One of the most powerful, high-converting forms of traffic that you can generate is via word-of-mouth. Think about it for a moment . . .

When you use traditional advertising, you’re basically tooting your own horn. People tend to be a bit on the skeptical side with regards to your products or services. They put their defensive walls up. They think, “Well of course he’d say that – he’s trying to sell me something!”

But now imagine that this same prospect receives your advertising message from a friend. Maybe the friend says, “Wow – you need to check out that new sports memorabilia store on 10th Avenue. You’ll LOVE it!”

Will this prospect check it out? You bet! And that’s because someone he knows and trusts made the recommendation.

You understand now why word of mouth marketing is so powerful – and why you’ll want to make sure you put it to work for your business, too. Here’s how:

1. Create something worth talking about. People won’t talk about your business if it’s not buzz worthy. So if it’s not naturally buzz worthy (i.e., worth talking about), then need to create something for people to talk about.

Examples:

• A publicity stunt. Kick start the viral effect by sending out press releases, using social media to spread the word and advertising it.

• A contest. A big, exciting contest with awesome prizes tends to create a buzz. But if you create a contest that includes a referral component (e.g., “get an extra chance to win by telling your friends”), then your contest becomes even more buzz worthy.

• Something controversial or even offensive. Be careful with this one, as doing it the wrong way can alienate your prospects. But do it right, and you’ll draw then closer. For examples, just look at what partisan political commentators say on their radio shows and on their blogs.

• Something extremely unique, useful or entertaining. Here you can create a useful tool, report, video or other resource that your prospects are likely to pass around.

• An amazing deal. Create coupon codes to offer a “once in a lifetime” deal – then watch your prospects share these codes with their friends!

2. Make it easy to share. In other words, don’t create hoops.

Example: If you’ve created a viral video, then put it on YouTube.com so that people can access it and share it easily.

3. Give an incentive to encourage sharing. If you create something share-worthy (like a humorous video), people will naturally share it. But if you give people an incentive to share it, you’ll get even better results.

Example: The online bank ING often runs a referral promotion. The person who gets the referral receives $25 if they open a new bank account. But the person who provides the referral also gets an incentive if his friend joins: Namely, he too gets $25 deposited into his account.

4. Provide a call to action. Whether you’re incentivizing your word of mouth campaign or not, you still need to provide a call to action. This is where you specifically tell your prospects and customers to share your marketing message.

Examples:

• “Tell your friends about our new line of products and you’ll receive 5% off your next purchase every time one of your referrals becomes a paying customer!”

• “Give your Facebook friends a laugh – click here now to share this video!”

5. Offer tools to make sharing easy. Finally, you can offer tools to make it easy for your customers and prospects to tell their friends. Examples of tools include:

• Business cards, flyers or paper coupons that people can distribute.
• Social bookmarking buttons.
• “Tell a friend” forms.
• Facebook and other social media widgets (so people can share with one click).

And there you have it: Five keys to unleashing the power of word-of-mouth marketing.

Of course this is just one way to expand your market reach. When you join the iBusiness Owner site today, you’ll discover plenty of other ways. Plus you’ll discover other ways to increase your market reach, get new customers and make more money. So visit the new website today to see what it’s all about – do it now, because you won’t be disappointed!

NAMS Atlanta workshop

this year!

Well,  just recently David launched an online branch of NAMS as well, and it’s packed full of incredible training resources. Regardless of where you are in your online business journey, you’ll find help within the NAMS website.

There are weekly webinars with industry experts, monthly Q & A calls where you can get all your questions answered, private accountability groups, and lots of other things to help ensure your success as an affiliate marketer.

But the best part is that right now you can gain admission to the three day conference for just $147 (regularly $497) AND three months of free access to the members site.

Click here to get in today, before the price goes up!

(Come meet some of the teachers and trainers up close and in person. There’s nothing like it!)

Register NOW: http://NAMSinAtlanta.com and use the code LASTCHANCE7

LinkedIn is a powerful marketing tool that is sadly underutilized by most business professionals. Most of them show up, pop in a resume, and never return. So there is a huge advantage for the rest of us who know how to enjoy the benefits.

Starting with the LinkedIn headline, which is very valuable real estate, you can make an impression and stand out in a crowded field.

Introducing the first “Short Attention Span READER” explanation post.

The notes on the graphic page will give you some great tips for moving your own LinkedIn presence into the popular kids’ section.

Do let me know what you think of this by leaving a comment below, because I have more social media tips and tricks that I plan to show you soon. Thanks!

My Mom was a registered nurse who never thought we were sick enough to stay home from school.

I teach people how to create really good About pages, and by extension, Home pages and blog posts. My trademark line is “That’s a blog post!”

I was even asked to teach a “Lunch & Learn” at The Work Spot on blog posts. I accepted because I feel passionately that blog posts ARE everywhere.

Except on my blog.

WHICH LEADS ME to remind everyone, that the best way to get your act together and post material to your own website is to spend an hour with a friend or colleague or friendly competitor (?) and write. And critique. And brainstorm. And be honest and watch what happens when the creative energy is exploding.

Trust me. I’m a blogger.

I don’t know.

What I do know is how you can claim a Vanity URL for your Facebook Fan page.

This is valuable information because Facebook makes it quite hard to find the directions on its help pages. So as I was helping Cold Calling Queen Sandy Cornwell  set up her Vanity URL, I decided to document the steps for your reference.

All you need is 25 fans–that is–25 people who have clicked the LIKE button on your Facebook business page, formerly known as a fan page. Making sure you are logged into Facebook as yourself  (your personal profile, not your business page), open a new tab or window and go to:
http://facebook.com/username

After selecting which business page to update,  you will key in your desired name.  It’s a good idea to have a few back-up names in mind. The more unique your name, the better chance you will have of claiming the one you want most.

Sandy and I were happily surprised that her first choice, “ColdCallingQueen” was available!

A tip for choosing YOUR Vanity URL: keep it short and simple. Here’s the test: you want to be able to SAY it to someone you meet–from the stage, in a networking situation, on the phone– and have them be able to recall it later.

GOOD CHOICE:
www.facebook.com/carlsautomotive = “facebook dot com slash carls automotive”

BAD CHOICE:
www.facebook.com/carlfixescars4u = “facebook dot com slash carl fixes cars for you”

You want the URL (website address) to be simple and short, but your actual title on the Fan Page may be longer. It should contain all the words that people might search on within Facebook.

“Carl Smith of Carl’s Automotive in Jasper, Idaho” would work just fine on the actual page.

If your fan page is still awaiting the elusive 25, feel free to place the link in the Comments section. Readers: let’s help these folks out! Check out the fan pages below and “like” them if you really do.

Just like a makeup artist takes your natural beauty and enhances it–maybe highlighting the great features and downplaying the not-so-great– I am a “Word Artist”.

I can make you look really good in words. It’s still all you, just showing you in the most appropriate light for the occasion.

The makeup lady lays it on thick and conservative for elegant evening weddings. I can do that for formal corporate biographies or news releases.

The makeup lady keeps it fresh and clean for daytime meetings. I can make your speakers package and introductions sharp and relevant. Same for your blog posts.

And when you want to get noticed “right here, right now”, get ready for some sparkly eye makeup or outrageously colored hair. I’ll boldly issue a press release or launch a series of viral Tweets on your behalf.

Does your profile need an update? Let’s discuss your possibilities.

You’re lookin’ good already!

1. Complete your profile.

When you first open your Twitter, Facebook, Squidoo or other social media site account, fill out your profile (including a picture). Doing so makes it easier for people to get to know you and build relationships with you, which will make it more likely they’ll click through to your site.

2. Interact.

Social sites are, by definition, social. They’re two way streets (not monologues). That’s why you shouldn’t just post content and move on. Instead, spend a few minutes each day interacting and getting to know people in your network.

3. Include a link to your site on your profile page.

This tip is simple but effective: Give people a reason to click through from the social media site to your blog or squeeze page. A promise of a free solution usually makes for a good enticement.

4. Ask your followers to “retweet” and repost.

If you create a “buzzworthy” post (such as a post on a hot or even controversial niche topic), as your Twitter followers to “retweet” it and ask your other social media networks to repost it.

5. Spend time each day growing your network.

Commit to spending at least 10 minutes each day growing your network. You’ll see big results by the end of the month. And you’ll be amazed at the size of your network in six months or a year from now.

6. Link your social site pages together.

Link your Twitter account to your Facebook, MySpace, Squidoo, HubPages and other social media pages. And vice versa.

7. Use your real name so that you’re easy to find.

People who want to do business with you won’t respond well to working with “BaseballBoy72.” Instead, build trust by using your real name. Doing so also makes it easier for others to find you on Facebook and similar sites.

8. Post good content.

Social media is not just about networking, it’s also about sharing information. If you share some of your best information with your network, you’ll get respect, trust… and more sales. Plus you’ll establish yourself as a niche expert.

9. Optimize some of your content.

Some social sites (such as Yahoo! Answers and Squidoo) get crawled and indexed regularly by the search engines. As such, you may consider optimizing some of your content for the search engines by including relevant (longtail) keywords two or three times for every 100 words of content.

10. Get the most benefit for your time.

Instead of trying to interact and build relationships with thousands of prospects, consider building a relationship with a handful of partners. That’s because just one good partner can send you hundreds or thousands of prospects and customers.

In summary: Social media is only expected to grow in the future – and now is the best time to get involved if you’d like to grow your business right along with it. You can start today by applying the ten traffic-generating, relationship-building tips you just discovered!

—————–
Jimmy D. Brown is the publisher of Traffic Jam newsletter and the owner of Traffic F.U.E.L. membership site. Drop by today to learn how to get completely free traffic to any website. Click this to get your your free traffic newsletter .

Have you seen the movie Julie and Julia?
A woman, Julie Powell, decides to dedicate a year of her life to cooking all the recipes in Julia Child’s first book while blogging about the adventure. Here are a few of my favorite lines from the movie…

Julie: I could write a blog. I have thoughts.

And, another of my favorite lines…

Julie: You’re not a writer unless someone publishes you. See, that’s what’s so great about blogs. You don’t have to be published. You can just go online, press enter and there it is, out there.

What Julie didn’t realize when she started her blog is that you can also make money blogging.

Blogging has become a world-wide phenomenon that is giving many people the opportunity to earn real money online. Blogs are popular for good reason. They are easy to set up and learn, and the cost is minimal and sometimes even free. With modern applications, you can get started blogging in less than an hour or so.

The big question now is what should I blog about?
Have you taken recipes and tweaked them just so to make them perfect? Do you enjoy testing new dishes on your family? Recipe blogs are very popular with people who are gourmet cooks as well as people who don’t know the first thing about moving around a kitchen, but would like to learn. Sharing your cooking successes, and failures, is a great way to make money online. Even if your cooking usually turns out to be stories of woe, like my “never mix cheese and cabbage” disaster, having a way to connect with other people who share your interest is a great way to turn your stories into profits.

There are some simple skills required to start blogging about cooking. Of course, you have to enjoy cooking. You don’t have to be a chef, just have an interest in food. You’ll want to be able to organize your thoughts, and get your recipes in some sort of understandable order so people can follow along. If you have a digital camera, you’ll be able to include pictures of the dishes you make, but that is not absolutely necessary. There are many publicly licensed food photos on the internet for you to use.

The main skill you’ll need is patience. You won’t see a lot of traffic to your blog at first, but don’t worry. It takes time for people to find out how great your blog is.

Of course, you want to make money with your recipe blog. By using one or more of the following methods, you’ll have a real home-based business that will start producing income for you and your family.

Make Money by Selling Products: Some people enjoy the retail aspect of their business. Whether it’s kitchen gadgets or cookbooks, your readers will love to hear what your favorite kitchen tools are. You’ll be sharing your love for cooking, giving your opinion on products, and making money at the same time. Great idea.

Make Money by Selling Advertising: Once traffic starts coming your way, you’ll find advertising on your blog to be a nice way to generate income. This is something to keep in mind, but you won’t really hit your stride making money with this method until you start getting readers. Just file this idea away so you can start making your plans.

Make Money by Selling Your Blog: When your blog becomes popular, you have become a successful blogger, for sure! If you’re ready to move on to other things, you can consider selling your blog for a big profit.

By focusing your energy on your own unique style of blog, you can find a home for family recipes, regional dishes, cooking disasters and fun stories that your readers will come back to time and time again. Sharing your knowledge of cooking, your recipes, your successes and failures, all can bring in a nice income if you are ready to learn how. But, you’ve got to take that first step in order to see your dreams come true.

To learn exactly how to set up your blog and how to create a recipe blog that people love, talk about and come back to, grab the guide “How to Start a Cooking Blog ”. You’ll also learn how to get traffic to your blog and make money doing something you enjoy.

Photo courtesy of Luigi Diamanti

The difference between business success and business failure begins with one word: findability.  If you can be found, you have a business. If not . . .

There are two places most consumers today are likely to look for what they need, be it a plumber in Duluth or a dentist in Roswell:

• Google, using terms like “plumber in Duluth”
• Facebook, asking “Can anyone recommend a good dentist [or a dentist who takes insurance, or a dentist who is kid-friendly] around here?

If you want to be found via Google (the most popular search engine), you need to have a website, ideally with a blog. But that is not enough. You need to show Google that people are looking for you, so they will place you high in the search rankings. Your goal is to be on page one for what your prospects are searching for.

Ways to increase your findability:

• Blog often. Fresh content posted on a regular basis (at least twice a month) tells Google that you are alive and not dormant.
• Use keywords in your website and blog that people are looking for.  There are ways to research this so your blog posts and headlines can be most effective.
• Use the “Big Three” of social media (Facebook, LinkedIn, and YouTube) to attract traffic to your website.
• Comment on related blogs and forums, using a clickable link back to your own website.
• Publish articles on ezine directories that contain links to your website.

None of the above steps are particularly hard, even for short-attention span writers. They just take time.

I can help you get found on-line.  From designing a blogging calendar, brainstorming a list of blogging topics, to actual article writing services, I can help you with your findability. Call me or send an inquiry and let’s get you found!