Content Sites – Admitting My Weakness

I feel like complete honesty is necessary – after all, if you can’t trust me to be honest then how can you trust me?

When I’m writing a sales letter, this would be the “damaging admission” section. The moment when you let down your guard and reveal yourself as human. You tell your lead, “Hey, I’m not perfect.” This psychological tactic lets your reader connect with you on a deeper level, and can win you a lot of business! But that’s not the lesson for today. You can learn more about damaging admissions later…

Today I’m here to admit my own weakness in this whole Internet business. When you get into Internet marketing, the first thing you realize is: wow, there’s a lot of ways to make money online. This realization either becomes your trap or your gateway to making real profits.

• If you see all those opportunities and start flailing your arms, swatting at them, trying to grab up as many money-making methods as possible – you will fail! You will spread yourself too thin trying to learn it all. And in the end, you won’t be good at any of the methods. Chances are you’ll end up that guy that knows a lot about marketing, but doesn’t have any results to show for it.
• If you see the variety of methods and settle on one (maybe two), you stand an excellent chance of becoming the master in that area. You can learn everything about your business model, dominate it, and apply it over and over again to different niches.

I found my method, and I’ve been dominating for a couple years now. But it’s time to expand. It’s time to look outside the box, and find ways to boost my existing income streams. Sure, I could always just create more products in more niches. But that gets old after a while. I know my strength is in ONE LITTLE TINY NICHE. And I make a killing there. So now I want to increase my market share in that niche.

My biggest weakness is content sites!

So what, you say? Who needs content sites when you can just put up a sales letter and forget it? Well, if you want to own your market, you need to provide value-add to your clients or customers. You gotta give them more than they ask for. And sometimes, providing that value to potential customers can win you new business.

Well I suck at creating and maintaining this kind of content. And that’s gotta change. For 2009, my plan is to put together a small network of content sites around my niche. These sites will act as a resource for existing customers, a place to gather opt-ins and build my list, and a portal for expanding the scope of my entire business.

There’s my early New Year’s resolution, and my damaging admission for the day. If you have any suggestions, feel free to leave them in my comments. Any encouragement is welcome, too.

And maybe you can learn something from this post – what’s your biggest weakness? What’s stopping you from maximizing your profits? Identify and eliminate it. If you put down a road map, you will have an easier time getting from Point A to Point B.

Good luck, and happy early Thanksgiving!

Tough Love On A Monday Night

Just a quickie tonight.

I get the feeling that some of my readers are cautious by nature. You know the type – very carefully thinking about every step before taking it, convincing themselves that every opportunity is really a disaster waiting to happen. Well, I thought it would be appropriate to speak directly to these readers for once.

If you think you fit the bill, you should know something: I was never like that. Not when it came to starting my Internet businesses. Why would I come right out and say this? Because I want to be totally up front and honest with my readers.

So here’s what I want you to do. It will only take a minute. Think about me – my business, how I live my life, the automatic income I have every single day, every single month. It didn’t take a leap of faith for me to get where I am today. All it took was the confidence that I make my own way in life. I make the rules. I make it happen. You see, that’s what it takes. You can’t wait around for someone to do everything for you. It just doesn’t happen – not in this world!

If you really want to build something great, you need to take a deep breath and take action. Just dive in. Arm yourself with enough knowledge to make one small step toward success, and then take that step.

You say you don’t have the knowledge to start making money online? Fine, here you go:

This Is Enough Knowledge To Get You Started

Now you have no excuses. Click that link, drop the thirty-nine bucks, and soak up a bit of know-how. It’s guaranteed, and it only takes 3 hours. Three hours to start your life over! After you’ve done that, take the step.

I can’t push you any harder than I just did. So now I’ll leave it up to you.

You can keep doing the same old things, but you’re just going to end up with the same old results.

I hope you make the right decision for you,

Reuben D. Rock

My Article Marketing Secret of the Day

Some of you may know that part of my business is writing articles. In fact, if you do a little snooping, you can find dozens of articles authored by yours trulyfloating around. Why am I doing this? Articles submitted to article directories get backlinks! These backlinks are applied toward your Google search rankings. So you better believe this is important.

I thought I might share a little inside secret with everyone today. Any experienced article writers can probably skip over this posting, because you already know about this secret.

Check out this website:

JetSpinner.com – Your Article Spinning Resource

It should have openned in a new window, so you can continue reading here and checking out that page. Watch the video. See what JetSpinner has to say. You should quickly realize the benefits of using this tool.

So you spend a few minutes writing a quick article. How do you maximize the return on your work? Spin it! You’ll get multiple articles out of that one bit of work. These articles can be submitted to different article directories or posted on your blogs.

You might be wondering, “Why can’t I just submit the same article everywhere?” Because of duplicate content- the kiss of death from Google. If you post the same article in more than one place, Google sees through your ploy. They won’t count those backlinks toward your search ranking. That’s a waste of your time and effort.

So there you have it. That’s the secret of the day, and I’m glad to provide it. If you want to know more about article marketing (I know there are some new IMers here), check out UndercoverBum.com – my favorite little resource for learning about the basics.

Good luck, all! And go make some money.

Opportunity Presents Itself

For the last few years, I have worked my butt off. Well, my wife would probably disagree. But I have worked. I ran a recording studio, started my business, got married, bought a house, finished undergraduate school, started grad school, etc. It just keeps going.

With all those things going on, I was always too busy to just lay back and relax for an extended time. I’m talking about 1-2 months of freedom. Several of my friends have done this nonstop for years now – but not me. I’ve been too busy building up to something. Waiting for an opportunity.

It’s about to hit me – the opportunity to float.

Next summer, my wife and I are off. No school, no work, no nothing. Just money coming in and nothing to do but enjoy it. So for the first time ever we can make plans to live like young people!

What do you think? Should we go nuts? For now, we’re thinking of Virginia Beach, D.C. for a Yanik Silver gathering, Boston, then maybe Europe. Just floating from place to place and sipping on some cocktails.

Here’s the funny part – even with all this kicking back and tipping back, I’ll probably keep working! Haha, maybe I’ll pick up a new macbook to take on the road and expand the business. That’s my life, and I wouldn’t want it any other way.

Take care!

Turning Up The Heat

So the busy season is over for one of my big selling products. The fall months usually drive my sales up like crazy – and the money is awesome. But it’s dwindling now.

In the next month of two, my other busy season will kick in. The number of sales won’t be astronomical, but the profit margin for that product is huge. So $$$ will be flowing in.

With this seasonal pattern, I need to develop a plan for my business. How can I take advantage of the peak seasons? What ad-spending changes should I make to capitalize on it?

These are the kinds of questions I’m working through right now. And I’ll get back to you when my game plan is on paper. I probably won’t find out anything life-changing, but it might be the key to squeezing out extra profits.

If you have your own business going on, you should do the same. Put your numbers on paper, graph them, look at them carefully. If you have any patterns in there, you need to think about what the implications are. So many “business owners” like me fail to do this. It’s easy to get wrapped up in the “I don’t have to work” mentality, but you shouldn’t let that keep you from making the most of what you have.

So go do it.

ReubenRock.com Buys Another House

Okay, so the title is a little misleading. I have not, in fact, bought another house. But I am looking to do so – and being in the market is a perpetual thing for me.

Why am I on the lookout? Because the deals are out there. EVERYWHERE. Right now is a bad time for the housing market. You’ve heard it on the tv, radio, from friends, and wherever else. Can’t sell a house right now, can’t get a mortgage right now. Not without stellar credit or a load of cash.

Well my friends… it pays to be resourceful. If you can locate these deals and mine them properly – then you have yourself a sweet cash cow of an investment.

If you don’t know anything about real estate, that’s not a bad thing. Sometimes knowing too much keeps you from buying great investment properties. But I do recommend learning a little before jumping in. For instance, find the worst house in the best neighborhood. Find motivated sellers, even desparate sellers! Etc. Etc. Etc.

This post is a little cryptic, but that’s ok. The fact is, you need to figure this stuff out for yourself. Find experts, ask questions, keep your eyes open. You’ll find what you’re looking for – but you have to be looking for it first.

In the mean time, I’ll be mining some gold.

Sell Something on eBay This Year

Back with an easy tip that can get you started toward a new chapter in life. Let’s imagine you get into a tough financial bind – maybe you come up short for a utility bill. If only you had a couple hundred bucks to pay your bill, you could avoid falling behind in your payments.

With your credit on the line, what can you do?

Well, my favorite way to raise funds has always been to sell off old possessions. Lots of people quickly resort to borrowing money from somewhere, and I sincerely advise against it. If you just need a quick injection of cash, you don’t always need to borrow it! Instead, take a look around your house. You see all that crap lying around that you don’t use? You probably don’t even remember it’s there. Maybe those old school textbooks gathering dust. Maybe it’s the iPod you had to have, but never use. How about that birthday present from mom that just missed the mark? All of these things are sources of quick cash.

In the old days, people would throw together a quick garage sale or try to sell to their friends. Now, you don’t have to do that. In fact, you can usually get a better price for your junk by selling it on eBay. Of course, you probably know that by now. This is 2008! Everybody knows about eBay!

But do you actually use it? Are you a rabbid eBay buyer? Then why are you not an equally rabbid eBay seller? It’s so easy that once you’ve done it, you’ll never go hungry again. Go check out eBay’s seller info right now and see how simple it is to list something for sale.

Your new eBay selling skills will come in handy in the future, too. When I want a new guitar, how do I quickly raise funds to buy it? I sell some old gear on eBay to pay for the new guitar – and my wife smiles knowing that I’m not emptying the checking account. Instead, I’m de-cluttering the house by getting rid of useless stuff.

Try it out this year and you’ll see just how valuable this skill is. Raise quick cash, never be without!

Never “Too Young”

In continuing with my sage advice this week, I’d like to discuss a topic important to myself and to my same-age peers. The idea that you are ever “too young” for some things can be the biggest obstacle to life success. Today, you need to make a change in mindset.

Most likely you have heard that “failing to plan is planning to fail.” Boring, right? Well boring and true, as it turns out. You may think that 20, 21, 22, 23 is too young to be worried about retirement accounts, or savings, or property investments, or any of those “adult” issues. You would be wrong. And you better learn that now, while you still have time to fix it!

Being young doesn’t mean that being old won’t happen. And you need to plan accordingly. Start saving YOUR money right now – because otherwise it will never really be YOUR money. It will slip through your fingers one dollar bill at a time, until you have nothing to show for it except a bunch of stuff. And that stuff won’t make you any richer. If you start socking away a portion of every paycheck now, it will be your money for years to come. And it can make money while it’s sitting around. Consider your savings account (you have a savings account, right?). That money sits and earns interest, and more money earns more interest. So don’t be a lamer – put money in a high yield savings account and let it sit around. In ten years, those bits and pieces of your paychecks will still be there – and they will have invited their $$ friends over to hang out.

Go check out T Rowe Price right now and consider opening an account to invest in a mutual fund. Yeah the economy is in the dumps right now, but that’s how good investors work, right? Buy low, sell high. Well right now it’s low – real low. And it will go back up. And when it does, your cheap shares in that mutual fund will be worth the spare change you spent on them. Trust me.

Also, invest in yourself. Do you have an education? Are you getting one? If earning a college degree can make you 20% more per year over a high school diploma, then you should cash in. It’s not just 20% more this year – it’s 20% more for 30 years (or however long you work). That’s a lot of money waiting for you!

Finally, take yourself seriously. Being young doesn’t have to mean being stupid. Spending senselessly and never saving a penny will make you a loser when you finally get old. And that’s never a good thing – you old bum. But don’t take yourself so seriously that you forget to enjoy the ride. Save, invest wisely, and have a good time doing it. A bottle of champagne every once in a while just to celebrate your wise decisions is okay. And I highly recommend it.

Go get em, tiger!

The Winning Formula

This week I’ll be turning 23 years old. And in celebration, I would like to impart some advice throughout the week. Twenty-three years isn’t a long time, but it’s all I have – and I’ve done some cool stuff along the way. So without further blabbing, let’s get started…

As you build a business, you inevitably end up with your own formula for success. Mine came from several people’s gameplans and some first-hand experience with a guy that knows how to make a buck. It’s simple, it works, and anyone can replicate it… with a little effort, that is. Here’s the outline:

1. Solve a problem
2. Be different
3. Rinse & repeat

I told you it was simple. Let’s talk details now… If you want to sell anything to anyone, you need to solve a problem for them. It can be any kind of problem. People have hundreds and thousands of problems, and they shell out cash for solutions. Here are some examples:

• “I need to get to work” – sell me a car, bicycle, taxi service, etc.
• “I’m hungry” – sell me some Taco Bell

But most of these problems already have solutions on the market, right? So how are you supposed to squeeze your way in and make some $$$? You can create a new problem, and then offer the solution (this is tricky, and not for the beginner). Or you can solve a problem in a better (or at least different) way. The last option is my specialty.

So you have x problem, huh? Well you could go with solution A, or you could use the revolutionary new solution B – it’s 2x concentrated, all natural, and can solve world hunger!

The key is to be different in a way that makes you appear better. You should also try to actually be better, but we can settle for appearing better at first. This difference between you and your competition is your USP (Unique Selling Point). It’s what sets you apart and makes customers lust for your product.

Now, unleash your magic and sit back. When your results come in, see how you did. Did you lose some money? Well, too bad. But don’t give up. Try some variations. Most ideas can be manipulated into money-making machines, you just have to give it the right spin.

If you made some money, then you can move to step three – rinse and repeat. Your idea made you money, do it again for a related problem. Did you fix somebody’s hybrid Prius battery? Can you also fix a hybrid Camry battery? Or a hybrid Escalade? Move from problem to problem and vary your solution to fit the circumstances. The same great idea can be used again and again to increase your profits. Go ahead, give yourself a raise.

Now you have my winning formula – use it wisely. And don’t forget to send me a “thank you” check (make it out to Reuben Rock).

Best of luck!

Close Your Wallet – Open Your Eyes (Get More Educational ‘Bang’ For Your Buck)

One of the more disturbing trends I see in Internet Marketing is what I call the “perpetual learner.” If you’ve spent any time talking to supposed IMers, whether @ a seminar or on WarriorForum, you have probably met people that fall in this category. Let me break it down for you:

“3 Characteristics of a Perpetual Learner”

1. A truckload of IM products. This can include piles of books, shelves full of binders, CDs of audio/software/etc., and an external harddrive packed w/eBooks.
2. Comprehensive knowledge of upcoming product launches, as well as an archive of every past product in the industry.
3. Complete lack of personal results (they don’t make $$$)

I know – not everyone w/a bookshelf of material is a perpetual learner. Some of the best marketers I know have tons of resources in their office. I have tons of books/audios! But the difference lies 100% in the results and the application of that knowledge.

So why are so many people buying, buying, buynig all the time – and never applying? Because IM has become such a buzzword, such a golden parachute, in the last ten years. You want to learn how money is made online? There are millions of products out there offering you manure by the pound!

And people buy it – all of it!

So today I’m going to reveal my #1 technique for cutting the bull and picking up marketing knowledge. Here it is:

STOP buying products now, start analyzing how these gurus are selling you their brain waste.

That sounds harsh – and there are marketers out there w/genuine gold to offer you. But a lot of it is BS. The real knowledge can be plucked freely from a good marketer’s materials – the same sales letters they send you to in every email. And here’s the kicker – often times the advice they sell you isn’t even used in their own materials.

Prime example: 42 Split Tests

At the top of this sales letter, you find a quiz question: Which bg color converts 31% better than the others? The answer is at the bottom of the sales page.

If this bg color was the golden ticket you and little Charlie were looking for, wouldn’t it be used in the very sales letter you were reading? After all, they have the secret – why not apply it?

Well the funny thing is, this marketer chooses white for his BG – not even on the list of quiz answers! So what color is “the best,” performing 31% better than the rest? Robin’s egg blue! So where is the robin’s egg blue on this page? On any of this marketer’s other pages?! On anyone’s sales pages?!

It’s not – so what’s up?

What real lesson can you pull from this sales page? Well for starters: he prefers a white table BG and a white page BG. If it didn’t convert well for him, he wouldn’t use it. You see, the best marketing lessons on the web are right in front of you – for free.

So quit buying all the step-by-step, launch formula, whatever crap – you’re doing more to support the guru lifestyle than you are creating your own income streams. Open your eyes, print out some popular sales letters, and pull some real knowledge out of all the hype.

It costs less and it makes more ($$$).