FROM THE DESK, MIND AND HEART OF JEFF HODGES
Hey Everybody,
I hope that your world is as filled with excitement and opportunity as is mine. Everyday seems to be better than the one before. Every goal I reach seems to bring me closer yet to another goal I am diligently pursuing. It seems to be the way that the Universe goes about getting you where you want and need to be; each completed event serving as the beginning for yet anther one. As always, I would like to welcome all my old friends back and welcome my new friends home. Any of you that either have missed an edition or are new and want to go back and read previous editions can do so by simply going to either.....
http://www.letmemakeyousuccessful.com/links.html (bottom left corner of page)
OR
http://www.jeffhodges.blogspot.com
*********************** Success University **********************
HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Success University !!! They are three years old this month. Not only that but they are DEBT FREE and growing at OVER 300 % ANNUALLY !!! Success University is taking the Network Marketing Industry by storm. Only a very small percentage of new start up companies even make it past their first year, let alone THREE years and experiencing the level of growth and success that Success University has experienced in that length of time is just unheard of. That speaks volumes for them. The reason for this is that they are a solidly based company in all the correct and necessary places; Training, Support, Mission and Financial Status. If you want to be a part of a true LEADER in the industry (a leader that is not even in Momentum yet), all you have to do is go to:
http://www.jeffhodges.subuilder.com
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Ok, without doubt, one of the most commonly asked questions that I get from my fellow Network Marketers is HOW DO I DRIVE TRAFFIC TO MY SITE ??? I normally answer that question by telling them that there is no RIGHT or WRONG way to drive traffic to your site. Different things are more well suited to some people than are others. Everyone has strengths and weaknesses and YOUR strengths and weaknesses will determine largely which methods work best for you. Think about it. Magazine advertising may be effective but it may not be in your budget. Blogging may be very effective but not if you don't have good writing skills. The best way to decide how to get traffic to your site is to take a personal inventory of your overall situation and list of skills then, by the use of logic, choose and test the most obviously viable methods for you. That having been said, I have compiled a list of eleven different ways for you to consider and a little bit about each. You can then decide which ones are most likely suited to you.
FREE METHODS
1) Provide a Bonus for other site owners to use as a FREE give away with a product or service that they are selling. This could be something as simple as a FREE REPORT that you wrote. Of course, it would need to be relevant to the product or service that the other site owner is providing. By using this method, you are basically acquiring the use or their list.
2) Use large Social Networking groups to get your message out. There are countless ones out there and new ones are popping up every day. You have Myspace, Facebook, Friendswin, and Meetup just to name a few. These are places where people come to because they WANT to form new relationships.
3) If you are not camera shy (If you are, you really need to GET OVER IT !!!), there are many sites such as Youtube and Google Video where you can submit your own little personal commercial. You have complete content control and you can really get your face AND personality out there, along with your message.
4) One resource that is gaining a lot of ground in the industry is Craigslist. It is a FREE online classified ad site that is currently receiving MILLIONS of visitors daily. It is a really good place to do your classified ads. Just be sure to read their TERMS OF SERVICE and be professional by not violating them.
5) Podcasting is a method of promotion that is really gaining momentum in the marketplace. If you can make an MP3, you can simply create and audio file and make it available on any of the many Podcast Networks such as Apple iPod. Just make it informative and interesting.
6) If you are a real Go Getter, you can offer your services to other sites by giving free teleconference calls. They benefit by you providing high quality information to their subscribers and you get to Plug your business during or at the end of the call. But, if you choose this method you really need to be prepared or you will come across as very amateurish and do your business more harm than good.
7) Another excellent way to get your message out there and probably one of the LEAST popular of all is the PUBLIC PRESENTATION. Once again, this is a scenario where professionalism and preparedness are VITAL. You really need to have your ducks in a row to do this but if you do there are very few better ways to get your name out there and establish the very elusive CREDITBILITY !!!
PAID METHODS
8) Ezine and Email Newsletter advertising is an effective and relatively inexpensive method of advertising. Also, you have a variety of ways to go about it to suit your budget; everything ranging from Classified Ads to Sponsored Ads to Solo Mailings (The most expensive of the three). The benefit of this type of advertising is that you get your message out to a very large list that you did not have to build.
9) Banner ads have been and always will be a very effective method of advertising your business online. Let's face it, putting up a sign will always be a good way to attract attention whether it is on the side of the road or on the side of a web page. The best part is that banner advertising has dropped in price a lot. It usually runs about $1 to $2 for 1,000 banner impressions.
10) Amazon and Ebay are both very much overlooked resources. You don't always have to give away your SPECIAL REPORTS. Many people are more than happy to pay for what they perceive as valuable information. The key is to sell your special report DIRT CHEAP !!! Remember, you are trying to get targeted traffic to your site. You are not concerned with making money from the report. I recommend selling it for about $1.
11) Finally, there is off-line standard marketing practices. These would consist of Newspaper Classifieds, Newspaper Display Ads, Radio Spots and so on. The only draw back to these methods of promoting your site is that, with the exception of the Classified Ad, you can really eat into your advertising budget and not really get that much for your money, not to mention the fact that you have a very much more limited audience than you have on the internet. Also, it's very difficult to target your traffic with these methods.
Obviously, these are not ALL the available ways to drive traffic to your site but they are some of the most common in use today and some of the more innovative ways. Just remember to apply the ones that are most in line with your current budget conditions and, also, in line with your abilities and understanding of the workings of the internet. If you do those things I think you will find these methods very beneficial.
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"Formal education will make you a living; self-education will make you a fortune."
- Jim Rohn
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I have had the pleasure of spending the entire weekend with a lot of wonderful people. That is one of the reasons that I'm a day late getting my newsletter out. I was in Atlanta at the Embassy Hotel for an Internet Marketing Business Seminar. This is one of the type of events that I'm always trying to get other people to go to. Did I go because I want to start an online business ? NO !!! Did I go because I want to learn the latest and greatest ways to optimize my web site ? NO !!! I can learn about all these things online without the expense of a three hundred mile drive, two nights in a $150 a night hotel room and paying $20 for a burger, fries and mixed drink. I went there to NETWORK !!!
It simply blows me away the excuses that I hear from people for not attending these events. Some of my favorites are "I don't want to use up my vacation days" or "I can't afford the gas" or "It costs too much to stay at the hotel". Well, if those are the best you can do then don't EVER make the mistake of telling me how much fun you had on vacation last year because I'm going to remind you of EVERY WORD that came out of your mouth when I talked to you about the importance of going to Networking Events to promote your business and make new connections. !!!
Is it that you just don't quite grasp what type of people come to these events? I'm talking about people that are really good to have on your side !!! I'm talking about people like Larry Benet, Gary Ambrose, Matt Bacak, Keith Wellman, and Antonio Thornton, just to name a few. These are people that have been where you are and got where they were by using two things... Their own personal drive AND the help of WHO THEY WERE CONNECTED WITH !!!
People, I made so many connections this weekend that it boggles the mind !!! You've GOT to get out of the house and get to these events. You've GOT to add Networking to your business model, irregardless of the nature of your business. You see, it works like this. Everyone has SOMETHING to offer the world. You may not see what you have to offer as significant but someone else may see it as the missing puzzle piece in their particular scenario. They may not need your help right now and you may not need theirs but wouldn't it be nice to know that, because of a relationship that was born over a cup of coffee a year ago, when the day comes that you DO need a helping hand from somebody that can get things done that you can reach in your back pocket, pull out their business card and KNOW that you have a friend of that caliber on the other end ??? So, the next time you get an email informing you of a Major Networking event, don't look at it and say "I'm not going there. My business can't benefit from what they have to offer." GET OFF YOUR BUTT, PACK A BAG AND GO !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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"I present myself to you in a form suitable to the relationship I wish to achieve with you."
- Luigi Pirandello
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Everyone, Life is full of opportunities to enrich itself but YOU have to be the catalyst. You can't sit idly by and wait for it to happen. Opportunities present themselves in many ways, some obvious and others not so much so. It's up to you to pay attention and USE these opportunities when they do come. Get out of your comfort zone because I can tell you one thing FOR SURE !!! The longer you live in that comfort zone, the more UNCOMFORTABLE it is going to get. Until the next time The Good Lord brings us together in brother and sisterhood, just remember to ALWAYS..........
JUST SAY “NO” TO NEGATIVITY !!!
Sincerely,
Jeff Hodges
JeffreyHodges@thedreameffect.com
http://www.thedreameffect.com
http://www.letmemakeyousuccessful.com
http://www.jeffhodges.subuilder.com
http://www.jeffhodges.blogspot.com
615-230-7997
270-320-1324
Skype ID : jeffhodges1
