Top Reasons You Should Quit Your Job

Happy Friday All-

I found this article posted on a new blog I discovered. I thought you might like it, especially on a Friday.

Could this be you?

The blog's author is Josh Whitford. I haven't met him, but I think I like Josh already.

I encourage you to visit his blog. I think you'll find several of the articles are quite interesting. For a bit of a sample, read below. Have a great weekend. Enjoy...

Kimberly

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Top 10 Reasons You Should Quit Your Job

1. Take a look

Honestly, look around you. If you are at work, this is probably enough said. If you aren’t, then take a good look around when you get there. Do you really want to end up like that guy next to you? You know, the one who’s been there for 20 years? What about the woman who’s retiring next week? You mean, she actually worked there that long? What about the woman next to you, the one complaining about the project she’s working on. Are you just like her, or are you going to do something about it?

2. Ditch the employee handbook for good

Live without an oppressive regime employee handbook. As part of the employee’s training, we are taught what to wear, how to talk, sit, and so on. People aren’t allowed to think for themselves because that would ruin everything. God forbid Derek puts a plant on his desk when it’s against policy. Your job probably has some stupid little rules for you to follow. Well, if you are your own boss, you can wear what you want, do what you want and say what you want without asking permission first.

More...

Internet Marketing Tips - Domain Name Purchase - A Few Tips For Newbies

There are many different reasons why you would want to make a domain name purchase. Some people do this as the first step of their Internet business, while others wait until after they have a better grasp of their business strategy, plan and direction.

Whenever you decide to do it, at some point you will have to purchase your domain name. And while the process is actually very straightforward, the choices that you make can be quite complex. Here is a basic rundown on your purchase, domain name features and choices that you have available to you.

In order to find your domain name, you should first run a search to make certain that the name you have chosen is available. Many people are surprised, especially if it is their first time purchasing a domain, to find that many names are unavailable. In fact, at one particular time, up to 80,000 of these domain names were being sold on a daily basis. It didn't take long until almost all of the good one and two name domains were taken. Fortunately, there are always options.

One of the best things that you can do when deciding on a domain name is to be a bit creative. Of course, if you are attempting to have your domain name match an existing business, purchasing a domain with your business name in the URL is very important.

If, however, you are starting a new business on the Internet, you might find that coming up with a catchy domain name far outweighs having one that is descriptive in nature. Think of the website "google.com", for example. That particular name has nothing to do with searching the Internet, but through smart and clever branding, the name "Google" is now synonymous with Web search.

One of the next things you're going to have to decide is if you are going to get a .com, .net, .org or any of the other available extensions. If you plan on branding your name in one way or another, you most certainly should look for a .com as it is the most widely recognized domain name extention. Going back with our example of Google, many people will tell you that they went to Google, not that they went to Google.com. The extension is simply understood. Unless it is absolutely necessary, you may want to stay away from the less recognized extensions, such as .info or .biz.

Once you have finally found the domain name that you plan to use, purchasing it is a simple matter. You only need to choose a domain registrar and then register your new domain through them.

Your domain may be purchased for as little time as one year, up to 10 years or more in advance. However, for several reasons we won't go into here, purchasing the domain for at least a three-year term is recommended.

All that is necessary from the point of completing your domain name purchase, is to direct your domain to your Web server and then upload your website. From there, you will continue to work your business from behind the scenes and build your way to success.


Click here to learn more about domain name management.

Internet Marketing Tips - BlogRush Users And The Traffic Neglected - Here's TrafficJam!

I got an email from BlogRush founder John Reese, and thought I'd pass along some information on a new website, www.TrafficJam.com, as a possible source for helping you to generate more traffic to your website.

Traffic generation is one of the most frustrating issues for new and not-so-new webmasters and online entrepreneurs. And there is so much misinformation about increasing traffic to your website, that its hard to know what really works.

Blogrush, which was launched by John Reease last year, seeks to help blog owners to generate traffic to their blogs basically by “cross-promoting” each other. I have used Blogrush with admittedly minimal results, but to be honest, it isn't something I spend a lot of time with.

TrafficJam.com has been released to the public in beta. It is using LIVE DATA from the BlogRush Network. It is designed to “drive traffic to members' blogs along with the (Blogrush) widget itself”.

According to John, you can link to a specific topic category. As an example, “... if you write a blog about "Parenting" just post a link that goes directly to the latest post rankings for the Parenting category.”

Initially, TrafficJam will update every day, but it will be moved to hourly updates for posts. This is designed to keep visitors returning for the updates and driving more traffic to your blog.

These are the reasons John suggests that TrafficJam.com is beneficial for you:

• For marketers, this is the ultimate research tool. You can monitor blogs by niche and keep up with what type of posts are getting the most interest across the Web. This will make it incredibly easy for you to know what type of blog posts you should be making to get more traffic, interest, and popularity for your own blog.

• Now you'll never run out of ideas for new blog posts!

• This research data can help you identify untapped keywords and other opportunities.

• This site is essentially a LIVE HEADLINE TESTING MACHINE!!! (by topic).

• You can use ideas from the data to increase click-rates on AdWords ads and more.

• You can use TrafficJam.com to find great blog posts for your niche. You can share links to these posts with your readers and they'll appreciate it. (The nature of the blogosphere.)

• You can also discover some new blogs in your niche that you never knew existed. These can turn into potential joint venture partners, or simply just another site to occasionally share some traffic and links. You'll want to consider participating (properly, of course) on their blog comments to drive traffic to your blog.

I am not the only one who has had dismal traffic results with Blogrush, however TrafficJam.com is considered a continuation of the work to improve BlogRush's performance and benefits to users.

I do believe that it's worth your time to check out. See if it may be a good fit for your marketing and promotional plans.

Toodles.

Internet Marketing Tips - 3 Tips For Creating Effective Email Marketing Messages - How To Get Your Emails Read

Is your email marketing campaign not as effective as you'd like?

Here's what I do for about 90 percent of the email messages I receive: Delete, Delete, Delete...

Some days it's so bad, I think my finger's going to get jammed from pressing the "Delete" button so much.

The email messages get deleted for various reasons. Since I now send email marketing messages myself, I try to pay closer attention to emails I receive but don't read, as well as the one's I do read. I do this in an attempt to discern what compels me to open and read one message versus deleting another either without opening it, or very soon thereafter. The result boils down to this:

The Headline Is Important! The Headline Is Important! The Headline Is Important!

"You had me at 'Hello'"...Remember that line from the Jerry McGuire movie? If the subject line of your email does not grab your reader by the hair, that reader will most likely delete your message immediately. Period. End of story. Your subject line simply MUST be attention-grabbing.

Now grabbing readers' attention can be accomplished in a variety of ways. You can appeal to their emotions, sense of curiosity, even their greed. However you choose to do it, the result must be the same. You must command the readers' attention and get them interested enough to at least open your message instead of hitting the delete button without another second's consideration.

I could talk about email subject lines all day, because this is such an important part of email marketing, but to make this lesson as brief as possible, let's put it this way:

To be effective, your email subject line needs to be one or a combination of these:

1. Descriptive – As a reader, I want to know what your email is about before I open your message (see first paragraph above). Using your most relevant keyword(s) within the subject line can be helpful here. For example, if your headline reads "Receive 25% Off Clothes Purchases" my response is likely to be "So," (yawn) and guess what comes next? "Delete". But if your subject line reads "Get $25 Cash Back On Your Next Purchase of Elder Berman Jeans", and I'm an Elder Berman customer, I'm clicking that headline!

2. Compelling - Appeal to me on an emotional or interest level. For instance, here is the subject line of an actual email I recently received: "I Have Found A Great Traffic System". My response? "So". Delete. There was nothing about the headline that remotely galvanized my attention, much less compelled me to take any action (like actually opening the message). Now, had that message headline read "Discover How To Add 10,000 Visitors To Your Website..." or "Kimberly, Don't Lose Any More Traffic!", I may have been a bit more inclined to open the message and read further.

3. Purposely Non-Descriptive – In other words, pique my curiosity. This strategy can be a bit tricky. To be effective, you must give the reader just enough information or a "hook" to entice them to seek more, but not so much that they think they know what your message contains, and decide prematurely that they're not interested.

For example, I recently used this email subject line: "You Can Delete This, But What If It's True...". While I'll be the first to admit that I'm no great copywriter, I thought this subject line was effective for two reasons. First, I was able to take the reader a bit "off guard" by telling them to delete the message. In effect, I was predicting the action the reader was likely to take. But then, I added "...But What If It's True". By including this phrase, I hinted that there might be more that they would be interested in knowing; that they might miss out on something if they didn't open the message. In addition, I left them most likely asking themselves what "It" refers to, in essence enticing them to open the email to find out what the "It" in the email message was about.

The bottom line is this, the subject line of your email is the fundamental and all-important key to getting your emails opened and read. Are there other elements of effective email marketing messages? Yes, of course there are. But, if you get this one wrong, none of the others really matter. When your email is immediately deleted, your reader never receives your core message, nor can she benefit from your information.

Learn to create great subject lines, and you're well on your way to email marketing success.

We're Baaaaack!

Finally! We're back online and in business on this blog and at our main website, www.GetMyWealthNow.com!

I again apologize for the difficulties we've experienced over the course of more than a few days, and I sincerely appreciate your patience. This set of problems was certainly unforeseen, and I have had some very talented and kind technical people who have worked very diligently to get us back on track.

Again thanks for your patience and understanding.

Sincerely,
Kimberly

Please Excuse Technical Difficulties

Hello All-

For quite a few days, the blog has not been updated or accessible at the blog address www.blog.GetMywealthNow.com due to technical difficulties including web hosting issues.

However, the blog is still accessible to you from our RSS feed. We are continuing to work on the problem and I hope that it will be completely remedied later today. I SINCERELY APOLOGIZE for the inconvenience to you.

Thanks for your patience.

Kimberly

Internet Marketing Tips - Email Guts – The Innards Of An Effective Email Marketing Message

In terms of their success as effective marketing tools, the composition of email messages is more important than ever. With the mountain of email that's launched into cyberspace these days, it's becoming increasingly difficult for marketers to get their messages delivered, opened and read by prospects and customers. The success and effectiveness of email marketing campaigns, whether large or small, essentially comes down to one factor: the message. If the message is not properly developed, nothing else matters.

Offered here are some tips for creating email marketing messages with the best chance of reaching, and being read by, your target audience.

• Great Subject Line – Just as using the wrong key to unlock a treasure chest will leave you flat broke, failing to create a great subject line for your email will have much the same effect. Absent a dynamic subject line, there's at least a 90% chance (in my humble estimation) that your email will NOT be opened, and will be immediately deleted.

I cannot over-emphasize this one point. You must have a subject line that captures your reader's attention, arouses interest, and compels them to open and read your message. No small feat. Unfortunately, too many marketers choose their subject heading almost as an afterthought, when in truth, this one line is arguably the most important portion of your message.

It is worth every minute of time, and your utmost effort to craft a suitable subject line for your email. Accomplished correctly and consistently, this one element can put you light-years ahead of your competition.

• Engaging First Paragraph - After your subject line, this section is the next most-important portion of your email message. Many readers never make it beyond the first two or three sentences of an email. You'll lose them if you can't give them a reason to read further, and hint or demonstrate that what's to come will be of great interest or benefit to them.

The copy developed within this paragraph should be the “anchor” for the remainder of your message. It should contain your best and most persuasive writing. This is your opportunity to pull the reader further into your message. Entice them, whet their appetite, arouse their curiosity until they're absolutely driven to read more.

• A Great Story – People love stories. When they become immersed in a good story, it's hard for them to remember that they're being marketed to, and people hate being marketed to. The stories you create can be informational, educational, and interesting as well as entertaining. Stories provide an excellent means for communicating your message, and lay the groundwork for the formation of a kinship or relationship with your audience.

• Keep Your Message Focused – Each email marketing piece should have one, and only one subject and purpose. It doesn't matter that you have ten different websites, or 100 different products or services. Focus your message on one thing and one thing only. Your message will be most effective when laser-targeted for your audience, not relying upon an approach of “shotgun” hit or miss.

• Great Copy – Only the highest quality copy will do. Well-written, persuasive, clean. Stupid mistakes like spelling errors and incorrect grammar ruin the most convincing sales and marketing copy. It will immediately brand you and the business or organization you represent as amateurish and of low quality. If you can't write copy, either learn or hire a professional to do it for you. If your copy is of poor quality, then sending your email message is pointless.

Another point about copy: keep your information organized and brief. Keep paragraphs short. Use “bite-sized” chunks, and numbered or bulleted lists. Choose your words carefully so that you communicate your message effectively, but as efficiently as possible.

• Be Personable, But Find A Balance – You know the stereotype of the “sleazy car salesman”, kind of creepy and super-slick? That's what it feels like to read email from someone who is a bit “too familiar” or informal. It makes your skin crawl. Not a reaction you want your readers to have from you.

Trying to build rapport with your audience is a good thing, and makes your email message more personable, warm and inviting. However, realize that there is a delicate balance that must be maintained.

You are not your reader's friend (at least not yet). You are a stranger, a marketer; not a neighbor, not a confidant. Be careful to recognize that there are unseen boundaries in your communications. And, if you make the mistake of causing your reader to feel that you have overstepped one of those boundaries, it's very difficult to repair the circumstance.

• Under-Hype – Remember that your readers receive hundreds and hundreds of emails. This makes their “hype radar” extremely sensitive. Rather than use a lot of hype and fluff, provide statements, statistics, facts and resources to support or provide proof of what you're telling them. Doing so will go much further toward persuading them that your message is valid, valuable and credible.

• Be Clear About The “Ask” - If you are marketing a business, a particular product or service, don't make the mistake of creating a great marketing message only to wimp out at the end. Be clear about asking for the business, inviting the reader to receive more information, directing the reader to subscribe to a list, or whatever “call to action” you may require.

By the time your reader gets to this portion of the email, if you've done your work properly, they're already inclined to do as you ask. So ask! Politely, professionally, but with confidence.

The email marketing tips discussed above are by no means an exhaustive list, however, I think we've covered most of the basics. While keywords were not mentioned earlier (because email messages don't require search engine optimization), it's always a good idea to use them in emails when practical. The advantage in doing so is to get the reader to focus on what your message is about. Then at some future point, if the reader loses the initial email information, she still knows what keywords to use to find you via search engine search.

Email marketing can be a highly effective and profitable marketing strategy. Used intelligently and with planning and forethought, it can be informational and beneficial for your readers, and incredibly advantageous for you.

Here I Am!

To those of you who may have actually missed me, I've been ill of late and haven't been able to blog. Sorry. Trying to get my legs back a little now.

Enjoy the next post. It's a doozy! Have a great weekend, and may success be yours!

Toodles!