Posted by Connie Ragen Green on Feb 6, 2010 in
Internet Marketing My name is Connie Ragen Green, and I teach people just like you how to build an online business and use the technology needed to get started in this fun and lucrative field. The first year was difficult for me online and I ended up spending about 10K and not making any money. I vowed that my students would not have to struggle like I did.
I have been making money online since 2006, and now make a comfortable mid 5 figure monthly income, primarily from my own programs and courses, information products, and affiliate marketing. I teach you how to write eBooks and articles, as well as how to set up your own blog, build webpages, use Twitter and Facebook, create info products and write your own web sales copy, which is copywriting for the internet.
My motto is: “If I can do it, YOU can do it!”
Check out my latest course on Targeted Traffic Techniques.
Sign up in the box on the right to get the dial-in information for all of the teleseminars I am teaching. You only need to sign up once to be invited to these calls.
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Tags: Building An Online Empire, Connie Ragen Green
Posted by Connie Ragen Green on Feb 8, 2010 in
Information Product Creation You can create an information product quickly to generate income online. When I was just starting out the idea of creating my own product seemed next to impossible. No one was teaching how to do this, so I had no idea how to get started. Now I know that the process of product creation is comprised of choosing a topic, doing research and compiling your information, and setting it up for sale on the Internet. I now teach a course on how to create information products.
Choose a topic that answers questions and solves problems. Once you know what type of information people want to know more about, creating a product to help them becomes much easier. For example, people come to me to learn more about how to make money with an online business. I create products that will answer their questions about how to do this successfully. Remember that want and need are two very different things, so provide what your prospects want, rather than what you know they need.
You must then do your research to compile the information you will need. I recently created a product on how to generate free traffic to your blog and website, so I spent two days searching for everything I could find on this topic. I started out by going to Read more…
Tags: Connie Ragen Green, create an information product
Posted by Connie Ragen Green on Feb 7, 2010 in
Teleseminars I was able to grow my business to a much bigger level once I began holding my own teleseminars. This is an excellent way to reach new prospects and to turn the people already on your list into better prospects. The sound of your voice is extremely powerful, so don’t be afraid to let yourself be heard. Teleseminars include choosing a topic, setting up your call, and following through after the call is over. I will explain each of these in further detail.
Choosing an appropriate topic for your teleseminars is crucial to its success. We are all bombarded with so much information, so we tend to only respond when something catches our attention. You do not want to make claims that are untrue, but you must get people’s attention if you expect them to set time aside to listen to your call, or to download the replay and listen to it later. Take a look at what you have to offer people. Use buzz words that will make your call more attractive. You can even make it time sensitive for better results. Remember that titles are everything!
Set up the call so that it is simple for people to join you. The technology has changed dramatically since I first came online in 2005, so you now have options that were not available just a few years ago. I like to offer both a telephone line and a webcast, allowing listeners to choose how they will participate. The webcast makes it possible for someone to listen right through their computer, and asking questions by typing in on their screen. The best service for this is Instant Teleseminar. I do all of my teleseminars using this service, and also have most of my audios for my products hosted there as well, at no additional cost.
This is especially good for those who live in other countries, people who Read more…
Tags: Connie Ragen Green, teleseminar marketing
Posted by Connie Ragen Green on Feb 6, 2010 in
Twitter Marketing I’m fairly active on Twitter, so people see that I interact with others and share links to my articles and blog posts. I also promote my own and affiliate products, making me the target of a new breed of renegade marketers. Stu McLaren has an excellent post about this that includes a video of what is going on. These people contact us and ask us to promote their similar, yet inferior products, offering us a few dollars more to do so. Anyone who knows me will tell you that I only promote products I have used or currently use, and that I have benefitted from. When I recommend someone else’s product I am putting my own reputation on the line.
What do you think? Is this type of renegade marketing sleazy, or is it just a part of marketing?
Tags: Connie Ragen Green, marketing on twitter
Posted by Connie Ragen Green on Feb 5, 2010 in
Traffic Generation You can build your list and get more traffic to your sites by using video. I was not an early adopter of this technique, but once I saw how fast and easy it was I began to get on board. The ideas I want to share with you include how to use video to get your message out to the world, the different ways you can produce your videos, and how to repurpose them for even greater profit, visibility, and targeted traffic.
The mistake I made was in not considering still photos to be a viable resource for video creation. I had lots of pictures that were just sitting on my hard drive. I connected them to my Flickr and PhotoBucket account so that I could create slide shows. Then I was able to use sites such an Animoto to create videos very easily. This enabled me to get my message out to the world. Even if you are not a creative type, take some time to explore these free sites and you may be amazed at what you can come up with.
When you hear the phrase produce your videos, you may Read more…
Tags: Connie Ragen Green, video marketing
Posted by Connie Ragen Green on Feb 4, 2010 in
Traffic Generation Testimonials will help you to get more traffic to your sites and more sales, but make sure you are following the rules related to this down to the letter. It is important to have the social proof that comes with having your clients share their experiences after using your product or service. Think about the types of testimonials that will work the best for you, as well as how to use them to your advantage in your online business. Offline businesses have been doing this for many years, so there is absolutely no reason that you can’t do the exact same thing.
When I came online in 2005 I was unknown to anyone on the Internet. If you would have Googled my name then, there were only three sites that came up. One was for my real estate appraisal business. I had a beautiful site that was set up by a company that did that sort of thing. Even though it showed up in the search engines for my name, it never made me any money by finding me new clients.
The second site was one that included general information about real estate brokers. Again, this did not help my real estate business. The third site was for a mortgage company I had taken some continuing education classes with. I had given them a testimonial after taking a class that I found particularly helpful to my business. I still receive calls from people who see that testimonial and contact me to find out more information! Years later, after I no longer work in real estate, people still contact me to do business with them. Now that is powerful.
Shortly after starting my online business, someone Read more…
Tags: Connie Ragen Green, traffic from testimonials
Posted by Connie Ragen Green on Feb 4, 2010 in
Expert Radio Interviews Interviews are another great way to get more visibility both online and offline. This works both ways, so be open to both interviewing others and being interviewed yourself. It’s best to have an organized approach and to plan your interviews in a logical way. Deciding who to interview, what topics to discuss when you are interviewed, and how to get the most from these interviews after they are completed is key to building visibility and credibility online.
When I was just starting out, I asked almost everyone if I could interview them, regardless of their niche or what information they could provide to my target audience. I interviewed a fine artist, a local chef, and a long time friend who had been successful in real estate before I realized that this was not a great idea. My prospects were confused about the message I was attempting to deliver. The only good that came from this was that I became more comfortable during the interview process.
Now I understand the importance of doing things that are relevant to what I am doing on the Internet for my business. Each interview is carefully thought out in advance. There are sites that allow you to register to be interviewed on Read more…
Tags: Connie Ragen Green, interview experts, radio interviews
Posted by Connie Ragen Green on Feb 3, 2010 in
Internet Marketing You do not need a huge list in order to make money in your Internet business. In fact, I am just one of thousands of people who are able to earn a greater than six figure income with a list of just a few thousand names. I did this before I had even one thousand names, so I know it can be done. The ways to best monetize your list include using affiliate marketing, short reports, and simple products.
Affiliate marketing enables you to pick and choose the best products and services to promote to your list. I began doing this back in 2006 when I was just starting to hold my own teleseminars. I would give a free call each week and teach a little bit about how to get started in an online business. I would then promote someone else’s product or service, earning an affiliate commission for each sale. Online commissions are typically thirty to fifty percent, so this can add up very quickly. This model works well when you are just starting out and have no products of your own, because you can have affiliate partners from the very beginning.
Short reports are another excellent way to start making money quickly with your small list. Sometimes I just choose a topic and write everything I know about it to turn into a short report. Recently I did this with the information I had on setting up membership sites quickly and inexpensively. Then I gave the report to everyone on my list and asked them to give it to anyone they thought would benefit from it. The result is ongoing sales of the membership site software I am describing in the report. Because I am telling people to give this report away, it goes viral online very quickly.
Simple products are another way to make money from your small list. Find out what people want and need, and then create a product that will serve them. I did this last month when my list told me that wanted to know exactly how to set up a Facebook Fan Page. I created a Read more…
Tags: Connie Ragen Green, getting started online, making money with a small list
Posted by Connie Ragen Green on Feb 3, 2010 in
Traffic Generation Creating your own newsletter is just one way to make money with your list. The concept is very simple, yet few people are doing this on a regular basis. I recommend subscribing to both Armand Morin’s and Jeanette Cates’ newsletters to see exactly what I am talking about here.
When you are ready to create your first newsletter you must decide which format you will use, choose a theme that will allow you to find thousands of prospects who will be interested in what you have to offer on your niche topic, and then line up potential contributors to submit appropriate content. I will explain exactly what I mean with each of these.
The two formats used on the Internet to send information are text and html. Plain text allows you to get your email past most of the spam filters, so it is the desired format for your newsletter. The objection is that plain text is just that, plain and not very aesthetically pleasing. I find that if I create a newsletter as a PDF, portable document format, and then include the link to it in my html email, I get the best of everything. My email is more likely to be delivered, readers can click on the link, and they are then taken to a page on the Internet to see my colorful newsletter. Another benefit is that it will now be indexed by Google and Read more…
Tags: Connie Ragen Green, how to create a newsletter
Posted by Connie Ragen Green on Feb 2, 2010 in
Working from home This topic may end up being quite controversial, but it must be addressed. When I came online at the end of 2005 I knew almost nothing about building a business on the Internet and online marketing. Within a year I was making some money, and within 18 months I had replaced my former income as a classroom teacher and real estate broker/appraiser. Was it luck? Intelligence? Knowing the right people? None of these. I was able to make money because I paid for training and took action on what I was learning.
I now know many people who came online before I did and still proudly refer to themselves as newbies. They are reluctant to spend any money, worried that people on the Internet are not trustworthy, and still work at their day jobs. Their closest friends are also newbies and entertain the same belief system. Something is very wrong with this picture.
If you want to make a living online, then act like it. Find people you trust and learn from them. Take action on what you learn. Choose a niche. Start a blog. Create a product. Attend live events. If you are approaching marketing online in a cautious way, you need to take a look at what that means about your approach to starting a business.
My guess is that the people who continue to be the ‘rookie of the year’ year after year will never be successful in business or in any area of life. Get to work and stop complaining that everyone wants to take advantage of you. Starting an online business is like starting anything new; learn the skills and put them into place so you can make some money.
Tags: Connie Ragen Green, getting started online
Posted by Connie Ragen Green on Jan 28, 2010 in
Traffic Generation Driving massive traffic to your blogs and websites will accelerate your online business. It will also allow you to test out what is working and what needs to be changed within days, instead of weeks or months. The idea is that if more people visit your sites you will receive the feedback you need and be able to build a profitable business much more quickly.
You can generate traffic, or visitors, to your sites in a variety of ways. There is always Adwords, but I want to share some of the best ways to get free traffic to your blog and website. These techniques include article marketing, commenting on other people’s blogs, and making sure the html tags on your pages are set up correctly.
Article marketing will always be one of my favorite ways to find highly targeted visitors to your sites. This is because those who are searching for your topic on Google or one of the other search engines are more likely to read your articles if they answer their questions and solve their problems. For example, if I need Read more…
Tags: Connie Ragen Green, traffic generation
Posted by Connie Ragen Green on Jan 27, 2010 in
Ebook Writing,
Online Revenue Workshop It takes a village. I first heard this when I was a foster parent to a five year old boy during 1993-94. It took several adults to help him to become a more confident, happy child. It’s the same thing online. You need a community of people to learn from and to grow with. That is exactly what you will have in the Online Revenue Builders 90 day coaching program.
Today I sat for many hours, listening to my mentor, Armand Morin. It seems like everything has changed on the Internet since the new FTC ruling went into effect on December 1. Earlier this month, VISA and Mastercard announced big changes for those accepting credit cards as payment for goods and services sold online.
Who is in your online community? Do you have a village of people to share ideas and information with to make sure your business will not only thrive, but survive?
Tags: Connie Ragen Green, Online Revenue Builders
Posted by Connie Ragen Green on Jan 24, 2010 in
Social Networking/Social Media,
Twitter Marketing Twitter is one of the largest and most popular social networking sites. Created in 2006, Twitter jumped to the forefront of viral marketing within a year of starting. Once you spend some time on this site and decide which marketing strategy you will utilize here, you may find that fifteen minutes a day on this site will help you to build your business faster than ever. I encourage you to take a serious look at what is happening here and incorporate it into your online business plan. And make sure to follow me @ConnieGreen, and i will follow you back.
Choose a name for your account. I recommend using your real name so that you can brand yourself, rather than your business or a product. If your name is already taken, see what you can come up with that will work. You are only permitted to have fifteen characters for your name there, so you may have to be creative. I could not be Connie Ragen Green because that is 16 letters. that’s why I am Connie Green on Twitter.
Fill out your profile completely, including a bio that is less than the Read more…
Tags: Connie Ragen Green, Twitter Marketing
Posted by Connie Ragen Green on Jan 23, 2010 in
Ebook Writing Teleseminars give you the opportunity of connecting with your prospects and clients in the closest way possible, without actually meeting them in person. Our voice is a powerful instrument, and using it to build your business is an excellent way to leverage the power of the Internet by sharing your knowledge and expertise. I recommend holding a weekly teleseminars to give some general information on your niche topic. Most of us are using a paid teleseminar service that offers us many options for producing our teleseminars quickly.
Make an outline of the information you will include during your teleseminars. This can come from an article you have written, a blog post, questions you have received from your prospects, or from any other source that is available. This is just one example of repurposing content you have already presented and turning it into a call that can be recorded and later sold, either by itself or as part of a package.
You may want to provide this outline as a handout to those who attend your call. I like to write everything in Word or another word processing program, and then convert it to a Read more…
Tags: Connie Ragen Green, teleseminar marketing
Posted by Connie Ragen Green on Jan 22, 2010 in
Repurposing Repurposing your content is the way to save time and reach more prospects in different ways. With the Internet being the way it is, the idea of repurposing is crucial to saving you time as you build your online business. I will explain more of what I mean.
Content creation is the act of writing articles, blog posts, forum comments, tweets on Twitter, short reports, autoresponder messages, and more. It would take forever if you started out fresh with everything you wrote. Repurposing allows you to begin with an idea and then turn that idea into many different messages, using a variety of mediums. The result is that your message can be delivered in different versions and formats to reach people who want to know more about what you are doing.
Be creative when you think about the different ways you can repurpose you content. You may have a PowerPoint presentation you used when you spoke at a seminar or conference. Turn that presentation into a video with a voiceover, and you have another format in which to publish your content. You can do this easily on YouTube or any of the video sites. You may also want to take a single article and turn it into a series of slides as a PowerPoint. The combination and possibilities are endless when you begin to think creatively.
Another form of repurposing is through your autoresponder sequence. Take an Read more…
Tags: Connie Ragen Green, content creation, repurposing content
Posted by Connie Ragen Green on Jan 21, 2010 in
Keywords Keyword research to determine which words to use to help people find you does not have to be time consuming or complicated. You will want to use the exact words and phrases used by your prospects when they are searching for what you do on the Internet. The question is always how to find out what these words are. I will explain how you can use Twitter, surveys, and forums to research your keywords.
As soon as I have a new topic I am interested in pursuing, I go straight to Twitter for my research. First, I ask my followers what they know about the topic. I did this recently with raw food. I was going to put together a product to teach people why raw food could be a healthy alternative when they need to lose a few pounds or cleanse their body of toxins, but I am definitely not an expert in this field. Within minutes I was receiving feed back on my request. With this particular topic there were many people who were extremely knowledgeable and willing to share their knowledge. See what happens when you ask a question on Twitter about your topic.
You can always ask your list to take a survey to help you out. There are several places that offer this service at no cost, such as Survey Monkey. I recommend asking Read more…
Tags: Connie Ragen Green, keyword research
Posted by Connie Ragen Green on Jan 20, 2010 in
Marketing For Small Business Marketing for small offline businesses is a lucrative way to build a business for yourself. These service businesses must have an online presence if they are going to flourish, and you can use the skills you already have to help them do this successfully. In order to set them up on the Internet so they will be found by their prospects and customers, you will want to set up a blog for them, get them involved with social media sites, and write articles on their topic. I have even created a course to learn how to market for small business.
I now recommend using WordPress as the blogging platform for the businesses, for several reasons. The SEO (search engine optimization) is much better, for one. This will help you to get them on the first page of Google for their search terms, also referred to as keywords. WordPress is easier than ever to set up, but you can also have a webmaster do it fairly inexpensively. Post to this blog two or three times each week during the first two months, and then reduce that to once a week for the next few months. Once you get going with this you will find that it is much easier to maintain your place in the search engines in a shorter period of time. This cuts your work load down considerably, allowing you to focus on new clients.
Social media can raise awareness of these brick and mortar businesses very quickly. Sign them up for Facebook and Twitter and upload pictures right away. You can connect the blog to Twitter using a plug-in so that a tweet is sent out every time you publish a new post. On Facebook, create a Fan Page using the name of the business and the city they are located in. Fan Pages are indexed by Google and Read more…
Tags: bring small business online, Connie Ragen Green, start an online business
Posted by Connie Ragen Green on Jan 20, 2010 in
Marketing to Your Niche Audience Trying to identify your target market on the Internet may not be quite as easy as you would like. This is especially true for new entrepreneurs who have yet to do business with prospects and clients online. There are certain criteria you can use to determine if the people you are reaching with your marketing techniques and methods are actually the ones who comprise your target market.
What I use to determine who is in my target audience for any given product or service I offer is to take a look at who would benefit from using it in their business. For example, if I am promoting a workshop for people who want to learn how to write and market their articles, my target market will be made up of those who wish to get their message out to the world and those who have products and services to sell and need massive traffic to their sites.
This gives me a better understanding of the thinking that goes on in the mind of my prospect when they are searching for an answer to their problem. Remember that we are all problem Read more…
Tags: Connie Ragen Green, reach more prospects, target market
