I’ve started writing copy for some of my clients…
While doing some research online, I stumbled across this great video by Jay Abraham that I’d like to share. It shows how to use Amazon.com reviews as a shortcut for generating the list of benefits needed for writing brilliant copy.
Here’s a video post showing my office. Erin Blaskie of BSETC recently put up a video of her office and requested that others do the same. The video was taken with a Flip video camera, which I also discovered through Erin’s blog. Warning: It’s my first attempt at both using the Flip and posting a YouTube video.
WordPress 2.5 is out and it has some great new features: A WYSIWYG editor that (supposedly) won’t bungle your HTML code, an image gallery that is just pretty darn cool, and a super-slick automatic upgrade option for plugins.
There’s just one problem…
If you are using the Wordpress Automatic Upgrade plugin, as I am using to upgrade WordPress, or another plugin that uses the pclziputilpathreduction() function, the automatic plugin upgrade link won’t be working for you. Instead, you’ll see an error that the pclziputilpathreduction() function cannot be redefined.
Solution…
It looks like this will be fixed in a future version. In the meantime, a workaround to the problem is to deactivate the Automatic Update plugin, click on automatic upgrade links for all your plugins, then reactive the Wordpress Automatic Upgrade plugin.
My good friend and colleague, Erin Blaskie of BSETC (www.bsetc.ca), is hosting an Internet Business Makeover contest and the contest is open for entries today! The deadline is May 15, 2008 and entries can be submitted in written format or in video format (best chance to win is by submitting videos – Erin features them on her blog and gets people to vote and comment to create buzz around them!)
The contest is an amazing opportunity for entrepreneurs who are just starting out because it contains everything you need to get your Internet business off the ground. You can also use this contest to win a true makeover of your current business.
Here’s what you get should you be the lucky winner of this contest:
As you can see – this contest is everything you might need to help grow and launch your Internet-based business.
You can enter the contest by visiting www.internetbusinessmakeover.com. There is a video there that explains the contest and there are three easy ways to enter. You can fill out a PDF application, you can nominate someone else or you can submit a video.
There are already entries posted to Erin’s blog so check those out too at www.bsetc.ca.
Good luck!
Virtually yours,
David Burch
"Your GO-TO Guy"
"David," you say, "My blog is lackluster. It’s bloated with plug-ins and slow to respond. I need to whip it into shape, and set it to work making money for me."
"Sounds like you need me to Pimp your Blog," I reply. And here’s how I’ll go about it…
First, if your blog’s slumming, I’ll move it out of that trailer-park hosting service into some High-Class Diggs. A change of location can do a blog some good and may even end up saving you cash!
Then, the basics. Let’s update your press kit: set up the static pages of your blog to tell your story, shout your accolades, and sell your products and services.
Next, a look-and-feel make over. I’ll install that free theme you’ve had your eye on or, if you’ve told me, "Just do something with it, will ya?" I’ll install one of my current favorites: One of SoloStream’s premium themes, or one of the Revolution Magazine variations, or your favorite shade of Essence, or WPRemix, the do-everything theme.
The webmaster tools will make sure Google stops by on a regular basis. And some analytics code will let us know when fans stop by.
Now, let’s add some BLING: an image here, some color there.
Time to pop the hood for a plug-in tune up. Remove the plug-ins that are redundant and the ones not being used. Upgrade those that are out-of-date. Fine-tuning to take your blog to a scorching 0-6 second load time. Meet my A-List: AskIMet, All in One SEO Pack, Contact Form 7, DoFollow, FeedBurner FeedSmith, Google XML Sitemaps, Share This, Subscribe to Comments, Technocrati Tags, Wordpress Automatic Upgrade, WordPress Database Backup, WordPress Mobile Edition, and WP Super Cache.
Now to put your blog to work: Install Google Adwords, a PayPal donate button, Affiliate badges… Add code to build a list–the money’s in the list, you know (you supply the list service).
At long last, it’s time to show it off. Get the word out. Tell the press. Tell your friends. Socialize. Network. You’ll get access to My Top-Secret Rolodex and my personal Bag of Tricks… only available to friends, clients, and a few select fans.
Interested?
Hire me to Pimp your Blog 
Virtually yours,
David Burch
"Your GO-TO Guy"
PS. Don’t want the entire package? Want to pick and choose? Hire me at my hourly rate, plus the cost of materials, for a truly custom job. You’ll be surprised at what I can do in an hour.
I just started using David to troubleshoot one of my client’s sites and was so impressed by his knowledge and willingness to help that I had to hire hire him for my own. It seems that everything I asked him to do for my WordPress site he was able to do so quickly.
He also has a very professional project management and site set up where clients can see every task he works on with notes and minutes associated with it, making it easy to stick to my budget.
David also made lots of suggestions that I though were great improvement’s to my site’s look and feel and gave me a lot of tips and additional thoughts. I am glad he has finally put on a tip jar as I intend to buy him lots of coffees.
I hope to use David continuously for my own Blog as well as outsourcing all my WordPress work to him as it comes in.
Michelle Schoen
The Virtual Assistant Demo Girl
The following is a guest post by Angela Wills, an Internet Marketing Virtual Assistant who I’ve worked with on several occasions.
Your business is growing monthly and so are the tasks you need to do to keep up. Right about now you’re thinking “it’s time to get a virtual assistant to help me with this workload!”
But, are you really ready for a virtual assistant?
As a virtual assistant for a year and a half now I see a common theme with clients who eventually stop working with me. It’s not because I don’t do a great job (and not to be self-serving but I do a great job!) and about 99% of the time it’s not do to any personality conflicts (but those do eventually happen).
In most cases the client has failed to plan goals for what they expect from a virtual assistant.
Yes, setting goals is work, but what business task isn’t? Setting solid goals is so important to a profitable relationship with a virtual assistant that it should be something you do well before you even interview your first VA.
It’s not enough just to set goals and be done with it, either. I know, more work, but you really need to be tracking, testing and calculating a return on investment. You want hiring a virtual assistant to help you make more money, not cost you money in the long term.
Let’s put it into an example: Let’s say you’re paying a virtual assistant to submit your articles to various article directories. You need to know why you’re doing this. What’s your goal? What return will you get? How will you track that return? Don’t just submit articles because it’s the thing to do, make sure the time, effort and investment brings you a return that makes it worth continuing to do.
When you hire a virtual assistant you have to be responsible for making sure it’s profitable. The VA you hire doesn’t know your business well enough at the start to set your goals for you. A good VA will always be open to helping you get set up to properly test and track the tasks they are working on because they know it not only helps the client but also gives them a happy client who continues to need their services.
David saved the day when I had gotten myself in over my head with a client project I agreed to take on. I’ve actually gone to him more than once a little panicked about a project I thought I could handle and he’s been a huge help. David’s advice saved me from taking on another project I couldn’t manage. David’s technology skills and his services are an asset to any online business.
Last month I became a Teaching Sells Charter Member. I was intrigued with the concept because, at the time, I was becoming disillusioned with learning Internet Marketing. I didn’t want to learn psychological tricks or make money in a fly-by-night manner. I also saw that most high-priced Internet Marketing courses contain the same ideas, recycled with different promotional hype.
I work at a College and I’ve taught online and most of my ideas involve teaching people how to do the things I’ve mastered, so I In December, I signed up for as a Teaching Sells charter member. It seemed like a natural fit for me.
To tell the truth, I was a bit disappointed at first. There wasn’t a lot of content on the site and most of the content was stuff I already know: How to create membership sites using Aweber, how to create a course using Moodle, etc. Well, I guess I didn’t fully understand the “Charter Member” concept when I signed up, because I had walked in on the ground floor during the building stage and I didn’t have the imagination at the time to see what Tony and Brian are building. What Teaching Sells is building is huge. During the last month, I have been getting daily notifications of new content that have been added to the site, and this stuff is not hype.
Teaching Sells is about best practices for building small and large membership sites. Tony and Brian are taking their time and doing it right and I am learning so much. True to the name, Tony and Brian are teaching how to make money online, step-by-step, including which software to use, site themes, case studies, and even PLR content that I can use. But, do you want to know the best thing about joining as a charter member? I get to watch the pros actually DO IT without a net. I get to watch note their mistakes, and how they recover. The experience has been invaluable.
I’ll share some of what I learn here in the days to come, but I wanted to let you know that they are almost ready for launch and their prices are going up very soon (48 new members or end of the month–whichever comes first). I truly believe that Teaching Sells is something you will want to subscribe to for the long-term. I’m cancelling all my subscriptions and concentrating my full-focus on Teaching Sells Sign-up if you want to lock in your membership rate at an insanely affordable price.
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