Start Your Own Business and Work From Anywhere > IM Lifestyle

Starting a business is always going to be somewhat challenging and it’s not something that will always go precisely to plan! We all know the statistics about how many businesses fail in their first year… But if your objective is to start a business that you can run entirely online and then maintain while you travel, then you’re adding on an additional layer of challenge. How can you make this a success? Here are some tips and ideas to help…

Start Slow and Transition

The first tip, is to start slow and transition to working online. A lot of people make the mistake assumption that becoming a digital nomad means quitting their job and going ‘all in’ on a new business idea. It doesn’t have to though! Instead, why not start your business in your evenings? You can work a few hours after work or even at the weekends. Then you can see if you’re able to generate enough income from your idea and you can tweak and hone that business model to get it just right. Only once you’re making enough money, should you then consider quitting your job and seeing if you can go it alone.

Take the Path of Least Resistance

Too often, we will be overly ambitious when it comes to starting a business. I have spoken to countless people who tell me they’re working on an app that’s going to make them rich and normally it involves setting up some kind of online community and working with multiple service providers. And these guys don’t even know how to program yet!

Look, it’s great to have vision but if you want to make money in a way that is reliable enough to earn while you travel – and in a way that is ‘hands-off’ enough to give you the time to do so – then you need to be a little more realistic and straightforward. You know what? Running a boring business is more effective than running an exciting one! Sell socks through a wholesaler, be a copywriter, do data entry! Just don’t get too elaborate and adventurous or you’ll spend countless hours only to find that you never actually breakeven…

A good tip is to ask someone you know who is already proving successful and to see how they work. In all likelihood, their business model will be very simple! How about checking an online community like #Nomads in order to find more ideas and tips for working online?

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Why Video Needs to be Part of Your Social Media Campaign > Social Media Marketing

When you think of social media, you probably think of written content. You’re probably thinking of things like Twitter posts or Facebook statuses. Maybe at a push, you’re thinking of Instagram images. But the reality is that video is also a big aspect of social media and it absolutely should be a part of your own strategy.

Why Video is Critical

In case you’re not sold on this idea, consider that video is much more engaging than other forms of social media. That’s at least partly because video assaults all the senses. It contains movement, imagery, music and gesticulations and all this makes it far more captivating, far more persuasive and potentially much more emotionally stimulating. This is everything you need to sell to someone and it makes social media a considerably more powerful tool for selling and persuading – or just getting someone to care about and be interested in your brand.

At the same time, video helps to elevate your status. Video is something that not anyone can create and that often requires specialist equipment, editing tools and more. Video with high production values looks like something that a bigger company with more resources must have made and that in turn makes it very effective at elevating your brand, your authority and your trust.

How to Get Started

The best way to get started with video marketing is with YouTube, which in some ways is similar to a form of social media. At the same time though, you can also be successful by using live video on platforms like Facebook, by uploading very short videos to Instagram etc., or by using videos through other social media channels. Even paid Facebook Ads let you incorporate video!

To get started creating video, then conventional wisdom is that you will need a good quality camera, some basic lighting equipment, a sound recording device etc.

All this is true to an extent, but it isn’t strictly necessary if you’re shy to go on camera or don’t know how to create that kind of content. In fact, a ‘video’ can be much more of a podcast with a static image and you talking over the top. Or it can be a slideshow with no talking at all! There are lots of ways to create video and the only thing you absolutely need is some basic editing software.

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How To See How Well You Are Doing With TikTok Analytics -Social Media Marketing

When you are marketing on TikTok it is essential that you monitor your performance regularly so that you can make changes to your strategy. If you don’t do this then you have no way of knowing if what you are doing is working or not.

Fortunately TikTok has created a very useful analytics package that you can use to identify all of your important numbers. Success with TikTok marketing is all about engagement and the analytics package will show you how well you are doing in this regard. The analytics on TikTok are a bit basic at the moment but they will certainly improve as the platform grows.

Change to a Pro Account

If you have a normal TikTok user account you will need to change this to a Pro account so that you can use the analytics package. This is really simple to do and will not cost you anything. The analytics will provide you with some great insights so this is definitely worth doing.

All you need to do to convert to a Pro account is go to your profile page and then in the settings tap on “Manage My Account”. This automatically takes you to another screen where you will find the “Switch to Pro Account” link. Tap on this and you will then need to choose the most relevant category for your TikTok account.

TikTok will then want you to enter your mobile phone number so that they can send you a verification code via SMS. When you receive this code simply enter it into the form provided and you are now a Pro account user.

When you first create your TikTok account we recommend that you switch to a Pro account immediately. The reason for this is that the analytics system will not record any of your data until you are a Pro user.

Analytics Categories

After switching to a Pro account on TikTok you will see an “Analytics” option in your profile settings. When you tap on this you will see your analytics dashboard. If your account is new you will need to wait a few days for data to build up and display metrics for you.

Within your TikTok analytics dashboard you will see 3 categories that you can look at. These are:
1. Your profile overview
2. Content insights
3. Follower insights

There are tabs available for each of these at the top of the screen. When you tap on them you will see more detail and can perform a deep dive into the numbers.

Your Profile Overview

Here you can see how well your TikTok profile is generally performing. The screen displays total profile views, total video views and total followers. You will see the video views first and you can choose to look at these over a 7 day or 28 day period. There is a daily breakdown for most of the analytics. Next up you can see your profile views and then after this your follower count.

Content Insights

Here you can find some very useful metrics for every one of your video posts. The metrics are:
* Total hearts (likes) for the post
* Total comments for the post
* Total shares for the post
* Total video play time
* Total video views
* The Average watch time
* Sources of traffic
* Audience territories
You will see the audience territories broken down to country level such as United States, United Kingdom etc.

Follower Insights

Here you receive a top level view of your audience demographics. You will see audience numbers per country in percentage format and a breakdown by gender.

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Building Bigger And Better Backlinks > Free SEO & Traffic Ebook

SEO & Traffic ebook “Building Bigger And Better Backlinks” covers: Lean how to identify valuable websites and avoid gutter sites that will hurt you rather than help you. Understand the dynamics and benefits of outsourcing your backlinking efforts with various backlink services. Find out how to select the best backlink services, including some of the ones we recommend and why. Discover the various types of backlinks and the differences between them. Uncover how to take advantage of private blog networks and how to use blog commenting. Learn about building high quality backlinks through article creation and distribution. Get the scoop on how to jump into social bookmarking. Click “Building Bigger And Better Backlinks” to download (1.9 MB pdf) this free ebook.

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The 6 Golden Rules For a Successful Vlog > Vlogging

To create a successful vlog you need to be motivated and determined as it is a lot of hard work. But there are some things that all successful vlogs have in common that you can learn from to make your success happen faster and with less effort. So here we have the 6 golden rules of a successful vlog for you.

1. Set Goals for your Vlog

So what do you want to achieve with your vlog? Do you want to reach a specific number of subscribers? Make a specific income from your blog? Become the most successful vlogger in your niche? Maybe you want to achieve all of these things?

If you don’t set any goals for your vlog then you have no direction. It will not be obvious to you what actions you need to take because you don’t know where you are going. So sit down and write your short term and long term goals for your vlog and create a plan to achieve them.

2. Choose the Right Niche

You will read everywhere that you need to vlog about something you have a passion for. This is good advice, but if you want to make a substantial income from your vlog then it doesn’t always work well.

If you are passionate about collecting different types of rocks then there may not be a lot of ways to monetize this. There probably won’t be a big audience for this type of vlog either. People are usually interested in more than one thing in life so think about subjects that you can monetize if this is one of your goals.

3. Identify your Audience and find out what they want

Your vlog is very likely to fail if you don’t identify your target audience and find out what they are looking for. What is the age range of your target viewers? Are they likely to be males or females or a good balance? What are they really interested in?

The more you find out about your target audience the better. They are very likely to have problems that they need solutions for and you can create some videos to provide these solutions. When you give people what they want they will be happy to subscribe and tell the world about your vlog.

4. Be Consistent

All successful vloggers are consistent. It doesn’t matter if they have millions of subscribers they still regularly create videos and upload often. Some have been vlogging for many years. So don’t start your vlog lightly. It is a big commitment and you need to stick with it through thick and thin.

5. Quality not Quantity

Nobody is going to be impressed that you have hundreds of low quality videos on your vlog channel. People don’t expect to watch low quality videos nowadays. High quality recording equipment is available at a very cheap price and there are lots of good free video editing suites around. There is no excuse for poor quality videos.

6. Use Stories in your Videos

People really like stories so tell them yours. When you show your viewers aspects of your life and share your stories with them they will feel a real connection with you. Treat your audience as your friends and welcome them into your life.

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How To Get More Views To Your Vlog Videos > Vlogging

You should always be looking at ways to get more views to your vlog videos so we have some great ideas for you in this article. Some of these things are obvious and we make no apology for discussing them. You will be surprised how many vlog owners get the basics wrong.

Create Videos that your Audience Want

Here is the first of the obvious things. You need to know what your audience wants and give it to them. People will have questions that they want answers to in your niche so make it your business to find out what these are and create videos around them.

Make sure your Videos are High Quality

This is obvious suggestion number two. People don’t want to watch grainy videos or videos that have poor sound quality. If a video looks like you slung together then this is not going to impress. Invest in a good camera and microphone and edit your videos properly.

People will not be expecting Hollywood style videos but they will expect quality. With the amount of low cost, high quality equipment around nowadays there really is no excuse for poor quality. Plan your videos so that they start well, flow properly and end well.

Be Different

If you want to start a travel vlog for example then be different. There are lots of travel vlogs out there and a lot of them are the same. So inject your personality into your videos and don’t follow the herd.
Maybe you could visit different locations that are off the beaten track. All travel vlogs have a video about London for example, so why not choose another city in the UK instead? People will really appreciate your different approach and you will get more views and subscribers.

Optimize your Videos for Search

You not only want your video to rank highly in a YouTube search but well optimized videos can also appear in Google search results as well. Do some keyword research and create appealing, keyword rich titles. Add the word “Video” to your title as this will help to rank it in Google.

Write a keyword rich description that tells people what the video is about. People do not want to be deceived so don’t say that it is about something when it isn’t. Use related keywords in your video tags.

Create Attractive Thumbnails

You don’t have to stick with thumbnails that YouTube chooses from your video. You can create your own and upload them. It is really worth creating your own thumbnails to attract more views. Most of the really popular videos on YouTube have custom thumbnails.

Create a Unique Video Intro

A high quality video intro tells people that you are serious about your vlog and your brand. You don’t have to create this yourself. Just find a freelancer that has the skills to do this for you and let them have your ideas and logo etc.

Have a Unique Outro Too

You can use your outro to remind people to like your video, share it and subscribe to your vlog channel. It can be a short video clip or even a still image. Make your outro humorous and this will encourage regular viewers to watch your videos through until the end.

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How To Create Great Videos For Your Vlog > Vlogging

Your videos are what will make or break your vlog. Yes some people have been reasonably successful by just recording stuff on the fly, but it is much better to plan your videos. Create a schedule of the video topics you want to record and stick to it.

It is a good idea to create a video script and storyboard for all of your videos. This does not have to take a lot of time. Just make notes of what you want to include in your video and what you are going to cover. There is no need to write down every word you are going to say.

Create a storyboard that shows what you are going to do at each stage of the video. How will you start it, what will you cover in the middle and how will you end your video? Make the start and the end of your video really good. YouTube viewers have limited attention spans and will quickly move on if your video doesn’t start well.

Recording Tips

If you are going to record your video inside then you will need to consider good lighting. You can purchase some good lighting stalks pretty cheap on Amazon or maybe find them second hand on eBay or even in a local store.
Record some test footage first to check visuals and audio. If it is not quite right then make some adjustments. It is essential that your video is of the highest quality that you can make it. Use a good camera and a good microphone for your recordings.

You want to engage your audience as much as possible in your videos. Make sure that you ask them to leave a comment about your video. Ask them a specific question and then request that they leave a comment with their answer.

Ask people to subscribe to your YouTube channel if they haven’t already done this. Also ask your viewers to “like” your video. Develop your own unique way of signing off at the end of your videos. Come up with a phrase that is unique to you.

Edit your Video Properly

You are not going to record a perfect video first time every time so you will need to do some editing. If you don’t know how to do this then you need to learn! There are many tutorials on YouTube on video editing. Just search for the video editing suite that you plan to use and you will find many helpful videos.

Even with free video editing options like iMovie for the Mac and Windows Movie Maker you will be able to do a lot of cool things. It is easy to cut the stuff out of your video that you don’t want and you can add transitions and other effects. Before you upload your video to your YouTube channel watch it through until the end. If there are still some issues then fix them. Sometimes mistakes can be funny so you could make a video for your vlog with some of your funniest outtakes.

Upload your Video to your YouTube Channel

The last step in the process is to upload your finished video to YouTube. Make sure that it appears on the right channel if you have more than one. Create an optimized title, description and tags so that people can find your video in a search.

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Blogging Basics For Beginners > Free Blogging Online Report

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Internet Entrepreneurship Survival Guide > Free Online Marketing Ebook

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TikTok 101 – Social Media Marketing

TikTok is a social media short video creation and sharing app. It started out in China in 2017 and there is now one app solely for the Chinese market and an international version which is TikTok. Users can post videos of either 15 seconds or 60 seconds in length on the platform.

Since its launch TikTok has seen significant growth. There are now over 500 million users across the world and it was the most downloaded app in the first quarter of 2018. During this time there were over a million downloads of the app for both Android and iOS devices.

What is TikTok?

The company behind TikTok, ByteDance in Beijing, China, purchases the app Musical.ly for $1 billion. It kept a number of the features of this popular app and added a few new ones. Users of Musical.ly mainly created lip-sync videos to popular songs. This tradition continues with TikTok but it has a lot more features besides this. The user base for TikTok is young. Over 60% of the current users are under the age of 30. They like to be entertained and they also like to entertain users themselves. As a result most of the videos are really fun and make good use of the special effect features from within the app.

Not every user creates their own content. Some are happy just to view and enjoy the content created by other users. TikTok uses artificial intelligence technology to recommend new videos to users on their “For You” page. The technology looks at the videos a user has watched in the past and makes recommendations for other similar content.
There is a “Discover” feature where users can search for specific videos. One of the most popular things about TikTok are the hashtag challenges. Here the users are ask to participate in a certain challenge and create their own videos around this.

The host of the Tonight Show, Jimmy Fallon, initiated a TikTok challenge called #tumbleweed challenge. The idea behind this was for TikTok users to find a public place and then when they heard a piece of music they had to drop to the floor and roll around like a tumbleweed.

This was incredibly popular and resulted in more than 8,000 videos created in response to the challenge. This challenge also created the greatest engagement levels the platform had ever seen at around 10 million. Companies and organizations are now using the challenges for branding and awareness.

Other Features

TikTok has a very popular feature called the Duet. Here users can create a video that appears next to a currently existing video. This was popular with Musical.ly and now even more popular on TikTok. The most popular of these Duet videos are those that show a user’s reaction to another video.

There are some great special effects with TikTok. Slowing down or speeding up videos is a popular feature. There are also filters and other effects that can really make videos stand out. The majority of the most popular videos on TikTok all use special effects.

Types of Videos

Virtually all of the videos on TikTok have background music. Some users create mini music videos and others make music montages. Funny videos are usually very popular as are dance videos. The more creative and fun a video is on TikTok the more successful it is likely to be.

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