margret-jons-blog

[margret-jons-blog]

Have you ever felt overwhelmed by the sheer amount of programs and courses out there, all promising to change your life or boost your career? Yeah, me too. That’s why when I first heard about the MAP  program, I was a bit skeptical. I mean, with so many options, how do you know what's really worth it? Well, pull up a chair because today, we're diving deep into the MAP program. I’ll share my thoughts, insights, and everything in between. You're going to get the scoop on what this program is all about, who it's for, and whether it might just be the right fit for you. What Exactly is the MAP Program? Imagine a blend of personal development and professional growth, all wrapped up in one package. That's essentially what the MAP program aims to deliver. It's designed to help individuals unlock their full potential, both in their careers and personal lives. But let's dig a little deeper. The program is structured around three core pillars: Mastery, Accomplishment, and Potential. Each pillar focuses on different aspects of growth. The idea is to not just learn new skills but to master them. It's about setting and achieving significant accomplishments, and ultimately, realizing your potential. The Mastery component is all about honing your skills to perfection. Whether you're a novice looking to acquire new skills or a seasoned professional seeking to refine your craft, this pillar is designed to push your boundaries. It involves rigorous training and practice, coupled with expert guidance, to ensure that the skills you develop are not just superficial but deeply ingrained. Accomplishment, on the other hand, emphasizes setting tangible goals and achieving them. It's not just about dreaming big but also about creating actionable plans to turn those dreams into reality. This pillar encourages participants to set milestones, track their progress, and celebrate their achievements, no matter how small. It's about building a track record of success that fuels confidence and motivation. The Potential pillar focuses on tapping into your innate abilities and pushing beyond perceived limits. It involves a deep dive into self-discovery, helping you identify your strengths and areas for improvement. This pillar encourages participants to challenge their comfort zones, embrace change, and cultivate a growth mindset. It's about unlocking possibilities that you never knew existed. Who Can Benefit from the MAP Program? Now, you might be thinking, "Is this program for me?" Well, that depends. Are you someone who's looking to make a real change in their life? Whether it's climbing the corporate ladder, starting a new venture, or simply improving your personal skills, the MAP program could be a game-changer. But it's not just for those on a quest for career advancement. If you're someone who feels stuck or is seeking direction, this program could provide the clarity you need. It's about more than just professional growth—it's about personal development, too. Students  looking to kickstart their careers can greatly benefit from the MAP program. It offers them a structured path to identify their career goals and develop the necessary skills to achieve them. Additionally, mid-career professionals seeking a change or facing stagnation can find renewed purpose and direction through the program. The program is also well-suited for entrepreneurs and business owners. It provides them with the tools and strategies needed to scale their businesses effectively. By focusing on personal development alongside business skills, entrepreneurs can achieve a balanced approach to growth that doesn't come at the expense of their well-being. How Does the MAP Program Work? The program is delivered through a combination of online modules, one-on-one coaching sessions, and peer group interactions. This multi-faceted approach ensures that you not only learn but also apply what you've learned in real-world scenarios. Plus, the peer interaction component means you're not going through it alone. You can share experiences, challenges, and victories with others on the same journey. The online modules are comprehensive and interactive, designed to engage participants and facilitate deep learning. They cover a wide range of topics, from leadership and communication skills to time management and emotional intelligence. Each module is crafted to build upon the previous one, ensuring a cohesive and structured learning experience. The one-on-one coaching sessions are a standout feature of the MAP program. These sessions provide personalized guidance and support, tailored to each participant's unique needs and goals. The coaches are experienced professionals who bring a wealth of knowledge and expertise to the table. They act as mentors, providing feedback, encouragement, and accountability to help participants stay on track and overcome challenges. The peer group interactions add another layer of richness to the program. Participants are grouped with like-minded individuals, creating a supportive community where they can share insights, exchange ideas, and learn from each other's experiences. This collaborative environment fosters a sense of camaraderie and mutual support, enhancing the overall learning experience. What Makes the MAP Program Stand Out? In a sea of online courses and self-help books, what sets MAP apart? First off, it's the holistic approach. While many programs focus solely on professional skills or personal development, MAP integrates both. It recognizes that to be truly successful, you need to develop as a whole person. Another standout feature is the personalized coaching. It’s not a one-size-fits-all program. The individual attention you receive means that the coaching is tailored to your specific goals and challenges. This personalized approach can make a huge difference in how effectively you can implement what you learn. The program's emphasis on practical application also sets it apart from others. It's not just about acquiring knowledge; it's about putting that knowledge into practice. Participants are encouraged to apply what they learn in real-world scenarios, allowing them to see tangible results and build confidence in their abilities. Moreover, the MAP program is constantly evolving, incorporating the latest research and trends in personal and professional development. This ensures that participants receive up-to-date information and strategies that are relevant in today's fast-paced world. The program's adaptability and commitment to continuous improvement make it a valuable resource for anyone looking to stay ahead of the curve. Is the MAP Program Right for You? This is the million-dollar question, isn't it? The MAP program isn't a magic bullet, and it requires commitment and effort. If you're looking for a quick fix, this might not be the right fit. But if you're ready to invest in yourself and are serious about making a change, then the MAP program could be just what you need. Remember, like any program, the results will vary depending on your input. If you're willing to put in the work and stay committed, the potential benefits are substantial. The program's flexibility allows you to tailor it to your needs and schedule, making it accessible to individuals with busy lives. Whether you're juggling work, family, or other commitments, the MAP program can fit seamlessly into your routine, ensuring that you can pursue personal and professional growth without disruption. How to Get Started If you're intrigued and want to learn more, I recommend checking out their website. You can find out all the details, read more success stories, and even sign up for a free consultation. That way, you can see firsthand if this program aligns with your goals. Head over to the MAP program page to get started. So, there you have it—a comprehensive look at the MAP program. Hopefully, this review has given you a clearer picture of what to expect and whether it might be the right step for you. If you do decide to take the plunge, remember to embrace the journey. After all, it's not just about the destination, but the growth and learning along the way. The MAP program offers a unique opportunity to embark on a transformative journey of self-discovery and growth. By investing in yourself and committing to the program, you're taking a proactive step towards unlocking your full potential and creating a fulfilling and successful future. So why wait? Read the full article

[margret-jons-blog]

Working from home can be liberating—but also a little chaotic, especially when you’re wearing multiple hats. For solo entrepreneurs, freelancers, or small business owners, staying on top of your marketing can be one of the most challenging parts of remote work. With distractions lurking around every corner and no marketing team down the hall, staying organized becomes essential. If you're wondering how to bring structure and strategy to your marketing efforts while working from your kitchen table or home office, this guide might  help. 1. Start With a Clear Strategy Before you organize anything, you need clarity on what you're trying to accomplish. Many home-based businesses jump into content creation or social media without knowing why they’re doing it. Ask yourself: Who is my ideal customer? What platforms are they on? What content or offers will attract them? What’s the goal of my marketing—more leads, sales, awareness? Once you define this, you can build a plan that actually works. Pro Tip: Use a simple 1-page marketing plan template (or make your own in Notion or Google Docs) to document your goals, audience, and key marketing channels Create a Weekly Marketing Schedule One of the best ways to stay consistent is to block out time in your calendar for specific marketing tasks. For example: Day Task Monday Plan content + write blog post Tuesday Schedule social media Wednesday Email newsletter Thursday SEO + website updates Friday Review analytics + brainstorm Use Templates to Save Time Templates are your best friend when you’re marketing solo from home. They can help you stay productive and reduce decision fatigue. Create or download templates for: Social media posts Email newsletters Landing pages Ads and promotions Blog post outlines Tool Tip: Canva is a great place to create branded social media templates. Copy.ai or Jasper can help you generate content ideas and rough drafts fast. Batch Your Work Context switching kills productivity. Instead of writing one Instagram caption a day, try batching your content weekly or monthly. For example, spend one morning writing all your blog posts for the month, then another morning scheduling your social media. Batching helps you get into a flow and makes marketing feel less overwhelming. Automate Where You Can One of the perks of working online is that there are tons of tools to help you automate repetitive tasks. Social Media:  Buffer, Later, or Metricool for ex.  to schedule posts in advance. Email Marketing:  MailerLite or ConvertKit  for ex. to set up welcome sequences and drip campaigns. Lead Capturing:  Typeform or ConvertBox  for ex. to collect leads while you sleep. Automation: Use Zapier  for ex. to connect tools and automate actions (like adding new leads to your CRM). Automation frees up your time so you can focus on strategy and creativity. Keep Your Marketing Hub Organized Working from home often means working across multiple tools and folders. Set up a simple “marketing hub” to keep everything in one place: Content calendar Brand guidelines (colors, fonts, tone) Past campaigns and results Important links and logins Image and video assets Tool Tip: Notion, Google Drive  are all great for organizing your marketing materials in one easy-to-navigate place. Track What’s Working Marketing without measurement is like sailing without a compass. Even if you’re a one-person business, you need to know what’s working. Each week or month, check: Website traffic (Google Analytics or Plausible) Email open and click rates Social media engagement Conversion rates (landing pages, lead magnets) Sales and ROI Tracking helps you make better decisions about where to spend your time and budget. Pro Tip: Create a simple dashboard in Google Sheets or use a free tool like Databox to track your key marketing metrics. Limit Distractions and Create Boundaries Working from home blurs the line between work and life, which can make it hard to focus—especially on strategic tasks like marketing. Here are a few ways to stay on track: Use a dedicated workspace (even a small desk helps). Time block your day and stick to it. Use website blockers (like Freedom or StayFocusd) when doing deep work. Communicate your availability to family or housemates. Consistency in your environment supports consistency in your marketing. Stay Inspired and Keep Learning Marketing is always evolving. Set aside time for professional development: Read marketing blogs or listen to podcasts. Take a short online course. Follow thought leaders in your industry. Subscribe to newsletters like Marketing Brew or Neil Patel’s Blog. The more you learn, the more confidently you’ll market your business—without feeling like you’re faking it. Organizing your marketing from home doesn’t require fancy systems or expensive tools. It requires clarity, consistency, and a bit of discipline. With the right structure, tools, and mindset, you can create an effective marketing machine that runs from your living room—and drives real results for your business. Start small. Keep it simple. Be consistent. Read the full article

[margret-jons-blog]

Have you ever considered generating passive income from the comfort of your own home? It's an intriguing idea, isn't it?  Essentially, it's revenue that accrues without direct, active effort on your part. This might stem from investments, rental properties, or even by leveraging your creativity to produce online content. Indeed, your artistic skills could pave the way to financial independence, enabling you to shape your life according to your desires while earning money online.   What is Affiliate Marketing? One of the most popular and effective ways to earn passive income is through affiliate marketing. It's a simple concept, really. You promote products or services and, in return, earn a commission for every sale made through your unique link. The beauty of affiliate marketing is that it allows you to earn money from the comfort of your own home—or anywhere in the world, for that matter. You could be sipping on a latte in a Parisian cafe or lounging on a beach in Bali and still be making money. Imagine making money while you sleep. Sounds dreamy, right? But wait, what exactly is affiliate marketing, you may find yourself asking. Affiliate marketing, in its simplest form, is a process where you, as an affiliate, earn a commission for promoting someone else's product or service. Imagine it as being a middleman of sorts, where your role is to connect the consumer with the product or service they're looking for. But instead of a handshake and a thank you, you get a slice of the profit pie each time a purchase is made through your referral.   How Does Affiliate Marketing Work? The process starts when you join an affiliate program. These programs are often run by companies looking to expand their customer base. Once you're part of the program, you'll be given a unique affiliate link. This link is your golden ticket—it's what tracks any sales made through your referral. So, how does this generate passive income? Well, once you've shared your unique link through whatever platform you prefer—be it a blog, a YouTube channel, a podcast, or even social media—and someone clicks on that link and makes a purchase, you earn a commission. The beauty of this is that your earning potential is not limited to when you're actively working. As long as your content is out there and people are clicking on your link and making purchases, you're earning income. Getting Started with Affiliate Marketing Now that you know what affiliate marketing is, how do you get started? Great question! Let's dive right in. The first step is finding your niche. This is a specialized segment of the market you're interested in and passionate about. It could be anything from fitness to fashion, tech gadgets to travel, or anything in between. It's crucial to choose a niche you're genuinely passionate about, as this is what you'll be creating content around and recommending products in. Your passion will translate into authentic, engaging content that your audience can connect with.   Choosing the Right Platform Next, you'll need to choose a platform. This is where you'll be sharing your content and promoting affiliate products. There are countless platforms to choose from, including blogs, YouTube, Instagram, podcasts, and more. The best platform for you depends on your strengths and where your target audience is most likely to engage with your content. If you're a great writer, consider starting a blog. If you're more of a visual or auditory storyteller, YouTube or podcasts may be the way to go. Joining an Affiliate Program Once you've chosen your niche and platform, it's time to sign up for an affiliate program. These are programs run by companies that allow you to earn a commission for promoting their products. There are countless affiliate programs out there, so it's key to choose one that aligns with your niche and has products you believe in.   Creating Quality Content So, you've chosen your niche, your platform, and your affiliate program. What's next? Well, the journey has only begun. Let's delve into some key tips to help you thrive in the world of affiliate marketing. First and foremost, focus on creating quality content. This is the backbone of your affiliate marketing strategy. You see, people aren't just looking to buy products; they're looking for solutions, for value. Your content should aim to provide this, whether it's through informative blog posts, engaging videos, or insightful podcasts. Make sure your content is valuable, informative, and engaging. Promoting Products You Believe In Secondly, promote products you truly believe in. Authenticity is key in affiliate marketing. People can tell when you're simply pushing a product for the sake of a commission. On the other hand, if you genuinely use and love the product, your enthusiasm will shine through, and your audience will be more likely to trust your recommendations.   Optimizing for Search Engines Next, don't overlook the power of search engine optimization (SEO). By using relevant keywords in your content, you can improve your visibility on search engines, attract more traffic to your site, and increase your chances of making a sale. So, do your research and incorporate those keywords naturally into your content. Building an Audience Finally, remember to invest time in building an audience. This isn't just about getting more views or followers; it's about fostering a community of loyal customers who trust your recommendations and look forward to your content. Engage with your audience, respond to their comments, and show them that you value their input.   Common Pitfalls to Avoid While you're on your way to becoming a successful affiliate marketer, here are some common pitfalls to avoid. First off, don't fall into the trap of promoting too many products. It's easy to think that the more products you promote, the more income streams you'll have. However, this approach can dilute your focus and lead to less effective marketing. It's better to choose a select few products that you truly believe in and can promote with authenticity. Remember, quality trumps quantity in affiliate marketing. Tracking Your Results Another common mistake is failing to track results. Without tracking, you're essentially flying blind. You won't know which strategies are working and which ones aren't. So, it's crucial to use analytics tools to monitor your performance. By doing so, you can identify trends, understand your audience better, and adjust your strategies accordingly.   Continual Learning and Growth Next, don't underestimate the importance of continual learning and growth. Affiliate marketing is a dynamic field with new strategies and tools emerging all the time. If you're not learning, you're falling behind. So, invest time in reading blogs, attending webinars, and participating in forums. Continual learning will keep you ahead of the curve and equip you with the latest strategies to succeed. Building Trust with Your Audience Lastly, avoid the mistake of not building a relationship with your audience. Trust is the cornerstone of affiliate marketing. If your audience doesn't trust you, they won't buy the products you recommend. So, be transparent, provide value, and engage with your audience regularly. Building a strong relationship with your audience will lead to higher conversion rates and more success in affiliate marketing.   In summary, avoid promoting too many products, failing to track results, not investing in continual learning, and neglecting your relationship with your audience. Each of these mistakes can hinder your success in affiliate marketing. Avoiding these mistakes can put you on the fast track to success in affiliate marketing. So, there you have it—a step-by-step guide to starting with affiliate marketing. We've covered the basics, from understanding what affiliate marketing is to how you can get started and some handy tips for success. Remember, the world of affiliate marketing is broad and diverse, offering endless opportunities. Whether you're looking to create YouTube videos, podcasts, or any other form of content, there's a place for you in this thriving field. Imagine earning from the comfort of your home, the potential of passive income at your fingertips. It's not just a dream; it's a reality that's already being lived by many content creators around the world. The future is now, and affiliate marketing is the future.   Read More: Can You Make Money Online? (Debunking The Myths) Read the full article

[margret-jons-blog]

Okay, so you’ve hopefully got your core business online, or you’re about to put one online. You have it up and running, making money... ...now what? First things first – figure out how to make MORE money in the business you already have. How do you get more customers? How do you sell those customers more stuff? And how can you charge more for what you sell? This is basic and should always be your focus. The more value you give, the more money you typically make. Give more value and you can charge more and sell more. But what about the ‘fun’ part? That’s a matter of trying stuff out. Buy new stuff on Warrior and JVZoo. Read the case studies. See the new techniques someone’s dreamt up. Pick and choose stuff to try and then just try it. Don’t devote a week to it – it might not work. But devote a day or two and see what results you get. That new thing that everyone is doing? Pick a topic (or whatever needs choosing) and outsource it. Or if you can do it yourself in a day, go for it. Is it promising? Keep going. Does it look like a loser? Good – you just found something that doesn’t work for you. Either way, if you always look at it as experimenting, as having fun, as trying new stuff and seeing what happens, then you’ll never take it too seriously. You won’t get stressed. You won’t bang your head against the desk when you realize the last 24 hours taught you nothing more than how NOT to do something. Because you’re having fun. And when you do strike on a winner, sha-ZAM! Rinse and repeat and you’ve got another money making avenue in your online business. Read the full article

[margret-jons-blog]

A man sets out on a journey of a lifetime. The problem is, he doesn’t know where he wants to go. So he spends the next 40 years wandering the back roads, never really going anywhere. Another man chooses his destination. It’s a promised land, far, far away. The dangers he faces along the route are great and the challenges seem almost insurmountable. Yet because he knows where he wants to go, he is able to find his way, overcome the challenges and eventually reach his destination, where he retires in 10 years’ time. One man didn’t know where he was going, and so he wandered for 40 years and achieved nothing. The other man knew exactly where he wanted to go, and because of his belief and determination, he was able to overcome every obstacle and reach his destination in 10 years. Which person are you? Most people won’t define what they want until they have clarity on how they will get there. But because they don’t know what they want, they don’t have the clarity, and thus end up doing nothing. That’s why you’ve got to decide first what it is that you want, and be totally clear on what that is. Write it down in detail. Only then will you figure out how to get to where you want to go. One more thing: Once you begin your journey, take time every single day to revisit your goal. Just like a builder continually consults the building plans, you should continually go over your goal so that your subconscious mind knows exactly what it should be doing to get you to where you want to go. This will also help you avoid time wasting activities that you don’t need. Advanced Tip: Measure what you treasure. Whatever your goal might be, take daily measurements of how you’re doing. For example, if your goal is to reach a certain income level, you’ll want to track your profits daily. If your goal is to exercise and eat right, you’ll want to keep a journal of everything you eat and every exercise you perform. Whatever your goal might be, measure what you treasure and you will get more of what it is that you want. Read the full article

[margret-jons-blog]

Millions have tried, millions are trying right now and millions will continue to try in the years ahead. There is so much misinformation out there regarding making money online, that you can easily be forgiven for thinking that all these millions are enjoying unbridled success. The real truth of course is that the vast majority are failing. Their hopes of earning a healthy living from home are usually shattered before they have even begun. There is no single reason for this. It's usually down to a combination of factors, and I intend to look at some of the reasons for the now infamous quote, "95% of people fail in their online business". Some of the things I list below will doubtless be contested by many people but the harsh facts are that making money online, whilst entirely possible, is not the cakewalk that a lot of people will try to convince you it is. So, let's get down to debunking some of the nonsense - hopefully this will save a lot of people a lot of time and frustration. 1) Affiliate Marketing - so much rubbish is spouted by so many people who have never made an affiliate sale in their lives. The affiliate marketing model is indeed a powerful one and has made a number of people very wealthy. However, you are very unlikely to succeed with affiliate marketing without going through an arduous and sometimes lengthy learning process. A huge swathe of articles you read about affiliate marketing are no more than rehashed PLR articles being used by lame hopefuls who are incapable of writing anything original on a subject that they are hoping to convince you they know all about. You can spot these peddlers of fifth hand information easily enough - look at the sites they link to, check their traffic rankings. Ninety Nine times out of a hundred you will find a cookie cutter website just like thousands of others or a direct link to an affiliate program that they foolishly believe you will sign up for having read their blindingly convincing pitch. Are they the people to look to for advice? Think before you answer....... 2) Freebie Seekers and Freeloaders - this encompasses so many people it's laughable. They talk about their "business" and seriously expect others to follow their blind lead. The term "business", at least to my mind, indicates some sort of investment on behalf of the owner of that business - both in terms of time and money. Those most guilty of this faux pas are usually those who sign up to a free program, usually in the network marketing or MLM arena, and use every useless and pointless form of promotion as long as it's free. Much is said regarding failure rates in MLM schemes being so high, but one of the biggest is the freebie mentality. Don't get sucked into believing you will ever make money online this way. The freeloaders are kidding themselves, but don't let them kid you. The programs they sign up to for free often offer a paid upgrade and they live in hope (if they ever manage to recruit a single person of course) that they will grow fat on the subscriptions of others. Naturally this rarely happens, simply because they advertise to other freeloaders who have no intention of spending any money on their "business" either, and so the vicious circle continues. If you don't believe me, visit any free traffic exchange and look at some of the webpages circulating there. These people are dreamers - they will never make money online until they accept that they are eventually going to have to spend money to make money. Let's get real here - when you're looking for potions or energy drinks or some other latest greatest product that is no more than a copy of an already well established brand, is the first place you think to look going to be a free classified site on the internet? Maybe you'd head for the closest traffic exchange? Think - you don't have to do it for more than a few seconds to see why these things do not work! 3) Throwing up a blog on a free platform and filling it up with Adsense or other PPC ads is unlikely to deliver much success. This applies whether we are talking one blog or fifty blogs. Adsense is great, but it's also a numbers game - you need big numbers in terms of pages and visitors to make big returns. By big, I mean big - tens of thousands of pages receiving tens of thousands of visitors and you will probably start making a nice income. Throwing up fifty, a hundred or more useless blogs or splogs won't work even if some people tell you that all you need are a couple of Adsense clicks a day on each one and you'll be raking in the money. Great theory, but you won't get the traffic to even generate those occasional clicks in the first place. Throwing up such poor quality free pages will achieve nothing - in fact, you're more likely to get banned from Blogger and Adsense to boot if you're not careful. Oh, and don't think you'll be smart and use auto surf sites to rack up huge numbers of impressions - using any kind of traffic exchange in conjunction with Adsense will get you banned very quickly. Our freebie seekers of course will tell you otherwise, expecting you to believe that their PR0 blog with no comments is really generating a thousand dollars for them every month, and that all you need to do is visit this or that site, where you can learn to do exactly the same. You will naturally be directed to a page through an affiliate link - Clickbank or similar - to purchase an ebook that the freebie seeker has naturally never laid eyes on, let alone read. 4) Making millions with PPC advertising. This is a no brainer - all you have to do is pick some keywords, write a snappy ad, link to an affiliate program and give your credit card details to Google, Yahoo, MSN or whoever. You will wake up rich beyond your wildest dreams. OK, maybe too heavy on the sarcasm, but it's really not that easy. Ask anyone who has rushed blindly into PPC and lost their shirt in the process, paying for a truckload of clicks but generating nary a sale. I have a little more sympathy for these types than the freeloaders; after all, they have accepted that they need to spend money to make money, but unless you do your homework, it's likely to prove costly. Even if you do your research beforehand, there are no guarantees that PPC campaigns will work for your business. Having said all that, PPC can be a very profitable tool, just don't believe overly hyped claims from the totally inexperienced. 5) Start a blog and you will soon be collecting checks on a regular basis. Don't believe this one either. There is a lot to be said for blogs as a marketing tool, don't get me wrong. Blogs can and do increase your exposure tremendously, but apart from an elite few, blogs are usually not their direct revenue generators. A blog is a tool, and used wisely it will help an online business to grow, but it's unlikely to pay the bills all by itself. 6) Article marketing - another area where a lot of ill informed and overly hyped prose is written. As a long term strategy, carried out correctly, article marketing can be hugely beneficial to a business of any kind, but it takes time to see results and there is a learning curve to go through. I actually saw someone advocating the tactic of blanket bombing article directories with PLR articles and slapping affiliate links into the resource box. This was in an article submitted to one of my directories. They even went as far as to claim that this would guarantee a huge number of hits and sales. This is just one piece of foolish nonsense from a clueless fool, who, no doubt is wondering why article marketing is so useless, whilst trying to tell others how rich it will make them. It is a fact that most article directories do not permit linking directly to affiliate programs in the resource box! It follows that this is hardly the way to proceed. 7) Work from home opportunities have become a breeding ground for scams and hucksters the world over. Global opportunities for peddlers of schemes and tricks to make themselves rich have never been more plentiful. There are several "opportunities" circulating at the moment that are borderline illegal and when they disappear into the ether there will no doubt be plenty to replace them. Promises of overnight riches rarely hold much water if you examine them even superficially. Just because you see a video of someone opening envelopes full of cash does not make it so. One "gifting" program of this nature has obviously sucked in a fair number of gullible souls who really believe that people will be queuing up to send them three thousand dollars just because they show them a poor quality video on a traffic exchange. Have you ever managed to sell a product online for three thousand dollars or more? I'm guessing the answer in most cases is - probably not. If you fall for this kind of scam, you probably deserve to get rooked - after all, how difficult is it for someone to get three thousand in cash (there are plenty of ways), go to FedEx, mail it to themselves and then film it's arrival and subsequent opening on a webcam. If that's all the proof it takes to convince you, you have some painful lessons to learn. Whenever you read outlandish claims offering boatloads of money and retirement before you've even started working, in conjunction with proclamations that you don't have to sell anything, don't have to advertise, don't have to do anything at all really, other than sit back and watch the money roll in.....and you find yourself believing it - my advice is to seek professional help. 8) Making money with sites that pay you to read ads, emails, visit sites, sign up for free offers, etc. I'm not saying that none of them work but in terms of time expended set against financial reward, they are usually a dismal prospect. Would you go and do a job for $20 a month? There you have just eight of countless things that you should not believe. Trust me there are plenty more. If you are serious about making money online, you are going to need a plan. You are going to have to spend some money to get yourself set up to do business. You will need a website of your own for starters (unless you intend to buy a hundred ebooks and courses telling you how to succeed without even this most basic of needs). This means hosting fees. If you are starting from a position of very little technical knowledge, you will have to dedicate a lot of time to learning the ropes or you will have to pay for the services of others. With most things online, the sooner you bow to the inevitability of having to lay out a little cash as you go along, the sooner you will start to open up some real possibilities. There are countless ways to make money online, there are many people who are living proof of this, but try not to get caught up in the rubbish. I have not mentioned things like stock or currency trading simply because they are not scams. Trading online can be lucrative and you won't need a website of your own for this kind of venture but you will need capital, and you need to understand the risks, which are not insignificant. However, that's all a subject for another day. As grandpa said, free advice is often pretty much worth what you pay for it. Just be careful what you believe in your quest for online wealth and you'll avoid a lot of wasted time and disappointments. There IS plenty of free information on the internet and there are also plenty of free tools and software and services that may help you - but - you are starting a business and business means you will need some business capital to get off the ground. If you think otherwise and persist in looking for the elusive, no cost magic bullet, you are destined to fail and I don't care what any rehashed nonsense some self help book tells you about irrefutable laws of nature or anything else. You need to do a lot more than just dream about online success if you wish to achieve it. A closing thought - money may well make the world go round. If nobody spends any, nobody receives any. If you can find me something that disproves that 100%, tell me where to sign up. Read the full article

[margret-jons-blog]

You’ve been wanting to start an online business, but you keep putting it off. You want to build a new website, write a new book, create a new product, etc., but you can’t seem to do it. Or maybe you just want to exercise more or eat better, so you have the energy to run your business. Whatever the change is that you want to make, you might be having a tough time making that change ‘stick.’ Or perhaps you want to help someone else to make a change. I’ve just started reading, “Instant Influence: How to Get Anyone to Do Anything,” by Michael Pantalon, and I want to share something with you. It’s his formula for getting anyone to change. Instead of telling them why they might want to change, you ask them why they might want to change, using these six steps: Step 1: Why might you change? (Or if the person is you, ask yourself, “Why might I change?”) Step 2: How ready are you to change – on a scale from 1 to 10, where 1 means “not ready at all” and 10 means, “totally ready?” Step 3: Why didn’t you pick a lower number? (Or if the ‘influencee’ picked 1, either ask the second question again, this time about a smaller step toward change, or ask, “What would it take for that 1 to turn into a 2?”) Step 4: Imagine you’ve changed. What would the positive outcomes be? Step 5: Why are those outcomes important to you? Step 6: What’s the next step, if any? That’s it. I invite you to try this one yourself first, before you try it on someone else. See what happens. I know when I used it to make myself give up a certain food that I was practically addicted to, it worked like a charm. Next I’m going to try it on bigger things and see what happens. According to the reviews on Amazon, this simple process has literally changed lives, so maybe it will change yours. Read the full article

[margret-jons-blog]

In the vast and ever-expanding universe of digital marketing, two forces have consistently proven their worth in the alchemy of online success: List Building and Email Marketing. Together, they perform a duet that can elevate a simple melody of efforts into a symphony of results. But how does one orchestrate such a performance? Let’s dive into the intricate world of turning strangers into subscribers and subscribers into buyers and ambassadors of your brand. Why List Building and Email Marketing? Imagine walking into a party where you know nobody; that’s your online business without a list. Now, picture walking into a gathering of friends who are eager to hear what you have to say; that’s the power of a cultivated email list. It’s about creating your own audience, a dedicated group that has given you the nod to waltz into their inbox with grace. The Art of List Building - Gathering Your Audience List building is the art of curating an audience interested in your encore. It begins with a compelling invitation: the lead magnet. Picture this as your digital handshake, offering something of value in exchange for an email address. Whether it's an eBook that unravels the mysteries of the universe or a simple checklist that makes life easier, the key is value. Imagine having an entire online course with hours of valuable cutting edge training that could truly help your audience and then offering it all to them for FREE. Your tribe would get immense value from a course that teches them how to make reliable money and they would get all the tools to do it too. All for free. Sounds too good to be true right? - In fact it sounds so good, so compelling that your audience would not be able to resist trading their name and email address for this valuable opportunity. More on that opportunity later, first lets address a big problem Where do you find the crowd? Your digital stage is everywhere: your website, social media channels, and even the back of your digital business card (if such a thing exists). Each platform is an opportunity to extend your invitation. Imagine pop-ups that aren’t annoying but are instead irresistible because what you’re offering is too good to pass up. That’s the sweet spot. The Tools of the Trade Imagine trying to conduct a symphony with a toothpick. Not ideal, right? The same goes for list building. Tools like Clickfunnels, LeadPages, or even simple plugins on your WordPress can barely make a dent in the affiliate marketing world by themselves. You need to set up an entore orchestra, you need to build a well oiled machine with lots of moving parts. That s where most people crumble. Good people just like you. Talented entreprenuers with great ideas turn in the towel everyday because they simply can't get any traction in affiliate marketing. It overwhelms them. All the tools to buy, all the skills to master, it can be dauntiing enough to deflate anyones online dreams. But pick your chin up because thats not going to happen to you. Not with what you're about to learn right here in this article. Your solution awaits... read on. The Symphony of Email Marketing - Engaging Your Audience Even if you do manage to set up a consistent lead producing funnel, there's more  to do. With an audience at the ready, it’s time for the performance: email marketing. This is where you turn subscribers into standing ovation givers. The secret? Personalization, value, and consistency. It’s not about bombarding inboxes with sales pitches. It’s about delivering content that resonates, entertains, and enlightens. The first note to hit is the welcome email. Imagine this as your opening act, setting the stage for what’s to come. It’s your chance to make a lasting first impression. From there, the concert of emails ranges from educational pieces, behind-the-scenes looks, to the occasional promotional offer that’s too good to ignore. Remember, frequency and rhythm matter. You wouldn’t appreciate a symphony where the instruments only play once a month, nor one where they blast non-stop without pause. Find your rhythm that keeps your audience engaged without overwhelming them. The ultimate goal of this harmonic convergence? Turning subscribers into advocates of your brand. This doesn’t happen overnight. It requires patience, persistence, and a bit of pizzazz. It’s about crafting emails that are so good they can’t help but be shared, creating a ripple effect that brings more subscribers to your list. Not everyone has the skills of a seasoned copywriter who knows precisely how to persuade readers and get them to take action repeatedly. You need a machine, you need a sequence of high converting click getting emails that relentlessly go out to your audience day in and day out. Building trust, education, entertaining and training them to click your links. Your email marketing machine has to mail your people effectively every day for weeks, months even years! Plus you've got to keep up! The digital marketing landscape is ever-changing, and so too should your strategies for list building and email marketing. Keep experimenting with new techniques, testing what resonates with your audience, and adjusting your performance accordingly. Your list is a living entity, and treating it as such will ensure its growth and vibrancy. Final Bow List building and email marketing are more than just tactics; they are the lifeblood of a successful online presence. They represent a relationship built on value and trust with your audience and there is a tool, a platform and Eco System that will get you paid while building your list and mastering the affiliate marketing game! The MAP System - Master Affiliate Profits will solve every single challenge you face with affiliate marketing. In the ever-evolving digital landscape, finding a comprehensive solution that addresses all facets of affiliate marketing can be daunting. Enter MAP (Master Affiliate Profits), a revolutionary Eco System designed not only to enhance your affiliate marketing efforts but to redefine them. What is MAP? MAP stands for Master Affiliate Profits, an all-encompassing affiliate marketing ecosystem crafted by industry veterans John Thornhill, Omar Martin, and Melinda Martin. This system is tailored to overcome the hurdles of list building, email marketing, and beyond, offering a structured path to success in the digital marketing realm. Why MAP Stands Out Unlike standalone courses or fragmented tools that provide piecemeal solutions, MAP offers an integrated approach. It’s a meticulously designed system that guides you through every step of the affiliate marketing process, ensuring you're not just learning but applying and thriving. At the heart of MAP are nine comprehensive training modules, each focusing on a critical aspect of affiliate marketing: List Building: Delve into strategies for growing a robust, responsive list. Email Marketing: Learn to craft emails that engage, inform, and convert. Traffic Generation: Master the art of driving targeted traffic to your offers. Video Marketing: Explore the power of video in capturing and retaining attention. Creating Bonuses: Enhance your offers with irresistible bonuses. Social Media Marketing: Leverage social platforms to expand your reach and influence. Ads Marketing: Navigate the complexities of effective online advertising. Banners & Graphics: Create visual assets that attract and engage. Blogging: Use content marketing to build authority and drive traffic. Beyond Training: A Full EcoSystem MAP goes beyond training to offer a full ecosystem. This includes tools for list building that integrate seamlessly with your existing autoresponder and workflows, strategies for leveraging your list in the most effective manner, and insights into the psychology of email marketing to ensure your messages resonate and convert. Lead Protection and Growth In a landscape where your list is your most valuable asset, MAP introduces innovative features to protect and nurture your leads. MAP never promotes to your leads and customers with "product of the day emails" Unlike traditional platforms, MAP ensures you never lose your leads to competitors. It facilitates direct integration with your autoresponder, enabling you to grow your list securely and sustainably. BUT it also markets YOUR LINK to YOUR LEADS for you day in and day out so YOU MAKE MONEY. The MAP Promise MAP is more than a system; it's a promise of empowerment, offering you the tools, knowledge, and support to succeed in affiliate marketing. Whether you’re a beginner looking for a roadmap or an experienced marketer seeking to optimize your efforts, MAP offers a clear path to achieving your goals. The MAP System - Master Affiliate Profits stands as a beacon for anyone serious about making a mark in the affiliate marketing world. With its comprehensive training, innovative tools, and a supportive community, MAP is redefining what it means to succeed online. Ready to embark on a journey that transforms challenges into opportunities? Discover MAP, and let your affiliate marketing adventure begin.     Read the full article

[margret-jons-blog]

It’s very exciting to have your own business. You get to make decisions yourself, live life on your own terms, and determine how successful you become. We live in a great time for entrepreneurs – it’s extremely exciting, whether you’re new or experienced. At the same time, working for yourself can be very isolating. It can be hard to stay motivated and have the right mindset when you’re relying on yourself. If you’re finding yourself procrastinating, feeling confused and overwhelmed, and feeling isolated... then the chances are good that the dream of working for yourself isn’t exactly what you thought it would be so far. The operative phrase in that sentence was... so far. It can be scary to realize this. Many people dream of working for themselves all their lives. People want to own their own business and dream about how wonderful it will be. But then reality hits. The grass isn’t always greener. It’s not uncommon to run into mindset issues and problems when you work for yourself. Well, it doesn’t have to be that way. You don’t have to work in isolation, struggling on your own. There are people out there who can help motivate you, help you stay on track, and help point you in the right direction. You can bounce ideas off of people. You can hire people to hold you accountable and to show you the way. Whether you need a little bit of hand holding or a lot of hand holding, there are people out there who can work with you and help you. In fact, it’s a really good idea to find a coach, mentor, or accountability partner. In some cases, you’ll want all three. It doesn’t matter where you are with your level of experience or how successful your business is, it’s important to connect and work with others. What Is a Coach? First, let’s go over what a coach is. A coach is someone you’ll typically hire because they’re at a higher level in business than you are. They’ve been there, done that, and you’d like to learn how they got to where they are so that you can follow in their footsteps without taking too many wrong paths yourself (Like they may have in the beginning). They’ll help you take stock of your business and figure out what you should be working on. A good coach will help you apply the 80/20 principle – knowing that just 20% of your efforts are leading to 80% of your results. A good coach will help you cut the fluff and only focus on what’s most important in your business. They’ll help you stay motivated and help to hold you accountable. They can give you business advice that only comes from experience. This can help you get to where you want to be much more quickly than if you were to do it on your own. There’s something to be said for following in the footsteps of success, and that’s exactly what you’re doing when you hire a coach. Experience is a great teacher, it’s even better when you’re learning from someone else’s experience, so that you don’t need to make the same mistakes and have the same do-overs that they did. Of course, as is the case anytime you work with someone else, you have to make sure your coach is compatible with your personality and your needs. Sometimes, your coach will need to show you tough love, and that’s okay. Don’t be annoyed when it happens. But overall, you should really enjoy working with your coach and you should find that they help you get to where you want to be. There are many different types and styles of coaching. There are business coaches that will meet with you in person. There are others that operate solely online. Sometimes, coaching is offered one-on-one and other times it is offered in a group setting, which will be much less expensive, depending on how and how often you get to communicate one on one with the coach (such as via teleseminar or webinar, email, phone, etc.). Do some digging and figure out what will work best for you. You can find the ideal coach who will help you earn more money much more easily. What Is a Mentor? A mentor is different from a coach in some important ways. A mentor is also an expert who can help you achieve what you want to achieve. A mentor isn’t always someone you hire or pay. In fact, a mentor doesn’t necessarily need to know that they’re your mentor. There are people out there you admire. You look at their journey and find that you’re on a similar path. They inspire and motivate you. This is a great thing and can help you keep going when the going gets tough. They can help you see things you wouldn’t see on your own. You can find a mentor by reading blogs, websites, and books. There are people out there who document their journey and steps and invite you along for the ride. This can be highly inspirational and motivational. You can find a mentor on forums and on social media sites. These are people who are helpful and knowledgeable and who really stand apart from the crowd because of their success and how they help people. Again, you don’t necessarily have to pay for a mentor. A mentor can be someone who knows they’re your mentor or not. They can be someone you communicate with directly or not. And for all you know, you might be someone’s mentor if you have some experience and have been helpful to others already. It can be as simple as you posting a question in a private forum or Facebook group and there they are, giving answers. I suggest you find yourself a few different mentors. These are people you look up to. These are people who motivate and inspire you. We all need mentors in our lives to help us reach the next level. The important thing with a mentor is that you should be careful that you do as they do, not just as they say, because there might be a huge discrepancy there. It might also be difficult to determine the difference with some people, so don’t rush to select a mentor just because he or she says they’re doing fabulously. What Is an Accountability Partner? An accountability partner is someone who can help you stay on track in business. They might be on the same level as far as business is concerned or they may not be. Really, it doesn’t matter as long as you keep each other on track. It can be helpful to choose someone who’s going through the same things you’re going through. You and your accountability partner might communicate with each other back and forth, talking about what you have and haven’t accomplished. You might email or Skype each other to make sure you’re on track. You can have an accountability partner that’s online or offline. The only important thing is that you hold each other accountable and help each other achieve your goals much more quickly. It’s hard to stay on track when you’re the only one who cares about your business. When you find an accountability partner, you both care about each other’s business. It helps you stay connected and on track. No matter what level you’re on, it can help to find an accountability partner to check in with. I don’t recommend that you choose a spouse or friend as an accountability partner, because it can cause friction in your personal life if your accountability partner (or you) has to call one or the other out for failure to accomplish certain tasks that you were supposed to. Your accountability partner should be someone who understands what you’re going through, and the technical language you use. They don’t necessarily have to be more experienced or more successful than you are. Find Your Coach, Mentor, or Accountability Partner Hopefully, you’re inspired now and know that you don’t have to go it alone. It can be hard to work for yourself, even when you know you’re finally living your dream. You’ll achieve whatever you want to achieve much more quickly if you find yourself a coach, mentor, or accountability partner... or all three. There’s no shame in reaching out and getting help. In fact, it’s one of the things very successful people have in common. You want to be more successful, so reach out and connect with someone who can help you. Read the full article

[margret-jons-blog]

In the ever-evolving world of digital marketing, affiliate marketing has emerged as a cornerstone for generating online income. However, navigating this landscape can often feel like deciphering a complex puzzle with missing pieces.In the ever-evolving digital landscape, affiliate marketing stands out as a beacon for individuals looking to earn a living online. It's an attractive proposition: promote products you believe in and earn commissions on sales without the hassles of inventory, shipping, or customer service. However, for newcomers, the path to affiliate marketing success is fraught with challenges and complexities. Understanding the current state of affiliate marketing and the hurdles newbies face is crucial for anyone looking to dive into this lucrative field. The Lure of Affiliate Marketing Affiliate marketing's appeal lies in its simplicity and potential for passive income. With internet usage soaring globally, the opportunities to reach and influence potential buyers have never been greater. The digital age has democratized marketing, allowing anyone with internet access to promote products and earn commissions. This has led to an explosion in affiliate marketing's popularity, with businesses of all sizes leveraging affiliates to expand their reach. Challenges for Newbies Despite its allure, affiliate marketing is not a get-rich-quick scheme. Success requires strategy, persistence, and a willingness to learn. Newbies face several hurdles: Overwhelming Information: The internet is flooded with information on affiliate marketing, much of it contradictory or outdated. Filtering through this to find reliable, actionable advice can be daunting. Choosing the Right Products: Success begins with selecting products to promote that are both profitable and aligned with your audiences interests. However, the competitive landscape can make challenging and eben impossible for beginners to get approved for promoting the top sellers.. Building Trust: In an era of skepticism towards online advertising, earning the trust of your audience is paramount. New affiliates must work hard to build credibility and establish themselves as authorities in their niche. Traffic Generation: Driving traffic to affiliate offers is a significant challenge. Mastering SEO techniques and other traffic generation strategies is essential but can be overwhelming for newcomers. Platform and Program Selection: With myriad affiliate programs and platforms available, choosing the most suitable and lucrative options can be confusing. Introducing the MAP Eco-System Enter the Master Affiliate Profits (MAP) Eco-System, a revolutionary platform designed to transform the affiliate marketing journey from a daunting challenge into a navigable and profitable path. Created by affiliate marketing veterans John Thornhill, Omar Martin, and Melinda Martin, MAP is the culmination of decades of combined experience in the digital marketing realm. Recognizing the pitfalls and barriers that many marketers face, these pioneers set out to craft a system that not only educates but also empowers affiliates to build sustainable income streams. Map is a not just an affiliate marketing platform, it is a complete EcoSystem of training, tools and products where every member has one objective, one mission ONE LINK to promote. Users learn the most mo0der affiliate marketing tactics with the MAP training program and they profit with hefty commissions as they promote just ONE LINK. A link that builds their list and makes them sales for LIFE because their referrals are hard coded to them. This means that whenever your subscriber buys ANYTHING... YOU get paid. The MAP training is cutting edge but thats not the best part.  What sets MAP apart is not just its comprehensive training modules but its revolutionary approach to affiliate marketing: Lead Preservation: MAP ensures that your leads remain yours. Unlike other platforms, it promotes list-building without lead hijacking, allowing users to download and directly insert leads into their autoresponders. Lifetime Earnings: With MAP, affiliates earn on everything, forever. It's an ecosystem designed to reward effort and loyalty with perpetual income. Education from Experts: The platform’s training is delivered by successful affiliate marketers, offering insights and strategies cultivated from real-world success. Diving into the MAP Training Modules MAP's curriculum is structured into nine detailed modules, each targeting a core aspect of affiliate marketing: List Building: Learn to grow and nurture a list that’s eager to engage with your offers. Email Marketing: Master the art of persuasive email content that converts readers into buyers. Traffic Generation: Discover how to drive a consistent flow of traffic to your offers through proven strategies. Video Marketing: Leverage the power of video to enhance brand presence and connect with your audience on a deeper level. Creating Bonuses: Boost your offer attractiveness with compelling bonuses. Social Media Mastery: Utilize social platforms to expand your reach and build meaningful relationships with your audience. Ads Marketing: Navigate the complexities of advertising online to maximize your investment. Banners & Graphics: Create visually appealing banners and graphics that grab attention. Blogging: Establish authority and draw organic traffic through value-driven blog content. Conclusion In a digital age where affiliate marketing is both a promise and a puzzle, MAP stands out as a beacon for those seeking clarity, direction, and success. Whether you’re looking to escape the 9-5 grind, supplement your income, or build a substantial online business, MAP provides the tools, training, and community support to turn those goals into reality. As the digital landscape continues to shift, the MAP Eco-System remains at the forefront, offering a proven path to affiliate marketing success. For anyone looking to demystify affiliate marketing and harness its potential, MAP is the key to unlocking that door. Read the full article

[margret-jons-blog]

In the 70’s they did an experiment to see if the same college students who turned in their assignments on time also had clean socks. (No joke - they seriously did this.) The hypothesis was that people who got their schoolwork done would be the same people who got their personal chores done as well. But the results were the opposite of what they expected. Students who turned assignments in on time were terrible about keeping up with their laundry, and students who kept up with laundry turned in their assignments late. What was happening? Researchers later realized that we only have a certain amount of attention and willpower we can pay during any one day. If we first pay that attention and willpower to doing laundry, we feel depleted before getting homework done. If we do the homework first, we tend to put off doing laundry for another day or even another week. In a second experiment, people were left alone in a room with cookies. Some of them were allowed to eat the cookies while others weren’t. Both groups were then given an extremely difficult puzzle to solve. Those who were allowed to eat the cookies along with a control group who never saw any cookies spent an average of 20 minutes working on the puzzle. But those who had to practice willpower by not eating the cookies only spent 8 minutes working on the puzzle because they’d already spent much of their willpower. If you go to a mall and give people simple math problems to solve, those who have spent a long time shopping will give up on the simple math problem much faster than those who just walked into the mall and haven’t been shopping yet. Understanding what these experiments mean for you can completely change how you plan your work and how much you can accomplish in a day and in your life. Each of us has a finite amount of willpower each day, and it gets depleted as we use it. And here’s another surprise: We use the SAME stock of willpower for ALL tasks, regardless of what they are or how important or unimportant they might be. We don’t have laundry willpower, homework willpower, cookie willpower and math willpower... we just have one amount of universal willpower that we are given each morning when we wake up. If you think you lack willpower to exercise after work, it’s more likely that you used up all of your willpower at work and have none left. Exercising before work will solve your problem. If you decide to go grocery shopping before you get your work done, you’ll use up your willpower making hundreds of little decisions on what to buy and what not to buy. That’s why when you get home from the store you might find yourself wasting time on the internet or television, because you have no more willpower for doing real work. If you do your creative work first thing when you get up in the morning instead of putting it off to the end of the day, you’re going to get a lot more accomplished. There are ways you can conserve your willpower and attention so that you have more of it for your important work. For example, you can prepare the same foods for each meal so that you don’t have to decide each day what to make. Better still, you can pay someone to prepare a week’s worth of meals for you. If you don’t understand how willpower works, this may seem like an expensive option. But when you eliminate the attention, decision making and willpower needed to shop for and prepare 21 meals a week and instead use it on your work, you will likely make far more money than you spend on the meals. Much like Steve Jobs, you can wear the same style of clothes each day so that you don’t have to decide what to wear. Steve Jobs would grab a pair of jeans and a black turtleneck each day without expending any of his attention and willpower on what to wear. Don’t check your email in the morning. Reading a hundred subject lines, replying to 30 emails, writing 5 emails... this all adds up to a tremendous amount of decision making, attention and willpower that could be better spent doing the work that makes you money. Any unimportant tasks that you can eliminate or delegate will reduce the number of decisions you have to make and the amount of willpower you expend each day, leaving more willpower and attention for your main focus. You’ve no doubt heard this technique of prioritization referenced as the “highest use of your time.” A $5,000 an hour professional does not spend 5 hours a week cleaning her home. Why would she, when she can hire someone at $20 an hour to do that for her? She is still able to earn $4,980 an hour employing the maid while doing her own work. But if she spends 5 hours cleaning her own home, she has lost $25,000 in revenue. Or to put it another way, she spends $25,000 a week cleaning her home, which is ridiculous at best and incredibly stupid at worst. Here are the only three takeaways you need to revolutionize your life and double or even triple how much you accomplish: 1: Eliminate every little job and decision you can, freeing up willpower and attention for what is important. Get someone to clean your house, cook your meals, run errands and so forth. Get rid of anything that takes time and attention but doesn’t provide you with a good return for your time. This might mean eliminating obligations such as being on a committee for a non-priority cause, quitting a hobby that doesn’t give you satisfaction, simplifying your home and belongings, simplifying your wardrobe and so forth. 2: Start your day doing the most important thing, followed by the second most important and so forth. This might mean you first exercise, then perform the highest value work task, then the second highest value work task, etc. 3: While we didn’t cover this, it is important to find something you completely enjoy that is totally unrelated to what you normally do. In other words, get a hobby you thoroughly love and spend a little time on it at the end of the day. This will take you out of the work realm, reduce stress, give you satisfaction and make it easier to get up tomorrow and jump right into your most important task of the day. Read the full article

[margret-jons-blog]

Let me ask you a question... “As an online marketer, how much should you earn?” It’s like asking how long a piece of string is. But here’s the rub: When I asked that question, I’ll bet you had an answer. And I’ll also bet that answer isn’t all that far away from what you’re used to making. We get a job, go to work and earn $40,000. That means on some level we perceive that we are worth $40,000 a year. Your colleagues also make about $40,000 which is further ‘evidence’ that this amount is what you ‘should’ be getting paid. How then, are you going to shift your mindset to earning $40,000 a MONTH? Imagine going to work tomorrow and your coworker says they just got a raise from $40,000 a year to $40,000 a month. Your mind would be blown, right? But in online marketing there are no rules for what you can and cannot earn. The only limits to how successful you can become are the ones you impose on yourself, and a surprisingly big factor is how much you think you are worth. If you’ve earned a small sum of money all your life and now you intend to earn a big sum, you’re going to have to change your thinking and decide that you are indeed WORTH that larger sum of money. You hold your own income potential in your hands, and it doesn’t matter what ANY other marketer is earning. A friend of mine who does quite well (high six figures) in online marketing took a newcomer to lunch one day to give him a few tips. Three years later that newcomer was out-earning my friend by 10:1. Somehow you’ve got to get your mind around the fact that there is no one in the same position as you in online marketing. There is no pay scale or ladder to climb. You don’t need to get seniority or even master the intricacies (you can use outsourcers for that). Anything is possible. You can write your own paycheck by using smarter thinking and doing the work necessary. Find that little voice in your head that says you’re not worth $X amount of dollars and tell that little guy or gal to shut up. You decide what you’re worth and what you are capable of. Because in online marketing, anything is possible. Read the full article

[margret-jons-blog]

Plenty of bloggers like to write about their thoughts, their day or the crazy thing that happened to them on the way to the zoo. But this type of blogging is generally more for fun than for profit. To make significant money with your blog, you’ll want to focus on keyword phrases and questions your target audience is actively searching for at this time. When you help people solve problems through free and valuable content that is relevant to your business, you reach larger audiences and build trust. The best part is you get the opportunity to show people how your products and services can help them solve their problems and fulfill their desires and needs. Let’s say that you’re a real estate agent. Your potential clients aren’t looking for your recipe for apple pie, the award you won last week or even the number of houses you sold this month. What they do want is their questions answered: → “How do you buy a house?” → “What credit score is needed to get financing for a house?” → “What is the best way to invest in real estate with 10% down?” → “How do I know I’m buying in a good neighborhood?” → “What are the easiest ways to increase the selling price of my home?” Find out what real estate prospects want to know, and then use those exact questions for your titles. Give helpful info in the blog posts and then refer them to your squeeze page to get your lead magnet, or suggest they give you a call to further answer their questions. These types of posts can rank high in search engines without tricks because they are exactly what searchers are looking for. And once you rank, you’ll be getting free, consistent traffic from Google. This works in just about any and every niche you can think of and it’s an easy way to demonstrate your authority while building an audience that is super receptive to your offers and services. Here’s how you can take this knowledge and double the impact: Use the same approach for your YouTube videos. YouTube is simply a search engine for videos, which is why ranking on YouTube is similar to ranking on Google. Choose keyword phrases and questions that match what people are looking for on YouTube. Create videos with those titles that are packed with great info. And invite your viewers to visit your website, subscribe to your list or take the action you seek. Using this method and being consistent will yield powerful results: Free targeted traffic, building your authority with your new viewers and readers, along with gaining a steady stream of new subscribers and customers. Read the full article

[margret-jons-blog]

This is truly old school and yet most marketers never do this. In fact, it can add several hundred dollars or more to your bottom line each and every month. And all it takes is a line or two of text in your emails. What is it? The signature line. Place a simple signature line with a link to an offer as a footer in every one of your emails you send out to your list. This can be to one of your flagship products, such as your coaching program or a high-end course. Yes, it sounds almost too simple, doesn’t it? You probably won’t get a lot of clicks on this link for a couple of reasons: They’ve already clicked on the main link higher up in the email. Or your list goes ‘ad blind’ because they keep seeing this same line over and over again. This is why you want to promote a flagship product with a fairly high price tag. For example, if you have a $500 coaching program and you only get one sale that month from your signature line, that’s still $500 profit. And it’s even more if it’s monthly billing. You can change the line from time to time to keep it fresh. Frankly, you don’t need to spend a lot of time on this. Just write your line, add it to your footer and forget about it for a couple of weeks until you change it. And then see what happens. It could add thousands to your bottom line each year. Read the full article

[margret-jons-blog]

As far back as 1996, Bill Gates stated that the Internet would evolve into a “marketplace of content”. This prediction has indeed come to pass, as content is now considered to be “king” in the world of CRM and marketing in general. You are already aware that presentation is the key to success. Whether referring to blogs, white papers or the average product update, client engagement is key. Fully developed strategies to implement, collate and present this content are now critical to the success of any business. WordPress has become one of the cornerstones of this industry. What aspects of this turnkey software allows it to be the choice of countless companies? The Intuitive Edge Were you aware that no less than 55 percent of the top million most-visited portals in the world employ WordPress as their CMS provider of choice? This largely arises from the fact that WordPress is highly intuitive. In other words, you need to know very little in regards to coding to create a great online presence. From user-friendly dashboards to preview pages to make certain that your page presents correctly, the user-friendly nature of this system cannot be denied. If you are able to edit text within a standard Word document, you will have little trouble adapting to WordPress. The Power of the Open-Source Force Another massive advantage of WordPress is that it is an open source. You will not have to pay one cent in order to utilize all of its tools and benefits. This is in direct contrast to other systems which require monthly installments in order to access benefits. Free products and services are attractive; particularly those which are as effective and easy to work with as WordPress. Multifaceted Multimedia In the past, embedding videos, GIFs and other widgets into a website were difficult without having a great deal of experience with coding. This frustration has been done away with thanks to the streamlined presentation that WordPress offers. Importing videos, images and graphics has never been easier. As we all know, embedded visual aids can make all the difference between an interested visitor and a high website bounce rate. The built-in tools provided by self-hosted WordPress have made it very simple to design a high functionality, and visually compelling website without very little technical knowledge or experience. The Mobile-Responsive Edge It is no secret that modern websites need to be mobile responsive in order to reach the most users possible. This can be difficult to address with in-house systems and if the mobile demographic is not reached, a great deal of business will naturally be lost. WordPress offers a number of turn-key themes which can be quickly integrated into your existing website architecture. This alone can dramatically boost a website's natural ranking in the search engines, and thus a site's daily visitor numbers. Community Help The open-source nature of WordPress enables you to find help when you need it the most. While most features are easy to use, there will inevitably be times when questions need to be asked. Thanks to a robust online community, help is never far off. This is in direct contrast to other CMS systems which usually provide a much more limited range of community support and creative solutions. With WordPress, there is a solution for nearly anything that you want to accomplish with your website, and if it doesn't exist yet, you could easily have a coder create it for you on third-party sites such as Fivver or Upwork. WordPress is here to stay. As a continuously growing number of websites are building their online presence with WordPress, it only stands to reason that its marketing value for online businesses will continue to grow. It will be very interesting to see how WordPress evolves as the needs of the modern business likewise advance, but rest assured they will meet tomorrow's challenges and opportunities just as they have been doing since 2003. Read the full article

[margret-jons-blog]

It might seem strange to think of icons as helping with your email marketing efforts. After all, it’s the message that’s important, right? But anything that can help you to better convey your message is something worth looking into. Icons can highlight your company’s benefits and show the positive effects of your offer. They can demonstrate particular features or characteristics of your product or service. And they can be used to split email blocks, making the message easier to read. What else can icons do for your emails? 1. Icons help organize the content. No doubt you’ve seen this on webpages but perhaps not as often in emails. Imagine if your email has three options: → Ask a Question → Share Feedback → Get More Information Each of these can have an appropriate icon that helps to organize and clarify the options. “Ask a Question” can be a question mark; “Share Feedback” might be a talk balloon and “Get More Information” could be a video icon, a book icon, a person icon or whatever, depending on the format of the information. 2. Icons help express ideas. There are times when an icon can be used either in place of - or in conjunction with - a keyword to clarify the meaning in a more straightforward manner. For example, a play button icon is so universally understood, it makes more sense to use that than to use the word, “Play.” 3. Icons can replace heavy images. Images in emails are great... until they aren’t. Images need to be downloaded, they can be blocked by email clients and unfortunately their appearance changes in different apps. While icons are less expressive, there are times when they are a better choice than stock photography. 4. Icons support your brand identity. If you are using a particular set of icons on your website and advertising, it pays to use them in your emails as well to maintain your overall design and brand strategy. I’ll bet there are certain businesses that you recognize by icons (for example, social media sites). If you received an email from them that did not contain those icons, it wouldn’t look authentic. In fact you might even suspect it was a phishing email to steal your info. 5. Icons reinforce interactive elements. When it comes to things like call-to-action buttons, icons can reinforce the action you want taken by the reader. And they can also be animated to draw attention to something important, like the “Check it out” or “Grab your copy” button. If you’re just getting started in email marketing, give icons a pass until you master the basics. But if you’re looking for a way to increase your email readability and conversion rates then I highly suggest you spend the next week observing how others are using icons in their emails while you devise your own strategy. It’s surprising what a few little icons can do for your business! Read the full article

[margret-jons-blog]

Many people think that they need to have all the answers to be successful in any capacity; business wise or in life. While we all require some knowledge, there are some people in the world that have made it without. That is, without qualifications, studying, school or even full expert knowledge of the field they want to be in. In fact, the majority of the world’s richest people know that they don’t need to have all the answers in order to gain success, and what’s more, they use that to their advantage. They may have a certain specialism in their field, but using Henry Ford as an example, having a solid team of people who fill out your knowledge gaps is far more important than having all the answers for yourself. Henry Ford was the founder of Ford Motor Cars and was a very wealthy man in his time. A Chicago paper published some articles after the First World War, claiming that Henry Ford was an “ignorant pacifist”. Mr. Ford rejected the idea that he was ignorant and retaliated by bringing a libel suit against the paper, even taking the not-so-common approach of putting himself on the witness stand to prove that he was in fact, a very clever man with nothing to hide. The court lawyers asked Mr. Ford a series of pointless general knowledge questions and accused him of being a man who runs a car company with no real knowledge or experience with cars, the industry, academics or mechanics. The answer he gave silenced the court and became a very famous statement... “If I should really WANT to answer the foolish question you have just asked, or any of the other questions you have been asking me, let me remind you that I have a row of electric push-buttons on my desk, and by pushing the right button, I can summon to my aid men who can answer ANY question I desire to ask concerning the business to which I am devoting most of my efforts. Now, will you kindly tell me, WHY I should clutter up my mind with general knowledge, for the purpose of being able to answer questions, when I have men around me who can supply any knowledge I require?” This retort was genius. The fact was – Ford didn’t have all the answers and that was OK. He had instead kept his mind free from clutter and employed experts in their fields to answer his questions while he focused on keeping his company running smoothly. If he needed to know about brakes, he would push the button for that expert, if he needed someone to explain engines to him, he had another. He used the specialized knowledge of others as an external brain to store extra information in and it made him the success he was. You Too Can Be Like Henry Ford We now live in the greatest information age of our time. You can Google any question you may have, so without qualifications – we are becoming experts just by searching. The point is this – do not avoid a certain field or reject a job opportunity or investment because you feel you are not up to scratch, use other experts and research to find out as much as you can about your industry. Knowledge is power. If you think you don’t have it and that's stopping you from moving forward, find someone who does and get up to speed. Read the full article