This 'n That

I’ve written about my experience with SBI! before, but now that it’s nearing the end of the year, I wanted to update you on my progress after starting with them.

My newest website is called American History Fun Facts. I started this site in March of this year (2010).  My website has grown tremendously over the past nine months, and its all due to what I learned from SBI!   I learned how to write pages that generate traffic and keep people’s interest.  I learned what not to do, as well as what to do to make my content pre-sell.  I learned more by reading the SBI! Action Guide than I have learned in years of trying to do it on my own.  I learned how to have a successful website.  And I learned that it was fun and not at all hard!

My traffic for November was over 12,000 unique visitors to American History Fun Facts!  Over 12,000!!  After only 9 months!  I’m still in shock.  My bounce rate stays right around 4-5%, which means people are sticking around and reading my content.

Now, SBI! is offering a 2 for 1 special, now through Christmas.  This means you can buy two sites for the price of one!  That is a savings of $150!!!  If you don’t want two sites, you can sell one of your sites for full or half price to a friend.

This special will end on Christmas day.  It won’t be offered again until next November.  This is the special that SBIer’s all over wait for each year, so that they can buy more sites for their successful online businesses.  SBIer’s know that SBI! works like no other program out there.  It’s not a “get rich quick” scheme – it’s a business plan that works!  I know, I finally took the plunge last year and tried it.  I’ve never looked back or regretted my decision.  It’s the best decision I’ve made in years.  I am now well on my way to making my full time living from my online businesses, a dream of mine for several years.  I now KNOW that it will happen!

Here’s my actual traffic chart since I started my site – look at the incredible growth in such a short time!  I can’t wait to see what next year will bring!!  This graph was generated Dec 2, 2010.

American History Fun Facts

If you’d like to try the SBI! 2 for 1 special, click on the link below to read more about it.   Take a chance… you won’t regret it!

I started a new website back in March, called American History Fun Facts. This was my first website (but it won’t be my last) using the SitSell Site Build It! program, and I have to say… I’m very impressed!

My first attempt at a website was not very successful. Traffic is low on my handcrafted jewelry website – Julia Hutchins Designs. When I decided to build a new website, I wanted to make sure that it was successful. With the SBI! program, I felt sure that my new site would be just that.

It’s been successful beyond what I could have imagined, in only a few short months. I can’t wait to see wait the next six months bring! My traffic stats are shown below, starting with my first partial month in March, and going through August 1, 2010.

March through July SBI traffic stats

As you can see, my traffic is great for a new site! Visitors more than doubled last month! My bounce rate is in the low 20′s, depending on which source I use to look at it. I’m completely sold on SBI! and will definitely build my future sites using their program. I have to do the hard work on my website, but SBI! provides exactly the tools that I need to do it! That, along with the knowledge they provide with their 10 step Action Guide, gives me everything I need to build a successful website.

SiteSell offers a monthly plan that you can cancel any time. If you are wanting to build a successful online business, or even make your current business more successful on the internet, I highly recommend trying their monthly plan.

If you want to watch some videos of other SBIer’s who are running their own successful businesses, read some of their stories here.

I just signed up for an awesome application called MarketMeTweet!  Prior to MMT, I had been using Hootsuite to keep my three Twitter accounts running and to have everything in one place for easy access and use.  But I just heard about MarketMeTweet last week, and this is the greatest Twitter app since sliced bread, in my opinion!  I quickly became an affiliate of MMT, and just today I signed up as a user too!

What’s so great about MarketMeTweet?  For me, it’s the ability to “brand my tweets”.  Look at my tweet below, and you will notice at the bottom of the tweets it says “via American History Fun Facts” and “via Julia Hutchins Designs”.  Those are my branded, clickable links to my websites, American History Fun Facts and Julia Hutchins Designs!

Isn’t that cool?  Instead of advertising for Hootsuite, or Twitter, or Tweetdeck, I’m now able to advertise for my own websites!  Not just one, but all of my websites!  I set up a “brand” for all three of my Twitter accounts, with clickable links to my different sites.  You can set up as many brands as you want, and use on as many Twitter accounts as you have.

Now this feature would be more than enough to sell me on MarketMeTweet, but they also offer lots of other great features.  I can schedule tweets, either individually or bulk (by uploading a text file with multiple tweets).  I can schedule them through Google calendar, which allows me to schedule my tweets through a mobile device that supports Google calendar.  I can also look at all of my scheduled tweets by week, month or even year.

I can also look at my Facebook personal and business pages through MMT (and update them!), follow and unfollow people, send one tweet to all three of my Twitter accounts, import my RSS feeds to my Twitter accounts, set up reply campaigns, and so much more.  This really is the perfect tool for my businesses, and I am so glad I found out about it!

If you are interested in trying them out, they offer a 3 day trial.  That’s how I started out with them, and it’s only been one day and I already know I’m keeping it.  I LOVE MarketMeTweet! Now I’m off to play with it some more!

Have you heard about “MarketMeTweet” yet?  Do you use HootSuite, Tweetdeck or some other application to send your business tweets out?  If so, you are missing a great opportunity to send out your own branded tweets!

MarketMeTweet combines so many of the features you love (scheduled tweets, twitter managment, RSS, facebook integration, etc) with the ability to “brand your tweets” with a clickable link to your website!  How cool is that?  Instead of seeing “hootsuite” or “tweetdeck” below your tweets, you could be sending out a clickable link to your website with every tweet you post!

You really should check it out – it’s very affordable (especially with other app’s talking about charging for their services).  Why pay another service to brand themselves through your tweets, when you could be branding your tweets yourself?

Their lifetime plan with special pricing ends tomorrow, so if you want to take advantage of a great lifetime price ($99) – better hurry!  But don’t worry, their other plans are so affordable that you can still take advantage of them after the lifetime special pricing ends.

I just opened a new Wedding Shop on my website – Julia Hutchins Designs.  Since I currently offer handmade, custom wedding jewelry on my site, I have lots of prospective brides coming to my site.  I decided it was time to add a full fledged Wedding Shop for my customers.  You can find everything from wedding planning help to items for the ceremony, and everything in between.  I offer products from several different manufacturer’s, so you are sure to find what you are looking for in my shop!

Please visit the Wedding Shop at Julia Hutchins Designs today!  Be sure to check out the Coupons and Deals (button is on the right hand side of the shop) section for some great savings!

Here is just a sample of what is available.  To see the entire shop, click on this link – Wedding Shop

Kate Spade Evie Bridal Shoes

This cute low heel is practical too. Gathered fabric at the toe gives you texture and interest without overwhelming your look. This shoe is made with luxurious dyeable white silk satin and is available in a wide selection of sizes. Heel measures 2.75″. See how Kate Spade measures heel height. Determine which size to order. Get our top tips for dyeable shoes. Add comfort with easy-to-use shoe pads. Are these shoes right for you? Discover your true style.

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Married on the Beach Cake Topper

This cake topper is a great tie-in for your beach themed wedding with a bride and groom standing next to a romantic “Just Married” heart drawn in the sand. Each resin piece measures 7″ tall. We are not able to provide custom paint colors. Also available with an African American couple.

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Marissa Pearl and Crystal Tiara

Custom stamped metal leaves and flowers surround crystals and pearls as they dance around your head, whether worn as a regal tiara or lying flat as a headband without the combs. You choose from eight pearl colors and up to two different colors of Swarovski crystals set in gold or silver to complete your look. Each piece measures 5.25″ in diameter, and .75″ tall. Shown with light Colorado topaz and olivine crystals, rum pink pearls and in both an 18K gold and silver plate finish.

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Since moving out of the city (Kansas City) in May, and moving back to my small home town in western Kansas, I have been searching for some place that sells natural pet foods.  Impossible!  The nearest town of any size is Garden City, and they have exactly 2 health food stores that I can find.  One of those stores carries one brand of natural pet food – can’t even remember the name right now.  I can’t find anybody that sells Eagle or Wysong or any of the other brands that I used to use.

Imagine my excitement over hearing that Wysong has an affiliate program!  I just signed up with them, and will now be able to by my cat food and actually earn a little commission on my purchases!  If you want to sign up with them for your own blog or website advertising, I found them through LinkShare.  I’m posting an ad for them on this blog and on my website (Julia Hutchins Designs).

The importance of feeding my cat’s a natural diet is so important to me.  I have such healthy cats (except my poor little Cali, who has to be near 20 years old – she’s still kicking, but very, very slowly.  She’s nearly blind and deaf, but her sense of smell is extraordinary!  She does not seem to be in any pain – just confused.  She has declined since I’ve been feeding them Iams for the last few months, which is why I needed to find a place to get some better food for her.  I didn’t want to have to resort to mail order, but I know that Wysong is a great food, and now that I’m an affiliate, it just makes sense for me to buy it online.  I just don’t have the time to make fresh meals for the three of them, especially since I have two cats who love chicken/hate beef and one who hates chicken/loves beef!  With Wysong’s variety, I’ll be able to make sure that they get the nutrients and freshest ingredients possible in a commercial food.