I am no Pro, and had very little experience when I started, but I do get a lot of compliments on my editing…

Which I personally think is a hack job half the time. LOL.

I often joke that I’m a technophobe, but the truth is I don’t have time OR patience to learn complicated software or hardware. If it’s not quick & easy, I’m probably not doing it. Which is why I chose the video editing hardware I did.

So let’s dig in and I’ll show you exactly what I use, and (in my opinion) the best video editing software…

Video Editing Software

As you can see in the video above, I am using iMovie on a 13.3″ Macbook Pro.

It is the EASIEST video editing software I have ever used in my life! I tried other programs in the past, Camtasia etc, but nothing compares to the simplicity of iMovie. Even for a total newbie.

I’m still running PC’s in my home office, but got the Macbook specifically for mobile video editing. That was the best decision I could have ever made!

Video Editing Hardware

The camera I am using is a Canon Vixia HD Video Camera w/Remote. I chose this make & model after HOURS of research. It has good battery life, and best of all – it works beautifully in AUTO mode. Which is great for people like me that don’t have a clue what all those buttons & features are, and don’t have time to read through the manual.

It has a flat bottom, which is great for setting up anywhere, and it has a flip-out touch screen too. The flip-out screen was a must for me as I do a lot of self-video, and it’s impossible to frame yourself correctly in a video if you can’t see the screen!

This was the thing that drove me mad about the popular Flip Video cams. Handy as they were, it’s hard to believe they were called that when they don’t DO that…

It also comes with a remote, which is GREAT. Especially if I want to be further away from the camera with an external mic. You can use the remote to zoom in and out too, in addition to stop/start. Very nice!

I’ve been told the Canon Vixia is a pain with PC’s, but I have never tried it. With the Macbook it just plugs in, imports, is ready to edit, and you can upload straight to YouTube from there!

Video Camera Accessories

Here’s a quick list of my accessories, all of which I LOVE:

• Wenger Camera Case
• Extended Life Battery Pack
• Mini Tripod
• Audio-Technica Lavalier Mic

Everything is very mobile, and it all fits right in my camera bag – except the tripod, which has it’s own carrying case w/shoulder strap. The extended life battery pack is a MUST in my opinion, by the way. It gives me well over two hours of shoot time, and it means I always have a spare charged battery in the bag. It comes with it’s own wall charger as well, which works with both batteries.

The external mic has a super long cable, and is “plug & play”. No special settings or buttons required! I simply plug it in, clip it on, and go.

I haven’t gotten into green screens or anything advanced, simply because I’m not doing pro-level productions. I’m mainly doing fun personal videos for my blog at LynnTerry.TV such as this one, which happens to be about coming up with blog content & video topic ideas:

Here is the rest of my Home Office.
That’s where all the magic happens.

If you don’t have a Mac, and don’t plan to get one, you should definitely check out this extremely cheap ($37) step-by-step course by Oliver Olsen. He walks you through free PC software options & all the ins and outs of producing high quality marketing videos. See Video Marketing Problem: Solved! -Highly Recommended

I hope that answers some of your questions about my video editing software & hardware, how I do the cool transitions & scenes, etc. Of course, if you have feedback or questions… I’m all ears! Just leave a comment below.

Best,

Original post by Lynn Terry and software by Elliott Back

1. When did you set up your website?

I registered the domain name in 2005. The original website was a push and publish site that was part of my tuition in a very expensive coaching program I had been enrolled in. I was ready to make it big on the internet!

Boy was I about to eat some humble pie…

2. What gave you the idea for this particular niche & website?

I was a complete internet newbie and had enrolled in this program that promised to teach me everything I needed to know about how to make money online. Part of my tuition included a very basic website…

It was suggested I sell products I could really get excited about. I’d always loved the idea of wall murals and thought how cool it would be to sell them. It was difficult to find vendors at first so in the beginning I mostly sold wall borders and little prints.

3. Did you have any experience with online business prior to creating this website?

No, none at all. I could forward those chain emails, but that was about the extent of my technical skills. Once the coaching program was over with, so was my access to any online help for my questions and answers.

It was after the coaching program was over and 13 months that my site had been live and online when I finally made my first sale. It was for about $12 and my commission from that sale was less than $4. Needless to say I was very discouraged.

It was around that time that I found Clicknewz and Lynn’s forum. It was as if someone threw me a lifeline. Joining the Elite Brainstorming Group was hands down one of the smartest investments I ever made.

The members were always very patient and helpful with any technical issues I had. They are a such a great bunch of people! Lynn has also helped me very much giving me lots of great suggestions to increase traffic and sales to my site over the years.

4. What did you do for work prior to setting up an online business?

I was and still am a Regsitered Nurse. Being that I work long hous, I often have a few days off during the week, so I definitely have the time to invest in working online.

5. How did you initially promote your website, and if different – how do you promote it now?

I used spend hours and hours typing up directory submissions and doing article marketing. I submitted my site manually to hundreds of online shopping directories one by one. Since I had such a hard time with html, it took me awhile to learn how to format a text link correctly. Once I had the html down pat, then I had a hard time figuring out which anchor text to use. Often I would link to my domain name or more than one keyphrase.

Lynn always teaches that you should have a wide variety of inbound links and that you should have varied anchor text as well in order to appear natural to the search engines. So I managed to do that completely by accident!

I still continue to do article marketing but now I also do guest blogging as well. I recently started using Facebook, Twitter, Pinteret, and other social media, and it is definitely increasing traffic to the site.

6. Is your website profitable? Can you share some basic traffic & profit stats with us?

After my initial $4 commission, I was tempted to just throw in the towel. But I was urged by Lynn and the members of the forum to stay focused and keep at it.

Using the input from the group, I ditched the crappy website from the coaching program and upgraded to really nice, user-friendly shopping cart solution. I got a toll free number (per Lynn’s suggestion) and continued my SEO efforts.

Thankfully my hard work and persistence paid off. Eventually the tides turned and sales started to roll in. I’m so proud of my site now. I make a pretty good amount of money each month. This past month (January 2012) has been my most profitable to date, so I’m obviously Very excited about that.

This month I’ve had 74,561 pageviews and 10,712 Unique Visitors.

7. What are your plans for the site going forward?

To continue to extend my reach across social media channels. To build up a fanbase via social media and start doing contests and giveaways. To continue to improve the site…

8. What ONE piece of advice would you give someone interested in starting their own niche site or blog?

Well e-commerce is great in that someone can purchase merchandise and you get paid immediately and that’s wonderful. But remember that your site is not an ATM. Your customers are everything so treat them like gold.

In the wall mural industry, quality is everything.

I like my customers to have the best experience possible, from the minute they contact me with a great idea for their wall, to the time the mural arrives on their doorstep. I try not to rush people and make sure to answer all theri questions. I am prompt in returning emails and telephone calls.

So remember, your customer is everything. Whether they are buying a small print for a dorm room or a large corporation with a huge order, treat each with utter respect and professionlism. Follow up with them. Make sure they are happy.

- Lisa Herbik, ArtisticHomeowner.com

Note from Lynn: I have been eyeballing Lisa’s beautiful wall murals for ages now. I love them!! Seriously considering one for the back wall in my living room, and the Travel Wall in my home office.

Original post by Lynn Terry and software by Elliott Back

Hi Lynn: I finally checked my 4 year old blog, tapwaterforgas.com and found what I knew anyway but what I was afraid to check. I only have 2 links to it. I was not surprised but I am appalled at my own actions.

I have read about links, bored with reading about it actually and have now seen first hand what the absence of quality links does. In my instance a reduction in 50% traffic from the SERPS.

My nose is to the grindstone and I have begun a campaign with Wordtracker’s Link Builder. Reading everything from their site and finding out how much I didn’t know. -Jim

A New View On Link Building

For most people, link building is seriously frustrating. It’s the one task they hate most, dread doing, or avoid. And outsourcing your link building can really backfire on you if you’re not careful.

Let’s pause, and look at link building from a different perspective…

Links are incredibly important to the virtual landscape because they connect related content across the web. If you pay close attention to how you read & find content yourself, you’ll appreciate all the links & references out there.

Imagine a web with no links.

Would you have found me? Would I have found you? What else may you have missed out on that has had a positive impact on your life or business?

As marketers, we have to think like end users. We have to think like our readers, and consider what would serve them best. How rude is it NOT to give them a reference, a resource, or the “next best click”?

The goal with link building is to connect related content, and make the web a more enjoyable browsing experience for users. Period. If you take all the marketing jargon and “link building tasks” out of it, it really is that simple.

If you stop thinking of it as a mundane task, and start thinking of it as a service to your market, you’ll see Link Building in a whole new light. Create links that serve readers. It’s a whole lot better than junking up the web for the sake of better search engine rankings. And the results are the same – or better.

Best,

p.s. I recently emailed a permanent one-way link offer to my subscribers. If you missed that, feel free to contact me for details. And make sure you sign up below so you don’t miss out on other cool stuff I send out by email only.

Original post by Lynn Terry and software by Elliott Back

If you missed that post see 2012 Advertising Rates which shares my 2011 traffic stats.

Would you like to get that same kind of free targeted traffic to your site?

I’m sure you would! So follow along – I’m going to outline exactly what I do, what I don’t do, and how you can duplicate my results for yourself.

If you looked at my stats, then you can tell my site obviously wasn’t affected by the Google Panda update. Click that link and read that article (again, if you already have) as it gives you a basic blueprint for post-panda site success.

How To Achieve Massive Traffic Growth

First, let’s talk about what I didn’t do last year to get well over half a million unique visitors (666,014) to this blog alone – not including any of my other properties.

I did not do any major article marketing, outsourcing or link building.

I also did zero PPC campaigns or paid advertising.

Those are all good marketing strategies to consider, especially when your site or blog is newer and you’re just starting out. I’m simply pointing out that I did not actively engage in any of those things during 2011 myself…

How I DID Get So Much FREE Targeted Traffic

It’s important to note that as of March 2012, I have been blogging for 6 full years on this domain. Prior to that it was on blogger, so I’ve been blogging consistently for almost 8 years now.

This affects traffic in two ways: 1) the search engines consider you an authority on your topic and/or your domain gets well established in the major search engines, and 2) you build up a readership, a mailing list and a loyal following over time.

Success is not going to happen overnight, no matter what those big red headlines promised you. Be ready to invest in your online business long-term.

Here are the specific things I did to increase my traffic dramatically:

• Blog Consistently
• Proper Web Page Optimization for every page/post
• Some Guest Blogging – when I had time
• Creating Solid Content That Gets Shared
• Engaging With My Readers
• Active on Social Media Channels
• Add Social Media Share Buttons so readers can share content

Is It Really That Simple? Yes.

I know you probably expected a detailed blueprint giving you a million things to add to your task list. It’s really not that complicated. The key to getting free targeted traffic to your site is really as simple as this:

Write great content. Address your market’s needs & wants (via keywords & responses). ENGAGE with them. Make it easy for your readers to share your content (for you!). And be consistent until your readership is solid and your site/blog is well established in the search engines.

That pretty much sums it up…

These are the same marketing strategies I am using on my two newer blogs (my video blog and my low carb blog) to get free targeted traffic, including the strategies I listed earlier that I didn’t actively do for ClickNewz last year.

I hope that proves inspiring and helpful.

Best,

Original post by Lynn Terry and software by Elliott Back

Last year the site saw well over half a million unique visitors (666,014), compared to just over a quarter million in ’09.

The total number of visits in December 2011 was nearly triple the number of December 2010, with more visitors viewing a higher number of pages per visit.

Engagement is up!

And 2012 looks to be even more promising in terms of growth.

All of the traffic is organic and highly targeted. Top traffic sources are major search engines, social media and personal referrals.

To give you a side by side comparison, here are AWstats screen shots for the single months of December 2010 and December 2011:

December 2010

December 2011

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Social Media Reach

• Facebook Fan Page 2,495 Fans
• Twitter 23,394 Followers
• Google+ 2,193 Friends

These numbers are current as of January 24, 2012. I post manually and individually to each of these social networks, and interact personally there.

In addition to the social media reach, there are almost 10k subscribers between RSS & Email at any given time, with a high per-item click through rate.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Single Post Stats

While overall stats are fun and interesting, I pay special attention to the stats of a single page or post over time. Achieving a top 10 ranking and funneling highly targeted traffic into specific pages is my specialty.

For example, my post about starting a free online business was written more than 3 years ago (August 2008). In 2010 alone, it saw 31,883 visits due to top rankings in Google for multiple long tail keyword phrases. In 2011 it saw 71,594 visits. Yes, more than double the year before. Again, this is a single blog post that was written almost 3 1/2 years ago.

An optimized post here at ClickNewz using a very specific keyword phrase, with a strong call to action in the post, can be worth quite a bit…

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Advertising Options

For a limited time I am going to continue the 2011 advertising rate. You can get side-wide exposure as a ClickNewz Sponsor for only $500/month. I only accept TWO at any given time.

You can secure a sponsorship for the entire year for only $3600 (40% off the monthly ad rate). See the two ClickNewz Sponsor spots in the right sidebar, above and below the “Hot Topics” section, as an example.

Ad Images will need to be 300 pixels wide minimum, with a maximum of 250 pixels high. Send a link to your graphic, the destination URL, and your preferred Alt Text for the image with your advertising request.

Please use the contact form to submit your ad details for consideration. Sponsors are hand selected, and so I will get back with you personally on your request.

Option #2: Featured Editorial / Review

I will write a quality blog post reviewing/discussing your product, book or website for $250. This includes a keyword-optimized post, minimum 500 words, targeted exposure to my active readership, and a permanent inbound link with the anchor text of your choice.

This post will also go out to my mailing list and social media channels.

As I mentioned earlier, one well-optimized blog post can continue to serve you for months – and even years. Here is an example of a sponsored post, to give you an idea what you can expect: Affiliate Article Writers.

Not all requests will be accepted. Again it must be relevant and of interest to my readership. I reserve the right to accept or deny post sponsorships at my discretion.

Please use the contact form to submit your ad for consideration.

Include your URL, preferred anchor text, and the angle/topic you would like covered. Please include as much detail as possible. If your editorial ad request is approved, I will send a reply with payment instructions.

If you are interested in text links only, please contact me through the form for current rates & options. And if you have specific advertising needs or interesting ideas… I’m all ears. Get in touch!

Best,

Original post by Lynn Terry and software by Elliott Back

Play Video

What questions does this raise for you?

Notice: Only 48 More Comments Will Be Allowed in This Blog Post…

Original post by Lance Tamashiro and software by Elliott Back

The cool thing is that it’s only $10, and that $10 is credited back to you to spend on any of his other products.

Sound confusing? It’s not.

You can see the details at:

http://www.iBusinessOwner.net

I decided to sign up this morning and check it out. Honestly, it’s a steal at only ten bucks considering the source. Jimmy D. Brown is one of the longest running successful online marketers, and his training material has always had a gold reputation. I’ve purchased several of his products over the years and have never been disappointed…

While it’s great to be creative and innovative in your business, you can’t dismiss the power of learning from those that have figured out solid strategies that work.

Often I will purchase products or services from people in the industry just to study their model – with the product being the bonus.

Jimmy’s products have always been my favorite because he actually DOES what he teaches, so you often end up with a live working example in your hands along with the step-by-step training.

I’m off to log in and check it all out, and I recommend you do the same. At the very least scan over the page and take a look at what all he is offering for only $10:

http://www.iBusinessOwner.net

Enjoy!

Best,

Original post by Lynn Terry and software by Elliott Back

Most of you already know I’m a huge fan of Napoleon Hill’s work in Think and Grow Rich.

What I love most is how it teaches you to generate a “burning desire” for what you want, instead of just wishing, and how that burning desire compels you to take actions (both consciously and subconsciously) toward making that desire a reality.

Realizing that I had a choice in life was a monumental turning point for me. Up to that point, which was around 10 years ago, I simply allowed life to happen. And boy did it ever. If you do nothing at all, life will still go on all the way around you – and even involve you. And you can let the world create you like that, mold you, or you can take control and create the version of yourself you prefer to be…

Over the weekend I watched What the Bleep Do We Know!?, which was incredibly thought-provoking. So much so that I hopped online and ordered Evolve Your Brain by Joe Dispenza because I enjoyed his commentary in the film so much. It should be here in a couple of days.

I would be interested to hear if you have seen the film or read his book, and if so – what you thought of it?

Ironically, the next morning I found an article from Zen Habits in my feed reader titled Life as a Conscious Practice. Uncanny timing!

In the article, Leo discusses both physical habits and thought processes – and how we can consciously change our actions and choices. And if Leo’s article interests you at all, I highly recommend you watch the DVD (above) as it will take you ten layers deeper on the topic.

“I Can’t.” – What Would You Do If You COULD?

To say “I can’t” is probably the easiest, and most likely response to any major change or new concept. You’ll hear people say why they can’t quit smoking, write a good blog post, stop eating junk food, leave an unhealthy relationship, start exercising, move to a better location, manage time better, keep a clean home or even a clean desk, etc.

We simply “can’t”, and we accept that as how we are – or who we are. And often we go a step further and actually embrace it…

The mind is a powerful thing. It can rationalize anything in our favor. Just look at the US legal system as a good example. The heart is fickle, talking us into chasing butterflies and indulging our fancy of the moment. But in our GUT we know that we “can”. We know that without a doubt.

The next time you hear yourself say “I can’t” – whether out loud or in your mind – ask yourself “Why Not?” The debate that ensues between your mind and your gut will prove interesting if you listen in. Anytime you feel conflicted, it’s usually because your mind is trying to talk you out of what you want – or what you know you should do. And the mind does this based on programming from past experience and external influences… keeping you on the exact same path, with the exact same circumstances, for as long as you’ll let it.

How does this relate to online business?

Are you where you want to be? Are you (honestly) taking all the right actions toward reaching your goals? Do you have a clear vision of what you want to achieve, and a timeline for when you will realistically be able to achieve it?

If you answered yes to those questions, you’re one step ahead of me. If you answered no to any of them, it’s time to stop and take stock of where you are and what you’re doing – and why. (Hint: the key is in your “why”)

Do you let the flow of the day dictate what you accomplish? Such as how many emails you received, or how many new blog posts are in your feed reader? Or do you wake up and do your priority tasks FIRST before you allow yourself the leisure of distraction?

If you’re like me, you started an online business because you wanted more control over your life and your time. You wanted the freedom to create your ideal lifestyle. You wanted to be independent. So… are you? Do you have more control, or is life and time still controlling you?

I Can’t Either

I’m a serious creature of habit. I find creating good new habits just as difficult as quitting bad habits. I’m bad to say that I can’t start my day without my coffee. Not true. I proved that just the other day, just for fun.

Even saying “I can’t” is just a habit.

But something really cool happens when you become aware of why you think what you think, and why you do the things you do – even when it makes absolutely no sense at all.

I don’t have all the answers. I’m still on my own path of discovery and realization. The only real advice I have to share with you is to get on that same path if you’re not already. To look for answers instead of accepting “what is”. To step out of the mold life will put you in, and start creating your own life – just the way you please.

And if you haven’t seen it yet, watch What the Bleep Do We Know!?

It’ll blow your mind.

Best,

You’ll have to forgive this somewhat foo-foo topic, but I felt compelled to share this with you. I usually keep my deeper thinking to myself, along with topics like politics & religion (lol), but I’m interested to hear your thoughts on this!

Original post by Lynn Terry and software by Elliott Back

One of my main objectives for the year was to be more consistent across my three main blogs. Ideally I would like to blog daily on all three, but would be happy with 5 posts per week on each.

Like I said, it’s Day 12 (January 12th) as I write this. And this is my very first post for the New Year here on ClickNewz.

LOL

As I was sitting here yet another day, staring at a blank WordPress draft, I thought… why not discuss the obvious?

So let’s talk about why consistency is so important, and what to do when you’re not feeling particularly inspired to write an outstanding piece of content…

- – -

I haven’t been at a loss for topics. There is ALWAYS something to blog about. It hasn’t been a lack of time. Honestly I can get a post out in under an hour, and sometimes less than 15 minutes depending on the post.

If I have time to do it, and topics to write about, what held me back?

The truth? Some weird little thought in the back of my mind that I should put out something “significant” or “outstanding”.

Meanwhile, perfectly good posts went into draft and were saved in the queue with no new posts getting published for almost two full weeks.

That’s just plain silly!

But I bet you can relate.

It happens to all of us, I imagine – or most of us at least.

The fact is, every blog post you write is NOT going to be “Pillar Content”. It’s not meant to be. Pillar Content are those exceptional posts that get a lot of buzz. They become the most viewed and most shared posts on your blog. You won’t write one every day, or even every week.

Not to say that other content is just “filler”. Far from it. But that we simply get in our own way sometimes when it comes to creating quality content. Or defining “quality” even. And that’s exactly what happened to me, which like I said… is just plain silly. But hey, it happens!

Why Consistency Is Important

Our readers want to hear from us.

They want to hear our opinion, and they want to know what we’re thinking & doing and how it relates to them or solves their issues.

This applies to your blog, to your email list, and even to your social media channels. Anywhere you provide content and have an active readership.

Going silent is a good way to lose the engagement and rapport you’ve worked hard to build up with them, and to potentially lose their interest long-term as they replace the void in their content stream with other sources.

Google will also take notice. If your content frequency changes, your crawl frequency will change. Meaning if you blog daily, they will crawl your site daily to index new content & links. If you drop down to twice a month, you’ll eventually notice slower indexing. Not good.

Being consistent is important.

What To Do When You’re Not Feeling “Brilliant”

You could always write about not feeling brilliant. LOL.

You can also put out photo posts, share great content you’re reading – maybe a “top 5 blog posts this week” resource, embed a YouTube video you think they’ll enjoy and then ask their thoughts/opinions on it.

Interviews are very easy content as well, especially when you’re not feeling inspired. If you can write 3-5 questions for someone, you have an easy quality blog post.

And of course, you can always invite other bloggers to guest post while you’re feeling a bit quiet.

- – -

You’ll find many more ideas in my upcoming Easy Unique Content guide. For now, I just wanted to encourage you to blog consistently. To be consistent across your social media channels, and with your mailing list. And of course, I wanted to get a post out and get things back on a roll here at ClickNewz.

I would love to hear your thoughts. Do you ever struggle with this yourself? Writer’s block, perfectionism, lack of time/topics… what holds you back from keeping up with YOUR blogging schedule?

Best,

Original post by Lynn Terry and software by Elliott Back

February 2012 will be the 7th NAMS event, which stands for “Niche Affiliate Marketing Workshop” and happens twice a year in Atlanta. I have presented and taught at every one of the first six events.

It’s an awesome event, and one where I feel I can truly make a difference by working hands-on workshop style with people that want to start a successful online business in affiliate marketing…

I’m SO passionate about it that I usually end up working myself to death, both leading up to the event and at the event. In August for example, I did four sessions in three days. One of those was a 2-hour presentation with over 60 slides.

And let me just say – I am NOT a speaker. LOL. I’m actually an introvert. So for me to go all out like this for an event is a big deal, and should give you a clue just how passionate I am about NAMS.

I come home completely wiped out and mentally exhausted, and always feel disappointed that I didn’t get to spend as much one-on-one time with people there that I would have liked.

That’s why I decided not to speak in February.

I will still be attending of course. I wouldn’t miss a NAMS event for the world! It is my absolute favorite event on the grid. Not only for the quality of content, but for the quality of people it attracts. It’s a great opportunity twice a year to catch up with old friends, hang out with my private group, and meet awesome new people.

And that’s exactly what I’m going to do this time. I’ve stepped down from the speaker role so that I can spend more time with all the people I can’t wait to see, and also attend some of the advanced sessions myself – which I’ve never had the chance to do (without working on my next presentation in the back of the room at the same time, at least – LOL).

It will be a much-needed break, and I’m very much looking forward to it!

If you’re interested in attending the event, there’s a way to get your ticket super cheap. Public tickets are $497, but NAMS Members get in for only $97. You’ll want to use the coupon code “MYNAMS85″ to sign up as a member – that gets you in at 85% off the public membership rate. Then, once inside, use the coupon code “lifechanging” to get the event ticket for $400 off (only $97).

You really can’t beat it for a jam-packed 3-day event with some of the coolest people in the industry. It’s one event where you will never feel alone or lost – it’s hands down the friendliest and most social group of like-minded online business owners I have ever met.

I would love to see YOU there too.

Best,

p.s. Join up now while the coupon codes are still good. They change all the time! Remember, use the coupon code “MYNAMS85″ to become a member – that gets you in at 85% off the public membership rate. Then, once inside, use the coupon code “lifechanging” to get the event ticket for $400 off (only $97).

Original post by Lynn Terry and software by Elliott Back