5 Tips on How to Increase Your Blog Comments
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I’ve just published my first article with Social Media Today called 5 Tips on How to Increase Your Blog Comments. Here are my 5 Tips:

1) Make sure it’s easy for the reader to comment

2) Ask questions

3) Respond to people who comment

4) Comment on other blogs

5) Invite a bit of controversy

For a more detailed explanation on these tips, go to my article on Social Media Today. What has been the best strategy for you, which generated the most comments for your blog? Please leave your comment on the article or below to help out our readers who want to increase their blog comments.

Be Invincible
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A few months ago, I wrote a blog post called Getting Into the Zone. It’s such an amazing feeling when you get so into your work and passion that time seems to fly by and all your tasks seem so effortless.

I love it when I get that feeling, when my passion overtakes me and I just get things done. When I’m out of my zone, I just want to get back in. Is there a way how? I know that if I try to figure it out, I have a hard time getting back in.

But when I’m in that zone, nothing can stop me. My friend Nick Outlaw wrote an article called Be Invincible. While it is heavily geared to the sports and fitness industry, a lot of the concepts can be applied to your life as an entrepreneur. It takes a strong mindset and sheer determination to succeed in business.

When you can get into that zone, you’re simply invincible. Read the article below to learn how you can Be Invincible! Please leave comments below, and let me know what you do when you’re invincible.

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Be Invincible

By: Nick Outlaw

Have you ever had a dream where you could fly and do anything you wanted without any fear or possibility of being hurt?  Normal limitations didn’t apply, like gravity or pain.  Perhaps you can remember a time when you were unstoppable and everything you did was spot on.  You were at your best, you were in the ZONE!

Here are accounts of athletes describing their experience of pinnacle performance:

“ a strange calmness; it was a type of euphoria; I felt I could run all day without tiring, that I could dribble through any of their team or all of them, that I could almost pass through them physicall.” – Edson Arantes Do Nascimento (Brazilian soccer legend Pele’)

“ It’s a very strange felling.  It’s as if time slows down and you see everything so clearly.  You just know that everything about your technique is spot on.  It just feels so effortless; it’s almost as if you’re floating across the trace.  Every muscle, every fibre, every sinew is working in complete harmony and the end product is that you run fantastically well.”  – Mark Richardson             (1996 Winter Olympics Gold medalist)

“I’m Dr.Jekyll and Mr. Hyde when it comes to football.  When I’m on the field sometimes I don’t know what I’m doing out there.  People ask me about this move or that move, but I don’t know why I did something, I just did it.  I am able to focus out the negative things around me and just zero in on what I am doing out there.  Off the field I become myself again.”  -Walter Payton  (Hall of Fame NFL running backs)

“At that special level all sorts of odd things happened….It was almost as if we were playing in slow motion.  During those spells I could almost sense how the next play would develop and where the next shot would be taken.  Even before the other team brought the ball in bounds, I could feel it so keenly that I’d want to shout to my teammates, “It’s coming there!” –except that I knew everything would change if I did.  My premonitions would be consistently correct, and I always felt then that I not only knew all the Celtics by heart but also all the opposing players, and they all knew me.”  – Bill Russell (NBA legend)

Mihaly Csikszentmikhalyi, a western psychologist and leading scientific researcher in the area of flow, a.k.a. the zone, describes the flow as completely focused motivation,  a single minded immersion that utilizes your emotions for peak performance and learning.  Csikszentmikhalyi has found 10 factors that are hallmarks of the state of flow.

1. Clear goals where expectations and rules are discernible and goals are attainable and align appropriately with one’s skill set and abilities.  Challenge level and skill should be both high.  Your practice should resemble the competition as much as possible.

2.      Concentration on a limited field of attention.  Fully focused on the task at hand. Being present in the moment.  Eliminate distractions.  Practice meditation and breathing exercises to clear your mind.

3.     A loss of the feeling of self-consciousness, the merging of action and awareness.  Become one with your craft.

4.     A Distorted sense of time, one’s subjective experience of time is altered.  When we were kids we would play outside for hours.

5.     Direct and immediate feedback.  Be able to assess your performance quickly and make changes immediately.

6.     Balance between ability level and challenge.

7.     A sense of personal control over the situation or activity.

8.     The activity is intrinsically rewarding, so that there is effortlessness in the action.  You must enjoy the activity.   Remember why you started playing.

9.     A lack of awareness of bodily needs.  Use the restroom before you compete, stay hydrated and fueled.

10.   Absorption into the activity, action awareness immerging.

Buddhist PhD Andrew Cooper, a leading expert and researcher of the zone, describes this phenomenon as:

“profound joy, acute intuition (which at times feels like precognition), a feeling of effortlessness in the midst of intense exertion, a sense of the action taking place in slow motion, feelings of awe and perfection, increased mastery, and self-transcendence.”

The way that the athletes have described their record breaking performances sounds dream and mystical like.  They seem to be in a trance like state where they could close their eyes and play.  To induce these peak state performances of invincibility:

  1. Become one with your craft.  Put in the time to perfect your skills.
  2. Love what you do.  You should associate pure joy with your craft.  When you love what you do it is no longer work.
  3. Practice mindfulness and meditation.  Be able to eliminate distractions at will.  The better you are at staying focused the easier it will be for you to get and stay in the zone.
  4. Practice loving self talk and self awareness.  Pay attention to your thoughts.  Be able to replace and or change negative self talk quickly.
  5. Go and grow beyond yourself.  Be part of something greater than yourself.  Practice forgetting about yourself and you ego and grow for the greater good.

Being your best can not be achieved just through physical training.  We must train the mind with the same intensity and purpose of improving our game.  Spiritual practices have proven successful throughout the world before scientific methods were ever employed.  By synchronizing our body and mind, we can grow on the eternal rhythm of the universe.  Living for something greater than ourselves will truly make us invincible and our spirit unstoppable!

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About Nick Outlaw

Nick is a nationally certified through American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) as a personal trainer and has helped hundreds of clients change their lives in the 8 years he has been training. His experience includes, but is not limited to college and pro athletes, sports specific, strength and conditioning, functional training, post rehabilitation patients, a physical therapy clinical setting, and general fitness, toning and weight loss.

Nick has a BS from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington. While attending college he competed in the Power Lifting and endurance competitions where he placed in the top three every time. His Senior Research project was an in depth study of ideal body images in American culture.

Nick’s blog is at www.raleighpersonaltrainer.org

 

Launch of My First E-Book
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I finally did it! I wrote my first ever E-book called 5 Steps to Creating a Successful Facebook Marketing Campaign, and I’m so excited to have launched it today. It took me a while to put it together, but I’m glad it’s done! My E-book is aligned with my vision of helping entrepreneurs and business owners achieve their goals, and I know this E-book is the first step in realizing my vision.

In this E-book, you will learn…

  • How to gain clarity on your target market and ideal customer profile
  • How to drive targeted leads to your Facebook Page
  • How to create an engagement strategy that improves the number of likes, shares and comments on your posts
  • How to convert your Fans into paying customers, and get them to spend with you time and time again
  • How to measure results of your performance

Make sure to get your copy by filling out the form on the following page called Facebook E-Book. Looking forward to any comments and feedback you may have. I’m looking to write a few more E-books on social media. If you have any topic you’d like me to cover, feel free to comment below. Thanks!

The Power of WHY
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Being an entrepreneur can have its perks. Unlike a normal 9-5 job, entrepreneurs have the opportunity to create their own schedule and live life on their own terms. However, as I’m sure many of you know, the life of an entrepreneur can also come with many difficult challenges.

Motivation, which often comes from the outside, can help you keep moving ahead in spite of the challenges. However, motivation is sometimes short-lived, and once you lose the motivation, it can be hard to get back on your feet.

Have you ever tried losing weight? You work very hard at going to the gym and exercising, and carefully planning and sticking to your diet. But after some time, the motivation wears off for whatever reason, and you may find that you fell several steps backwards than when you first started. Motivation can only take you so far.

What I find more powerful is inspiration, which comes from within. It’s deeply embedded in your core. It is the Spirit within you.

Inspiration comes from having a very powerful PERSONAL WHY. Why are you choosing the entrepreneurial path? I spent the last several days getting clear on my WHY.

As entrepreneurs, we all face challenges, and many of these tough challenges come unexpectedly. I believe these challenges drive you to define your character and mold you into the person you are about to become. By having a strong PERSONAL WHY – a clear reason WHY you are doing this – you can overcome these challenges and truly realize your authentic self. It is the Spirit within you that will move you to take action and get you towards where you’re going.

For me, my WHY is to help people around the world empower themselves, achieve their goals and live their dreams, and create the life they desire. It’s all about making a significant difference on the planet. Everything I do, whether it’s marketing, speaking, teaching, consulting or coaching, is driven by this WHY. I know my work will contribute to stimulating and improving our economy, and the mere thought of this gets me up in the morning and keeps going no matter what happens.

What is your PERSONAL WHY? Feel free to comment below.

Happy Thanksgiving! The Top 10 Things I Am Grateful For This Year
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Wow, I can’t believe 2011 flew by at the speed of light! I am grateful for the wonderful things that have happened this year. 2011 has been an extremely challenging year for me, but also filled with many miracles and wonderful blessings.

Here are the things I am grateful for this year:

1) Deepening my connection with God and being consistent with my daily spiritual practices. I’ve learned to trust my intuition and follow Divine guidance, even though I may not see a way out of tough situations. I’ve always been led to the solutions that were right for me at the time, and I always found a way out.

2) Receiving unconditional support and love from my family during my tough times

3) Moving to a new place and living with very positive, spiritual, and like minded people

4) Being healthy and staying consistent with my fitness routine

5) Clients who showed up out of the blue throughout the year

6) Gaining more clarity on my passion, mission and purpose

7) Meeting and developing relationships with amazing people who are committed to following their passion and living their purpose

8) My new MacBook Pro and my own car! I received these gifts from the Universe unexpectedly this past summer.

9) Reconnecting with friends I haven’t spoken to in years

10) Waking up feeling more joy, peace and passion in my life

Winning Market Share in a Tough Economy
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Many business owners are facing the challenge of winning market share in a tough economy. The recession has hurt many businesses, forcing many to shut down as they experienced a rapid decline in sales and market share. With consumers spending less than they have in the past, businesses must now find creative ways not only to increase their sales in the short term, but also implement sustainable practices to ensure long term success.

Here are a few suggestions on how you can start winning market share in this tough economy.

Focus on your niche and ideal customer

Is your business clear on the needs of your niche market? Have you clearly identified your ideal customer profile? Spend time researching the needs of your market, along with identifying the needs of your ideal customer profile. Get to know their interests, purchasing habits, where they hang out, and what they like to buy. When you know your market inside-out, you can create and tailor your product or service that is a direct match to what your market needs, and design an effective marketing campaign that attracts them to your business.

Provide a strong value proposition

Competition is very stiff in a tough economy. People are often bombarded with advertising from all directions, so it’s sometimes tough to differentiate one company’s product or service from another company’s. With all the noise coming from advertising, it can be easy for customers to tune these messages out. And if your advertising is exactly what everyone else in your market is doing, chances are they’ll tune your message out as well.

Spend time understanding how your company or business differentiates itself from the competition. What kind of value can your company provide that sets you apart from your competitors? Why should your customers care about you instead of another company that offers a similar product or service? What makes you unique?

Your answers to these questions should speak to your niche market and ideal customer. In a world where people seem to have shorter attention spans, prospects and customers will have an easier time remembering you when you project a clear value proposition that addresses their needs.

Create your own market

Instead of trying to compete aggressively against everyone else to gain market share, why not create your own market? When Cirque du Solei first started, they knew they did not want to compete in the circus market, nor did they want to compete in the theatre market. Both of these markets were highly competitive and saturated.

Instead, they created something unique and remarkable by integrating aspects of both the circus and theatre markets. By doing so, they created a new market, which targeted adults who enjoyed both the stunts you would find in a circus and the drama you would find in theatre. By creating this new market, they enjoy a virtually competition-free market, and they can focus entirely on providing something that is remarkable for their audience. So get creative, and start thinking of some under-served market that could use your product or service.

Focus on excellence and deliver at high standards

Take very good care of your current customers, and focus on delivering results that are above and beyond their expectations. With so many competing companies offering similar products or services, it’s easy for a customer to jump ship to a competitor if they encounter a bad experience with your business. Not only will you potentially lose a customer, but you also run the risk of these customers telling their peers about their negative experience.

On the flip side, if you provide excellent service that goes beyond their expectations, you increase your chances of keeping that person as a repeat customer. Through positive recommendation to their peers, you also increase your chances of acquiring new customers through word of mouth marketing. This won’t cost you a dime.

5 Creative Ways to Increase Engagement With Your Facebook Fans
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Now that you’ve driven targeted traffic to your Facebook Page, the next step is to keep them interested in your Page by coming up with creative and fun ways to engage with them. The goal here is get them to like, share and comment on your posts. Here are 5 ways you can increase your fan engagement.

#1) Post Mixture of Pictures and Videos

Find a mixture of pictures and videos that are interesting to your target audience. If you run a food catering business, for example, you may want to post some pictures of food items or cuisine that may be of interest to your audience. Post a picture of a cuisine, and ask your audience what they think about that item. Try posting a video that provides your audience advice on what to look for when evaluating catering companies. The key here is to provide valuable pieces of information to your target audience.

#2) Question of the Day/Poll of the Day

Use the Questions feature on your Facebook Page to ask questions you want your target audience to answer. This also provides a great opportunity to do some market research. Post the question, and then give your audience a couple of answers to choose from. You can even leave an option where they can input their own answer if none of the choices relates to them. This is a great way of learning what your audience likes or dislikes.

#3) Fan of the Week

Your Facebook Page should be dedicated to your fans, rather than using it primarily to promote your business. Your business is there to solve their needs or provide them with some kind of incredible experience. Why not honor your fans who participate the most on your Page, and give them some exposure.  Go to http://apps.facebook.com/fanofthe/ for additional resources on how to you can pick your fan that participates the most. Think of some creative ways to give them recognition. Check out Zappos’s Page – they honor their fan of the week by putting that fan’s picture on their Page profile pic.

#4) Fill in the Blank

This is a great way to get your audience to share their thoughts on a particular subject. Think of something creative where you’d like people to “Fill in the Blank”. For example, can you post “Fill in the Blank: The last book I read that helped me grow my business was __________” This is a fun activity that gets people to share their thoughts on your Page’s wall.

#5) Contests, Giveaways, Drawings

This is another fun way to get your audience to participate on your Page. I’ve seen some companies give away items ranging from iPads to gift certificates. Do something creative that will get your audience to participate. For example, if you’ve just created a product and are ready to launch it, you can promote a contest where you’re giving away 5 of these products for free. When running a contest, Facebook requires you to use an App, so check out http://apps.facebook.com/contestshq/ for additional resources.

Always remember to test out which method gives you the most shares, likes and comments. This will give you an idea of what type of content your audience cares about and keeps them engaged on your Page.

Dealing With The Tough Times
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A large number of people I know are going through some very difficult times. Some have experienced the loss of a loved one. Some have gone through a bitter divorce. Some are facing financial struggle. And someone in my community, though I don’t know him personally, was murdered at gun point.

What is going on? I have been facing many challenges in recent weeks. But regardless of these challenges, I know that these present opportunities for personal growth and development. In a recent blog post, I wrote about how I view life as a journey, and not a particular destination to be reached.

So how do we deal with the tough and challenging times? I wish I could provide the magic bullet and offer a one-size fits all solution. But the reality is that we’re all different, each of us walking a unique path for our own self growth.

A friend e-mailed me recently, and he told me about some of the challenges he’s been facing. I told him that although we can’t always control our current circumstances, we always have a choice. We can choose to play victim, or we can choose to feel empowered.

I’m sure many would like to choose the latter, but often times it is much easier said than done. This is not an overnight process. It’s rare for someone to just wake up overnight and feel great and wonderful after experiencing something very challenging.

Again, it’s about the journey, not the destination. This is not a race on who can bounce back the fastest after major setbacks. Everybody is different, and everybody has their own unique path and own time and way of dealing with things. Some may bounce back faster than others, but it doesn’t mean that one person is better than anyone else.

When I’m faced with challenges, especially those that are completely beyond my control, I do my best to step back and take long deep breaths. A few years ago, my initial reaction would be to blame external factors and play victim. Through meditation and inner work, I’ve learned to just step back, breathe, and observe the situation as it is.

I allow myself to feel the emotions, whether it’s fear, anger, grief, guilt, jealousy or frustration. Although I’m feeling these emotions, I make sure not to make any major decisions at this time. Fear-based decisions, while providing some temporary solutions, may not benefit me in the long run.

Once I allow these emotions to pass through me, I spend time in contemplation reflecting on what it is that I really want. What is the life I want to create, and what are the emotions I’d like to experience in this life? That’s when I turn my attention and focus on things that bring me joy, peace, freedom, fulfillment, prosperity and love.

I ask myself powerful questions such as:

  • How can I turn this situation into my advantage?
  • How can I grow from this experience?
  • What lesson am I to learn from this in order to move forward?
  • What action can I take right now to move closer to achieving my goals?
  • What can I do to help others who are going through similar experiences?

By asking myself powerful questions and listening to my inner voice, I feel more empowered to deal with challenging situations, and I gain the clarity to make important decisions.

I’m still learning and growing, and there are times when I just want to crawl underneath a shell and hide from the world. But I know that when I follow this process, I can move through my challenges with a bit more ease.

3 Ways to Drive More Traffic to Your Facebook Page
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With over 750 million users globally on Facebook, there are great opportunities to connect with people who can potentially use your products or services. The advantage with Facebook is that you can create a marketing campaign that targets a specific demographic audience. There is also a huge potential for your Facebook Page to go viral, especially when your Fan base likes your content and ends up sharing your content with their followers.

Once you have set up your Facebook Page and have clearly identified your target market, the next step is to drive your targeted audience over to your Page and get them to Like your Page. Here are three suggestions on how to drive traffic.

#1: Use Facebook Advertising

Use Facebook advertising to direct people to your Facebook Page. One of the biggest benefits of Facebook Advertising is that you can specify your target audience. You can specify the profiles you want to target based on their geographic location, interests, connections, education, and age range.

Since your ad is targeting your specified audience, the person likely to click on your ad is highly likely interested in your product or service. This increases the chances of more leads converting into sales.

Similar to Google Adwords, you only get charged based on the number of clicks you get on the ad. You also have the option of getting charged based on the number of times your ad shows up, which is often called cost per impression.

#2: Guest Blogging

When you know your target audience, research the blogs in that niche that have a large following. Connect with the owner of the blog, and start to develop a relationship.  Before asking if you can post on their blog, do something for them first, such as offering to post their material on your Facebook page and promote to your own followers.

Focus on developing a great relationship with these bloggers, and show them what value you can provide to their audience. Once you do this, you can now ask to guest post on their blog, and provide a link back to your own Facebook page. You can also link them back to your website to increase your business’s exposure. If they also have a Facebook Page with a large fan base, you can also link back to your Page from there. This is a great way to leverage off a blog that already has a large following in your niche.

#3: Integrate With Other Social Media Campaigns

Use your other social media profiles to build up your target audience. For example, you can proactively build a targeted following on Twitter, and then link them to your Facebook Page. Provide your followers with an incentive to Like your Page, such as entry to contests and sweepstakes, giveaways, and special promotional offers. You must provide them with something interesting in order for them to visit your Page.

In addition to Twitter, you can create videos and post them on YouTube, and then link the viewer back to your Facebook page. Your videos should provide value content to your target audience. You can also write articles tailored to your niche, and post them in article directories such as Ezine Articles and Go Articles, and then link them back to your Facebook Page.

Good luck with your Facebook campaign. If you have any success stories using Facebook, feel free to post your stories in the comments below.

Why Am I Doing This? Live For The Journey, Not The Destination
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I’ve tried very hard to force things to happen. Growing up, we’ve always been taught to make things happen no matter what, and for so many years, I truly believed this. It worked for me for so many years, and it brought me great success. This was programmed deep into my subconscious mind. But during those times I’ve achieved great success, did it provide me with joy and fulfillment?

Sure, achieving those successful moments felt great, but after that fleeting moment, I always felt I had to chase the next best thing. I was constantly chasing for the next best thing, and not truly appreciating each moment.

I felt inspired to write this blog post after feeling an incredible AHA moment. I enjoy being an entrepreneur, and relish the challenges that come along with it. I’ve realized that I’ve been forcing things to happen, doing whatever it took to make it happen.

Then I sat down with myself and started asking what is it I really want. Sure, I desired success, and also to create a business that helps other people achieve success.

But was that enough? I spent the past day digging even deeper as to Why I am doing this, like putting myself through all the struggles as an entrepreneur and learning hard lessons along the way. From the outside, it may seem like I’m crazy and torturing myself.

Then I realized it’s all part of my personal growth experience. I’ve heard the saying “It’s about the journey, not the destination” so many times in my life. In my head, I understood it. But today, I truly felt it. For the first time today, I can truly and authentically say that being an entrepreneur is a journey for me, not a destination to be reached.

What is it that I really want? My true desire is to create a life full of joy, peace, prosperity, fun, passion, freedom, adventure and love. These are my core values, and everything I create will embody these. These are the people I know I will attract into my life, the type of people who share the same values and mindset. These are the feelings I want people to have when they cross paths with me and come across anything I do.

It feels great to know more of Who I Am, and I’m more inspired than ever to create projects and businesses that reflect this.

So back to my original question. Why am I doing this? Because what I create right NOW is truly reflecting what I feel inside. It feels natural, and I feel like I’m in the flow. I don’t have to force things and make things happen – I naturally do it. I don’t need to create things to please other people or seek approval.

I’m doing it because it’s something I feel in my core being. And if I don’t’ do it, then I’m not being me. The challenges I face don’t seem so bad anymore; they’re just blocks that I can work my way around once I understand the lesson behind them.

And now I’m inspired to help people do the same. Why are you an entrepreneur and walking this path? Feel free to comment below.