Are you stuck in the middle with your online marketing?

Too much integrity to be an Internet marketing huckster, and too much respect for cash flow to be a social media idealist?

What if I told you the middle is exactly the place to be?

And what if I also told you can get a ton of Internet marketing education for pennies on the dollar, all while meeting up with like-minded people who can help take your business to the next level?

All at no obligation?

What Is Third Tribe?

Third Tribe is the educational community for online marketers started by Darren Rowse, Chris Brogan, Sonia, and yours truly. It’s grown way beyond the four of us, thanks to thousands of smart marketers who’ve come together to share information, form relationships, and give each other a helping hand.

There’s an entire story behind how Third Tribe came into existence, but I’ll save that for when you visit the site. Let’s get to the brass tacks.

Try Out Third Tribe, Keep Over 10 Hours of Seminar Content

Members who sign up before June 1 get instant access to over 10 hours of in-depth audio seminars, along with transcripts and next-action worksheets:

• Product Launch Strategies: What Always Works and What’s Working in 2010
  Jeff Walker & Sonia Simone
• How to Get Your Customers to Do Your Best Marketing for You
  John Jantsch & Chris Brogan
• Email Marketing Strategies that Work
  Sonia Simone & Brian Clark
• Action Email: Copywriting Tips for Insanely Effective Email Marketing
  Dave Navarro & Sonia Simone
• Internet Business Models: Part One – the Problogger model
  Darren Rowse & Brian Clark
• Internet Business Models: Part Two – the Chris Brogan model
  Chris Brogan & Sonia Simone
• Internet Business Models: Part Three – the Copyblogger model
  Brian Clark & Sonia Simone
• Internet Business Models: Part Four – the Zen Habits model
  Leo Babauta & Darren Rowse
• The Quick Start Guide to Making Money Online
  Johnny Truant & Sonia Simone
• Advanced Affiliate Marketing with Social Media and SEO
  Brian Clark & Glenn Allsopp

There are full seminar descriptions on the Third Tribe site, so check them out.

Join for the Content, Stay for the Connection

Ask any Third Tribe member what they value most, and they’ll tell you it’s the community and the connections, even with all the great content. We don’t blame you if you’re skeptical, because it’s something you have to experience for yourself.

So rather than “sell” you on the Third Tribe community, we’re offering you a ton of education for a nominal fee so you’ll check things out for yourself. You can head over to the Third Tribe site to find out about the interactive aspects and see what some of our members have to say about it.

Price Goes Up June 1, 2010

Based on what quality online marketing educational content goes for (usually $97 to $127 for a single seminar), we’re basically giving away the farm. You get access to over 10 hours of seminar content for one payment of only $47, with no obligation to stay on board.

Why do it?

Because we want the community to grow even stronger, and we’re confident that once you get inside Third Tribe, you’ll see that the monthly fee is a drop in the bucket compared with the ongoing value you receive.

But we’re only offering this deal until June 1, at which point the price to grab all that valuable content is going up.

Check out Third Tribe for all the details.

About the Author: Brian Clark is founder of Copyblogger and co-founder of Inside the Third Tribe. Get more from Brian on Twitter.

Every once in awhile, someone asks me why I have pink hair.

(You ever notice that no one asks why anyone has blonde hair, or red hair? But pink, it seems, requires a good reason).

There are a lot of ways I could answer that question, but the simplest is probably that I don’t really buy into the standard set of rules about what “success” or “professionalism” look like.

As it turns out, there are a lot of things I don’t buy into.

I don’t buy into the idea that the best way for me to make a living is to work in a box from nine to five every day. Even a really nice box.

I notice that Brian didn’t buy the notion that being a lawyer (which he had put a lot of years and dollars into) was a wiser career choice than starting some blog about copywriting and social media.

And come to think of it, from hearing Darren Rowse’s story, I understand that his wife didn’t think that his notion to do that problogging stuff, whatever that was, would be anywhere near as logical as getting a nice steady job at a gas station.

If you spend enough time around entrepreneurs, you’ll quickly begin to realize that the vast majority are . . . (hm, searching for the polite word, here) eccentric in some way.

(OK, let’s tell the truth. A lot of us are basically nuts)

But even if you find one person who seems totally normal, you can bet that she made at least one giant, ridiculous decision in her past that seemed crazy at the time, but ended up getting her to the great place she is today.

I have pink hair because I like the way it looks, because it makes my kid smile, and because I happen to rather like tweaking ordinary expectations.

But here’s the important part: What I do with my hair doesn’t matter at all. But if I lived a mousy-brown life — where I did all the things we expect of a “normal” person — I wouldn’t be as successful or as happy as I am today.

Entrepreneurs question the rules

The nonconformist thing is on my mind because I’ve been trading email lately with one of our regular writers, Johnny B. Truant. You might have seen that Johnny has partnered with filmmaker and Huffington Post writer Lee Stranahan to create a course called Question the Rules.

Their tagline is: The nonconformist’s punk rock, DIY, nuts-and-bolts guide to creating the business and life you really want, starting with what you already have.

Basically, if you’re starting your own business, you’re breaking a rule. (That’s true whether or not you keep your day job.)

It’s a big rule, too — the one that says:

Other people should be in charge of how much money I make, how hard I work, and what I should work on.

When I went out on my own, everyone praised me for being such a risk-taker. Including all the people who were out of a job after an ugly round of layoffs, and who were answering those monster.com ads with an increasing sense of desperation.

I had a different rule:

No one will ever care as much about my financial security, or will work as hard to improve it, as I do.

To me, it was risky to stay with that day job. But to a lot of my more “normal” colleagues, my decision made me look like a downright daredevil.

All entrepreneurs are punk rock

That’s how Johnny puts it, anyway. I just use the word “nuts.”

Entrepreneurs are nonconformists, whether we’ve realized it and embraced it or not. We challenge a lot of rules and norms that are very deeply engrained in this culture.

The problem is that a lot of people who decide to start their own business just know that “normal” isn’t working for them.

They know what they’re not, but not really what they are. They don’t really own their punk rock nature (quite possibly because they have no interest at all in dyeing their hair pink).

So they end up feeling like fish out of water.

Which is not, of course, a nice feeling at all.

• They’re rule-questioners, but they live surrounded by rule-followers.
• They know what they don’t want, but can’t always translate it to what they do want.
• They don’t know who to ask for advice, because they don’t know any other people who are odd like this.
• They’re not “normal,” but they end up judging and measuring themselves by normal standards because those are the only standards available.

I took a sneak peek at Johnny and Lee’s course, and it really speaks to those punk rock entrepreneurs, including the ones who live in lovely four-bedroom houses in the suburbs.

They talk about the stuff to actually do, the tactics. They talk about how to get our heads in the right place – the mindset. (Which is, in my experience, the part you really do need to get right.)

And then just for giggles, they throw in fifteen or so meaty interviews with rock-and-roll entrepreneurs who owe their success to questioning rules. Folks like Chris Guillebeau, Naomi Dunford, and Jason Freid from 37 Signals. Our own Jon Morrow has an amazing interview where he talks about the power of working with a gun to your head.

Oh, and some pink-haired chick from Copyblogger is in there, too.

Here’s the link to check out the course.

(And yep, that’s our affiliate link. We think Johnny and Lee did a great job with this one, and we’re proud to recommend it.)

Johnny and Lee took a page from Brian’s playbook and they’re giving a really, really attractive price on this — but only for a really, really short time.

The punch line is that the price is going to quadruple on Saturday.

So if you want to check it out, don’t dawdle.

How about you?

Do you consider yourself a nonconformist? Do you think that it takes a certain measure of “punk rock” to get out on your own? And what does “punk” even mean for you?

Let us know in the comments.

About the Author: Sonia Simone is Senior Editor of Copyblogger and the founder of Remarkable Communication.

Do you want to be a successful blogger?

I do. I might be getting a bit obsessed with it, actually.

Post ideas pop into my head unexpectedly. I keep a long running list of ideas for improving my blog.

I also study how the most successful bloggers got where they are, and I pore over every word that they write.

If you want to be a great blogger, you should, too.

A lot of the top bloggers like Brian Clark, Darren Rowse, and Leo
Babauta have shared hundreds of tips about how they made their blogs so successful. But each blogger’s tips are just a little different.

There’s too much advice to follow

So I would read one special report with a great idea and put that into place on my blog. But the next day I’d find a podcast from another top blogger with contradictory advice, so I’d change my blog again. Then I’d come across a third idea from an equally successful blogger, which sent me down a totally new path.

Finally I realized I needed to stop focusing on little things like what plug-ins to use, how to write my About Page, or where to position my ads.

I needed to focus on a bigger picture. I wanted to find out what all these top bloggers had in common. Their mindset, their mental habits.

I spent a lot of time observing, which led to this list of the eight success traits shared by all top bloggers I’ve found. I’m happy to share it with you.

The good news is that even if you don’t have all these personality traits already, most of them can be developed over time. Best of all, if you can cultivate these traits, you’ll become more effective in the rest of your life as well.

1. Effective bloggers are prolific

The first key to being a successful blogger is to write. A lot.

The more you write, the better your writing gets. The more posts you add to your blog, the more juice you’ll get from search engines. And more content means more reader visits to see what’s new.

There’s no way around it; it takes work to be prolific. Effective bloggers work hard. Putting a successful blog together requires a lot of time in front of your computer, and not surfing LOLCats or Twittering about what you had for lunch. Great bloggers put serious time into researching, writing, editing, and planning posts for their blogs.

2. Effective bloggers are concise

It is a truth universally acknowledged by top bloggers; people come to your blog for a reason. Usually because they want to learn something from you.

No one wants to read fluff or blather, especially online.

Top bloggers know how to quickly get people’s attention, how to keep it, and how to make their posts easy to digest.

Most effective bloggers tend toward short posts. They also divide their copy into short paragraphs, and use bullet points or numbered lists to keep the reader scanning. They use compelling subheads so readers can scan for the information they need.

Brevity comes in handy in other areas of life, too. Keep your phone calls short. Pare your email messages down to the essentials. You’ll have more time for creative work, and people will be much more interested in what you have to say.

3. Effective bloggers are analytical

Successful bloggers don’t work or live in a bubble.

They always look to their readers, observing carefully to see what readers care about and respond to.

They study their statistics, so they know where readers come from — what sites, what search engines, what search terms, and even what countries.

They know when they tend to get the most traffic, what kinds of posts are best suited for their audience, and what kinds of headlines get tweeted most often.

Then they tailor the timing, content, layout, and images of their posts to suit their audience.

4. Effective bloggers are lifelong learners

If you’re new to blogging, you’re probably on a steep learning curve at the moment.

Maybe you tell yourself that things will get better when you’ve been doing it longer. There won’t be so much to learn. You’ll have systems in place soon and everything will run smoothly.

Sadly, I think this is a myth. I’ve been using and designing for the Internet for about 15 years, and it keeps changing. Just when you’ve got one element sorted out, something new gets released. Or becomes obsolete. Or mutates in 20 different directions.

If you want to stay ahead in blogging, you have to keep learning.

Fortunately, being curious and wanting to learn keeps you young and your brain active. A love of learning doesn’t just set you up for a successful blog, but for a successful and happy life.

5. Effective bloggers are focused and consistent

Successful bloggers choose a topic and stick to it.

They write consistently about their chosen subject, and with a consistent voice and approach. Even when they write about something that seems to be off-topic, they relate it back to the niche they know their readers are interested in.

Top bloggers are also consistent about timing. Most stick to regular posting schedules. Whether they post three posts a day or two posts a week, their readers know what to expect.

6. Effective bloggers plan ahead

Successful bloggers know where they’re going. They have a master plan and they stick to it. Yes, they adapt based on feedback, but always in service of a vision.

To paraphrase Seth Godin’s recent book Linchpin, “Effective bloggers ship.” Top bloggers don’t waffle for months about the typeface on their upcoming ebook. They may tailor the angle, price, or format to better suit their market. But they don’t let themselves get derailed. They follow the plan.

7. Effective bloggers are persistent

Top bloggers understand that success doesn’t happen overnight. Real success rarely happens quickly.

Time is on your side. To get to the top takes consistency, hard work, serious study, and lots of persistence. Successful bloggers don’t give up.

8. Effective bloggers are self-starters

I’ve been self-employed for years.

I’ve noticed a lot of people like the idea of working from home, working for themselves, being their own boss. But if you want these things, you need to be able to manage yourself.

No one is going to sack you if you’re late. No one reminds you of important deadlines or nags you to get your sales numbers up.

If you want to be a successful blogger, you need to be a self-starter. It’s not enough to have good ideas. You have to act on them.

What trait do you think is most valuable?

What do you think the most important trait of a top blogger is? It might be one of these eight, or something completely different. Let us know in the comments!

About the Author: Annabel Candy is a travel fiend who currently calls Australia home. She has travelled widely and writes a personal improvement blog called Get in the Hot Spot. It’s stuffed with inspiration and tips to help people live their dreams.

It’s Monday evening here in Australia and I’ll be flying out in the morning to head home. I was in Melbourne for the weekend to attend Ed Dale’s Coming Home Seminar.

The flight is more than 24 hours each way, so I brought some of my new gadgets with me on the trip. My Macbook Pro (which was very popular here for some reason ), my new Droid, and the Aiptek ActionHD handheld video camera. I figured a week with my devices would give me a chance to become good and familiar with them.

The event was absolutely incredible, both in content and in connections. As always, Ed Dale was a fabulous (and entertaining) host.

Sessions included talks on outsourcing, content development, search engine marketing, business structure, blogging, monetization strategies, offline marketing and much more. One of my personal favorites was the Hot Seat sessions where a hand-picked panel did live site reviews on the spot…

I joined the panel for the blogging and social media session alongside Darren Rowse, Yaro Starak, James Schramko and Ed Dale. We discussed the concept behind and the need for a “Third Tribe” as well as our thoughts on the history and evolution of Social Media.

I also joined the 3 Hot Seat sessions to participate in the site reviews, which I thought was super-productive and full of brilliant insights. It was a real pleasure to work alongside some of the top brains in the industry.

Speaking of brains, Leslie Rohde also made the trip over for this event.

Leslie spoke on Saturday and in addition to his Free Traffic strategies, he talked about mindset and processes. Later that evening we had a chance to talk, and he walked me through some very simple solutions to issues I’ve been struggling with in my business for awhile now.

The timing couldn’t have been better. I spent the better part of my 24 hour trip over working on those very issues, and mapping out potential solutions. I made excellent progress on it, but still didn’t have those few missing pieces to make it all work like it should. Ironically, it took my own advice coming from someone else (Leslie) to pull it all together.

All said and done, the weekend was a huge success. That one (major) breakthrough will undoubtedly lead me into the best and biggest turning point in my life and business yet. I already have things in motion, and will be flying home with a major sense of accomplishment – and relief.

Of course, there was more to the event than work. I also got to hang out with Jen (@PPCmom) and Leigh (@HireMyMum), both Elite Members at SSWT. We all stayed in the beautiful Crown Tower & Casino in Melbourne, and had a fabulous time!

It’s nice to have friends all over the world. Even better when you get to sit down and have a few meals together.

Definitely a highlight of my trip!

Ed devoted an entire session at the Coming Home Seminar to video editing with iMovie. I was especially interested in this session as that’s the reason I bought a Macbook Pro recently – for mobile video editing.

I have a way to go to get to Ed’s expert level on iMovie. I have just finally figured out how to copy & paste on the Mac! -lol But I did find a great magazine in one of the local shops: The Ultimate Mac Guide (left). It’s only available in Australia & New Zealand so that was a super lucky find before I headed home! It’s chock full of very detailed tutorials. I’ll give you a video walk-through of it when I get home.

Until then, keep working towards your goals and stay focused! I have lots to share when I return, and also look forward to getting back to our usual topics and Q&A sessions!

Best,

p.s. I have more pictures and video to share. I still have to download them and see what I ended up with. I’ll probably add them to Facebook to make it easy.

Find events in your area! Go to www.GeekTrax.com

This is part two of a three-part series on how to profitably translate advice from old-school marketing guru Dan Kennedy to a new online environment.

Last week we looked at the first 5 steps in Dan Kennedy’s Ultimate Marketing Plan, and how you can translate those old-school ideas into an online marketing strategy.

This week we’ve got five more for you.

6. Get Free Advertising

In the book, Kennedy focuses on methods for getting free advertising through traditional media. However, times have changed. These days, it’s social media that can best butter your bread.

If you’re comfortable navigating online, you have a clear advantage here. Other than the expense of time, the majority of social media tools are entirely free. There have never been more easy to implement and widely available instruments to help you smartly promote your business.

If you’re a regular reader of Copyblogger, you already know this goes hand-in-hand with the content marketing gospel flowing from the pulpit, day in and day out.

If you deliver value on a consistent basis, eventually others will help you with the hard work of promotion. They’ll spread your influence and draw prospects to your business like metal to a magnet.

Whether you do this by being flamboyant, an expert, an observer, or otherwise, it’s never been simpler to reach a worldwide audience without having to have a war chest budget.

7. Become Hot!

Trends are great; fads are not.

The last thing you want is to be here today and gone tomorrow. Getting people engaged so they are not only talking about whom you are but also what you’re doing is a tremendous way to increase business.

Once in your sphere, you can groom your one-time prospects into evergreen customers.

Kennedy cites seven ways to get people talking:

• Gain prestigious recognition. Get name checked by someone in the know. Perhaps Chris Brogan or Darren Rowse mentions you, thus instantly putting you on the radar of a wider audience. Guest posting is a great shortcut to accomplish the same thing.
• Offer new products. Offer something new or put a unique spin on something old. Offer something decidedly different or measurably better than your competitors, and people will be talking.
• Offer new services. Find a unique way to service your clientele, or create an unbeatable guarantee and people will naturally want to share it with their friends.
• Tie into trends and news events. Always have an open ear for what people are discussing these days. This doesn’t mean you need to jump on a Tiger Woods Infidelity Special!, but you can find ways to make the headlines relevant to your business.
• Tie your business to seasons and holidays. From Groundhog Day to Christmas, there’s always a jubilee to jump on. Be creative. Why wait for a “Harvest Sale,” when you could promote your business during “Talk Like a Pirate Day?” The possibilities here are endless.
• Tie your business to movies and entertainment events. We love to talk about the latest movies we’ve seen or television we’ve watched. Even if we pretend not to, most of us glance at the tabloids while paying for our groceries. Make your business a part of the water cooler conversation.
• Piggyback off the fads of others. Fads are here today and gone tomorrow. Though you wouldn’t want to build your business on a passing whim, it can be great to ride the waves while they’re good.

8. Poor Boy Marketing

It’s easy to fritter mountains of money on poorly placed advertising, but moving your enterprise online has made it far easier to avoid this tragic mistake.

See #6 – Get Free Advertising. Get online and get going. Don’t spend tons of money on Adwords or banner ads when you’re getting started. Instead, spend tons of time making connections and getting your message heard.

9. Maximizing total customer value

The life of a customer over time is, by far, one of the biggest assets your business can have. The cost to gain a new customer is substantially higher than that to keep an old one happy. Yet a common mistake many business owners make is giving too much attention to getting new clients, rather than focusing on their existing loyal customers.

Losing some customers is unavoidable, but there are many things you can do to avoid the fallout.

According to Kennedy, businesses lose customers because:

• 1% die. Until we figure out how to cyborg ourselves, there’s not much we can do about this one.
• 3% move. Offline, this is due to geography; online, it’s due to shifting interests. You must do all you can to hold the attention of your audience. Some loss is acceptable over time, but stay remarkable and you will minimize the losses.
• 5% switch to something else due to a friend’s recommendation. There is no more valuable referral than that from a friend. Yet, if your customer is truly happy with your product or services, the odds of them leaving are slim.
• 9% switch to a better product or service. The best way to fight this is to make sure your products, services, and offers are simply the best around.
• 14% leave for general dissatisfaction. Again, it’s a good idea to trim the tribe, as you’re never going to please everyone. However, if a customer leaves, make sure you did everything within reason to keep them.

All together, those five reasons only add up to 32%. A staggering 68% of customer loss is due to indifference.

Appreciate your customers, give them value at every opportunity, and allow the relationship to grow over time.

10. Fueling Word-of-Mouth

Online, we call this going viral. The best referrals come from other happy customers. Your job as a business owner is to fuel that praise.

Kennedy suggests using the “EAR” formula:

• E- Earn your referrals. Do what you do so well that others can’t resist talking about you. Publish content that makes others eager to share.
• A- Ask. It might make you uncomfortable, but you shouldn’t be shy about asking for referrals if you are doing a job that warrants praise. Give your customers the tools they need, clearly communicate your desires, and watch your business grow.
• R- Recognize and Reward. Acknowledge your customers when they give you the gift of a referral and never fail to reward them for their efforts. Reciprocity goes a long way, both online and off.

That’s it for this week. The final four elements of Kennedy’s Ultimate Marketing Plan applied online will be in next week’s final installment of the series.

About the Author: Sean Platt writes direct response copy, as well as helping authors write, publish and promote their book. Follow him on Twitter.

This is part two of a three-part series on how to profitably translate advice from old-school marketing guru Dan Kennedy to a new online environment.

Last week we looked at the first 5 steps in Dan Kennedy’s Ultimate Marketing Plan, and how you can translate those old-school ideas into an online marketing strategy.

This week we’ve got five more for you.

6. Get Free Advertising

In the book, Kennedy focuses on methods for getting free advertising through traditional media. However, times have changed. These days, it’s social media that can best butter your bread.

If you’re comfortable navigating online, you have a clear advantage here. Other than the expense of time, the majority of social media tools are entirely free. There have never been more easy to implement and widely available instruments to help you smartly promote your business.

If you’re a regular reader of Copyblogger, you already know this goes hand-in-hand with the content marketing gospel flowing from the pulpit, day in and day out.

If you deliver value on a consistent basis, eventually others will help you with the hard work of promotion. They’ll spread your influence and draw prospects to your business like metal to a magnet.

Whether you do this by being flamboyant, an expert, an observer, or otherwise, it’s never been simpler to reach a worldwide audience without having to have a war chest budget.

7. Become Hot!

Trends are great; fads are not.

The last thing you want is to be here today and gone tomorrow. Getting people engaged so they are not only talking about whom you are but also what you’re doing is a tremendous way to increase business.

Once in your sphere, you can groom your one-time prospects into evergreen customers.

Kennedy cites seven ways to get people talking:

• Gain prestigious recognition. Get name checked by someone in the know. Perhaps Chris Brogan or Darren Rowse mentions you, thus instantly putting you on the radar of a wider audience. Guest posting is a great shortcut to accomplish the same thing.
• Offer new products. Offer something new or put a unique spin on something old. Offer something decidedly different or measurably better than your competitors, and people will be talking.
• Offer new services. Find a unique way to service your clientele, or create an unbeatable guarantee and people will naturally want to share it with their friends.
• Tie into trends and news events. Always have an open ear for what people are discussing these days. This doesn’t mean you need to jump on a Tiger Woods Infidelity Special!, but you can find ways to make the headlines relevant to your business.
• Tie your business to seasons and holidays. From Groundhog Day to Christmas, there’s always a jubilee to jump on. Be creative. Why wait for a “Harvest Sale,” when you could promote your business during “Talk Like a Pirate Day?” The possibilities here are endless.
• Tie your business to movies and entertainment events. We love to talk about the latest movies we’ve seen or television we’ve watched. Even if we pretend not to, most of us glance at the tabloids while paying for our groceries. Make your business a part of the water cooler conversation.
• Piggyback off the fads of others. Fads are here today and gone tomorrow. Though you wouldn’t want to build your business on a passing whim, it can be great to ride the waves while they’re good.

8. Poor Boy Marketing

It’s easy to fritter mountains of money on poorly placed advertising, but moving your enterprise online has made it far easier to avoid this tragic mistake.

See #6 – Get Free Advertising. Get online and get going. Don’t spend tons of money on Adwords or banner ads when you’re getting started. Instead, spend tons of time making connections and getting your message heard.

9. Maximizing total customer value

The life of a customer over time is, by far, one of the biggest assets your business can have. The cost to gain a new customer is substantially higher than that to keep an old one happy. Yet a common mistake many business owners make is giving too much attention to getting new clients, rather than focusing on their existing loyal customers.

Losing some customers is unavoidable, but there are many things you can do to avoid the fallout.

According to Kennedy, businesses lose customers because:

• 1% die. Until we figure out how to cyborg ourselves, there’s not much we can do about this one.
• 3% move. Offline, this is due to geography; online, it’s due to shifting interests. You must do all you can to hold the attention of your audience. Some loss is acceptable over time, but stay remarkable and you will minimize the losses.
• 5% switch to something else due to a friend’s recommendation. There is no more valuable referral than that from a friend. Yet, if your customer is truly happy with your product or services, the odds of them leaving are slim.
• 9% switch to a better product or service. The best way to fight this is to make sure your products, services, and offers are simply the best around.
• 14% leave for general dissatisfaction. Again, it’s a good idea to trim the tribe, as you’re never going to please everyone. However, if a customer leaves, make sure you did everything within reason to keep them.

All together, those five reasons only add up to 32%. A staggering 68% of customer loss is due to indifference.

Appreciate your customers, give them value at every opportunity, and allow the relationship to grow over time.

10. Fueling Word-of-Mouth

Online, we call this going viral. The best referrals come from other happy customers. Your job as a business owner is to fuel that praise.

Kennedy suggests using the “EAR” formula:

• E- Earn your referrals. Do what you do so well that others can’t resist talking about you. Publish content that makes others eager to share.
• A- Ask. It might make you uncomfortable, but you shouldn’t be shy about asking for referrals if you are doing a job that warrants praise. Give your customers the tools they need, clearly communicate your desires, and watch your business grow.
• R- Recognize and Reward. Acknowledge your customers when they give you the gift of a referral and never fail to reward them for their efforts. Reciprocity goes a long way, both online and off.

That’s it for this week. The final four elements of Kennedy’s Ultimate Marketing Plan applied online will be in next week’s final installment of the series.

About the Author: Sean Platt writes direct response copy, as well as helping authors write, publish and promote their book. Follow him on Twitter.

I’ve been traveling quite a bit lately, so the recent IMTW Podcast with Ed Dale and Paul Colligan is the first I’d heard of the buzz about Third Tribe Marketing.

It’s a new community launched by Darren Rowse (aka Problogger), Brian Clark (aka CopyBlogger), Chris Brogan and Sonia Simone. Third Tribe membership is $47/month, and already has over 2,000 members.

I’m actually traveling again this week, to Australia. I’ll be on a panel with Darren Rowse at the Coming Home Seminar in Melbourne, and on this topic, so I decided to sign up and check it out.

The concept behind it is that there are basically two tribes: the dirty internet marketers who monetize everything online, and the social media evangelists that want to protect the social space from marketing clutter and spam.

Third Tribe is a meeting ground in between, where all groups can come together to discuss the topics and learn from each other…

The link is: http://thirdtribemarketing.com

There is a discussion forum of course, but the members area also contains high quality content. There is a live training seminar every month, plus two Live Q&A calls for members. This month the topic is Building A Business Around A Blog. You get the one-hour audio, the PDF transcript and the Next Action Worksheet – along with a list of the links mentioned in the audio for easy access.

You can then use the forum to discuss the training topics, and specifically how you can best implement the ideas in your own business.

Another thing I like about the Third Tribe community is The Niche Corner. This is a great place to discuss niche-specific topics, or network with other bloggers or online business owners in your niche. It’s an ideal place to meet people for things like interviews or guest posting.

While there are many public forums on the net, there is something to be said for a private community where the members have qualified themselves as being serious enough about their business to invest in growth & networking.

And of course, if you’re from the dirty internet marketer tribe (lol) you already know the value of being involved with a group of people that each have an active PayPal account – and are paying $47/month to be there.

On a side note- I can only guess why Ed Dale wanted me on the panel for this topic alongside Darren Rowse, Dan Raine, and Yaro Starak. It shall be an interesting panel indeed!

So far I am really impressed with Third Tribe. The 4 people behind this community are well-known both for their integrity and quality of content. And the forums are a goldmine of resources and networking opportunities.

This definitely met the criteria in my filter for making an investment in my blog and business. I know the value of just one connection or guest blogging opp goes far beyond the $47/month to be a member.

I am also seeing a lot of familiar faces inside Third Tribe. It will be a great space to communicate openly but privately, and also meet some cool new folks in the space.

Here are some great links if you’d like to read more about the launch & buzz of the new Third Tribe Marketing community:

Is Your Tribe Holding You Down? by Sonia Simone

Third Tribe Marketing is Live by Sonia Simone

What Third Tribe is About by Chris Brogan

Some Of The Third Tribe Conversations by Chris Brogan

The Third Tribe – Launched [My Back Story] by Darren Rowse

Best,

Those of you who subscribe to the Internet Marketing for Smart People email newsletter found out on Monday what Brian and I have been up to for the past few months.

We knew it would be cool, because, well, we designed it to be cool.

We wanted to build something people would really get value from.

But still, when we saw what people were doing inside after the first day, we all looked around at one another and pulled a Keanu.

Whoa.

Inside the Third Tribe has been active for just under two days now. What’s been happening so far?

• Artists and SEOs and copywriters and entrepreneurs of every stripe are all giving each other business advice, feedback, encouragement, and ideas.
• Nitty gritty conversations are springing up about promotional tactics, how to manage entrepreneurial stress, getting past roadblocks, finding our niches, and dozens of other topics.
• Chris Brogan and Laura Roeder have been helping a Triber see how he can measure social media ROI in the real world.
• A Triber mentioned frustration in putting the final graphic touches on his blog — and within a matter of minutes, another Triber stepped forward to lend her own resources and expertise. For free. Just because it felt like the right thing to do.
• One passionate Triber decided to pull together groups of “Niche Tribers,” who are already working to form cooperative bands to support and grow each other’s blogs and businesses.
• Tribers are arranging to meet up in Austin, London, Toronto . . . and more to come.

Here’s the coolest part for me:

We didn’t make this stuff happen

We provided a comfortable, user-friendly space. We’re providing educational seminars. We’re hosting Q&A sessions. And the four of us who founded the Third Tribe — Darren Rowse, Chris Brogan, Brian and I — are part of the conversation, answering questions and sharing our perspective. But that’s the key . . . we’re simply part of it.

The other part is the collection of entrepreneurs at all levels. Some of them are names you recognize, some are new to the game. But all of them are energized by the Third Tribe model of kumbaya respect and community combined with razor-sharp marketing strategy.

If you want to know more about how the tribe works and how you can get access for a very attractive price, here’s where you can find the details. (If nothing else, you’d be smart to go check out Brian’s copy approach — it’s prompted a huge discussion among members on its own).

On Friday Feburary 5, 2010 at 6:00 p.m. Central Time, the price goes up to $47 a month. So if you’d like to join in and check things out, this is a really good time to do that.

About the Author: Sonia Simone is Senior Editor of Copyblogger and a co-founder of Inside the Third Tribe.

Yesterday I watched this quick 3-minute video by Darren Rowse (aka Problogger) where he tells a great story and brings up a very good point…

This video really got my wheels churning, so I thought I would share it with you and bring the topic up for discussion. This question goes out mainly to those who create blogs, affiliate sites and/or Adsense-based content sites.

Do you have an info product of your own that you sell on your blog or website? If so, what has been your experience with that? If you don’t yet have your own product – have you considered it?

I’d love to hear your thoughts!

I actually have two products that are both a good fit here at ClickNewz, but I barely promote either of them. In fact, I’d guess that the majority of you aren’t even aware of them. One is available “secretly” only after you subscribe by email, the other I’ve rarely ever mentioned at all. Something I may change in the New Year.

Let the discussion begin…

Best,

There’s a new version of Thesis out that has our customers excited, thanks to some really cool new features. And it occurred to me that there are a lot of new Copyblogger subscribers who might use WordPress, and yet not really “get” what this Thesis thing is all about.

So in this post I’ll tell you what’s brand new in Thesis 1.6, and also bring everyone up to speed on why Thesis makes WordPress way better.

What is the Thesis Theme for WordPress?

Thesis is the flagship product of DIY Themes, a partnership between Chris Pearson and me. It’s the theme framework that powers Copyblogger and many other high-traffic sites.

In a nutshell, Thesis is software that delivers rock-solid SEO website code, plus unprecedented design flexibility for WordPress — without requiring the novice user to code anything.

For sophisticated users, Thesis is a search-optimized development framework that allows designers and web developers to build sites better and faster than ever before.

* SEO

Search legend Danny Sullivan, Google’s Matt Cutts, and Microsoft search engineer Jeremiah Andrick all use Thesis for their sites. So does search and affiliate marketing entrepreneur Rae Hoffman, SEO guru Michael Gray, top bloggers Darren Rowse and Robert Scoble, web-hosting entrepreneur Scott Beale, social media darling Chris Brogan, and thousands of others.

To find out why the Thesis approach to site code results in maximum search engine crawlibility, watch this quick video I put together.

* Design Flexibility

With most WordPress themes, you’re stuck with the basic look and feel that the theme designer decided on. With Thesis, you can choose between one, two, or three column layouts (and the size of each column), change font types and sizes, create a magazine-style layout, and lots more. Again, watch this video for an overview, and then dive into the three demo videos listed below the general video to see what Thesis can do.

* Support

Even with everything Thesis makes easier, we know people don’t want to be hung out to dry. Our support forums have evolved into a truly supportive community of over 10,000 of your fellow webmasters and bloggers. You’ll have help from DIY Themes support professionals, Thesis Certified Designers, and tons of your peers who simply enjoy lending a helping hand.

What’s New in Thesis 1.6?

Now, here’s the new goodness. Thesis 1.6 offers a lot of improvements throughout, plus two major innovative capabilities – you can now change colors throughout the theme without getting into the CSS markup, and you can create drop-down interactive navigation menus right from the control panel in the WordPress dashboard.

* Change Colors Throughout the Theme Without Code

This is huge for someone like me, who would never mess with CSS in order to change background colors, column colors, etc. I only know enough code to be dangerous, but now if I want to throw up a new site with a varied color scheme, I can do it without bugging Chris or Tony.

Watch this video to see how to build a site with Thesis 1.6.

* Create Killer Navigation Menus

This is another awesome feature for people who don’t code. Now you can create interactive navigation menus with drop-down subpages for each choice, all point-and-click from the Thesis design panel. It was cool the other day when Mark McGuiness proudly emailed me to check out his new interactive navigation menu (Mark’s a poet and a creativity consultant, not a coder).

Watch this quick video to see how the navigation options work.

What About Thesis 2.0?

The buzz is already building about the highly-anticipated Thesis 2.0 – a complete next generation approach to an already innovative theme. From what I’ve seen so far, it’s hard to believe this is the natural evolution from what we started with a year-and-a-half ago.

But don’t think you have to wait. Our current model and pricing provides all Thesis customers with every future update and unlimited access to support… so you can get started with Thesis today and never miss out on what’s coming next.

(And if you caught the hint by my use of the word “current,” you understand that this will change in the near future. Come join the Thesis community today).

About the Author: Brian Clark is founder of Copyblogger and co-founder of DIY Themes, creator of the innovative Thesis Theme for WordPress. Get more from Brian on Twitter.