Do you know the #1 most effective way to get people engaged in your content?

We’re talking about something that’s been practiced for centuries…

…

We’re talking about stories.

Whether it is a bed-time story, a detective story, the story of a woman who lost 200 pounds in one month or any other story, it’s what makes people listen to others, it makes them not want to put their favorite book away and it makes them stare the TV all day long.

And when it comes to stories, there is a very powerful way to create anticipation, excitement, even commitment towards your content…

Here’s a hint: Why do people keep returning in front of their TV every day at exactly the same time? Or why do people keep buying books from the same author?

It’s because they want to continue following the story that ended with a cliffhanger in the last episode/last book.

The point is that you may not want to give out all the content at once, but get your customers engaged, create some anticipation and make them commit to the process by… making it a process.

Also, don’t forget to use stories. They’re seriously the best way to engage people.

This post is part of the 10 Underused Product Creation Strategies That’ll Turn Customers to Loyal Fans -blog series.

Image by dnak.

"A Next Generation Keyword Tool"?

When it comes to keyword research, it can be quite difficult to find good keywords if you don’t have the right tools.

Fortunately, there hasn’t really been a shortage of keyword research tools, even usable ones. My favourites have been for a long time Market Samurai and SEOQuake.

But even these two tools haven’t met the full potential of keyword research tools… And in the past months, there have been some notable changes when it comes to keyword research data, and some new competition to the “old kings of keyword research”…

The Death of Yahoo! And The War of The Backlink Data Sources

First of all, as Yahoo! has partnered with Bing, is Y! Site Explorer, which used to be the go-to source for backlink-data, becoming less and less accurate. This has made most keyword research tools like SEO Quake, which still rely on Yahoo! data, pretty useless.

Not that there are no alternatives to Yahoo! data… Many trustworthy SEOs at least used to advocate for tools like Link Assistant and Backlink Watch, which used several data sources, Y! Site Explorer being only one of them.

But things have changed… Now, instead of relying on external sources, players like Majestic SEO and SEOmoz crawl the web on their own. And the good thing about these guys is that they’re not search engines – they don’t really have any reason to hide any data, like Google and Yahoo! had, except that you have to pay for at least some of the data (of course?)

Tools like Market Samurai have started using either of these two sources for their backlink data. And that is a big step forward for keyword research!

Keyword Research Robots Vs. Human Evaluation

But there is a certain feature that is included in very few tools, including Keyword Blueprint 2.0 PRO, and that is automatic keyword competition research, which might leave tools like Market Samurai to “bite dust”.

What I mean by automatic keyword competition research is that the tool, which has this feature, goes out to search for keywords based on the seed keyword you provide, and returns with a list of keywords, and it also automatically assigns a competition-level based on its own algorithm for each keyword.

This basically means that you just give the tool a keyword like “dating”, and after a while the tool tells you that “this and this keyword have high demand and low competition, use them!”

On paper, this feature seems really powerful, but it isn’t without its problems:

• SEOs all have their own keyword research formulas, and they’ll never be fully able to trust their valuable research to an automatic robot.
• When it comes to keyword competition research, there are some things that only a real human may be able to notice, like what type of sites you are competing against… On the other hand, search engine bots, which basically determine the order of the search results are also only robots… So in theory a robot should be able to “think like another robot”, meaning that it should be safe to entrust your keyword research to a robot.
• Keyword research is very much context-sensitive – it DOES matter whether you’re looking for keywords for Ezinarticles.com article marketing or for a niche website.

It can be argued if it’s smart to include such a “robot mode” in a keyword research tool or not… Nevertheless, most keyword research tools don’t have such a mode probably because it’s not that easy to make…

Also, completely automatic keyword discovery requires a lot of power, which is why using a desktop-based tool like Keyword Blueprint 2.0 PRO can be very stressful for your computer…

But now there is a tool, that doesn’t suffer from many of these aforementioned problems…

From The Ashes Rises The New King of Keyword Research Tools?

And NOW we can finish this intro (lol) and introduce the REAL star of this blog post – SECockpit!

Aside from its RIDICULOUS name (or am I the only one who thinks that?!), it’s actually a really good keyword research tool. First of all, I’d like mention the creators of this software, Sam Hänni (the tech genius) and Shane Melaugh (the marketing guy and SEO expert), who are both very intellectual and ethical guys who know what they’re doing.

Sam and Shane call SECockpit the Next Generation Search Marketing Tool, and there just might be some truth to that statement…

Let’s first list the problems that we discussed in the intro, and apply them to the context of SECockpit (SEC from now on):

• Y! Site Explorer backlink data isn’t reliable anymore, Majestic SEO and SEOmoz are the best alternatives.
• If you include an automatic keyword competition research feature to a keyword research tool, it NEEDS to have a solid, tested and proven algorithm (something that not just works, but works wonders!)
• …and even then, most well-educated SEOs probably want to configure it to their tastes.
• Automatic keyword discovery requires a lot of power and resources.
• Keyword research is context-sensitive.

And how does SEC respond to this?

1) SEC gets its backlink data (and some other cool data too) from SEOmoz, which is a reliable source of SEO data, and a trustworthy company overall.

2) SEC does its keyword competition research completely automatically (as discussed before), and the research is based on SEOmoz’s algorithm (which is the best automatic algo I’ve seen so far).

3) SEC is cloud-based, meaning that SEC’s own servers provide the required resources, and take most of the stress created by this kind of data mining. In other words, your computer won’t die when you use SEC.

4) As for the context-sensitiveness… The creators of SEC do understand this. Even though all the keywords are evaluated based on the same algorithm, you are able to see, at a glance, if, for example, there are any Youtube videos in the top 10 (which could be useful when you’re looking for, for example, keywords for your Youtube videos) and so on. Also, you can take a closer look at the top results to see what KIND of competition you have!

But even SEC isn’t perfect…

First of all, you can’t customize the algorithm that does the automatic research AT ALL. You can take a look at WHY SEC gives certain keywords certain competition-levels, but even that feature is quite limited – SEOs like I want to really know the reasons WHY a robot thinks that a keyword is this competitive. Now, SEC only lets you see some numbers like “mozRank”, “Page Authority” and “Juice Link”, which are all calculated using certain algorithms… And SEC won’t let you know what these algorithms are, nor does it let you do any deeper digging…

Let me demonstrate this with couple of images…

Here is the competition research view of SEC:

(Click to make image larger.)

And here’s the corresponding view of Market Samurai:

(Click to make image larger.)

I know you can trust SEOmoz’s algorithms, but I think (because this is only my opinion) that it would be better if you were given more data to figure out why a certain page has been given a certain “Page Authority” and so on… Meaning that I would like to be able to see things like site age, domain backlink count and on-page factors on SEC.

Yeah, I can see all that data if I go to Market Samurai, but that just means that I have to use Market Samurai in addition to SEC… If these guys want to “kill their competition”, these kinds of situations should not happen. (Plus it’s a pain to use two tools at the same time from an individuals’ stand-point…)

Ok, let’s move from one thing to another…

Here are some other features that SEC has:

• The top 10 results are divided into 3 segments, meaning that you can see the demand and competition for positions 1-3, 4-7 and 8-10 (which can be really useful).
• SEC shows data like available domains and Adwords CPC and competition.
• You can choose to see if there are, for example, any “sniper sites”, Amazon pages, Squidoo lenses or Youtube videos in the top 10 with a glance.
• SEC does some time- and project management too.
• The UI (user interface) is kind of “Windows-like”, and it could be more intuitive.
• There are some training videos about SEC itself, and an upcoming “bootcamp” (only the first part has been released) more on the theory of SEO (and maybe PPC).
• The pricing is a monthly payment (may change over time so I won’t mention the prices now), and there are a total of three different user levels with variable features. The monthly pricing-scheme doesn’t make this a very cheap tool… have to say that.

Conclusion

I think it’s safe to say that SECockpit has changed the way you are able to do keyword research…

Many people have relied on the “traditional keyword formula” (“if you have less than X competitors, it’s a good keyword”) because it’s so easy… And also very unreliable. Nevertheless, it’s not necessary to do keyword research this way anymore if you have SECockpit… Because SEC is even easier.

No longer you need to slave for hours to find the rare gems among the rough… SECockpit does thorough data analysis with a click of a few buttons.

This is a one-of-a-kind keyword tool, and even though it’s still a work-in-progress, it’s damn good at what it does. You need to experience it to believe it.

Overall, I truly believe that everyone who is even a bit serious about SEO needs this tool… And since you are reading this right now, it’s very likely that you are one of those people!

“Ok, great, where can I buy it then?”

Click here to get SECockpit:

P.S. Want to see SECockpit in action..? Click here.

Oh, I’m such a poetical prodigy!

All kiddings aside, welcome to part 2 of 10 Underused Product Creation Strategies That’ll Turn Customers to Loyal Fans -series.

Stop selling information that everyone already knows! (A common mistake)

This is one of the biggest mistakes that those “everyday Clickbank products” do… They may deliver their fancy pants video content through a membership site, but oh my gosh the content is terrible.

More often than not, they just share the same information that’s been talked about a thousand times before in places like popular forums and blogs.

“But isn’t all information ‘old information’ that’s already been shared somewhere in some form or another?”

Oh, yes. You could very well say that there is NO new information, and it would be hard to argument against you. And that’s what makes this topic – original information – kind of hard to discuss… And so not a whole lot of people discuss it, let alone get it right.

But let me give you a few examples to illustrate my point:

When it comes to those Clickbank products that I just mentioned, the information is so obvious that a trained pig would call it ‘oooooooold’ – when you sell advice like “write a squidoo lense, this is how to use twitter” as some groundbreaking system that you accidentally stumbled upon that made you $12,345 in your first day online… Well, first of all, I’d call you a damn liar and a scammer. Second, that’s really something that everyone already knows.

If you want to sell beginner-level information, that’s perfectly fine! …as long as you sell it as so.

And that is the kind of extreme example of information that is ‘too old to be sold’ (the poetical prodigy strikes again).

Here’s another example:

Creating a product based solely on the research you’ve done on forums and other websites is usually not so good an idea (hint: some knowledge can only be attained through experience!)

And please, do not ignore the above point. I sometimes see even experienced people creating well-researched, even well-outlined, but oh-so hollow content (think content that seems great but feels ‘soulless’) – they just aren’t able to put their experience into words (and I guess that’s why it’s sometimes called ‘silent information’ – it’s not easy to put that kind of information to words, but I don’t think it’s impossible.)

Ok, so how can we create this ‘new’ information?

Here are just a few ideas:

a) There is no right method for creating unique, original content. What I do is that I really dig deep in my mind – I avoid spouting the first thing that comes to my mind, and I try to convey my experiences and the big picture of the topic I’m talking about. On the other hand, some people create their best content by “going with the flow” of their thoughts, and some other people can truly get into the “heart” of the topic by doing thorough research.

b) Develop a unique process that hasn’t been taught before, that’s producing you great results.

c) Find a resource that has not been widely used within your market. For example, a “hidden” traffic source if you are in the IM niche.

d) Find a weakness in your competitors products, and patch that weakness in your product in a way that no one you know has done it before.

e) Apply knowledge found outside your market to your market. For example, explain what those people looking to lose weight can learn from real estate agents (real estate agent’s guide to losing weight or something like that).

As I said in the beginning of this post, this topic is not an easy topic to discuss about. Also, there’s a lot more to this than what I’ve talked about in this post – I have only scratched the surface.

In conclusion, creating original products is partly about the information you talk about and partly about the way you talk about it. What also matters a lot is the process you use to come up and convey this information. It has to do with your mindset, the effort you put into things and your experiences and knowledge.

Overall, whether you create original content or not, you will be able to feel it, if you just try. Take a deep, critical look into your own products and see if they meet the “criteria”. I certainly and honestly can say that not all my content is as unique as I intended!

—

In the next part of this series we’re going to talk about how to get people engaged into consuming your product. And the method I’m going to discuss is something that I’ve seen only a handful of people using with their products…

Image by legends2k.

Do you know what sucks (big time)?

When someone creates her first product, it almost certainly is some kind of quick-to-make ebook.

Why does that suck?

Because that ebook is usually so forgettable that the customer doesn’t get much value out of it, and the product creator won’t get loyal followers by selling me-too ebooks. It’s a lose-lose situation in other words.

But there are better ways to create products…

You CAN convert random buyers to loyal fans of yours by presenting them a great product (because it doesn’t happen automatically…)

With that said, let me present to you the 10 Underused Product Creation Strategies That’ll Turn Customers to Loyal Fans -series. In this series of blog posts, I’m going to cover 10 product creation strategies that very few people use correctly – especially many beginners ignore these completely (I have too), and then they’re wondering why their email list full of buyers isn’t that valuable after all, as some people may have suggested…

As a side note: Don’t get me wrong – even though I may have implied otherwise, ebooks can be extremely valuable. In fact, many of the best products I’ve bought have been ebooks. In fact, this is something that I’m going to discuss a little in this blog post, and in part 3 of this series…

Without further ado, let me share with you the first of the 10 strategies:

How making your product “shiny” can increase its real value

This principle is about increasing the perceived value of your product.

“Perceived value, huh? Isn’t that kind of cheating your customers to think that your product is more valuable than it actually is?” you may be thinking…

And the answer is ‘yes’ and ‘no’.

Yes, if you present the same content in video- and in text-formats, video is more often considered more valuable, even though it’s the same damn content!

No, because perceived value also can increase the real value of your product. Let me demonstrate this with a simple question:

When it comes to business advice, who would you rather listen to, Seth Godin or some random, dirty drunkard from the streets, even if they both shared the exact same advice with you?

I’m guessing you would listen to Seth Godin… And you would be more willing to take action on advice given by him. <– That’s the key. That’s why content with higher production values IS actually more valuable than some hastily formatted ebook.

Also, you’ll be able to sell it for more money. ;D

And when you sell high-ticket products, people WILL respect you more. (Well… At least until you join some guru-circlejerk and start launching non-existent $2K products…)

By the way, a great example of high production value content are the products of Shane Melaugh…

What makes his products special?

Well, let me give you this little checklist of things that apply to pretty much every product of Shane:

• Use video, audio AND text
• Deliver your content through a membership site (no, it doesn’t have to be a monthly membership site!)
• Use fancy graphics and visuals
• When talking in a video or in an audio, present your content in a professional manner (ie. use a script, avoid the ‘umms’ and the awkward pauses <– but don’t fall into the trap of perfectionism!)

These kind of things aren’t that hard to figure out. But they are important, and they are often ignored.

Also, as they say, “the first impression is the one that lasts”, which holds true for product creation also. With this simple advice you can create a product that is perceived high-value, and make a great first impression.

(Reminder to self: Start applying your own advice more, you lazy bum!)

Next time we’re going to discuss something that is a very common problem among beginner product creators…

Check out other parts of this series: 10 Underused Product Creation Strategies That’ll Turn Customers to Loyal Fans

Image by stevendepolo.

Do you lack a system to set up your WordPress sites for ideal search engine optimization?

In this video I show a basic SEO-setup, including the ideal settings, essential WP plugins and how to also optimize your posts…

It’s a video I did about half a year ago, and one of my first videos… Just so you know. Also, when compressing the video (the original was WAY too big for streaming), the image quality suffered a little bit. It should still be watchable though.

Enjoy!

Not all good information is paid information.

But it sure can be hard to find good free information…

That is why I have listed below a bunch of blog posts, videos etc. that I really think are worth reading… So you wouldn’t have to look for them yourself.

Now, before we begin, a little recommendation: If you want to read any of these posts later, just download Read It Later-plugin to your browser or to your smart phone… so you can read these later…

Living In a Link Maze #2

10 Best Social Bookmarking WordPress Plugins.

Many consider .EDU-links to have more “weight” than links from the “usual” .COM-, .NET-, etc. sites. Here is an interesting article titled “Truth About .Edu Domains“.

An important lesson to be learnt – What Makes People Buy: Emotions VS Logic. You might want to apply this to ALL aspects of your marketing…

3 Steps to Foolish Marketing – 3 lessons about content-driven marketing (the future of marketing?)

Paul McCarthy’s interesting plan to create a powerful affiliate program. Also, another post by Paul on picking buying keywords (really important).

What Andrew learned when he was banned from Google Adwords (Google reveals “internal secrets”).

More about Adwords… 5 Killer Google Ad Copy Tricks.

A behind-the-scenes look at the gurus’ way of running an online business… (dirty!)

Revealing Look Inside My Business (Easy Traffic) – An interview between Lee McIntyre and Richard Legg.

The Best Affiliate Marketing Strategy I Know – This may very well be the affiliate marketing model you’re looking for…

I guess bum marketing DOES work…

Lessons about Product positioning.

A video about sales funnels – Conversion “secrets”.

An important lesson about business mindset (if you’re struggling, it might just be because of this!)

I hope you enjoyed these links! You can check out my latest findings on the right sidebar. For previous editions of Living In a Link Maze posts, click here. To browse links in the archive, go to here.

Image by JPhilipson.

Why can’t I drive traffic even after buying all those traffic products?

What is the best traffic plan that I should follow?

I get only a little amount of traffic – what should I do?

I discuss these questions and more in my latest video:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Ah3ubocrv8

The above video aside, I was also thinking of writing an overview of different traffic generation methods (and by overview I don’t mean beginner-lever stating-the-obvious kind of stuff) – SEO, paid traffic, content distribution, social media traffic and JV/affiliate traffic, but I decided to leave that for another blog posts… Coming in the near future!

Also, in the video I pretty much told you not to buy anymore traffic-related products… And as you may know, I have a product of that kind myself… Well, I can say that I learned a lot of new things myself when interviewing traffic experts for that products, so I guarantee you’ll learn something new yourself too. Also, I offer my personal help in implementing the traffic strategies discussed in the product, so it’s not just another information product… So of course I recommend you buy that one.

Image by Daniele Pesaresi.

What is the ideal kind of Internet marketing coach?

Why some experts are better teachers than others?

How do I combat information overload?

If these are the kind of questions that you’ve been pondering by yourself, then this video is for you:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=NQPoJMeTkRI

I hope you enjoyed the video! Let me know what you think!

If you’ve been having a hard time figuring out the business model that you want to go after, this video is for you… Even though it’s pretty fancy, it’s not a sales video, by the way!

www.youtube.com/watch?v=5WvkNeYF_Do

I hope you enjoyed the video! If you did, let me know, and I’ll keep making these.

Are you a lone wolf?

When you don’t know what to do, do you have anyone you can turn to?

When you have doubts about your action plan, is there anyone who can clear those doubts for you?

Are there people who you can share your successes and failures with, and who encourage you to go on?

No?

If you are having a hard time as an Internet marketer, the lack of a tight community of friends may be what is missing from your life.

What’s the value in being part of a community?

Fellow marketers can act as your accountability partners, they can give you business advice and they can act as role models. Your customers and prospects will make sure you won’t let them down. They also act as motivators for you to create good content. If you know people who are also struggling with Internet marketing, maybe you can help each others?

When I was starting out a couple of years ago, I joined a community that was very small, but also very tight. I enjoyed hanging out with these people, and partly thanks to them, I managed to take action on my projects, and even finish some! I kept them up to date on my progression on some of my projects, and they made me go on.

That community has died since then, but without them, I probably wouldn’t be in this situation now.

What I’m trying to say is that you need to be apart of a community too!

Warrior forum doesn’t count… Or do you feel like you’re a part of a small, tight family as a WF member?

Because my previous community died, I’ve been a pretty lonely wolf for a few months now. Only recently I joined another community, and I’ve really liked it so far. The people there are extremely nice, there are tons of good training and there are always people who are willing to help YOU. Also, it’s a fairly small and tight community – just the way I like it.

I encourage you to take a sneak peek at this community… (aff. link)

And if you like what you’ll see, I would love if you joined us!

Image by janet_farthing.