ComHacker.org

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Trisha, @mayobrains on Twitter

by Patricia Mayo

A little while ago, I posted a little ditty on reading between the lines in Internet Marketing. One of the things I mentioned was to read the benefits and see if you could predict what they’re selling.

via Fail Blog

Well, I analyze a lot of lists from a lot of supposed top marketers to keep up to date. Today, one big name “guru” sent me a whopping sob story about getting slapped by Google and losing millions, and blah blah blah.

by Patricia Mayo

I’m breaking all the rules in my product launch - but I’m willing to bet my results will be better, and longer lasting, than anyone who does it the “traditional way.”

Photo by Maira Kouvara

The “things” traditional online marketers say you need, like a list and a website, are spot on, but the way they say you should build it is way off.

If you know anything about building a list, you know that at the beginning of it all is the “squeeze page.” I don’t use a squeeze page the way most people do. I let you see more information. I let you navigate through my site.

I am doing everything I can to be as transparent and available as possible. And I’m not just using my transparent squeeze page to draw in subscribers, either.

I just had a look at some stats (every blogger’s favorite obsession) and realized, as of today, ComHacker is officially 1 month old - and I can’t believe the response this blog has already received!

First and foremost - thank you. Thank you profusely. Thank you incessantly for these absolutely jaw dropping stats (to me, at least).

The Stats

From February 11th to March 25th, I just had a “coming soon” image for ComHacker. Honestly, I needed something to point at for the guest post at ProBlogger, because I knew it would be a big kick start for just about anything.

Interestingly enough, ProBlogger only directed a grand total of 147 visitors YTD (Google sent more traffic than ProBlogger). The real meat and potatoes has come from StumbleUpon, with 1,510 YTD uniques.

However, those 1,510 uniques isn’t even half of the total. That means someone has been spreading rumors, a lot of someones, actually - and I just want to say… THANKS!

by Patricia Mayo

I don’t know who got the bright idea to spread this nasty rumor - but everyone seems to think the only concepts worth pursuing are the ones with a lot of people searching. It’s the dumbest unwritten rule of all time.

Photo by Sanja Gjenero

How can you expect to represent authority and stand out if you’re not doing something original? You have to lead the pack - and I’m sorry to say, leading the pack is one heck of a lonely thing to do!

Besides, anyone with half a brain cell - even SEO pros themselves - know you can’t rely entirely on search engine marketing. And if you don’t know why yet, allow me to show you.

by Patricia Mayo

Believe it or not, there are actually quite a few truly useful things sold by those 10 mile long sales letters (with the distinct exception of “make money online” information products). Not all products promoted in such ways are crap - and thinking that way is just the coward’s way out.

Original Photo by Steve Woods

However, in order to fully understand whether you’re being sold a rip-off or a real resource, you need to know the full-on ins and outs of sales letter marketing.

It will take some practice before you’re good at reading between the lines, and I’m sure some deceitful marketer is going to read this and revise their marketing - but I’m going to have a go at making this as bullet-proof as I can.

by Patricia Mayo

Photo by Sanja Gjenero

I’ll be the first to admit - I don’t know it all. Sure I’ve been around a lot, but sometimes you just have to lean on someone a lot more experienced than yourself.

If you will remember from the first episode on building a successful business out of MyChingo.com, one of the product’s biggest target markets is educators. I’m certainly not an expert on the education industry, but Matt Herzberger definitely qualifies.

Matt is right in the middle of everywhere MyChingo wants to go. He works in higher ed filling seats and working with the technology students want in the classroom, the mind behind the @makechange Twitter bot, runs an edublog aggregator at BlogHighEd.org, and an apparent master at sucking up because he got BlogHighEd.org to move up on Alltop.com.

In this episode, Matt helps me figure out how to get MyChingo in front of educators, with insights on what really matters to them and how to position it to succeed.

The music is “The Colorful Box” (not yet completed or released) by Sedition, and it continues at the end of the podcast so be sure to stick around. If you would like to promote your music in next week’s podcast, please feel free to get in touch.

(in case you didn’t know, Sedition is my “band,” it’s just me, and just a hobby)

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 Mobasoft Case Study Ep 2 [31:00m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

by Patricia Mayo

You’ve seen the headlines - “The new revolutionary way to…” - “Super insider secrets for…” - “The easiest way to…” - “…that THEY don’t want you to know!”

Photo by Moza

As a ghostwriter for many years of those awful five page sales letters and “make money online” information products, I’ve seen - and written - it all. You wouldn’t believe how the “make money online” business really works - and how little of it, actually does.

The reason why all those neat tricks you learned in “make money online” information products don’t work is two fold: the mindset behind it, and the mindset it produces.

More people go into debt chasing some “revolutionary new super secret easy way to make money online” - including, and especially, blogging for money. But you know as well as I do - most of these “insider tricks” are junk, and just an inside joke to trick you into buying.

Real internet marketers don’t sell “online money making secrets” - they give them away for free. Think about it. If they really are making the money they claim, why do they have to sell the information product that teaches you how to make money?

by Patricia Mayo

Photo by Sanja Gjenero

Building a business from scratch and bootstrapping it the whole way is not easy, by any means - but Michael Bailey of Mobasoft, creator of MyChingo.com, has done it at least three times. He is six figures in debt, about as optimistic as an American economist, yet still kicking.

Why? He loves what he does. Michael realizes that money is simply a means to an end, and he only wants to make MyChingo profitable so he can work full time to add more features for the community.

I fell in love with Michael’s story, his ideals, his ethics, and his passion for innovation. That’s why this is only the very first in a series on building a successful online business - because I am not going to stop helping him until he is on track to pay off his massive debt.

Join us for our first discussion of his amazing story, and the equally astounding stories of the people who use MyChingo - including a husband’s journey to help his wife out of a persistent vegetative state.

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 Mobasoft Case Study Ep 1 [37:03m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download