I’ll be honest.

Beyond chatting with friends I see in real life, and keeping up with a few closer business associates and clients, I’ve always considered social media to be a waste of time.

I’ve never cared about my Facebook friend count, or how many Twitter followers I have. It’s not that I don’t understand the value, it’s just that I usually see it as a distraction rather than something I need to focus on to grow my business.

I recently interviewed Rabbi Issamar Ginzberg on social media marketing, and I took away dozens of money making ideas that even someone like me who still doesn’t “get” Twitter can take to the bank.

This was new to me, and if you haven’t heard about it I think you’ll agree that it’s pretty amazing…

Rapportive – The Free App That Delivers Incredibly Valuable Marketing Intel Directly To Your Gmail Box…

You can grab it here…

http://www.Rapportive.com

Here’s why I love it.

This is an email from Issamar, whenever I get an email in my Gmail account a box like the one to the right pops up…

At a glance I can see the company he’s with, his job title, what social networks we’re connected on (and which ones we aren’t), and his latest tweets…

Now, let’s say he’s a new client.

I can glance at his latest tweets, find out he just did an interview, and immediately I have some common ground with him.

If it was an old client I could use it to find out what he’s been up to and get back in touch.

If it was a customer I could find out more about them at a glance, figure out what they’re interested in on a deeper level and use that info to establish a common ground.

If it’s a complete stranger, I can see at a glance if they’re the waiter at my local restaurant, or the CEO.

It’s very powerful stuff, and it’s all delivered to you at a glance inside your Gmail account.  How powerful could knowing a prospects favorite sports team, or realizing that a complete stranger runs a massive blog in your niche be for your business?

And it’s just scratching the surface of what I learned on this interview, social media really IS a gold mine, just not in the way most people think about it.

You can learn more about what we covered on the social media marketing interview here.

Take care,

-Scott Murdaugh

P.S. We go in depth talking about getting HUGE PR exposure, tons of traffic, million-dollar contacts, big-ticket clients and much more, you can see all of the juicy details here… (It’s especially eye-opening if you think “social networking” is a waste of time – click here to see what I mean)…

When I started MakeStuffSell.com, it was for one reason.

And that was to show potential clients examples of my writing. I really didn’t care about getting a ton of readers or subscribers – Because I was only selling one product – High ticket copywriting services – and 99% of people weren’t my prospects.

I didn’t care about getting a huge amount of readers.

I didn’t care if people commented on my blog posts.

I wasn’t concerned with even promoting my blog – It was just a place to send prospects to when they had a question about positioning or how much you should pay for a copywriter.

In fact – for a long time – my blog was actually “dead by design”, my target audience was VERY small – potential copywriting clients.

But it did its job – and I did just fine with a blog that had very little readership.

But Now My Focus Has Changed – And So Has The Goal Of My Blog…

In 2012 – for the most part I’m phasing out freelance work.

I’ve already created and launched several niche products – and I’m working on a TON of new stuff.

That changes everything about what I want to accomplish with this blog.

Now the goal is to reach a large audience – anyone who wants to sell anything online – and that calls for some MASSIVE changes to my overall approach.

Step 1: List Building – Before – I had ONE opt-in form, in the sidebar. The conversion rate was around 2.5%. Not pretty.

I recently added opt-in forms to my feature box on the home page, on the sidebar, above and below single posts, on my about me page, my footer and my resource buckets.

It’s still early – and I still have a lot of tweaking to do – but in the past few days the blog as a whole is converting right around 30% of visitors into subscribers.

I could probably improve on that with a pop-up or footer slide in – but I don’t want to sacrifice user experience for a minor opt-in boost.

Step 2: More “Cornerstone” Content – I used to post my daily emails here – and never focused on cornerstone content or building resources beyond short, “bite-sized” tips.

So now – most of my emails will go to subscribers only – and I’ll update 2-3 times here with longer, more content rich and informative posts and resources.

Step 3: User Friendly Navigation – If you look to the right you’ll see two free resources.

“The Ultimate Guide To “Selling Psychology” And Maximum Conversions…”

“The Renegade Marketers Mind Control Playbook”…

And those let me put some of my more valuable content in front of visitors all in one place, provide a valuable resource and makes it easy for them to know what to do next.

You’ll also notice my sidebar – it used to have a ton of stuff, recent comments, archives, categories – in short – it was overwhelming.

And when people are overwhelmed they don’t click.

So I’ve simply put a few links I want people to click, and stripped everything else away.

Step 4: Remove All Date Stamps – Online – content that’s over a week old is perceived to be “old news”, “out of date” and not worth reading.

Well, this is a blog about the psychology of selling – and 99% of the content here is as relevant today as the day I wrote it. That’s a personal preference, and wouldn’t make sense on a tech blog, but in my case I feel people would miss a lot of value if they skipped over some of the content because it wasn’t written yesterday.

Step 5: Getting Social – I honestly didn’t care about comments before. In fact I kicked around the idea of turning them off completely for awhile.

But again, the goal has changed, this is a new direction.

That means a LOT more promotion, a lot more social networking and actively encouraging comments and engaging my readers.

The Big Take-Away…

My blog wasn’t “broken” before – it did exactly what I wanted it to do.

But now that my goals have changed – I’m taking the blog in a new direction.  I owe a lot of these ideas to Derek of Social Triggers –and there’s still a lot of work to do.

Do you have a clear focus for the purpose of your blog in mind?

Has your focus changed since you started blogging?

Are you actively turning cold traffic into long-term subscribers (without scaring them away in the process)?

I’d LOVE to hear your thoughts below.

Take care,

-Scott Murdaugh

Try this out, it’s fun…

No matter what you sell, it can be a product, services, whatever… Take a moment and ask yourself a few quick questions.

1. Who is my ideal prospect?

2. How much money do they earn?

3. What are their political affiliations?

4. How internet savvy are they?

5. What thoughts keep them awake at night?

6. Where are they now, and where do they want to go in life?

I could go on forever…

But knowing your customer is FAR more powerful than knowing how to put together a slick sales letter. That’s why before entering a new niche for a client I want to know EVERYTHING about their prospective buyers…

I want to know what shows they watch on TV, what they read, and EXACTLY what’s going through their head when they land on my website.

In fact it’s SO powerful, that you could take a world-class copywriter and put him head to head with a guy who’s never written a line of copy in his life…

If the copywriter doesn’t know the market, and the guy who’s never written copy in his life knows the market like the back of his hand…

My money is on the non-copywriter every time.

Because he’s got the upper hand of knowing what the prospect is thinking and feeling and EXACTLY how to speak to the prospect in a language he can understand.

Knowing your market is THE most important factor in marketing.

My buddy (and world-class copywriter) Kevin Rogers has put together a VERY cool product called “Marketing X-Ray Vision“, it’s the same system they use to build a “prospect profile”, the same profiles they’ve used to string together more #1 launches than anyone else in the game.

Better still, as of this writing it’s only $10.

http://www.MakeStuffSell.com/X-Ray

Knowing how to REALLY zero in on your prospect is one of the most valuable skills on the planet. I highly recommend checking it out…

http://www.MakeStuffSell.com/X-Ray

-Scott Murdaugh

P.S. This has VERY little to do with copywriting, but once you understand how to really drill down to your prospects core desires, your marketing messages will automatically become infinitely more effective, no joke, for $10 ANYONE who considers themselves a “marketer” on any level can’t afford to miss this one.

http://www.MakeStuffSell.com/X-Ray

There’s one skill that everybody wants…

And there’s no shortage of “guru’s” out there willing to sell you their take on how to do it.

What’s that skill?

Getting hip to the art and science of cash generation.

You REALLY have to be careful who you listen to when it comes to this. Your BS detector should be full throttle when ANYONE (myself included) tells you they’re going to teach you how to make a ton of the green stuff.

It’s a lot easier to buy the next “push-button system” or follow the latest “traffic loophole” than it is to actually give yourself a REAL education on the skills it takes to set yourself up financially for life.

We associate the word “learning” with “boring”, but it doesn’t have to be that way. Not if you have the right people to learn from.

When it comes to this kind of an education, you want to listen to people who’ve spent a lot more time “walking the walk” than “talking the talk”…

And that’s why I HIGHLY recommend checking out Brian McLeod and David Garfinkle’s  “Fast Effective Copy“…

It’s MUCH more than a few copywriting templates and tips…

…It’s a REAL education on what the world’s smartest marketers do to generate wealth.

It’s fast paced, fun and it will teach you lessons that are capable of completely transforming the landscape of your financial future.

And it’s designed to be fun, fast and extremely effective.

You’ll be learning million dollar marketing lessons that you can start implementing before you go to bed tonight.

http://www.MakeStuffSell.com/FEC

Brian’s not a “copywriter”, he’s one of the sharpest marketers on the planet, a guy who took his company from nothing in a spare bedroom to over NINE figures a year… And a guy who marketing legends like John Carlton turn to keep their marketing fine tuned and running at peak performance…

…And David is MUCH more than a successful copywriter. He’s been billed as “The World’s Greatest Copywriting Coach” and rightly so…

He has a way of taking the most complex subjects and breaking them down into plain English that anyone understands, he has a way of making you “get it” unlike anyone else on the planet…

There’s a very good reason some of the world’s most successful marketers give so much credit to David for shaping their careers… Finding someone who truly “gets it” AND knows how to teach others how to do it as well is rare. Believe me, I’ve had my fair share of teachers…

And until now, you’d have to pony up thousands of dollars for a chance to rub shoulders with these guys.

Now, for literally pennies a day, you can ask them ANYTHING you want to know inside of the members area…

Want to know where the green stuff is and how to put yourself in a position to take your fair share?

Want to know how to write world-class copy that turns traffic into cash, and be able to pump it out within hours?

Want to know how to create financial security for LIFE?

Ask, and ye shall receive…

http://www.MakeStuffSell.com/FEC

It could be the most expensive financial education you never learned.

Peace,

-Scott Murdaugh

P.S. I have something VERY special for the next 20 people to order through my link. It’s an interview I did just over a week ago on how to make maximum money as a copywriter and marketer…

It’s all about the “business” side, very light on copywriting strategy.

I’ll show you…

• How to get paid to build your portfolio, even if you’ve never written a sales letter in your life.

• How to attract all of the premium, high paying clients you can handle (you’ll be turning most clients away, and you’ll NEVER worry about “hunting down” clients again)…

• How I propelled myself from a $500 per sales letter “bargain bin” copywriter to a six-figure freelancer in less than a year…

And a whole lot more…

This has NEVER been released, and it will NEVER be released for free. If I do pull it back out of the vault it’s going to be part of a paid product, and it’s not going to be cheap.

If you want to be one of the lucky 20 who gets their hands on it simply click this link, sign up for a real education in the art of cash generation, and set yourself up for life.

Once you’ve signed up, if you make the cut, just shoot me an email, and I’ll send you a link to download the interview.

Here’s the link again…

http://www.MakeStuffSell.com/FEC

Hurry though, I’m not joking about limiting the bonus to the first 20 people, and there’s a chance those spots could fill up by tonight.

P.P.S. Whew. I think this is the longest email I’ve ever mailed out. I appreciate you bearing with me, but I’m dead serious about this, it truly is an opportunity to learn from some of the sharpest minds in the business for next to nothing.

And if you do join up I’ll see you in the members forum! Feel free to ask me anything you’d like.

http://www.MakeStuffSell.com/FEC

Do those two names ring a bell?

David Garfinkle is responsible for launching more millionaire copywriter careers than probably any other person on the planet…  Not to mention being one of the most successful living marketers in the world.

…And Brian is one of the highest paid and most successful marketers and copywriters in the business (when John Carlton calls you in to help on projects, you know you’re doing something right).

So what’s up with the title of this email?

http://www.MakeStuffSell.com/FEC

Okay,

They’re not really putting me out of business, I’ll be just fine.

But as a working copywriter, I have to be a little bit weary, because they’ve leveled the playing field and created a simple system that allows ANYONE to quickly and easily pump out world class copy…

See, years ago David created a set of copywriting templates that sold for $1,200 a pop, when they were still available…

… And since they’ve been pulled off of the market they’ve become the stuff of legend in the marketing world, impossible to get your hands on, until now…

http://www.MakeStuffSell.com/FEC

Not only that, they’ve added a TON of training.

I’ve paid thousands of dollars for courses that can’t even touch this stuff, and for a very limited time you can get access for next to nothing…

http://www.MakeStuffSell.com/FEC

Copywriting is hands down the most profitable skill you can master, and with this system you’ll be able to churn out world class copy just hours from now.

David is on a mission to “to eradicate copywriting illiteracy in the world” … And this does it.

I’m ALWAYS studying copywriting and marketing products, and I can honestly say without hesitation (I paid for this, no “free review copy” or anything) that this is some of the most valuable stuff I’ve ever seen…

Get the full scoop here…

http://www.MakeStuffSell.com/FEC

Peace,

-Scott Murdaugh

P.S. I’m using one of David’s “P.S.” templates here… This is what Kevin Rogers (who isn’t associated with the product, and who routinely charges clients $30k+ to take on their projects) has to say about it…

“ Not only is David Garfinkel the world’s greatest copywriting coach (this is the guy who taught guys like Montello and Haddad, plus is a trusted copy expert to every “Big Dog” marketer you can think of)…

It’s a marketers dream come true!”

This is the real deal. And it gets my highest recommendation…

http://www.MakeStuffSell.com/FEC

One of the biggest reasons people fail when they start a business…

Or why some guys make a few thousand a month when they could be making 5-6 figures a month, is a lack of motivation.

As a freelance marketing strategist/copywriter/marketer/whatever the hell I feel like calling myself, I have no boss barking orders at me…

Sure, I have deadlines, but I always allow myself plenty of time to procrastinate “just in case”, however, and in the last year specifically, my productivity has gone through the roof.

I’m more productive than ever before.

I make more money than ever before.

And my “system” really is so simple that it’s surprising it works so well. After talking with some friends, I’m not the only one it works so well for.

So here it is…

I simply write down 3 critical tasks. I write them down at the end of the work day, and start on them first thing in the morning.

Like for today I have…

1. Write daily email.

2. Voice over sales video.

3. Finish OTO for client.

All of that should take 3-6 hours.

But the more I keep a focused effort, the quicker I’ll get it done. For me staying on task means leaving the office early on Friday…

And procrastinating means I’ll be stuck in here working on a Friday night.

Here’s the critical part, I allot blocks of time for each task, set a timer, and do NOTHING but what I’m supposed to be working on while that timer is going.

It could be 15 minutes, it could be an hour, but whatever time I set I focus and work on nothing else during that time.

I use The Action Machine (and have for nearly 2 years) to stay on task. I load up my daily tasks, set the timers, and hit “go”.

When I’m racing a timer, for some subconscious reason I get things done a lot more efficiently.

A notepad and an egg timer can almost work just as well…

But with The Action Machine you can load up tasks days or even weeks in advance, it’s always right there in front of you, and it generates reports letting you know what you’ve accomplished over time….

…And those reports are probably my  favorite thing about it. Nothing is more satisfying than seeing just how much you really can accomplish during a really productive week or month.

If you have problems with procrastination, maybe it’ll work for you too…

Have a good weekend!

Peace,

-Scott Murdaugh

P.S. Think about this, how much more money would you make if you could squeeze just 30-minutes of more PRODUCTIVE time into each day? That comes out to roughly 10 hours a month. If you make $20 an hour, that’s an extra $200 a month in your pocket, just for training yourself to accomplish a little more in the same amount of time…

This can help you get there…

http://www.makestuffsell.com/action

There are only a few sure things in life.

Death, taxes and…

Well the fact that “life” happens.

You can almost bet money on the fact that no matter what your bread and butter is online, bat-shit crazy things are eventually going to happen to your business and you’ll just have to deal with it.

Like with Google’s recent “Panda” update, causing millions of websites to lose their rankings and thousands of marketers waving goodbye to their incomes literally overnight…

…Or the Adwords “Google Slap”, again, a couple of years ago the “Big G” shut off the traffic valves to thousands of websites, putting untold amounts of people out of business. And this kind of stuff happens every day.

Merchant accounts get frozen, hosting goes down, affiliate programs fail to pay and profitable traffic sources come and go.

So in the web 2.0 world of Facebook, Twitter and “the next big thing” what’s the one thing you can always count on?

Good old fashioned email.

It’s not new, it’s not “sexy”, but seriously, since the internet has become mainstream it’s the only reliable way to activate new customers and stay in touch with old ones that has stood the test of time…

RSS subscribers, Facebook fans, Twitter followers…

Yeah, they’re great to have, but I’d bet you money that in 10 years time you’ll look back and wish you could transform them into email subscribers.

And if you’re smart, you will.

Something to chew on over the weekend.

Peace,

-Scott Murdaugh

P.S. On a completely unrelated note, I just downloaded all of the marketing graphics I’ll ever need (and man, they’re slick looking), for less than dinner for two at KFC… Check ‘em out here before they’re gone… http://www.MakeStuffSell.com/graphics-pack

If you’re marketing anything online you’re up against some crazy competition…

In fact it’s downright unfair..

…Because honest marketers, those who really want to provide value, who want to help our customers without resorting to lies and deception…

We’re competing against an army of con-men. Guys who will say and do ANYTHING to make a quick buck.

And the truth is, when you don’t have to “play by the rules”, you can sell just about anything to anyone.

It’s sad, but lies do sell. People are gullible.

My buddy Kevin Rogers along with his partner Ben Johnson have strung together more #1 Clickbank launches than anyone in the game, and they’ve ALWAYS played by the rules… Here’s why they’re able to compete…

http://www.MakeStuffSell.com/blackhatcopy

The really cool thing is they show you the psychology behind why the “deceptive” tactics work, and how to “spin” them so you can use them in your marketing not only ethically, but MUCH more effectively…

http://www.MakeStuffSell.com/blackhatcopy

This is the best lesson in how to effectively “play by the rules” and still crush the competition that I’ve ever seen…

…I study A LOT of marketing products, and there are some deep psychological takeaways here that I’ve never seen taught anywhere else, and once you learn them your marketing will be much more effective for life.

A few things I learned…

• How to ethically generate legitimate scarcity to get people to buy NOW without fake countdown timers, fake “limited copies” and other downright dishonest scarcity tactics…

• The REAL definition of hype, and how to know EXACTLY how much you should be using in your product sales letters…

• When being “boring” in your sales videos can dramatically jack up conversion rates…

• A BIG reason why your prospects are ignoring your headlines, and a deadly effective way to approach writing world-class headlines that pull in record sales….

The truth is, there’s a fine line between “ethical” persuasion and “dirty” deception… But once you learn how to walk that line well, you can ethically sell anything to anyone. And this is exactly how to do it…

http://www.MakeStuffSell.com/blackhatcopy

With the new Clickbank rules coming down, this is the sort of knowledge you need to swoop in, play by the rules, and crush it while the con-men go broke from being shut down and fighting lawsuits.

And just a peek into what goes through the heads of the best copywriters in the business, for less than $20, it’s an absolute no-brainer for me. I highly recommend that you check it out too…

Peace,

-Scott Murdaugh

P.S. There’s quite a few lessons worth ripping off in the sales letter itself, check out the lead after the headline and tell me it doesn’t suck you in, leave you nodding your head “yes” and hanging on every word…

http://www.MakeStuffSell.com/blackhatcopy

First of all THANK YOU to everyone who replied to my survey yesterday. The feedback was awesome.

One suggestion for an email subject was “how to find your place online”, and I think it’s a good subject. I suffer from “entrepreneurial ADD” as bad as anyone I know…

Over the past 5 years I’ve…

• Worked as a ghostwriter creating products for big name Clickbank marketers…
• Promoted dozens of affiliate offers, from CPA to information product.
• Created and successfully marketed several of my own products.
• Created, bought and flipped more websites than I can count.
• Worked as a freelance copywriter and marketing consultant for some of the best people in this business.
• Acted as lead copywriter and consultant to multi-million dollar businesses.

And a whole lot of other stuff.

Basically, if it’s online, I’ve been there and done it.

Right now I’m in a copywriting and consulting groove. I dig it because I’m always working on new projects, always working with new people and I don’t get bored with it.

I’m also working on several of my own products. I have PPC campaigns set up as an affiliate. I’m ALWAYS looking for innovative ways to grow my list (and doing my best to keep putting out content worth reading).

I’ve done almost everything online, and I’ll keep trying new stuff, because that’s just how I am.

My suggestion?

Work on whatever you happen to be passionate about at the time. When you’re passionate, you’re motivated, you’re having fun, you get things done and the money folllows.

Focus on one thing at a time. Go for the “fast money” projects first to keep you motivated over the long term, never get married to your ideas and be prepared to fail, and when you do fail, fail as fast as possible so you can get back on track.

Now go make some money

-Scott Murdaugh

P.S. For nearly 2 years I’ve been using a “secret weapon” to help plan my day, stay motivated, focused and to work at peak productivity. It’s had a DRAMATIC improvement on my productivity, and I can’t recommend it highly enough.

http://www.makestuffsell.com/action

Version 3.0 is coming out this week (along with a price hike) but you can grab it now at the normal price and you’ll get the upgrade for free. It’s been a life changer for me, you can check it out here…

http://www.makestuffsell.com/action

Wanna know a way to make a lot of coin really quick?

Here’s how…

1. Create BS rehashed product (you can find plenty of these scattered throughout the net).

2. Find enough gullible people to believe that they’ll make $10k tonight while they sleep for a one-time small payment of $37.

3. Set up 10 up-sells selling more rehashed junk at higher price points.

4. PROFIT!

The sad thing is, it’s a big business model. I see it every day.

It’s modern-day snake oil. And trust me, there’s a HUGE difference between “marketers” and “con-men”…

… And while it sounds like an easy way to make some quick cash, the truth is it’s actually A LOT easier to be an ethical marketer who provides REAL value…

Why is providing real value so much easier than fleecing the gullible masses?

Glad ya asked

1. It DOES take real effort to create a valuable product, but it’s worth it because…

2. Your customers will appreciate and respect you for it and that means…

3. You can sell to them over and over again, and they’ll be happy to buy!

4. You can sleep at night knowing you’re not a total douche who’d throw his Grandma under a train for her last $20.

5. It’s A LOT easier to sell to a customer who’s bought from you in the past than a total stranger.

Yeah, “providing value” should be common sense…

But common sense, especially these days, ain’t so common.

Peace,

-Scott Murdaugh

P.S. What are you selling that’s awesome? Comment below and tell the world about it!