Fun with Spam
Every day we get spam, and most of it gets automatically deleted. But today I decided to have a little fun, since the spam was SEO related and they were targeting my fully optimized niche site. I just couldn’t resist.
Here is the original email I received:
> Hello, my name is [name deleted] and I am an internet marketing specialist. I
> was looking at websites under the keyword hazelnut coffee and came across
> your website http://www.vanilla-candles.net. I see that you’re not ranked
> on the first page of Google for a hazelnut coffee search.
>
> I’m not sure if you’re aware of why you’re ranked this low but more
> importantly how easily correctable this is.
>
> There’s no reason you can’t have a top three ranking for the keyword
> hazelnut coffee based on your site structure and content. You have a very
> nice site.
>
> You need significantly more one way anchor text backlinks. If you’re
> interested I can help you with this…
>
> I’m talking about getting you ranked for ALL your keywords. Adding new
> backlinks on a steady and consistent basis from high PR quality websites
> is what produces the rankings you are looking for
> http://www.vanilla-candles.net.
>
> The right kind of links are very critical in getting top ranking….and I
> can hand deliver these quality links to you.
>
> My partners and I own 1000’s websites and offer private linking to
> hundreds of website owners just like yourself.
>
> I didn’t send this email out to very many people but I am currently
> reaching out to a list of your ‘keyword competitors’ as well. But I do
> favor your website because I can see your website monetizing the targeted
> website traffic the keyword hazelnut coffee can deliver.
>
> I have your contact information and phone number. Is it ok if I give you a
> call?
>
> I have a very simple way to prove that what I do works and it’s risk free
> for you to try. Nothing beats seeing the results with your own eyes
>
> Is it ok if I give you a call? I would love to pursue this further over
> the phone with you or should I go somewhere else?
>
> Sincerely,
>[Personal info deleted]
>
> P.S - If the tables were turned and somebody I didn’t know came to me with
> a proposition, even one that was appealing, I would be hesitant because I
> would be wondering - what’s the catch? What does this guy know that I
> don’t.
>
> But then I would think he does know something that I don’t know. He does
> have thousands of high PR websites, he does have hundreds of thousands of
> pages indexed and ranking in Google Yahoo and MSN. Sites that can deliver
> the quality anchor text backlinks. I would also think that I need to get
> my website in the top rankings. And he is offering to turn key top
> rankings for me…on all my keywords including hazelnut coffee. Even
> keywords I’m not currently competing for. Keywords that produce traffic
> that’s potentially worth tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands,
> millions of dollars.
>
> I emailed you because It’s a win -win for both of us. Think of it this
> way - Who wouldn’t be interested in buying money at a discount? Because
> that’s what I’ll be able to do offer you…Money at a discount.
>
> Is it Ok to give you a call? Or you can can call me anytime at the number
> above?
Now I’m sure most of us know how scam-ish that email really looks. I get these almost daily and most are tossed in the trash. However, the part about “hazelnut coffee” caught my attention, and I just had to have a little fun. Here was my reply:
—-
Just a word of advice - before you send out spam to companies, it would be wise to do a little research on the company itself first. Plus it doesn’t hurt to actually know what you are doing, which obviously you do not.
First, why would a candle site need to be ranked for “hazelnut coffee”? We don’t sell coffee, nor do we plan to. As the domain suggests, we sell candles.
Second, if you took the time to actually look at the site, you’ll see it’s already optimized for various keyword phrases. Not just any phrases, but keywords that actually are related to the site (unlike the term you are suggesting here).
Finally, according to WordTracker, the term “hazelnut coffee” gets a whole 13 searches a day. That’s it. While this is by no means an exact figure, I can tell you it’s pretty close. I would not waste my time (or buy into your linking scam) just for a term that not only has absolutely nothing to do with the site, but gets that little searches.
Just a few helpful hints, I suggest you take them.
—–
Maybe I was mean, but I’m just sick of emails like this. Yes I know I can delete, but they have taken over my inbox. I shouldn’t HAVE to spend that much time a day deleting spam or trying to find what’s legit and what isn’t. Plus I had a feeling a real person was sitting behind this one, so it wouldn’t go unread. Maybe they will take the advice, thinking twice about sending more of their crap out. I doubt it, but at least I feel better.
Topics: Unprofessional Business Acts | No Comments »
100 “No” Responses
Does anyone remember the idea behind “100 No’s”? If not, let me refresh your memory…
In direct sales, the 100-No theory is to try every day to book parties or make contacts. For every “no” you receive, that makes you one step closer to a “yes”. By keeping track of all the “no” responses, you are making a game out of trying to get to 100. And you guessed it, in the process, you are getting “yes” answers.
I decided today to use this game in a similar way. If you’ve been keeping track on the blog, I’ve been doing a lot of writing. In addition to a novel in the works, I’ve also been writing short stories. My goal is to get those published or entered into contests when possible, for that “side” money before the novel is published.
So using Excel, I’ve been keeping track of what is getting sent where. On the side, I’ve also made a note when the piece is either declined/doesn’t place or approved/wins. Those rejections are my “no”s, and I’m keeping track. Eventually I’ll have 100 of them, and can look back to see how many “yes”s I have (and let’s hope it’s at least a few, since getting published is a whole lot harder to book parties!).
Anyway, there you have another way to use the 100-No’s game. No matter what business you are in, there is a way to use it, so give it a shot!
Topics: Internet Marketing | No Comments »
Are You Setting Goals?
While talk of goal setting on any business blog is usually at the first of the year, we never like to be the same as everyone else. Also, I believe any time of year is good for setting new goals. Why wait?
If you’ve been keeping track on this blog, you’ll know I’ve officially switched my occupation to “Fiction Author”. But just because what I do with my time has completely changed, doesn’t mean I don’t do similar tasks. This week I learned that I too need goals to keep me moving forward.
Always sitting open on my computer is my current novel-in-progress. But it’s not just a goal to finish. It’s a long term goal, and something I won’t be done with for a long time. You could compare it to the content sites I’ve done in the past - something that’s great for long term income, but not so great for short term. So I let it sit for the most part, adding to it and revising for only a short time every day.
More important right now (least I want to become a “starving artist”) are my short stories. I realized today if I want to sell that novel to an agent once it’s done, I’m going to need some small published works. Sure it’s not required, but it looks a lot better on my part. Gives my talents a bit of an edge, assuring the agent I must be half way decent if I’ve already been published. One foot in the door, you could say.
So the short stories are where the daily goals come in. I’ve quickly discovered I can crank out a 1,000 word story in a matter of an hour or two. Revising of course takes a bit extra time, but the first draft comes easy. So I write, every day. Sometimes 2 or 3 stories, sometimes just one. But at least I get something finished daily. Some of them go to contests at a writer’s community (no monetary prizes, but good practice, feedback, and recognition). A select few get revised, rewritten, and sent to various publication that actually pay.
Which is where another daily goal comes in - submission. If I’m actually going to be published, I need to submit the stories. I’ve decided I would alternate between contests and publications, so I’m beefing up my portfolio of accomplishments. That, and of course, there’s the chance I’d get nothing from the contest (or a whole lot of cash - I’ve seen them $1,000 and up) while the publications pay a smaller, set amount.
Today I submitted a story to one publisher, and a query to another magazine (for those who don’t know, a query is simply an overview of what you want to send, which you then wait for them to reject or request the story - works the same for publishers and agents). I also wrote a new short story, which happened to win a daily prompt contest (not bad for something I wrote in about an hour and a half), and am starting to work on another.
The point here is, regardless of what your business is (and yes, writing is a business!), there are certain things we all must do: Set goals, take constant steps to meet those goals, and of course, never stop learning. 
Topics: Business Stuff | No Comments »
Boredom Cries
(Just a taste of my new career, for those who have been keeping track. This was actually a contest piece which had to be under 500 words, so it was seriously butchered. Hope you like it anyway.)
Boredom Cries
The mother carefully attached the last piece of cotton onto the paper plate bunny as her daughter watched with big, brown, innocent eyes. The little girl wrinkled her nose, twisting her mouth in a pose that indicated she was thinking with all her 6-year-old brain power.
“Is it done, mommy?” the child asked, still deciding if she thought it was a work of art to be treasured or something to be delightfully destroyed.
Her mother tilted her head, pausing for a moment before replying.
“Yes, I think it’s done.”
The small child began to protest. This was not what she had in mind when her mother said they would make her a bunny. She had envisioned something that hops - something she could chase around the backyard, giggling with glee as it ran in circles around her.
“It doesn’t really look like a bunny though,” the child pouted.
The weary mother sighed heavily. There seemed to be no pleasing this vexatious angel. Peering over at their table full of various crafts, she realized the battle had been lost. There had been flaws with every project they had done today. The popsicle people had been too small. The construction paper cat was too flat. The painted picture wasn’t drying fast enough. No matter what, the girl would start crying, demanding they make another project.
Tears were welling up in the girl’s eyes while her bottom lip began to quiver. The wailing would begin in seconds if her mother did not act quickly. But she was exhausted with the child and was officially throwing in the towel. She no longer could attempt to make her daughter happy.
“You know what? Go outside and play. I need to get supper ready,” the mother stated firmly as she began picking up the scattered remains of their craft day. Glitter, glue, construction paper, and markers lay in a messy pile across the dining room table.
The girl halted her tantrum count down ritual, temporarily appeased with the prospect of finding a suitable activity outside. The Mother watched her offspring skip out the door, and into the backyard, knowing there would be something to fuss about outside in just a matter of minutes. Peering out from the kitchen window, she shook her head.
“Lord, please let me survive until school starts.”
Topics: Affiliate Marketing, Parenting Humor | No Comments »
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Topics: Contests, Just For Fun, Mom Stuff, Online Shopping, Specials | 2 Comments »
From SEO to Short Stories
Some might see my now past profession of SEO as a “waste of time”, since I’ve decided to start completely over with my career choice. I’ve never been one to think anything we do with our time is ever a waste. At some point, we’re glad we did it, even if we don’t think it useful at the time.
Today I thought about how I fought so hard with making my largest site valid with W3C. Codes needed to be tweeked, new website language learned, and page layouts rearranged. When I ran the check on the first page, I had hundreds of errors. I thought I would NEVER get them all fixed, but some how I did. Hours and hours later, it was all fixed. Every page after that was easier, since I was getting the hang of what the validator wanted out of me.
What I realized is I’m now doing the same exact thing with writing. Instead of “validating” my stories though, I’m running them through grammar checks. It’s the same concept really. The only difference is instead of lines of codes I’m working with sentences. Is one harder than the other? Well, I’m not sure. You would think words would be easier because they are in a language we know, but sometimes they can be much more difficult.
Regardless, what I’ve fought with in the past did benefit me in many ways. Not only have I fixed the site so it brings me a residual income while I work on writing, but it’s also set me up to handle tasks like grammar check and making things “work”. I know as I go on my writing will get better, just as my SEO rankings did.
Of course, we can’t forget that my current knowledge of SEO and websites is going to help tremendously should I ever want to create a website as an author. I know how to write for the web (which is different than “book” writing), know quite a bit about marketing online, and can put up a SEO-friendly website in a matter of hours. That puts me at an advantage online for sure.
The point of this post is to never stop learning, and nothing we learn is a waste of time. You never know when tasks you do today will come into play in the future.
Topics: Business Stuff | No Comments »
From Copywriting to Kid in School
I put my copywriting skills to good use today. And actually, I’m rather proud of myself, so I had to share.
Some of you may know I’ve had a heck of a time with one kid in school. Part of it is my son’s behavior issues, part the school royally messing up. One “tailored” behavior plan after another had him completely running the show by the end of the year last spring (which the behavior plan was not really catered to him, but rather a standard, screwy plan to get him to sit down and shut up. It failed in a major way.)
So I decided everything needed to be scratched. The only thing being kept of the original plan was to send me home a daily report, which will consist of only one thing - good day, so-so day, or bad day. That’s it. Depending on how he did at school will determine what happens at home. Good day = quarter. So-so day = nothing gained nothing lost. Bad day = after school grounding (no computer, no games, no bike, no friends, etc). Simple, yet with both rewards and punishments.
Now where does the copywriting come in? Ah, that’s how I got him to actually listen to “the plan”. I didn’t tell him, I just let him read. And I started it out like this:
Want to earn FREE STUFF just for going to school?
Oh yeah, that caught his attention. And he READ it - all of it - and let it absorb. He’s now got it in his head that if he does well in school, he’ll be getting money. And of course like any good sales copy, I didn’t just say he’d get money, but how he could USE that money should he have good days every day. Which for us it would be things like getting ice cream ($1, or 4 good days), going to walmart to play games (they have an arcade, his favorite costing $1 per game), or buying toys at the dollar store (again, costing $1). All of those went into the sales letter, along with the mention if he SAVED his money he could get a “Really cool toy”.
See, for him it’s important to have a clear goal with a lot of room to change his mind. Money was the perfect solution because he knows he can DO something with it, and what he WANTS to do can change 100 times during the week - yet the main goal is still there. Earn money = do fun, special things. Unlike the school, which dangled specific “treats” in front of his face which he may or may not care about (which this plan started failing in kindergarten when he would actually say “no thanks” to rewards…..he’ll be in 2nd grade this year! They KNEW this was failing from the start!). What he wants at the beginning of the day might not be what he wants after lunch, thus their reward system was flawed from the beginning. Plus there was no real punishment in place for not working towards the reward, other than not having the reward. Threating to take away bike, games, and computer has always worked at home, yet they took that control away from me 2 years ago. Thankfully it will be put BACK now.
I mean think about it, what if you were told the money you are working for was to go to a set amount of prizes? What if someone said “We’ll give you $500 for your work this month, but you have to spend it on CDs”. Bet we wouldn’t work as hard, now would we? Heck no, we’d want to use that money on what we wanted. Assuming it’s “extra” money to begin with, we’d want to spend it on a variety of things. A dinner out, a few movies, maybe some books……not the WHOLE AMOUNT on ONE THING. Why do they think a kid would see it differently? My kids know what money is, and they know we use it to buy things. Giving them something clear to work for is not a bad thing, but there needs to be room for them to change their minds too. Getting them to think about what they can BUY with that money is good, but telling them they can ONLY have certain items is NOT a good idea.
Anyway, I thought this was rather creative and thought I’d share. Amazing how business ideas can work their way into every day life.
Topics: Uncategorized | No Comments »
School Starting Already?
I really shouldn’t complain. The kids going back to school means I have time to work. Much needed quiet time without hearing “MOOOOOM! Make him STOP!” or any pointless arguments. I’ve really had enough of the daily battles, and I hate to say it, but I’m looking at the school as a really cheap babysitter that I can’t wait to dump my kids on.
One thing that still bothers me though is how early the kids are going back to school. They went so far last May as to extend the school day to make up for all the snow days we missed (and it was a HORRIBLE winter - I think in all we ended up with 7 or 8 snow days). A half hour total tacked on every day for the last month or so, just so they could get out of school by the end of May. Which would have seemed great to me when I was in school, except I knew that we didn’t have to go back until the very last week of August.
This year our kids go back the 18th, but I’ve heard others saying they are already back. Are you SERIOUS? August is still summer in every sense of the term. Here in Iowa it’s hot as hell, humid, and no comfortable activities except swimming can be done during the month of August. Yet here we are, going back with two weeks left in the month.
The thing that makes the least amount of sense to me is how a lot of the schools around here still lack air conditioning. Because of that fact, they end up letting school out 2 hours early the first 2 or 3 weeks. Yet in June it’s not that hot at all, but they push so hard to get them out. In fact ,the first week or two of June it’s not even warm enough to swim!
So why are they doing this? It’s no wonder our school our failing - we are seriously shortening the amount of time they are going to school AND the amount of time they can actually learn. Trust me on this one, I went to an elementary school without air, and after noon recess the only thing you could think about was trying to keep cool. You don’t learn a thing when you are hot and uncomfortable.
It just doesn’t make any sense to me in the least. If they absolutely must give our kids a measly 10 weeks of summer vacation, let’s start it in mid-June and run to September. Or better yet, let’s ditch the 180 day rule all together with. Did you know the state only requires a child be in a school setting for 148 days? So where did we pick up the extra 32? Dang, that’s more than a month we are sending our kids to school without the law requiring it.
I think what bothers me the most is the fact we have all these “extra” days off school. At least once a month there’s a “teacher’s workshop”, then all the pointless holidays you can think of. That puts the working parent in a serious tough spot when they have to make other arrangements for daycare. Unlike the summer when they can actually plan for weeks ahead of time, having random days in the middle of the school year can be a serious problem.
I just don’t get it, and it makes me mad. I feel like summer is being robbed from my kids and they are getting days off in the middle of the winter where they can’t do anything outside. The nation has put this big emphasis on getting kids outside to play, yet then we turn around and force them inside. HUH? Please someone explain it to me!
Topics: Mom Stuff | No Comments »
Where Did Kara Go?
Sadly I think I’m the only one asking this question to myself right now. I don’t think too many are looking for me, except earlier this summer during the Iowa floods when a few had to email me to make sure I still had a home. Our area, thank goodness, was not effected. I can’t say the same for 10 miles north, but that’s another story.
No, I think I’ve been hiding for so long that no one seems to worry when I’m in hide-mode for a month or two. In fact, some may be saying “oh, there were TWO that were posting on this blog? Huh! Go figure!”.
Yeah I know, I’ve become quite the unknown person online.
== End Self Pity Section ==
The reason for this post wasn’t to wine that no one misses me….nah, I’m a big girl. I don’t care that much. Can’t be missed if you are never around in the first place! HA!
What I did want to talk about though, just in case anyone was keeping track, where I’ve been…..
First off, it’s been a very crazy summer. In between endless running and “stuff to do”, I’ve barely been by the computer. Not to say I haven’t been here every day (I think I’d freak out completely if I had no computer for even one full day). I just haven’t had a lot of time to actually “work” (you know, the thing you do with your time that MAKES you money).
But when I have been around, I’ve been doing something a bit unexpected. I haven’t been building websites or marketing my businesses. I’ve been writing. No, not articles. BOOKS. Come on you remember - those paper things we had before the internet. Come to find out, people still read them. And I couldn’t come up with one good reason not to write one. I mean, I’ve been wanting to do this since I was a kid, so why not now?
It was really time for a change for me. I didn’t exactly enjoy what I was doing as much as I should have, and I’m no where near I thought I would be financially. Not to say I don’t make money online, just not as much as I’d like. The drive is just - gone - and I have no desire to force myself to do anything anymore. Yeah, it was time for a big change, and becoming an author was it.
So I’m happy to say that in the 2-3 months I’ve been pretty much MIA, I’ve managed to actually write a teen novel. Yes an entire novel is complete, and is now in the editing stage. Next comes finding an agent which will probably be as much work as it took to write it, possibly more. That’s alright though, I’m chasing my dream 100% for once in my life, and I couldn’t be happier. I actually have another book in the works that I’ve got a plot for, with a few other ideas (one for a children’s series that I’m rather hopeful about….they don’t call me the Idea Queen for nothing!).
So just in case you were wondering where I’ve been, there’s your answer. I’ve been working to become a successful author. 
Topics: Mom Stuff | No Comments »
Direct Sales Helpers for Sale
No, this is not a late April Fool’s joke (unlike the time we said Mommy’s Helper was for sale….tee hee). After 3 years and a whole lot of work, we’ve decided it’s time to sell DirectSalesHelpers.com. Not just the site either, but the entire business. We’ve decided to go in different directions online, so we’re giving someone else the chance to run the site.
With the sale of the site you’ll get:
- Domain name “DirectSalesHelpers.com” and also “DirectSalesSuccessKit.com”
- All pages and content you see on site
- 800+ Subscription list (double-opt in subscribers, newsletter is weekly)
- 80+ Direct sales Articles
- Exclusive rights to the following books and ebooks:
*Direct Sales Success Kit (digital and book - value $29.95)
*Team Training Articles (digital - value $9.99)
*Online Party Success (digital - value $9.99)
*Number Crunching Make Easy (digital - value $14.95)
*Offline Event Kit (digital - value $9.95)
(Book and ebooks do NOT have resell rights on them. They have not been previously sold for resell, only sold at retail)
- Free Ebooks:
*ABC’s of Marketing
*Choosing Your Business
- Free Viral Mini Courses:
*Money Saving Mini Series (119 subscribers)
*Reinvesting Into Your Business Mini Series (67 subscribers)
- Affiliate program in place through PayDotCom.com:
*(http://www.directsaleshelpers.com/affiliate.html)
*Direct Sales Success Kit - 27 affiliates promoting
*Online Part Success - 9 affiliates promoting
*Number Crunching Made Easy - 5 affiliates promoting
*Make More Sales with Offline Events - 5 affiliates promoting
*Direct Sales Success (in print) - 10 affiliates promoting
- 2 Affiliate Centers:
*http://www.directsaleshelpers.com/affiliate-center.html
*http://finance.groups.yahoo.com/group/dsh-affiliates/
(Many text and graphic creatives for affiliates as well as the ecourses are set up for the affiliates to give away.)
———————————–
Income Information:
———————————–
2005 - $1900 (from April)
2006 - $1950
2007 - $3300
2008 - $550 (January - June)
$2500/year average
Sources:
- Weekly newsletter with general Direct Sales article and small link to product pages
- Special announcements on sales and discounts, plus new products
- General traffic
General Information:
- Site has no ads at all, and has no “featured” spots for sale of any kind.
- All income is from sales of ebooks and books
- Largest income source from announcements to the list (included in sale of site)
- Best income around Christmas with discounts on book and ebooks
—————————————
Visitors:
—————————————
July 2008 - 1328 unique visitors
Over 40 visitors a day average
*Visitors from Newsletter and Article Traffic, plus referrals. Very few (less than 10%) from network marketing. We do very, very little network marketing for this site.
—————————————-
Newsletter List
—————————————-
- Currently 866 confirmed subscriptions (as of August 2008)
- 62 confirmed subscription in July 2008
- Averages 2-3 new subscribers per day
- Average CTR of Sales Announcements: 10-20%
- Double opt-in subscribers through Aweber
- List was purged and moved in February 2007
—————————————–
Marketing & Other Stats
—————————————–
- Around 80 different articles (included in sale) submitted on various article directories, each with links to the newsletter page.
- Over 9,000 incoming links according to Yahoo!
- 40 Pages indexed in Google
- Google PageRank 3
- Domain Age over 3 years old (Established 2/3/05)
- Website opened in April 2005
—————————
The offer price is $25,000.
Sound like something you might be interested in? If interested, you can email us at contact @ directsaleshelpers.com.
Topics: Business Stuff | No Comments »