Understand Article Marketing like a Pro.

Article Marketing is one of the most effective ways to drive traffic to your website. There are so many benefits to Article Marketing which we will go into but if nobody reads your article then you are just wasting your time.

I have included some “Article Marketing Secrets” below to help grab your audience and the search engines to increase your Article Views.

Chapter 1 – Benefits of Articles

1) Cost-Effective Way to Advertise
Submitting Articles online is FREE and will stay online for as long as the Article Directory stays active. There are many Directories where you can submit your article for free which we will discuss in Chapter 4.

2) Builds Credibility
Creating an Article makes you appear as an expert. If your article is well written people will expect that you know what you are talking about. This is the best way to market yourself. Simply add your signature to the bottom of the article so that you may direct your audience back to your website.

3) Drives Targeted Traffic
Submitting articles to directories is great way for other sites to grab your article to add content to their site. This means that if you submit one article it could get published on many other sites all over the Internet. If your content is worth reading other sites will pick it up.

4) 7-10 Times More Effective Than Regular Advertising
There is no better way to “pre-sell” your prospects than article marketing. Your potential customers begin to trust you because you appear as the expert even before they visit your website.

5) Get to the Top of Google
One of the biggest benefits of an Article is that most Article Directories have a high page rank. A high page rank simply means that Google loves it and will push your article to the top of Google through the Article Directory.

Chapter 2 – Article Suggestions

I know what you are thinking….. “what the heck do I write about?”

My answer to you is keep it simple and keep it YOU.

Millions of searches are performed on a daily basis for content. You need to figure out what you have to offer that other people are looking for.

If you are a Network Marketer, you could offer Internet Marketing Training, Personal Development Training, Sales Training, etc. Here are some questions below to help you focus on a niche market.

What do you have to offer?
What makes you unique?
What is your passion?
How does this relate to your business?

For more suggestions visit Ezine Articles. Take a look at the different categories to help trigger some ideas.

Chapter 3 – Writing an Article

Now that you have decided on your topic it’s time to write your article.

The number #1 Rule for writing an article is “Do NOT SELL”.

Now you are probably wondering, why would you write the article if you are not going to sell anything. Well, the answer is simple, people are looking for content they are not looking to be sold on the Internet. Remember benefit #4, “Your potential customers begin to trust you because you appear as the expert even before they visit your website.”

Here is an example of an article that I wrote on “Choosing the Right Domain Name”.

There are 4 key components which should be included when writing an article.

1) Title  – (Should consist of your keyword phrase)
2) Quote
3) Body  (Should consist of 3-5 keywords)
4) Signature
5) Affiliate Link

Take a look at the example below…

Choosing the Right Domain Name     (#1 – TITLE)

“Choosing the Right Domain Name could make or break your Internet presence.”
(#2 – QUOTE)

What exactly is a domain name and why do I need one?

A domain name looks like this, www.yourdomain.com and will act as your website’s physical address. The domain name is your website’s identity and will let customer’s know how to reach you.

The domain name should be relevant to whatever company or product you are promoting. You will have the option to choose between multiple extensions. The most popular are listed below.

.com    – Commercial (most recognized)
.net    – Network                                                                          (#3 – BODY )
.org    – Organization
.biz    – Business
.tv     – TV
.mobi    – Mobile phone

There are many more domain extensions, too many to list. To learn more go to Go Daddy.

Here are some tips to help you choose the right domain name for your website.

1. If you find a domain name that you like – register it! Don’t wait before it’s gone.

2. Choose a domain that reflects exactly what your website is all about.

3. Choose a name, which is easy to remember.

4. The shorter the name the better! The domain is much easier to type, much easier to remember, and much easier to spell.

How much does a domain name cost?

Registering a domain name is very affordable which is why most businesses purchase more than one. We recommend Go Daddy for registering your domain name. The domain names are very affordable at $9.99 a year or $1.99 a year if you purchase hosting.

Chapter 4 – Submitting Your Article

There are so many directories on the Internet that are looking for content – YOUR Content… so get it out there! Submit your articles to at least 4 of the directories below.

Here are some recommended directories below:

*Please read Submission Guidelines before posting. Each site will have their own guidelines.

Chapter 5 – Outsourcing Your Article

If you are not comfortable writing articles or do not have the time, you can simply outsource this job for somebody else to do it. You can have well-written articles created for as little as $5 an article on many virtual assistant sites like eLance. Simply post your project and people will bid to earn your business. Go to www.elance.com

If you don’t want to deal with trying to find an assistant, you may pay $10 per article at SEO Article Writing Pros.

After reading this post, you are probably wondering… so where are the article marketing secrets? Really, the only secret is understanding how your target market is going to search for your content. What do you think they would type into Google? If you can answer this question and build your article around your target market’s search pattern, you will leap to the top of Google which will drive more traffic back to your website or affiliate link.

Good Luck in Creating Your First Article!

Yours in business,

P.S. If you have found this post helpful please leave your comments below. I really appreciate that. If you are a Twitter user, I would be ecstatic if you retweeted this post.   Thank you!

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“Facebook Tips” for business

Start Attracting Daily Targeted Leads… For FREE!

Facebook has more than 350 million active users

50% of the users log on to Facebook in any given day

More than 700,000 local businesses are active on Facebook

These statistics are listed directly on Facebook’s Home Page. Please visit http://www.facebook.com/press/info.php?statistics

If you are a business owner or online marketer who wants to drive more traffic to your website, I highly recommend that you sign up for your free Facebook account today.

Sign Up for Facebook here

Facebook Is NOT A Fad… It’s become a new revolution in the way we do business!

Right now is the time to get involved if you have not already done so.

Video Tutorial on the “Basics of Facebook”

In this video you will learn the following:

• How to upload your picture
• How to edit your profile
• How to edit your text box
• How to add targeted friends fast
• How to organize your friends

Facebook can be an incredible asset to your business provided you follow Facebook’s ettiquette and you do not let it suck up all of your valuable time. Here are some important tips to help you manage your new Facebook account.

• Decide the purpose of your Facebook account
• Schedule a time for Facebook. Just like emails, you can spend hours checking and sending Facebook messages. I recommend checking your messages and responding to your messages twice per day. Use a timer to keep you on track.
  
• Do not post about everything you do throughout the day on your Facebook Wall. Nobody cares if you just made breakfast or went to the store. Try to keep your posts relevant to your target market.
  

Facebook profiles are meant for personal profiles only. If you are interested in marketing your business on Facebook, you may easily create a Facebook Fan Page once you have signed up for your free account.

Set up a Free Facebook Account

1. Go to www.facebook.com and sign up for a free account.

2. Upload an updated picture of yourself.

3. Edit your Facebook profile.

4. Edit your Text box.

5. Start adding targeted friends daily

6. Organize your friends when they are added

BONUS: Here are two advanced videos to help you set up your Facebook account.

– How to Install Facebook Applications

– Add your Web Profiles to Facebook Easily

Congratulations! You have just joined one of the one most visited communities on the Internet.

“Work Smarter, Play Harder!”

p.s. If you have found this post helpful please leave your comments below. I really appreciate that. If you are a Twitter user, I would be ecstatic if you retweeted this post.  Thank you!

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Do You Want to Earn Six and Seven Figures with Your MLM Company?

Unfortunately, I have bad news….. Unless of course you are willing to do whatever it takes!

Even with an extremely high failure rate, there are new millionaires created every single year in the MLM Industry but they all have the same attitude, “do whatever it takes”.

You must become a champion in your own business!

A champion educates themselves, implements what they learn, and continues to build their business by working at it daily. A champion does not depend on someone else to build their business for them, instead a champion teaches their partners how to duplicate the process.

Most ‘champions’ do not become six or seven figure earners.

Most people get frustrated in the MLM industry because they put in the long hours but find it impossible to reach six or seven figures. I think that the Olympics is very similar. All athletes come to the Olympics with a chance at winning a medal but only three athletes can make it to the podium in each event. Most athletes do not become Olympic Champions because of one reason.

There is one significant difference between the Olympic Medalists (6 & 7 figure earners) and the rest of the champions.

The #1 difference is “Mind-set”.

Your mind-set can make you or break you in the Olympics just like it can it your MLM business.

We have witnessed #1 ranked athletes place tenth or even worse. We have witnessed ‘unknown’ athletes come out and make it to the podium. The ultimate factor in where they rank is mind-set just like in your MLM business.

You must set goals and think like a six or seven figure earner. There can NOT be any doubt. You must believe that it can happen and be willing to accept it when it does.  Olympic Champions do not win a race with doubt in their mind, whereas a #1 ranked athlete can lose a race with the tiniest trace of doubt.

The easiest way to becoming a six or seven figure earner in your MLM company is to manifest it. Believe that you are already there. Daily affirmations are crucial to your success just like they are crucial to an Olympic athlete. Here are a few examples:

I am a successful & positive person
I am always productive
I gain knowledge wherever I turn to help me grow my business
I am eager to build relationships with some of the top entrepreneurs
I deserve prosperity and happiness
I am recognized as an Industry leader
I always work to my full potential
I am increasing my monthly income
I have enough money to pay my bills
I am grateful for so many experiences
I love being rewarded for my accomplishments

If you are not at a point where you would like to be then become eager and remind yourself on a daily basis what it is that you want.

Don’t forget, there is one important rule that needs to be followed…..You must be grateful for what you have.

Even if you have just been laid off, find other reasons to be grateful for…. your family, your education, or your community. Bottom line… you must find something to be grateful for so that you can change your mind-set into a winning six or seven figure earner!

Work Smarter, Play Harder!

P.S. If you have found this post helpful please leave your comments below. I really appreciate that. If you are a Twitter user, I would be ecstatic if you retweeted this post.   Thank you!

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Underachiever or Overachiever?

Now that’s a question that one rarely asks or one rarely thinks about.

But seriously….what would you rather be?

Underpaid or Overpaid? That’s really what it boils down to.

Would you rather settle for what you don’t want because it’s easy, or are you the type of person who will do anything to achieve your goals and dreams?

Unfortunately, the general public has been programmed to settle for less. Take a look at the average household income for the US in 2008.

http://www.census.gov/did/www/saipe/data/statecounty/maps/iy2008/med_hh_inc2008_state.pdf

Notice they didn’t even list the household incomes higher than $70,482. WHY? Less than 10% of the US actually lives the live the want to live rather than settling on what they don’t want. Sad isn’t?

Overachievers think differently than the general public. Every single overachiever has a winning attitude which consists of the following must have elements:

1.    They surround themselves with successful people
2.    They only seek advice from successful people
3.    They tune out negative energy
4.    They do whatever it takes to get the job done
5.    They never stop learning
6.    They believe in themselves
7.    They believe anything is possible
8.    They see the BIG Picture
9.    They understand the Law of Attraction
10.  They share knowledge with their community

Why aren’t more people overachievers? Do they think it’s too hard?

What really surprises me is the number of people who start a business online with a “winning attitude” but very quickly turn into an underachiever.

With all of the resources on the Internet these days, very few take action. There is a lot of money to be made online but only those who take action will reap the rewards. I have created a list of phrases to help the online entrepreneur turn themselves from an underachiever into an overachiever.

Turn Underachiever phrases into Overachiever phrases.

“I’ll do it tomorrow”      ->       “I’ll do it right now”
“Next time”                       ->       “Yes”
“That’s too hard”             ->       “I can learn anything”
“I can’t do it”                     ->       “I can do it”
“I don’t have time”         ->       “I’ll make the time”
”I don’t know”                 ->       “I’ll do whatever it takes”

In the wild, birds and animals have no choice but to be overachievers otherwise they would die.  Imagine if the baby sea turtle refused to go in the water because it was too cold, or the baby zebra refused to stand because it was too tired, or the baby robin refused to fly because it was too scared. Birds and animals don’t have time for excuses as their attitude depends on life or death.

On the other hand, the general public has been programmed to believe that only the rich and famous can live the life of their dreams.

It’s time to reprogram your mind like an overachiever.

Next time you catch yourself saying one of the underachiever phrases, quickly turn your thoughts around by reacting with an overachiever phrase.

Work Smarter, Play Harder!

P.S. If you have found this post helpful please leave your comments below. I really appreciate that. If you are a Twitter user, I would be ecstatic if you retweeted this post.   Thank you!

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Global Resorts Network (GRN) announces a new partnership with Carbon Copy Pro (CCPRO).

On January 5th, 2010 a new plug-and-play marketing system was released exclusively for Global Resorts Network by Carbon Copy Pro (CCPRO). This system is designed to take your prospect from interested to joining your business.

Check out the system below…… I am convinced that you have NEVER seen anything like it.

There has never been such a powerful partnership in the MLM Industry before!

Global Resorts Network is a Discount Vacation Club that saves members up to 90% off their accommodations, airfare, cruise, and car rentals too! Stay in 1,2, and 3 bedroom resorts worldwide for as little as $298 a week! Global Resorts Network also offers an incredible referral program to their members. For every lifetime membership sold, you would earn $1000 for every person you refer.

The Global Resorts Pay Plan is one-of-a-kind! Once qualified, you can earn $1000 over and over and over and over and over again…..unlimited width and unlimited depth!

Where else do you know where you can invest a mere $3000 and earn $1000 over and over and over and over again?

Check out the Global Resorts Product & Pay Plan here –> www.grnreview.com

What was missing?

Why were so many GRN Distributors giving up even with such an incredible product that appeals to everyone along with compensation plan that could change their lives?

There were two HUGE missing factors…

1. Professional Online Marketing Training & Support
2. Plug & Play System that sells GRN for you

…And here is what is going to bring it all together.

Introducing….. Carbon Copy Pro (CCPRO) a professional community that teaches and supports entrepreneurs in 177 countries worldwide.

Carbon Copy Pro created a one-of-a-kind, plug and play Marketing System that was made exclusively for Global Resorts Network. This system is designed to take your prospect from interested to joining your business.

Check out the system below…… I am convinced that you have NEVER seen anything like it.

System Launched January 5th, 2010 –> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WC6BmociNSw

CarbonCopyPRO membership provides the following and more:
* Taken directly from the Carbon Copy Pro’s main website at http://www.carboncopypro.com

System:
- A fully integrated and personalized online marketing and customer management system
- Detailed traffic, lead and sales tracking capabilities
- Professional call center to assist in closing member product sales
- Available in 42 languages and 177 countries

Training:
- Comprehensive video training library
- Marketing plans for variable budgets and levels of experience
- Master Marketing Program that teaches traditional and contemporary Internet marketing techniques
- Weekly educational webinars and tele-seminars
- Daily entrepreneurial and mindset training
- Live Master Marketing Events
- Business leadership programs

Support:
- Email, phone and live chat support
- Professional outsourcing and virtual assistant services
- Personal marketing mentors

Time-Limited Promotion:

Limited to Global Resorts Distributors ONLY. CarbonCopy Pro is going to waive the $399 Blackbox fee along with the shipping and handling.

To test drive this new marketing system, visit http://bit.ly/ultimate-system

P.S. If you have found this post helpful please leave your comments below. I really appreciate that. If you are a Twitter user, I would be ecstatic if you retweeted this post.   Thank you!

Work Smarter, Play Harder!

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Increase Your Conversion Rates by 10%

….All You Need is One Small Tweak.

Watch the quick 1.5 minute video below…

BONUS: Thank you to my growing community! To show my appreciation for your support I have included the step-by-step instructions on how to add pictures to your YouTube video.

Adding Pictures to Your Lead Capture Page Video will help increase your conversion rates by as much as 10% overnight!

Instructions: Adding Pictures to a Video using Windows Movie Maker

Step 1. Convert Video – * ONLY Complete this step if your camera saves your video file as an MP3 or MP4.  Go to http://www.Koyotesoft.com to download and open the FREE Video Converter V2.5.

Click on the Tab “Output Format” at the bottom of your free video converter and choose “Avi” for the file extension.

Click on the Tab “Parameters” and choose your output path which is where you want to save your converted video. You may click on the button to the right of the text field to browse your computer.

Click on “Add Files” and browse your computer to locate your video and click open.

Now that your file has been uploaded to the File Converter software, you will click on your file to highlite it and click on “Convert Video”. It will take a few minutes but you can see the video converting right on your screen.

Step 2 – Upload Video to Windows Movie Maker – Most people running Windows already have Windows Movie Maker installed on their computer under ‘Start > Programs > Windows Movie Maker’. If it’s not listed you may download Movie Maker 2.1 which is available through Microsoft Updates.

Open Windows Movie Maker and click on “Import Video” to browse your computer to locate the converted video and click “Import”.

Grab all video images located in your “Collections” and drag them down into your “Time Line” at the bottom of the screen.

Step 3 – Edit Video in Windows Movie Maker

You may now edit your video by adding transitions, sound, titles, and pictures.  To learn how to edit your video please watch the video tutorial below.

P.S. If you have found this post helpful please leave your comments below. I really appreciate that. If you are a Twitter user, I would be ecstatic if you retweeted this post.   Thank you!

Work Smarter, Play Harder!

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Top Social Media Networks to Join:

* Please join me on each of these networks and I will follow you back : )

1. YouTube -  YouTube is the 3rd most visited website on the Internet. YouTube is a powerful way to upload, tag, and share your videos. Share your experiences and talent through video.

TIP: Adding video to your blog post is extremely powerful if you really “get it”. You will not only have the search engines driving traffic back to your blog but YouTube traffic as well.

My channel is grntraining101 – please subscribe : )

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2. Twitter – Twitter is a microblogging community that is ranked 13th as the most visited website in the world. This community can drive traffic to your blog within seconds! If you are posting relevant content, you can drive potentially thousands of visitors to your blog with one tweet.

You may automate your Twitter feed into Facebook and Friendfeed.

Please follow me @whoischristine

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3. Facebook – Facebook was the most visited website on Christmas Day 2009 and is ranked the 2nd most visited website in the world after Google. This community is extremely active. This is the place where your audience gets to know you personally.

Tip: Add your Facebook Badge to your blog.

Please add me as your friend : ) @christinemcivor

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4. FriendFeed – I love this community because it ties all social networks together. You may add your entire feed to your blog. Unfortunately, this is the coolest application that very few are utilizing properly. Sign up for your free account and start automating your content through multiple networks.

Tip: Add your FriendFeed feed to your blog so that all networks are listed in one place.

My account is @whoischristine – please subscribe : )

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5. LinkedIn – This is a great business community to find industry experts and potential business partners. LinkedIn is the 40th most visited website in the world.

Tip: You may add a LinkedIn profile button to your blog.

My account is @whoischristine – please subscribe : )
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BONUS: I have created a video that shows you how you can embed the 5 social media sites into your blog to get more traffic.

5 ways to embed Social Media into your blog.

P.S. If you have found this post helpful please leave your comments below. I really appreciate that. If you are a Twitter user, I would be ecstatic if you retweeted this post.   Thank you!

Work Smarter, Play Harder!

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Are You on FriendFeed?

If not, you should be…”Friendfeed is the business owner and online marketers best friend.”

Friendfeed is definitely one of the easiest ways to distribute your content to numerous social media sites at the same time.

Unfortunately, Friendfeed is one of the coolest applications online that nobody is taking advantage of.

If you are a business owner or online marketer who wants to drive more traffic to your website, you need to sign up for your free Friendfeed account today.

If Facebook purchased Friendfeed, don’t you think it’s worth taking a look?

Video Overview of FriendFeed

Set up a Free FriendFeed Account

1. Go to www.friendfeed.com and sign up for a free account. TIP: Use your first and last name when branding yourself or your business name when branding your business.

2. Update your profile. Update the description and upload a picture of yourself.

3. Add your Content to your FriendFeed account. You may add numerous feeds including the following:

• Your Blog Feed
• Twitter Feed
• Facebook Feed
• YouTube Feed
• LinkedIn

4. Start Adding Friends and subscribing to other feeds. You can start with my account. Join me at http://www.friendfeed.com/whoischristine Start adding people that have subscribed to my channel. There are over 200 people to start with : )

5. Start joining Groups.

BONUS: Here are three bonus videos to help you market your FriendFeed account.

– How to Add FriendFeed into an Outlook Email Signature

– How to Add FriendFeed to your WordPress Blog

– How to Add FriendFeed to your Facebook wall

Congratulations! You are one of the smart ones who is taking advantage of this awesome resource.P.S.

If you have found this post helpful please leave your comments below. I really appreciate that. If you are a Twitter user, I would be ecstatic if you retweeted this post.  Thank you!

“Work Smarter, Play Harder!”

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Are You Familiar with Word Press Permalink Settings?

As a Blogger, You Should be…

By default, Word Press will publish your posts in the following format unless you set up your Permalink Settings.

Default          http://yourdomain.com/?p=123

If you called the title of your post “Permalink Settings”, the link would still look like the default one above.  This is NOT the best way to build your blog for search engine optimization.

You would rather your post be called http://yourdomain.com/permalink-settings instead.

Word Press gives you several options below, but again none of them are optimized for the search engines.

Day and Time                              http://yourdomain.com/2009/12/05/sample-post/
Month and Name                       http://yourdomain.com/2009/12/sample-post/
Numeric                                        http://yourdomain.com/archives/123

There is a final option called “Custom Structure”. This is the option that you want to choose. This option will enable the title of each post to act as the permalink instead of a number. In the empty text field simply enter  /%postname%/    beside  Custom Structure.

Instructions: To locate your Permalink Settings follow the instructions below.

1. Login to your WordPress Dashboard
2. Click on Settings > Permalinks
3. Locate “Custom Structure” > Enter the following into the empty text field      /%postname%/
4. Click Update Permalinks

IMPORTANT: If your blog is brand new or never been advertised you should thank your lucky stars that you got this information before you starting posting a lot of content.

If your blog has a lot of content already…you have a BIG decision to make. Do you continue advertising your existing links or do you change them to be search engine friendly?

There is a plugin called “Redirection” that you could install and redirect all of your old links that you are advertising to the newly  ‘optimized’ addresses.

Work Smarter, Play Harder!

P.S. If you have found this post helpful please leave your comments below. I really appreciate that. If you are a Twitter user, I would be ecstatic if you retweeted this post.   Thank you!

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It’s All About the Content!

…but how do you build a ‘Content Distribution Network’?

Now it’s one thing to create good quality content but what if nobody knows about it or gets a chance to read it? All of that time and effort is now lost!

It’s time to get proactive rather than waiting for your readers to search for you.  Reach your target audience by setting up your distribution network!

A successful content distribution network will include multiple points of entry.

Here are 5 ways that you can start building your content distribution network
today:

1. Blogging – A WordPress Blog is the most advanced platform for distributing content through the internet. There are now multiple social media platforms that you can embed into your blog to gain an even bigger audience.

   • Embed Social Media into your blog (Twitter, FriendFeed, YouTube, etc.)
   • RSS Feeds
   • Ping
   • Blog Rolls  -  Joint Venture with other online marketers
   • Syndicate content to other websites/blogs
2. Social Media – Word of mouth is the oldest form of marketing and is still used to this day. Now with the power of the Internet and technology, voices can be heard instantly through multiple platforms of social media.  Here are some of the top social media platforms.

   • YouTube
   • Facebook
   • Twitter
   • FriendFeed
   • LinkedIn
   • MySpace
3. Email List - It’s time to use your list properly.  TIP: Instead of sending them to an affiliate link, send them directly to your blog for another page view. Your affiliate link should be placed within your blog post.

   • Create an opt-in form on your blog/website to capture your audience’s information. Send a newsletter to communicate with your readers on a daily or weekly basis via an auto responder.
4. Forums – Forums are extremely responsive and a wonderful platform to drive targeted traffic back to your blog or website. TIP: Find topics that you have written about and drive people back to your blog for more information.

   • Conquer Your Niche – This is a great community that is very responsive and credits you towards advertisements for reading and writing posts.
     
5. Media Relations – There is an endless list of platforms and organizations that are always looking for new content or a good story. Here are some resources to start with…

   • Article Directories
   • Press Releases
   • NewsPapers online and offline

The concepts here are nothing more than basic online marketing platforms but when you understand the power of leveraging all of the different distribution networks through your blog, you will have a distinctive advantage over your competitors.

P.S. If you have found this post helpful please leave your comments below. I really appreciate that. If you are a Twitter user, I would be ecstatic if you retweeted this post.   Thank you!

Work Smarter, Play Harder!

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