayswahideas.blogspot.com

I had the same problem as Shay… I’m a writer, I like to write, I’m pretty good at it and no one else is quite as good, I like to use my own voice…. and so forth.

I also had big problems with spending the money. I mean, why should I spend that much on something I could do easily (and better) myself? Especially when I wasn’t getting much traffic and few sales. I was hung up on the cost because all I could see was that I was spending more on the outsourcing than I was making on it, or the cost of the outsourcing was leaving me with little profits.

What I couldn’t see was the time factor. Yes, I could write my own quality article or rummage around for a free website header so I wouldn’t have to pay someone else, but I was so busy doing that kind of thing that I didn’t have time to take a step back, look at the big picture of where I wanted my small business to grow, plan it out, and decide what actionable steps I would take next.

I was so busy taking care of the small things (that I could easily do myself) that I didn’t have time for marketing, networking, and managing my business.

What I was telling myself, every time I wrote an article, was that my time was only worth $14 an hour. That’s not thinking big, is it? That’s not the way successful business owners conduct their businesses.

In the offline world, soon-to-be business owners take out loans and get seed money to start their businesses. Why is it that Internet Marketers (me included) feel they should do everything on the cheap? Maybe it would be better if we started our online businesses getting a small loan?

It makes me think of Monopoly. You can buy your houses and hotels in budget district, but you also don’t make very much when someone lands on them. Now, if you buy the luxury properties - sure they’ll cost more, but you get a much bigger return on your investment.

Now that I’m all outsource-enlightened, I see that in order to have “multiple stores” as Shay put it, I need to let others take over tasks they can do. That way I can have time to do strategic planning, gather my thoughts, start creating my next income stream, and grow my income.

Okay, I’ll stop now because I’d really like to hear what you think. Do the comment thing, please.

How To Write Popular Blog Posts

How To Write Popular Blog Posts

Maybe you’ve been blogging for a while but sometimes you feel like you’re talking to yourself.  You would really like to know how to write popular posts - the kind that people thank you for and link to because they liked it so much. You want your blog to be popular and get lots of dates on the weekends. Oh wait… that was my wish in high school.

But let me dive into that analogy…

The popular kids in high school had the best clothes as well as some of the best opportunities to succeed because everyone, including the teachers, liked them.  They were forgiven when they made mistakes and were sought out because they had qualities other kids wish they had themselves.  They were followed and copied and quoted by kids who wanted to be like them.

Having a popular blog is like that.  Your blog is well-liked and the occasional mistake or off-base rant is forgiven.  Your blog is followed, copied, and quoted and that means lots of traffic to your site.  You, the blogger, are given the best opportunities - JV partnerships, affiliate promotions, backlinks, interviews, and more.

But every post you write doesn’t have to be an award-winning post, so don’t feel overwhelmed with the pressure here.  You do need to take a little more care with some of the blog posts you write so that you’re giving some really killer content.

A popular post will have some “wowness” to it for the reader.  They’ll bookmark your site, Digg It, blog about it themselves, and leave comments.  You’ll see more traffic, an increase in opt ins, and make some money with your promotional links. 

Here are some tips for writing popular blog posts:

• Take some time choosing a great blog title.  Of course you should put your keywords in it, but you should also make it attention-getting.  You want to grab people’s attention so they’ll read your post.  A “How To” or “Top 10″ or “Action Plan” not only make good posts, but make for good blog titles.

• Make your first paragraph killer.  The post is for and about them, not you.  So explain what’s in it (the article) for them. Be interesting, draw them in.  There’s no place for fluff here; it’s your last chance to get them to read the rest of your blog post.

• There is no guarantee that an article is going to be a homerun.  But if you want to try for a grand piece, or pillar post, as Yaro Starak calls it, then spend a little more time writing it than you usually would.  Do your research, write the post, check for errors, let it simmer, and polish it before hitting the publish button.

• Look at the content in your post.  Are you giving people what they really want to know?  Are you helping them or just knitting air because you haven’t posted in a while and you know you should?  People can spot the difference.  Be helpful, try to give details not everyone already knows.

• Make your post easy on the eye.  Use a font that’s not too small and easy to read, add a picture and/or screen shots, and use numbers or bullets.  Make your paragraphs short to keep the reader’s attention from wondering off.

• Don’t be afraid to ask your readers to Digg your post, rate it, or leave comments.  Sometimes a simple request does the trick.  Comments help create buzz and even more perceived value.

• Consider linking to another site(s) in your post. The sites you link to may return the favor and that will give you some backlinks.  They may even reference your article to their list subscribers or blog readers which will bring you more eyeballs.

Sometimes what end up being popular blog posts on your site may come as a surprise, but usually the articles where you spend time giving quality information that the reader really wants are going to be the winners.

Please Digg this article if you liked it. And comments are always appreciated!  Thanks.