Archive for February, 2009
Weekly Bits Newsletter – 24 Feb 09
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Journey To Online Success Weekly Bits Newsletter
Topics for this week:
– Success — What Does It Really Take?
– Types Of Websites
– Focus Thoughts & Forward Momentum
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Success — What Does It Really Take?
There are many thoughts on success and
what it really takes…especially success
with an online business.
Maybe you’ve heard it takes mindset,
focus, discipline, persistence, problem
solving or a variety of other traits or
skills.
While these are all very important, and
you will no doubt hear more about these
from yours truly, I truly believe there
is one thing above all else that is a
must to achieve online business success
and that is to…
…have a burning passion and desire to succeed!
It makes sense doesn’t it?
If we take a look at this on a smaller
scale it may sink in a bit more.
When you really want something like a
candy bar or to watch a particular movie
- do you gotta have it no matter what?
- what do you say to yourself?
- what actions do you take to obtain it?
Usually when we really, really want
something, we’ll do anything to make it
happen won’t we?
Being successful is really no different.
And the great part is we have total control
over our own passions and desires!
SUCCESS — You can have it!
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Types Of Websites
Have you heard terms like ’squeeze page’,
’sales page’ or ‘blog site’ thrown around?
I sure have and when I first got started
online I found it really confusing to
understand what these terms meant and
how it applied to me.
Here is an explanation of a few website
types, what they are and why I believe
these particular websites are important
for online business owners.
SQUEEZE PAGE- also known as magnetizer
page or sign-up page. This is a simple
website, usually one page, designed for
the purpose of getting an interested
individual to sign up on an email list.
You’ve probably heard the key to
online success is ‘in the list’ right?
Well it’s true and very important to
have a list of individuals interested
in what you are marketing. You can talk
with your list on a regular basis to
share information and recommend tools
and resources of importance in your
business area or niche.
The squeeze page is the tool to use to
help you build your list. Here’s an
example of a squeeze page:
==> http://www.JourneyToOnlineSuccess.com
SALES PAGE – This is a website designed
for the purpose of selling a product or
service. It can be any length but is
usually longer than a squeeze page to make
the case for the product. It may include
things such as benefits, features,
testimonials, pricing, an order link
and guarantees.
As a business owner, we’re probably very
interested in making money right? Well,
this type of website is a money making
site. Here’s an example of a sales page
website:
==> http://www.UnlockAffiliateSecrets.com
BLOG SITE – This is a website designed
for the purpose of communicating with
subscribers, customers or anyone else
interested in your business area.
Blog sites are structured in a way that
allows sharing of information and ideas
through posts by the author and comments
by the readers. It’s a great way to have
dialogue and interaction on specific
topics.
Blogs are important because they can help
build relationships within a community of
people interested in a particular topic or
area of interest.
The site you are on now is an example of a blog site.
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Focus Thoughts & Forward Momentum
Have you defined why you want an online business?
Do you have what it takes to succeed?
Do you have a burning passion and desire to
succeed in your online business?
Take some quiet time with yourself during
the week and ponder these questions. 
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To Your Success,
Donna
P.S. Questions or comments about this weeks topics? Please comment below.
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Journey To Online Success Weekly Bits Newsletter
Copyright 2009 DonnaRagland.com
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Weekly Bits Newsletter – 17 Feb 09
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Journey To Online Success Weekly Bits Newsletter
Topics for this week:
– What’s In A Domain Name?
– Finding Your Niche
– Focus Thoughts & Forward Momentum
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What’s In A Domain Name?
A domain name is simply the address of a
website. For example, in the URL
http://www.JourneyToOnlineSuccess.com
the “JourneyToOnlineSuccess.com” part of
the url is the domain name.
When setting up your online business
it’s helpful to have your own domain
name. It gives a professional appearance
and helps you build your identity. It
also adds a level of trust and integrity
for you and your business.
Some tips for selecting a domain name:
- Make it relevant to your business
- It should describe what your website
is about
- It should be easy to remember
- Try to use catchy words or phrases
- Choose a “.com” extension over other
extensions because it is more widely
recognized and remembered.
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Finding Your Niche
The best way of starting an online
business is to do it in an area, or
niche, that you are knowledgeable in or
passionate about. Think about that for a
minute.
If you focus on something you really
enjoy or would like to do it keeps your
interest much longer than something you
don’t care about doesn’t it? Finding an
area you enjoy is one of the best ways
to get started online.
Think about your passions and interests
and write them down. Then take a look
at your skills and strengths. Try to
find a combination of these that would
be a good fit for your business area
or niche.
For example, if you are passionate about
playing tennis and you are good at writing
you may want to consider a niche where
you can write articles about tennis. Or
if you are interested in being a trainer
and are computer literate you may be able
to offer computer training services
online.
A side benefit of selecting a niche around
your passions and strengths is you will
totally enjoy your online work!
You may have heard the following quote
by Robert G. Allen:
“Pursuing your passion is fulfilling
and leads to financial freedom”.
Take some time to consider which business
area or niche would be right for your
business. Then you’ll be off and running
in no time.
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Focus Thoughts & Forward Momentum:
How much time do you have to work your biz this week?
Which days/hours will you schedule?
What one thing will you accomplish during this time?
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To Your Success,
Donna
P.S. Questions or comments about this weeks topics?
Please comment below…
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Journey To Online Success Weekly Bits Newsletter
Copyright 2009 DonnaRagland.com
Weekly Bits Newsletter – 10 Feb 09
To provide more education and resource news, I’ve started
the Journey To Online Success Weekly Bits Newsletter.
It will include topics related to starting and operating an
online business.
I hope you enjoy the first Weekly Bits Newsletter…
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Journey To Online Success Weekly Bits Newsletter
Topics for this week:
– Internet Marketing Terminology
– Starting Your Biz Plan & Setting Goals
– Focus Thoughts & Forward Momentum
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Internet Marketing Terminology
As with any industry, there are many terms and acronyms
associated with Internet Marketing (IM). When you’re first
getting started online it helps to understand the basics.
Some common terms:
AFFILIATE – Someone who markets merchant’s products and
receives a commission for the referral and/or sale of the
merchants products.
AUTORESPONDER – An email system that responds automatically
to sign ups for newsletters, reports and other opt-in email
lists. Messages can be placed into the system to be sent on
certain days/times or at predetermined time increments.
BLOG – Web Log – A site that enables communication by
journaling or writing various messages on a topic. Visitors
can comment on the author’s messages and the author can also
respond back to the visitor.
EZINE – A shortened word for ‘electronic magazine’. It is
essentially an online magazine.
HTML – Hypertext Markup Language – A simplified computer
language for creating and developing web pages.
IM – Internet Marketing – A phrase that describes an industry
where products are marketed on the Internet for a profit.
NEWBIES – This word refers to people who are new to the
Internet or online marketing.
NICHE – A targeted market or business area.
TRAFFIC – Refers to visitors coming to a website.
WYSIWYG – What You See Is What You Get – The term is
sometimes pronounced ‘wiz-ee-wig’. A program used for
creating or editing web pages that allows the user
to see what the end results will look like. As the user
develops the webpage the software creates the associated
computer programming to display the webpage.
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Starting Your Biz Plan & Setting Goals
If you aren’t sure where you’re going how will you know
when you get there?
You may have heard the following quote by Denis Watley:
“The reason most people never reach their goals is that
they don’t define them, or ever seriously consider them as
believable or achievable. Winners can tell you where they
are going, what they plan to do along the way, and who
will be sharing the adventure with them”.
Although establishing a business plan may seem like a
daunting task, it doesn’t need to be. Answering the
questions of what you want to achieve and by when will
get you started on the right path.
Try looking one year into the future and picture what you
want your business to look like. Then write down and
answer these 3 simple questions:
1. How many hours will you have to spend on your biz?
2. How much money do you have to start your online biz?
3. How much money do you want to make in 3/6/9/12 months?
Keep your initial plan very short and simple – one page
should be enough to get going. Then as you begin to build
your online business, you can come back to your plan and
update your goals as needed.
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Focus Thoughts & Forward Momentum:
If you could accomplish one thing this week to move forward
on starting or growing your online business what would it be?
Take some action today — your business is waiting on YOU!
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To Your Success,
Donna
P.S. I’d love to hear what you think about the newsletter
and if you have any specific topics you’d like to see…
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Journey To Online Success Weekly Bits Newsletter
Copyright 2009 DonnaRagland.com