by ClubBlogger
3:11 pm in Uncategorized by ClubBlogger
We’re going to launch our new tools feature in the near future.
This will give you a range of useful stuff in one place… anything from links to free hosts, to domain utilities, counters, you name it.
If you have any burning ideas, shout now: we’ll try to include what you’d like.
Catch you soon,
CB
by ClubBlogger
3:28 pm in Uncategorized by ClubBlogger
Well.
It got your attention 
Which is good, since we’ve literally just launched v.2.0 of ClubBlogger and we need all our users (existing and new) to sign-up!
Apart from that, the above isn’t just a philosophical statement. It goes to the hear of blogging; and what keeps bloggers going.
You may have the seed of an idea; or one is already growing or has grown into something real (be it a business, a hobby, you name it) . It may be something you love; cherish; value; strive for; hate, even (we’ll come back to the last one: it’s interesting, believe me). And you want, need, have to write about it. And others want, need, have to read about it.
We’re undergoing awesome new changes here at ClubBlogger and have been considering what makes us, errr, tick. Perhaps unsurprisingly, it’s still the same core thing which kicked-off our time in the blogosphere: enjoying writing about and sharing interesting stuff. We have tended to be business-biased in terms of topics, but certainly that’s not an exclusive road for us; indeed, many of our readers prefer the other stuff we write about (I’m not convinced that’s a good thing!).
So, what’s changing? Well, we’ve always been focused on community. The name of the site’s a bit of a give away in that respect. So we’re opening-up into real ‘club blogging’ and with that interactive social networking for our users. The site isn’t fully ready yet; it doesn’t look like what we envisage as the end-game. But what is ever ready? No, we won’t dive into philosophy again.
But it IS ready to use – JOIN US, GUYS!!!
Fact is, to make things happen in life you need to start. And we’re not ones for keeping things hidden under a blanket. Watch this space, all.
Best, CB x
by ClubBlogger
10:00 am in Uncategorized by ClubBlogger
Success. What is it? Freedom? Financial independence?
Whatever, we know it’s possible in different ways. Sure.
But there’s nothing quite so motivational as hearing about it for real. In a world where making it on the internet can feel like pushing water up hill (;o)) it’s great to hear some real-life stories.
These are some of our favorites:
“My goal was to build an online business that would generate an income equal (or greater, of course) to the salary I was earning. And also wouldn’t be dependant on any country’s economy (as my country’s economy is in shambles…).”
~ Elad Shippony
“My online success means so much more to me than money. The fulfillment I feel in my own life and the example I’m setting for my kids far outweighs the dollars (although dollars will always be welcome!). My boys are growing up with the knowledge that they really can achieve their dreams if they’re willing to have faith in themselves and take action in their lives. Then all it takes is some dedication and hard work, which is easy to muster when you’re doing something you love! … Oh yeah, and SBI! of course.”
~ Michelle Schill
“Having the opportunity to share Vieques and Puerto Rico with so many people around the world is a great satisfaction. As a bonus, I get to go on a tax-deductible vacation every year. I can visit my beautiful island, ride my jeep, take lots of photos, meet great new people, and write travel guides about places I love. I felt that money would just be the icing on the top. Of course, I did not realize how much icing my cake would have.”
~ Luisa Cupeles
“From the beginning of this year, my site traffic has rapidly increased and my Adsense income has more than tripled. At the time of writing this, my traffic is hovering around 800 visitors a day.”
~ Sara Ding
by ClubBlogger
3:39 am in Uncategorized by ClubBlogger
It’s a subject close to the heart of some of us. If not most of us!
Building Your Landing Pages
We could talk about this all day. Let’s not do that 
) Let’s talk about what works.
If there’s one thing you must focus on, it’s copy. Copy, copy, copy. You know it deep down. So why do so many people not follow this golden rule? All the search engines in the (known!) universe understand text. Yes, top of the list, Google, does too. They don’t care much for design, pictures, animation or other ‘clever’ stuff. Search engines exist to give people what they want and they do that using copy when they crawl your pages. That’s why they say copy is king. Copy IS king.
You want to CONVERT. Suggested tips:
A. Write good content
Supposing you’ve done your homework and all the people that come to your landing page are targeted visitors, driven by one of your AdWords™ ads. Here’s what the page must do:
* be genuinely helpful
* offer reliable information
* avoid the mambo-jumbo sales lingo
* put the benefits of your service ahead its features
* offer real solutions to real problems
* create the urge to buy
* make it easy to order
Getting your page copy right is a very important job. You need knowledge, patience and some skill to do it. But if you do it right, you’ll be truly amazed with the results.
B. Choose your keywords
Use your keywords with balance. Make them come naturally. Don’t overoptimize. Remember your goal.
C. Matching Ads with Your Content – Match, Match, Match!
This is fundamental to making your landing page convert: your ads (together with your keywords) are the ones that send you traffic. If they don’t work for the same purpose (i.e. selling the same product), all your trouble is in vain.
The biggest mistake you can do is send all the traffic to the home page. So don’t. Each ad in your campaign should work for its own landing page. By customizing them, you make them more effective.
D. Set one goal per page
Don’t over do it.
Having more than one goal per page will confuse your visitors and drive them away. Everything you write must converge towards the same purpose.
E. Add relevant links
Remember that you offer solutions to problems. If you know about something else that may help, don’t hesitate to link toward it. It could be something in it for you, too. But that’s another story and we prefer to save it for the affiliates section.
F. Obtain testimonials
This is a common way to gain your visitors’ trust before they actually get to know you. Whenever somebody praises your service or product, remember to ask for their accept to publish that on your web page.
If you want a great way to build great great landing pages (and, generally, pages!), try this.
Looking forward to hearing from you.
by ClubBlogger
6:47 am in Uncategorized by ClubBlogger
In a piece for Wired, Paul Boutin asserted a while back that blogging is dead. Quoting:
“Thinking about launching your own blog? Here’s some friendly advice: Don’t. And if you’ve already got one, pull the plug.
Writing a weblog today isn’t the bright idea it was four years ago. The blogosphere, once a freshwater oasis of folksy self-expression and clever thought, has been flooded by a tsunami of paid bilge. Cut-rate journalists and underground marketing campaigns now drown out the authentic voices of amateur wordsmiths. It’s almost impossible to get noticed, except by hecklers. And why bother? The time it takes to craft sharp, witty blog prose is better spent expressing yourself on Flickr, Facebook, or Twitter.”
Ouch. Well, we disagree. Wholeheartedly.
Don’t worry. The argument he made was back in 2004. Here we are in 2009 and blogging is flourishing. The amazing self expression of blog authors is stronger than ever. Helping readers. Helping each other. Sharing knowledge. Testing new ideas.
We know, from the strength of readership of you guys and others, that our sphere of work is stronger than ever. Whilst Twitter and others help to provide snippets of personal information, there is simply no substitute for the sharing of good, honest opinions and ideas. And let’s keep this real: we at Club Blogger tend to get a little more serious and keep things more helpful than a lot of what you may/may not read via Twitter.
Here’s to the future! It’s rolling towards us fast and we’re going to grab it with both hands!
Recent Comments