Lots of ground to cover in this installment of my cross-blog conversation with Nicole Dean!

Over the last week or so, Nicole and I have volleyed a series of questions back and forth to one another. (If you are just joining us: here is Nicole’s response to my original set of questions: Cross-blogging with Trish Lindemood).

Again, Nicole is a very well-known and successful online entrepreneur. She has lots of “titles” (i.e., popular blogger, affiliate manager, Internet Marketing genius, etc…  You get the idea! ) She’s built a very successful online business and I’ve learned a lot by observing not only what she says, but also what she does.

Needless to say, I’m excited to share some of her knowledge here with you!

In my last post to her, I asked a question about a really cool concept she developed called the Blog World Tour. I wasn’t sure if the concept really applied to my business model because I don’t have an information product or affiliate program to promote.  However, because Guest Blogging is a form of Content Marketing, I wanted to take a closer look at it here.

Here is Nicole’s reply: Guest Blogging for Service Providers

Now for my response:

Hey Nicole!

Thanks for the great, in-depth reply. Based on this discussion, I can see how Guest Blogging can enhance just about any type of online marketing program. In fact, I am currently working on my 2010 business plan and editorial calendar – and am going to incorporate a Blog World Tour into the first quarter.

And, yes – since I hate wasting time – I am going to use the Blog World Tour Guide as a blueprint for how to get the most out of this undertaking. No sense trying to reinvent the wheel!

Now, to answer your question to me:

I’ve been participating in a discussion about ethics on another site (which I’ll post about in a few days) but one major takeaway for me is that it is not only my goal, but it’s my duty to help Online Business Owners to invest their money wisely – especially now when money is tight for so many.

I know that you’re a member of online at Lynn Terry’s Elite Mastermind Group. (Since I chat with you in there.)

And, you’ve mentioned that you’ll be attending the NAMS Conference in Atlanta in January – which is awesome, too.

So, tell me. What made you choose to invest in those things? And, do you feel they’ve benefited you? In what ways?

Great question!

I agree, it IS  our duty to help other online business owners invest their money wisely. There are just SO MANY bells and whistles and bright shiny objects out there all promising the be The Next Big Thing. It is so easy to get caught up in the whole “I just need to learn one more thing – THEN I’ll be ready to make a go of my online business. THEN it will all become crystal clear.”

So not true.

I personally had to learn this the hard way. The very first time I dipped my toe into the online marketing waters – I fell for a VERY pricey program that promised to help get me up and running. Fortunately, once inside, I saw that it was not all it was cracked up to be – and was able to get all my money refunded.

Now, nearly 2 years later – I realize what they were peddling for thousands of dollars (*gasp!*) is stuff that can be found in an awesome $37 program! So, I am pretty passionate about advocating products and programs that deliver on what they say – without breaking the bank.

That said: Lynn Terry’s Elite MasterMind Group is hands down my favorite online resource. Hands down.

Let’s face it – Lynn is at the top of her game – and clearly doesn’t need to be as personally involved in the forum as she is. I love that she takes the time to personally respond to threads. In fact, I recently posted a question I had about my own online business – and she and I had a really great and lengthy online conversation that produced several “Eureka” moments for me.

I’m not talking about general theory or ideas, either. Her advice really helped clarify EXACTLY what my next steps need to be to get to where I want to go. She could charge hundred, if not thousands, of dollars for that type of  personal attention.

That’s just one example – there is also a ton of value in the contacts and friendships I’ve made there.  The membership ranges from complete newbies to highly successful Internet Marketing professionals such as yourself – so there is something for everyone. In fact, I don’t think it’s possible to really absorb all the great ideas, information and resources available there.

Further, the group is comprised of card-carrying members of the White Hat Internet Marketing Club (ok, I just made that up – but you know what I mean! ) – and that is really important to me. I want to be involved in something that embraces “best practices” vs. short cuts that can really hurt your business down the road.

So, yeah, the 27 bucks I spend per month to belong to the Elite MasterMind Group is definitely the best investment I’ve made into my business!

As far as NAMS3, this is my first time going  so it’s hard to say what the value is. However, my offline corporate career has been in sales and sales management – so I know how important it is to keep up with what is going on in your industry. Plus, I love to learn and really enjoy connecting with people in real life. I am positive that attending NAMS3 will not only help advance my own online business efforts – but what I learn there will also make me a more valuable resource to my clients.

I can’t wait – I am really excited to be there!

Now, if you don’t mind… I want to turn this back to you one more time…

You are an instructor at NAMS3 and have been involved with the previous sessions.  What do YOU think is the most valuable part of these workshops? If someone is still on the fence about attending – what is one specific example of real life results you’ve seen come out of it that might help them decide to attend?

Looking forward to your reply!

PS Here is Nicole’s reply and wrap-up for this series. Hope you enjoyed it!

Yesterday, I talked about how a Cross-Blog Conversation works -  then launched into my maiden voyage by posing some initial questions to Nicole Dean, an awesome blogger whose work I really admire.

As a reminder, the questions I asked Nicole were about how to best use Private Label Rights Content to grow your business online.  As a very successful online entrepreneur, blogger and internet marketing expert – not to mention the founder of EasyPLR.com – I figured she would have some great insight on this topic.

I was right. (By the way – I LOVE it when that happens! )

Not only did Nicole reply back – she also posed an interesting question for me, as well.  You can check out her post here: : Cross-Blogging with Trish Lindemood

Okay, now let me answer Nicole’s question to me:

It’s obvious that you’re a highly skilled copywriter, so why would you support PLR when it’s looked down upon by so many others in your profession?

Hi Nicole – thanks for the kind words and for agreeing to participate in this cross-blog conversation – I really appreciate it!

As far as your question goes – it honestly has never occurred to me to look down on PLR content. Maybe this is because I consider myself first and foremost a business owner. As such, I recognize that there are always going to be limits to the amount of time and/or money you can invest into your business. PLR content is a great option for any business owner who doesn’t have enough time to create original content or who is unwilling or unable to hire a quality ghostwriter to do it for them.

To me, Private Label Rights content is simply one more tool in the Content Marketing Toolbox. Some jobs require a hammer – and some require a screwdriver. One isn’t any better than the other, but it sure is good to have the one you need, when you need it!

That said, I do have a couple of “rules” for how I personally use Private Label Rights content:

First, I NEVER EVER use PLR content “as is” – the only way I use it is by pulling it apart and grabbing ideas/concepts that I then incorporate into something fresh and new.  I won’t put anything out there under my own name that hasn’t been reworked to the point of being unrecognizable from the original inspiration piece(s). In fact, tearing apart PLR content is one of  my favorite brainstorming techniques! Of course, the main benefit is that it is so much faster to come up with fresh, original content this way!

Second, I NEVER EVER use PLR content for client projects. (Can’t stress that enough – if they hire me to write for them, they get my original work).

Bottom line: When it comes to creating content for sites not related to “my personality” (i.e., affiliate sites, etc… ) – PLR content is one of my tools of choice in terms of coming up with ideas and keeping the Content Marketing machine going. This is going to be a big focus for me in 2010 and beyond – so you’ll be seeing me around EasyPLR.com quite a bit more, I’d imagine!

If you don’t mind – I do have another question for you…

I’ve been looking at your Blog World Tour program for a while now and am planning to buy it after the 90-Day Content Marketing Challenge concludes. In fact, I’m thinking about “packing my bags and heading out” on such a tour after NAMS 3 in January – but was wondering if this approach would work better for someone who already has an information product to promote?

As the creator of this very cool concept, do you feel  this plan would be beneficial to someone who doesn’t have their own info products to promote?

Interested in hearing your thoughts!

Til Next Time,

I’m really excited about today’s post about cross-blog conversations  – it represents a first for me and is something I’ve been wanting to try for some time.

In case you are unfamiliar with the concept, a cross-blog conversation is where bloggers pose questions to one another and then answer each others questions on their own blogs. It’s a fun and interesting way to open up an informative dialogue – and a great way to build incoming links while adding fresh content to your site.

But, it’s not just the concept that has me excited – I’m also thrilled to share with you what Nicole Dean (founder of  EasyPLR.com and many other successful online ventures) has to say about how to use Private Label Rights (PLR) content to grow your business.  Nicole is a highly respected and very well-known online entrepreneur and she really knows her stuff when it comes to this topic. Even better, Nicole always seems like she is having a lot of fun with her online businesses – which is something I truly aspire to achieve!

So, here goes!

Hi Nicole

First – I love your blog – I really like the way you use different themes for certain days. I think that is a great way to make coming up with fresh content consistently just a little easier.  (I especially like the Weird Website Wednesday!)

In addition, I have recommended EasyPLR.com to my readers because of its high quality, limited distribution and great price.  As an expert on the topic of Private Label Rights content, I would love to hear your thoughts on the following -

1.) What “rights” come with the purchase of Private Label Rights content?  – and what can’t you do with it?

2.) Other than adding new content to your site, what are some other ways PLR content can be used to build your business?

I look forward to hearing your reply!

Thanks!

PS  Be sure to visit Nicole’s blog to read her response and to see what questions she might have for me.