A little back story before I hook you guys up with one of my favorite methods – In the late summer I did some copy writing for a Toronto-based SEO named Jeff Schnurr, who then commissioned me to do a 5 page Wordpress-powered site for a client of his.  Months later, I’ve completely absorbed his insane knowledge of local search, link building and niche keyword research – and Veronica and I have partnered with his company to take over the Canadian local search market.

This among everything else we’re trying to do!

While there are plenty of tried and tested methods to making money with local search and offline businesses, I’ll take a minute and list one of my personal favorites that I am currently trying out:

METHOD – Local Retail Domain Flipping

Research keywords that are location specific and relative to a retail market or profession.  For example, my latest experiment is with the keyword Downtown Toronto Florists – you’re starting to catch on now, right?  You find keywords/domains that are relative to a local market, highly competitive (lots of Adwords on search results) and are specific to some sort of product/industry.

**TIP**  This method only works if the “keyworded” domain name is available.

Once identify the market/competition, you throw up a quick wordpress site on the domain, get that site ranked for it’s primary phrase (or multiple phrases of course) and once it’s in that top listing, you contact every competitor which shows up in the search results (Adwords too) and advice them of your domain name, it’s ranking and how they are wasting money paying for traffic when they could have the number one spot.  Let them know that you have contacted the other players in that market and are still accepting offers.

Cash in the bank. This method can be twisted so many ways, and the great thing about local markets is that the competition isn’t as heavy as trying to rank for a global search term, and because you have the keyword domain, ranking for your term shouldn’t be too hard at all – most of the time it can be accomplished in a couple of weeks.

A little hint… use Google and Yahoo’s local business listings, create an address close to the center of your city and submit your “business” profile to their directory.  And you’ll end up like my current site – Click to see.

Pro’s to this method:

• The only cost is a domain name
• If you take advantage of holidays in certain markets, you could get some super high offers
• Because the business owner you’re contacting knows you’ve also been in touch with their competitors, this is going to make them want the domain even more – you can expect to get anywhere from $200 – $500 on average for a good local domain because this is chump change for offline businesses.
• A little bit of bookmarking, a couple article submissions and your business listing is sometimes all you need to take the number one spot.

Con’s to this method:

• Might be challenging for someone who’s never taken the “number 1″ search spot before, on purpose.
• This method only works well with the top 1-3 search positions, though you could get luckily with lower rank.

Anyways, I’ll keep you guys posted on how I do with my Downtown Toronto Florists local domain flip (I also bought the .ca) and would love to hear your feedback, as well as any way you can think of twisting this – email us if you have any questions!

Cheers,

Elijah

Our demented minions,

Elijah and Veronica here with some great news!  Well, a few pieces of worthy buzz for sure.  Since our whiteboard optimization video, we made the decision to spend more time on our passive income streams i.e. organic niche and micro niche websites which concentrate on one or two advertisers from top performing affiliate networks such as Neverblue and LinkShare.

We also came to the realization that if we were going to be setting aside one day per week to work on our websites, why not document our steps (which have been laid out) and post them up on the blog via step by step, hand-holding tutorials?

Pretty sweet right???

We will be walking you along as we complete the following modules:

• Uncovering the Money Niche via Niche Keyword Research
• Choosing a High Converting Wordpress Theme
• Plugin Set Up and Wordpress Optimization
• Ninja Style CSS/HTML Customization
• Preparing Your Website For Launch Date (kinda sounds like an Italian guy saying “Lunch Date”)
• Content, Link Building and Social Networking Schedule
• Quarterly Goals, Outsourcing and Maintenance

As you can see – really straight forward, step by step and leaving no stone unturned.

Follow along with us as we build our passive income generating niche website.  If you have a question, you know where the contact form is.  Stop wasting time, stop being afraid and invest $10 into your future freedom.

If we stick together – we can do this!

Cheers,

Elijah

Anyway, I have been doing my usual Internet crawl this morning and realized two things; 1) Time flies!  I cannot believe it is the end of January already, and 2) Valentine’s Day is quickly approaching.

I’m going to share a little secret with you.

I don’t believe in Valentine’s Day. (Did a cupid somewhere die just now?)

Truthfully, I don’t “celebrate” Valentine’s day.  Don’t get me wrong, as a child I loved giving and receiving cheesy valentine cards, the abundance of chocolate and even the little gifts my parents would give us.  For me it was always an added bonus because my birthday is a couple days away, so it was a pre-cursor to the “big” event.

As I matured, however, Valentine’s day became less and less about showing love and affection and more about guilt, sadness and anger.  Feeling hurt when you’re significant other didn’t do something memorable or angry if the gift was late or forgotten.  Valentine’s Day became more about disappointment then happiness.  As well, as I got older, my Valentine’s gift got looped into my birthday!  People who have birthdays near Christmas can feel my pain . . .

Eventually it got me thinking,  and I realized that I no longer wanted gifts or chocolates or cheesy valentine cards.  Because if someone really loved me, they had 364 other days of the year to show it.  A random bouquet of flowers from Elijah, on a random day, for no other reason then because he wanted to means so much more to me then a little teddy bear holding a heart on February 14th.  Knowing that he bought it because he felt he had to takes all the romance out of receiving it.  I don’t think that love should be isolated to one day.  I understand the celebration part, but for me, everyday is a celebration.

I also understand that being in the internet marketing business means that I have to take advantage of Valentine’s Day and monetize it to bring in money.  The internal conflict is raging!  However, I know that there are men and women out there who look forward to it and who are very good at making the day special, and I am here to help them make that possible.  I guess I’ve just been jaded.

Just food for thought.  You know what would be really specially, springing your gift or surprise on your loved one a day or two before Valentine’s Day.  Not only will it catch them off guard, and seeing that look of surprise on their face will be worth it.

Twenty ten!  This year is going to be huge in so many ways – and one of our first goals as a business is to spend time each week working on increasing our passive income.  After some consideration, we concluded that the only way to reach our goal is to put aside an entire day where all we do is work on our passive sites, link building, traffic etc…

We also concluded that to make this work we would need to regroup and come up with an efficient time management system for the office, as well as our personal “home” tasks.  Considering we don’t have kids or a mortgage, we still tend to bounce of the walls every now and then – and having better time management will prevent that from happening!

The video was spontaneous – and Veronica wasn’t prepared for my intrusion.

Cheers,

Elijah

We are so so appreciative of everyone’s support and are so grateful for the people we have in our lives. It is the best gift we could’ve received. Thank you for patiently listening to our ups and downs and rants. Enjoy the food, festivities and fun with friends and family, and be grateful for the time you have together.

Big things are going to happen in 2010, I can feel it in my bones. Until then, eat, drink and be merry!

xoxo
Veronica

Road-trips are a great way to travel and experience new and exciting places.  The great thing about traveling by car is that the journey becomes just as much a part of the trip as the destination.  The time flew by because we had fun and a wicked soundtrack.  Driving through different states or provinces provides a different perspective, and is definitely more intimate than say, flying.   We were able to experience some of the people and places we passed through.  (ps. loving the southern accent all over again.)  Although there is a downside and that would be the cramped quarters or being frozen to death every time someone put the window down.

I have to say that I am in love with Asheville.  What a great town!  Surrounded by nature, with the appeal of a small intimate town, but the amenities of a city.  We had such a good time there, I think there may be plans for a summer-time trip.    Here are some pictures of the journey . . .

The boys looking particularly bad-ass.

I will admit that Metallica greatly enhanced the soundtrack to the weekend.

You would think coming from the land of ice and snow that we would have anticipated the weather.

Some unusual combinations.

Idyllic surroundings perfect for stirring up the Christmas mood.

Some kind of power plant in Kentucky . . . I just like how this one turned out.

Great piece in the park in Asheville.

We don't get decent pictures to often, so this one is a keeper.

It was really great to escape for a few days.  Life has been hectic . . . and it still is.  Hope everyone is coping with the hustle and bustle of the season, Merry Christmas and/or  Happy Holiday!

Veronica

As an entrepreneur, one of the biggest challenges faced is implementing a transparent, efficient and accurate payment gateway.  In the world of offline business – where physical products and interaction are the name of the game – this becomes even more crucial.  Enter Square: A new technology which allows business owners to accept card-based payments directly from a mobile device – so long as it has an audio jack.

I can’t even begin to describe the feeling running through my veins right now.  Not that I would ever have any use for their products and services, as 100% of my business is virtual and online, but that’s besides the point.

I am a junkie for innovation, creativity and overall awesomeness – and I am officially (with zero credibility) claiming Square to be the most groundbreaking start up for 2010.

I have a really good feeling about these guys!

Please head over to Square and see for yourself.

Cheers,

Elijah

Although most of you were giving thanks this past Friday, mine was spent dealing with an unbelievable headache!  I have never in my life experienced such poor customer service . . .

As some of you may or may not know, I am a starving Interior Designer by trade.  My current project is a bathroom remodel that I am doing in my childhood home. (I will post pictures as soon as it is complete.)  The supplier for the floor and vanity is a company located in east end Toronto, called Crystal Bath, located at 2839 Kingston Rd.  I can’t even tell you why things went sour, but what happened on Friday when we went to pick up our product, was surreal.

The owners of the company, at some point, decided that we were “difficult” customers, and took the route of treating us like criminals.  When I asked where all the animosity was coming from, I was told that we asked too many questions.  I have worked in the customer service industry for my entire working career, and I have NEVER penalized a customer for “asking too many questions.”  Isn’t that the whole point of customer service?  Especially when the customer is paying over $ 4000 for their product?

The owner took the initial measurements for the vanity, which was wrong, as she took them before the bathroom was even demolished.  So to avoid them being built at the wrong size, I called to correct her.  When our floor was going down, not only was the installer unprofessional by hitting on me, but he did a lazy job of installing the tile.  We have a very talented general contractor in our family, and even he said that the installer/company took the shortcut in installing the floor.  The threshold they sent was the most insignificant piece of marble I have ever seen, and when they were questioned about it, informed us that we had laid down the incorrect sub-floor.  But where was the information from them regarding the proper preparation for the floor?  There was none.  There were no specifications for anything.  They made no attempt at communicating with us about what was required on their end for the floor to go down correctly.  I have worked in the flooring industry, and we ALWAYS provided the customer with such information and specifics to avoid these problems.  But apparantly, it was our fault.

The kicker was picking up our vanity on Friday.  Not only did they refuse delivery, forcing us to take time out of our day, rent a truck and drive from the west end of  the city to  the east end, but they didn’t even communicate the final payment method.  All of a sudden our cheque wasn’t good enough anymore and she needed either a certified cheque, credit card or cash.  At this point we are in Scarborough with a rented truck and they won’t take our payment.  When we told her that a credit card was out of the question, she insulted us by insinuating that we didn’t have the money to pay and that our credit card was “antique”.  The tension could be cut  with a knife, and in an attempt to be diplomatic and open the dialogue to get to the source of the issue, I asked her what the problem was.  She ROLLED HER EYES AT ME, and basically told me that I know nothing because I worked for IKEA.  In addition, she interuppted me, yelled at me and spoke right over me, I couldn’t get a word in edge wise.  She spoke to me as though I were 12 years old.  I have never been so insulted as a customer, but also as a person.  Not only do I have more design education then her, but I have had other work experience than IKEA.  Let’s not even get into the fact that IKEA is a world reknowned company that makes more money when they’re closed than her dinky operation  . . .

My point is that I have never received such horrific customer service and in all my experience, I have never been witness to such appalling customer service.  This is the way they run their business.  I could not imagine ever treating our customers and clients this way.  I could not even imagine treating another human being this way.  How is it possible to make it in business by insulting your clients?  It makes my blood boil that she thinks this is the way to treat people.  It makes me even more angry that there are probably people who have received this kind of treatment and just accepted it.  It is not right and they need to know it.  I am writing this for all those living in Toronto, avoid Crystal Bath for your bathroom or kitchen renovations.  This company does not recognize the investment required to have these projects done and are not sensitive to the needs of their clients.  Clearly, in their eyes, there is a fine line between being a valued customer and a criminal.

I apologize if it seems I am ranting, but I had to get this off my chest.

-V

Doing what you love ulimate example #1:  Lego Motherfuckin’ Matrix

I was over visiting Adii Rockstar, one of the founders of WooThemes, and he recently posted up a video that solidifies the exact meaning of being creative and monetizing your passions.  I don’t even know the whole story on the creators of this awesome display of awesomeness, but there’s one thing I do know – it’s frigging awesome.

Fellow blog readers… meet Lego Matrix.

Lego Matrix… meet our blog readers.

You absolutely must watch this video as well, just to see how accurate these guys were.

Visit LegoMatrix.com for more videos and stuff…

HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND.

Tonight I have a date with Rob Zombie and Jack Daniels…

Cheers,

Elijah

Out of the various types of writing that I’ve dipped in and out of since I was 11, writing rhymes for hip hop tracks has proved to be the most beneficial.  A little history on me and hip hop… When I was around 13, Wu Tang Clan was the shit.  The way these guys would put words and scenarios together was absolutely unheard of at the time – not to mention that there were 9 of them, residing from various boroughs across New York and at least half of them didn’t graduate from high school.  Wu Tang Clan as a group was themed very  much around the old kung fu movies of the 70’s, constantly using samples and references in their tracks.

This is when I started writing rhymes…

Moving forward to the present time, I am 100% convinced that all the years of writing lyrical rhymes directly fuel my ability to be creative and comfortable when putting words together.  Here’s what I mean:

Good copy should…

• have a rhythm when reading it
• create visuals for the reader
• have clever headlines
• relate to the reader
• cause the reader to take action

Hip Hop lyrics should…

• be rhythmic and on beat
• create visuals for the listener
• have clever punchlines
• relate to the listener
• keep the listener listening

Some people might think I’m losing it, but I think I’m on to something here!

Just to clarify for the listeners and non-listeners of hip hop music, I’m not referring to the audile bile that is rotated on the idiot box and radio.  Real hip hop.  Lyrical hip hop.  This is what I’m talking about:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9YuJAyF1o3Y

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZPSYytbYbQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vHReQQnMVQo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BnevMn60Unk

Cheers,

Elijah