I’ve been so blessed by living in these times.  The speed of which new ideas hit…the power of these ideas….and the ability of the common person to make life altering amounts of money remains almost beyond belief.  Go back only several decades, and you are likely to wearing a suit and tie, hating your job, and with limited opportunities.

I owe the majority of my career to my ability to network.  We are living in unique times, where the term “network” can mean so many different things.  It didn’t seem too long ago that networking consisted of throwing on a suit, and going to a local Chamber of Commerce meeting.  Now we network through industry events, cell phones, social media, skype and so much more.  And without question, most of my “good ideas” have come from my ability to closely work with people and share thoughts and ideas. The simple act of talking to somebody can have dramatic effects.

I’m always reminded of this when I attend Industry Events.  After just having come back from the Internet Marketing Party in Austin, I’ve had the chance to digest everything that went on during the weekend.  The conversations I had, the chance meet ups, the information sharing was everything I thought it would be…amazing.  Don’t underestimate the power of a single idea and how it can take you down totally different roads.  I’m smiling about a single conversation I had with a industry veteran, which i’m certain will change my life.  What is that worth? Priceless in my opinion.  The challenge for old timers like me is to continue to have an open mind and embrace the mindset that you can learn *something* from anybody.

If you are stuck behind your computer.  If your business has stalled.  I encourage you to get out and talk to people (almost a lost art, huh)?  I promise it will pay dividends down the road and lead you down some pretty great roads.

What’s the old saying? Good judgment comes from experience, and experience comes from bad judgment. Or said differently, experience comes from simply rolling up your sleeves and getting into the mix!  That’s exactly what i’ve done over the last 3 months, and man have I learned a lot!  All that being said, the more things change, the more things stay the same.  With Kindle, like virtually every other thing, its ALL about the TRAFFIC.  While I’ve spent the last several months perfecting the niche and product creation piece of the business, what I’m painfully aware of more than ever is that if nobody sees your book, it doesn’t matter how great it is.

So, I’ve officially entered Phase 2 of the project, which is traffic generation.  With over 30 book titles out there, my job for the next month will be implementing a wide range of techniques designed to link my books with current best sellers.  I’m currently testing three (3) different traffic generating techniques designed to push my daily book sales up.  Once I have some solid data, I’ll share which work and which don’t.  Suffice it to say, its been an interesting reminder that “he who controls traffic, wins”.  Something I’ve always believed, but it’s taken me projects like this to remind me of this important fact.

Wish me luck!

Nerds like myself grow up with different hero’s. Football is great, but guys like Bill Hewlett, Larry Ellison, and Elon Musk really move the needle. There is nobody (I mean nobody) that comes close to Steve Jobs though. A good deal of my childhood was spent living just a mile away from the Apple Headquarters. Apple to me represented everything cool about the Bay Area. I identified so much with the fearless, hard charging, that Steve Jobs (and Apple) personified. I’ve had close friends work for Steve Jobs, and they’ve all described him the same. One of the hardest bosses to ever work for, but unquestionably the best.

About a year ago, I was having sushi in Palo Alto. On my way out, i literally ran into Steve Jobs. What do you say when you are standing face to face with one of the most brilliant men on the planet. I had only a few weeks earlier ran into his partner, Steve Wozniak at the Apple store in Los Gatos, but nothing could prepare me for this.

I was without words.  With Wozniak, words just flowed.  But with Steve Jobs, nothing planned came out.  I can only imagine how many people Steve Jobs met in his life.  How many Apple Fan Boys he’s had to accommodate over the years. I was determined not to be another one.  However here I was standing face to face with the God of Silicon Valley.  Have you ever had those situations where you seem to disconnect from your body and you become an observer?  I was watching myself speak, but I had no idea what I was saying. “Oh My God..Apple..So Great..I love your products…Your Steve Jobs”.  The only thing I remember is a handshake and a “thank you”.  And that was it.  I had spent my 1.45 seconds with the God of Silicon Valley and it was over. Just like that.

I like millions of other people mourn the death of one of the greatest minds in Silicon Valley.  I suddenly feel like the world is more lonely, without Steve Jobs in this world.  I’m happy to say I met the guy.  To him, my 1.45 seconds was undoubtedly inconsequential.  To me, I smile knowing I met one of my idols.  Rest in Peace Steve Jobs.

http://www.emarketer.com/Article.aspx?R=1008625

Currently there are 4 statistics tracked on the Pages Insights page. Users will see this statistic below the total number of Likes on a page. It really is an indication of compelling and interesting content. The theory goes that the more people are talking about something, the more interest there must be. It’s a powerful statistic for content creators in that it motivates them to create comment worthy content (good stuff). It measures user-initiated activity that relates to a Page.

What causes PTA to increase? It really is a measurement of activity. Think posts, comments, sharing of posts, liking, answering a question, sharing a deal and checking in somewhere. It looks at a LOT but its a very interesting stat. I can see an army of content creators racing to improve their week over week stat by pushing out more interesting content.

Look for Facebook to continue to come up with more and more interesting “social statistics” as the platform evolves. Smart marketers will stay one step ahead of the curve and find interesting and creative ways to use these stats to increase their business.

What do people want from information? First off its everywhere isn’t it? Secondly, once you sort through the BS, getting it to apply directly to YOUR business can be hard. Ultimately what we ALL are looking for are results. Measurable, real results. Getting these results comes down to picking the right “Information Partner”. Choosing the right Information Partner faces two important challenges.

The first challenge is finding the right Information Partner. Simply wander over to Clickbank to find the latest 20-year-old Guru teaching you about push-button riches. Is there any surprise that refund rates are close to 50%. We are swimming in information, aren’t we? From the latest underground marketing technique to some new hidden source of online traffic. You have to get a drivers license to drive a car, but there are no licenses needed to proclaim yourself an information marketer, or worse, a Guru. Businesses face a dizzying array of tricks, tips, and techniques sold by a motley crew of marketers. Choosing the right Information Partner can be a frustrating and exhausting experience.

The second challenge is applying the Information Partner’s knowledge to your business. It’s not a one size fits all. Each and every business is different and has its own set of unique challenges. Creating a successful business however, does have a methodology; a set of time tested principles that can be taught. A Partner works with you 1 on 1. They apply their experience to your business in a customized way. A Partner understands your set of challenges and then pushes you to keep on track. A Partner also brings in fresh resources, new ideas, and ultimately helps drive you to success.

I urge you, wherever you are at in your online journey to consider your Information Partners carefully. Finding the right one can propel your business into a totally new direction.

Over the next few months, I’ll be hosting a series of webinars sharing with everyone some of the key factors in creating success in your online business.

I look forward to speaking with you then.

Happy Media Buying,

Scott

Whether or not you’ll be a successful surfer has to do with your ability to learn and the types of waves you choose to ride.  Let’s break down the surfer and the wave, and finally lets talk about the biggest wave out there…the tsunami.

The Surfer

How successful you’ll be online has a ton to do with opportunity, education and mindset.  I’ll tell you that there is more opportunity now than ever before.  This is part of the challenge and the opportunity.  With so many ways to make money, often times its our inability to focus that never allows us to even stand up on the board for the first time (make your first $).  We are in love with shiny new objects, and never stick to something long enough to master it.  Next is our willingness to learn.  Just like college that takes 4 years to complete, educating yourself on the fundamentals of success online isn’t something most people like to do.  Skip the steps, why don’t you and lets get to the end already shall we?  As Chuck Testa (search for him on YouTube) says….”nooooope”.  There are no short cuts.  You have to learn the basics before you move on.  Finally it comes down to Mindset.  Do you have the tenacity, the patience, the “why” to stick it out during the tough times.  Unfortunately most don’t.  Getting rich is hard.  That’s why most people aren’t.  You have to be willing to do what most others simply won’t, after all, Oprah is on at 4pm and Desperate Housewifes is on at 8.  They want the quick fix.  They get stuck buying the next Info Product which promises push button riches.

The Wave

The waves the surfer rides generally come in three types.

Great offers - Sometimes new offers (mostly on a CPA) come out and its hard NOT to make money. I can think of a dozen off hand.
New Distribution Channels - Sometimes new channels open up (new ad networks or mobile or whatever) and people who get in early or study it become very successful.
New Techniques -sometimes new techniques come along.  Flog marketing was (and still is) a huge new way to market to consumers and affiliates made ungodly amounts of money by using this technique.

You need to pick a wave and ride it.  You can’t ride all three waves at once (wait, you can…more on this at the end), however 95% of the great surfers out there surf only 1 wave and they surf it really well.
The Tsunami

Now sometimes (not everytime) there is a “perfect storm” where all three hit at once.  It’s where great offers (think high ECPC) meets new and scaleable distribution channels (hello self service ad networks and mobile), and finally they are met with a new conversion tactic (think flog marketing, auto webinars, or video landers).  Certainly the Acai/Colon cleanse tsunami comes to mind.  CPA guys were paying a LOT, there was new self service ad networks (AdBlade, Pulse360, and others) and Flog marketing (personal, step 1, step 2) converted like crazy. With tsunamis, mind bending amounts of money were made in very short amounts of time.  4 of my friends made over $10M in less than 6 months (yup).  However also remember that the Tsunami creates wreckage behind it and are very dangerous to ride.  For those surfers that can ride them, they are damn exciting and dangerous.   Now, tsunamis come once every 5 years or so, but there are always good sized waves (think of the three above as waves).  So its a question of jumping on a wave…learning to surf..surfing (making money) and hanging out long enough to ride the tsunami.

So when you think about making money online think about both the surfer (you) and what kind of wave you’d like to ride.  There are ALWAYS waves……so go out there and ride!

I am reminded of a few things as I struggle along.  First off, it reminds me of the great struggle in creating anything new.  Learning can be hard, and it is easy to give up.  I can tell you that without question, the people that succeed are those that refuse to give up.  The second thing that I’m reminded of is the beauty of trying.  Through trying (and paying attention), you begin to figure out the nuances of making a particular strategy work.  Almost always, these nuances can’t be taught.  You need to find them out yourself.

With Kindle, my years of experience in online marketing hurts me. After all, I’ve been doing this for so long it “must” be this way.  I’ve needed to re-learn much of what I thought I knew, and reminded myself to have an open mind.  With Kindle, as with anything, you’ve got to find a way to insert yourself into the “Demand Stream”. These are giant rivers and streams of people are reading and ultimately buying certain topics.  Your job is to find out where these streams are and insert yourself into the process.  It all comes down to your ability to insert yourself into these demand streams.  Do this, and you’ll scale.

Now, I’m back to my project.  I’m not giving up and  you shouldn’t either.

Happy Media Buying,

Scott

As I bury myself each and every day in this Kindle project, something I thought suddenly about cars, and perhaps more deeply, why do we do what we do.  It’s really not for the cash flow per-se, but rather what that cash flow buys us.  We slave away at our computers each and every day because of the lifestyle (or things) that come as a result of all this hard work.

For those of you who have followed along with my Kindle project, you know that my sales are climbing slow and steadily (uploaded two more books last night).  I anticipate hitting on average about 10 books sales per day over the next week or so.   At roughly $4.20 profit per book, that’s $42.50 per day or $1,275 per month.  Give me a few more weeks and I think I can double that.   Now in fairness, I’ve put in a TON of hours just getting to this point, so I’m not going to do the hourly calculation of my time (in start ups, the value/time equation is always massively backwards). Yes, I’ve struggled at times.  I’m out to smash through the statement “you can’t teach an old dog news tricks”.  Well this dog isn’t going anywhere, and I’m in for the long run.

Back to my original point about cash flow and “things”.  I drive a 2006 Toyota Prius (yes, it was my attempt to be green and fit in with other Internet CEO’s), but in full disclosure, I’m tired of being green.  I want to be black.  In fact I want to be a black Maserati Gran Turismo.  Turns out for zero down, and about $2k per month, I could trade in the low carbon emissions of my ultra nerdy Prius for the sheer awesomeness of a Maserati.

All this for 16 book sales per day (or $67 per day).

What might be helpful for everyone who is trying to build out cash flow, is look at what it will buy you.  For me, its a car (think 6 year old Prius).  I don’t know what it is for you, but eaach of us has something that drives us…gets our heart rate up.  Certainly a Maserati Gran Turismo sounds a whole lot more sexy than $67 per day.  Doesn’t it?

What is it for you?