Fitting the Pieces Blog

Sources of Shiny Objects That Smack Fledgeling Marketers

Richard — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 04:32:46 +0000

Shiny Objects Come in Waves From all Directions, Threatening to Sink Us

The notion of shiny objects syndrome is not new; nearly all marketers hear about it at some point. Yet the majority of those who say they are “online marketers” seem unable to overcome its powerful allure. I admit that I have often been captured by various shiny objects. Yet it’s not like I’ve never heard of the power of these things. In this post I will explore the things that both distract marketers as well as add to their financial debt. It is no accident that I am using the plural form in “shiny objects.”

It is the very fact that these shiny objects appear in so many places, that causes online marketers to be so easily knocked down by them. Like a sailor in a stormy ocean where waves seem to come from multiple directions. You think you have nicely avoided the danger of one wave, only to be smacked by another wave coming at you from the rear. The shiny objects come on waves from many directions.

External Waves of Shiny Objects

1) Email. Marketers know that their business is their list. Solo marketers make most of their sales from people reading an offer in an email. The better they are at copywriting, the better that their emailed offers will convert. Think of copywriting as the ability to take an ordinary product and make it shine irresistibly.

Turn it around: It is not unusual for novice marketers, to join the lists of dozens of guru (and wannabe guru) marketers, all of whom are sending buying offers (advice, recommendations, yada, yada) as often as daily or at least weekly. How many lists are you on? How many things have you bought during the past year as a result of skillfully written offers (or teasers) coming into your inbox?

The more lists that you join, the more frequently that you open the mail from these copywriting masters, the greater your exposure to shiny objects.

2) Launches. This is when you are assaulted from multiple directions to buy a single product. It is the “email” shiny object raised to the level of a solar flare because you are getting the same offer (plus bonuses!!!) coming into your email box from three, six, or a dozen other marketers that you follow and respect to one degree or another. The pressure to buy includes

The normal powerful copywriting, now written from many perspectives. If one marketer doesn’t convince you, another one will have thought of why you need this product.
Crowd pressure. If so many gurus are promoting this, it must be the most super valuable deal of the year.
Scarcity. You need to buy it before the offer is “closed.” (Did you know that in some launches, 50% of all sales are made during the 24 hour period that the offer is opened “one last time” after it was already closed 7 days before that “last chance”?)
Peer Pressure. This is partly engineered with testimonials; but a lot can be serendipity. If you are part of a community of marketers that is being flooded with the same launch offers from various affiliates, it is not unusual to hear one novice marketer say to another, “Have you gotten ‘Shiny Flashy Cash Blueprint’ yet? I got mine from Susie B Nicest; you should get yours from her and help her out; she has done so much for us.”

3) Membership Sites. I am talking about the sites where you pay a monthly fee to access a large to gargantuan sized array of either training videos or “products.” These are shiny objects that flash brightly in two ways.

Initially membership sites are shiny objects that attract your attention and create a joining-fever because it seems like such a great deal. You get “sooooo much value!!” When you are overcome by the glare in your eye, you may end up paying just $39 per month … or, in reality, $468 in one year. Hmmm. Did you really get $468 in value?
Once a member, a membership site presents a different kind of shiny object. Each of the many training videos (or ‘products’) loaded onto the site is a potential distraction. More on that below.

4) Forums and Facebook Groups. If you are active in an online marketer’s community, you are subject to the enthusiasms of other marketers who are discussing or promoting a marketing fad-of-the-day. Today everyone is into becoming a publisher on Kindle; tomorrow the “next big thing” is mobile,… or local,… or FaceBook ads,… or even collaboration. If you are swayed into paying attention to these things, you have been distracted by shiny objects. Debt is indeed one negative outcome of having SO Syndrome. But distraction, which I’ll discuss in a moment, is an even graver consequence of this affliction.

5) Mentors. Not every mentor is going to contribute to your shiny objects problem; just the wrong kind of mentor… or, at least, wrong for you. This is something that can be prevented by knowing what you want to focus on as an online marketer. And frankly a trained business coach (typically not a mentor) can help with that. Once you know what you want to focus on, you are better able to find an appropriate mentor. Otherwise you may be getting confusing advice that is out of sync with your business plan. And then the mentor is part of the distraction instead of part of the solution.

Clarification. Please don’t misunderstand this post. There is nothing wrong with marketing to a list, I am not against product launches, membership sites, forums or mentors. This post is calling attention to the challenge of shiny objects and a very fundamental solution.

What’s the Main Safeguard Against the Distraction of Shiny Objects?

The biggest problem with shiny objects syndrome is that it distracts novice marketers from actually creating a real business. Can you accept for now that there are in fact proven fundamental steps for creating a business that are common to all real businesses? Sure, there

Stick to Your Plan

are distinct variables depending on the target niche and marketer skills and preferences. Still, there are common elements and common steps. Agreed?

The novice marketer may or may not know these elements and steps, but following the steps have potential to bring success and not following the steps will most likely fail to bring success. And that’s the danger of the abundance of shiny objects; they are distractions. They cause the marketer to wander aimlessly in a maze instead of on-plan on a straight path.

They are like bad weather that keeps a flight from taking off.

They are like going on a road trip without the benefit of a map, stopping instead to ask people along the way who mainly give garbled and inaccurate directions.

So the main safeguard against shiny objects syndrome is to have a solid, reality-based plan and follow it unswervingly.

Here’s how it works:

Email. Does this letter have anything to do with the step of your plan you are working on right now? Does it address any difficulty you are experiencing with the current step of your plan? If “no,” delete the email. You can delete 95% of your inbox that way, very quickly. If it bothers you to delete mail with a product offer applicable to a future part of your plan, then save it. Create a series of folders in your mail application and name the folders according to the steps of your plan. Save something relevant into the corresponding future step folder. But I’m willing to bet you’ll delete it later anyway.
Launches. Can this product advance my plan or will it distract me from my plan? If it is a training type of product, how much time will be needed to study as opposed to working on my plan? If this product “might” be useful for my plan, but I still have months of work on my plan before I get to that step where it could apply, forget it. Spend no money or time on a product or training that takes time away from the current step for working on your business plan. There will never be a shortage of expert training on the skill or task with which you need help. Never. Not now or in the future. No matter how well the promotion of a product implies that you must buy NOW, don’t worry. It won’t do much good if you are not ready for it anyway. So forget the launch offer. When the time comes, and the offer for help comes, it probably won’t be for the same product; more than likely it will be for an even more helpful offer.
Membership Sites. Join the site if it is immediately helpful to what you need to do for your own plan. Quit the membership when it is no longer germain to what you are doing. If the membership includes weekly webinars, don’t listen faithfully. Listen only if the topic of the week is specifically relevant and might resolve a problem with the step of your plan on which you are currently working.
Forums and Groups. Know your purpose in visiting these sites. If you have a strategic goal, like creating a track record of engagement, or like looking for other entrepreneurs with whom you might collaborate, then set a daily or weekly time limit. Don’t peruse offers on community sites like the Warrior Forum unless you are specifically searching for an answer to a challenge regarding a current step of your plan. Otherwise, view these sites as mainly distractions. Stay away.
Mentors. First, make sure you know the difference between a coach, consultant, trainer, and mentor. Seek appropriate help as needed, but don’t get distracted if your mentor is more interested in getting your help for their own plan. Quit meeting with that so-called mentor.

The first thing you should do if you plan to start a business (online or not) is to clarify your niche, determine the products that this target group needs, and create a sales funnel for those products. In conjunction with that, create a budget and a work schedule. For simplicity, I will call ALL of those things your “Plan.” Now everything you choose to focus upon should be filtered by the “Plan.” That’s how to guard against shiny objects. No “Plan” means no filter means indefinite confusion in the maze.

This takes discipline because this may not be your usual mindset.

Internal Waves of Shiny Objects

As the weeks and months pass after your initial decision to start a business, there are only two possibilities.

Succomb to Shiny Objects	Use the Plan to Filter Out Shiny Objects
Lose Focus, Accomplish Little	Remain Focused, Accomplish Your Plan
Spend Money Aimlessly	Spend Selectively; Turn a Profit

As I say, it takes some changes. You may be used to (conditioned to) responding to shiny objects. When a fish sees a glittering object in the water, it is conditioned to think it’s food. And it takes a bite. The perfect illustration of shiny objects destroying a plan.

Shiny Objects Can Ensnare ©cipella on istockphoto.com

But you are not a fish… right?

Great! Only problem is that humans are also conditioned, and in fairly subtle ways.

How curious are you? Are you someone that needs to know everything about everything faintly related to your business? I was a teacher for many years. I enjoyed learning more than my students and having the ability to answer arcane questions. I don’t think I’m the only person with a great deal of curiosity. So some of us have a predisposition to be attracted to shiny objects! It doesn’t even have to shine much – I just want to understand it, relevant to my plan or not. Key Question: How far are you willing to pursue your curiosity at the expense of a real business and a profit? It is key to have a plan and to use it as the guide to your daily actions. To have no plan is to be pulled about by a line with a hook, and hoisted into someone else’s profit boat.
How patient are you? Are you inclined to search for a quick way to wealth? Impatience can pull you away from a solid plan and predispose you to many fanciful and shiny offers.

I am sure you can think of other mindset patterns (internal waves) that can knock you down and open your resistance to shiny objects. But also I believe you can overcome all obstacles and shiny objects by establishing a plan and resolving to focus on the plan, one step at a time.

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What Affects Your List Open Rate?

Richard — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 22:23:59 +0000

If you have a good converting squeeze page, the next thing you will be wondering about is your list open rate.

I am sure you’d like to know the sweet spot when it comes to the length of an email or the frequency of your emails. I don’t have that data but I can tell you what happens to the mail I get.

I know that I prefer having the ability to skim quickly so that I can decide almost instantly if I want to act on anything suggested, or simply delete the mail. For that reason, I prefer shorter length emails. I also don’t like to be bombarded by the same person all the time. In my mind 2-3 emails per week should be tops.

What My Personal Email Behavior Says About Another’s List Open Rate

Now let’s look at specifics. I have selected three marketers from among the many from whom I receive mail and analyzed ten emails from each of the three marketers.

Now it is apparent that length is not the only factor for me. I happen to appreciate quite a lot about Marketer 1 and 2, although for different reasons.

Marketer 1 has lots of ideas (specific tactics) and lots of offers, usually priced low. She typically writes about two sentences at the start of the letter concerning something she is doing or thinking about, and then she gets quickly to her point. I like that, and like her example and marketing focus, and that is in spite of the high frequency of her emails, which I don’t normally like from a marketer.

Marketer 2 has a different style, describing big ideas – marketing strategies – sometimes profoundly. A big factor is my interest is the topic about which he normally writes (collaboration!). He definitely writes long messages, often repeating verbatim huge portions of what he has written in previous mails, so I have gotten to the point of skipping quite a few of his letters.

Ironically, Marketer 3 writes short letters but until I did this study and actually counted the words, my perception was that his emails were too long for me; yet they average the same length as those of Marketer 1. Why did I have that misperception? I believe it is because most of his letters start with a personal story that takes about half the letter and with which I cannot relate at all. In addition I find that I flat out disagree with many of his information “nuggets.” Finally, he often misspells words, making the message even harder to skim. In short, the letters seem long because they seem irrelevant and although short, it is not easy to find the main point. I can scan the 1500 word letters from Marketer 2 faster… and more profitably. So why don’t I just unsubscribe?

How A Feeling of Connection Affects Your List Open Rate

Generally, I am more apt to open and skim a marketer’s letter if I feel a connection with him or her. The connection may have resulted from having met this person at a live event, or because of a Q&A call with the marketer, a Facebook group interaction with the marketer, an email exchange, or something similar. I believe that a personal connection plays a huge role in open rates, but, as with the average length of a letter, it too is not the only factor.

As it happens, I have met all of the 3 marketers in the above table at one or more live events. I have bought products from all three. All three have helped me in direct ways with one of my projects.

It is a factor in why I continue to open Marketer 1‘s letters, even though they come daily and occasionally twice a day. I have unsubscribed from other marketers whose letters came at a very high frequency but with whom I had no connection. If I did not have a connection with her, there is a good possibility I would unsubscribe because of that.

Marketer 1 is the very successful Connie Ragen Green. She is adept at connecting with her list. For example, she conducts frequent Q&A calls with her list at no charge. Several times I have written to ask her a technical question and she has responded almost instantly with a personal note (no support desk disconnect). I don’t know if that practice is scalable, but she has written a book called Huge Profits With a Tiny List. Better to have a strong list open rate with 5,000 people than a terrible open rate with 100,000 people.

Getting back to Marketer 3, my “connection” with him plays a part in why I have not unsubscribed while opening maybe only 15% of what he sends me. He has reached out to me on several occasions and, while some of his letters just turn me off, I am reluctant to cut myself off from his list. See how “connection” plays a significant role?

What Else Affects List Open Rate?

Note that each item below includes the word “must.” Take it with a grain of salt. I recommend following the items below as a starting point. Go ahead and test, slowly so as not to provide a chaotic meal to your subscribers, and make changes that seem right for you and your list. (And BTW, I am aware that I need to practice these points more faithfully myself.)

(Pic From Ayzek.com)

The information you share must stay congruent with the reason people joined the list. What did your opt in (lead gen) page offer? What did it say explicitly and implicitly? That’s what most of your content and offers must be about. If you want to talk about and sell something else, create a new offer, new opt in page, and new list. I joined the list of Marketer 2 because of his expertise in bringing people together and in teaching collaborative marketing. Ken McArthur delivers on that promise and I stick with his email because of that.

You must provide some value. Otherwise, why exactly do you think I will open your mail? It has to go beyond sell, sell, sell for your service, event, or product.

The “From” line in your email often provides the biggest and fastest impact on your list open rate. You must make sure that there is congruency there as well. I recommend putting your name and picture on your opt in page and your thank you page. Then make sure that same name appears in the “From” line of your mail.

The “Subject” line plays a huge role; I think that is pretty well known. There are a number of training programs that will teach you about the “Subject” lines with the highest open rates. Ryan Deiss covers that in a course called Sneaky Little Email Tricks. Don’t be fooled by that title though; tricks as in tips are good; tricks as in tricky, or getting people to open a letter for one reason only to talk about something else will eventually cause people to mistrust you.

Keep your letters brief. Going beyond 400 words is not brief. It is good to build the expectation of, “I’ll learn something useful and it won’t take long.”

As mentioned already, you must develop a connection with your list. It has to be authentic. The style must be yours. That said, taking two sentences to say something about what is happening in your life (no drama!) helps. Keeping an open tone helps.

We all know that your list is your biggest asset. However, developing a higher list open rate is one step closer to higher conversions and more profit regardless of the size of your list.

Please use the comments to share your ideas and experiences as to what affects a marketer’s list open rate.

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Will You Make Changes in Your Business in 2012?

Richard — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 23:23:35 +0000

Where do you want to be in 365 days? What are your business goals for 2012?

Please share the things in YOUR business that will be different in 365 days! Will you make changes in your business? Just respond in a comment below.

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Repurposing Products Like the Big Guys

Richard — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 16:42:49 +0000

We hear a lot about repurposing content, but have you thought about repurposing products? Both are fairly similar, it’s just that I am on a kick about putting saleable products at the heart of your business. In fact I’m writing a book about it, but that’s another story.

In any event, what you sell, your products, may or may not be information products. If they are information products, well, that’s how repurposing content and repurposing products are roughly similar.

Repurposing CONTENT

Repurposing Content

Let’s review the background of the “repurposing your content” notion.

It starts with the weary marketer who has just written a blog post and is now wondering what else can be done to drive traffic to his opt in (squeeze) page. And the advice often given is to take that blog post and modify it slightly for a different purpose … for a different media format actually. Here is one version, and I even have this taped onto the door of a cabinet in my office:

Write your quality article and post it on your blog.
Write a short version of the post and add it to your autoresponder series. In fact make it a teaser to read the blog post.
Modify the article slightly and submit it to an article directory,
Split the article up into sections for use on Squidoo and add appropriate Squidoo-type features. Or do it on HubPages or similar.
Make a video or video series out of the content using mostly pictures and voice over.
Shorten the article to 8 minutes of oral reading and convert the content into a podcast.
Put the article aside. When you have ten related articles, combine them into an ebook.

Maybe you have seen similar formulas for repurposing content. Squeeze the last bit of juice out of that content. If content is king, it’s a king with no particular media kingdom.

(Wait til you see my puppet skit on “Content is King!” But that will have to wait.)

Repurposing Products

Yes, products. You know, what marketers sell? Wait! You mean there are a bunch of online marketers with nothing to sell? Don’t get me going.

When the focus is shifted to products, we realize a couple of things.

Not all products are about content. Not all products are information products, although it is real easy to sell information products online because they can be so easily digitized. Not sure about digitized chocolate chip cookies. Or digitized quilts. Or honest-to-goodness oil paintings for the walls in your home. See? There are many niches for online marketers. So “repurposing products” has a range of meaning beyond information content.
You are starting with a product. OK? It says repurposing products. See the difference? With repurposing content, generally the phrase is used to mean starting with an article. It doesn’t have to mean that, but that’s the way it is most frequently used. So if you are dealing information products, and the concept is repurposing products, you are starting with something already saleable - perhaps a book, a membership site, a course, and so on.

So this all leads to the question suggested by the title of this article…

Do You Repurpose Your Products Like the Big Guys?

You surely don’t have the manpower of a multinational company like Hasbro when it comes to repurposing products for your own marketing funnel! Still, it’s amazing what that company has done with the Parker Brothers division they absorbed in 1991 and the best selling board game of all time – Monopoly®. I am not sure what brought that game to my mind – maybe it’s because of the approach of the gift-giving season?

Anyway, the idea of Monopoly popped into my head, and the more I looked online the more I saw what an incredible example this is of taking one product and repurposing it. Here is just some of what I found. Keep in mind that some of these products are not made by Hasbro, but licensed to others who have found their own ways to repurpose the original game.

At least a score of the basic versions of the game over the years, with very slight modifications.
Premium versions including currently a $900 game, previously an all chocolate game, a game with expensive gems worth over $50,000
Games issued in different languages and using different (play) currencies. Including Braille.
Games geared for younger age groups.
Games that focus on all manner of special target niches: specific cities, companies (Coco-Cola, Hersheys, ESPN), hobbyists (dog-lovers, horse-lovers, surfers)
Games issued as joint ventures with movie releases
Games issued in partnership with McDonalds.
Spinoff games with different game equipment and rules but similar playing style (Monopoly Here and Now and others).
Card game spinoffs from the board game theme.
All manner of electronic games.
Slot machines for casinos on the Monopoly theme.
Monopoly related merchandise – clothing, accessories, and a coming feature film.

Enter Monopoly into Amazon’s “Toys and Games” category and you get over 1400 items (even if you subtract a few hundred due to inaccurate tagging of selections, that still is huge!). I spent (wasted?) some time categorizing just a few, which helped me create the above list. You can also have fun with this by reading the article at Wikipedia or looking on the official Hasbro web site.

But isn’t it amazing what the big guys do? Does it get your mind in gear as you think about developing your own business funnel??

Repurposing Products and YOU

Repurposing PRODUCTS (click for better reading)

Leaving the rarified air of the Hasbro boardroom in Rhode Island (and sweaty air of the sometimes child-labor filled factories in China), let’s get back to you, the entrepreneur marketing online. How does repurposing products relate to you? Very simple ways, but not to be overlooked. Let’s revisit the three products I mentioned earlier:

Chocolate chip cookies? What about same recipe but different sizes and packaging, little cookies for little fingers, and so on. Then again, with added ingredients: nuts, and more.
Quilts? What about quilts for the wall, quilts for the crib, quilts for the king-size bed – all same design and quality. Quilt for the back seat of the car. Quilts for pets.
Oil paintings? Prints, postcards, originals with or without frames. Oil paintings in a series packaged together. Paint to order.

And finally back to information products. It’s not just about switching media (written to video, for example). It is also about retargeting. That doesn’t necessarily mean out of your niche (although it could be). It may just mean more finely targeted within your niche.

In summary: When thinking about the products for your funnel, it may not be necessary to create something completely different.

You can repurpose the content from one media format to another. From eBook to webinar presentation with slides. Or video series to eBook.
You can also take one of the main ideas from one product and add more examples for a second product.
You can also make some small modifications in one original product and retarget it for a sub-group within your niche. Just use a new title, artwork, and wording but provide the same message.

Are you looking to improve your profits? Maybe your business should be more product focused (focused on selling something). Maybe you need to have a marketing funnel (if you don’t have one), or maybe you just need to add to the funnel you have. One way to add to your funnel is to consider repurposing products, your own products.

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5 Mistakes While Finding Your Niche

Richard — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 18:17:43 +0000

Narrowing your target market is part of finding your niche. © ayzek at istockphoto.com

Finding your niche in business is fundamental to making a profit, but it is also fundamental in connecting with possible partners for joint ventures and other collaborations. Unfortunately, finding your niche is filled with pitfalls.

One of the first challenges is finding help with the task. You should know that some consultants have a specific process by which they will help you, and it may or may not be suited to your situation. Here are just three types of home business owners, and I believe that the process for finding your niche will vary depending on the business model you have in mind: coach or other solo professional, affiliate marketer, and network marketer.

A Balanced Approach to Finding Your Niche

I believe that you must consider two main things when clarifying your business niche; it’s not one versus the other.

1. What You Bring to the Marketplace. This means you should take inventory of yourself: What are you passionate about? What do you really love to do? Who do you really care about? What are your hobbies and special interests? What kind of people would you prefer to spend your time with? What are your values?

Also, what is your genius? What do you know a lot about? What are your skills and talents? What special training have you had? What have you figured out on your own? What experiences have you had?

2. What the Marketplace Needs and is Buying. This means you must research what is profitable. “Follow the money.” And you do this with niche keyword research. The goal is to find a niche covered by one or more long-tail search phrases. There is more, but niche research is another topic.

My real reason in mentioning this is that some consultants will focus on one of the two aspects and will downgrade the importance of the other. If you are seeking counsel, avoid someone who says that passion alone – or that the market alone – is the key to finding your niche.

The 5 Pitfalls – Avoid These Niche Mistakes

Limited monetization. You have a niche for which you have great passion as well as expertise. But you cannot locate any relevant products (beyond a few Amazon books which a have a very low commission rate and high competition) nor can you visualize creating a product. In that case you have a hobby, not a business.
No passion. You believe you have a niche which could be profitable based on the keyword research. But the niche does not excite you. Will you have the required persistence to maintain traffic to the business if, for example, weekly blog posts must be written?
No market. You like it, but keyword research demonstrates very few others search for this niche. The niche may be too small to be profitable.
Backwards reasoning. You already have products; for example, you joined a network marketing –MLM– opportunity. You remain focused on the array of products offered by your company which prevents you from finding a laser-focused niche. Instead, you may need to focus on either one of the products or a smaller target group that could use the product. Keep in mind: if you are a network marketer, finding your niche will have an inherent contradiction you must overcome. Your niche is not your company or even your company’s niche, necessarily.
Great niche, then ignore it. In this pitfall, you actually have done your work and established a great foundation, but then ignore it as you work on your business funnel. The niche serves as a gardening screen helping you sift out the roots, weeds, and rocks from the good dirt in your business. So do that! Don’t confuse people by jumping out of your niche. Stay congruent. Remember, for example, why people signed up for your list.

Resources for Finding Your Niche

Again, the importance of all of this for collaboration with other entrepreneurs is that you must have a good and ready answer to the question: What is your niche? Or, What do you do? Clear answers to such questions help other entrepreneurs determine whether you could be a potential partner, whether you bring something worthwhile to a potential collaboration.

My favorite resources that provide help in finding your niche include:

My video called, “My Biggest Niche Mistake.” Watch it here.

I love these two resources from Kevin Riley- they are best for affiliate marketers:

Video on Niche Research
Step by Step Guide to Researching a Niche for Affiliate Marketing. Works well for beginner and the more advanced marketer will benefit as well. Includes keyword research, product research and it is in great detail and well illustrated. You won’t feel lost.

The best niche clarification program for all other solo marketers was created by Cindy Schulson: Your Clear Path to Ideal Clients

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Thankfulness As a Business Strategy

Richard — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 00:33:24 +0000

Pink Bat Thinking and Thankfulness

Does “thankfulness” play a part in business success? Yes it’s the US Thanksgiving this week, but seriously, is there a direct link to business success?

Take a look at a movie called Pink Bat.

Then, in the comments below, share your thoughts – how is “thankfulness” a business strategy? How is it a collaboration strategy!!?

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Plugin Security – Take it Seriously!

Richard — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 19:14:06 +0000

If you are you using the WordPress platform, are you alert to plugin security? How would you feel if you tried to access your site only to see the “white screen of death” or that parts of your blog were not functioning?

There can be many security issues with a website and that is certainly true for WordPress; widespread use of any software is an invitation to hackers and scumbags who take delight in digital vandalism. So what are you doing to protect your WordPress site?

There can be many ways to beef up security on your site, but plugin security is one of the things to pay attention to. Plugins can and will be used against you if you “leave the door unlocked” to hacking scoundrels.

Have you already been hacked? Has Google already blacklisted your site because of it? Find out by running a free malware scan of your site at http://unmaskparasites.com

Addressing Plugin Security

Assuming you are tested “clean,” what next?

Is WP security "elementary"? Yes. Do it yourself or outsource it, but get it done.

Update Regularly.

At least once a month, perhaps oftener, check to see whether your plugins need to be updated. From your WP dashboard, open the list of all plugins and check to see which plugins currently have available upgrades. Oftentimes, the upgrade is due to a plugin security issue, a vulnerability in the plugin that needs to be fixed.

Delete Deactivated Plugins.

For a variety of reasons, deactivated plugins should be deleted. The more plugins you have on your site –including deactivated plugins!– the slower your site will perform. But also, older, deactivated plugins that develop a security vulnerability are still a threat, whether you are using them or not. In other words, a hacker can use the vulnerability in the deactivated plugin as an entry to your software to either wreck your site or use it as a base for an attack on other sites. So just get rid of them.

Note: Once a plugin has been deleted, there may still be some “orphaned” files from that plugin that remain on your site, usually related to saved settings for that deleted plugin. Yep – hard to believe, but still there. You may want to contact an expert to scan and remove these fragments for you which can conceivably be a security threat. Alternatively, you could use the plugin called “Clean Options” to do this for you. Backup first! Do it with care so that nothing important is deleted!

Conduct a Monthly Plugin Security Inspection.

A monthly inspection! This can be time-consuming, so outsourcing is one possibility. The following is NOT a complete list, but among the basic things that you can do as part of your inspection:

Check to see if the plug in is actually functioning (where possible).
Check the WP plugin directory regarding the status of your plugin. http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/ If one of your plugins is no longer listed in the directory, there is probably a reason so delete it from your own list of plugins. If it is still listed, determine if it is still supported; check the Changelog and user forum to see if the developer has done anything lately (good) or has abandoned the plugin (bad). If not supported, delete it.

Set Up a Defense.

Take preventive actions to diminish the possibility of a plugin security hack. Also, takes steps to ensure an easier solution should there be a hack. The following suggestions are NOT all encompassing!

Make sure you have a regular backup plan. This can be done by several possible plugins.
Install security plugins. Some examples would be Login Lockdown, comment protection like Akismet, virus scans, and other solutions.

I am NOT a Plugin Security Expert, BUT…

No, I am not a techie by a long shot – my blog is largely about using collaboration to build a business. Most of the information above came from a webinar presented by Regina Smola. I highly recommend her blog and suggest you may want to subscribe to her material (get her list of 7 security related plugins) and review her services.

HUGE TIP:

Regina’s webinar was hosted by the MyNAMS membership site.

I tried to listen on the free open-to-the-public night but couldn’t listen to all of it — I had to leave to get my grandson to bed. Fortunately, because I am a member, I could get back in and listen to the replay and download the presentation slides for additional study.

These regular webinars are just one tiny benefit of the MyNAMS membership which right now is cheap. Follow this link. If you want to become a member, you get 85% off the price of membership with this coupon code: MyNAMS85

Link to MyNAMS: http://fitting-the-pieces.com/MyNAMS

Coupon Code: MyNAMS85

This is a key membership site for developing collaborative partnerships in a variety of online marketing niches. It also keeps me posted on a lot of ancillary technical issues I would not otherwise know about.

I know I will be taking steps to improve the plugin security of THIS site and I hope you will pay attention to the security on YOUR site!

>>> So what do YOU think? Click here to add your comments! <<<

Collaboration Live Was A Haven for Marketers on Halloween Weekend

Richard — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 20:35:25 +0000

There is something musty and overbearing about having to do all of your business alone. And disempowering. That was the reason for Collaboration Live, the workshop I organized in Connecticut this past weekend. A workshop filled with challenging ideas and plans… and interrupted by a dark and cold outage of electrical power as a dreamy cover of heavy snow settled across the Connecticut River valley.

I was blessed by having several outstanding marketers join with me as presenters for the weekend. Unfortunately, we did not get to hear all of them…yet. But Al Carlson shared some wonderful stuff on branding, and got a lot of us thinking. Including me (in photo with blue shirt, listening with some of the others as Al presents).

Later, as the lights flickered, Crystal Curtis presented a view of doing business on Facebook that was as refreshing as it was completely the opposite of what others teach. So yes, Collaboration Live was a haven for marketers.

A Haven for Marketers on Halloween Weekend – Huh?

So then, it was also Halloween weekend. And as a mystery book lover, I thought back to one of America’s first writers in the mystery genre — along with one of his haunting poems. So just for fun, here is my mangling of his poem, and celebration of collaboration in the midst of a snowy convocation that I call…

The Haven

Once upon a snowstorm dreary while I pondered some new theory

Over many a sharp and curious question of marketing lore

While I listened, hardly napping, suddenly there came a clapping

As of some crowd now endorsing, clapping inside our workshop door.

“Tis some breakthroughs,” I declared, “capping all that went before –

Glad for this and wanting more!”

Ah, distinctly I remember it was in the bleak October;

And each workshop special member did its most to gather more

Of actions to accelerate, of actions to collaborate!

Looking for new ways to soar, far above they had before

Here they’d gathered just to mingle, a haven unlike those before:

Certain now for evermore.

Hark, methought, the past was lonely, working from some boring ritual

Stuck with affiliate offers whose links cluttered my desktop floor

“Great!” I cried. “The Secret has sent thee! — By these speakers he hath sent thee,

Haven. No more solitary months of lonely labor I implore!

No more amateur and isolated status for my gifts I implore!

Quoth the haven, “Nevermore.”

I hope to bring more of this “haven for marketers” to you in the weeks ahead.

>>> So what do YOU think? Click here to add your comments! <<<

Do You Dream of Making Money Online?

Richard — Sat, 22 Oct 2011 15:09:35 +0000

Having dreams is a good thing and if you dream of making money online you are not alone, that’s for sure!

How is that dream going?

The Collaboration Live workshop may be just the thing to transform your dream of making money into a stream of real money. With just a few days left before we start – go to CollaborationLive.com and register now.

A dream for making money requires practical strategies, guidance, and support and that is precisely why Collaboration Live may be just what you need now.

>>> So what do YOU think? Click here to add your comments! <<<

Collaborative Marketing Help | Tip of the Iceberg

Richard — Sun, 02 Oct 2011 00:21:19 +0000

Collaborative marketing fascinates me. It started when I first saw an e-book giveaway product that was jointly created by six online marketers, most fairly new at it. Yet they pooled their best information and experiences and created a really good product, each one writing a chapter in the area of marketing with which they were most familiar.

I have made Collaborative Marketing a specialty.

That was in the winter of 2009. Since then, I have looked for more examples of collaborative marketing, gone to live events to learn more, bought a lot of training materials to get the whole story, and have written hundreds of pages on the subject.

Now I have upped my game and have launched a webinar series on collaborative marketing stories, strategies, and successes. It consists of 9 marketing webinars, all interviews with people who can teach you and I some great ideas for positioning our businesses to actually make money. I have already done two of the interviews and here is a video report.

Why my Collaborative Marketing “specialty” is ignored

Fact is, I may need to reposition my own specialty. People give the “huh??” look when I use the expression. Maybe I am not “making collaboration simple and profitable for entrepreneurs” (my business tagline) if they don’t even know why they should listen to what I am preaching on the street corner.

Let me tell you what Collaborative Marketing is, OK?

Simply put, it is working with other marketers (other businesspeople or entrepreneurs) to market one’s products or services.

As opposed to doing it yourself, by yourself.
With the idea that there is a win-win involved for both (or all) of you.

I Use the term collaboration loosely

I know very well that collaboration has a very specific meaning involving a very specific way of working with others. I think that is terrific, but I use the word collaboration more like an umbrella to include a whole variety of ways of working together.

not just collaboration, but also cooperation
not just cooperation, but also mutually beneficial deeds (cross promotion; mutual referrals)

In terms of Collaborative Marketing, I am especially interested in –

joint ventures (JVs)
joint product creation
cross promotion
syndication tribes
tit for tat interviews, solo ads, and much more
partnering
actual partnerships
referral groups

Did you notice that those terms and descriptions overlap? No matter! What counts are really good ideas that leverage relationships to mutually benefit the growth of each participant’s business.

Ultimately – NO marketer is really successful unless they embrace collaborative marketing

So why not sooner, than later.

Some links:

Categories of collaborative marketing – A One-Page Summary (on this blog)

The 9 Webinars – Register and Replays (the replays site is temporary)

The live event, October 29-30, 2011, Collaboration Live! in Connecticut

I’d love nothing better than to incite you to try a collaborative marketing strategy.

>>> So what do YOU think? Click here to add your comments! <<<

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Plugin Security – Take it Seriously!

Addressing Plugin Security

Is WP security "elementary"? Yes. Do it yourself or outsource it, but get it done. Update Regularly.

Delete Deactivated Plugins.

Conduct a Monthly Plugin Security Inspection.

Set Up a Defense.

I am NOT a Plugin Security Expert, BUT…

Collaboration Live Was A Haven for Marketers on Halloween Weekend

A Haven for Marketers on Halloween Weekend – Huh?

Do You Dream of Making Money Online?

Collaborative Marketing Help | Tip of the Iceberg

I have made Collaborative Marketing a specialty.

Why my Collaborative Marketing “specialty” is ignored

Let me tell you what Collaborative Marketing is, OK?

I Use the term collaboration loosely

Ultimately – NO marketer is really successful unless they embrace collaborative marketing

Repurposing CONTENT

Repurposing Content

Is WP security "elementary"? Yes. Do it yourself or outsource it, but get it done.

Update Regularly.