Author Archive | John Aleer

You know it’s clever marketing to place a signature file in your emails, in forum posts (where allowed), t the end of guest blog posts, etc. But what is your sig file saying about you? That you’re boring? That you and your business look like every one of your competitor’s businesses? Or does it stand out and grab attention? If getting more clicks and visitors to your offer is what you want, you must have a compelling signature…

Here’s an example of boring:

“For The World’s Best e-Course on Driving Traffic to Your Website, Go to: sameoldsameold.com/wake-me-when-its-over

Sure, you’ll get a trickle of traffic. Maybe.

Instead, let’s apply some imagination and make a signature file that creates burning curiosity.

If your website is about weight loss, you might use the following:

“Click here to see a picture of my wife’s abs.”

“See a photo of my ex when he saw me in my new bikini.”

In these examples, we say to “click here to see a photo.” This phrase works well at attracting clicks.

If your website is about building muscle, you might use the following:

“Click here to see me try to bench press, my girlfriend.”

“Click here to see me try to bounce a brick off my abs.”

“Click here to see my wife try to beat a loud-mouth male body-builder in a push-up contest.”

Notice all of these use the word “try.” That’s because we’re building suspense – Did I manage to bench press my girlfriend? The reader has to click to find out.

Maybe your website is on dog training:

“Click here to see my dog chasing the mailman.”

“Click here to see my dog greeting guests with a cold beer and a bag of chips.”

“Click here to see my dog herding chickens into the living room.”

Notice all of the verbs in these examples end in ing, as though the action is happening now, not in the past.

Using these techniques, it would be best to get more people to click the link in your signature line. Your job is to fulfill your promise on the landing page, building rapport and credibility. Once this is accomplished, you entice them further into subscribing to your list to get your awesome freebie.

Blogging is a proven way to stay in contact with customers, get new buyers, get traffic and backlinks and significantly boost your credit rating. But all of that blogging takes time. Here are seven tips to make content creation and blogging go much faster.

1. Keep a list of your brilliant ideas. Okay, so they won’t all be brilliant, but some will be. And if you don’t write them down, you’ll lose them. Each time you get a new idea for a blog post, write it down. This simple act frees your mind to give you even more ideas and to improve the ideas you’ve already had.

2. When you’ve got a good idea, list what you’d like to add. For example, your idea might be “10 Ways to Inject $10,000 into Your Business.” As you think of each method, please write it down.

3. Do your research. While you might know some points you want to make, you can deepen and enrich your post by gathering information from outside sources.

4. Eliminate the least. In our example of “10 Ways to Inject $10,000,” you might come up with 15 ideas or more. Discard the less appealing points so you can focus on only the strongest ones. You might also find that your post will be better served by focusing on seven methods rather than 10. This is editing before you write and can save you a tremendous amount of time. Imagine if you wrote your post with your initial 15 ideas and later decided to use just 7 – you would have written twice as much as needed.

5. Create an outline. This step alone can cut your writing time in half.

6. Prepare your work area. Before you begin writing, eliminate all distractions. Close email and social networks and turn off your phone. Set a timer and try to beat it. And then write. Don’t edit. Don’t worry about spelling, grammar, etc. Just write.

7. Edit tomorrow. As good as your editing today might be, tomorrow will be even better as you read your post with fresh eyes.

In addition to saving time, you’ll also notice that the faster you write blog posts, the less you mind writing them. Your post-a-week schedule might soon turn into 3 or 4 new posts each week. And the more you blog, the more attention you can command!

Have you ever noticed how many IM products are sold under the premise of revealing THE BIG SECRET? Newsflash – please don’t hate me for telling you this, but…

…There aren’t any real secrets.

There’s simple stuff you know and things you don’t know yet.

And that’s about it.

If there is a secret, it’s as plain as day and hidden right underneath your nose.

You’ve seen it a hundred times or more.

Maybe even a thousand times.

It’s the “secret” to BIG BIG BIG money.

But as I said, it’s not a secret.

Can you guess what it is?

Build a tribe.

That’s it.

Build a following, a tribe of people who like and trust you.

Contact them on social media, your blog, and your list.

Be their advocate. Their champion. And also their guy or gal next door.

Find out what they want. Be one of them. Like them and love them. And sometimes send them dynamite offers that make you big bucks.

Next, create your products. Your brand. Your everything.

Build your empire.

Have a fleet of products and a name people know and love.

But start it all by deciding exactly who your tribe is, and then focus focus focus on finding and growing your tribe.

Don’t get distracted.
Don’t get distracted.
Don’t get distracted.

Focus on building your tribe and being their “go-to” person with all the great info and insight, the guy next door who is just like them.

This is the “secret” to becoming a smashing success online.

I hope you’re not disappointed. You should be ecstatic.

Because anyone – ANYONE – can do this.

At the risk of stating the ridiculously obvious, Internet Marketing is changing. Just because you’re making money today won’t guarantee you’ll still be making money tomorrow. There are prominent examples: Possum, Penguin, Fred, and whatnot. But then there are new regulations, new technologies, changing interests and priorities of consumers, more competition (sometimes imperfect, sometimes good), and so forth.

Without a doubt, the money is still there to be made – but you might have to get creative and expand your horizons to find it. And when you do find it, don’t rest on your laurels. Don’t think you can set a funnel up and ignore it; it will continue to deliver forever. If you do, you might wake up in a month or two and be shocked to find your account balance hovering near zero.

That’s why you’ve got to always be on the lookout for great and even mediocre ideas that are profitable. Make it a daily practice to write down at least 3 or 4 new ideas for making money and growing your business.

What happens if you don’t walk for a week? Your legs atrophy. And your brain works the same way. Either work your brain relentlessly, and it will get stronger, or don’t use it, and it’ll harden into something useless.

The economy has been having its challenges for years, and while it’s better now for many people, millions still are out of work or not making the money they used to make. So what are they doing? Many are turning to Internet Marketing. You might think this is bad because of increased competition, and it can be. But what will you discover if you make a list of ideas on how to capitalize on this?

First, these people will need training on how to do online marketing. That covers an entire realm of possibilities, including step-by-step courses and coaching.

Next, these folks will need help. They won’t be experts at everything from building websites, creating products, getting backlinks, and designing product covers. So if you’re willing to perform services, their money can be made.

Remember the TV detective Columbo? He would ask the suspect questions, always very polite and friendly, acting like he needed help figuring out what happened. Only he was brilliant – he was playing the suspect right until the end. My favorite part is when he would leave the room, and the suspect would breathe a sigh of relief. ‘Whew! Dodged that bullet,’ the suspect is thinking. But then Columbo pauses at the door, or even walks out the door, and then comes back in, and he puts his hand to his head like he just remembered something and says, “Oh, you know, I almost forgot one more thing…” And then he’d nail the suspect with the real question, which the suspect didn’t have a good answer for.

This should be you. You’re a detective, always on the lookout for that “one more thing” that will make your campaign more profitable, increase your subscriber rate, double your conversions, and so forth. Always search for your prospects’ questions that lead to a breakthrough product. Always be asking, asking, asking, “What do people want? What problem is keeping them up at night? What would they pay to fix, improve or eliminate?”

Get in the mindset of a detective, and you’ll view the world differently. You’ll see things you missed a hundred times before. People will start to think you’re psychic or something. You’re not. You’re just asking questions and paying very close attention to the answers. And you’re using your brain – something many people are too lazy to do.

Bottom line: Things are changing, and they will change a lot more. Fall asleep at the wheel, and your business will crash. Rely on what worked before, and you will go broke. Continue providing the same old products and solutions, and you’ll find yourself standing still in a high-speed race.

Be a detective like Columbo, and you’ll always get your paydays.

By now, you know that social media is excellent for building your lists and promoting your products. A recent study discovered that salespeople who use social media for their jobs outperform their non-social media peers by 73%. But have you thought of using social media for these purposes?

Fundraising. Let’s say you’re using Kickstarter to raise funds for your new project. The pThe problem is that no one knows you, trusts you, and no one is telling anyone else about you.

Solution? Get busy on social media before your launch. Establish a solid social presence and build your credibility. Once you’ve got a strong following who believes in what you’re doing, that’s the time to start your fundraising campaign.

Referrals. Sure, you’re already hoping your content gets shared on social media, but that’s not enough.

Always give excellent value and service to ensure your customers have plenty of positive things to say about you. Then run contests, and offer prizes and discounts to encourage your customers to share their positive experiences with their networks.

Status. You can look like a big dog and boost your credibility by sharing content from the big names in your industry. It doesn’t matter if these influencers are aware of you – simply associating your name with their name by quoting them will make you look like an influencer and boost your credibility.

Ice-breaking. Let’s say you want to make contact with an industry leader. The problem is, so do thousands of others. What can you do? Try following this leader on social media and look for points of common interest.

Maybe she has a dog – what kind is it? Is she passionate about that breed? If so, you might put that in the subject line: “Phyllis, did you see a Yorkie won best of the show at Westminster?” This is a much better icebreaker than, “Hey, I’m just one more guy who wants to JV with you.”

Kevin Bacon. It’s said that you can link any Hollywood actor to Kevin Bacon within 6 degrees. So what about the guy you’re trying to get a meeting with? If you can use social media to find standard connections and get an introduction from someone he trusts, you’ll have one foot in the door.

Super Hero. You see a tweet from someone complaining about your competitor’s service. Or someone else is talking about a problem your business can solve. Why not don the cape and jump in to save their day? If you do it in the spirit of helping rather than selling, you’ll almost certainly gain a new customer.

Storytelling. Telling your brand’s story is a great way to captivate potential customers. But knowing how to say to the report can be challenging. So why not practice on social media? Give out pieces of the story, or many small stories, to build your brand image. Monitor the likes and shares to see which stories win the most social love, and work these into your marketing.

Help. Do you have a pressing problem? Reach out and ask your social network for use. One couple lost their wedding venue and a $7,000 deposit six weeks before their wedding. Thanks to reaching out for help on social media, they received everything from jewelry to a wedding cake to a new event planner.

Anticipation. Build anticipation for your following content – whether a blog post or a book – by posting about your progress in a play-by-play fashion. This keeps you in touch with your community, gives insight into your work, and provides an eager audience when your content is finished.

Accountability. If you have trouble completing your to-do list, consider posting what you will accomplish in the morning and then reporting whether you achieved it in the evening and how it all turned out. There’s nothing like knowing your entire social network is paying attention to whether or not you do what you say you will do to keep you on track.

Currency. Marc Jacobs opened a pop-up store for the New York fashion week where the only currency that could be used was posted to Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. That’s right – they didn’t accept money, only social media posts using the hashtag #MJDaisyChain. This is a great way to gather social media momentum, new clients, and terrific testimonials.

Pay it Forward. Find something nice to say about someone on social media daily, offer to help someone, or maybe even send out a call to help anyone who asks. You will build positive brownie karma points and attract attention from potential customers, and best of all; you’ll feel great about yourself and your business.

These are just 12 examples of thinking beyond the social media box. If you watch how others use social media, you’re bound to find even more business-building ideas.

It’s important to realize that you are selling something in nearly every video you make, except for creating a video purely for entertainment purposes (cute kitten videos fall into this category) or to inform.

Often you’re selling a click. You want them to click a link in or below the video that takes them to where you want them to go, whether it’s a squeeze page, a sales page, a blog, or whatever.

Sometimes you’re selling them on picking up the phone. Sometimes you’re selling your product on that same page where the video appears. The point is you’re selling something, which is the common point for all videos and the basis of the video script I’m about to share with you.

NOTE: Even if you are making a purely informational video, I suggest you use at least a portion of this script because YOU ARE STILL SELLING. Now then, I can hear your thoughts:

“I’m not selling; I’m only making a video to convey info.”

But if you think about why you are creating a video ‘for info only,’ odds are one reason is that you want to appear as the trusted authority you are. Thus you are selling your viewers on YOU.

You’re also selling them on the material you are presenting. After all, what good does it do to teach something or demonstrate something if no one uses the information you’re offering or even believes it’s true?

Thus when you are making videos, you are almost always selling something.

With that said, here are the nine steps to make a video that SELLS LIKE CRAZY…

Your first step is easy – decide what you want your viewer to DO. Do you want them to click an affiliate link? Go to a squeeze page? Make a phone call? Buy a product? Everything else is built on this, so if you’re unclear on what you want them to do, get clear.

The second step to creating your video is to know WHO you are making the video FOR. Let’s say your video promotes an affiliate product, and you want them to click a link to the sales page. (Not recommended – You should try to capture their email address first and then show them the sales page on the exit regardless of whether they give you their email address.)

But in our example, you want them to click your affiliate link. Ask yourself: WHO ARE THEY? Are they 40-year-old woman who needs to lose weight? A 65-year-old man concerned about his health? A 22-year-old college grad looking for a job? Figure out who it is that you’re targeting and get detailed. You might even create an avatar of this person, with age, gender, income, location, fears, desires, etc. The better you know your prospect, the better you can tailor your video to them.

Here’s where I see people go wrong: “I’m targeting all parents of all children.” That’s not targeting; trying to throw a net over 3/4’s the entire planet doesn’t work well. Instead, target species, such as young middle-class parents of preschool children. Your video will be better for it, and parents of older children will respond BETTER than if you tried to target every parent on the planet.

This has been proven to work. Narrow down your niche and TARGET. Write down who your viewer is, and then every step of the way, imagine you are targeting this video for that person because you are.

Third step: Research your visitor. Let’s say you’re targeting new parents – go to forums and find out what they’re saying, what they’re asking, and how they’re asking it. Please copy and paste some of their best quotes. Now go to Amazon and read the reviews of products similar to the one you’re promoting, and again copy the best quotes. If you clean these up and use them in your video script, you will sound like you know and understand their biggest concerns, worries, fears, dreams, and desires.

And everyone wants to feel as though they’re understood. It would be best for someone like them because people TRUST those with much in common. Don’t believe me? If someone is a Republican, who will they trust – a Republican or a Democrat? The more you can sound like they think, the more influence you will have on them.

Fourth step: Make the promise complete with a hook. You want them to watch your video, but they won’t do it for charity. You’ve got to make them a significant promise in the beginning that will entice them into watching.

Let’s say you’re promoting a weight loss product – you might grab their attention by revealing the 4 So-Called ‘Healthy’ Foods That Are Secretly Making Them Fat or the 1 Weird Exercise Trick That Burns 3 Times As Many Calories.

If you’re doing a product review, it’s not enough to say, “Here I Give My Honest Review of ABC Products.” Everyone does that, which is precisely why you SHOULDN’T do it. Instead, reveal “The diabolical technique on page 42 of the product that should be illegal.”

Which video would you watch – another boring review or one that reveals something you don’t know?

Mind you; if you use this technique instead of a typical review, you won’t reveal all of the product’s contents. But you can let a detail or two slip out, especially if you tell them WHAT to do and not HOW to do it.

This tells your viewer that you’ve looked at the product and have inside information about what’s inside. And it’s a great way to wet their whistle and get them wanting to know more.

So whether you’re selling a click or a product, lead with a significant promise containing a hook. What’s a theme? “22 Ways to Improve Your Golf Score” is a considerable promise, and “22 Ways to Improve Your Golf Score Using Chicken Eggs Dramatically” is a promise with a hook. The hook, in this case, is the chicken eggs – who wouldn’t be curious to know how the eggs come into play in improving golf scores? Even I want to know that, and I don’t play golf.

What if your video is selling a product? Then you still want a significant promise with a hook to get them to watch. You can’t tell people, “Hey, watch my sales video!” because no one wants to be sold. But you can say, “Hey, here’s my video on the seven foods that make you lose weight faster than a snowman in Florida.” I’d watch that video, and I bet you would, too.

Fifth step: Lead with a story. You’ve made your significant promise with a hook and targeted it to the person you want to reach. Before you reveal your great info, it’s time to tell your story. Maybe you’re promoting a program on how to raise amazing kids. Your account could be how terrified you were that you would thoroughly screw up your kids. Use quotes you found from the forums and Amazon reviews to help you write this.

Your story might be: “I researched and struggled and tried to find the answers, but everyone just told me, “Hey, do the best you can.” And it was hard because I couldn’t get through to my son, and he was driving me crazy. But then I made a discovery, and that’s when everything changed, and now I get comments all the time on what a terrific, confident parent I’ve become. Now my son listens to me, and our relationship is amazing, and I want to share what I’ve discovered with you because I know it’ll help you, too.”

Sixth step: Next, you tell them the secrets you promised in the significant promise. But also tell them that those secrets are just the tip of the iceberg, and all the best stuff is found in the course you’re promoting or selling or the free report you’re giving away.

See how easy that is? If you’re thinking, “Hey, this is a lot of work,” let me clue you in – the entire process can be done in an hour or two if you know your market. And what you’ll end up with is an impressive video that CONVERTS. So hang in there – we’re not entirely done yet.

Seventh step: Educate – this one I covered briefly in step 6 – fulfill your significant promise. If you said you would show them three ways to increase their bowling score by 20 points, do it. But here’s the thing – as much as possible, tell them WHAT to do and not HOW to do it. You’re walking a line here, revealing some, but not too much. You want to get them interested and excited to know MORE but not satiated. You’re building a hunger in them that can’t be satisfied until they take action and get whatever product you’re promoting.

An example: Your significant promise is three ordinary spices that speed up weight loss. In this case, you tell them the spices, but you let them know they must be combined in such a way and at a particular time of day to be truly effective.

Or maybe you’re promoting a physical product, and your significant promise is to add points to their bowling game. You tell them they can instantly do this by simply wearing a unique wrist cuff, but of course, they have to buy it for it to work.

Eighth step: Proof. The best way to use proof is to weave it throughout your presentation when possible. “Emma Jones of New Jersey has been an avid bowler for 14 years and was certain this gizmo couldn’t improve her score. But ever since the day she put on the Wonder Wrist Band, her average has improved by 19 points, and she refuses to bowl without it.” “Bill Heisenburg reports he was a total skeptic until he used just the technique on page 142 to get a date with three gorgeous women in one night.”

Ninth step: Call to action. This one’s easy – tell them or suggest what to do. I don’t know how many times I see people forget to do this in their videos. It’s simple: “Click the link to discover how to ___” Whatever you want them to do, ask them to do it. It’s best not to get too pushy on this, by the way. Calls to action like, “If you want to know how a one-legged golfer cut his golf score in half in two weeks, click here” tend to work well because you’re not telling; you’re enticing.

That’s the recipe to make a compelling video that converts like gangbusters. Of course, you’ve got to add your special sauce, whether it’s your personality, your fun, quirky nature, or whatever makes your videos unique.

Use this script in good health; it’ll make you plenty of money.

It’s a mantra you’ve heard repeatedly – write great, interesting, exciting, sharable content. But what if you’re in a boring niche? Or working for a boring client in a boring place? How do you excite readers about mundane topics like locksmiths, plumbing, or even icky issues like personal injury lawyers or rash creams?

Here are ten tips to help you create exciting content ideas for even the most boring niches.

1. First, change your perspective before you write anything. If you think it’s boring, your readers will, too. Everything is interesting if presented interestingly. It’s simply a matter of finding the right angles to submit your content. And the first step is to get fascinated by your topic so your enthusiasm will show in your writing.

2. Find the golden number nuggets. Dig out the industry statistics and find the fascinating bits that pull people into your story. Do you sell nails? How many pins go into building the typical house? Is your niche floor coverings? If you took all the carpet made in one month, how big of a city/state would it cover? Numbers fascinate when used in a way people can quickly grasp and share with others.

3. Use stories and anecdotes. Let’s say you sell instructions on how to refinish furniture. “14-year-old Annie was always shy, afraid to speak up, and withdrawn, lacking the confidence to do even the simplest things. Then she got our beginner’s instructions for refinishing simple antique chairs. Within a month, she’d finished her first project, and now a year later, she’s refinished over a dozen pieces, resold 9 for substantial profit that she’s put away for college, and kept or given away the rest of the pieces. Most importantly, she’s gained a new sense of accomplishment and confidence, which has spilled over into other areas of her life.” Wow, that’s pretty exciting!

4. Do a daily question and answer. Each day creates an “ask an expert” blog post or video in which you answer one question. Create interaction, likes, and shares by getting real people to ask questions through social media such as Facebook.

5. Talk about what’s wrong in your niche. Maybe legislation is pending that could hurt your industry, or someone in your place is ripping people off. Be the leader and speak up about it. You’ll capture your readers’ attention and likely get links from other sites as people join the conversation.

6. Promote a cause. Sometimes when you run out of things to say about your business and your niche, it’s time to look outside your business and find a reason to make your own. For example, a personal injury lawyer helping homeless puppies and kittens find new homes – that’s not only unexpected but also even warm and fuzzy – literally. And if your business is strictly virtual, you can still choose a cause and make it your own. Put real faces on it – furry or human – and tell why you and your business strongly support this cause. If you can choose a reason aligned with your business, so much the better. For example, a food niche might choose a program to feed the hungry, while a remodeling/building/decorating business might select something like Habitat for Humanity.

7. Hold content contests. Get your readers to create content based on your chosen keywords. The better the prize, the more entries you’re likely to get. Pick the top entries and then get them to get their friends to vote for the best one with retweets and Facebook shares. Publicize the contest to get more access, press, and backlinks.

8. Become a hub for industry content. Who says you need to write all of your website’s content yourself? Ask other industry leaders to contribute if they like.

9. Use images. I’ve said it before and will repeat it – people stay on your blog or website longer when you use interesting, compelling, and relevant photos.

10. Stretch. Okay, so your niche is car accessories – why not do an article on the top most fantastic cars in movies? Or maybe your niche is math tutoring – again, find a film that uses math and talk about it. It’s an excellent way for your audience to relate to your products.

Even the most mundane topics can become interesting – you must find the right angle to write about.

There’s a ferocious killer that halts success more than anything else. This one success killer has ended the hopes and dreams of countless entrepreneurs. No, it’s not lacking a great idea, inadequate funding, or knowing how to pull it all off. So… What is it?…

It’s waiting to start, for the perfect moment, and until everything is correct. I am waiting for permission from the marketing Gods to begin building your business.

Waiting has killed more businesses and deprived more entrepreneurs of their fortunes than anything else.

This is why I propose this: Start now BEFORE you are ready.

When you develop a new idea, do you need to get everything right before starting? Most people do – but the problem is you’ll never get everything just directly. You will always find something else that needs doing before you begin, so you will never start. Or eventually, one day months from now, you will finally get started only to realize you’ve run out of steam and no longer have enthusiasm for your venture. It’s too late.

So why not start now? When you wait, you get sidetracked and distracted. You listen to feedback from people who tell you it’s a bad idea. You talk yourself out of it. Sometimes you forget about it completely, and there’s another opportunity lost forever.

Worse still, when you wait, someone else can jump on you. Realize this – every time you have a great idea, other people in the world have that idea. Do you want to be the first, or do you want to be an “also ran?” Take action; you’ll be a prosperous leader instead of a follower begging for crumbs.

Be impatient. Determine how to get your idea out there sooner rather than later, even if you’re not ready. Are you writing a book? Give away the first chapters or the first version and ask for feedback. Gather email addresses to let people know when the book is ready. Launch the first version as an inexpensive Kindle book, get more input, and re-release it as a hardcover. You could have waited until you thought it was perfect and released it as a hardcover, but you would have missed the buzz you created and the feedback you received to improve it.

If you wait to start, you’ll go through the entire process of writing, perfecting, and publishing the book before you even know if there is a market for it, before you know how it will be received, and whether or not people will buy it. By waiting, you could spend the next year on a project that yields nothing but frustration. Had you started marketing it immediately, you could have course-corrected it to create a product the market truly wanted.

No matter what you’re doing, you can start right now. Even creating gives you momentum that can carry you through to the end. Take the book – with all the feedback you receive along the way; you’ll write a book people love, so now you can start a coaching program based on the book. Should you wait until you get the coaching program, just right? No! Start now and perfect it as you go.

One more benefit of starting now – is enthusiasm. When are you the most enthusiastic: When you first think of an idea or six months later? When you’ve already experienced some success, or when has that idea been sitting on a shelf? By starting today, you immediately progress and get feedback, thus building your enthusiasm even further. You lose confidence when you work in a vacuum conveying ready to start.

All the greats start now, whether that means writing the business plan, writing the first chapter, setting up the website, getting feedback from social media, etc.

Whatever your new idea is, start now, and in 30 days, you will be well on your way to seeing your opinion not only begin to come to fruition but also succeed dramatically.

You’ve got a DYNAMITE idea for a new product, and you can’t wait to start on it – or maybe you already have. Then it happens: You see that someone else has beaten you to the punch and released a similar product just last week. What should you do??

At this point, many people will fold. They’ll scrap their product idea and search for a new one.

Then there are the successful marketers who wouldn’t bat an eyelash just because someone else released a product like theirs. They would go ahead and finish their development and release it as soon as possible.

Do you know why? Two reasons: First, successfully selling a product on a particular topic means there’s room for another product on the same issue. And there’s the room because of reason number 2: People deeply interested in a case don’t buy just one book or just one course – they believe everything they can get their hands on.

The person who released their product ahead of yours did you a favor because you can now see how well their product sells. You can look for the information holes they forgot to fill, and you can be the one to create a better product. You can also see what their price point is and act accordingly. If they’re priced at $17, you might want to shoot for a higher price and provide a much higher value. On the other hand, if they are selling their product at several hundred dollars, you can choose to become the affordable alternative.

So the next time you’ve got a great product idea and someone else beats you, you might want to thank them and get excited!

Don’t be afraid to approach the other product developer and suggest a deal together. They might also be open to becoming your affiliate and sharing your offer with their list and customers. Yesterday’s competitors can become tomorrow’s partners.

Remember – competition can be a GREAT thing when you’re marketing online.

Brain fog is one of the hazards they never bother to tell you about when you become an online marketer. You know what I mean… you’ve been sitting at your computer for 10 minutes or 10 hours when you realize your brain is moving slower than a herd of turtles stampeding through peanut butter.

And you know, if you could get your brain in gear, you could get a ton of work done today. But despite that 5th cup of coffee, you still can’t seem to focus. What’s a marketer to do?

I take a cue from Nelson Mandela when this happens and take a walk. If the weather is good, I also get some sun on my face. Taking a 10-minute brisk walk outside can do wonders for your brain, and 20 is even better.

Did you know that writing backward with your non-dominant hand can create new connections in your brain that make it work better, faster, and more creatively? Leonardo Da Vinci filled entire journals with mirror writing – and you must admit, the guy was no slouch regarding intelligence or accomplishments.

Doing things you don’t normally do, such as taking up a new interest or hobby, will also awaken the sleeping parts of your brain. Make it a point to learn a new skill so well you can teach it to others.

Try going to bed earlier. Most people don’t get enough sleep, one of the biggest causes of brain fog. They are sleeping in until noon isn’t good, either. As they say, moderation in all things. Get up quickly, drink water, exercise, and then get to work.

Take a mid-afternoon nap. Thomas Edison was a prolific napper and looked at what he accomplished. And Winston Churchill – despite running a powerful country during a world war – set aside hours each day just for himself to nap, bathe, dress, and eat in peace.

Take risks. If you take a chance, it will be necessary for you. If it’s essential, you’ll have enthusiasm for it. And if you’ve got spirit, brain fog tends to vanish. Henry Ford believed that if you’re going to fail, you should do it fast and learn from it. In other words, stop dreaming and take some action. No one which base jumped off a bridge ever felt like they had brain fog at that moment.

Cut out the sugar. The more sugar you eat today, the more tired you will be later today and again tomorrow. It’s not worth it. You’ve undoubtedly seen studies that suggest sugar is as addictive as cocaine. It makes for a great headline, but the bottom line is sugar is addictive, and as we’ve known for years, it’s terrible for you, too. Go 21 days without your favorite sweet tweets – whatever they may be – and see how you and your brain feel.

Bonus: When you cut out the sugar, you’ll feel better and look better too. They did a double-blind study asking men to rate women’s attractiveness. Women who did not eat sugar the previous day were rated as more attractive than those who did. Sugar makes you and your brain sluggish and can make you less beautiful or handsome.

Making health such a big priority in your life, you create a product in the health niche and sell 100,000 copies. Why not? It’s been done before and will be done many more times because there will always be people willing to pay to get their health and energy back. So let them pay you.

See what happens? I start by writing a few ways to combat brain fog when you’re stuck behind a computer for too long, and I create a new product.

It’s good to be an online marketer. Ideas are everywhere, and the market for solutions never ends.

Now put away the candy and walk briskly to clear your head. Then come back and get to work on building your online empire!