Monday, June 29, 2009

The Worst Kind of Info Marketer

Dear Info Marketers:

Another week. More heat and lots of rain. The city is green, but I think more sun is in order. Better weather is something we all deserve.

Speaking of "better"...ever been ripped off? Had something bad happen because of someone else? Or maybe you were just plain lied too. Either way, it sucked didn't it? Your faith in humanity goes right out the window at that moment and you turn into a person you'd rather not be.

They say that there is real and good science – i.e. biologists researching bacteria growth, physicians testing new medicines - and then there is bad or pseudo science, like the man who claims magnets will cure your arthritis and drinking beer will make your hair grow. I only wish that later one really worked…(!).

In the real world it’s important to distinguish between what is the real deal and what is fake, phony, or a plain old scam. There’s no shame in considering something that seems too good to be true. The trick is not to get sucked into it, wasting valuable time and money on something that absolutely does not work.

That or becoming part of it.

Life is tough, and it’s often tougher to be an honest, forthright entrepreneur. I would be remiss in saying that you never have to “sell yourself” or “go for the gold” all the time. That’s part of competitive enterprise. But it’s important that you approach it in an ethical fashion. If you don’t you might end up losing your business and credibility altogether.

This can happen to info marketers. I’ve seen, shuddered, and even laughed at some of the pseudo professionals I’ve encountered. Here’s a list of some of them. Read them and make a note of not becoming like them:

--The fudger-of-facts: I have written about this in past newsletters. There is always the tendency to over blow facts about whatever information you are writing about. But you have to be very careful with this. In the event someone, perhaps even a client, finds out about this, you could get into a lot of trouble and see a decrease in client-base, profits, and a disregard for your professionalism.

--The outright liar: One step up from the fudger-of-facts is the liar. He or she is the one that just makes things up in the name of a dollar. Certain televangelists, politicians, and even journalists have come up in this category. But it can happen to an information marketer too. If it’s revealed that you are supplying content that is a complete fabrication of your own mind, you will lose everything. Your reputation, money, and career. Always do the right thing – write what is true and nothing else.

--The slacker: We all talk of wanting to be “free”. And when you become an info marketer, you are really the freest working professional out there. You are at home, doing what you love, making a name for yourself. But with certain freedoms comes the necessary responsibilities. You have to keep a schedule and be timely delivering a product to your clients. It’s that simple. Deviating from that because you don’t feel like it will result in customers thinking your heart is not in your work. As a result, they will leave. Don’t fall into that trap. Stay responsible and stay on track with what you are doing.

--The sloppy info marketer: I had a guy e-mail me a while back asking why he wasn’t able to gain more customers. I read over his content and found it loaded with spelling and grammar errors, as well as words that were only meant for a guy’s night out. I loved this guy – he’s an old colleague – but he was never burdened with an overbearing work ethic. I finally told him, as I am telling you now, that sloppiness is not even an option in this business. Always do the best work you can in creating info products and if in doubt, get a second eye to look it over.

--The guy-who-doesn’t-like-paying-bills: This person is held with probably the most contempt in any industry. If you do not uphold your end of a bargain and it results in people not being compensated for it, you WILL suffer. Until we live in that utopia where no one has to worry about paying bills or the rent or acquiring food, money will always be necessary. With that in mind, it is up to you to pay for all your expenses related to your business. Be professional and don’t embark on agreements that you cannot uphold. Your professionalism will always be regarded with respect as longs you do not…pardon the diction…“screw anybody”.

At the end of the day, everyone knows in their heart what it takes to be a good professional. Whether its information marketing or any other business, think of what you would want out of the product as if you were a client. If you can please yourself by working hard and creating the greatest products possible, you will never make the list of the worst info marketers. Ever.

Good luck and take my advice: it's worth it to be the best.

For more info, visit us at http://www.ewealthdaily.com/.

Best,

J.

Saturday, June 20, 2009

Out in the Field as an Info Marketer

Dear Info Marketers:

I just got off the phone with a buddy of mine who is "out in the field". That's right he's a field operator of information marketing. What is this exactly? Let me explain...

It is impossible for one person to have knowledge on everything. The human mind is only so big and you can only record and recall so much information. Some might see this as a real hindrance, especially in the world of information marketing where recalling information is crucial to the generation your pay cheque. But not having an infinite brain capacity can actually create another more interesting avenue for you.

Part of being an information marketer is almost like being a detective. You often have to get out into the world and do some investigation and research in the field that you providing information about. This is actually one of the most fun aspects of information marketing. It gives you a chance to get new information and expose yourself to interesting areas and people that you wouldn’t otherwise experience behind your desk.

When you decide to embark on some field research, it’s important that you get ready. Take a whole bunch of pens and a thick pad of paper. If it helps, a tape recorder and/or digital camera can help too. Use whatever tools you think will help you get the most important information available.

A lot of marketers are unsure where to start and I always advise them to go right to the places and individuals most knowledgeable about their particular info market. If you are creating content about classic automobiles, go visit a mechanic or auto restoration pro who knows their stuff. If you are writing about agriculture, you might want to make trips to livestock auctions, feed production facilities, and scientific facilities. Watch the people there, ask questions, take notes, and observe. You can see how things operate first hand and even see what lies ahead for that particular industry. Put yourself in a journalist’s position and see yourself as someone who has to get the whole story.

I should also mention discretion and legalities as well. It’s a good idea to not go trespassing around people who do not want you there. If you try and ask people about their industry and they become hostile, it’s best to back off and go someplace else. They might not be the most legitimate of professionals or they want to work in secret. Either way, you will save yourself a load of personal and legal hassle by respecting the wishes of others and moving on.

It’s also good in field work to reference the people you got your information from in your info products. This is respectful of them and they will appreciate your consideration of them and what they helped you with. As well, they will be more forthcoming with more information in the future, thus making them reliable sources. You can also benefit in another area: one interview with one professional can be a salable newsletter or product all on its own.

In the end, field work is always rewarding on all fronts to the information marketer. It allows you a bit of professional adventure, establishes new contacts for your business, and can be a great profit generator at the end of work day. Take advantage of it whenever you are in need of new ideas for your info marketing business.

For more information, visit us www.ewealthdaily.com.

Take care,

J.

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Keeping on Top of Your Accounts

Dear Info Marketers,

Well, I hope it's summer where you are. Here in the Big Smoke, it is very much that hot time of year. I have been enjoying reading a book with an ice cold beer on my rooftop at night, and biking on the paths during the day.

That is of course when I am not doing the info marketer job.

Speaking of which, I was asked by a colleague about money. That's right. The dough, moolah, whatever. Money-in, money-out. Money-in, money-out. You know the vicious routine. When you are running a business or even if you still have a day job, it’s important to watch this cycle. And let’s face it: you want more of the former and less of the latter. A lot of people suffering through bad financial periods in their lives spend more than they bring in, and do not monitor their expenses, taxes, etc. Consequently they wind up in debt very quickly and their job or business goes belly-up as a result. It’s important that this does not happen to you.

There are loads of gurus and businesses out there that are designed to help people stay out of debt. The good news is that for you, the information marketer, you don’t need any of them. You just need a little organization and knowledge on how to monitor your accounts properly.

Here are some tips to help you with the endeavor of keeping an accounts file:

--Keep your receipts: Whatever you spend money for your information marketing business, make sure you get a bill as record. Be it a hand written waybill or printed receipt, keep them all. Put them in a file and do not toss out even the most trivial looking sales slip. You never know what tax deductions or special benefits in the future.

--Keep everything organized: You will no doubt accumulate quite a pile of receipts. It’s important to keep them organized. One trick my dad used to do with his credit card receipts was to get some binders and three-ring dividers to keep all of his receipts organized, with them taped to pieces of paper or in three ring Mylar bags. I still do this today. Believe me, when tax time comes around – and it always does – you can take all your receipts to the accountant and have your return quickly filed. God forbid you get a visit from a government official, but if you do, you can show them all your records right up front and save a terrible auditing. It’s that simple and there is no better way to stay on top of your financial game.

--Track your records: As time wears on, you will get to see what you are spending money on. Check all your receipts and work-related bills. Once you can see where your money is going weekly, monthly, and/or annually, you can make decisions as to what expenses can be reduced or eliminated altogether. Again, staying organized and keeping a receipt file will help with this.

--Trust your instincts: This might sound as an odd bit of advice, but it is helpful. There is a good chance that you know in your gut what is and is not worth spending money on, and how much cash you have available to spend. Don’t ignore this. A lot of people want to live large and buy something whenever the wind blows. That’s just plain irresponsible. Always think of your business first and make good judgments based on its survival.

Rightly or wrongly, money matters. It has made some people very notable in history, while it has also brought many people to their knees. Those who have managed it properly and seen success in their lifetime all seemed to come up with a game plan as how to manage it. There is no difference in the scenario of information marketing. If you get prepared with a proper accounts file, your success will continue on as well.

Be sure to send any e-mails to jburt369@gmail.com or visit the E-Wealth Daily site here for more info on how to stay on top of your accounts.

Take care and I'll be back soon,

J.

Wednesday, June 10, 2009

Shopping for a Good Internet Provider in Information Marketing

Dear Information Marketers,

Summer is on. It's warm up here in the Great White, but lots of rain. I've been relegated indoors a bit, but jump out on my bike when the sun pierces out of the clouds. Of course when you are inside, you spend a lot of time online. Good or bad, I search a lot and try to see what this odd little invention has to offer everyday.

I can’t remember when I first heard the word “Internet” before. If memory serves, it was back in my days of regularly viewing action movies of the Stallone, Segal, and Van Damme class. In one film, one of our heroes was saving the world for a collection of lunatic terrorists, he used a military issue radio/computer that allowed him to connect to the “Internet satellite” and communicate with his superiors and some people that could give him some back up.

Even then, I knew that a lot of what was going on in the film was fiction, of the most unbelievable kind at that. And that scene I just mentioned is so funny to look back on, as it makes the Internet seem like an elite, espionage busting tool only good for the best of the best.

Today things are different and anyone can have the Net. That’s the good part. The tough part is that, especially if you use the Internet regularly for business like in information marketing, you need to shop for the best possible provider.

What does this entail? To be honest, it’s doesn’t require much more than if you were out to buy a car or house or computer. You want the best so you have to shop around for the best. With that in mind, you have to know what to look for.

Here is what you should consider:

--Reputation: Like a lot of new inventions, the advent of the Internet brought intense competition from the private sector. Thus there were a lot of companies that sprung up, claiming to offer the best, but delivered anything but. If you are looking for a good Internet provider, chat with your friends and colleagues and see which ones they use. A referral from them might even lead to you getting a deal of some kind as a new subscriber.

--Space: I had an e-mail account that as good for a lot of things. I could hold as many messages as I wanted in my account, could customize my messages with font options, and paid nothing to have the account. Its one drawback though was that its message size was pretty small. Every time I would send a digital photo to a friend, the message would bounce back saying it was too big to send. When you go to your provider, ask how much digital space both your e-mail and, if you get one, website is capable of holding online. A good provider will be able to provide that space at little to no extra cost.

--Price: Always a big concern. Again, shop around. Having a good reputation is very important, but also check prices as well. Very companies that start up might offer you a good deal as a first time subscriber.

--Perks: Like I mentioned about space, some Internet providers don’t offer much beyond the basic package of e-mail and or website features. If you have graphics or videos of your products, seminars, or advertisements, you will no doubt want to post them online. Make sure your provider has the capabilities to help you with what you want stylistically.

--Assistance: No doubt something is going to go wrong down the road. Your website will crash or you cannot access your e-mail. If this happens, the most logical solution is to phone your provider to see what is going on. Make sure your provider has in house staff that can be reached at any time to help with any problem that might arise.

Your website provider will likely become one of the most essential contributors to the success of your information marketing business. With that in mind, always seek out the best provider to help you with all your Internet needs. You won’t be sorry that you did.

Take care and be sure to check us out here for more news and opportunities.

Best,

J.

Wednesday, June 3, 2009

How to Build a Great Portfolio

Dear info marketers,

I have been tracking a lot of people on the job hunt these days. It's a tough hustle, especially in this day and age. I haev done it myself...

Years ago I needed some extra cash. I was broke and was having trouble finding a job. A friend I had met in a writer’s group asked me about freelance writing.

“Have you ever considered it?”

I told her I had but wrote off the possibility as I had no experience. She smiled and changed the subject. A few weeks later there was a message on my answering machine from an Internet company saying that I had been referred to them by my friend to write the content for their website.

I called my friend later to thank her. Towards the end of the call, she gave me one last piece of advice.

“Keep all the galleys of what you wrote and bookmark the website on your computer browser. It’ll help build your portfolio.”

She was right. I did what she said and it helped me get several jobs later on. Building a portfolio will also help you as an information marketer. If you get into the position where you are being offered a job to write information content for someone but need to show your work, a portfolio is as essential as a resume to display your qualifications.

Here are some tips on building your portfolio:

--Save everything: I have come across people who, after a few gigs, toss some of their completed written material thinking they will never have to use it again. They may have had a bad experience doing the job or do not feel the work was very good or it is unimportant. But this is a bad habit. Keep everything. You never know what the future will hold and what material might come in useful to apply for a particular job down the road.

--What to include: What to include in your portfolio is ultimately relative to what job you are applying or being considered for. For example, if you are offered a contract to write information about sports, leave your other information products or newsletters at home except perhaps one sample to show your ability to write on diverse subjects. Like a resume, keep it short and brief and only include three to five samples of written content.

--A carrying case: I went out for coffee with my friend a few months later after that first writing gig. She brought along her portfolio. It was a hug leather case that cost her almost one hundred dollars. But she organized it and equipped it with her business card, a pen, and all relative samples in plastic laminate pages. Do the same. You don’t have to spend too much money, but get a good robust carrying case that can organize all of your samples and be readily opened and displayed to a potential employer.

--The digital portfolio: In this day and age, print material is transforming to digital media. Be ready for this. Make sure all your content is digitized into document files that you can e-mail to prospective employers i.e. in PDF or Microsoft Word document form. Get a USB drive that you can carry around with you and hook up to a computer if you need to send out samples at a moment’s notice. Being ready for the future often means keeping up with current changing trends and the digital route is a good way to be prepared.

--Update it: Keep all your files, but make sure your carrying case and digital portfolio shows your most recent and prestigious samples first. When someone looks at it, you should be ready to show only the best examples first. Period. Keeping updated will help you with this.

At the end of a coffee meeting, my friend told me an interesting story where she was at an interview for a job. The employer took her portfolio, flipped through the first six pages in a few seconds, and offered her a job on the spot. Pretty great, no? This might not happen to you right away, but if you get your info marketing portfolio ready now, there is no reason why it can’t.

Best of luck!

For more information on info marketing tips, click here for the new E-Wealth Daily.