The Bare Neccessities For Building Your Web 2.0 Empire
O.K, in the spirit of being the markleter who likes too share her arsenal of free goodies so we can all work from home...No one involved in "The Social Media Marketing Academy" scholarship program is in any way obligated to purchase ANY of the suggested "bare neccessities" I have outlined here.
Every Single Item Has A Free (although perhaps not as effective or professional) alternative.
However, I personally use (and could not imagine my business without) ALL of the things that I suggest here. I feel that this small handfull of tools will give you all an advantage in a major way. Otherwise, I wouldn't have made a whole page about it!
Here Are The Basic Building Blocks For The "Brain" Of Your Web 2.0 Empire
#1. A Domain Name For Your Website And/ Or Wordpress Blog
Why?
When you host your blog yourself (as opposed to a free blog which we'll discuss later) and have your own domain name, you OWN your content. If, for example, you go with Blogger, Google technically owns your blog's content and had the right to just...~poof~make your blog go away without a trace if they so desire.
Now, this doesn't happen often, but it can and does happen. Here are just a few other reasons you need your own domain:
- Your own domain is much better for branding purposes.
- Not using a free blogging platform gives you more serious "business crd" for obvious reasons.
- Wordpress (self-hosted) has so many more features than any of the free platforms and YOU are in control of your blog in all ways.
- I have a domain for a website, blog, and lead capture page.
- I don't have to worry about someone else registering a "copycat."
And don't worry if you don't yet know how to make a webpage or a lead capture page. I got you covered with all kinds of videos. Just be sure to subscribe to the newsletter to find out where to get those.
Recommended domain registration
Free Alternative ~ Blogger Blog
***Not recommended. You'll have:
- Not your own domain name. It will be yourusername.blogspot.com
- No email to go with your domain for branding
- No "ownership" of your name and content
- Not as many creative options (see below)
#2 Hosting For You Blog And/ Or Website
Why?
- Because you need a server to publish your content online.
- The free hosting you get when you register a domain at GoDaddy is ok, in a pinch, but:
- Wordpress isn't a little file or application. You should make sure to have the proper facilities for it so that your hosting account isn't maxed out right away and then it starts running poorly or crashing.
- It's pretty cheap anyway.
I actually use both of these and have blogs hosted there (I have a boatload of names) so I can just show the admin panel to my "Social Media Marketing Academy" students and they can follow. These are the ones that Sheree, the penny pinching marketer, has found to be plenty adequate at the sweetest price.
Host
Gator Hosting ~ 7.95/ month option.
This one is actually my #1 recommendation for either a regular website or a blog. However, the choice below is just fine for a standard website (for a large e-commerce site, see Host4Profit). Since we're talking about social media, we'll concentrate on a hosted blog.
Host Gator actually has something called C-Panel, which is awesome if you're going to be using it for a blog site. It's also a great host for a regular website as well.
Go Daddy Hosting ~ $6.95/ month level.
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This one is actually my #1 recommendation for either a regular website or a blog. However, the choice below is just fine for a standard website (for a large e-commerce site, see Host4Profit). Since we're talking about social media, we'll concentrate on a hosted blog.
Host Gator actually has something called C-Panel, which is awesome if you're going to be using it for a blog site. It's also a great host for a regular website as well.
Go Daddy Hosting ~ $6.95/ month level.
***Please make sure and
choose the LINUX option especially for a Wordpress blog.***
I use www.GoDaddy.com
for hosting as well. In
fact, I'm using it for this site you're on right now. I have nothing
bad to say about it either. However, don't choose the option to allow www.GoDaddy.com
to upload Wordpress for
you or you will have your blog's address as
http://www.YourDomainName.com/wordpress. You don't want that, you want
it in the root folder.
~
free hosting account
included with domain registration.
The reason I say don't if you can avoid it (but by all means, go for it if it's going to be too much of a budget cramper. I've been broke before too) is this:
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I use www.GoDaddy.com
"The Social Media Marketing Academy", as well as the blogging portion of "How To Build Your Web 2.0 Empire" will include videos on everything you'll need to get Wordpressed. The web 2.0 Empire blogging course will be launched very soon. Sign up for the social media marketing academy newsletter to be among the first to know about it AND a chance to receive a FREE review copy! There will be short courses on each Social Media Marketing Academy module.
FFree Alternative www.GoDaddy.comThe reason I say don't if you can avoid it (but by all means, go for it if it's going to be too much of a budget cramper. I've been broke before too) is this:
- Not a whole lot of breathing room. I can't tell you a horror story because I've never used free hosting before (see below) but I have visions of crashing websites and blogs.
- Wordpress is a BIG program. You need space just for that, and then some for the content.
- You WILL eventually need more as your blog has more and more posts.
- The biggest reason not use free hosting is that there will be ads that are not yours all over the top of your site AND it will say "this site hosted for free on Go Daddy, with a link (not your affiliate link either) to them.
#3 Wordpress .
Now that you've got your domain and hosting accounts, you'll need to go ahead and download Wordpress. Remember:- Do not choose to let Go Daddy install it for you if you use their hosting (see above).
- If you do use Go Daddy hosting, choose at least the $6.95/ month option AND choose the LINUX hosting.
- C Panel is great for Wordpress, so your best bet would be Host Gator and the $7.95/ month option is sufficient.
- The 'How To Build Your Web 2.0 Empire: Blogger Course" will have videos to show you how to do all of this. Just subscribe to the Social Media Marketing Academy newsletter to be the first to know and have a chance at a review copy.
#4 Your Leads Generation System(s) ~ 2 great sources and 1 free lead capture page (I use all 3).
Here are your best options for leads capture systems. As I said, I use all of them. There are different applications for these different types of lead capture systems.
Aweber Autoresponder- This isn't neccessarily considered a network marketing MLM lead generation system, persay, this is the autoresponder of the champs. Myself, I do both MLM network marketing AND affiliate marketing (funded proposal) so this is a neccessary tool in my book. Even if I wasn't an affiliate marketer as well, I would use this.
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Check out my My Space profile for a great example of using Aweber to get free MLM network marketing leads. You can't put forms on all these social networking sites without something like this.
For $1999 a month, you get:
- Unlimited autoresponder lists (meaning you could seperate your lists according to different factors such as location of form, download attached, newsletter subject, and you could test different forms).
- Complete form customization.
- Use friendly interface.
- Super duper top of the line company for email deliverability. Aweber will get your messages in your prospects inbox, period.
- Overly detailed tracking info. Lets you see all.
With
Aweber,
you can either create a simple, 1 page leads capture page OR, as I
stated above, you can copy and paste these forms all over your Web 2.0
Empire. Places like:
- My Space
- Ning
Basically, this will give you the power to have an opt-in spot, relative to the location itself, all over the Internet.
So, there's just so much
you can gain, in regard to generating your leads by choosing, or better
yet, including
this tool in addition to (a) leads capture page(s).
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Now, of course, in the name of education, there will be a recorded lesson on Aweber setup, integration, etc., as well as another on building your lead capture page using Aweber.
Water
fall Leads Capture System ~ This is my own original, and
still to this day my very favorite free network marketing leads
generation system.This is the reason why I can honestly say
that I have NEVER bought a single MLM network marketing lead.
Every network marketer should know how to generate their own leads for their business. It is irrelevant how you feel about buying leads. Some say that this is a perfectly acceptable solution to the leads issue for them.
I know my Social Media Marketing Butterflies aren't closed-minded enough to settle for buying leads who may or may not even remember filling out some random form on the web.
Making money? Home biz information? Some survey? Who know?
No matter where your self-generated leads enter your business contact list (Aweber, Waterfall Leads, or Magnetic Sponsoring) you are the CEO and should have control of:- What advertising message your leads responded to in order to come across your path.
- What, if any, incentives were offered to your leads.
- Free e book?
- Free leads?
- Free Mini Course?
- Where they came from
- Who else got their contact info. before you did.
- Buying leads = risk of your leads being resold again & again.
- If you're the unlucky fool to get them on the 3rd-4th round of recycle, they're likely to tell you where you can stick your income opportunity.
- The fact that you know, without a doubt, that they opted in to talk to YOU about YOUR business.
So, waterfall
leads
taught me how to pump leads into my inbox
even if I take a week off.
You automatically get access to a source of monthly free leads to offer your leads as an incentive to opt-in and learn more about whatever it is you're promoting or building.
So, that's it. From here on out, it's about BLASTING you and your company all over the FREE world wide web.
Now, you should go check out the tools for web 2.0 marketing productivity. Almost all are open-source (free) software or free services online.
It's all about:
Here's the deal, should you choose to implemeny this one.
You automatically get access to a source of monthly free leads to offer your leads as an incentive to opt-in and learn more about whatever it is you're promoting or building.
This lead capture system is also completely generic and can be used with ANY network marketing opportunity.
So, How Do You Get Your Own Lead Capture System Like This?
Option
1 : You get a free
lead capture system including training on how to generate your own free
network marketing leads as a customer of Helloworld.
If you like the way Helloworld looks, go ahead and CONTACT ME and let me know you're interested. I might even have some FREE 30 day trails left.
Email Me
Option 2 : All of my VM Direct affiliates get the free leads capture system, of course when they choose me to be their sponsor. Not only that, but all of my downline gets the entire "Web 2.0 Empire Blueprint" course collection AND a lifetime membership to "Social Media Marketing Academy" after launch. In the meantime, I can just tell you and show you what's in there.
Note: You do get a free leads capture page in the form of yourhusername.waterfallleads.com but I do suggest that you get a domain name (something to the effect of "free leads") from Go Daddy and forward it to the new domain. It just looks better that way, however, this is NOT a requirement.
A perfectly respectable FREE leads capture page as it stanfds (username.magneticsponsoring.com). I personally have my own forwarded through Go Daddy to Attract-Leads.com.
I don't recommend using this one as your ONLY leads source or your primary capture system if you can do one of the above options.
Side by side with equally good keyword rich domain names, waterfall leads CRUSHES Magnetic Sponsoring (as a lead capture system) like a bus.
If you like the way Helloworld looks, go ahead and CONTACT ME and let me know you're interested. I might even have some FREE 30 day trails left.
Email Me
Option 2 : All of my VM Direct affiliates get the free leads capture system, of course when they choose me to be their sponsor. Not only that, but all of my downline gets the entire "Web 2.0 Empire Blueprint" course collection AND a lifetime membership to "Social Media Marketing Academy" after launch. In the meantime, I can just tell you and show you what's in there.
Check Out VM Direct
Note: You do get a free leads capture page in the form of yourhusername.waterfallleads.com but I do suggest that you get a domain name (something to the effect of "free leads") from Go Daddy and forward it to the new domain. It just looks better that way, however, this is NOT a requirement.
Option #3 : COMPLETELY FREE OPTION! Magnetic Sponsoring Leads Capture Page.
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A perfectly respectable FREE leads capture page as it stanfds (username.magneticsponsoring.com). I personally have my own forwarded through Go Daddy to Attract-Leads.com.
I don't recommend using this one as your ONLY leads source or your primary capture system if you can do one of the above options.
Side by side with equally good keyword rich domain names, waterfall leads CRUSHES Magnetic Sponsoring (as a lead capture system) like a bus.
So, why do I bother with it?
- I love to test stuff & tell my readers the results
- It's a free alternative for people who ask me what their choices are
- There is a built in "funded proposal" that requires no additional time from you to promote
- It's 1 more place to have my "psst...lookie here" on the Internet
- I like the Magnetic Sponsoring book. Mike Dillard "gets it." Check out my review at Squidoo.
The #1 problem with Magnetic Sponsoring
as your solitary lead capture page is that you're not branding YOU,
your branding MIKE DILLARD. Yes, you will get leads from this,
especially if you get a domain name from Go Daddy and forward it. However,
a lot of people will simply want the free 7 day video course.
To me, Magnetic Sponsoring and it's free 7 day mini-course , is a selfless act of providing:
To me, Magnetic Sponsoring and it's free 7 day mini-course , is a selfless act of providing:
- A free lead capture page
- A free 7 day video course which, as it turns out, is actually very good
- A very soft nudge letting them know about some damn good network marketing training material via Mike Dillard.
Magnetic Sponsoring also has a pretty cool free network marketing
community. I have a profile up and a couple of other bits and have seen
good examples of social media marketing done right in here.
Go ahead and sign up for the free Magnetic Sponsoring 7 day video course. No one is going to shove promotions down your throat. Mike Dillard's not tacky and neither am I.
Go ahead and sign up for the free Magnetic Sponsoring 7 day video course. No one is going to shove promotions down your throat. Mike Dillard's not tacky and neither am I.
So, that's it. From here on out, it's about BLASTING you and your company all over the FREE world wide web.
Now, you should go check out the tools for web 2.0 marketing productivity. Almost all are open-source (free) software or free services online.
It's all about:
- Saving large amounts of money
- Saving large amounts of time
- An extra boost of social media marketing power