By Ginny Toll

An attractive blog is like the cover of a book, it draws someone’s attention to it. People first notice how a blog looks before they actually read the content. It is like the first impression. You only have one chance, so make it a good one.

The content keeps a follower on your page and keeps them coming back but in order to first get them to take a look a blog, the blog should be attractive and professional looking. There are certain decisions to be made before you write your first article; what is the look that you want your blog to have.

It is always important to understand that the design of your blog is important. You can either do it yourself, hire someone to create your design or find a system that will customize a site for you at a fraction of the cost of hiring someone. This is all up to you. Here are five simple rules to follow that can make a huge visual impact on for your blog on the internet.

5 Rules to Follow for Blog Appeal

#1 Rule – Color

The colors of your blog will either visual attract your readers or can make them run quickly before they ever get a chance to read one article. Stick to three main colors at the most. Remember the color wheel? Choose either complimentary colors (which are side by side on the color wheel) or opposite colors of the wheel. Pick a background that is not too distracting. You do not want your followers looking at your background and forget the reason why they landed on your blog in the first place and that is to read your article.

#2 Rule – Emotions of Color

Colors create emotions. Does your blog have a cheerful tone? Are your articles cheerful? Does your blog have a doom or gloom tone when you want to write about positive thinking? Think about how it would look if you are writing a satirical article and your blog has a floral background. The two just don’t go together. Keep the emotion that you are creating with your blog to the topic that you are writing about. To learn more about the emotions of color read my article “How to Choose the Right Color for Your Social Media Marketing”.

#3 Rule – Fonts

Avoid hard reading fonts. Try to use common fonts such as, Times Roman, Arial and Calibri. It is much easier to read for you followers. Also take into account the color of the fonts. White or vibrant fonts on a dark background are very hard for the eyes to read. It makes the reader tired or impossible to read your article. Remember the purpose of having a blog is to attract readers and actually stay and read your articles.

When you are writing your articles for a blog, you should writer in short paragraphs and this would allow you to have some flexibility in picking your font style. You can go a little crazy but not over the top crazy.

#4 Rule – Sidebar

Keep your sidebar neat and tidy. Avoid the clutter of putting everything you can think of in your sidebar. This is not only distracting but pulls your followers away from your articles. Consider a page dedicated to recommendations, awards, and affiliate tools. Read “4 Reasons Why Your Blog Should Be Clutter Free” for more ideas on how to keep your blog clutter free.

#5 Rule – Header

Like the old saying your first impression counts and you only have one chance to make it. A well done blog header makes a huge impact. My Branding System has a graphic artist that customizes a header for your blog when you purchase a system. This customization is not only for your blog header but for you YouTube, Facebook and Twitter social media accounts as well. In this way, all your social media accounts are branded with the same graphics and makes it very cohesive and consistent with your brand.

If you can’t afford a customized site, hire a graphic artist to just do your blog header. They will be willing to help you and you will improve the look of your blog dramatically.

If You Build the Blog They Will Come

If you build your blog by using the 5 rules above, it will attract your readers to stay and check out your content. It is the first impression to get people curious about what you have to say. Valuable, easy to read, content is what will keep your followers coming back.

Many people start blogging in order to make money. There are many ways to make money on the internet and niche blogging or affiliate blogging is one of them. The idea is that you find a niche to blog about, write some great content for your readers, and then monetize your blog utilizing adsense or providing affiliate links to affiliate products. Each time someone clicks on your affiliate link and buys a product you will make a commission.

Every affiliate marketer is always looking for the successful market that gives the biggest paycheck. Sometimes they think it is a magic formula that is readily available for them. Actually, it is more complicated than that. It is just good marketing practices that have been proven over years of hard work and dedication.

For you affiliate bloggers, here are three tips that work for many people. There are many systems in place to do internet marketing but it all comes down to these practices.

What are these three tips?

1. Isolate each product with its own unique online presence.

That means at a minimum a unique blog post for each product. Depending on the product and niche you may want to dedicate an entire blog to the one product as well. It is best to have a site or at the very least a blog post focusing on each and every product and nothing more.

Always include product reviews on the website so visitors will have an initial understanding on what the product can do to those who buys them. Also include testimonials from users who have already tried the product. Be sure that these customers are more than willing to allow you to use their names and photos on the site of the specific product you are marketing.

2. Include a useful freebie, such as a report or ebook. This will help you attain repeat traffic.

A good place to position these as at the top-left side of your page. If you think about it, people read left to right and top to bottom. So they will see your report. After they have your report, you can take advantage of the fact that many studies show that a sale is often made on the seventh contact versus the first contact. This free report allows you to recycle traffic!

You can place your ads in this freebie report as one way to recycle traffic. The other is to ask your prospects to join your mailing list to obtain the free report.

By asking for their email address, this means that you can always email them back with more information, useful blog posts, and products you are selling after they have left your site.

Besides building your list, you can include your advertisements in the report whether it is a link back to your website or the actual affiliate link in the report. The more often they read the report the more likely they will come back to visit their site. OR they may distribute the report to their friends in which case the report is now generating possible new traffic.

3. Get the kind of traffic that is targeted to your product.

This is pretty much common sense. If you are selling gum, you have a higher chance selling to someone who is looking for gum than to someone who is looking for a computer monitor.

There are four great sources for this that should keep you busy: blog networking, forum networking, social networking networking, and Article Marketing.

With blog networking, you want to interact with blogs related to your niche. This involves something as little as commenting on blog posts to asking if you can submit an article to that blog as a guest author.

For forum networking, you can participate in discussions in the various forums related to your niche and participate.

With social networking sites, there are often groups created. Find a group related to your niche. Two examples would be myspace groups and facebook groups.

For article marketing, that involves writing useful articles related to your website and posting them in one or more of the many article directories with a link to your website in the author’s resource box.

Always remember that only 1 out of 100 people are likely to buy your product or get your services. If you can generate as much as 1,000 targeted hits for your website in a day, that means you can made 10 sales based on the average statistic. The better targeted your traffic, the better your conversation rate.

All of these tactics are not difficult. They are simply time consuming. It requires a commitment of time and effort. However, when you do all of these tactics for a sustained period of time, you will find that you will be in a good position for creating a nice source of online income with blogging.

Best of luck!

Want to learn more about starting a blog? Come by Emil Yau’s site How Do You Start A Blog and watch his video as he creates and posts to a blog in less than 10 minutes right in front of your eyes.

Article Courtesy of iweberarticles

by Jim Rohn

Emotions are the most powerful forces inside us. Under the power of emotions, human beings can perform the most heroic (as well as barbaric) acts. To a great degree, civilization itself can be defined as the intelligent channeling of human emotion. Emotions are fuel and the mind is the pilot, which together propel the ship of civilized progress.

Which emotions cause people to act? There are four basic ones; each, or a combination of several, can trigger the most incredible activity. The day that you allow these emotions to fuel your desire is the day you’ll turn your life around.

DISGUST
 One does not usually equate the word “disgust” with positive action. And yet properly channeled, disgust can change a person’s life. The person who feels disgusted has reached a point of no return. He or she is ready to throw down the gauntlet at life and say, “I’ve had it!” That’s what I said after many humiliating experiences at age 25. I said, “I don’t want to live like this anymore. I’ve had it with being broke. I’ve had it with being embarrassed, and I’ve had it with lying.”

Yes, productive feelings of disgust come when a person says, “Enough is enough.”

The “guy” has finally had it with mediocrity. He’s had it with those awful sick feelings of fear, pain and humiliation. He then decides he is “not going to live like this anymore.” Look out! This could be the day that turns a life around. Call it what you will: the “I’ve had it” day, the “never again” day, the “enough’s enough” day. Whatever you call it, it’s powerful! There is nothing so life-changing as gut-wrenching disgust!

DECISION
 Most of us need to be pushed to the wall to make decisions. And once we reach this point, we have to deal with the conflicting emotions that come with making them. We have reached a fork in the road. Now this fork can be a two-prong, three-prong, or even a four-prong fork. No wonder that decision-making can create knots in stomachs, keep us awake in the middle of the night, or make us break out in a cold sweat.

Making life-changing decisions can be likened to internal civil war. Conflicting armies of emotions, each with its own arsenal of reasons, battle each other for supremacy of our minds. And our resulting decisions, whether bold or timid, well thought out or impulsive, can either set the course of action or blind it.

I don’t have much advice to give you about decision-making except this: Whatever you do, don’t camp at the fork in the road. Decide. It’s far better to make a wrong decision than to not make one at all. Each of us must confront our emotional turmoil and sort out our feelings.

DESIRE
 How does one gain desire? I don’t think I can answer this directly because there are many ways. But I do know two things about desire:

A. It comes from the inside not the outside.
 B. It can be triggered by outside forces.

Almost anything can trigger desire. It’s a matter of timing as much as preparation. It might be a song that tugs at the heart. It might be a memorable sermon. It might be a movie, a conversation with a friend, a confrontation with the enemy, or a bitter experience. Even a book or an article such as this one can trigger the inner mechanism that will make some people say, “I want it now!”

Therefore, while searching for your “hot button” of pure, raw desire, welcome into your life each positive experience. Don’t erect a wall to protect you from experiencing life. The same wall that keeps out your disappointment also keeps out the sunlight of enriching experiences. So let life touch you. The next touch could be the one that turns your life around.

RESOLVE
 Resolve says, “I will.” These two words are among the most potent in the English language. I WILL. Benjamin Disraeli, the great British statesman, once said, “Nothing can resist a human will that will stake even its existence on the extent of its purpose.” In other words, when someone resolves to “do or die,” nothing can stop him.

The mountain climber says, “I will climb the mountain. They’ve told me it’s too high, it’s too far, it’s too steep, it’s too rocky, it’s too difficult. But it’s my mountain. I will climb it. You’ll soon see me waving from the top or you’ll never see me, because unless I reach the peak, I’m not coming back.” Who can argue with such resolve?

When confronted with such iron-will determination, I can see Time, Fate and Circumstance calling a hasty conference and deciding, “We might as well let him have his dream. He’s said he’s going to get there or die trying.”

The best definition for “resolve” I’ve ever heard came from a schoolgirl in Foster City, California. As is my custom, I was lecturing about success to a group of bright kids at a junior high school. I asked, “Who can tell me what ‘resolve’ means?” Several hands went up, and I did get some pretty good definitions. But the last was the best. A shy girl from the back of the room got up and said with quiet intensity, “I think resolve means promising yourself you will never give up.” That’s it! That’s the best definition I’ve ever heard: PROMISE YOURSELF YOU’LL NEVER GIVE UP.

Think about it! How long should a baby try to learn how to walk? How long would you give the average baby before you say, “That’s it, you’ve had your chance”? You say that’s crazy? Of course it is. Any mother would say, “My baby is going to keep trying until he learns how to walk!” No wonder everyone walks.

There is a vital lesson in this. Ask yourself, “How long am I going to work to make my dreams come true?” I suggest you answer, “As long as it takes.” That’s what these four emotions are all about.

Enjoy this great prospecting tip from Ray!

http://rayhigdon.com/how-to-use-cheap-bandit-signs-to-build-your-mlm/

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How can we get them, where can we find them is one of our daily quest. It’s business. And for companies like Ford and McDonald’s, its big business. Every week I get request from random companies I’ve probably have purchased something from for my opinion on my shopping habits. They want to know what I like so they can deliver it right in front of my eyes through email, internet or TV ads, videos, radio, and the list goes on. Wow! Now that’s customer service!

But seriously, the quest for any company marketing a product is to find new potential customer or leads for expansion.

Here are 3 power prospecting tips you can implement for FREE to start your lead generating process.

1. Create a handwritten list. That’s right, a hand written list you carry everywhere with you. For folks like myself who are heavily armed with the latest gadgets from iWorld, Android, Blackberry arsenal- no a handwritten list. Here’s why, every time you look at that list, it reminds you that you aren’t doing all you can, your not giving it your all. Your not doing the very thing it takes to be successful in this business. Which is to PICK UP THE PHONE and talk to people! All the other gadgets keep the lists neatly tucked away. Out of site- out of mind.

2. Regularly Attend Networking Events. In other words, get out of the house! This is a relationship business, so go out and enjoy meeting new people, finding out their interest, participating in volunteer projects where after getting to know people you can share your message of what you have to offering. By listening to their needs, you find out if they could use your products or are keeping their options open to explore additional income streams. Your local chamber of commerce offers great monthly networking events to grow your business and meet other professionals. The online site meetup.com has a site devoted to connecting you with other people with similar interest you can network with and form great relationships with.

3. Add Value. Seriously. Are you a person who loves to share? Share a great recipe, recommend a great restaurant, etc. This is so important to building a mutually satisfying relationship which is to bring some of interest and value to the table. Isn’t it wonderful to engage in conversation with someone who is so excited about life! They engage in lively fun conversation. And so can you. I love researching, implementing cost-saving and effective tools to help people grow their business.

One of my favorite offerings in my FREE Facebook Training that happens to be taught by not only a phenomenal industry leader, but is packed with great information you will want to implement immediately!

GET FREE FACEBOOK TRAINING HERE!

TEST DRIVE A POWERFUL ALL-IN-ONE MARKETING SYSTEM

This article is the TRUTH about network marketing, and what it takes to succeed I loved every word of it!

Image by Matt Hamm via Flickr

With so many social media platforms, it can be overwhelming where to start your social media campaign.

Watch the video below; it will uncover some surprises for you.

Social Media & SEO 2.0.

I don’t think it’s necessary to explain what a blog is. But to be clear, I’m referring to online “columns” that individuals or companies write and post for others to read, often as part of their own website but sometimes completely independent of a website. There are many writing styles to choose from, so you can pick whatever works for you. That’s one reason blogs are so easy to produce.

Interestingly, at a small-business expo held earlier this year in Orange, Calif., more than two-thirds of those polled said they regularly read blogs written by others. In contrast, fewer than one-third said they were bloggers themselves.

Of all the types of new media that exist today (think Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn), jumping in by writing a blog gives the business owner the most control, the most flexibility and–potentially–the most satisfaction. I sometimes wonder why our agency has a difficult time persuading executives–of any size company–to “give it a go.”

After reviewing the reasons I have been given, I’ve identified seven primary ones cited by entrepreneurs for not sitting at a keyboard and pumping out blog posts. Let’s take a look at these seven “excuses.” I think you’ll see that blogging is not only easy, but potentially a key tool in your marketing toolbox.

Reason No. 1: I’m not a good writer. How can I write a blog?
Bloggers do not need to follow strict rules of writing–each blog has its own style. You can feel free to adopt your own style, tone and content, including a conversational style–a blog is one place where that is appropriate. Yes, you do need to know basic rules of grammar, punctuation and spelling, but this knowledge should be utilized in all writing you do in the business world, whether it is a business letter, e-mail or internal memo. Blog writing is more forgiving when it comes to style. If you can write a business letter, you can certainly write a blog.

Reason No. 2: I don’t have time to constantly update a blog, so why even start one?
Frequency is not critical with a blog–what is more important is consistency. You can decide to add blog posts on a weekly or even a semi-weekly basis, as long as you maintain this rhythm. Make sure you set a pace that works for your schedule. If you can handle short daily posts, go for it. Frequency is good. But if you know that is not likely, pick a frequency that is doable, and just get started.

Reason No. 3: Other people in my company could write a blog. Why should I get involved?
Yes, blogs can be written by anyone in the company, and we encourage executives to create a blog using the people resources that make the most sense in their particular company. However, having the president/CEO perspective can be a valuable addition to a blog posted on your company website. So don’t dismiss this opportunity even if there are others who could handle this task.

Some very successful blogs have multiple people contributing, so consider this as a possibility. Perhaps the best situation for your company is to identify a half-dozen bloggers who can take turns on a regular basis. For example, if you set a twice-weekly rhythm, with six bloggers, each of you would write one post every three weeks–not too difficult!

Reason No. 4: I don’t know what to write about.
This is something most bloggers deal with at least occasionally; coming up with interesting blog posts can be a challenge. I guess this would be called “blogger’s block.” If you take time to plan ahead and create a blog schedule, i.e., an “editorial calendar” in which you think of topics for blog posts in advance, you can minimize your blogging anxiety. Often the most difficult part is not the writing, but simply coming up with topics. Pre-planning topics–and then adding the spontaneous ones that naturally occur to you–will be a tremendous help.

I suggest you carry around a little notebook and jot down ideas as they occur to you or put them on your iPhone‘s notebook feature, so you don’t forget them. Look for topics that crop up in your daily life, whether it be conversations with co-workers or family, e-newsletters or industry articles you read.

Reason No. 5: I can write a blog, but I don’t think anyone will find it.
Marketing your blog is just as important as writing it. You will end up talking to yourself if you don’t push your blog out to the people you want to see it. There are a number of ways to market your blog. First, encourage people to sign up at your blog site for an RSS feed (Real Simple Syndication), which sends each new blog post from you directly to their e-mail inboxes. You don’t have to wait for them to come to you–instead, you go to them on a regular basis.

Next, you can cross-promote your blog in all of your other marketing outreach, from adding the URL in your signature block on e-mails to pushing a link through your other social media channels, such as Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn (where there is a specific application that lets you easily link to your blog so it shows up to all of your LinkedIn contacts when they look at your profile).

A third marketing method is to make sure you have a robust “blog roll”–the list usually found on the right side of your blog that includes links to other blogs that you, personally, find interesting or relevant to your own blog. Often, these bloggers will do a reciprocal post of your link on their own site, creating a wider and often highly relevant audience for your blog.

Reason No. 6: OK, maybe they can find it, but I don’t think anyone will want to read what I have to write about.
Again, this is a commonly expressed reason for not blogging. If you are an entrepreneur, it goes without saying that you have something interesting, or at least informative, to say. Your blog can be about your particular business expertise, your experiences getting your company running and/or your ongoing travails, a glimpse into your company’s corporate culture or even your own your thoughts and comments on the world around you. You can be humorous, provocative, informative, entertaining–you choose the style you want and what types of readers you wish to attract. A lot of blogs have very narrow and limited audiences–and this is probably not very helpful for them from a business standpoint. But if you create a distinctive tone for your blog, and you market it diligently, you will find that people read it. You do have interesting things to say, or you wouldn’t be in business.

Reason No. 7: I don’t see how writing a blog can help my business.
Ah, this is the excuse that we hear over and over. And it’s the hardest for us to overcome. Writing a blog, and getting business value from it, is a process. No one should think that writing a blog will immediately jumpstart her business success. However, a regular blog with relevant and interesting posts will give you a superb vehicle through which to tell your own tale–without having to wait for “traditional media” to decide that you’re worth a story.

You control the entire process and, over time, your messages will be carried to your target audiences via your blog posts. It can take weeks, months or even years for the impact to be visible, even though the process is working and your messages are getting read.

The sooner you begin your blog, the sooner this direct marketing vehicle can begin working for you and your company.

By: Mary Beth Tedeschi

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Pamela Bell

President | Ardyss International
www.ardysswealthcoach.com