Today, December 1, 2009 the new laws that were revised by the Federal Trade Commission regarding endorsements and affiliates go into effect.

In brief, if you are an affiliate for someone else’s products, or create and promote your own products, this is what it means to you.

1. Responsibility. You are responsible for checking out the products that you promote. It really goes without saying that you should purchase any product that you are thinking of promoting. Doing so, you will be able to quickly weed out any weak or inferior products and save your reputation in the process. You will also be able to promote it honestly if you have used the product. This will shine through in your promotion.

2. Disclosure. You must let your readership know that you are getting paid for every sale made. This means that you must include a disclosure statement on your website or blog explaining the relationship you have to the product that you are promoting.

3. Testimonials. You cannot include any claims or testimonials on your site that you cannot substantiate. Again, if you have used the product successfully you can say that. If you have not, you cannot make claims indicating that you have. And you cannot include testimonials of others that you cannot prove.

Through all of this many are talking about the need to hire an attorney to make sure you are in compliance. As I am just getting my business started, this is not an option for me. However, I received an email from Frank Kerns who sent me a link to a video made by HIS attorney. If you do not know Frank Kern’s story, check out his blog post, What It’s Like to Be Sued by the FTC.

Frank’s attorney, Denise Gosnell, has created a product that includes ten strategies to keep your business in compliance with the new FTC rules. These include how to Use the Proper Written Agreements with Contractors and Employees, Trademark Law Pitfalls and Tips, Using Non-Disclosure Agreements to Protect Your Intellectual Property, Following Proper Accounting Principals to Keep Your Business in Good Standing. It also includes agreements such as Professional Services Agreement, Employment Agreement, Interview Release Agreement, Sample Web Site Privacy Policy, Sample Web Site Terms of Use.

My disclaimer — this IS an affiliate link. I believe in this product because it is a fairly affordable way make sure you are compliant with the new FTC regulations without having to retain an attorney. Of course if you are in the IM business long term, as with any business, as soon as you can afford an attorney, it would be in your best interest to find and retain a good attorney. Again my disclaimer — I am not an attorney, this is just my humble opinion.

Check out the video.

Best wishes for a successful and FTC-compliant business!

~Norene

Greetings! Today in the United States is Thanksgiving. It is a wonderful day to spend with family and friends. It is common for families to talk about what they are thankful for as they eat dinner on this day.

What a missed opportunity, however, if they do not do this simple task every day. In even the most dire situations, there is always something to be thankful for.

I have had a very difficult year. In April I was transferred at my place of business and placed with a boss who, to put it kindly and mildly, is very difficult to work with. I had health problems this summer that lead me to wonder if I was going to leave my two young daughters orphaned. This fall I lost my best friend, leaving a huge void in my life and in my heart.

Yet, I have always been a thankful person and I look daily for big and small things to be thankful for. Since this is a blog about my adventures in internet marketing, I wanted to take the time to formally thank all of those people, especially those people I met this year, who have propelled me forward in my internet business.

I want to thank Chris Freville, my first coach. I want to thank Alex Jeffreys, my second coach. Without these two incredible men, I would still be lost.

I want to thank the wonderful folks I have met in Alex’s course. These bright, enthusiastic, motivating and kind people have made my journey fun, interesting, entertaining, and have brought back a renewed sense of purpose for me. They have also made me realize that one can remain true to oneself and work with integrity in this business. For this I will be forever grateful. I know that I will miss some fine folks in this list, but I want to thank the following people from Alex’s coaching course that have been such a help and source of inspiration to me. They are Andrew Vaughan, Paul Lear, Matt Wolfe, Rod Macbeth, Rob Canyon, Paul Wilson, Syed Akram, Garry Parkes, Roger Edwards and Gary Simpson.

Finally, I’d like to recommend a new course created by Kim Roach. As you know, one the people I am most grateful to this year is Kim. She is an amazing internet marketer, over delivers like no one I have ever seen and truly wants to help people succeed. She has recently created a course called the Super Affiliate Club. This is not an affiliate link. I am promoting this course because I believe it will truly help your business, regardless if you are a beginner internet marketer or an advanced marketer. She has fabulous traffic tips, mind maps, motivational support. She is also going to have marketing tools and Monday Night Marketing. It is definitely worth checking out!

I hope you stop today and every day to think about what you are thankful in your life. Focusing on the positive can make all the difference between having a good day and having a not so good day!

Until next time,

~Norene

Today I want to talk about creating quality. There are so many blogs in every possible niche, you may be focusing on how to get traffic to your blog. If that is your focus, you may want to read some of my other blog posts such as, Ten Ways to Promote Your Blog, and Weekly Wrap-Up: Link Building.

But today I want to focus on how to create a following on your blog and how to keep folks on your blog longer, reading what you have worked on so hard to express. Obviously there are many reasons why you want your visitors to visit often and to stay on your site longer. One factor that I have noticed over the past six weeks of testing, is that my Alexa ranking (which is a rough estimate of how popular your blog is) seems to be more directly impacted by how long folks stay on my blog than how many visitors I have. And how do you get visitors to stay on your blog longer? You give them quality; you answer the questions they have come looking for, you entertain. By doing this you create posts of interests, post that others will Digg or Twitter, creating more visitors, more repeat visitors and visitors that stick around longer to see what else you have written.

This week I would like to recommend several blog posts that speak to the importance of writing quality blog posts. The first is from, as you probably know by now, one of my favorite bloggers and internet marketers, Kim Roach. Her blog post, Case Study – 1 Article = 7,640 Visitors takes you step by step through the process she took to write a blog post that attracted visitors like crazy.

In her blog post Kim says,

The first thing I did was actually write the article. This is actually THE MOST IMPORTANT part of the process because the quality of your article is going to determine how far it will spread and how much traffic it will end up attracting. Promoting the article is definitely a critical piece of the puzzle but you MUST start by creating a truly exceptional article.

I love this paragraph because it makes two thing crystal clear! You must first WRITE, and second, what you write must be quality.

The second blog post that I found that speaks to this issue is Seth’s blog post, The Importance of Writing Good Content, where he talks about “Pillar Articles,” which are a set of articles that bring a constant flow of traffic to your blog. His take on quality blog posts are similar to Kim’s in which he says:

Well written content is linked to, twittered about and Digged by online users because it is useful, funny, insightful or maybe even odd. Good content increases the value of your blog and likelihood that visitors will return to see your next article.

My third recommendation from this week is Daniel Scocco’s post titled, Checklist for Writing a Quality Blog Post. As the name suggests, he outlines a list of what is necessary to make a blog post top quality. One of his check points specifically is the quality of the content. Says Daniel:

This is one of the most important questions you need to ask yourself. Will your content actually create value for the reader? Is it original and unique? …

People want to learn new things, solve problems, become more productive. They want to know how stuff works. Practical tips. Tutorials. Reviews. Can you help them with that?

It takes time to create quality, but I have found that it is much more important to blog less and write high quality then to blog more and create posts of lesser quality.

Have you done any testing about this yourself? Have you ever been surprised by posts that you wrote that were extremely well received or not well-received? I know that I have found that those posts that I feel most connected to seem to attract the most traffic.

Until next time,

~Norene

Greetings All,
I apologize for missing a weekly wrap-up last weekend. The swine flu finally caught up with my family and we were down and out for the count. But here we are again, with another weekend upon us!

This week I would like to talk about Twitter. I find that most folks on the internet either love or totally dismiss Twitter. I have to admit that I was one to totally dismiss it. I certainly saw the value of it, both personally and in my business, but I felt like I just didn’t have the time to “twitter away” my day. After finally jumping on board, I have found how truly fun and valuable Twitter can be.

One post that I came across that I really loved was Steve Wakefield’s blog article called, “My Top 10 Twitter Tools and Then Some.” If you are new to twitter, or not, you will find his list really compelling.

Of the ten tools that Steve lists, I have to say that I liked Twitter Packs the best. Twitter Packs, according to Steve, is a “useful directory of twitter users sorted into specific categories so that you can find people who are interested in the same things as you. You can also add yourself to the directory so that people can find and follow you.” Take a moment to read Steve’s blog post. If you love twitter, you will be glad that you did.

As happens quite often in the world of the internet, once you find a product that you love, another comes along to rival it. Such was the case with me this week. I literally stumbled upon Sokule (pronounced So Cool).
Sokule is a free product, or you can upgrade to obtain more features. You’ll find all the applications you need to make your business hum in one convenient location. You can even choose the applications you want. Applications like Adding your Bio, Edit Posts, Live Profile Links, Auto Welcome, Scheduled Posts, Video Ads, Autoresponder Messages, ClickBank plugin, Sokwall, and lots more.

One of the things that makes Sokule so cool is that when you post on Sokule, your post will automatically show up on Twitter just like magic. Sokule’s website states that they will soon be adding 40 other social networking sites like Facebook, Myspace, Giblink, Friend Feed and many more.

Follow me on twitter at http://twitter.com/nbroyton or on sokule at http://www.sokule.com/postit/Norene My sokule page is just beginning to be built — hopefully by the end of this week there will be more to show.

Until next time,

~Norene

One of the biggest misconceptions on the internet is that if you simply post to your blog, you will get visitors. So much has been written about SEO and ranking high in Google in order to get traffic to your site. There are, however, so many additional ways to get highly targeted traffic.

Today I would like to share with you ten traffic generation tactics. I have used some of those listed below and have read about others. In the next few weeks I will be using all of the strategies to test which ones work best for me and will post back about my results. If you would like to try, or have tried, any or all of these strategies yourself, comment below and let me know how they work for you.

1. Commenting on Other Blogs.  By commenting on others’ blogs you can obtain traffic in two ways.  First, the person whose blog you post on will notice and oftentimes will come to your blog to see what you are up to and comment on your blog as well.  This will increase your credibility. Second, others who visit the blog will see your comment and may come to see your blog as a result. It is important to make your comments something of value, not just a “like your blog” comment.  You can find blogs similar to yours by typing blog + [your niche] into Google.  If you consistently comment on others blogs, you will increase both your visitors and your backlinks to your site quickly.
2. Guest Blogging.  Another twist to commenting on others’ blogs is to become a guest blogger.  This can give your name and your blog huge exposure.  When you visit your favorite blogs, check to see if they allow for guest bloggers.  If so, approach the owner of the blog.  When you post as a guest, make sure that your post is the best quality that you can provide.  Not only is this important for your relationship with the blog owner, but it also may be the first impression of you that others will see.  Make sure it is a good impression!
3. Article Marketing.  There is nothing new about article marketing, except the fact that so many marketers minimize the impact that article marketing can have on their traffic.  To get the biggest bang for your buck, submit your articles to high profile content syndication blogs, websites and article directories.  By placing your articles in the line of sight of readers who are specifically interested in your content, quality traffic will flow to your blog.  Again, you can find a list of these places by Googling article submission + [your niche].
4. Create a .pdf from your articles.  This idea came from Kim Roach.  She talks about this method of generating traffic in her fabulous product Instant Payday Formula. Once you have created your .pdf document you can submit it to www.free-ebooks.net and www.getfreeebooks.com
5. Video Marketing.  More and more, people are turning to sites like Youtube to acquire the information they need.  By posting videos of your information in addition to article writing, you will get twice the exposure.  If you, like me, are a little nervous about creating videos, check out Joshua Bartlett’s Video Marketing Classroom.  It is a series of free videos that take you step-by-step how to create videos for internet marketing purposes.
6. Commenting on Forums.  This is often discussed but just as often overlooked.  Hundreds if not thousands of people read forums regularly for information and camaraderie.  (It is also a good place to find Joint Venture Partners).  If you answer forum-goers questions with solid, good information, you will begin to become the go-to person for information in your niche.  By putting your blog url in your signature line, people will be drawn to your blog for more information.  You can find all of the forums you would ever need to post in by Googling forum + [your niche].
7. RSS Feed.  Blogs that have RSS Feeds enable the readers to stay informed by retrieving the latest content.  It is important to have an RSS feed on your blog.  A good video to learn more about setting up RSS feed on your blog can be found on Yaro Starak’s Blog.
8. Emailing Your List.  Many people do not sign up for RSS feeds, but you can periodically email your list to bring their attention to your best posts.  This will keep them aware of what you are up to, and perhaps get them into the habit of checking your blog regularly. If you do not have a list, I will be blogging about how to grow a list in a future blog, but to get a head start you can check out Alex Jeffrey’s List Building ebook.
9. Link Round Up.  This is another technique that I learned from Kim Roach.  (If you haven’t signed up to her  email list, you should.)  Bloggers post their favorite links and articles each week in what’s called a Link Roundup.  In this technique you Google “Daily Link Roundup” + [your niche].  You can also use “Weekly Link Roundup” + [your niche].  By doing this you will get a list of blogs who participate in weekly link roundups.  Once found, you contact the blog owner and send them a link to your best blog post.   If the owner likes your post, they will link to you in their weekly link roundup, giving you and your blog huge exposure.  (The underlying theme that you should take away from this blog post is that it is critical that you create top-notch content).
10. Creating a Free Product.  One great way to get targeted traffic to your blog is to create a free product to give away.  Although this may be time consuming up front, there are many benefits to creating your own product.  First, you can use it to help build your list.  In your ebook, or product, you can post your blog url.  Mention that the reader is free to pass the link to the ebook to others.  Over time this will create a viral explosion, and people will read your ebook and come to your blog to see what else you are writing about.  Again, it is critical to take your time and create a good product.

So…you built a fabulous blog.  Now go promote it using any or all of these tactics and they WILL come.  Add a comment and share how you are getting traffic to your blog!

Until next time,

~Norene

Whether our business is just taking off, or has been established for years, how great would it be to not only get a second opinion, but a third , forth….up to 53 opinions….for FREE!

That is what Rich Schefren and Jay Abraham have created in the League of Extraordinary Minds.  Their goal is to help every entrepreneur and business owner become successful, and it is completely free.

Since becoming an Internet Marketer, by biggest success came only after I acquired mentors.  You can check out my blog post Over-Delivering, The Key to Success for more information on my mentors.  I will now be adding Rich Schefren and Jay Abraham to that list, and I hope that you will too.  There may not be bigger names in Internet Marketing than these two, and they have gathered more world-class experts in business, internet marketing and entrepreneurship in one place than ever has been done before.

When you join for free you will receive a 36 hours of content-rich, non-selling, expert panel interview series.  Each expert that they’ll interview has the distinction of being THE absolute “top”” mind in their field.  These are not lightweights.  They earn seven, eight figures for what they know.  They’re respected buy the biggest leading company, the world over. They each have either identified, uncovered, deciphered or invented more business breakthrough strategies, concepts, techniques or approaches than anyone else in their space.

These 53 experts include:
Jay Conrad Levinson, Stephen Covey, Brian Tracy, Tony Robbins, Michael Masterson, Michael Bosworth, Dr. Paul Schoemaker, Lou Adler and John Kotter. Check out the League of Extraordinary Minds website to see the rest of this business all-star lineup!

Does your business suffer from any of the following:  Poor marketing * No distinction or preemptive advantage * Ineffective sales efforts * Poor marketing message * Lack of credibility, trust in marketplace * Limited capital to market?  Jay and Rich have purposely put this group of extraordinary business minds together and focused each expert’s content on ideas and advice that will quickly help any business out there that’s suffering from any of these problems.

I joined the League of Extraordinary Minds because I have seen the benefit of having mentors for my business.  I know that adding 53 more to my list of mentors can do nothing but help me to skyrocket my business to further success.

If you think you may need a second opinion about the direction your business is moving, take a moment to check out the League of Extraordinary Minds and let me know what you think!

Until next time, keep moving forward!

~Norene

Last week marked a huge milestone for me. I created my first ecourse! It is   called  Joint Venture Secrets.

It is a *FREE* e-course that is delivered over a five-day period.

* What a JV Partnership is and how it can benefit your business;

* How to find JV Partners

* The different types of JV Partners and how to determine what is right for you and your business;

* How to approach JV Partners;

as well as providing additional resources and information to help you in your JV partnership.

To obtain the course, simply fill in your name and email at the box to the upper right, and Day One of the course will be sent to immediately.

Once you have finished the five days, please post below and let me know if you found it valuable or not.

Thank you!

Until next time,

~Norene

This past week I came across several blog posts about link building. On seomoz.org Rob Ousbey recently wrote a blog post called A Link Building Rule to Cut Out and Keep about how to get a website ranked higher in Google. He speaks of advice that he gives to all who ask. It is simply:

“The most valuable links you can get, are those which your competitors will never be able to have.”

He goes on to explain how to tap into links by discovering what your blog or website has to offer that is unique. By being proactive in this regard, you will find links that others will not even be looking for. You can read more about this interesting prospective by checking out his blog post.

Another great blog, also posted on seomoz.org was by Jennita. The post was called Followed Links From Four Unexpected Sources and it discusses how social networking from sites such as Panoramio and Zillow can provide links to your site.

Finally, I know that motivation is always a big issue with folks in the internet marketing business. I found this blog post that I really enjoyed. It was written by one of my favorite bloggers, Paul Norwine and is called Eliminating Self Doubt and Beating the Bogeyman at His Own Game. Paul talks about three strategies that he uses to keep himself motivated: Focusing on the Present, Taking Action and Fail Forward and to Condition Yourself. It is a great read, and very sound advice!

If you have come across any great posts dealing with Link Building or Motivation, leave a comment below!

I hope you have a great week — Keep Moving Forward!

Greetings, All!

Another week is behind us. I hope it has been a productive one for you. If you have been journaling, you can look back and see what you have done this week that has worked and what has not. Most importantly you can see all that you have achieved and pat yourself on the back!

This week I finally finished my first ecourse titled: Joint Venture Secrets. It is a five part course that explains what a Joint Venture Partner is, how to go about finding these partners and creating the partnership. Sign up in the box at the top right and tell me what you think of it. I will be writing a blog about this new ecourse in greater detail later this week.

Creating this ecourse was a big achievement for me and I am happy to have completed it. The only reason this happened was because I had put it on the top of my to-do list last Sunday, and committed to it on Alex Jeffrey’s forum. I had been putting it off, doing other things, but finally I said enough. Once it was on the top of my to-do list, and I had publicly committed to it, I just had to stop procrastinating and get it done.

In this week’s Weekly Wrap-Up, in keeping with the productivity theme, I would like to mention David Walker’s blog post titled, Why You Never Get Anything Done. David’s blog is fantastic, filled with easy to understand, yet very informative pieces that will propel your internet marketing efforts forward. David has also written a very good blogging ebook titled, Stop Slogging Start Blogging. I have downloaded it and read it several times over. His ebook is free, but I have found it to be priceless. It is filled with tips about how to become a successful blogger and internet marketer through blogging. This ebook can also be found on David’s blog.

My second find this week was a video create by Joe Vitale on the subject of productivity. It was put on youtube two years ago, but I felt that it was very relevant to me right now, and I hope that you find it to be so as well. It is only 2 minutes long, and it is quite a little gem.

I hope that you continue to be productive and having fun in your internet marketing pursuits!

Until next time,

~Norene

This tool is called Odiogo and you may have noticed it as something new added to my blog. Odiogo’s motto is “Give your text content a voice…and legs!” Once installed as a wordpress plugin (can also be used with RSS feeds, Blogger, Typepad and Overblog), Odiogo appears as a small “listen now” icon under your blog post title and before the content. By clicking on this icon, your readership can listen to your post or they can download it to listen on their ipod, iphone or MP3 player. This convenience can expand your readership into listenership very quickly. The quality of the reading is pretty good…click on the listen button on any of my blog posts and check it out yourself!

Odiogo is easy to install and they provide very detailed installation directions. I often have a glitch or two when installing products of various kinds, but this was installed perfectly the first time through. Once installed and used, they also provide data and graphs displaying how often this feature is used on your blog.

Another great aspect of Odiogo, is that once your listenership reaches a significant level (as of this writing, their website does not define what that means), you may qualify for a share of their advertising revenue. How cool is that?

Give it a try and let me know what you think!

Until next time,

~Norene