XPresence : Internet Marketing & Promotions

XPresence Presents: The 11 MMO Commandments

admin — Mon, 24 May 2010 23:43:19 +0000

So I’m sure you’ve heard the story already. Someone telling you how they make $1,000/day online or how they have this amazing technique that allows them to quit their day job and work from home, and that they’ll teach you how for ONLY $XXXX. I’m here to tell you the only way that’s true is if they convince enough fools to buy their “program” a day to make the cash they claim.

Making money online isn’t easy, but it can be done. The nicest part, though, is the only truth they tell you in those infomercials. Anyone can do it! But if you aren’t willing to make it a “job” and consistently work at it, you’ll not get the consistent results you desire.There definitely is lots of money to be made online. You just need to temper your expectations and create a plan that meets you needs and skills. While some of you could very likely strike it rich, if that’s the goal, you’re destined to come up short. Here’s my 10 MMO Commandments

1. It takes money to make money. But remember, Time = Money. So if you have no capital to start, you’re going to have to spend lots of time getting your web presence rolling. If you have some money to invest, you can purchase a site that someone’s already done the grunt work or get into a field which relies on more bought traffic. Either way, you either have to spend time or money!

2. The grass may always be greener on the other side, but that just means there’s more to mow! Everyone’s looking for the next big thing and the next million dollar idea. If you go chasing every hot fad and your marketing plan whips in the wind, you most likely will find yourself in a never-ending cycle.

3. Patience is a virtue. But so are Prudence and Faith. Good things come to those who wait. And by wait, I mean work their ass off over time. You’re not going to get rich right away. You might not even see traffic or money for the first few months. But you have to keep plugging away with conviction and faith, believing that what you are doing can and will pay off in the end. If you’re updating your site religiously with high quality content, you will be rewarded in the end.

4. If seeing is belivin’ then you, best believe it! Don’t assume anything. Don’t stick with an ad company just because they are the first one that accepted you. Don’t assume that Google AdSense will pay you the best rate, TEST IT! Don’t WONDER how many visitors you have. KNOW! Don’t THINK you’re site is optimized for conversations. BE SURE! Never settle for status quo.

5. If you think you have competition on the internet, you’re view is way too narrow. Unless you have a brick and mortar business in which your web presence is supporting or you are competing for placement in PPC search engines or you are selling a specific product, you really don’t have “competition” online. 90% of websites would do much more good than harm buddying up with the other top sites in their niche.

6. Love your site. Love your content. Love your ideas. If you don’t love what you are doing you’re going to get caught. The real money online is not made from the boring, hugely competitive, high click keyword sites for lawyers and cancer. The real money is being made by those who write about what they love and offer a unique perspective that people flock to. This is your chance to live the dream. Take advantage of it and prosper at the same time!

7. Slow and steady wins the race. Too many of us (and I do mean us, as I am quite guilty of this sin) start off like a gang-buster, create this grand scheme, and spend 18 hours a day for months at a time creating all kinds of awesome content and outstanding sites. Then, at some point, we crash. We now have 40 projects going, none totally finished, sitting and gathering dust and maybe a few dollars a day. Rather than throw your hat in every ring, it’s much more beneficial to focus on a building a small, tightly packaged network that is updated daily.

8. Be Yourself. But more interesting. I’ve found that one factor that shows up most often in really successful blogs and sites is that the “voice” of the blog is genuine, yet larger than life. The content is “consistent” and the audience knows what they will get each and every day. If you’re funny, do it! People love humor! If you’re sarcastic, lay it on thick! Big, over the top personalities do well online. Don’t be afraid to show your full personality!

9. You mom was right! You can be anything you want to be! You know what’s my favorite part of blogging? That I can be whoever I want to be!? If I want to be a model from Hollywood I can do it! If I want to be a personal trainer or a dietitian, I can make it happen! If I want to be an amazing chef and give people super recipes daily, it can be done. Your imagination is the only thing that can limit you!

10. Thou Shall Not Steal Borrowing is perfectly acceptable! People, be ORIGINAL! If you see a story you love, don’t steal it. Write a little mini-review and link to the original. Not only do you make a friend (cause everyone loves a little link love), you give your audience great content from around the web. Auto-blogging, auto-generated content, and splogs are dead. Don’t fall into the trap. In the time it takes to put one together, you could have 5 new posts for your original content posts.

11. And because 10 is never enough. Bookmark XPresence.com! You aren’t going to find this info just anywhere you know! Subscribe to our feed! Join our newsletter. Bookmark our site. Come back and visit us daily!

Free Press Release Distribution Sites

admin — Mon, 24 May 2010 18:45:51 +0000

There are tons of ways to promote your site, but one of the most overlooked is one of the most well tested, original methods of Public Relations. Distributing press releases is a great way to get extra recognition, backlinks, and most importantly, to get the word out about your website. The learning curve is very shallow and anyone can learn to create a well crafted press release with a little time and effort.

So why a press release? This is the gold mind of internet marketing… OTHER people are going to be promoting your site. Whether it’s local newpapers, ap wires, press release tickers, or even splogs, your press release (with the text about your site AND a link back in most cases) could be listed as in in multiple places. In addition, a local (or even national) newspaper might pick up the story and contact you for an exclusive interview about your site. You can’t beat FREE promotion!

So to get you started, here’s a nice list of free press release sites. If you know of other high quality sites I missed, feel free to leave those in the comments and I’ll periodically update this list.

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8+ Tips to Create Killer Content

admin — Mon, 24 May 2010 18:36:32 +0000

So you’re not a good writer? Or maybe you are, you just don’t think you’re very creative. That’s a problem, huh? It’s going to be hard creating “Killer Content” if you aren’t a talented or creative writer, right? WRONG!

You don’t have to be a good writer to create awesome web content. Most of the time, good writers write way too much, leaving their audience lost in mounds of text. Internet users, as a rule, are quite fickle and inpatient. Unless you are a very engaging wordsmith with some very engaging topics, lots of text is going to turn off many visitors.

So here are my 8 Tips to Create Killer Content:

Amazing Pictures often tell stories much more powerfully than words. Exhibit A: New York Times Year in Pictures
Never underestimate the power of a single message. Too many webmasters bombard their visitors with a little bit of everything. If you can stay on target and create a nice, neat package that will really grab a certain visitor and keep them coming back, you’ll be much more successful in the long run.
Less really can be more. Don’t feel like you have to write the next great American Novel in every post or story. There’s nothing wrong with a quick, 200 word conversational style post. In fact, many of the top bloggers use this style very successfully and never have to spend more than a few minutes creating posts.
Don’t settle for the first thing you find! If you’re looking for images for your post, spend an extra 2 minutes and find an extra one so you have something to compare. If you’re looking for a video, watch 3-4 additional videos to ensure you find the most engaging. If you read a story or post you want to blog about, read another by that author and see if you’re getting as much as you can.
Use lists, tips, charts, graphs, and visual aids. People love seeing what you’re going to be telling them. If you have a top 10 list, they can get in and out quickly. If there are charts and graphs, they can see if the information is of interest of them before spending the time to read the accompanying story. Remember, their time is valuable. Give them aids to digest your information quickly and easily and they’ll keep coming back.
Learn from the dying newspapers! You’ve heard the saying, people read the Front Page (current events), back page (sports & entertainment) and the obituaries. That’s about it! Learn your lesson. Either give people current events that they can’t find elsewhere (including, a new and fresh spin on an old idea), something entertaining, funny, clever, or what they are passionate about (like the sports page), or content that they are morbidly fascinated with (like obituaries). No one cares about the same old, repackaged, boring stories in the middle of the paper, just as no one cares about boring, overdone website content.
It’s all about the CONTENT! If you have to worry about writing an engaging and amazing post to get people interested in what you’re telling them, you’re doing it all wrong! Engaging topics write themselves!
Do you research silly! Want to know what people like? Well, I already know! You know how? I go and find out! Use the tools around you to see what people in your field like. Go to similar sites and see which of their posts are most commented on. Go to social networking sites and see which stories are most popular. Listen to your own comments (and lack of comments) and give the people what they want.
And because 8 are never enough… Bookmark XPresence.com! You aren’t going to find this info just anywhere you know! Subscribe to our feed! Join our newsletter. Bookmark our site. Come back and visit us daily!