When it comes to content production, you have two primary choices. The first is to outsource the work to an article writer. If you hire someone, it’ll cost between $7 – $15 for your average 500-word article and the article will suck. Sorry, but it will. The problem is, these content-writers generally don’t care about what they’re writing, they don’t care about the audience, and the quality of the content will be very poor. Sure, your content needs to attract and provide real value to your visitors. Long-term success is about more than just throwing together a few pages of drivel that trick the search engines. Build real, helpful content that gets links naturally and you’ve got a winning strategy.

This is why I always opt for door #2 – writing the content myself. I know my audience and I know that I can write something they are interested in. However, I used to have the tendency to polish/perfect/expand/edit the article endlessly, turning one 500-word article into a 3-4 hour project. If you need to produce a number of articles per day, this is simply not an option, as I quickly found out.

Yes, the content needs to be awesome, but it doesn’t need to be pulitzer prize winning work! Nor is it being published in a book. I’ve learned a strategy that can help me write a meaningful 500+ word article in under 30 minutes, here’s how it’s done:

Step 1 – Set a timer. I’ve noticed that if I start out knowing that I’m under pressure to write a quick article, my thoughts come much more quickly and I’m able to get them down into sentences 3-4x faster. Either set a timer or look at the clock and give yourself no more than 30 minutes.

Step 2 – Outline. This step will do two things for you: 1) it gives your article structure and purpose, 2) it helps you see the big picture which will allow you to write much faster. Take 10 minutes here to think about what you want to say, who your audience is, and do any research on points you’re unsure about. You can either write the outline in your actual document, or like me, keep a mental outline.

Step 3 – Bang it out. Just start typing. Trust your thoughts and keep your fingers moving. You’ve got an outline to keep you on track, so just keep filling in the paragraphs one after another until they’re completed. After a few practice articles, you should get skilled at writing meaningful content almost subconsciously and without having to stop and think about what you’re saying. This will take about 10-15 minutes for 500 words.

Step 4 – Edit and Review. This step takes about 5 minutes. You’ll want to read through your article and make sure you don’t have any typos. You’ll also want to briefly fix and re-order anything that doesn’t make sense. Don’t spend all day! Limit yourself to 5 minutes.

If all went well, you should now have a polished article that took less than 30 minutes from start to finish. Congratulations!

I know this strategy works because I use it. I wrote and edited this entire piece in under 28 minutes and it’s not too bad . Imagine the possibilities of being able to sit down at your computer and pump out 6 (SIX!) articles in under three hours. That’s enough content to start an entire niche site, or enough to future-post blog posts for an entire week. Give this technique a try and watch your content producing skills reach a whole new level.

The modern web is driven by much more than just search traffic, and internet marketers must respond accordingly. In order to maximize the number of visitors to your site, you must develop a rock-solid social media strategy. Following are a few ways to take your social media optimization to the next level:

1. Be Helpful on Social Media

Too many brands use social media like a loudspeaker, screaming advertisements at anyone who will listen. Don’t do that. Find a way to personally connect and help your fans/followers. Search out your topic and actively provide answers and insight to people who are asking questions. Then, they’ll happily look up who you are and visit your site – without the loudspeaker!

For example, if you have a website about car speakers, search twitter for “car speakers” and related terms. Whenever you see someone asking a question, jump in and provide some insight. Chances are, that quick answer will have created a long-term follower.

2. Know your audience

Just like with traditional marketing, when using social media, it is important that you know who you’re marketing to. A campaign for Old Spice (targeted to young men) would be much different than one for a high-end Jeweler. Instead of attracting fans, running the wrong type of campaign can totally turn off your audience.

Write out your target customer and plan your tweets, promos, designs, and all elements of your campaign accordingly. Learn to speak the same language as your audience.

3. Ditch Comments, Add Social Media Discussions

Everyone has buttons on their website for sharing on social media sites, but you can do better than just a measly button! The secret is to to engage your audience + your content + social media in a creative way. Instead of asking users to comment on your latest article, ask them to tweet their thoughts with a link back to the article. That way, your reach increases exponentially (your article/link is seen by all of their followers).

In fact, you might go so far as to dump your blog comments and include a message instead that says something like, “Want to share your thoughts? *Click Here* to post your reply on Twitter!” The link would then include both a link back to the article and a mention @yourname.

This is my #1 technique for those who actively create content. Try this one simple tip and you could see 20x more social media traffic to your site.

4. Join Active Conversations 

A great way to extend your reach with social media is to jump into already-existing discussions and networks. One person likened Twitter to a BIG party – you walk in (log on) and see groups of people already talking. When you find an interesting conversation, you jump in and add your two cents as well. “Oh yeah, I went hiking in colorado last month, it was killer!” You don’t butt into the middle of the conversation and start pitching your product, but after a while people will begin to take notice of you and ask questions… then you can explain more about your outdoor hiking business. It’s easy and natural to join conversations about the topics you love.

The best places to do this are on the comments of blog in your industry, other people’s Facebook fan pages, Twitter searches, and Youtube. Find others who are passionate about your industry and enjoy discussing your topic with them. The dozens (hundreds?) of friends you make during this process can catapult your brand to new heights.

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Like all other areas of internet marketing and traffic building, whatever work you put into social media optimization, you’ll get equal results back out of it. Take the time to do it right and build upon your success each day. Over time, your social media influence will being to bring your website noticeable traffic and results.

This article will share some high-level thoughts on how to develop, market, and launch a successful iPhone application.

Getting Your iPhone App Built

Anyone wanting to enter the iPhone App business will quickly face a major hurdle: “how the heck to I get these things built?” For someone with a great idea but no programming experience, it can be a daunting challenge to design, develop, debug, market and launch an iPhone application that does something useful. There are ultimately two options: 1) spend months (years) learning how to build apps on your own or 2) hire someone that can help.

I won’t discount the idea of learning to code on your own, as many people enjoy this. However, I find it much easier to focus on what I do best (coming up with the ideas and managing the process) and hiring others that focus on what they do best (coding the apps).

The best way to find someone is on Elance, a directory of freelancers. There are hundreds of iPhone and iPad developers who can turn your concept into a successful product. You simply create an Elance account (click here to do that) and post your project with some specifics on what you’d like your app to do. Then, developers will bid on your project and you can select the one that best matches your needs.

If you’re unsure of the quality of the developer, be sure to check their past work and make sure they have built many iPhone apps for satisfied clients.

Going this route, you can have your app online in weeks and often for under $1,000. This is the best option in my book.

Patterns of App Store Success

Following patterns is the secret to success. Patterns can show you what has been proven to work and, just as importantly, what has proven to fail. Taking advantage of these trends will save you time and increase your chances of success.

I did a bit of digging into the current trends of the App Store and here’s what I found:

• Of the top 25 paid apps, 20 of them are in the games or entertainment categories.
• Interestingly, 5 of the top 10 highest-grossing apps are free downloads. What? This means they’re taking advantage of in-app purchases.
• 8 of the top 10 paid apps are priced at $.99, the other two are $1.99
• Simplicity sells. Customers love apps that do one thing and do it well. Complex apps that do too many things rarely sell.
• Style counts. You won’t find an app in the top 25 that’s ugly or poorly designed. The best-selling apps always have a flair for beautiful interfaces. This is especially true with the icons – the first thing a prospective customer sees.

The thing that jumps out at me most is the in-app purchases. This is a fairly new trend and definitely something worth exploring further. This is similar to a “freemium” web model where 90% of the features are free and the 10% are optional but pricey. This is most effective for games where you can buy extra add-ons that add value to the game. Personally, I think this trend is only going to continue. Ask yourself how your app idea can utilize in-app purchases.

Also, if you’re really into productivity apps or some other category, don’t let these patterns dissuade you. The odds of reaching the #1 most downloaded app might not be in your favor, but you don’t need #1 in order to be successful. If you look at the success stories I posted towards the end of this article, none of them are in the games/entertainment category.

NOTE: The App Store itself is limited in terms of the data you can find. If you want to see deeper into the trends, Yappler and MobClix have lots of free research, stats, and charts.

Free or Paid?

Short answer: both.

One thing that can be frightening about mobile applications is the App Store’s version of the one-hit wonder syndrome. You might get super lucky and reach the #1 most downloaded app for a day or two, only to drop off into oblivion forever after. This is not an ideal business model for anyone serious about earning a long-term income with app development!

One great strategy to combat this is to combine the instant profits of paid applications (most between $.99 and $2.99) along with free ad-supported apps to provide long-term income.

There are a number of factors that go into the decision to make an app free or paid, but perhaps the most important is frequency of use. With an ad supported app, you make money each time an ad is viewed or clicked. Therefore, the more the app is used, the more ad revenue it will produce. So it makes sense to place ads in apps that will get used daily (such as news readers or music players like Pandora). Whereas a novelty app or game might be best suited as a paid download.

Another important consideration is whether to create lite version of your paid application. I think this has proven to be a good strategy for many developers. Not only can you place ads in your free app, it can also help sell more copies of your paid version to customers who might not have made the purchase without trying it out for free. Additionally, you will double the exposure of your app, since there are two copies floating around in the App Store.

Can You Really Succeed with App Development?

With over 300,000 apps, it’s understandable to feel a little pesemistic about your chances of App Store success. However, I think that’s a mistake. Most of the failures are from developers who built sub-par apps, paying more attention to the $$ than the quality. Here’s a few reasons why I think mobile apps are still a great opportunity:

• Plenty of EvidenceThere are dozens of examples of developers making incredible income from iPhone applications. In fact, here’s a few of them:
  • Free The Apps – $800,000/year with mostly free apps
  • TapTapTap – $500,000 of Camera+ sales in 2 months
  • WhereTo – $227,000/year from one app
• Huge Market. Who doesn’t have an iPhone or an iPod touch these days? Apple sold 14 million iPhones in just the 3rd quarter of 2010, and you can bet this growth will continue for years to come.
• Expansion. with others developing your apps, you’re only limited by the funds you have to get started. Achieve a little success and it’s easy to build 10 more apps, each creating a great stream of income on their own.

No matter what your financial goals, the most important thing is that you progress towards it each day, laying one brick at a time.

Final Thoughts

I truly believe that building a successful iPhone app business is about one thing: delivering massive value. The reason many people fail to produce success on the app store is not because there’s too much competition, or not enough money to market their apps, or any other excuses. It’s simply because the customer can find more value in another app. This, of course, is the same success principle for every business. The reality is, iPhone apps don’t live in a magical world where you throw something together and make a million bucks; just like everything else, it takes hard work and skill.

This could only be a quick intro to app development. If you want to maximize your success, I highly recommend picking up the eBook How to Make iPhone Apps with No Programming Experience by Free The Apps – two developers who are currently making $800,000/year from a process very similar to the one I described above. This eBook will teach you everything you need to get your business started on the right foot, with a system that has proven to make $800,000/year. Click Here to download that eBook.

Years ago, I would spend dozens of hours designing my own HTML email templates. This work is tedious and time consuming, but it’s also risky. It’s risky because every email service provider (Gmail, Yahoo, AOL, etc.) displays emails differently. 9 times out of 10, your custom template will display incorrectly for some of your recipients. And that’s the last thing you need when sending out your latest promotion or sales letter.

Instead, why not leave your email templates to the pros? Wouldn’t it be easier to pick from hundreds of professional templates, paste in your content, and send off your newsletter with confidence, knowing that each and every subscriber will get the newsletter in it’s intended format?

That’s where Aweber comes in, it’s a powerful way to manage your email list and create a truly beautiful newsletter. Their service is the industry standard for anyone with a serious email list. Here’s why:

• Managing and editing your list is a snap
• In depth stats and analytics are a click away
• Sending newsletters and autoresponders is super easy
• The templates are professional and fool-proof
• Their support staff is friendly and helpful
• The price can’t be beat

And the list goes on… I’ve been using Aweber for years to manage all my lists (including the one on this site) and I couldn’t be happier with their service.

Picking an Email Template in Aweber

Let me show you how to pick your own email template in 2 minutes:

Step 1 - Login to your account and click on the Messages tab. Here, you can choose whether this email will be a followup or a broadcast. Followups are sent at a scheduled time after the user signs up (think of a “welcome to my list” email) and broadcasts are your typical newsletter blasts that get sent to everyone at once. Click your selection and you’ll be taken to the page where you can write your email, but right now it’s a plain white template. We’ll be changing that in Step 2!

Step 2 – Now you can choose your template. Along the right hand side of this page you’ll see a Template heading where you can preview templates. When you’ve found the perfect design for your needs, click Load and it will show up in the text editor to the left.

Step 3 - This is where it gets fun. Aweber lets your type in the text of your email right into the chosen template, exactly how it will look when you send it. No guesswork. When your email is complete, be sure to preview it at the bottom of the page and schedule it for delivery!

Simplicity and reliability are the power behind Aweber. There’s nothing worse than wondering if your emails will display correctly, or if they will even get sent at all. With Aweber’s professional templates, you can be sure your emails will get sent perfectly every time. If you’d like to check it out for yourself, use the link below and you can try Aweber for $1.

Try Aweber Today for Just $1 »