FinCon’s one-of-a-kind networking and learning expo is a perfect setting for sharing all that AARP is doing to help people achieve a brighter and more secure financial future. We’re eager to collect wisdom from the most creative thinkers in financial planning, retirement savings and investments, entrepreneurship, and career advancement – all major interests for our members.

AARP’s 38 million members might not be quite who you think they are. Afterall, they span six decades, beginning with age 50, but we’re also reaching out to those in their 40s, because that’s when the juggling begins — saving for retirement, working, raising kids, caring for parents, and saving for college all at the same time.

A key characteristic that may surprise you is that the 50-plus population enthusiastically embraces technology because they were the first to use computers and the Internet in their professional and personal lives. According to a Pew Internet survey, fully 82 percent of 65- to 69-year-olds are internet users, and roughly three-quarters of them go online at least daily, including half who do so several times a day. Older adults want technology to make their lives easier and more rewarding, and managing their financial future is a huge part of it.

AARP is already helping to make that possible, and playing a role at FinCon18 will give those efforts a boost.

For Savings and Planning, we provide practical tools, calculators, articles and videos for those looking to get on track toward a brighter financial outlook. Included in the AARP resources is the mobile-friendly Interview An Advisor Tool — a guide that walks you through the questions you should ask a financial advisor before hiring one. It takes the mystery out of interviewing an advisor to understand his or her qualifications, the services offered, and what the charges are – all with an eye toward promoting your best interests with an individual who advises you in terms you understand and accept.

Experienced workers who are looking for a job or seeking to grow in their careers can find the resources they need to take the next step at AARP Work & Jobs. The AARP Job Board connects job seekers with more than 600 employers who have pledged their commitment to an age-diverse workforce. Articles and webinars can help sharpen resumes and interview skills. And at every step, AARP helps fight age discrimination in the workplace to make sure experienced workers get the job opportunities they need and deserve.

AARP also offers the Social Security Benefits Calculator — a resource to help figure out how much retirement income you’ll receive at different claiming ages, so you can decide when you should claim Social Security.

Keeping money safe from scammers is another priority for AARP. With thousands of scammers bilking billions of dollars from unsuspecting victims every year, we help people protect themselves from con artists’ schemes. AARP’s Fraud Watch Network delivers information on the latest scam via Alerts to your inbox The Fraud Watch Network also offers prevention tips based on thousands of hours of interviews with con artists and law enforcement, as well as a toll free helpline (877-908-3360) where trained volunteers help people navigate encounters with fraudsters. The Fraud Watch Network is accessible to everyone – members, non-members, and people of all ages – to learn how to shop and bank safely, create strong passwords, protect yourself from identity theft and scams, and use social media risk-free. And, the Scam Tracking Map allows consumers to report and locate scams in their own communities.

This is just a sampling of what AARP has to offer. There is much more, so please come to Booth 301 and get to know us better. On Thursday afternoon (Sept. 27th) around 2 p.m., you’ll have a chance to meet Jean Chatzky, TODAY show financial editor, AARP’s personal finance ambassador, and host of the podcast HerMoney. We’ll be giving away a Google Home and Amazon Echo, so stop by to register for your chance to win.

AARP is thrilled to be a part of FinCon18, and we thank all of you who have helped us to feel right at home here.

Submitted by Martha Boudreau, Chief Communications and Marketing Officer at AARP

Follow @MarthaBoudreau on Twitter

The post AARP Finds a Home “Where Money Nerds Unite” appeared first on FinCon: Where Money and Media Meet.

#FinCon18 Keynoter Jean Chatzky, the longtime AARP Ambassador and CEO of HerMoney.com shares her experience and advice.

Plus: A contest to win a spot on my podcast and a personal brand consultation.

I can’t remember the first time someone referred to me as a brand. But I can remember that I didn’t like it. “I’m not a brand,” I pushed back, “I’m a person.” Or something to that effect. Well, I’m over it. Over the past decade, as I moved from operating within a big personal finance enterprise like Money to having a series of standalone projects, engagements and gigs, I’ve become increasingly comfortable with being a brand. I’ve also put considerable energy into understanding what my brand stands for – reliable, relatable, money advice in plain English – and put thought into the fact that my brand has value well worth protecting.

That has meant figuring out not only how to show up when I’m doing a Today show segment (well-enough prepared to answer questions I’m not expecting) or holding a Q&A after a keynote (which, by the way, I’ll be doing from the AARP booth on Thursday at 1:30 pm because there’s not enough time on the main stage. I hope you’ll join me.) It has also meant learning to forge relationships with other brands that are, yes, profitable, but about much more than money. Over the years, I’ve gotten good at figuring this out – and so I’ve decided to give away a one-hour branding session to a FINCON attendee. But before I get to that, some brand partnership basics.

In search of symbiosis

When my son Jake was in first grade, he came home all excited about symbiotic relationships. These are, for those of you as far removed from in-school science as I am, cases in nature where two species help each other in a way that’s mutually beneficial. For example: sea anemones and hermit crabs. The hermit crabs let the anemones hitchhike across the ocean and provide a food supply in the form of their leftovers. The anemones keep predators away from hermit crabs. Everybody wins.

When a brand alliance is working well, the relationship is symbiotic. You give a lift to the brand you’ve teamed up with – perhaps by bringing them something tangible like an appeal to women or youth, or by lending them an element of cool or personal style – they help you reach a larger audience and give you gravitas. You both benefit.

Being selective

To me, that has meant choosing partnerships extremely carefully. As an individual (with a single assistant) for many years, I was limited by the amount of work I was able to do as well as the number of days I wanted to spend on the road. But those were just logistics. My real goal was to find partners whose work and mission I not only believed in today – but projected that I would for years. As the longest-lasting contributor to the Today show (23 years and counting), I am well aware – an exceedingly grateful — that my brand has grown not just because of the incredible strength of Today’s, but because of the endurance of that relationship. The more people see you in context with a particular brand, the stronger the association grows.

I first became aware of AARP’s ambassador program about a decade ago from my friend Peter Greenberg, their travel ambassador at the time. Peter offered to make an introduction. AARP wasn’t interested, but I kept my hat in the ring — speaking at their national conference and to employees at their DC headquarters – and about five years later, they became interested in me as well.

Growing together

This partnership – like many — started with a simple question: What can we do together? Initially, we decided I would write a column for AARP The Magazine, appear in short tip-oriented videos and speak at events organized by or important to the organization. Over time, however, because we’ve made an effort to share what’s on our collective plates, the list of what we’ve been able to accomplish has expanded. I never would have expected to find myself in Washington, DC moderating a bipartisan panel of female senators and congressional representatives on the high costs of caregiving. Or in Albany, NY sitting with representatives to ask that Secure Choice, a program that makes saving by paycheck deduction available to small employers, remain in the 2018 budget. (It did, by the way.)

Which raises an important point: Where’s the line between ambassador and endorser? I have always approached all of my partnerships as educational. It’s my job to provide quality information on a topic at large rather than to recommend product. Does lobbying in Albany broach those boundaries? I thought about it and I decided that for me it doesn’t. I’m a fan of automatic retirement saving solutions because everything I’ve learned through my years of reporting and research has taught me that they work. They may be the only thing that does. And so I wanted to speak out. But, I am also sure that if I had decided I didn’t feel that way, my partners at AARP would have found another way to come at this particular task.

1 + 1 = 3

In early September, I was one of the lucky ones – sixth row center at Springsteen on Broadway watching a masterful Bruce hold an audience in his hand for nearly three hours without an intermission. He rolled out of Thunder Road and into the vamp for Tenth Avenue Freeze Out and started talking – as he often does — about what happened when he and Danny and Steve and Max and Nils and Garry and Patti and “The Big Man” came together. When a partnership works like Springsteen’s with The E Street Band, he says, “1 + 1 = 3.” I think that’s what we are all looking for.

Which brings me back to that contest. If you’d like to have a chance to be a guest on my podcast and sit down and brainstorm your brand with me, sign up for our contest. I’ll see you in Orlando!

The post Jean Chatzky, AARP Brand Ambassador: How to Work with Brands appeared first on FinCon: Where Money and Media Meet.

Chris Hogan is a #1 national best-selling author, dynamic speaker, and financial expert. For more than a decade, Hogan has served at Ramsey Solutions, spreading a message of hope to audiences across the country as a financial coach and Ramsey Personality.

In today’s episode of the Money & Media podcast sponsored by LadderLife, Chris shares about his journey from bill collector to money coach. He also discusses the importance of having a spirit of gratitude, being a lifelong learner, and overcoming fear.

We are excited to feature Chris as a #FinCon18 keynote speaker at this year’s event. Hear more of his story as well as a bonus interview with Harlan Landes about this year’s Plutus Awards all in one incredible episode.

Subscribe to the Show

Subscribe through Apple Podcasts and new episodes will show up every month.
Never subscribed to a podcast before? Here’s Apple’s easy tutorial.

Would you rather listen on your smartphone? Try Stitcher, the iPP app for Android, or the iPhone podcast app. We’re available on each of these platforms.

About Our Host

Joe Saul-Sehy is the co-host of the Stacking Benjamins personal finance podcast and operates the Stacking Benjamins blog.

Join Us for #FinCon18

Hear from over 200 speakers, like Chris Hogan, at FinCon18 September 26-29 in Orlando, Florida. Register for your pass today!

The post M&M 63: Chris Hogan, from Bill Collector to Financial Coach [Bonus Content: Plutus Awards w/ Harlan Landes] appeared first on FinCon: Where Money and Media Meet.

Financial habits are shaped at an early age. But when it comes to financial education in public schools, the statistics are concerning. Only 17 states require a personal finance course for high schoolers. Additionally, The National Endowment for Financial Education (NEFE) found that “fifteen-year-old Americans do not have an adequate level of financial literacy for the United States to maintain a retirement system that relies heavily on individual decision making.”

So what do content creators, media gurus, financial influencers, and money nerds do when presented with these statistics? They roll up their sleeves and get to work. Literally.

Answering the Call to Action

At #FinCon18, over 650 participants answered the call to give more young people access to financial literacy. Attendees partnered with HandsOn Orlando for a community service project on Wednesday, September 26, to promote both financial literacy and STEM skills in underserved local schools.

Volunteers created two kinds of kits focused on either financial literacy or STEM skills. The financial literacy kits were designed to help students foster saving skills at an early age. Third-grade students were the target audience for each kit. The kits included piggy banks, $1 in coins, and materials created to help students understand more about savings. To add an extra surprise, volunteers also designed puzzles with money sayings or riddles for kids to piece together.

Volunteers also make STEM kits, and critical thinking was the focus. Volunteers created messages on Morse code bracelets and made coders to help students crack the messages. For more hands-on fun, volunteers also made puzzles with STEM problems for students to solve.

Taking Financial Literacy to Orlando Schools

The activities in each kit its brought out the former kid in our volunteers. So many volunteers couldn’t resist the urge to create more than one. As a result, volunteers created over 650 kits in just under two hours time.

Volunteers’ efforts made an impact right away. NEFE and HandsOn Orlando started delivering materials to area schools the next day. Thanks to these volunteers, Orlando schools now have more tools to bring personal finance to the people who need it most: kids!

The post #FinCon18 Brings Financial Literacy to Orlando Schools appeared first on FinCon: Where Money and Media Meet.

High profile business acquisitions are in the news constantly, but you don’t have to run a huge business to benefit from the financial windfall of selling one. In recent years, the market for buying or selling websites, blogs, and other online businesses has picked up significantly. That’s why you need to maximize the value of your website. If you have a profitable online business, you could be in position to walk away with a nice parting gift.

As an online business owner, you’re building an asset. When I left my full-time job in 2008, I collected my last paycheck, and I would never make another dime from the 4 years that I put into that job.

But with online businesses, I’ve been able to sell my websites and get somewhere in the ballpark of 2 year’s worth of profit, sometimes more, when I’m ready to walk away.

Since 2010, I’ve had 6 different transactions (in a few cases, I sold multiple websites together), ranging anywhere from $1,000 to $500,000. Three of those transactions were for more than $200,000. Most of these sites were blogs, although they were monetized in different ways, like display ads, digital product, sales, and membership. There was also one Amazon FBA business in there as well.

The first website I sold was in 2010. I sold it for $50,000, but I made a ton of mistakes leading up to the sale. Fortunately, those mistakes helped me to do a better job in the future.

In this article, I’d like to share some tips that can help you to increase the value of your website, blog, or online business should you decide to sell. There are a lot of pros and cons to selling a website, so be sure you take the time to make the right decision for you.

This article is part one of a two-part series. Part two will be about the steps you can take to actually get your site sold.

I’ve never bought a website, but through my experience of selling several websites, I’ve learned some things about the way buyers think. I hope these tips will help you to maximize the value of your website or online business and to avoid leaving money on the table.

Tips to Maximize the Value of Your Website

1. Plan Ahead

When a potential buyer determines what he or she is willing to pay for a website, the biggest factor will be the average monthly profit that the site is producing. They may base it off of the average of the past 3 months, 6 months, or 12 months. It really just depends on the buyer, the age of the website, and other factors.

Most websites are not completely maximizing their value. If you plan ahead, you can give yourself some time to increase profit and traffic. Consequently, you will get more for the site when you sell it.

This was by far the biggest mistake I made when I sold my first website it 2010. I had been running the site part-time for a year and a half, and squeezing the most money out of the site was never my number one focus. The site had good traffic, but was only making money from a few ads. When I decided to sell, I created some new ad zones and also started publishing sponsored content.

The revenue went from a steady $1,000 per month to $2,000 the next month. The last month I owned it, it went to $3,000. The jump in revenue was nice, but it was short term. From a buyer’s perspective, I didn’t have the proper revenue history to pull in 30x the profit of that final month. I should have held the site for 3-6 more months. The hold would have let me prove the site’s new profitability. As a result, I probably would’ve been able to sell it for closer to $90,000 instead of the $50,000 I actually got for it.

The next time I sold a site, I planned 6 months in advance. During those 6 months I worked to increase the profitability of the site, and it paid off.

Depending on your situation and the reason you’re looking to sell, planning ahead may not always be possible. But unless there is some urgent reason why you need to sell right away, I highly recommend that you plan ahead and give yourself time to maximize the value of your site before selling.

Not sure what to do to maximize the value? Don’t worry, that’s what the rest of this article is about.

2. Reduce the Amount of Time You Spend Working on the Site

One of the first things a potential buyer will ask is how much time you spend working on the site. Buyers are investors, and most of them will outsource as much of the work as possible. They don’t want to buy a job (this is another thing I underestimated the first time I sold a site).

If a buyer is going to outsource the work of managing the site, he or she will need to estimate how much it will cost. They’ll deduct those expenses from what they anticipate bringing in to determine their expected profit from the site.

For example, say you have a site that averages $5,000 per month in profit, but you spend 40 hours per week working on the site. You’re probably not factoring that time that you spend into the profitability of the site. The buyer, however, has to consider it because most of that work is going to be outsourced to other people.

So, if you’re able to maintain that $5,000 per month profit and reduce your time down to 15 hours per week, you just increased the value of your business!

Cutting back your hours without losing income may sound like a tall task, but from my experience it’s usually very do-able. If you’re like me, you probably spend time on things that aren’t 100% necessary or don’t directly generate income.

Take a step back and evaluate everything you do related to managing your website. Look for things that are taking up your time but not really producing much income. Could you spend less time on social media? Could you publish one or two fewer posts per month or per week? Is there a type of content you’re producing that never really gets results?

You don’t have to totally eliminate things either. Focus your efforts instead. Try to reduce the amount of time you spend on social media, writing new posts, or other tasks.

Most likely you’ll be able to find several ways you can cut back without having a damaging impact on your site. This optimization is an important step to maximize the value of your website.

3. Find Good Contractors Willing to Transition

As I mentioned, the buyer is likely to outsource a lot of the work. If you have freelancers, a VA, or even employees in place, it will make things that much easier for the buyer. It’s possible that the buyer will have other people that he or she will want to hire. In many cases, the buyer would prefer to continue to use the people who are already familiar with the site.

One of the big benefits here is that there is no guesswork related to cost. If you have a freelancer who contributes 5 blog posts per month, and you pay $100 per article, those are very concrete numbers.

If you’re doing all of the work yourself, the buyer will have to estimate how much it will cost to pay a contractor. A high conservative estimate can negatively impact the value of your site.

Not only does it help to have real-world numbers, but buyers often won’t have much knowledge of the topic of your site or blog. The buyer will likely have to spend time learning in the transition period. Freelancers or virtual assistants can keep things running while the buyer gets up to speed.

If you’re currently doing all of the work yourself, outsource some of that work. It will add some expenses for you, but reducing the amount of time you spend on the site can more than outweigh that cost.

4. Diversify Your Income Sources

Buying a website can be a risky decision. The more you can do to minimize the risk for a buyer, the more likely you will be to get a great price for it.

One of the biggest areas of risk is related to the sources of income. The more revenue streams you have, the less risky it will be.

Take a look at the ways you’re making money and see what you can do to add other revenue streams. Things like display ads, sponsored content, affiliate marketing, digital product, physical products, and membership are common options.

Diversifying can also include expanding on your current revenue streams. For example, if your site makes most of its money from one affiliate program, find a few other affiliate programs that you can join. If you make the majority of your income from selling a digital product, consider other products that you could create and sell.

5. Work to Increase Your Current Income Streams

In addition to diversifying, you also should try to make the most of the income streams that you already have. If you use display ads on your site, could you make more by moving to a different ad network? Could you place a new ad zone on the site without having a big impact on the user experience?

If affiliate marketing is one of your big income streams, look for ways to make more money from your top affiliate programs. You could also contact affiliate managers and ask for an increase in your commission. Also you could find a few new affiliate programs that you can start promoting. You may even be able to go back through your archives and add affiliate links to some of your top posts.

One of the exciting things here is when you think about the true impact of the results that you get. Say you make some changes and increase your affiliate earnings by $1,000 per month. If your site sells for 30x your monthly profit, those changes just added $30,000 to the sales price! This is part of why I recommend planning ahead. You’ll probably need to show that you can sustain these gains for a few months in order for buyers to justify a higher price.

6. Diversify Your Traffic Sources

Your traffic sources also impact the risk for the buyer. If one source drives your traffic, the buyer could be in a bad spot if that traffic drops.

Some traffic sources are considered more risky than others. If your site gets 80% of its traffic from Pinterest, that is going to be considered a big risk.

Work to have a nice balance of traffic that includes Google search, social media, direct traffic, and referrals from other websites.

In terms of reducing risk, one of the big things you can do is focus on building an email list. With a responsive email list, the buyer has some insurance if other traffic starts to dip.

7. Cut Any Unnecessary Expenses

Take a look at all of the expenses involved with running the site. These expenses are obviously decreasing the profit of your site. As a result, they also reduce the value of your website.

Most of your expenses are probably necessary, but there may be some that you could reduce or completely eliminate.

Evaluate every monthly expense to see if it really is justified or if you can reduce it.

Now, On to Actually Selling Your Site

In the follow up to this article, we’ll look at the different ways you can go about selling your website. Then I’ll give you some tips for finding the right buyer and making a smooth sale.

How are you working to maximize the value of your website now? Can you ever imagine yourself selling your site?

About the Author

Marc Andre has built successful blogs and websites in industries like web/graphic design, photography, and travel. He’s currently writing about personal finance at Vital Dollar. If you’d like to learn more about his approach to building successful blogs he’s offering a free 7-day Blogging Fundamentals email course.

The post 7 Keys to Maximizing the Value of Your Website appeared first on FinCon: Where Money and Media Meet.

You spend what seems like hours deliberating over an email to a prospective client (and probably stressed for most of it trying to craft the right words) and finally press send.

Then…crickets.

Yes, there are certainly instances where it accidentally goes to spam (the horror!), the person is busy, or just plain forgot to email you back.

Or…maybe your email sucked.

Don’t feel bad. With so much vying for our attention, it’s hard to get people to open our emails in general, let alone getting someone to respond to them. For those who rely on emails to get the sale, it’s especially important that we get responses.

That’s not to say you can’t craft an email that will not only get someone to open it, but to actually respond. Follow the following six steps and your inbox will be flooded with email responses in no time.

Have The Right Mindset

Before writing anything, remember what an email is all about: to start a conversation. Your first email isn’t going land you that six-figure contract right then and there. It’s more like, they’re interested in what you have to say and then you both go through a quasi-courtship ritual.

So when you’re writing an email specifically to get a response, just think of the email as one of many to get to your end goal, whatever that is. If it’s a sale, just get them to reply that they’re interested. If it’s to make a connection for networking, get the conversation going.

Thinking of emails this way helps to take the pressure off and allows you to create better emails.

Stop Being Clever

Seriously, just stop of it.

It’s natural to think that having a clever email subject line, one that elicits curiosity (or dare I say, clickbait-like) will get someone to open the email. However, that’s not true at all. Let’s say you’ve got 200 emails in your inbox. Would you rather open an email that sounds kinda sorta interesting or one that demands your attention right now? In other words, would you open an email that may be sorta entertaining or one that is totally relevant to your job performance?

Unless you’re procrastinating, you’re most likely going to open emails that are most relevant. That means whoever you’re writing the email to feels the same way.

So how do you get their attention then? By crafting an email subject line that’s practical and to the point. Make sure you convey what your email is actually about.

You know, because the email subject line should be about the subject of the email.

The best way to approach is to not overthink it and try to write the point of the email within the first few words. For example, newspaper and magazine editors I’ve talked to liked it when writers put “Pitch: [name of proposed article]” as their subject line. That way, they know exactly what the email is about and will open it when they’re ready to look at article ideas.

Something else to consider is to make your subject line into one where the reader either answers yes or no to. For example, if you’re looking to pitch for freelance work, you could write “Need a freelance designer?” or something along those lines.

Getting someone to open an email is the start. Now you need to wow them.

Get to the Point

Once you get someone to open an email, don’t waste their time. Make sure that within the first few sentences you talk about what you mentioned in the subject line. So if you’re pitching someone, you better mention who you are, what you do and why you’re the best fit for their company.

Going back to subject lines, nothing irks people more than opening an email expecting one thing and finding out it’s not. So drop the clever email subject lines, and write what you need to say as quickly as possible.

It’s OK to Namedrop

One of the best ways to get a response is through a warm connection. It may sound a bit sleazy to namedrop to get attention, but it’s only that way if there’s no point to the name dropping.

Let’s say you know Bob is acquaintances with Mary, someone you want to work for. It’s probably not a good idea to talk about how you three know each other without some sort of tie into why you’re actually emailing her.

However, if you approach Bob and ask him for a connection or a referral, that’s a different story. For example, one of my writer friends spoke to a prospect about a writing project he couldn’t take on. He told me about the job and I emailed the prospect, mentioning my friend and that he said it was ok to contact her. It meant that was easier to establish a connection.

If you do decide to namedrop, make sure you mention the person’s name in the subject line. I use simple ones like “Bob Smith told me to contact you” or “Bob Smith mentioned you’re looking for freelancers.”

Flattery Works, But Be Careful How You Do It

Instead of name dropping, you can make a warm connection through flattery. No, I’m not talking about saying how awesome the person is and that wish you had their long, blonde hair. You’re trying to find one piece of timely news and using that as your “in”.

For example, let’s say the person you want a response from just won an award. You’d use that to congratulate them and then get to the point of why you’re emailing them. In this case, you can absolutely use this as an email subject line because you’re emailing them to congratulating them.

Here’s an example email of this in action:

SUBJECT: Congratulations on the NASA awards last week

BODY:

Dear Bob,

I saw on XYZ.com that the team you led on the NASA campaign won an award last week. As a long time fan of your work, I am happy to hear that you won this well-deserved achievement.

My name is Sarah and I’m a content marketing writer specializing in aeronautical science. Clients I’ve worked for include NASA, Boeing and Delta Airlines.

Does it make sense to connect?

Best,
Sarah

Ask a Question at the End

What many people forget to do is to give some sort of call to action at the end of their emails. If you’re a marketer, you probably already know this. However, you want this call to action to not only ask them to complete an action (e.g. reply to your email), but to incorporate a question for them to answer.

Why? For one, it goes back to the purpose of an email. When you have a conversation IRL, you’ll probably ask the person you’re talking to a question, right?

So asking a question at the end of your email works along the same lines.

As for the type of question, don’t overthink it. It could be something as simple as asking them if they want to see your writing portfolio, or if you can send a brochure about your latest product. Even a simple question asking them if it makes sense to continue the conversation (like in the email example above) will do the trick.

The more you make it easy for them to say yes or no to, the more likely they’ll respond because it won’t take them too much time to answer you.

The Fortune is in the Follow Up

Stuff happens. Emails can get buried, got to spam or the recipient is really that busy and forgot to respond.

So even if you write a great email, don’t be disheartened if you don’t get a response right away. Follow up in a week or two and reference your original email.

Even if you don’t get a response at all, just keep moving forward. At the end of the day, you did all you can.

Now to get em (in their inboxes).

Sarah Li Cain is a content marketing writer, and mutimedia creator. Her aim is to weave practical tips and mindset strategies into her work so that those trying to change their money mindset can see themselves in the starring role. She loves answering listener questions on her podcast, sharing resilient money stories, or opening up her struggles with money by revealing current experiments she’s running. You can find her at her writer website (http://sarahlicainwrites.com/) or her podcast at Beyond The Dollar (https://beyondthedollar.co).

The post How To Write an Email That Actually Gets a Response appeared first on FinCon: Where Money and Media Meet.

FinCon will continue to offer the best opportunities for personal finance influencers and brands to come together to connect around ideas that can help them create better content, reach their audience, and make more money.

As usual, we will feature keynote talks from industry leaders, plenty of breakout sessions on money and marketing for your peers, an award show (The 10th Annual Plutus Awards), plenty of parties and meet ups, Pro Networking meetings with brands, a value-added expo hall (FinCon Central), our one-on-one mentoring program, a community service project, and yes, our live video and podcasting booths.

But there’s more. For 2019, we’ll be featuring a few new, exciting elements to the event you’ll want to take note of:

1. New Education Tracks: Journalism, Brand, and More!

This year we’re introducing a new Journalism Track to tackle financial journalism issues, a new Brand Track to discuss ideas of interest to financial brands and the influencers who work with them, a new track specifically for Blogging as well as one for Freelancing, and several new Micro Tracks around money topics (budgeting, debt, investing, entrepreneurship, credit, and retirement). These new tracks will join the existing tracks: Advisor Track, Podcasting Track, Video Track, and Discussion Panels. We will be replacing the General Track, Success Stories Track, and Money Conversations Track.

2. Three Half Days of FinCon Central (Wed/Thurs/Fri)

We’re expanding FinCon Central (our Expo Hall) from two days to three. FinCon Central will now open up the first day of the event (Wednesday) and will be open for 4-5 hours on Thursday and Friday also. FinCon Central will still offer the absolute best group of financial advertisers and Internet solution providers around today. The space will also feature our super popular free headshot booth, podcasting and video booths, attendee lounge, food, drink, games, and much much more. It will remain the place to be throughout the event.

3. Thursday Lunch Included with Pro Pass

If you’re considering the Pro Pass, this year it will be more valuable than ever. We’re including a complimentary Networking Lunch. At the end of this year’s Thursday Pro Networking event, you will have the opportunity to sit with brand reps along with a few other influencers and enjoy a nice meal onsite at the Washington Hilton. This will be an exclusive event only for Pro Pass holders and for brands that have sponsored the event.

4. New Location: Washington D.C.

We move FinCon to a new location each year and this year is no exception. We’ll be in Washington, D.C., our nation’s capital. Our host hotel (secured at a great low rate) is one of the best yet–the historic Washington Hilton in the heart of the Adam’s Morgan district. There are plenty of great sights and sounds to take in just block away from the hotel, and, of course, the capital itself offers plenty to see and do for the frugal minded. Look for a Visitors Guide from us as we get closer to the event.

5. New Speakers: TBA

We’re still in the process of putting together our main stage speakers for 2019 but you can be sure they will be new names and ideas to take the stage. FinCon knows how important it is to move our industry forward with fresh ideas and perspectives and we’re committed to keeping our main stage new each year.

Whether it’s your first or ninth time to attend FinCon, it’s important to understand all of the opportunities involved with the event so you can plan your strategy for attending. In the coming weeks and month, we’ll be sharing more–tips for first-timers, how to make money from the event, how to connect with other attendees, and more. Stay tuned.

The post 5 Fresh Things to Expect for #FinCon19 appeared first on FinCon: Where Money and Media Meet.

With the increased saturation in the blogging world, it can be a little bit more challenging to get noticed so you might be feeling less motivated to keep going.

We recently sat down with Grant Sabatier of Millennial Money and author of the new book Financial Freedom to talk about the future of blogging as we know it. Sabatier offered blogging tips for the next generation of bloggers:

Blogging Tip 1: Define what you want to get out of your blog

Before you start your blog, or even if you have been at it for a little while, it is important to define and focus on your mission.

For Sabatier, blogging was always a platform to reach a broader base of people and a pathway to get a book deal to reach the mainstream. Knowing where he wanted to go gave him a clear vision when it came to the tradeoffs involved in the blogging journey.

Sabatier sees 2 directions for bloggers in 2019:

• Content-Driven Model

  This first direction involves massive amounts of content. The focus is to rank well on Google and use affiliate partnerships. They have the most reach and make the most money possible.

  If your goal is to make the most money possible, this is the platform for you. Think: big reach, lots of SEO, and maximizing the best return on each click.

  Deacon Hayes from Well Kept Wallet used this model to go from $942 to $6,089 per month in blog income in one year and how Kyle Taylor created one of the most popular finance blogs on the web, The Penny Hoarder.

• Truly Distinctive Voices Model

  The second direction is story driven. Think: vulnerability, transparency, and a means of telling your story.

  If you want to craft your own unique voice, personality, brand, and community, this is the option for you.

  “2019 is the year of the story. People are going to pay attention to these unique voices.” — Grant Sabatier

  This model is not exclusive to only blogging, but also include make money public speaking, working as a brand ambassador, making guest appearances on media, and sponsored post campaigns.

Blogging Tip 2: Beware of merging 2 models

There are pros and cons to both the Content-Driven Model and the Distinctive Voices Model.

The challenge, Sabatier says, comes when bloggers try to merge the two into a muddy middle. Things can get confusing when you are trying to share your story while also trying to optimize the content.

This messy hybrid can lead to blogs doing the same thing, looking the same way, and writing the same posts as everyone else.

Sabatier warns that when it comes to kind of blog you want to have, often times you will only please Google or the reader. You can try to do a hybrid of both, but the hybrid is very difficult, so just pick one.

Sabatier experimented with the Content-Driven model, but realized this option wasn’t best for him. He settled on the second model because he wanted to share his story. He was very open with his shortcomings and held nothing back.

At the end of the day, people are going to come back because they like the way you see the world. You have to share how you see the world and leave it all on the floor. Don’t be someone you aren’t or copy someone else. You have to craft your story because life is too short to be someone you aren’t. — Grant Sabatier

Blogging Tip 3: Have an honest conversation with yourself

Whether you are just starting out or are further along in your blogging journey, consider assessing your motives and what you want in your blogging career. Refocus on your “why,” realizing that you are going to have a much higher chance of being successful being yourself.
When you are doing it the right way, the people will come.

If you are just here for the money, you are going to have a difficult time doing that. If you haven’t made a single dime in a year and you are still doing this, then you are in the right place. — Grant Sabatier

Blogging Tip 4: Know when to pivot

If you have hit a plateau or are struggling to build an audience, it might be time to change your approach or consider a rebranding to maximize your return on investment. Careers are peppered with inflection points where you will see growth in not only your audience, but in yourself as well.

You either hit that inflection point and grow, or you don’t and you pivot.

Blogging Tip 5: Finding motivation when you want to give up

It can be difficult to find the motivation to keep going when you are faced with the challenges and setbacks most bloggers face. Sabatier gave up 3 times.

Motivation can come in many different ways. Perhaps the next time you think about giving up, look for motivation in these 3 places:

• From your blogging community

  Surround yourself with like-minded people who are in the same passion as you. Find a mastermind group or a group of friends that will keep you accountable and help you stay motivated.

  It is important to meet others who have done the same and understand people who do it. Look for ways to be a distinctive voice in this space. When you keep coming back to a community where you feel supported, you will be more motivated to keep going.

• From your audience

  The second time Sabatier wanted to quit, he found motivation the emails and letters his community sent him. He keeps an email folder of over 17k emails thanking him for what he has done to change their lives.

  Look for the people who are different because of your blog. Connect with those who send you emails, who reach out to you on social media, or even take the time to approach you at events or conferences. Focus on the audience instead of your lack of motivation.

• Refresh your outlook by taking a new approach to content

  In Sabatier’s third restart, he realized his motivation to write blog posts was not about the tactics or the “how to” approach. He switched from teaching people how to handle their finances and instead focused on bringing light and hope to people.

  If you are tired of writing what feels to be the same thing, find a new way to approach your story and your audience.

Blogging Tip 6: Know when to partner and when to hire

Hiring and partnering are two different things.

• Partnering is when the other person has a stake in your brand and has also put skin in the game. They also reap the benefits that come with the hustle and hard work it takes to make a business or project successful.
• Hiring is more transactional. It is someone who you pay to do a certain task like a podcast editor, virtual assistant, graphic designer, etc. Those relationships can also help you to grow in certain areas and are very helpful to you and your brand. They are hired for a negotiated rate, and they will get that whether or not the company succeeds or fails.

Focus more on surrounding yourself with partners because they are more motivated for you to succeed overall. Because they are a stakeholder, they are more likely to take ownership in the different areas they are in charge.

Blogging Tip 7: Don’t chase your calling

When people asked Sabatier what his purpose or calling in life was, he never had an answer. And that’s okay.

Sometimes it’s hard to chase after a calling instead of making space for it to show up. The beautiful thing about blogging is that it’s all a reflection of you and your life. It’s what it means to be alive and human and to connect and grow. Take it seriously. If you give your all to it, you are going to learn so much about the world but about yourself. — Grant Sabatier

Sabatier’s purpose in life showed up in an email in 2016. Melanie said she said he changed her life and her marriage. For him, that email was more important than money.

Even if you don’t know, continue to question and to grow and to create. It is that creating that ultimately opens the door for your life purpose to show up. Life is too short to be doing something you don’t want to be doing. —
Grant Sabatier

Of all the advice Sabatier gave, he stressed the importance of finding a community. Get more blogging tips from the community of personal finance bloggers at FinCon19. Visit finconexpo.com/fincon19 for more information about FinCon and enter to win a free pass.

The post 7 Blogging Tips for the Next Generation from Grant Sabatier appeared first on FinCon: Where Money and Media Meet.

According to J.D. Roth, he started blogging before “blog” was even a word. He founded Get Rich Slowly in 2006 in order to document his journey out of debt. Ironically, writing about money allowed him to get rich quickly.

Roth spoke at the first FinCon in 2011 on Why We Write. Since then, some things have changed, he says, but many things have stayed the same.

Why do people write blogs?

People used to write for self-expression and the individual blogger had something to say. It was a way for some to keep accountable, to write their story, or get involved because blogging was fun.

Some wrote to make money, but ultimately it was about helping people.

Eight years down the road, there are some different motivations. People are still trying to help people and they are still telling their story. But Roth is also seeing that blogging may be a way companies or brands build their business–to attract new clients or make people more aware of them.

Roth says the motivation to make money blogging is stronger now and can often be a primary motivation. It is not a bad thing to want to make money with a blog, podcast, or YouTube, but it is simply a different motivation than it was a decade ago.

Is it becoming easier or harder to write blog posts?

For Roth, writing about himself has always come naturally. Even now, writing about his journey has been as easy as it has always been. For him, writing has always been his way to express himself.

When he needs to process through complicated emotions, he will write it out instead of talking it out. That will never change for him.

What has changed is the technology around blogging. With the age of social media, search engine optimization (SEO), and the more technical aspects, Roth now hires people to work on things like SEO because ultimately he knows where his strengths lie.

Research and fact-checking in the world of finance have also become more difficult. For example, when he used to write about Roth IRAs, he would sit down to do basic research, then write for about a half hour of writing about Roth IRAs. Now, he spends much more time researching, fact-checking, and editing.

When it comes to knowing strengths and weaknesses as a blogger, it is important to be self-aware to know what it is you do well and what you don’t. Roth says it requires a great deal of self-awareness and reflection.

Blogging Tip:

Be willing to admit you aren’t perfect, you can’t do everything. –J.D. Roth

What is the balance of listening to your audience and sticking with the purpose of your blog?

In his original talk, Roth stressed the importance of listening to your audience when it comes to what they want you to write about. He would ask them what they wanted to hear from them.

Roth loves listening to his audience, but now there is a balance when it comes to letting your audience dictate your content and focusing on your mission and blog purpose, which Grant Sabatier shared recently as his top blogging tip.

Be aware of what your audience wants and know the reason they keep coming back.

Blogging Tip:

When you are running a blog, it is your blog. You are doing this for yourself and whatever goals you have set for yourself. Take into account what your readers are asking for, but balance that with what your needs are. –J.D. Roth

This comes back to self-awareness and knowing your mission for your blog. If you know what your blog is about and what it is for, then you can then balance input from your readers with the direction of your blog.

How do you handle Imposter Syndrome?

Imposter syndrome is a very real feeling for everyone in this community. Even people who have been blogging for years can feel like an imposter at some points.

Roth feels like he gets imposter syndrome when he steps out of his area of expertise, when he is put in a position of authority, and or when people expect him to be the expert or the guru.

When Imposter Syndrome creeps in, he goes back to his personal experience.

Get Rich Slowly has always been about Roth and his journey. As long as he is focusing on his story and staying true to his journey, he can’t feel like an imposter. He knows to stay within the confines of his strengths.

What kind of community have you surrounded yourself with?

Roth says everyone should have:

• At least one Mastermind, sometimes even 2 or 3
• A core group of friends within the FinCon community

Having friends in this community with different strengths and weaknesses is vital to the success of a platform. Roth realized this at FinCon18 in Orlando when sitting down talking to Tom Drake of Maple Money.

They were discussing strengths, weaknesses, and struggles. They realized they had completely different skill sets and decided to partner together on Get Rich Slowly. Roth says it made a huge difference in the blog.

How do you ask people for “free” help?

There are always going to be people in this space who are much further along in the content creating journey than you are. It is natural to want to ask for help. However, it might feel like you are asking for free advice.

However, Roth finds that the FinCon community is very open with an abundance mindset. They realize there is plenty of room for everybody in this space.

Blogging Tip:

You may look at someone and think they are really advanced, but everyone has problems they are working through with their business. –J.D. Roth

It is okay to ask.

When you write that email or go up to someone you admire at a conference, Roth suggests:

• Be polite
• Be brief

People are very busy and might not respond to an email right way. Roth may go a month or two not responding to questions he gets from readers or people using for advice. If you don’t get a reply, it can be that they are busy, or they might not have an answer for you at that time.

If you don’t get an answer, do you leave it there? Or should you ping them again?

Roth says there are times people will email him and he doesn’t answer because he is busy. They might ping him again to remind him, which is okay. A simple, “Hey I know you are busy, do you have a chance to answer really quick?” could go a long way.

What do you hope for this community in its 10-year anniversary?

In 2011, Roth predicted everyone at FinCon would live in a mansion in 10 years making millions of dollars. With that prediction only 2 years away, Roth has new hopes for the FinCon community.

Blogging Tip:

Supporting each other is huge. –J.D. Roth

Roth feels like this community is a family, and he hopes that in 2 years it will remain a family. Drama always happens in a family, but always support each other. Work through those dramas.

A difference Roth has seen since he started blogging is that people are much less likely to link and promote other people’s work. If someone has awesome content, it doesn’t hurt to link to that. Share the good stuff other people are producing.

Blogging Tip:

There’s an infinite number of voices. My audience is not necessarily your audience. Your success does not detract from my success. –J.D. Roth

Do you want to learn more about blogging? Check out the blogging track at FinCon19 September 4-7 in Washington D.C. Register for your pass today!

The post Back to the Basics: the Why Behind Blogging with J.D. Roth of Get Rich Slowly appeared first on FinCon: Where Money and Media Meet.

Jim Wang, the founder of Wallet Hacks, has been blogging for 14 years. In a recent interview with the FinCon Team, Wang gives practical steps for honing your message and assigning a purpose to every blog post you write.

Think about your blog from a business perspective

One mistake Wang sees people making is not thinking from a business perspective about why they are writing each post.

Blogging Tip:

If your blog is a business and you want to think of it that way, every post has to have one purpose–a single purpose that you can think about. As you are writing it, you can keep it in the back of your mind so you don’t get distracted. –Jim Wang

Wang says each and every post you put on your site should have a meaning and strategical reason behind the post. He suggests there are 3 goals, or buckets, to choose from when writing a post:

3 “buckets” to choose from

• Money Generation: The first bucket is to generate income. This is where you put your affiliate links, products, services, sponsored posts, and other ways you earn income from your site. A post is designed specifically for that reason, and when this is your focus, you may not have as many personal stories or as much sharing about your journey.
• Audience Connection: These are the posts where you are sharing about you, your story, or your journey. They are often vulnerable and transparent meant to connect with your audience on a personal level.
• Traffic Driver: These posts are meant to drive traffic to your site. This is different than a personal connection. These posts can easily be shared and may include blogger round ups to send traffic to other blogs in the space.

Beware of mixing buckets

Knowing the purpose and honing your message means not mixing the purpose of your posts. Wang says a good example of pulling from Bucket 2, Audience Connection, is your About Me page. The purpose of this post is to connect with people, not to generate income.

Blogging Tip:

Your focus should be on connecting with people, not selling something. If I was suddenly telling you about my family and where we live, and then thew in a credit card offer, you’d wonder, “What’s the deal with this guy? Why is he sending me this way for him to make money in a place where I am expecting to be learning about him?” –Jim Wang

Don’t make your audience feel duped by reading your story, Wang says. The problem then is that you don’t achieve either goal. First, you will not make money putting any kind of affiliate offer on a page where you are sharing your story. Secondly, you will not have that authentic connection because they will feel like you are trying to sucker them in with your story.

When mixing buckets, especially the fine line of generating income and connecting with your audience, it will feel “a little off” to your reader. When that happens, you lose that person.

If they were interested enough to read an about page or read a blog post, you don’t want to lose them for that reason. Maybe they don’t connect, Wang says, and that’s fine, but don’t let it be just because you decide you want to put in a credit card offer or some other kind of affiliate offer when it didn’t fit.

How often do you draw from each bucket?

Should there be a certain amount you should take from each bucket each month? Wang suggests to mix it up a little bit.

People are a follower of your blog for a reason. They might come to your site, like Wang’s, for the latest financial products, or they may want to hear about the challenges your family is facing. If you think about who you are writing for, mix in something that speaks to them.

Blogging Tip:

Let’s say you have 1,000 people come visit, not everyone of them are there for the same reason, but you need to feed them periodically. Whether that is once a month, every other week, or whatever cadence you feel is right. –Jim Wang

A great way to do this is to send out a survey to find out what your readership is most interested in. You aren’t trying to reach all 1,000 with every blog post, but rather you are trying to sprinkle in something that reaches them to feel that connection.

When it comes to the mixture of how often to draw from each bucket, trust your gut, Wang says. in the end it is your blog–don’t force yourself to draw from a bucket if you don’t have to.

There is no right formula when it comes to pulling from each bucket. Wang says it ultimately depends on the goal of your blog.

Are the buckets the same for everyone?

According to Wang, goals are generally the same across the board, but they may not be the same focus for every blogger.

Wang gives the example of a blogger friend who writes about being environmentally friendly at a corporate level. Her goal is not to make money from the blog, but rather to connect with other people in her industry.

She has $0 in her Money Generation bucket, but that isn’t to say that bucket doesn’t exist for her. She may choose to utilize that bucket in the future, but it currently doesn’t fit with her overall goal for her blog.

The power of transparency

What does transparency have to do with making money? Wang says it is more effective.

The FTC requires to that you let your audience know you may generate income from links on your site. But it also helps your audience to see that you are transparent and not trying to hide something.

When your audience are loyal fans, they will understand that there is a financial interest for you. They know affiliate links or sales help you to keep the blog going. You aren’t trying to hide anything, and your readers will understand because you have taken the time to build their trust.

When building an audience is your focus for a post, it is okay to link to other posts that may contain affiliate links, just as long as you aren’t mixing your buckets.

Join Us for #FinCon19

Do you want to learn more about blogging? Check out the blogging track at FinCon19 September 4-7 in Washington D.C. Register for your pass today!

The post Honing your Blogging Message with Jim Wang of Wallet Hacks appeared first on FinCon: Where Money and Media Meet.