1. Google Analytics: The first place I look for good insights is in my Google Analytics data. First, I check the content section. Knowing which articles and pages are the most popular will help you understand what topics are of most interest to your current website visitors. Be sure to use a broad date range to shake out any new articles that have found temporary fame. Second, check the search traffic source page to see what keywords and phrases are bringing people to your site. If you have found some search engine luck in a few phrases or words build off of them to solidify your positioning.
2. Suggestion Box: Everyone is anxious to get the word out about their latest product or idea. Often times you can glean some excellent content ideas by allowing your blog visitors to submit their suggestions. I generally do this by setting up a content suggestion page or widget (depending on how much you want to encourage input).
3. Topic Discussion Forums: Whatever your topic and niche is I’m confident that there is a forum/online discussion board somewhere online where people with that interest have conversations. Visit that forum and setup an account. Browse the most recent topics and look for the common questions or unanswered questions that you could answer with a blog post. This has the added benefit of driving traffic to your blog by posting your blog post as an answer to people’s questions.
4. LinkedIn Groups: Same concept as above. LinkedIn groups are very popular and you can almost always find a group specific to your topic. Join and sign up for the daily or weekly email digest. This will show you what topics are most trending and most difficult for people to answer/address.
5. Use Twitter and Facebook to Ask: Since social media is all about conversations, why not start one by asking people what questions or concerns they have about your topic? You will be surprised how much response you get. This is also a great way to ensure that after writing your blog post you have a few people who are very likely to go visit your blog.

What other ideas do you have to keep the blog post ideas flowing?

Organizing and Managing Email:

I use Gmail’s priority inbox which creates three sections of content: Important and Unread, Starred, and Everything else. About 4 times per day (or more often if I have dead time or transit time) I process incoming mail. Processing incoming mail consists of opening and reading ALL unread email. After opening and quickly evaluating the email I either: Star it (important and requires action), Archive it (may need later but requires no action), Delete it, or do nothing (not important but requires action). This leaves me with a clear set of important emails/tasks that are displayed as starred in my priority inbox. Everything else in the inbox is in the not-important but requires action area below. I try to never have more than 10 starred emails.

In-boxes (more generally speaking):

I capture all thoughts and tasks and stuff that requires action in one of three in-boxes. This is a lesson I gleaned from Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity

1. First is email and I’ve already covered how I manage that inbox.
2. Second is my to-do list. I use Google Tasks to manage my task list. Its always available on the computer in my Gmail and Calendar keeping it top of mind. It isn’t the most robust interface (Google needs to step it up here) but it fits my needs. It will allow you to assign due dates and input notes per task. I use an app on my iPad called GoTasks (also available on iPhone) that syncs flawlessly with Google Tasks and has a very robust interface that allows you to stack additional features, such as task reminders, on top of Google Task’s feature set. On my Android phone I currently use an app also called GoTasks (not the same developer). It syncs perfectly as well, and is the best option if you have more than one Google Account where you need to sync tasks. If you only have one Google account where you need to sync I would recommend an app called Tasks N Todos which has a much cleaner interface. EVERYTHING goes into this inbox. Every random thought or consideration must be archived by category (Family, Church, Business, etc).
3. Third is the home inbox. This is a physical red basket kept on our kitchen counter. Warranties/receipts, mail, and other notes and reminders find their way into this inbox. I check it every day and try to keep up on it the best I can.

Regular Planning Sessions

1. The most critical regular planning session is EFC (Executive Family Council). My wife and I sit down on Sunday evenings after the kids go to bed and plan the week. Topics include: Budget and Finances, Church Work, Week’s Calendar, Family Night (Mondays), Date Night, and our current Spiritual Book that we are reading as a couple. This doesn’t generally take more than 30 minutes. The calendar is generally fast because when either of us adds something to our own calendar, that at all involves the other person, we always send a calendar invite. Also worth noting is that we have 2 tools that we use to manage finances. The first is Mint.com and the second is a Google Doc Spreadsheet we call “This Month.” Its a daily inflow/outflow worksheet that allows us to plan every expense and inflow to maximize our savings and ensure we never have a negative balance.
2. Personal Daily Planning: This is a 3 minute nightly review of the next days activities. Just reminding myself if I need to wear anything specific (like a tie) and if I need to leave early or take anything with me outside of normal.

Tools I use religiously:

• Desktop:
• Evernote
• Google Tasks
• Gmail / Google Calendar
• Google Docs
• Dropbox
• Splashtop (for connecting to my other computers)
• My Android/iPad:
• Evernote
• GoTasks
• Gmail / Google Calendar
• Google Docs
• Dropbox
• Splashtop / PhoneMyPC
• Documents to Go
• NewsRob / FeedlerRSS (Google Reader Sync)
• Mint.com
• Paypal

What are some of the systems or tools that you have found work best for you and your family?

I’m not talking about Facebook. Of course you should be buying PPC on Facebook. Its the epitome of targeting but most everyone knows about it these days (which is why it seems to be getting more expensive).

What is the next pay-per-click frontier… I think these are among the options:

1. Goodreads: Goodreads.com is the largest and fastest growing social network built around books, book reviews, and book clubs. Stop to think about your target market. Don’t you think it would be easy to identify and target your potential customers/clients based on what books they probably read? I have found that this is generally the case. You can target by normal demographics but you can also target by book, genre, or author.
2. Twitter: You can buy targeted and promoted tweets and trends directly from Twitter.com. You can also use a 3rd party like SponsoredTweets. Either way it tends to be easy to target users based on what hashtags they use and who they follow. Good chance that everyone who follows ESPN is interested in sports.
3. LinkedIn: The site isn’t new but did you know you can buy ads there? It isn’t as saturated as Facebook and you can still target your audience effectively without a large budget. Just navigate to LinkedIn.com and look for the Advertising link at the bottom of the page.

Where else have you found success with your targeted ppc campaigns?

That is why I now always talk about the three Cs of Internet Marketing. This gives me a framework around which I can organize my thoughts and in which the clients can better understand the complete strategy and action points. The three Cs are in a certain chronological order and need to be addressed accordingly. Strategies revolve around these three points and always in this order.

Content

Your internet marketing strategy starts with creating content. It doesn’t matter if you are a plumber, blogger, or widget salesperson; you must create online content. Content is IMPORTANT because it sets the stage for everything else you do. Creating content gives you added credibility in your profession. Content gives you informational products to offer to entice people to join your email lists etc. Content gives you something to publish to social media networks on a regular basis. Content gives search engines something to read and index in reference to your website and what you are about.

At the very beginning you must map out an internet marketing content strategy. Use these questions as a guideline to help you define your content strategy:

• What are you going to write about? It should be related to your industry/products/services. It should have a wide audience. It should be generic enough that you can create endless amounts of content moving forward.
• Where will you need to publish the content? Your blog is an absolute must but you may need unique content for newsletters or info products to giveaway.
• How often do you need to produce content? Consistency is key so decide in the beginning how often you can commit to publishing new content.

Community

The second C is all about getting visitors to your site and followers in your social media and email lists. One time visitors to your website are an important part of your community plan but ultimately they will come as a bi-product of your focus on content and building the other communities we will discuss.

You should really be focusing on getting more people to join your email list, Facebook Page, Twitter Profile, YouTube Channel, and any other social profiles you focus on. Just creating content and sending it out to the world is not enough to believe that people will just start to find and follow you in these different mediums. Here are some pointers to consider as part of your community internet marketing strategy:

• Putting a widget (like the one over there on the right) on your website that quickly allows visitors to find your social media profiles is a good idea but don’t think it will be enough all by itself.
• Building a Twitter following is as easy as being able to target your audience and then follow them, and give them ample reason to follow you back. Here is a larger overview of the software and strategy I recommend. Here are other Twitter tutorials.
• Building a Facebook following is more difficult that Twitter because you cannot solicit users and ask them to “like” your page. You need to use your other communities (offline and online) to drive people to like your page, and this will go much more smoothly if you give people an incentive to “like” you there. Do product and service giveaways and contests. Produce unique (valuable) content that can be found exclusively on your Facebook page.
• Building your email database is as simple as giving people a compelling reason to join your list. Offer a Free Report, a Free Preview/Trial, Free Training or Video Tutorials, or an E-Book.  The more compelling the offer the more likely people are to give you their information.

Commerce

This tends to be the easiest part of the strategy for most of my clients. Most of us already know how we want to make money on our website. The bigger problem tends to be in getting enough eyeballs to look at what we are doing and offering. In case you don’t know fully how you can profit from your website and it’s content read this guide that explains how websites make money.

Commerce boils down to providing products that are targeted for your audience. This doesn’t mean you have to produce or sell the products yourself. Many website publishers generate their revenue in affiliate marketing opportunities.

I hope the three Cs of internet marketing serve you as a road-map the same way they have served me and the many advertisers and small businesses that I work with around the country!

There is one concept in particular that I feel has made a significant impact in my life that I would like to share with you today.

The author suggests that traditional stress is much more than a byproduct of having a lot to do. It is a byproduct of worrying that you will forget to do something. Therefore, a good management system in which you have absolute confidence is a significant factor in reducing stress.

Specifically, stress is often generated when we are constantly remembering everything we need to do. These “open loops” are constantly coming to mind because our mental system is also concerned that we may forget. If we have an effective system, that we believe in, where we can record/input every open loop as it comes to mind, then these things will stop coming to mind or at very least the anxiety that we associate with them will go away. The stress goes away because we know we won’t forget because it has been recorded in our management system.

In the last several weeks since reading this book I have worked hard to make sure that every time I think of anything that I should do our need to do, I input it into my task list software. I use an internet based system that has a corresponding app for my phone which makes it ready to access and input anywhere.

Of course the idea of recording all of your thoughts isn’t a new concept of personal management and leadership. However, it was only after hearing how this directly reduces stress and worry did it really sink in to me. The last few weeks I have experienced far less concern since I have confidence that I will not forget anything that needs doing.

Hope the idea can work for you too!

Disney has traditionally set a standard for good customer service. On Cyber Monday we ordered a toy from the Disney website in order to take advantage of the special deals and free shipping. When it arrived in the mail it seemed a little beat up. There were dings and scratches in the paint. All around it just didn’t look brand new. We emailed Disney requesting an exchange or refund. They told us to donate the toy to a local charity and informed us they had shipped us out another one.

Zappos.com recently came through for some of my relatives. After ordering an expensive set of knives one arrived in the mail damages. Zappos sent a replacement over night. After discovering that the same set of knives was almost $300 cheaper on a different website, Zappos agreed to credit the difference back despite not having any policy in place requiring them to do so.

We recently called on a local company to clear our carpets before our family came for Christmas. We found the company, called Oxi-Fresh, in a direct mail advertisement. They were cheap and cleaned two rooms for $120. The technician was friendly and professional. After the carpet started to dry we noticed some spots that hadn’t come out. We have two young children and a dog and we just felt disappointed that the carpets weren’t cleaner than they were. A few weeks later my wife was asked to take an online survey about the carpet cleaning and she mentioned that we had not been satisfied with the results. After about a week we received a phone call and were asked if they could come back out and clean the carpets again at no extra cost. The second round went much better and the carpets looked spotless. We are now raving fans of Oxi-Fresh carpet cleaners.

No matter what type of business you are in or what your capacity may be; good customer service is in everyone’s job description. Sometimes the best way to win a life long customer is to go the extra mile to take care of the customers who have the negative experiences. You may have a lot of competitors with the same product but you can always set yourself apart with your outstanding customer service!

1. Sold Content. Every website provides some level of content to its visitors. This may include video, text, images, etc. Anyone who sells a product and believes that your website visitors are among their target market, may consider paying you to introduce that product. Here are some of the more common types of content that you can sell from your website.
1. Reviews. In some cases this may involve your client submitting exact copy for you to publish or they may rely on you to write a high quality review based on your true experience with their product. Generally this means you will receive a complimentary product above and beyond the investment you secure to produce the review.
2. Email Blasts. If you have an email list of your website visitors you can sell email blasts to that list. Generally these are priced by the number of sends and clients will be interested in your average delivery rate, open ratios, and ctr.
3. Social Media Mentions. More and more often advertisers are willing to pay for your social media endorsement or mention. Awhile back I reviewed SponsoredTweets, but there are many different ad networks and direct advertisers who are interested in this type of publicity.
2. Sold Advertising. These are the traditional advertising options you notice on other websites.
1. Banners. Banners offer advertisers a great way to brand their business while driving web traffic. Generally advertising buy a number of impressions, clicks, or actions.
2. Rich Media. This could include various video integration options, or other media above and beyond traditional banners. The benefits tend to be similar to banner advertising but offer more opportunities for engaging with customers and getting out a message.
3. In Text Links. In text links are gaining in popularity. Advertisers can select existing text on a page or post of your site and pay you to hyperlink that text string to their site. They may also pay you to add a new text link in a page, post, or in your footer. Advertisers like in text links because they don’t tend to annoy web visitors as much, they drive direct traffic, and they help in search engine optimization efforts. Generally these are sold at a fixed price per time period or by the click.
3. Sold Products
1. E-Commerce. This is relatively straight forward. If you have a product you can sell it online. The quickest product to turn a profit on is an information product. It requires no production since buyers download it and thus your profit margin is higher. You can also become a retailer for a wholesale product. Many wholesalers will even drop ship the product directly to your buyer. This makes you the perfect middle man, just taking your margin and processing the sale.

I’m sure that I’ve missed an angle or idea that you may be able to implement. Hopefully this gives you a generic outline that will spark some new ideas to make money from your websites!

Top Ten Retailers:

1. Amazon.com: Klout score of 82
2. Victoria’s Secret: Klout score of 75
3. jcpenney: Klout score of 75
4. Sports Authority: Klout score of 74
5. Walgreens: Klout score of 73
6. HSN: Klout score of 72
7. ThinkGeek: Klout score of 72
8. BestBuy: Klout score of 72
9. Target: Klout score of 72
10. Macys: Klout score of 71

Source: http://corp.klout.com/blog/2011/12/the-10-most-influential-retailers/