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Insurance Marketer and Advisor

I worked in corporate America for 20 years before I transferred my skills to become a work at home mom. Writing content is something that I love and am good at, so I decided to help other moms who want to create streams of passive income. I share different passive income ideas and show them how to achieve it through my blog posts, guides and tutorials.

Saying it in Style

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The other day I talked about having professional business cards and how important it is in the business world and in projecting the right image. Well, another point to consider is being able to succinctly say your mission statement in a sentence or two without boring the listener. Think: If someone asked yo what do you do, what would your response be?

Be careful of …uhm’s…aah’s……welllll….seeeee.

That’s an absolute no-no.

Here’s an exercise:
Stand in front of a mirror and say your objective or mission statement to yourself over and over and over until you’re convinced. You should be able to network effectively and successfully by having your mission statement memorized comfortably and accurately.

My mission statement is:

The Daily Exhorter is a communications consulting business designed to facilitate organizations in developing productive and effective communications.

It’s so important to get it right because your brand depends on it. Besides, if you can’t say it to yourself and be sold, why should anyone else believe what you’re saying?

How To Establish Yourself as a Content Expert In Your Niche

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Content experts are literally just that; experts in their respective fields. Content is the most important thing on your site because that’s what helps people decide to become visitors, subscribers, customers or clients. Becoming an authority in your niche solidifies your expert opinion in your field. And while that field can be in any industry, the main factor is that the person is well-versed, full of passion and informative about his or her topic.

Becoming an authority in your niche solidifies your expert opinion in your field. And while that field can be in any industry, the main factor is that the person is well-versed, full of passion and informative about his or her topic.

Marketing content works ideally when you are an established authority or expert in your respective niche. People tend to believe in and follow authoritative content marketers more than general marketers, which is why it is important to tightly focus on the quality of the content that’s being published.

Quality, relatable content is sure to position you as an authority or expert. It helps to be passionate and informed about your topic as well as an ability to create content that matches with the audience that you’re trying to reach.

For good , quality content to reach its audience, it needs to be produced frequently and continuously. That means marketing content in some format on a routine basis. For example:

  • Write a short blog post on your topic and share it on different social media platforms.
  • Create a colorful infographic and include statistics.
  • Create a 15-minute podcast once weekly on your topic.

Once you get into the habit of producing content in some format, it will become easier to design a relatable content platform for your chosen topic. People will start sharing your content on social media sites and will begin to refer to your site for more information. Here are some ways to create shareable content that can establish you as an expert:

Share Different, but Valuable Content

Most content marketing campaigns will focus only on articles or blog posts as the main source of content. But to really stand out from your competitors, give readers something different than standard content if you want to make an impact.

Focus on providing readers with content or information that they will not normally find or see in blogs everywhere. Whether that information consists of reviews, opinions, images or podcasts, just strive to make it different than the usual business-as-usual content. Doing this will quickly establish you as a niche authority.

Prove that You Are an Expert

People have to know that YOU know what you’re talking about in order to establish trust and you as an authority. It’s important that you create trust with readers.

Do this by speaking about your experiences, your background and/or accomplishments. Only do this when and where it is appropriate and necessary.

Be Creative

Although the content that you deliver may be seen in other areas online, by being creative with your delivery, it starts working to establish you and your content as unique authority.

This is going to make your content stand out, simply because it’s different and unique and unlike anything else found on the web. There is an assortment of ways to write good content like blog posts or articles or publish podcasts. The task will be to find creative ways to share it without sounding repetitive or boring.

To become the go-to niche authority for your industry, focus on standing out and being different from your competitors. authority in your niche, you will simply need to stand out. This will be easier than you think because most marketers will often take the easy route and simply repeat what other marketers are saying and publishing.

Simply repeating content is not the best way to establish yourself as an expert authority. Work at developing good, quality content, being consistent, creative and thorough and you can and will make your expert presence known online.

How I Handle the Hard Work of Freelancing

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I’m not gonna lie to you; freelancing is hard work.

As much I enjoy writing, and as much as I enjoy being creative, it is a challenging task to be able to do what I love to do AND find and keep consistent writing work at the same time. That’s because I still have to market myself and bid on different jobs just to make sure that I keep myself busy all of the time and to keep my calendar filled with work. There are days/times when everything is D-R-Y…and then there are times when I’m burning the midnight oil at both ends trying to keep up with my deadlines and client satisfaction. (can you actually burn oil…and where are the ends??)

This past week for me has been one of those frustrating times when I don’t know if I’m going to get a client bid on a job, or if they’re going to offer me peanuts to write for one of their sites. Usually when it’s the latter, I get a foul attitude and I decide to never, ever, ever write for anymore private clients again. That is, until the middle of the month gets here and it’s time to get those bills paid.

Know Your Worth

I’ve come to realize after years of writing that as a writer, you have to know and value your own worth. And I know that I am a very good writer. A VERY good writer. How do I know that? Well, for the past 17 years I’ve stayed busy with my writing and have managed to keep a decent momentum going with steady work and a steady clientele.

I’ve also been told numerous times over the years how good my work is. Clients have retained me as their top writer, their top editor, the 1st choice for big accounts, etc. So why is it that sometimes I would be so frustrated??

Well, my frustration often came from trying to understand people. Sometimes it seemed that no matter how hard I work and how much heart I put into my work, I was often expected to either

1.) work for ridiculously low per word rates, or

2.) do more writing work than what was originally agreed upon before I start a project.

By that second one I mean that once the client discovers my writing caliber and my fast production output, they want more, and more, and more. And More. That wouldn’t be so bad to do but they will sometimes flip the script and want the same productivity level with no pay increase or they decide to pull the project once it gets to a certain level for them. This can come without warning to me, who has by this time determined the project to be long-term and have placed everything else (including other clients and my own blogs) on the back burner to focus on the clients needs.

Once I realized my worth, I stopped allowing that to happen to me. Now, I demand and stand firm on my rates, and I get them. Why? Because I let my work speak for itself.

My Freelancing Answer

Freelancing works great for some, I’m sure. And honestly, it works for me too. But for the things that aggravate me so much, I’ve come up with a different solution and a way to get what I need (income, consistency) without feeling like a computer slave.

I own several blog sites that I write on periodically. Periodically because I’m working on client work. Now I realize that those blogs will never grow if I don’t concentrate on growing them.

They will never get to a sizable traffic if I don’t market them and network them. Well, one of the reasons why I haven’t done so before was because I was always working on someone else’s stuff!

To answer that problem, I’ve decided to continue to write for private clients AND work at my own blogs and on getting them up to speed so that they can give me that income and consistency that I need from my own work. My own creative, professional, full-of-heart work. After all, if 17 years worth of clients think that it’s all that, shouldn’t I think so too??

Absolutely.

 

Why You Should Create Passive Income Streams

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Working Smart vs. Hard

I’ve always been a person who is interested in passive income. Not because I’m lazy and don’t want to work (ha!), but because I am a very busy mom and freelance writer who needs to maximize my time as I maximize my money!

Honestly, the thought of working 10 hours and making $250/week freelancing versus working those same 10 hours and making $1,000/week intrigues me. And in addition to the work that you put in, you’re utilizing the same skill set, knowledge and education in both scenarios, right? So, why not make as much money as you can with the same set of variables in the same amount of hours. It’s a no-brainer to me.

Now if you were to ask 100 people whether they’re interested in increasing their income, it’s likely that 100 of them will give a resounding YES!! Another no-brainer, because just about everyone wants to increase their income. Yes, even you because you’ve gotten this far with reading this article, right? But let’s stop here and think about asking those same 100 people if they’re serious about income creation enough to:

  • invest in a business idea
  • educate themselves about their market
  • grow or market their business idea, or
  • work hard to build an online business

and probably about half of them will shrug their shoulders and lose enthusiasm. Why is that?

Passive Income Mindset

When you stop to think about it, really think about it, just how many people are there who really want to build wealth and income streams? Sure, a lot of people say they want to be wealthy or comfortable, but there are very few who are willing to put in the time, dedication and hard work that it’s going to take to actually accomplish it.

That’s because we as humans want instant gratification in most everything we do.

But it’s those people who are truly committed to take action who want to make a real difference in their lives, who will experience results. You see, the major difference between the wealthy and the poor is that wealthy people take action (since they are committed to their wealth), whereas poor people tend to only think about change, but rarely take the action(s) necessary to make it. Agree?

If you are still reading this article, then you’re serious about creating wealth and different income streams. Continue to read on because here is the starting point that can catapult you to change.

What is Passive Income?

Many people have heard of passive income, but very few fully understand what it means. Passive income is loosely defined as income that you work for once and benefit from continually.

That can mean if you’re at the beach vacationing with your family, you can still be earning money via different channels of recurring income that you have set up, whether that’s an e-course, a digital ebook, product sales or even e-coaching.

The key to generating ongoing and growing wealth is to work for passive income, instead of working for income. That means you have to stop trading your time for dollars ONLY and begin creating systems, products and services that continue to bring you income, even when you’re not actively working.

For example, if you are a writer, a trainer, a programmer or a consultant, once you stop working, you stop making money because you are trading your time for money. And even in any of these fields, you have the potential to make an incredible amount of money. But remember, once you stop working, once you “clock out” or if you’re sick one day and can’t work, your working income stops coming in. It’s gone. Yes, while you may have plenty of money that you’ve made off of your craft or skill, you won’t make anymore unless you start looking for more freelance clients, fitness clients or people who need consulting advice. Do you see where I’m going here?

Trading time for dollars has never been and never will be the way to attain true wealth. Rich, wealthy individuals focus more on developing methods and systems that earn passive income, so that their wealth grows each day. The method or system you choose is indifferent to whether you’re selling $5,000 custom designed websites or a monthly subscription to jewelry making classes. It’s all about implementing workable, scalable systems that continue to bring you recurring revenue for the work that you put in.

Let me be clear here and say that creating and managing passive income is not an easy “set-it-and-forget-it” task, because it is not.

  • It will take work to establish your business base
  • It will take planning, coordination and commitment to build that base
  • It will require a working knowledge of various systems and methods
  • It will require you moving away from your comfort level and learn new things
  • It will require you to invest time and money in building your business base
  • But, as a generous reward for all of the hard work that you put in, you’ll reap the benefits of recurring income that comes in day after day, month after month and year after year.

It’s quite possible to earn a generous living through passive income channels. Imagine earning $400 before you even get up in the mornings. Or making $50 as you eat breakfast. Or being on vacation for a week and signing into your PayPal account to see a deposit for $2000.

Yes, it is possible.

Make it Happen

So how can you make this happen? Well, first off, DO NOT quit your day job because it will take some time and work before you are able to live off of your passive income. Since building passive income is long term thinking, not short term, in the meantime continue to work your day job until you start making more or about the same with your passive income channels. But remember, the wealthy are those that take action.

Secondly, find what type of passive income system you’re going to utilize and launch that will help you create income. Make sure it’s a viable, solid idea before you start investing your time and money.

Finally, get ready to work and throw yourself 100% completely into your passive income idea. That means working on it and taking it very, very seriously. Treat it like a real business, because that’s what it is. Set aside some time each day or night  (especially if you have a day job) and work on your business. That’s the only way you’re going to see results.

Creating a passive income can be done and thousands of people are doing it each day. Go ahead and get started towards your journey to wealth creation.

5 Ways to Add Value to Your Content

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Engage Your Readers 

We’ve all been there. You know, the website where the author is “sure” that you’ll gain relevant, insightful information, and break out running to all of your friends to tell them about this wonderful article you just read.

Not. It doesn’t happen like that.

The web is a peculiar place, and you have to know how to engage readers if you want them to stay on your site. The first thing that you must do is capture their attention, much like I did in the first sentence that you read here. Did it work?

When visitors come to your site or blog to read your material, you’ve got to give them reasons to stay there and finish reading what you’ve written. There are multitudes of sites online where they could be, yet they’ve chosen to engage on your site. So what are some things that you can do to enhance their experience? Listed are five readily applicable suggestions that you can implement on your site right away to increase its value and start growing a solid readership base:

1.) Talk about the news

What better way to help readers than by giving them stories that are REAL and/or happening? News stories are timely resources since they are real, current and relatable. News stories are also popular because people inherently love to read about the lives of others, whether that’s in politics, entertainment or business. Make sure though that your news stories are applicable to your genre or industry. It would be just weird to write on something that’s totally irrelevant to your area of expertise.

2.) Talk “to” your readers, not “at” them

If there’s nothing worse for a reader to feel that you’re talking down to them, is to read that you’re talking down to them. It’s perfectly fine and within reason to use an academic approach in your style, but be careful to not sound too “preachy” or authoritative to the point where the reader feels offended, and clicks away. Let them know you’re on their side. Let them know that you understand. Build a kindred relationship where you’re with them rather than teaching them.

3.) Don’t sell; Be

If you operate in a profit mode, then you know how important it is to sell your product or service. That’s why you’re online 25 hours a day, and why you’re on all of the social networking platforms, and why you’re a re-tweeting machine. But be careful of this, because readers can tell when you’re doing all of this to get to the profits fast or when you are truly interested in adding value to their mission. Instead of selling them, just exist. Don’t make every post a promotional piece. Don’t make every outbound link one that leads to your sales page. Just comfortably navigate around the web, making your visits and selections relevant and your readers will see that you’re more tuned into what is really going on around the web, rather than only being interested in profit dollars. When you operate in this way, readers are more inclined to follow your material and trust what you say. In the end, gaining the readers trust is what you want anyway, as opposed to one-time hits on your site. The key is to build traffic and build relationships, and this is the pathway that leads there.

4.) Show Genuine Interest

Like their content, and they’re sure to like yours. But make sure you actually do like it before you say so. It never fails that one good turns deserves another, and readers will almost always check out your pages, posts and sites if you show an interest in theirs. That’s effective social engagement, right?

5.) Offer Solid Content

Don’t regurgitate the content, but make it good, really good. Good enough for the reader to share, retweet, Like and any other method of showing their pleasure of your work. Solid content is produced from one place: the heart. Readers know when you mean what you write, or if you’re doing it just for the sake of it. Including news, facts, statistics and other information doesn’t have to make your work dry. Use real-world examples, engage the reader with lively anecdotes and then always give them a benefit or solution when you’re concluding.

People say value is relative. I agree. What may be valuable to one person, may seem inconsequential to another. As far as the content on your site, the value in it is determined by the readers and what benefits they received from reading and applying what you’ve given them. If it’s good information, they will find immediate value in it. If it’s a good resource, they will experience ongoing value. If you don’t give them anything that enhances or changes the quality of their experience, then they would not have gained anything, and you are no more impactful for them as when they first encountered your site. Be sure to make a difference with your reader so that see value immediately.