Last night I had a meeting with a very good client of mine.

He’s an immigrant from Eastern Europe and owns a decent amount of property here in Albany.

After finishing some business we started chatting about the economy and where the US is currently positioned (economically speaking) in relation to the rest of the world. I commented that the growth of Russia and China and India and Brazil and their desire to break free of the US Dollar scared me as an investor and businessman (Not the point of the story).

Well… What came next is what I like to call “School’n”.

Used in a sentence:

I got some School’n on Opportunity and Success last night…

Looking Through a Different Set of Eyes

This client of mine, who I would also consider a friend, began to drop some knowledge on me that only someone who had lived a Non-American lifestyle for a period of time could drop.

(FYI… This post gets very Ra-Ra America from here on out… If that bothers you I don’t care)

He used two words… Opportunity and Success.

According to my friend, America is truly the only country in the World where Opportunity is Limitless and the extent of personal Success is restricted only by the belief you have in yourself…

I know what you’re saying… “Ryan, don’t be so Xenophobic… Opportunity lies throughout the world.”

Yes, that is true (And is a difference in opinion I have with my friend that we’ll address in a minute).  But we’re talking about the US work ethic, we’re talking about the embodiment of this country, it’s foundation, it’s soul, the bedrock with which everything our forefathers built is anchored upon…

A graphic visual captures the energy and passion that flowed from my client across his desk into my brain.

Where I saw a country jaded and fragmented by an increasingly self-absorbed population…

…he saw a self-motivated populous bent on success.

Where I saw a depressed economy stagnated by over regulation and repressive taxation…

…he saw a society with rules that could be planned for and maneuvered around.

Where I saw decline…

…he saw opportunity.

Opportunity

Opportunity for wealth… for fame… for success… for future…

Because US culture doesn’t hold you back, your race doesn’t hold you back, your status at birth doesn’t hold you back…

American life is about Belief… Belief that you can achieve and that success if NOT a possibility or a probability… but a foregone conclusion if you so desire.  I mean truly desire.

You surround yourself in success, you bath in it, you drink it, it becomes who you are and NO ONE can stop you.  That is the society we live in.

And its awesome.

And I think I’m going to use Old Glory as a blanket tonight…

But I Disagree Because of the Internet

Despite leaving Jacked out of my mind with Patriotism and Desire for success… I couldn’t help but disagree with him on one point.

I have not traveled the World.  I do not have knowledge of political and cultural barriers placed upon people in other nations… But what I do know is the Internet has helped to break down those barriers.

With a single blog post… One Tweet… One YouTube video… You can effect change throughout the entire World. From anywhere in the World.

You can be the success you want to be Online from anywhere.

The Internet has helped to pull back the vale of repression that stifled the voice of thought-leaders not born into positions of privilege.

This isn’t just a US ability…

The Internet has given freedom to World (I know there are exceptions and this is not meant to political). 

But you have to want it.

You have to want the Success available Online and be willing to put in the hard work Online.

The Rub

I know that some of you are going to misunderstand my point with post… You’re going to comment about how so many other countries throughout the World a bastions of opportunity and success… And you will be right.

I’m writing this at 900pm… I literally just got home from the meeting described and these thoughts are fresh in my head and like any blogger worth a damn I can’t sleep till their out of my head.

This isn’t a political statement its a Stream of Thought on the Availability of and Opportunity for Success Online.

What I want to you take away from this post is what Success is and what means and how important opportunity is and that opportunity EXISTS FOR YOU!

Let’s grab a hold of that opportunity and achieve… Now!

Thank you and Good luck.

Image: domdeen / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Share Button vs Like Button For Best Facebook Exposure

It sparked a fantastic discussion on the social sharing power of the Facebook Share Button and how most people just assumed that Share and Like button had similar authority within Facebook…

…that couldn’t be more wrong.

Don’t assume that all your Friend and Fans see every message you post… They don’t.  Read the post I reference above to get a better understanding of what I’m talking about.

If you want your content to be seen more often by your friends and fans you need to use the Share Button.

This is how…

(I’ve previously done this with the Click to Tweet link)

The Rub

The Facebook Share Button and Like Button have completely different authority within Facebook.

You want your blog readers to Share your content… A simple Like though nice and better than nothing does NOT amplify your message within Facebook.

Cultivate Shares by using the Share Button yourself and showing your audience how to properly use the Share Button on your website.

Remember… In getting found Online every little thing helps.

This is Content Warfare people!

Thank you and Good luck.

Ryan H.

I use Pinterest as a repository for all the articles I find to be extremely valuable to the social media user seeking success Online.

This is the 16th week of Content Creation Curation and this week features some of my favorite thought-leaders Online including:

• How to Seduce a Goldfish from Peter Sandeen
• The ‘Slow Drip’ Method for Building a Massive Following from Firepole Marketing
• 19 Ways to Build Relationships With Blog Comments Guest post from Marcus Sheridan on Social Media Examiner
• Are You Setting Up WordPress For SEO Success? from SEOMoz
• And many more… Click here to see them all!

If you missed them here are my content contributions from this week:

My eBook, The Social Tools Book, is now available on Amazon for ridiculously cheap rate of $2.99… FREE For Amazon Prime members!  Get your copy HERE.

Wouldn’t it be great if every single person that read your blog post Tweeted that post to all their friends and connections?

Sure it would!

Is it going to happen?

Absolutely not.

However there is a way to encourage your readers to Tweet your content more often:

• Tell your readers exactly what you want them to Tweet
• Make it easy for them to Tweet

And the tool that can do both is Click to Tweet. (see below)

The Rub

I’ve said it before and I’ll say again (I’m sure a 1,000 times) when it comes to getting found Online every little thing matters…

Even if you don’t like the Click to Tweet link what I really want you to take away from this post is two fold:

1. You have to tell people what you want them to share
2. You have to make sharing easy

I think the Click to Tweet does that.

Enjoy the video…

Thank you,

Ryan H.

SPEAK YOUR MIND:  Have you seen results from the Click to Tweet Link?  Do you have a unique way of using Click to Tweet?

Seriously… I’m asking the question for real.  You’re obviously interested in marketing some sort of business online because you’re reading my blog… So I’m assuming because you’re taking the time to do so that you want some sort of success online…

What does success online look like to you?

It’s a question I ask myself all the time.  I’m still working on the answer.

If there was a gun to my head I’d say something like:

“The ability to create content around success Online and make a comfortable living…”

If the chick with the gun is serious and pulls the hammer back, I’d probably let my ego show a little and include:

“To be widely regarded as THE Thought-Leader in Insurance Marketing while making enough income to spend more awake time with my family each week than time working…”

But I’d settle for somewhere between the first one and the second one…

STOP!

WAIT…

SETTLE?

REALLY?

Hell NO I wouldn’t settle… I want the second one and throw in a standing Saturday morning tee time at my favorite local golf course with three of my closest buddies a case of cheap beer.

Now that’s what success online looks like to me… A job that challenges my creativity, tons of family time and Golf.

What does success online look like to you?

Have you painted that picture in your mind?

Don’t answer that yet.  Let’s start with…

• How do we paint the picture of your success online?  
• What colors will we use?  
• What medium?  
• What brush stroke style?  
• How big of a painting should it be?

See…

(This grimy yet kinda cool photo is brought to you by my new favorite social tools… Instagram and my white board)

Actions Paint Our Success Online

I have this running conversation going with Jason “J-Ryze” Fonseca of Ryze Online spanning the comment section of like 7 different blogs about how to get to success (The awesomeness of this discussion is fodder for another post)…

We all want success in some shape… But how do you get there?  More importantly how do we know we’re there when we do get there?

In thinking about that question for the last couple days I’ve decided that I don’t like the analogy of success being found at the end of Journey.

I see success more as a painting… A painting that over the years of our life we continue to perfect by adding more detailed and intricate brush strokes with every action we take.

Some of us paint the Starry Night or the Mona Lisa… Others never make it past Kindergarten Finger Painting.

Paint Over Mistakes

This is why action is so important.  You can always paint over mistakes.

Planning is wonderful and important but true failure is the result of In-Action.

So get to work.  Take action… Paint your picture of success.

Every action doesn’t need to be the perfect action or final action to part of your Success Online.

But every action does lead to that final brush stroke.

Thank you and Good luck.

Ryan H.

SPEAK YOUR MIND: What does your painting of success look like?

I use Pinterest as a repository for all the articles I find to be extremely valuable to the social media user seeking success Online.

This is the 15th week of Content Creation Curation and this week features some of my favorite thought-leaders Online including:

• Perfecting On-Page Optimization for Ecommerce Websites from SEOMoz
• If I Had to Start Over…This is What I’d Do Differently from Pat Flynn of Smart Passive Income
• Is there a formula for viral content? from Srinivas Rao and {Grow}
• How to Become a Blogging Superstar from Neil Patel
• And many more… Click here to see them all!

If you missed them here are my content contributions from this week:

My eBook, The Social Tools Book, is now available on Amazon for ridiculously cheap rate of $2.99… FREE For Amazon Prime members!  Get your copy HERE.

Online marketing is time and thought and planning and dedication and creativity and vision and work… and Work… and WORK.

The Reality of Working Harder Online…

…is that most of your competition will NOT.

Your competition will not…

…research every post title using the Google Keyword Tool to optimize phrasing for optimum search traffic.

…pop their computer open on a Sunday night while sitting on the couch with the family watches sitcoms to comment on industry blogs and strengthen relationships.

…spend the first 30 minutes of every day reading SEO and Strategy blogs and then diligently apply that knowledge to better equip their own blog for traffic generation.

…spend weekend hours writing guest posts for leading industry blogs and publications to establish their expertise throughout the marketplace.

…continue to ask how their Online presence can be made more efficient, more productive and more authoritative.

Your competition is NOT going to work harder…

…so to be the best, YOU have to.

Thank you,

Ryan H.

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Honestly, I’m a big fan of Google+ in general but Google Hangout is by far my favorite feature (If you’re not familiar with what Google Hangout is read Google Hangouts for Business by Social Media Examiner).

Even though I love Google+, I have been a little concerned about the social network based on some of the “A-Lister” articles I’ve been reading lately about inflated user numbers and lack of main-stream adoption.

But then again maybe reading A-Lister blogs is the problem in the first place (Unless you consider me an A-Lister… Then yes read and believe everything I write)…

Why I Love Google+

Very simply… Here are the reasons I love Google+:

• Clean and simple design
• Versatility to use as short-format, long-format or visual media sharing tool
• Intuitive commenting, sharing and acknowledging (+1) system
• Shared content given Google Search priority
• Ability to go live video chat at anytime (Google Hangout)
• Integrates with YouTube seamlessly
• Encourages ongoing conversation
• It’s Google

Why I Love Google Hangout

I’m going to gush a bit here but it’s just awesome.  Ten people on video discussing topics in an understandable format with the ability to transition to any participants screen at any time while maintaining a test chat… And that’s just the base model.

There are an ever growing number of applications being developed including a App for Slideshare that just released which I am very jacked up about.  Now I can develop a presentation for group I’m speaking to discuss the slides with event organizers in real time before we go live… For free.

I could go on and on but Google Hangout being awesome isn’t the point here.

Why Google+ Matters

I’m part of this insurance marketing mastermind group and every month we meet in a Google Hangout to discuss different marketing strategies and help each other grow our Online presence (Technology is amazing).

So last month we’re doing our thing, chatting about insurance marketing Online and all the sudden we get a random addition to our Google Hangout.  Basically some guy drops into the Hangout and we had no idea who he was…

It turns out to be Robert Anderson, a technology entrepreneur who had a few questions about the insurance industry and social media.  He saw our open Hangout and logged in.

His questions were great and we were happy to answer them (This is what social tools are for right… Communication and Idea Exchange).

Then he dropped a little nugget of knowledge that at the time he probably didn’t even realize was as powerful a statement as it was:

“…Google doesn’t care right now that Google+ hasn’t achieved mainstream adoption.  They’re building a platform so much bigger than simply Google+ at it’s base level…”

(In doing a little background on Robert he certainly has the contacts and credentials to make such a statement)

Google+ Is Now a Priority

When I heard this a little light went off in my head… Google+ with as many people as have already taken to the social network (which is a significant number) is only in it’s infant stages.

A random pop-in to a Google Hangout changed my entire perspective on the future of the social network.  Yes I loved it but I was concerned about viability…

No longer… Rock on Google+ and Long Live Google Hangout!

I’d love to Connect with you on Google+.

Thank you and Good luck!

Ryan H.

SPEAK YOUR MIND: Do you use Goolge+?  Do you agree with my opinion on the future of Google+?

I use Pinterest as a repository for all the articles I find to be extremely valuable to the social media user seeking success Online.

This is the 14th week of Content Creation Curation and this week features some of my favorite thought-leaders Online including:

• 4 Insights I Gleaned From Building My Own Platform from Michael Hyatt
• 3 Ways to Repurpose Old Content to Create New Premium Products from Danny Brown
• Starting from Chris Brogan
• Do you have a people strategy? from Seth Godin
• And many more… Click here to see them all!

If you missed them here are my content contributions from this week:

My eBook, The Social Tools Book, is now available on Amazon for ridiculously cheap rate of $2.99… FREE For Amazon Prime members!  Get your copy HERE.

So you want to become a blogger, get that whole internet lifestyle of passive income, doing what you love and living it up at some beach yeah?

Feeling totally inspired, you start your blog and being the hardworking person that you are, you read up online all the best and proven tactics that can help make your blog soar.

They should work right? I mean, these tips and tricks are by proven people with success!

But hard reality is: They don’t work. Not for you at least.

Maybe you were just overly optimistic, but the internet is riddled with so much information that only real experience and failure can set what is real, and what works for you.

I created this list which was inspired by my own journey as a young blogger. Like a lot of us, I thought it would be easy, or at least not that hard to work a successful blog.

Damn I wish someone told me this when I started out:

The 7 straight-up the truths that hurt

1) Blogging is not easy, not if you are weak.

It’s not.

The journey to blogging stardom can’t be that bad right?

I mean, you get to work at the comforts of your own home! No peak hour bullshit, no bosses to tell you what to do or horrible colleagues to deal with. You can even take a nap anytime you want.

Wrong.

If you treat a blog as a business, like most others, it’s not going to be easy.

You got to be consistent and diligent on your own.

Do you think you can manage something without any form of guidance?

Can you pick yourself up with your own hands when you’re down?

Are you able to think up marketing strategies, creative ideas for blog articles at a constant basis?

Are you ready to FAIL and fall hard to find out what really works for you and your blog?

Trust me, I’ve been at this for 7 months, and the feeling doesn’t make you feel awesome all the time, especially if you took the “quit my job to follow my dream” route like me.

That’s what “being your own boss” truly means.

2) Good content is king, but that doesn’t make for good writing

You got a really awesome topic in mind for an article. It’s meaningful and thought-provoking. And you’re pretty sure many would like it, cause after all, others have blogged about it before so there’s simply no reason why you shouldn’t receive the same amount of attention.

Sadly, that’s not the case.

There are many nuances in writing and blogging that can makes a huge difference in the overall picture.

Think about this: The Lord of the Rings books have more content, but why is it most people would rather watch the movies?

The answer may be obvious, but if it’s so obvious, why is it then there are many blogs with good content yet still struggling to make it big, while the big guys up there have it all?

It all lies in nuances of writing.

In writing, you need to have a unique perspective, your own style and ultimately, the ability to offer readability.

Good content should jump out to the reader, not for them to think and analyze it through first. By then, it’d be too late.

3) Top 10 lists of easy moneymaking tactics aren’t going to work.

You and everybody else started off the same way. You’re enticed by the “ease” of internet marketing and blogging.

Just do a simple Google search and there’d be many articles like, “Top 10 sure-fire techniques to make money in Twitter” or “Make money on autopilot while you sleep”.

And people even SWEAR by those techniques…

…but they aren’t going to bring you the incredible results you hoped for.

What you need to actually do is figure out a way to add value to your readers long-term. You got to create your own brand to stand out. You need to be able to establish a relationship with people and engage them.

You need a strategy, not just spam tactics.

4) You can’t make money with lots of traffic

Well different people have different ways of making money online, but I want to debunk the whole, “If I get 1,000 people to visit my blog, I am pretty sure one or two would buy my eBook” myth.

After all, it’s like 1,000 people walking into a shop, someone’s got to buy something! Right?

Wrong.

Not all traffic can be monetized. You’d be surprised how cold a ton of traffic can be.

They come.

They go.

And not a single f**k was given. 

I actually had a 1000+ visitors day before. Guess what? I got nothing from it. Not a single click on my banners.

There are actually many more important things to focus on in a blog, such as building a list, finding ways to get people to opt-in, writing to add real value, to name a few.

How do you make money then? Check back (2) and (3)

5) It’s going to take a long while for you to succeed

It’s easy to hear about others’ road to success, like how long they fought to succeed and then tell yourself, “I can do that too”.

You read about others’ stories in seconds. Are you ready to work hard for months if not up to a year?

Effort and time go hand in hand, but man, time can really mess you up.

It can drag you down.

It can confuse you as you can’t see the future.

And it can discourage you when you don’t see progress.

So get ready to be patient, because even many of the A-list bloggers out there took a long time too.

6) Not everyone is going to support you, and that actually hurts

Every blogger has their fair share of haters, or generally people who don’t agree with what you have to say.

Now, you may’ve probably read about that before.

But do you think you’re truly ready to handle detractors?

Because honestly, it can actually feel hurtful when you’re on the wrong side of the press.

It’s easy to sit by, and laugh at stupid comments in a flame war in YouTube or some forum, but when it’s directed at you, right under your own comments section, it literally takes things to a personal level.

Because at the end of the day, not everyone shares your vision of your blog, no matter how awesome or free your content is.

And the internet makes it too easy to disregard tact.

This is the part you find your audience.

7) You have to be brilliant to really become whatever you’ve heard about

That blogging is easy and making money online is not a problem.

A fellow blogger inspired me once when he was telling me how hard he worked on his blog.

This stood out, “Unless you’re brilliant, you’re going to need to invest a lot of time and hard work. I am not brilliant”.

So you got to work hard like the rest of us normal folks.

That being said, isn’t that a wonderful thing that all of us can actually achieve greatness with just a little hard work?

Image: jscreationzs / FreeDigitalPhotos.net