To that end, I thought I’d bring in an expert with some great advice to share. I’d like to introduce you to Martin Ellison who is going to do a series of posts over the next little while.

I’ll let Martin tell you a little more about it…

Thanks for the welcome and hello to all the great readers here. I’m looking forward to sharing some blogging advice in the coming weeks that I hope covers many of the questions people have about blogging for profit. There are a lot of bloggers out there, and many of whom would like to make a profit from their work, but not so many get to do that. Still, it’s not too difficult if you carve out the right path for yourself.

With that in mind, here are the topics I’ll be covering:

- Knowing why you’re blogging will bring you faster success
- Ways to make money with your blog
- Easy ways to generate topics ideas for your blog
- How to use and find images for your blog
- How to get more people to comment on your blog
- How to grow your regular blog readership
- The importance of a mailing list and how to grow yours
- Giving yourself a break and getting help with your blogging
- Making the most of guest blogging opportunities

It’s going to be an info-packed ride and I hope you’ll join me. Definitely sign up for the blog’s RSS feed or mailing list if you haven’t already. There’s tons of great info coming your way.

The post Meet Guest Blogger: Martin Ellison appeared first on The Apprentice Marketer.

Great Content:

As a blogger, you aren’t going to get anywhere with substandard content. That’s no secret and I doubt that’s a problem for many people here.

There are so many great bloggers and they are publishing awesome content and engaging their audiences meaningfully, wherever they can.

It’s the next two pieces that are sometimes problematic.

Wise Marketing:

Never rest on thinking you’ve done enough to promote your blog because you’ve written great content, responded to your comments and posted an update to social media.

It takes more than this.

You have to be active in your marketing. Get out there and reach and retain new audiences. You grow them through advertising, making new connections and writing for other publications. You retain them by growing your mailing list and RSS subscribers. These are all important keys to the puzzle.

Monetization Plan:

Of course, you also need to monetize your blog. It doesn’t matter if you sell advertising, sell ebooks on Kindle or make crafts on Etsy…you have to work it all into your blogging. You need to find advertisers, you need to optimize the placement of ads, you need to create products and you need to tell your audience about them.

All in all, profitable blogging does take work, but it’s more enjoyable and, in the long run, easier than any 9 to 5 job. Put the work in now to enjoy the benefits for a long time to come.

Good luck to you on your blogging journey…wherever it may take you and thank you for taking the time to listen.

The post The Profitable Blogging Formula = Great Content + Smart Marketing + Monetization Plan appeared first on The Apprentice Marketer.

Guest posting example

There are a few things to keep in mind when participating in guest blogger opportunities.

- High traffic is good, but not always necessary. Obviously, guest blogging on a high traffic blog is likely to give you the most exposure, but there is often competition to get posted. In addition, there are plenty of highly targeted smaller traffic blogs that can provide good exposure.

- Learn about the blog’s audience and write specifically for them. While you may write about the same topics, no two blogs are exactly the same. Learn what makes the blog you’re writing for unique and keep in mind what their audience wants to hear.

- Always read the submission guidelines carefully. Look forward what types of topics they want, what formatting you should use or any other specifics they are looking for. Don’t get rejected just because you make a silly little mistake.

- Promote an opt-in, not a link to your home page or a product. You’ll get the best results for with your guest post if you make a free offer to their readers. Linking to your home page may bring in plenty of traffic, but what happens when they click away, never to return? You want them to opt-in to your list, so that you can bring them back to your blog later, make product recommendations and keep in touch with them for months and years to come.

- Engage the audience and respond. Just like with your own blog, readily ask your readers questions and respond to their comments. Consider this your opportunity to forge new relationships with those interested in your topic area.

- Write for the same blog again. Let the audience really get to know you and look forward to your posts. While you can see benefit from just one guest blog post, the benefits multiple as you come back and become a more familiar face to the readers.

Make guest blogging a regular part of your promotion plan and you’ll start to see which opportunities are worthwhile and which are not. You can also use your contributions to certain blogs as leverage to get the opportunity to write for even bigger audiences.

This is a guest blog by Martin Ellison! I need to figure out to not get my name added automatically as the writer!

Let us know what you think OK,

Fran

The post Making the Most of Guest Blogging Opportunities appeared first on The Apprentice Marketer.

WordPress Theme – iPhone «‹ tips4WordPress (Photo credit: LA100RRA 3logs)

I’m sharing the following posts with you because they share valuable information!

Carol Tice of Make a Living Writing.com writes an enlightening post about ways for freelance writers to avoid feast or famine!

Hungry writers do terrible things.

We take gigs we know we shouldn’t, because we’re desperate and need the money. A few months later, we realize this dysfunctional low-payer is sucking up too much time and making us go broke even faster.

Worse, some writers end up having to give up and go crawling back to those day jobs we hate.

Why do so many writers report feast-and-famine cycles and times when they’re out of cash and scrambling for any sort of gig?

Two main reasons:

Not enough marketing to get a steady stream of leads
Lack of understanding of cash flow
What is cash flow? It’s the movement of money through your business. What you want is cash flowing out of your business slower than cash flows in. That leaves you with cash on hand.

When things go wrong, cash goes out too fast and comes in too slow, and presto — you’re broke.

Often, I meet writers who early do quite well, but still have cash crises. They make enough, but the money never seems to show up fast enough to cover the bills! The timing is off.

With some careful management, you can improve your cash flow, even if you don’t get a raise or more clients.

Here is my primer on how to change your business so that your cupboard doesn’t get bare: read more at Make a Living Writing.com

Hello Boomers

I’m bringing you this verbatim announcement about a new Boomer Authority postI just received from the Boomer Authority project:

I’m excited to tell you about a new Boomer Authority project.  We’re working closely with the FMG Radio and Television Network and their founder and CEO, Jody Colvard.

The objective of this project is to help individuals in the 50 plus demographic have a heightened focus on finding purpose and meaning in their lives. Boomers are seeking to refine values and beliefs, make a difference and leave a legacy. To nurture these needs, The BART Network is providing radio and television programming related to retirement, career, relationships, travel, fashion, aging, finances, health and a variety of topics to help inform, educate, and inspire.

Boomer Authority and FMG are making it possible for our members to host their own radio and television shows.

New Shows on the air now and those ready for their 1st broadcast include:

Friends Over 50 is a radio show originating in Chicago every Friday morning with Ed Kirfin.

The Friends Over Fifty show is for everyone. Our goal is to reach out to anyone who needs a laugh or some inside tips         on hotspots and helpful businesses in the area, not just the over-fifty demographic. So tune into WJOL every Friday from 10:00am to 1:00pm for a show that is both fun an informative, Friends Over Fifty!

Single Again, Now What? with Joanie Winberg

Join special guests each week on the Single Again, Now What? Radio Show. The show has been designed especially for people who are single again through divorce or the loss of a loved one.

Time Zone with Chuck Taylor

It’s May 1981. American Airlines introduces the first-ever frequent flier program. Ronald Reagan is president, turning 70 years old. Andrew Lloyd Weber’s “Cats” debuts in London.

…And on the radio, we’re hearing the first hit from a 21-year-old Scottish lass named Sheena Easton. “Morning Train” arrives stateside in May 1981 as her first, and only, No. 1 single. Overseas, the title of the song is “9 to 5”, but in the U.S. the title is changed so it won’t be confused with the recent chart-topping hit by Dolly Parton from her film debut with Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin… in “9 to 5’’. Chuck will be playing those memorable hits from the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s.

Let’s Get Real with David and Darlene Steele

Love, sex, romance, dating, marriage…relationships are our biggest source of happiness and misery. Hosted by Relationship Coaching Institute, Let’s Get Real challenges the status quo and tells the truth about love and relationships. Because the greatest love starts with telling your truth.

Fab at Any Age with Andria Warshaw-Wernack

When it comes to being fabulous, Andrea Warshaw-Wernick has always been at the top of her game. Compared to the average person, Andrea has already lived 4 lives. And in every instance, she’s used her intuitive insight for talent to encourage others to bring their gifts to the Planet!

Healthy Recipes and Cooking with Janet Zappula

If you love to eat, if you’re looking for healthier ways to make the foods you love, if you want to feel and look your best, you’ve come to the right place.

Janet’s goal is to inform, inspire, motivate, and bring a smile to your face. She’ll give you the latest nutrition news, food and lifestyle tips, easy to make recipes, video demonstrations, and much more, including a note of inspiration now and then.

iBoomer

There is finally a relevant and entertaining webshow just for Baby Boomers and their families.

After 25 years of news reporting on fitness and lifestyle products, Patrick Netter, aka The Gear Guru® has decided to help the 77 million baby boomers get a hold of their digital golden years.

Featuring a bevy of video episodes on topics such as: health, wellness, travel, dating, sex, relationships, and pets, iBoomer is guaranteed to be a hit with all in the Boomer Community.

Welcome friends to The Happiness Choice Show with host Marilyn Tam! This show will speak personally and effectively to how anyone can live the life they’ve dreamed of living, a happy, healthy and dynamically balanced life.

This show provides you with personal experiences and advice from experts in the various fields of Life Success, Personal Growth, Business Coaching, Health and Fitness, Spiritual Coaching and Community Service are integrated into each episode to strengthen and broaden the perspective and tools available to help you achieve your happiness goals.

Get Naked Fast with Diana Stobo

Diana is a classically-trained culinary artist, raw foods recipes book author and raw food educator. She uses this expertise as well as her own life-changing experiences to instruct and motivate others to eat for Health, Vibrance, and Beauty.

Diana shares the answers to food questions asked by many: How did you make that dessert? What did you dress the salad with? What should I buy when I go grocery shopping? What should I make for dinner?

Be inspired with food and health knowledge from each episode, learn new recipes and get motivated to live a healthier life!

The Dr. Mache Seibel Show

Selected by his peers as one of the Best Doctors in America, Doctor Seibel brings innovation to health education, focusing on creative approaches to help America stay well. He is a national expert in helping women in and around menopause improve their symptoms including sleep, stress, diabetes and weight control. In addition to patient care, Doctor Seibel has also created HealthRock®, his unique brand of making health education fun and memorable. Doctor Seibel teaches people the health information they need and the perspective they require to stay well. “It’s better to stay well than to get well.”

The Chef Tina Jo Show

Welcome friends to The Chef Tina Jo Show with a special weekly segment called meat-free Monday! Chef Tina Jo’s mission is to help you cut out meat one day every week, and for a few of you, going a step further.

Chef Tina Jo’s episodes are filled with tips, tricks, and recipes to support you to be a whole new happier, healthier you!

Your Own Show  – If you would like more information about the BART Network and how you can get involved, contact me at: dfitzgeraldba@gmail.com

Have a great week, signed by Doug  Visit Boomer Authority

Brought to you by Fran

This is my day 3 post in Tiffany Dow’s Freaking Fantastic Blog and List Building Challenge. 

The post Freelance Writing, Cashflow and Sharing Boomer Information appeared first on The Apprentice Marketer.

Image via CrunchBase

I don’t use Facebook but I’m sure I waste time in other ways, like visiting Gmail several times a day and following some emails to interesting articles or posts.

I do sign up to some very interesting sites!

Signing on to Facebook and Twitter a  few times a day besides your email
client may not seem like such a huge waste of time and you might think of it as normal online behavior, but I read somewhere that the real costs are huge!

Why? Because each visit interrupts your concentration and breaks your momentum in the project you’re working on.  It might take you an additional ten minutes or so to get ‘back in the groove’! Could that be interfering with our goal of making money?

Depending on what you see on Facebook -  a cool link or video … or perhaps a slightly political comment on a friend’s wall that you want to discuss might sidetrack you and make you spend an additional few minutes.

How can you cut down on this productivity loss? Assuming of course that this is something that is bothering you to the point of wanting to correct it.

Could you just check your email once at the beginning of your work day and once at the end and still address all the important emails in a reasonable time frame?

I read that, even with 1,000 friends, you can easily view all the posts that were posted in a day in about twenty minutes – checking Facebook just once a day? Would you agree with that?

If the interruptions feel like an addiction as it does for many, consider getting a site blocker for a short period of time … a couple of weeks maybe?

It can help you get in the habit. Set up the site blocker so Facebook.com, Gmail.com, Twitter.com, etc. aren’t accessible during work hours. That way you wouldn’t even be tempted to access those sites!

Also consider trying a productivity monitoring system. These are systems that will actually watch how much time you spend on email, on work and on sites like Facebook and report it to you at the end of the day. You’ll probably be shocked at how much time social networking really takes when you see the numbers.

Now that I’ve raised some concerns about how much online social networking can really be costing in terms of productivity I wish I had some information about productivity mentoring systems to share with you! I’ll check that out today and report back.

It might be valuable to find out just how much real money could be added to our bottom line over a few months time!

What do you think?

The post Is Online Socializing Interfering with Making Money Time? appeared first on The Apprentice Marketer.