If you are a baby boomer in the in the “Sandwich Generation” How are you coping? Please share some of your coping strategies as a comment. Also, share this question on your own blogs. The answers can help someone else. Let’s try to make it go viral.
I want to be very frank about ClickBank. I like it.
What is ClickBank?
ClickBank is a major affiliate retailer of digital products. They make it possible for you to sell e-books as well as be an affiliate for other folks e-books.
Why Do I Like it?
Well, I like it more now then I liked it in the early days I first started online. It seems to be easier to use. I also like it because you can make great affiliate commissions. Just think about it. If you are selling an ebook there are no printing costs. That means you can pass on commission rates that exceed the commissions you would get from a retailer that sells products that must be sent in the mail.
If you are a publisher you can sell your book at Clickbank and offer other folks commission for promoting your products. Sounds simple? Well, for many it is but it does not come without some amount of work and learning. So, yes there are many products and gurus out there that can help you.
Do I Have One of Those “I Made Millions on ClickBank” Stories?
NO! But some of you reading this just might and I sure would love for you to share. Right now I am just returning to ClickBank to start my relationship all over again.
I have included a video I thought was simple and easy to understand. It let’s you know how to promote someone’s product in your blog post without locating a super techi to do it. This baby boomer understood it and will start using it. So Check it out and let me know what you think.
Now I just read one of the best summaries about the Health Care Reform Bill as it relates to baby boomers.
Of course many reading this post are die hards against the bill and that is ok because as baby boomers we have much to share based on our own level of experience, education and edgy focus.
YES, I am for the health care reform bill. Now, I have said it and stand by it. For me it has nothing to do with my political views, race, religion or the fact that I am not an insurance lobbyist. For me it means hope and help for many people that need the reform.
I just looked at this blog post on AOL News and it makes a very interesting correlation with still working baby boomer husbands and divorce status. But don’t stop there you just have to read the comments on the blog post. It is a hoot!
Here is a great tutorial video by an infamous baby boomer techi and teacher, Cathy Perkins. View this video then do it! I DARE YOU! Then let me know if you write a book from your blog posts.
It was a restless night. Just too much on my mind. We left the TV on and I woke up to hear Kevin Trudeau talking on an info-commercial about how you can get FREE money from the government.
Well, I have heard that from Lesko but never got the book. And, I thought, in my foggy thinking, this guy is saying that the other guys book was not the way to go. He is saying that he gives less pages and just the right info.
I continued thinking, “I really could use FREE money”. My mind drifted to bills, goals that needed money, people that needed money, and I drifted back to sleep. Oh, I did not go to sleep until I wrote his number down on my bed stand.
Later that day, I looked and the number and was about to grab my credit card. Then I stopped. I said, “Rosie, you know better, check this guy and his offer out first.” So, I did a search on google with his name and the word “scam” in the search.
Wow, there was enough there to make me laugh at how I almost gave this guy FREE money. Some complained about paying large amounts for shipping. So, here is a post I just read so you can decide for yourself before listening to your impulses like I almost did.
Now, if only we practice the technique but add truth to it that would be a good thing. What do you think? Is this article wrong? Did you buy the book and benefit from it? Are his critics just player haters? I do want to be fair because I never put money out to get the book.
When I first heard about someone retiring on a cruise ship I thought the idea was far fetched. Yet, now as I think about it, it’s not a bad idea. As I look at the host of seniors that don’t have attentive family checking on them this can be an option. Not only that but many assisted living facilities will easily set you back almost 100,00o or more.
Now, there is actually a small cruise line who has established a plan for retirees. I am sure this is not the only company considering this viable option. But did I say viable? Many of us are hard pressed to afford assisted living for our senior parents. Yet, as baby boomers we are considering long term care and now cruise ship lodging?
I don’t know, I am now convinced I must keep working, keep finding ways to increase revenue without doing the lottery, or taking the gold out of my husbands mouth.
But we both like the notion of living on a cruise ship. We pray for good health to enjoy it if we do. What about you?
A wonderful woman known as “The Fly Lady” gave, what appears to be, an awesome keynote at the Boomer Diva Nation retreat this month. I was not in attendance but from the look of the video over at Boomer Diva TV it was awesome. So go and listen to a short clip of the speech given by the Fly Lady. Be sure to post your comments. Oh, and while you are there check out some of the other awesome videos.
Warning: Some of those videos might make you laugh.
Are you making mistakes with your SMM? (Social Media Marketing)
I am honored to have Pam Lontos, a Public Relations Specialist as a guest blogger today. She has a powerful message on Social Media Marketing for every baby boomer business owner who has taken the plunge into the world of social media.
The Top 5 Mistakes of Social Media Marketing
By Pam Lontos
The Top 5 Mistakes of Social Media Marketing
By Pam Lontos
As a business owner, you already know the importance of utilizing traditional PR – print, radio and TV exposure – to keep your name circulating in the marketplace. Now, however, there’s a new PR outlet you need to become familiar with. It’s called Social Media Marketing, and when combined with your traditional PR efforts, Social Media Marketing can help you penetrate the marketplace with your message quicker and easier than ever before.
What is Social Media Marketing? It’s utilizing the various social networking sites to enforce your brand and market your business. A social networking site is simply an online meeting place. Think of it like an eHarmony or Match.com for business people. On such sites, people can post a profile with the hopes of meeting other like-minded professionals for business reasons.
According to the Nielsen Research Group, social networks and blogs have moved ahead of personal e-mail among the most popular online activities people engage in. Additionally, USA Today reports that the time spent on these sites is growing three times faster than the overall Internet rate. More than two-thirds of the world’s online population now visits social networking and blogging sites.
Knowing this, it’s clear that if you haven’t yet engaged in Social Media Marketing, the time to start is now. But before you do, you need to be aware of the top mistakes businesses make with this PR outlet so you can avoid them and get the biggest return for your marketing investment.
Mistake #1: Having more than one face on the Internet.
When you’re engaging in Social Media Marketing (called SMM from here on out) you’re really building your image from the ground up. The goal of SMM is to virally spread parts of your image across the Internet. The word “parts” is important. Basically, you’re starting with a holographic image of yourself in the virtual world. You then need to break that hologram apart and find the appropriate places on the Internet where you can frame certain pieces of that hologram.
When someone looks at all the pieces at the various sites, they should be able to put them together to see a single whole. They should not see multiple images of who you are, as that would ruin your credibility. Therefore, if you have multiple Facebook accounts, for example, your personal one has to be hidden and by invitation only. You don’t want that other image out there confusing people and possibly diminishing your reputation.
Mistake #2: Collecting friends.
SMM is how you create instant buzz on the Internet by getting the same message out over and over. It’s spreading your message and getting yourself branded so you can get more business. Social networking, on the other hand, is about making friends. For example, you’ve likely seen someone on LinkedIn who has 25,000+ contacts. That’s great, but what do you do with all those contacts? Remember, just because you have a phone book in your office doesn’t mean you can open the book at random, pick a name, and call them for business.
When you collect a contact, you’re supposed to be opening the door to exchange information and build a relationship. Think of it as relationship marketing in the 21st century, and the same rules apply. The only difference is that you’re building the relationship online rather than over coffee.
Mistake #3: Putting out the wrong messages.
You’ve likely seen people put posts on Twitter or Facebook that say something like, “John Smith is watching a great movie and eating popcorn.” Such messages may be fine for personal networks, but for business networks you need to put out messages that are useful to your readers. In other words, don’t talk about yourself. You want to give valuable tips and advice so that the people who read your posts want to repost them to their own sites. That’s how your message spreads virally.
The key is to keep your messages consistent. Remember that people are subscribing to various feeds in order to get your information. They are essentially saying that your message has value. That’s why you can’t do a series of sales tips and then post a couple of your favorite omelet recipes. You have to stay on message, and your message has to be for your readers.
With that said, it is okay to occasionally have a press release type message that says something like, “John Smith is speaking at ABC Convention on employee productivity today.” Such a message does two things: 1) It tells people they might not get a tip today or tomorrow because you’re busy, and 2) It shows that other big-wigs out there think your message is important. It’s a positive reinforcement that boosts your credibility, so long as you don’t do it too frequently.
Mistake #4: Posting inappropriate information.
Don’t allow yourself or anyone on your site to post anything online that you don’t want your most conservative client to see. You never know where something will end up, especially since the nature of the Internet is for things to spread virally. For example, a CEO of a corporation had a picture of himself and his girlfriend on a topless beach in Mexico. In the photo she’s riding on his shoulders with her breasts exposed. For some reason, he decided to post the photo on his personal invitation-only Facebook site.
The only problem is that he was married. His wife (or rather, his now ex-wife) saw the photo. How? Someone on his invitation-only Facebook account thought it was a great picture and decided to repost it on the public Internet. To top it all off, his board of directors got wind of the photo and fired him. Now he’s no longer employable in that field or that position again. The moral of this story: Never post anything on any site that you wouldn’t personally show your own grandmother.
Mistake #5:
Assuming that it is better to have your message in only one place on the Internet.
In the “old days” of the Internet, people believed they had to keep all their content on their own Web site. The theory was that spreading it out ruined your credibility and diminished your reputation as being a unique business. Not so today. In fact, with SMM, the opposite is true. The more places you can get your message to appear simultaneously, the more effective your message will be.
Think of it as constructing a funnel. You want to lay several trails of information, all of which lead to your main site. Therefore, no matter how someone stumbles upon you, as long as they “follow the trail,” they’ll eventually find you. That’s essentially what you’re doing with your Twitters and other SMM messages. You’re putting out kernels of information. If someone wants the next kernel, they have to follow the trail. Eventually it funnels them to one Web site, which is where you wanted them to be anyway. You’re creating an environment where people see your message everywhere. As a result, you now have their attention and you have the opportunity to sell your product, your services, or whatever you’re selling at that point of distribution.
Here’s an example of the power of funneling: Recently Aaron Chronester posted a message on Twitter. Someone saw his post and reposted it on their blog. CNN and the New York Times found the post interesting and reported on it. Because of that exposure, Chronester got a book deal from Simon and Schuster. So, what was his post about? Current events? Global warming? A tell-all celebrity biography? Nope. It was a Twitter post with a unique bacon recipe, as Chronester was trying to get publicity for a barbeque club he belonged to. That’s how powerful funneling your message can be.
Get Noticed with SMM
The marketplace is changing, and you have to change with it. Your name has to be everywhere – in print, on radio, on TV, and on the social networking sites. The more you can get your name and message circulating in the various mediums, the higher your chances of clients seeing your information and ultimately hiring you. Thanks to SMM you can get your message out to thousands of people in an instant. And the results are greater credibility, more exposure, and higher sales – all of which positively impact your bottom line.
Pam Lontos is president of PR/PR, a public relations firm based in Orlando, Fla. She is author of “I See Your Name Everywhere” and is a former vice president of sales for Disney’s Shamrock Broadcasting. PR/PR has placed clients in publications such as USA Today, Entrepreneur, Time, Reader’s Digest and Cosmopolitan. PR/PR works with established businesses, as well as entrepreneurs who are just launching their company. For a free publicity consultation, e-mail Pam@prpr.net or call 407-299-6128. To receive free publicity tips, go to www.PRPR.net and register for the monthly e-newsletter, PR/PR Pulse!
