Recently I had a young lady send me an email, not long after leaving a comment on one of my posts. I have to be honest, her question took me back a little bit.  Even though she beat me to the punch, and even though her question was in regards to something I already do with all my marketing, I had never received an email asking the question of "Why it took so long."  I won't spill the beans just yet, but read on and I will explain a little further down.

3 Keys to Building Lasting Relationships with Your Visitors:

1. Develop your site with Purpose.  Every marketer, Affiliate, Internet, Network, whatever your discipline, should have a "Purpose" that directs the content, banners, links, categories, widgets or whatever is displayed on your site.  When people find YOU, do they see one big ad, or do they perceive value by how your site meshes?  
   
   Let me give a quick example: If you are an Affiliate Marketer and you have a banner display that promotes a program or product you sell, the purpose of that banner, from your perspective, may be to add income to your bottom line, but if that banner display doesn't match your overall theme, if that banner program or product is not interwoven within your content, page titles or links, then your visitors may see that as just another advertisement.  
   
   I visited a site recently where the theme and purpose was all about healthy living, actually a very nice site, but right at the top, on the right side, was a long affiliate banner for Free Web Hosting.  I thought that was kind of odd, let alone it was nearly 5 inches tall.  Does web hosting and Healthy Living match?  Do other visitors wonder the same question?  First impressions count, most times you only have about 3 seconds to convince your visitor to stay, how do you use those 3 seconds?
    
2. Write with Passion:  Most marketers understand that "Content" is king, but what about content draws your readers in?  What is it that keeps someone on your site for more than 15 minutes, reading, learning and commenting?  It's your "Passion"!!  Yes, what you write about, how you spell or misspell words and the overall flow makes a difference but to really draw someone in and keep them coming back for more, you have to relate with that person on a different level.  You have to imagine, while your typing, that you are right in front of them talking away, smiling, waving your hands with gestures, persuading them that what you are saying can make a difference.
   
   If your words are not pulling your readers in, it might be a reason that returning visitors are down, comments are only left once in a while and your RSS readership hasn't reached the level you are seeking.  Passion can be seen and felt, even through words, master it and you might just see a new level of connection with your target market.
    
3. Build Relationships through Persistence:  If you read my last post, "Instilling Leadership in our Children", then these three points might just ring a bell.  These are the 3 P's, Purpose, Passion and Persistence,  that I use to build my business and teach my kids to make them better leaders in our community.  But "Persistence" is a trait that takes focus and consistency before the fruits of your labor begin to emerge.
   
   This is where my story continues from the beginning of this post.  I mentioned earlier that I had received an email from a young lady who had left a comment on one of my posts.  Her question was, "Mike, I notice you responded to all the other commenters on your post, but not mine, how come?"  WOW, what an email.
   
   You see, she had been a constant visitor, reading, learning and then commenting, but to her, my response to her comment meant something.  It meant a connection, one that she was looking for.  How many of your visitors leave a comment and then check back the next day to see if you responded?  Might be more than you think. 
   
   What was great about this email was that responding with a comment to my commenters has always been my practice.  If they took the time to share their thoughts, views or opinions, I want to take the time to thank them and share any more advice I can.  That is how Relationships are built.  Luckily this young lady beat me to the punch, I was a little behind in responding to some comments, and a few hours later she would have seen my response.
   
   Persistence doesn't have to mean that you create posts or pages 5 times a week, it means that the little things make big differences when building relationships with your visitors.  Those visitors might someday be business partners, customers or life long friends, but first you have to develop those relationships.
   
   Try leaving a comment response to every person who took the time and effort to share their thoughts about your content and if you really want to Build a Lasting Relationship, visit their site if you are able or send them a personal email thanking them for their time and comment.

Passion-Purpose-Persistence, learn how to develop your marketing plan with these three philosophies

Sincerely,

Mike Witt

In case you missed here are two other posts to help you in building your Home Business:

Branding YOU Through Attraction Marketing 

Lead Generation Through Social Networking

Like our own personal lives, business is driven by certain overall core beliefs, what is key about those beliefs is that they generally stem from a single person’s individual values. When you look at private sector business, core beliefs don’t begin with the cashier at the front register, they trickle down from the very top, typically from an owner or CEO. This same scenario holds true for the Home Business owner as well. As the CEO, your core values drive what you do, what you believe, decisions you make and ultimately how your customers view YOU.

 
Shaping our children’s lives is no different. Values and beliefs must start from the top, parents, guardians or mentors, and trickle down to the level where the rubber meets the road, our Kids. Leadership skills are not given at birth; they are developed over time, slowly molding us into the person we want to become. By providing these values and skills to our kids, you build and protect the future of “Business” in our world.

The 3 P’s of Business Builds Leadership in our Children.

No matter what business you are in, ultimately your success hinges on the values you instill in people. Let’s look at 3-Core Business values that could help influence our kids towards leadership and success.

Purpose:

The dictionary says Purpose is -

"The object toward which one strives or for which something exists; an aim or a goal."

Where would we be if not for purpose? Purpose drives everything we do; from the moment we wake up to the moment our head hits the pillow. If our actions were not for a purpose, what point would there be to living?

Teaching kids the meaning of purpose helps them to evaluate why they choose the path they do. Example: My daughter recently became involved in the Debate Team at school. When I asked her why she joined, she said, “All my other friends are in it Dad.” I didn’t roll my eyes at her, but I asked her what she thought the purpose of a Debate Team was. Not knowing the answer, I shared my thoughts with her. Debate is about sharing opposing views, but in reality it helps develop a person’s speaking and reasoning skills, better preparing them for real life situations.

For Kids, understanding the purpose behind their actions opens their minds to the possibilities of what life can bring.

Passion:

Passion is the second “P” of Business philosophy that I enjoy sharing with my kids. In a nut shell, Passion means, “an emotion compelling action.” When you understand what purpose you are striving for, Passion will then set the wheels in motion.

Being passionate about what you do brings meaning to your life and fosters commitment and determination in every action you take.

By helping your kids to understand what passion brings to the table, you allow them to discover their true strengths and talents. Combining purpose and passion brings them one step closer to realizing their full potential.

Persistence:

Persistence may be the last “P” but it is the most important value to share with your kids. You can understand your purpose, have passion about following it, but with out persistence, reaching your goals may never happen.

In business, persistence is the key ingredient to a long term, successful venture. It’s what keeps us moving forward, no matter what obstacles arise. Persistence pushes us to our outer limits, exposing our true potential, bringing us one step closer to realizing our dreams.

It is easy to give up, that is what human nature tells us to do. Kids are no different. When the going gets tough, they move on to a new path, missing the chance to better themselves or learn life long lessons. When you give your kids the motivation to persist, no matter what the outcome or obstacle, you teach them the fundamentals for a successful life.

The future of business is in the hands of our kid’s. The foundation you give them now, prepares them to meet success head on. Take every opportunity to instill Purpose, Passion and Persistence in their lives, and watch them mold into the leaders of tomorrow.

To Your Kid's Success,

Learn more about the Witt Family

How Do You Know if Your Links are going to be "No-Follow" on any given Website?

Knowing whether or not your links are Follow or not can be very important when making decisions to expand your business in a certain direction.  Take for example Squidoo.  A perfect site to expand your marketing message by creating lens's about your expertise, business, passions or hobbies.  Like any other part of your marketing plan, Squidoo can be used to drive targeted traffic to your site, blog, lead capture pages or other material, but most don't realize that Squidoo's content is mostly made up of "Do-Follow" web links.  This gives you a great venue, not only to share your message and further the branding process, but to take full advantage of the positive Search Engine Rank capabilities with "Do-Follow" web links.

Squidoo is just one of many sites that a marketer can take advantage of positive link following to share their message, but if you use sites like Facebook and Twitter, your "Link Love", as some call it, is not so positive.  Many social networking sites, like these two, use the "No-Follow" rule, but how do you know which is which? 

If you use the Free web browser, Mozilla Firefox, you can install an extension that allows you to see if a website uses "No-Follow" or "Do-Follow" links.  If you only use Internet Explorer, you might be missing some excellent benefits that Mozilla offers Internet Marketers including the extension Mozilla Search Results.  This extension allows you to see many things about a site you visit, including the following of links and how they are structured.

Why would your Internet Marketing Strategy need to include Site's that use "No-Follow" Links?

I recently read a post by a prominent Internet Marketer who talked about these two link following scenarios and "Why you Shouldn't use any Marketing of Links unless they were Do-Follow."  I understand the relation to Search Engine Rank, but if you cut out all the avenues and connections that can be made, soley on the reason that "No-Follow" links might hurt you, will you miss the chance for more targeted traffic?

One area that was discussed in detail from this prominent marketer referred to "Leaving Comments on Blogs" and how he only leaves comments when the site allows "Do-Follow" links.  But what if that site is appealing to you?  What if the post is compelling and you want to share that with the author?  More importantly, what if you want to connect with that author and their readers?

Attracting targeted visitors requires a level of connection with people.  When you provide value in your message, whether it is a HubPage, Squidoo Lens, Blog Post, Ezine Article or Twitter Tweet, people recognize it and will want more.  Commenting on a person's Blog is no different.  Providing a valuable note by letting the author know they did a great job, or interjecting a new thought, or even sharing a similar experience that you related with, shows that author and their readers what you are all about.  When you leave your link, it gives those people a way to find YOU.  Should it matter if it is "No-Follow" or not?

Internet Marketing is about blending what you offer across many fronts.  Leave one piece of the puzzle out and you might miss that next sale, Opt-In Lead, Business partner, or life long friend.  By focusing your efforts on Attracting your visitors through value instead of only worrying about Page Rank, might just move your site or blog to the top of the Search engines naturally.

To Your Success,

Mike Witt

Effective E-Mail Marketing

Attraction Marketing Training

How do you track your Message to know if Visitors find Value?

Providing value in your message is what brings readers back and when unique visitors turn into returning visitors the other parts of a successful Internet Home Business will begin to happen.  But how do you really know if the ticks on your hit counter are connecting?

Most On-Line Marketers understand how to include URL links in their posts and content, but if you aren't sure how many visitors use those links, how will you really know if your words made a difference?

In a recent HubPage on how to track your online marketing, I share a FREE tool that will help turn any website URL into a shorter tracking URL which can be used in any situation.  What's great about this tool is that it automatically saves a list of all URL's that you create, great for future use, and automatically tracks all clicks on that URL, unique and returning.  It's a powerful tool with many other features, and if you are building your home business on a budget, the price can't be beat.

What Internet Marketing Venues make Sense to Track?

Not every avenue that you use to build your online business needs to be tracked, but there are a couple that every marketer should focus on.

1.) Blog posts can be an excellent way to track your message.  If your asking your readers to follow a link to another post, site, lead capture page or affiliate product, then that is the type of link that could be tracked.  Knowing how many visitors clicked on that link will tell you if your content was compelling enough.

2.) Social Networking is another must in strategically tracking your message.  With sites like Twitter and MyBlogLog the amount of characters available to share your message is short, 140 with Twitter, but more importantly, the need to see if your community is truly following can help with future communications.  Social Networking is a major tool in sharing what you have to offer so if you track certain messages it will help you in determining what's working and what's not.

3.) Email Marketing is the #1 place where tracking is critical.  It's one thing to know what our Opt-In subscribers want from you, it's another to know if they are really listening.  Email Marketing is about one thing, providing value and expertise to those that have asked to receive it.  It's a way to personally communicate with people who see you as an individual they can learn from.  If you provide links to things that you sell, or just more content on your site, by tracking those links you get a better idea of how your message engages your list and helps with future email communications.

Will Tracking your Online Marketing create Success?

Tracking in itself won't create success, but what it can give you might just lead you closer to that goal.  Every marketer looks for ways to differentiate themselves from the guy or gal next door and by tracking those critical areas of your marketing plan, it allows your customers a way to tell you that they like what you provide.

Remember, value is the key to convincing your Unique Visitors to convert to Returning Visitors and when that happens, ticks on the hit counter go up, Opt-In subscribers rise, comments on your posts skyrocket and SALES begin to happen!!

To Your Success!!

Mike Witt
Your Financial Freedom

Recently I ran across a post from Elizabeth, a mutual friend and internet marketer, shared some thoughts about the Differences between Network Marketing and Internet Marketing.  Elizabeth shares that at times it is hard to distinguish between the two when viewing the vast array of business opportunities online today and I agree, it can be very confusing at times.

Elizabeth has some great insight in sharing this point with her readers, because the Network Marketing industry is slowly seeing the value and capability of what the internet can do, and as more Network Marketers flock to find their place in cyber space, it will be critical to help both disciplines co-exist.

Can Both Internet and Network Marketers Learn from Each Other?

What is unique about this tangle of the two disciplines is that each side has talents and skills that both can utilize.  Network Marketers are highly skilled at communicating one on one with people and Internet Marketers are highly skilled in attracting customers and communicating via email marketing.  Network Marketers typically represent high quality, tangible goods or services and Internet Marketers typically represent high quality, tangible information products that compliment these goods and services.

These are only a few of the many skills and abilities that both sides offer, but can you see how, if merged together, the limits on creating or expanding a Home Internet Business could be endless?

Is Internet Network Marketing the Wave of the Future?

This new term, Internet Network Marketing, is creeping up in posts across the internet.  What is so unique about it?  Well, it represents the slow shift of Network Marketers realizing the power of Internet Marketing in building a successful business and having the tools to teach an organization to do the same.

One of the shifts is due to the large number of Network Marketers who are tired of the older methods of cold calling, buying expensive dead-end leads, late night hotel meetings, or bugging friends and family to buy their products or join their business.  Ann Sieg, an industry leader in Network Marketing, and author of the "The 7-Great Lies of Network Marketing" shares the challenges people wrestle with and how attraction marketing principles combined with Internet Marketing can turn those frustrations into results.

One thing is for sure.  Over the next few years more and more Network Marketers will be making the move to online marketing.  What is critical to their success will be in large part due to the training they receive on Internet Marketing.

Will there be an epic battle between both marketers?  I don't see that.  What I do see in the future are both powers working together to enhance each others abilities and expanding the capability of the average person to build a successful online business that will grow for years to come. 

Sincerely,

Mike Witt 

But what is it about connecting with people through these mediums, like Facebook, MySpace and Digg, that drives people to utilize them?  In a word "Attraction."

For sometime, many of these social sites have been used mainly to drive traffic to a person's website, blog or lead capture page, but today that focus has shifted and more people are figuring out that "Traffic" in itself is only part of the picture. 

Would you rather have 100 ticks on your Hit Counter, or 10 Targeted Visitors who actually read your content, leave comments and connect with the value you provide?

Most smart marketers would probably agree with the later, but do they really understand the power of it all?  Marketing online has been around for years, but Attraction Marketing is a term that is starting to find its way into social networking circles and is driving the trend of how business people see internet marketing today. 

Let me share the power of what I am talking about:

Yesterday I created a post called "Building a Home Business on a Shoestring Budget, Can it be Done?"  I shared my post with some mutual friends on a couple social networking sites that I frequent, Digg and MyBlogLog.

Within 20 minutes of just sharing my post, two people decided to share it with their readers on a couple other social networking sites and all of a sudden I had 189 targeted visitors to my site, all within that short time span. 

Within a couple hours 288 total visitors came to my site, several left nice comments, a few actually sent me some offsite emails and 38 of those folks subscribed to my feed.

My intention in sharing this information is not to boast but to show folks that Online Social Networking is a powerful tool when used the right way and can do more for home business owners then just drive the Hit Counter at the bottom of their site.

Why is Attraction Marketing so Powerful?

Attraction Marketing principles are so powerful because they focus on building a Connection with people and not just socialization.  Socialization is needed but we all connect with people for a reason, Attraction Marketing is about connecting to provide value and ultimately provide solutions to problems or challenges.

For the Work form Home business owner the focus could be about providing solutions that center around the products or services you promote.  If your overall industry is to provide Health related products then utilizing Social Networking could be a way for you to provide expertise and insight to those people searching or needing information about Weight Loss, or Energy or Optimal Nutrition.  Are you starting to see the connection?

Let me share the true power of Attraction Marketing and what the right training and focus could truly bring to your home based business:

A good friend, Eric Walker, recently interviewed Barbara Silva about the power of Attraction Marketing coupled with the training at the Renegade University.  Both Eric and Barbara are excellent examples of what the right training and right focus can do for folks seeking to build an online business.

Here is a link to Eric's site where you can download this 26 minute conversation and hear from Barbara about how these new methods of attraction have created the model for her business success.

Live call with Eric Walker and Barbara Silva about Attraction Marketing and Renegade Unversity Training

I think you will agree, after listening to the call, that the shift in Social Networking has begun and all that is needed to start is the right foundation.

To YOUR Success,

Mike Witt

Work from Home Guide 

What is it that drives people to this kind of thought process?  What little voice in the back of their mind compels then to search for ways to make money online for free?

I think there are many factors, but here are few that I see:

• We are taught to believe that Online business is totally different than offline and that the Internet is a Free way to market.
• The Hype and Scams have conditioned us to believe that everybody who has an online business has created millions out of thin air.  Well, that's what a lot of them say anyway.
• Lastly, most people honestly just don't know how Online Marketing really works.

Internet Hype and Scams, How do you tell the Difference?

Wow, this is a huge topic, and if you ask a 100 people the same question, you may just get 100 different answers.

I am not going to say I am the expert on how to spot internet scams, but what I can tell you is that doing your homework before you buy will most always save you money and headache in the long run.

There are ways to search online about any program or product that you run across, including the person selling them.  A great place to do this, beyond just searching at Google, would be the Warrior Forum.  You can register for free and either search through the forums or ask any question you like about people, products or online marketing itself.  Very good tool when you are trying to check out if something is a scam.

Sometimes in your searching, you will run across individuals who either use or have used the product or program and you can email them for their opinion.  Most of the time they are more than happy to share their experience, good or bad.  If your searching comes up empty handed, it might just be a good indication that what you are looking at is not legit.

Can you really Work from Home and build a business online on a Shoestring Budget?

The answer is YES, but the key word is BUDGET.  There are hundreds of ways to build an online business for little or no money, but will all of them produce real results and how fast will those results come?

In this age of needing "Instant Gratification", many of the FREE ways to build a business online are not set up to accommodate that, so most fail to see the value when results are not immediate.  This leads to frustration and frustration can lead to searching for the next best thing to make money online.

Setting a budget in your plan will force you to stick to it and not spend money on useless things that waste time and effort.

I actually enjoy working with people who have very little or almost no money to start out with.  Why? Because it takes the pressure of thinking they need all these things to make their online business flourish, off their minds, which in turn focuses their attention to the job at hand.

What you have for a budget is what you have, how you use it is a whole different story.

If your Home Business Budget is small, What do you Focus on First?

This is actually a very easy question to answer, TRAINING!!!  The right internet marketing training, will pay huge dividends in money and time savings.

As we talked about above, the reason why people get duped into buying product after product and program after program is because they don't have the right skill foundation in place so that they know when to purchase something that is needed versus something that they can learn and apply themselves.

Great example:

Recently I was emailing back and forth with a gentleman who was frustrated because his web sites were not producing traffic or sales.  After looking at a couple of his sites I realized right away that he was buying templates of some kind that had pre-loaded content that was outdated, misspellings everywhere and really not structured to please the eye.

How did he come about doing this?  Well, he landed on a web site that promised riches beyond belief if he just bought the package of a "100-Ready to Go Web sites", optimized to start loading his bank account with tons of cash.  Ever run across those before?

Not only was he frustrated that they were not working, he really didn't understand how to market them to begin with.  If he would have spent the time to learn the basic fundamentals of building a business online, he definitely would not have spent money on pre-loaded web sites, but even if he did, he would have at least recognized that templates are only a start, they have to be built up, added to, tweaked and then marketed the right way.

This gentleman is not unlike most folks out there.  It's easy to land on a site, read the hype and get confused into believing that this could be my saving grace.  I know, I have been there myself.  It wasn't until I got the right training that I realized the truth about Online Marketing.

In closing, no matter what type of a budget you have, small or large, the first step is to invest in the best home business training possible, and once your home business starts producing results you can re-invest some of that in the tools that will take it to the next level. 

Fear can rear it's ugly head in different ways and how we deal with that fear can sometimes determine our success within the many facets of our business.  Let's look at some of the Top Fears of Building a Business from Home:

1. Fear of Failure
2. Fear of Rejection (friends, family, people you know)
3. Fear that I don't have the skills (computer, internet, website building, email marketing, etc.)
4. Fear of Financial Freedom

Fear of Failure:  This fear is probably the most prevelant for the Home Business owner.  As a society we are conditioned and taught that working outside the home, generally for someone else, is the norm.  Don't get me wrong, we need private business, we need restaurant's and Movie Theaters and Hospitals, and we need folks who help those employers operate successfully, employees.  So it's natural for people to fear the unknown, or fear something they haven't yet experienced.

But if you are planning on creating a home business or are in the midst of it now, you need to be able to channel this emotion in a positive direction.  Fear of Failure generally stops people in their tracks and unfortunately it typically stops them just before the light begins to shine.  Failure is inevitable but those that move beyond it are the ones that see great success.  Channel your fear and failures into forward momentum and then look back on them as a learning tool for the next round.

Fear of Rejection:  Rejection is a normal cycle of human life.  But when that rejection comes from people we know, it can cripple our egos and allow our minds to begin wondering if what we are doing is worth it.  Take for example Network Marketing.  Most new distributors are excited about the possibilities and are told to rush right out and share their new found products and opportunity with all their friends and family.  What typically happens?  For most, it's a lot of NO's.  After about a dozen rejections from the people they know and love, they start to question whey there are involved.  What happens then, they Quit.

Rejection is a natural reaction to something we don't understand or know much about.  What is key to the Home Business owner is follow a system that markets you through attraction and leave rejection in a place that you never see or know about.

Fear that I Don't have the Skills:  This is an easy one to solve, but can be a huge deterrent to forward movement in your business.  Yes, there are many parts and pieces to a successful online home business, but what is great about each of those pieces is that anyone can learn and apply them.  If you have never worked on the Internet before, you can be taught.  If you have never built a website or blog, you can be taught.  If you have no clue how to market by email, build a lead capture page, monetize your content or optimize for the right keyword, this can all be learned and is not difficult at all.

Will it take time, you bet, but let me ask you a question, "If it took 6 months to learn the basics of building a work at home business that produced a viable income, would it be worth it?"  What if it took a year, and you could potentially replace your full-time income from the J.O.B.? Would it be worth it? 

If your answer is yes, then all you need is the right training to build your home business.

Fear of Financial Freedom:  What is amazing to me is that people dream of being financially free, whatever that means to them, but yet they fear the path to get there.  Financial freedom looks different for all of us, but to fear your ability to create it means you will never get off the ground to experience it.

One thing that I learned early on is that money is not a bad word, it only sounds bad when it is used for the wrong things.  Don't ever fear making money, it's what our economy and world functions around.  The challenge is to use it wisely and invest back in your business and yourself.

Now that you are aware of what fears drive your emotions and actions you will have a better handle on how to react and how to move forward past what ever road block stands in your way.  Building a business from home can be a rewarding experience but you have to stay in the game long enough to reach success. 

If you need help to get going, I would be happy to be your online guide.

• What is the attraction of "Working from Home" that fills our minds with exciting thoughts and drags us to the internet everyday searching for the perfect home business?  

For many it is financial freedom that drives the intention, but there are other reasons people get excited about working from home.  For me, it is the time freedom that appeals the most.  Having the ability to determine my own schedule and giving more attention to the things that matter in my life, like family.  Others dream of traveling, spending more time on hobbies, helping others or just plain enjoying life with out all the stresses that come with working for someone else.

In an ever changing world and economy, one thing is truly constant, people will always get excited about the possibilities of what building a Home Business could be like.  The challenges they face in making it a reality are only limited by their imagination, but more importantly finding the right home business plan.

To realize your dreams of owning a home based business, there is only one thing that will determine your success, YOU must take the first step.  What is that first step?  Getting the right home business training. 

The internet if filled with hype and schemes but if you have the right foundation on how to build and market your home business, then "Working from Home" is not far away.