Creating Hub Pages

Have you been looking for another way to get traffic to your existing sites? To become known as an expert in your niche? Even to make a bit of money while you're at it?

Why not create hub pages? I'd say they are a little bit like Squidoo lenses, although I'm sure someone will quickly let me know how they're different. Hub pages seem to be more writer focused and are particular about how you try to sell on your hubs.

Anyway, all of the ins and outs are covered in a short report I recently enjoyed reading. Written by Melanie Bremner (the Content Queen) and Called “Hubbing with Hubpages for Fun and Profit”, you'll learn how to:

• set up a profile on Hubpages
• create a hub
• understand the rating system used for hubpages
• socialize and become known as a quality writer and expert in your field
• promote a product or service for income potential without creating a commercial hub
• build traffic to your hub
• add affiliate products within your hub and earn money with various programs
• properly utilize and setup SEO tags and keywords for the best results

At 22 pages complete with screenshots, this detailed report left me eager to set up my own hubpage. And at only $5, it's a great investment for your Internet marketing toolbox.

O, and be sure to comment and let us know about your new hub pages.

Youtube and eBay Marketing Idea

I read about an artist in another country who wanted to make a living selling her paintings. So she came up with a very creative method of attracting interest. Every week, she creates a video showing her in the process of doing her painting. Then, on the same day each week, she uploads the video to youtube - along with a link to the sale of that same painting on eBay.

Since beginning this form of marketing, the artist has established a following who eagerly wait for her next video. And every week on eBay, she sells a painting - at a high price!

How can you and I use youtube and eBay to help market our products or services? I'd love to hear your ideas!

Using Spreadsheets For Your Blog

I read a great tip recently from Michel Fortin. He suggested using a spreadsheet to record the titles and dates of the blog posts you do. I think I would also keep track of the topic, since my titles aren't always terribly descriptive.

Then he re-uses the older content on his autoresponder. Often people don't read your old posts, especially when you've got a lot of content that stretches over years. So it's a good way to get those evergreen (still current) topics back into circulation.

Now it's your turn. How do you keep track of your posts and re-use older content?

Quick Tips To Creating and Selling eBooks

If you'd like an overview of eBook creation and sales, here's a quick read for you. At just eight pages long, "Quick Tips to Creating and Selling eBooks" talks about:

• What are ebooks and how do you read them?
• Finding Topics to write about.
• How do you create an ebook?
• Explaining pdfs,and ftp.
• Hosting on your own site or using an online service?

Granted, you won't get a complete course with this, but the guide is free and gives enough information to wet your appetite. Melanie Bremner has a number of low cost or free guides and although grammar isn't always her strong point, with 20 eBooks to her credit, she's earned the title of Content Queen (at least in my books).

Branding Myself

You may have noticed that my posts now say SuperGramma C rather than Mrs C. I've been trying to brand myself for awhile now, and other than becoming confused about who I am, I haven't done well.

I suppose if I had only one interest and had a clear focus right from the beginning, I wouldn't have this problem. But when I started online, I had a blog about Canada, a blog about computers, a blog about myself and on and on. See where I'm going with this?

I started off calling myself TorontoCarol and that's how I'm known on the Internet marketing forums. After all, I'm a native Torontonian and Carol is a very common name otherwise. Even Carol Bremner is owned by people I've found out about online from England and Australia (none of them related and one I wouldn't want to be mistaken for). So TorontoCarol was fine for the forums and worked well with my Canada blog.

But I have a company blog too. TorontoCarol doesn't sound very professional. There I just go by my full name, common or not.

Then there's the computer blog. Toronto has nothing to do with computers, so I started using Mrs C. Then I started blogging about grandparenting at my supergramma blog and created my first product for grandparents. So supergramma was a good name there.

By this point, I can hardly keep track of who I am. Can you imagine what will happen in the future when my memory decides to work part-time? I'll have to pin a badge on myself so I remember my name.

Obviously, I have to make a decision before I have more names than a cat has kittens. I found out about a site called namecheck where I could go and enter the name or names I want to brand and see in what 2.0 sites the name is being used already. This was a big help.

As a result, I found that my real name was in use at a few sites. Mrs C was being used all over the net, so that was definitely out. TorontoCarol I had the corner on, but like I said, it wasn't right for the grandparenting market I'm trying to do. Gramma C was as popular as Mrs C and even SuperGramma was being used on eBay, Twitter, and Ning.

I had to make a decision. Who am I? I decided on Supergramma C and set up an account on Twitter, eBay, and youtube to start with. I'll try to do a few at a time until I corner the market on the name.

So there you have it. The long, drawn-out explanation of why I am signing these posts as SuperGramma C. What are your thoughts on branding? Am I making a mountain out of a molehill? Does it really matter?

Publishing on Lulu

I've been working on an info product for the last quite a while and I finally finished it. There is still more I need to do, but I felt that after such a long time, I needed to do something to move it forward. So I went to Lulu.

For those of you who don't know, Lulu allows you to self-publish, either physical books or digital ones, and sell them on the site. My guide, at least initially, is just being sold as a digital product. I do have to share my earnings with Lulu, but they get a lot more traffic than I do. And I wanted to see what the feedback was.

Publishing on Lulu was very simple. It was a matter of uploading my pdf file to their site, uploading a cover graphic (or use one of theirs), and writing a little blurb about the contents. Then set your price and you're done. Right away, the system shows you how much you pay Lulu per sale. I played with the price a little and then clicked 'finish'. If I decide to update the edition later, or make it a hardcover, I can do that at any time. Oh, and make sure you give Lulu your paypal information so they can pay you.

I'm still planning to add audio and video to the pdf and then burn the whole thing to a cd. Then I'll try my hand at selling it on eBay. But for now, putting my product up on Lulu at least got me doing something.

If you're curious, my guide is called "How To Create Newsletters Your Grandkids Will Treasure" and is the first in a number of SuperGramma Guides I plan on writing. I'll keep you posted on my results.

Attending Workshops

It seems every time I turn around these days, there's a seminar or workshop I would love to attend. I know how helpful and motivational they can be. You can always learn at least one thing if you pay attention. Plus, the other marketers you meet are worth the price of admission.

Okay, we know how beneficial it is to attend a live event. But unless you're my rich uncle (and I didn't know I had one, so please contact me) you can't afford to get to them too often. I would love to have gone to Willie Crawford's birthday bash, and the price to get in was more than reasonable. So why didn't I? Because by the time I factored in airfare and hotel, the price was out of reach.

So one solution is to keep your eyes open to events that come to your locality or a bigger city not far from you. And if you can't afford the entrance fee, offer to help in exchange for attendance. I did that for a two day workshop, and all I had to do was give handouts to everyone throughout the day. Go ahead and give it a try. Worst scenario is you get a "no", but at least you tried. And you never know, you might be just the help that was needed!

Internet Marketing Terms

Now you may very well be familiar with all of the Internet marketing terms, especially if you have a business background, since many might be similar. But for an old girl like me, even the words are new territory.

For example:
- a bump is when you're bumped up to another category, such as a two for one offer. I think I get those offers whenever I say no to one I can't afford. (Or am I mixing this with another term?)

- an upsell is when a marketer offers you something related to go with your purchase. Like when they ask me if I'd like a donut with my coffee (and many times this works, especially if I'm having a sugar craving).

- a cross sell is when you're asked something like "would you like dessert with your meal". Now correct me if I'm wrong, but a cross sell and an upsell sound like the same thing to me. Can someone please enlighten me on the difference between the two?