Date: March 26th, 2013 | Author: Steve Longoria | Tags: Business, Copywriting, Entrepreneur, Offer, Sales, Sales Letter | No Comments »
It’s very easy to become overwhelmed when you’re trying to figure out exactly how to make a steady income online. Everybody has their own “system” for generating “mega bucks” online, and there are many ways to make money online, but wouldn’t it be great if there was one skillset that you could develop over time, a skillset that could ensure you never struggled to make a living online, ever again? Well, there is, it’s called copywriting.
So how do we start to develop this skill? Here are a few suggestions:
1. Write everyday. Sean Ogle makes a great suggestion in a recent blog post:
“They say practice makes perfect, right? Well, how can you get better at writing, if you don’t do it on a regular basis? I’ve written at least 1,000 words almost every single day this past year. It doesn’t matter what you’re writing — just going through the exercise helps to internalize some of the basic psychological elements of persuasive writing…”
2. Read How To Win Friends and Influence People. This book does a great job delving into what really makes people tick, and how to use this information to become more influential, both in person and in print. Obviously, this is very important for any aspring copywriter.
3. Read Ogilvy on Advertising. This is an older book but many of the principles still apply even in the modern, tech-drenched world we find ourselves in today.
4. Start selling something, anything. The only way to determine whether or not you’re getting better is to test your skills in the real world. You do that by putting together a real offer and asking people to buy! While you’re at it, write up two variations of the sales letter and split-test them against each using Google Experiments inside Google Analytics.
Have you started to develop this skillset yet? Leave a comment and let me know!
(Image Source)
Date: March 25th, 2013 | Author: Steve Longoria | Tags: Branding, Business, Comic, Digital Media, Marketoonist, Traditional Advertising | No Comments »
Funny new comic and blog post by Tom Fishburne shows just how bad some companies are at integrating a traditional media campaign with a digital one:
“Recently I saw an ad with a QR code on the other side of the subway tracks. Not only was there no internet access in that subway, the QR code was printed so small that anyone wishing to scan it would need to climb down onto the tracks and step over the third rail to get close enough to scan it with a mobile phone. And if there had, magically, been internet access, I suspect that the QR code would only have directed the browser to their general desktop website…” [Continue Reading]
Date: March 22nd, 2013 | Author: Steve Longoria | Tags: Business, Freelancers, Telecommute | No Comments »
Ahhhh, the age of the freelancer is coming! Maybe the freeways will finally start to unclog.
Via Quartz:
“By 2020, more than 40% of the US workforce will be so-called contingent workers, according to a study conducted by software company Intuit in 2010. That’s more than 60 million people.
We are quickly becoming a nation of permanent freelancers and temps. In 2006, the last time the federal government counted, the number of independent and contingent workers—contractors, temps, and the self-employed—stood at 42.6 million, or about 30% of the workforce. How many are there today? We have no idea since 2006 was the last year that the government bothered to count this huge and growing sector of the American workforce…” [Continue Reading]
Date: March 9th, 2013 | Author: Steve Longoria | Tags: Business, Digital Marketing, Ebooks, Guy Kawasaki, Info Publishing, Marketing, Sales | No Comments »
Now here’s an awesome idea for marketing your ebook when you find yourself away from the computer!
Via Guy Kawasaki’s Google+ Page
“Trying this for the first time tonight at the Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley.
It’s a card that has a unique promo code. People go home and scratch off the back to redeem. I can also autograph the card–ala a baseball card, so it has an “analog” feel.“
Date: February 18th, 2013 | Author: Steve Longoria | Tags: Business, Entrepreneur, Success | No Comments »
My mother always wanted me to make the “safe” move. Find a decent job, with health insurance, and live out my life. Simple enough right? Wrong!
To me, her way always seemed (1) boring and (2) not secure. It’s hard to find one single job that will give you the kind of security you’re looking for. I don’t believe in “job security”. There’s only “income security”, and the only way to achieve this is to have multiple income streams.
Via MarcandAngel.com
“6. You are playing it too safe.
Pain is a pesky part of being human but it’s vitally important. It strengthens the mind, heart and body. You can’t grow strong, brave, or successful in this world if you’ve only had good things happen to you within the safe boundaries of your own little comfort bubble. You need real life experiences, and nothing ever becomes real until you experience it firsthand.
No matter how long you train yourself to be strong, brave, or proficient at something, you never know if you are or not until something real happens to you. So get real, experience life and let it teach you what you need to know to conquer your wildest dreams…” [Continue Reading]
Photo by: Hartwig HKD
