*01* Spend Time On Activities That Make You Money
Spend time on activities that make you money? As Homer Simpson would say: “D’oh!” The thing is, though, I really was spending a lot of time on several websites that were not making me any money (mostly Internet-marketing related, too). It was *very* liberating to halt this self-defeating activity. I now update some sites on a monthly basis, and some on a daily/weekly basis, depending on how much money they make me.
This could be put another way: “Figure out where your strengths are. Focus your efforts. Then, leverage those skills by sitting down and using them.” (I guess I just don’t talk like that.)
*02* Set A Schedule, And Keep To It!
Time Management blah, blah, blah…
Time management sounds boring doesn’t it. And sometimes trying to understand a particular time-management strategy just boggles the mind. Frankly, it takes too much time!
However, it ALWAYS helps when you set yourself goals, and set out to do things efficiently.
So I have daily, weekly, monthly and even yearly plans. I continue to re-evaluate them on a regular basis, so I am in a position where I (mostly) know what I must do; I know what is nice to do; and I know what I just don’t have time to do.
I don’t advocate any particular time-management strategy, just choose one that works for you. But *do* manage your time – it’s vital!
*03* Save Time Visiting Your Favourite Websites
One of the biggest time-savers for me this year, was creating a simple web-page that contained all of the websites that I visit most often. I then make this page my homepage.
So, for me, this homepage includes sites like Commission Junction and Tradedoubler; it contains my own websites, and my favourite forums; and there are links to the major search engines’ site- submission pages. (See an example at http://www.snash.org/homepage.html – you’ll find a link showing you how to change your homepage too!)
This saves me so much time. I don’t have to remember a website address. I don’t have to find a website from my cluttered Favorites or Bookmarks. And the page loads super-fast (unlike MSN, eh?). It’s a brilliant tip that I learned from reading The Lazy Man’s Guide to Doing Business Online. An invaluable read. – http://www.GetMoreDoneFaster.com
*04* Save Time Reading Your E-mail
One of my POP3 e-mail addresses is particularly prone to receiving S P A M. I now read this e-mail online via http://www.mail2web.com where I can easily delete the unwanted e-mails without having to read them.
All you need to access this service is the default e-mail address given to you – e.g. username@your-isp.com – and the password. Mail2Web then lets you browse and delete your e-mail from a Hotmail-like interface. – http://www.mail2web.com
A ‘Build Your Website’ Tip
*05* Get Right To The Point
This tip comes from Jim Daniels. Basically, it’s said that you have just one minute to make an impression on a visitor to your website. So get right to the point and give your visitors an irresistible reason to stay past that minute…
This is what you’ll find at Jim’s website: “I’ve been making a living online since 1996. Here’s how you can too…” Compelling, eh – and definitely enough reason to further explore his site.
Sales letter websites always ‘get right to the point’ via their often hyped-up headlines. But don’t let that put you off – headlines, or reasons to stay, are important for most (if not all) websites.
Learn much more from Jim at – http://www.make-a-living-online.com
And if you want to know exactly what your site visitors are doing, then read this article: How to Improve Your Website and Learn From Your Visitors – http://www.HowIPromoteMyWebsite.com/cookies.html
A ‘Promote Your Website’ Tip
*06* Stop Relying on Google.
This is my tip learned the hard way. (Ouch!)
Not only is Google a great search engine to use to get quick, accurate, results, but it’s also a great site for delivering plenty of free traffic to your websites. (Well it is for me, and this is how I mostly do it – http://www.AnyoneCanSellOnline.com/minisite-success.shtml .)
Don’t depend on it, though.
In September 2002, Google refreshed its database with a new algorithm that didn’t favour my mini-sites too much. And, in an instant, traffic to these sites dropped by 75%. Big ouch! That is a scary drop in traffic for anybody! (At the time, one webmaster complained in a Google forum of “Google taking the food from his family’s mouth!” Do you want to be *that* dependent on Google?)
Adapt or die, as they say.
- Here are some strategies to cope with Google not favouring your site (it could happen!):
Develop a variety of ways to collect e-mail addresses. Use
competitions, e-mail courses, whatever you can to get that
e-mail address. Then get visitors to return to your site with
regular (and useful) newsletter content. (But don’t contact
them too frequently – it’s a marathon not a sprint, someone
once said (about something or other)!!) - Add more content to your site – create more in-bound links on
your homepage – and make the site more useful to your visitors
(and therefore more ‘useful’ to Google). Again, you can simply
add a few new pages each week. The content will soon grow. - Start to use pay-per-click search engines like Overture,
Espotting and even Google’s AdWords program. - Learn more about putting these techniques into practice at
– http://www.howipromotemywebsite.com/bin/ap.pl?publish-news
– http://www.site-buildit.com
– http://www.PayPerClickSearchEngines.com
A ‘Profit from Your Website’ Tip
*07* Want To Be A Super-Affiliate – Have An Unfair Advantage
Thanks to Jimmy D. Brown for this tip. Jimmy offers great advice about making money online, via his various website, e-books, e- mail courses and free reports.
And his unfair advantage boils down to getting you to offer something unique to all those that buy through your affiliate link. It could be a special report (on how to use the product they’re buying), the offer of your services, or something else.
Anything.
Just as long as it distinguishes you from all of the other affiliates out there chasing the same commissions. (This tip even has the added bonus of stopping those all-too-common affiliate-commission thieves, too.)
Learn much more from Jimmy D. about becoming a super-affiliate, and more, at
– http://www.profitsvault.com
Some Final Tips…
*08* Commit To Learning Each And Every Week
Make sure you continue to learn from your favourite ezines (newsletters), from newsgroups and from ebooks. (Even a bad e-book will contain some nuggets of information, whilst a good e-book might even transform your business.)
And take notes, evaluate what you have learnt.
I learnt this from reading Phil Wiley’s All The Secrets ezine, and Phil’s tip is one of the inspirations for me writing this article. “Continue to read ebooks, as you will always learn something new… each ebook will probably more than pay for itself!” said Phil.
Phil’s excellent ebook Minisite Profits is the main reason I am now making a full-time living online. – http://www.minisiteprofits.com
I find the following sites and their newsletters invaluable too:
– http://www.AssociatePrograms.com (Affiliate marketing.)
– http://www.sitepoint.com (Build. Promote. Profit.)
– http://www.willmaster.com (Perl/CGI know-how.)
– http://www.talkbiz.com (Inspiring. Advice.)
– http://www.AchieveNetProfits.com/ (Success interviews.)
*09* Reply To E-Mails At A Regular Time Each Day.
Pick a good time to reply to your e-mails, also. I choose to reply to my e-mails, if not immediately, then in the evening. And I save serious work for the mornings when I am at my sharpest!
Do you know what time of day you work best? Do you have a schedule for replying to e-mails? Think about this a little.
*10* Save Your Time By Re-Using Your Work Whenever You Can.
This is a great tip I think I first learned from Jimmy D. Brown (see tip #7). It’s worth doing, even if it simply means getting people to forward your articles! I have combined several articles into a new e-mail course; I have simply revised an article, and re-issued it; and I have converted an e-mail course into new web- page content. (I’ve even created a best-of newsletter edition, and all of my new subscribers can get a copy of it.)
This really works, so think how you can apply it to the resources that you’ve already created.
And, lastly:
*11* We All Know More Than We Think
All this learning, learning, learning and – eventually – something happens: you end up knowing more than you think!
Why not share your knowledge in a newsgroup, or in an article (like this one) or try and get a tip published in an offline magazine. I get tips published every other month, and sometimes make a little money, or my website gets a little more exposure.
So learn, but teach too!
—
And that’s it.
But before I go a cautionary tale…
Sometimes, during 2002, I realised that I simply wasn’t following ‘what I’d learnt’ – which *was* frustrating, and a little depressing.
There were other times, though, that I felt I was making real progress in my online business, due to these good habits learned.
So, whatever wisdom you take from this article, just make sure that – through good times and bad – YOU DON’T QUIT, you don’t stop trying.
Yes, it’s a clich but that doesn’t stop it from being true. Don’t quit!
—
Oops, I lied! *This* is the last, bonus, tip. You get it for reading so far! 🙂
*Bonus* Keep A Log Of What You Learn Each Week, And Review
Maybe you think the tips in this article aren’t up to much. You’ve read it all before etc. Well, in that case, make up your own tips! Simply keep a log of what *you* learn each week; put them into action as soon as possible; and make sure you review the tips regularly.
Keeping such a log will have the following benefits:
- Force you to consider what, if anything, you learnt in a
particular week - Force you to consider whether you’re actually putting what
you learnt into practice
What more can I say? The rest really is up to you. I’ll finish with the oft-quoted, but sincerely meant: “to your success”. 😉
And, next year, maybe it’ll be you writing this article?
STEVE M NASH is the author of the ebook: “3 Super-Tips To
Build, Promote And Profit More From Your Website.” Download
your free copy now! http://www.wise-buys.info/bonus.shtml
He’s also the author of many popular articles aimed at
webmasters, affiliates, even complete beginners. Read them
here! http://www.wise-buys.info/webmaster-articles.html
