” Well,  I did it again…. I spent money on something I didn’t need!! “

This I’m sure happens to you too. You, know how it goes…. a new product is launched and you are bombarded with launch emails. Eventually, someone you trust sends you the same email and you decide to bite.

You rationalize (rational-lies) to yourself… This is it! This is the answer! This is what I need to make the MONEY I was looking for.

HAHA!!! What a CHUMP! (At least that’s the way I feel) I’m such a chump for buying into the hype. Geese will it ever stop?!?!

Well my friends, I hate to tell you… it doesn’t stop. It’s marketing and it controls everything in your life. Every day we are told what to eat, what to drink, what to wear…. what to believe.

It’s a new world and it’s here

But its not doom and gloom… its just how we learn — the hard way.  So, to help you resist those lame temptations, here are a few things you can do to help you not spend your last dime. (trust me, I write this here as much for you as I’m writing for me)

1. Spend Only What You Make – I have a rule, I only use the money that my business makes to buy things my business needs. Any exception has to be run by the big boss (yes — you’ve got it.. My WIFE!)
2. Know the ROI on Everything You Buy – This may sounds fancy but it really isn’t.  Say to yourself, “What is the Return on Investment for this item?”  How long will it take for this item to HONESTLY pay for itself.  Forget the sales page hype and hyperbole.   Will this item make you money?!?
3. Will You Use IT TODAY? – Is this something you will use or read right now? Not tomorrow, or next month, next week… today?  If not then don’t get it.  And don’t fall for promises that this will be gone tomorrow.  Its a gimick.. Its called “CREATING A SENSE OF URGENCY” .
4. Stop Being Marketed To and Start Marketing – If you have been paying attention then you should know when you are being marketed to.  If the sales copy is compelling, then copy it to your swipe file (you do have a swipe file don’t you?).  If its working on you, it will work on someone else when its your turn to do the marketing.

These are just a few things I do — well.. umm… I SHOULD be doing — lol.   What are some things that you  do or some ways you use to help you stay focused and keep away from those shiny objects???

THIS IS ONLY A TEST

In my last post I discussed using WPtouch to optimize your website for mobile devices like iPhone, Blackberry or Android (google).  But what if you don’t own one of these devices, like an iPhone? How can you test to see if your website looks good on an iPhone if you don’t own one?

Designing web content for a particular device can be tough.  Especially for cell phones.  And the coolest ones out there aren’t cheap!!  Today everyone wants an iPhone.  And I have to say I understand why.  It is the coolest new gadget to be invented this decade.  I love my iPhone.   But even if you don’t have an iPhone, there are millions of people (many who maybe your customers and readers) who do own one.   What you need is an iPhone Browser simulator.

And yes of course, Shaun Sullivan at Blackbaud Labs has come to our rescue and created a really cool iPhone browser simulator … and best of all he has made it available to download for free!

To install the iPhone browser emulator you need to have Safari installed first.

Next simply cruise on over to Blackbaud Labs and download the iBBDemo iPhone Browser Simulator and run it.

Its that easy.  You can now test out your web site layout and designs for the iPhone …

Then again you could just use it to pretend you have an iPhone.  Tell your friends you have connections at Apple and are testing the new “soft iPhone”  from Apple! See how many people you can fool!

I feel very fortunate today to be able to experience and participate with making money online.  We truly live in an amazing time.  But everyday I see people struggling with making money online and really its a lot simpler than many people make it out to be.

Each blog that you create has its own niche and each has it’s own challenges.  But there is one constant that each blog requires, one constant that each blog needs in order to be successful.  I want to share this with you today – and it is a very simple concept – it just needs to executed!

So for everyone who is impatient – I’ll tell you my secret right now…  The secret is writing.

Yup.  That’s it.  Just sitting down and doing the writing.  I told you it was simple.

But here is the catch, most people don’t like to write.  Or they feel its too time consuming, or it takes too much effort, or whatever.  I hate to break the news to you guys, but good writing is what is going to bring you good traffic.  And Good Traffic will Make You the Money Online.

Another trap that most people fall into is they try to find away around writing.  They buy tools that scrape content from other web sites, spin content, copy content, steal content all to try to short cut what they need to do.   This will get you no where and you will never be able to make a living by using duplicate content.  It just won’t happen.   Google is smart and you will never rank.

Some of you may argue with what I’m saying here today.  Some may say that its not true and you can make money with these short cuts.   Okay, sure, you may be able to skim some pennies off the top with this method.  But the big money is with really good, original content.

So How Do You Gain This Success for Your Blog?

Everyone, and I mean EVERYONE… I don’t care who you are…  everyone knows something about something.  Everyone is good at something or is an expert at something.  And that knowledge is what is going to make your blog successful. Even if it is being a “Pro at TV Channel Surfing” and “How to be the Best Couch Potato”  it is a talent that others will not have and may want to know about.

The key is to create a blog about the one thing you’re really good at, and write about it.

Just write about it. One post at a time. One idea at a time. Slowly build up your repertoire of facts and articles on your site.  Don’t write for keyword density. Don’t write for search engines.  Write for people.  Write for readers.  If you do this, you will have a successful blog.  As Fred Zimmer of the Men’s Warehouse says – “I guarantee it.”

Content is King

See, most people get caught up in trying to make money over night.  They spend their time on everything but the content.  They copy or steal articles from other sites. They obsess over link building, and getting indexed fast.  They search for the right keywords and the right domain name. The buy PLR content, outsource content writing, blah blah blah….  GEEZE!

Don’t get me wrong.. all of these things are needed and are important.  But NONE OF THEM are needed more than the Content!  Content is King.

People spend more time and money on everything but the content it’s no  wonder so many people fail when trying to start making money online.

Making Money Online

Many people start a blog and start writing posts but don’t see any visitors and don’t seem to make any money.  This is Normal!  You need to understand it takes time and patience.  Blogs are like snow balls.  They start off small and insignificant.  But you keep working with them, they will grow bigger and bigger and bigger.  Eventually, people will naturally start to link to your blog.  (by the way – this is the best linking of all!)  You will see more and more people start to visit.  Word of mouth begins to spread.   The next thing you know – you have over 200 unique people visiting your blog everyday and you ARE Making Money!

Trust me, it happened to me just like this.  And it started with a very obscure niche blog that I built around my career field.   The search numbers are so low for this niche it doesn’t even show up in Google’s keyword tool.  But it was a niche I knew something about.  It was information I knew and I knew it well!

Call to ACTION!

So get out there and build a blog about something that you know about.  You will be successful!  Be patient and let it grow.  It doesn’t matter what the topic is.  Someone somewhere will want to know more about it.

Are you still unsure? Do you have an idea and don’t know if you should blog about it?  Leave a comment here and let us know.  I would love to hear about it and I bet you’re wrong!  I bet you will be successful with it.

This past March for my birthday I wanted an iPOD touch.  My wife bought me an iPhone instead!!  Needless to say it was a great birthday and a great birthday gift from my very special lady!

Well today Josh Spaulding just announced that he is giving away an iPOD touch for FREE!  I can’t believe it!  No strings attached just enter your name to win!  Check it out here — http://www.5dollarformula.com/giveaway/

Those little gadgets have got to be the coolest things ever invented in this century. They are the only ones who have the whole touch screen stuff down.  You can listen to your favorite songs, videos, play some of the coolest games — all in one very cool device.

Have you ever played with an Apple iPOD Touch?  How about an iPhone?  What do you think?

Leave a comment below and let me know what you think and dont forget to enter to win a FREE iPOD Touch from Josh!

The GiveAway is Over – but check out Josh’s great ebook – $5 dollar formula!