Ask Bob The Teacher

This past week marked the 2nd anniversary of the release of my first product, Free Ad Report. So I thought it appropriate to take a quick jaunt down memory lane at the last 2 years since then.

On Friday, I’m holding a customer appreciation sale.  It’s 8/8/08, and this look at the products I’ve created should put in perspective the quality of training and experience you’ll have access to if you choose to take part in the Crazy 888 Sale.

I’ll have 3 different packages available, ranging in value and amount of access to training products I’ve already created and will be releasing over the next year. All details will be revealed throughout the week to you if you claim your free VIP Access Pass at Crazy888Sale.com. (use signup code 1dayonly)

So here’s a look at the training and special sites I’ve created during my own journey as an online business trainer (and date of release in parentheses). I’ve also included a few important events that played a major role in my business.

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It’s time for me to let you in on the big secret formula that I use to make money with teleseminars.

This is the same formula that I stumbled upon 17 months ago, and have continued to repeat the process again and again.

If you are familiar with my teachings, you know that I have something called the Eight-Fold Path to Profit. Well, the Teleseminar Formula is a segment of that entire process, but can stand alone all by itself.

I made a quick video to teach you my formula to success with teleseminars…

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Wondering where you should put your energy when it comes to making your business known on the internet?

AskBobTheTeacher member Matt Geib asked me a very important question after my last post, that I would like to give a more detailed answer about.

He asked:

“If I have a blog (which I do) can it not serve the same function as a ‘mini web site’ ? Do I really need both as I start out?”

This question raises a few different issues that I’d like to take on today.

First, what are the differences between a blog and a mini-site.

A mini-site has just one purpose, and that is to either generate leads (then it’s really just a squeeze page), or sell a product.  A mini-site has three real pages that guide a visitor from information seeker (landing page), to buyer (sales page), to satisfied customer (download/thank-you page).

Mini-sites are perfect for creating revenue with a specific product.

Blogs, however, are designed to build a conversation with your customers.  Because blogs allow comments and easy updates, they are fresher and more immediate.  As you can tell from my blog here, for example, keeping it up to date and asking for you to respond helps each of us know that we’re in this together.  Mini-sites are pretty lonely, but still needed.

So my answer to Matt is that a blog can’t really serve effectively as a mini-site.  A single page of a blog can act like it, but because of the structure of most blogs (the themed template, to be more specific), they are too distracting to serve as a mini-site.  They have too many links and can be confusing to a new visitor.

The truth is, you can use either one to start out, but it depends on what you are trying to achieve.

If you want to get a specific product to market, or publish a report that generates leads and sales, then a mini-site is perfect.  And each different product/service can be on its own site.  Also, mini-sites are the better way to go when working with joint-venture partners.  They allow you to partner with someone who can promote something specific of value to their list, and perhaps generate affiliate commissions in return.

But if you want to establish credibility in a specific niche with what you have to say, then a blog is better.  You can begin posting right away, the technical skills are minimal (although you do need a little bit), and whatever you say is going to stick around longer.

Another advantage of a blog over a mini-site is search engine results.  Blogs are much better at serving as SEO magnets than mini-sites are.  This is because every single time you post, you are actually creating a completely new webpage.

You can also build your list with a blog, as long as you give people a reason for signing up through your opt-in form.

To get a blog going, you just need a good web host (with cPanel preferably - I recommend HostGator), a MySQL database, and the WordPress installation pack (cPanel hosts usually have Fantastico for one-button installations).

So which should you go with?

If you can swing it, do both.  Use your blog to get to be known and trusted, while having a place for your community members to buy products or learn from you.  And they can both be hosted on the same website.

Now yesterday, I gave you an extensive lesson on Mini-Sites in the form of an interview with Dan Kelly (it’s free, did you get it?).

Today, I’d like to share with you another excellent resource from a good friend of mine, and blogging expert, Mike Paetzold.

In my Eight-Fold Path To Affiliate Profits course (open for enrollment right now), I just had Mike join as a guest teacher this week.  This is a guy who really knows blogging inside and out.

He’s created a beginner’s How-To Blog guide that I recommend for your learning.  It’s called Get Your Blog Going, and features an audio interview between Mike and one of his customers (who asks the same types of questions you would if you had the chance).  Although it’s not free, it will pay for itself quickly with what you’ll learn to do with your blog.

More traffic, better connections with your audience, and a lot more.  I especially like what he reveals about getting Google to index your pages faster.

If you are like Matt, and you want to make your blog the center of your marketing efforts, Get Your Blog Going is a great place to start.

Whatever you decide (mini-sites or blogs), starting is the most important thing to do!

Bob Jenkins

p.s.  I’ll be sharing my top resource for managing your blog soon.  But Mike’s audio training is a must for knowing the big basics first.  Get your blog going now, and be sure to post the address to your blog as a comment below.

As you can imagine, I get a lot of questions from this blog (must be the title 8) )…

And one recurring question keeps popping up:

• “Bob, How do I go about creating a website? What do I really need to know?”

Here’s what you need to know how to do to get your website up and running.

• Domain name registration
• Web Hosting selection
• Mini-Site Creation

Let me share with you these pieces of the puzzle…
Where to register a domain name and how to pick a good name

You should be paying less than $10 to register a domain name, and you should never register your domain name (your website address) at your hosting service. Never!

Also, you should have more than one domain. For example, you should have a yourname.com domain (like bobtheteacher.com, but hopefully you can get your full name). You should also have a domain that matches your specialty (like www.DiscoverAffiliateStrategies.com).

I recommend you use my domain registration service, Shylar’s Quest. I am an authorized reseller of GoDaddy, and keep my prices under their published rates.

How To Pick A Good Web Host
There are plenty of hosts out there, many of them good. But you want to make sure you have cPanel as the dashboard of your site. Also, make sure you get an account with a host that allows unlimited domains and databases.

You shouldn’t be spending more than $15/month on hosting when you are starting out.

I trust Kiosk and Hostgator for all of my sites.

How To Set Up A Mini-Site

A website online for your business shouldn’t be some complex network of pages. Nor does it need a lot of flash or animation.

Some of the most profitable websites online are mini-sites. These types of sites have 3 pages at most. These pages are

1. Landing page (or squeeze page)
2. Sales Page
3. Download page

Thats it.

Of course, within the creation of a mini-site, you have a lot more at stake.

For example, how do you make a squeeze page? How do you connect it to an autoresponder? How do autoresponders work?

If I set up a product to sell, how do I get people to send me money? How do I actually get paid?

Free Transcripts Available To An Expert Interview
Instead of answering all of these questions here (this would be a really long post!), I’d like to give you an educational gift instead which will do the job much better.

I interviewed Dan Kelly, the Mini-Site expert, about this very topic. Even though it’s been a while since we recorded this call, you’ll find it extremely helpful in answering all of these questions.

The transcripts for this call are available to you now as a free gift. To claim this free gift, simply click here.

And enjoy finally having the answers to these questions! Your website will now be able to move forward…

Bob Jenkins

p.s. This interview is the core of my site DiscoverMiniSites.com. The transcripts are a great read, and will really help you understand how websites, especially mini-sites, are put together. Plus, you really should know Dan Kelly. He likes to stay behind the scenes, but I’ve come to know him well as his mastermind partner over the last year.

As always, I love hearing your comments about what I share with you. Tell me what headaches you face with your websites in a comment below. Then download your free transcripts at DiscoverMiniSites.com.