Dennis J. Smith

How I hit my first $100 month on Udemy.com

September 25, 2014

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]September 2016 Update: Since I wrote this post I have been busy on Udemy and just launched my 9th course on “ConvertKit” which is a powerful tool I use for email marketing. I also published my 2nd book “Udemy Life” which is how others like myself earn 100’s and 1000’s each month teaching on Udemy. I hope you check them both out and read the post below on how I got to my first $100. I am now approaching $30,000 from everything I do revolving around Udemy including OnlineCourseCoupons.com. Read my latest blog post “On The Road To $30K In Udemy Revenue“. Dennis CONTINUED BELOW…[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text] Save On My Udemy Courses [/vc_column_text][vc_column_text][convertkit form=4900669][/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]My “Udemy Life” Book Now Available on Kindle! Discover how Udemy Instructors are making 100’s and 1000’s each month by teaching skills on Udemy! Buy On Amazon Today [/vc_column_text][vc_column_text] [/vc_column_text][vc_column_text][divider][/vc_column_text][vc_custom_heading source=”post_title” google_fonts=”font_family:Oswald%3A300%2Cregular%2C700|font_style:700%20bold%20regular%3A700%3Anormal”][vc_column_text]I have been working hard the last few months to grow my income through laptop lifestyle. Hoping that I can make enough money to live on my own again and not have to work for corporate America. My dream is to travel around the United States and the world while run my business on my laptop and a Wi-Fi connected. My courses on Udemy.com are just my latest stream of income. I recently posted about my latest accomplish of hitting $100 in revenue this month in the Udemy Studio group on Facebook. I’m always impressed by the praise and support of others in the group and by those like Alun Hill, (How I Make $4,000 A Week From Udemy Courses – And No Filming) and Benjamin Wilson (Double Your Udemy Course Sales (In Just 2 Hours!) Guaranteed) who share how they have been successful with others in the group through courses they created. Several people in the group asked me how I am marketing my courses and I thought this would be a great way to share that since blogging is one way that I promote my courses. Watch The Google+ Hangout I Did With Udemy’s Top Instructors – Including One Who Did $35,000 in November I launched my first Udemy course “Marketing Your Business With WordPress” (Course Coupon Offer) back in the middle of July 2013. Being that it was a new platform for me I didn’t know what to expect. I had a launch party and created a Facebook event and invited friends and followers to show up at 8 am to grab a coupon code to take the course for free. I am admitting this now but I overslept that morning and was late to my own launch. But I was able to recover and had over 13 take advantage of the launch coupon. Lesson learned. I also promoted the course on several of my Facebook Fan Pages, my personal Facebook profile, sent several tweets on Twitter and pinned it on my Pinterest Pinboard so I have my courses in front of several hundred followers. This is what I call “Be Everywhere” on social media on getting your product in front of those who want to learn. I had 4 other students redeem coupons that month and after Udemy’s cut I ended up earning $14.80 for July which I received payment for the first week of September. Not much but it gave me encouragement to keep going. Update: I ended the month of September at $109.41 and just received my payment of $40.85 for the month of August. The month of October is already starting off well for me and I am getting ready to do another cross promotion with other Udemy instructors.[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text] Save On My Udemy Courses [/vc_column_text][vc_column_text][divider][/vc_column_text][vc_column_text] Would you like to experience a course on Udemy.com and learn something new? Take my 5-star “WordPress Marketing: Profits With Powerful WordPress Plugins” FREE by entering your first name and email address in the form below. Save $20! In August I added a 2nd course “MailChimp: MailChimp’s Forever Free Email Marketing Plan” to the mix. That month I saw 9 purchases mostly my “Marketing Your Business With WordPress” course and mostly from “Udemy Organic”. Which according to Udemy is “Purchases of your course driven by either organic traffic on Udemy’s site (typically at full price), or by Udemy email marketing campaigns to existing Udemy users (often at a discount).” August was also the first month that I distributed “Free” coupons in the Facebook Udemy Studio group which has almost 19,400 active users. You can learn a lot about Udemy course creation and marketing by actively participating group and the Facebook Udemy Facility Lounge once you are an active instructor on Udemy. I ended up with over 2,259 new students which gave me social proof and several 5-star reviews for the course. My book “Promote Your Business or Cause Using Social Media – A Beginner’s Handbook” has over 25 reviews with an average of 4.5—stars. I have sold almost 1,000 copies of the book since its launch 2 years ago so I know the importance of good reviews. It gets those who are on the fence on board with buying your book or taking your course. I also had a free webinar “Building Your Online Audience” in August and have a link to my Udemy course that displays in the replay of the webinar. Webinars are a affordable way to build your email marketing list and get your Udemy course out in front of fresh eyes. I use RunClick which is a premium plugin that works with WordPress. I finished up the month of August with $40.85 and should be receiving that the first week of October. Most likely I will reinvest it and try promoting my courses with Facebook Ads.[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text][divider][/vc_column_text][vc_column_text] Right now I am in my 2nd full month of having my courses on Udemy and I continue to promote my courses on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Pinterest and my website. I also came across the courses I mentioned in the beginning of this post by Alun Hill and Benjamin Wilson. I’m starting to try their suggestions and toying…
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5 Udemy Courses For Learning WordPress

September 8, 2014

5 Udemy Courses For Learning WordPress I love WordPress because it has been around for just over 10 years now. That means there are tons of great resources out there to learn WordPress, find support, locate a great theme or to connect with other WordPress enthusiast. I have written post on great podcasts that talk about what is going on with WordPress or my Ultimate List of WordPress resources. In this post we are going to talk about 5 great Udemy courses for learning more about WordPress including one that I teach. Talking With Clients – Creating a WordPress Website – Free Course This course will teach you about the conversations you should be having with clients when designing their WordPress website. If you are building WordPress sites for others or plan to start your own WordPress business you should take this course. Rob also has several books on Amazon.com and I have read a few and came away with great business ideas. If you are interested in passive income check out his book “Build a Brand, Create Products and Earn Passive Income”. How to Install WordPress From Scratch – Free Course WordPress is famous for it’s 5 minute install which is offered pretty much by all hosting providers. However it isn’t the most secure way to install WordPress and could put your site at risk. This course teaches you how to install WordPress by scratch to insure you start out with a secure site. Learn how to create a MySQL database and other essentials for success from the start. WordPress SEO Rocket LITE – Free Course Learn better SEO for your WordPress site with this “WordPress SEO Rocket LITE” course. This course provides you with the basics for optimizing your site for better results with Google and Bing. Learn WordPress – A Quick and Easy Guide – $19 Course Learn how to install WordPress step-by-step and get the settings changed so you are ready to blog or build a website for your small business. This course has over 30 lectures including some advanced information at the end. Marketing Your Business With WordPress – Sell More Online – FREE(Save $147) I have been using WordPress for about 5 years now for all of my websites including the one you are reading this post on. I teach local workshops and this is my first Udemy course which now has almost 3,000 students taking the course. Learn over 20 different ways you can market your business or promote your self-published book online. These are the same tools I used to sell over 1,000 copies of my best selling web marketing book. You get a free copy at the end of the course so make sure you signup today. So there are 5 courses you can take on Udemy.com to learn some great information about WordPress from creating your site to marketing your product. If you take the courses come back here and leave your thoughts or course reviews in the comments below. *Please note that free courses were free at the time of publication and pricing is subject to change. Updated: Friday December 4th, 2015 [divider]

5 Social Media Podcasts You Should Be Listening To

August 17, 2014

5 Social Media Podcasts You Should Be Listening To I wrote a post a few months ago on 5 WordPress Podcast’s for those who want to learn more about WordPress. I’m one of those who likes to read, listen and watch videos when it comes to learning. That is why I enjoy listening to the Social Media Podcast’s I have listed below. Load them on your favorite device and listen to them in the car on the way to work or a road trip, at the gym or while taking your favorite walk or hike. I’ve listed a few below that I listen too but there are several out there on both Stitcher Radio and iTunes. Search for “Social Media” and you will find tons of others listed. Do you have a favorite Social Media Podcast I forgot to list? #1 Social Media Pubcast by Jon Loomer I have followed Jon now for a few years and check out his blog from time-to-time and he always provides quality information on Facebook, blogging and more. Plus as a beer lover I appreciate the name pubcast. #2 Social Media Marketing with Michael Stelzner [convertkit] When it comes to finding great information on all forms of social media networking I always turn to Social Media Examiner which was started by the host of this podcast packed with great information. #3 Online Marketing Made Easy with Amy Porterfield If you are looking for more information on marketing online, especially Facebook Ads you have come to the right place. Amy has worked with people like Tony Robbins and companies like Harley-Davidson. #4 Social Media Social Hour Lots of great information can be found weekly on this podcast by Tyler J. Anderson. The most current episode has an interview with Mari Smith who I consider the Queen of Facebook and building relationships. #5 Social Media Talk with Dennis J. Smith My own podcast which has been on hiatus since last year, but still has lots of good information. I have been thinking about bring it back. Listen and feel free to leave a comment on Stitcher Radio or down below in the comments. [divider]

Affordable Website for Self-Published Authors

August 3, 2014

Are you looking for an affordable way to promote your book and yourself online? WordPress is the easiest and most affordable solution on the planet. When I wrote my first book over 3-years ago I knew that I would need a website and social media presence. I had to considering my book is about promoting your business or cause using social media sites like Facebook. During that time I learned how to promote my book both online and offline, selling almost 1000 copies both Kindle and Paperback. I also learned the importance of having a mailing list like MailChimp so I could target current and future readers. Something I found out not all self-published authors are doing. The problem is both a combination of lack of money, time and knowledge. Even though WordPress is pretty easy most still don’t have the knowledge to create their own website. Lets face it, sometimes it is easier to let others help us and focus our time on what we do best. Writing more books! That’s where I come in, because I’m an author just like you. I have written and marketed a bestseller that has sold over 1000 copies on Amazon.com and has over 8,000 KDP promotion downloads. I know what it takes to promote your book online and capture reader information to grow your list and stay successful. Talk to me about building an affordable WordPress website for your current book or your next bestseller. Contact Dennis

Grow Your Audience With Social Media and WordPress

July 27, 2014

Grow Your Audience With Social Media and WordPress – Free Google+ Hangout Join me Thursday August 7th at 5 pm Mountain Time for a Live Hangout on Google+. Learn how to use social media, MailChimp and WordPress to grow your customer base. We will discus Social Media tools, how to get a free MailChimp account and WordPress plugins along with best practices. Here’s what I’ll show you… Social Media tips to grow your audience. Building Custom Fan Pages for Facebook Starting an affordable mailing list with MailChimp. Learn which WordPress Plugins help to grow your customers base. Plus more… Register Today

Who’s Talking About Dennis Again?

July 17, 2014

Latest Testimonial I wanted to share the latest testimonial from a client who I now consider a friend. Patti contacted me because she was frustrated with her website. We worked together and came up with a new look and feel for her site and set her up with some tips for better blogging. Follow her site and watch as it grows with more stories of growing up in this area and product reviews for baby boomers. Check out the article about KFC coming to Ontario, OR in 1963. How can I help you put your passion online? Contact Dennis [divider] [dropcap]I[/dropcap] hired Dennis J. Smith to set up my Word Press website and blog for me. I had been wasting way too much time trying to understand it and getting nowhere. I did some research and found that Dennis is highly rated and has a great reputation, so I was comfortable with my decision to hire him. Dennis is extremely knowledgeable about all aspects of Word Press and many of the themes. In addition, he is experienced and good at explaining social marketing, SEO, landing pages – – just about all aspects of internet marketing. Right off the bat Dennis was so helpful. He offered terrific ideas and advice in addition to designing and putting up my blog. His price was reasonable for all that he did and continues to do to help me. Twice he met with me in person to go over the site and answer my questions. He was never in a big rush – always willing to stay for however long it took to get questions answered and issues solved. I highly recommend Dennis J. Smith and his business, Influence Social Marketing, for anyone who is struggling to create a good professional website or blog. In fact my advice is – don’t struggle with it at all! Hire him right from the get-go and save yourself some major headaches. Patti Mays That Retired Lady.com

New Course “Marketing Your Business With WordPress” Launched on Udemy.com–Take The Course For Just $17!

July 16, 2014

How do you like to learn? Do you like to read? Watch videos? Take classes at a local community college? I’m not sure about you but I like to learn online and at my own pace around my busy schedule. That is why I have been focused on creating courses for those with busy lifestyles. I just launched my first course this week to teach small businesses or those who are self-employed like myself how to market their business with affordable WordPress. I did a video so you can see what you will learn during this course with over 20 video lessons and lesson notes you can download. There is also a list of lessons below the video or you can get started and register today for just $17 buck! You save $30! Why only $17 for so much information? Because I want to make it affordable for anyone to take my first online course and learn how to market their business with WordPress. Register Now For Just $17 [custom_list style=”list-7″] Brief Introduction to WordPress Hosting Your WordPress Website Installing and Setup of WordPress Themes for Marketing WordPress Plugins for Marketing Widgets for Marketing Smart Blogging for Effective Marketing Optimize WordPress SEO Marketing Connect with MailChimp Connect with Social Media Connect with Facebook Create Great Custom Forms with Gravity Forms and Formidable Build Beautiful LeadPages Selling Product With WordPress WordPress E commerce with WooCommerce WordPress for Authors WordPress for Local Small Businesses Host Webinars With WordPress WordPress Resources for Marketers Getting Mobile With WordPress WordPress Stats With JetPack – Bonus [/custom_list] Register Now For Just $17

5 Email Marketing Articles You Should Read Today

July 14, 2014

5 Email Marketing Articles You Should Read Today Email Marketing is not dead despite what you might have heard. Many are finding out that engagement rates from email marketing campaigns trump that of social media marketing. There are lots of great articles that have been written to get the most from email marketing. I have compiled the following list of the 5 best email marketing articles I have found. What’s your favorite email marketing article and why? If you have found some yourself please feel free to post them in the comment below. 1. 5 Great Ways To Collect Email Addresses You Probably Didn’t Know This article has some great ideas on ways to build your mailing list that you probably never though of. I know there were a few that even I haven’t thought of and now will implement in my marketing. 2. Email Marketing:How to Push Send and Grow Your Business Provides great information on why you should be using email marketing and tips on growing your mailing list including a free PDF when you sign up for Copyblogger. You shouldn’t be blogging without visiting this website on regular schedule. 3. Email Is Crushing Twitter, Facebook for Selling Stuff Online This article from Wired magazine contains some great charts on stats to show you why email marketing is crushing Facebook and Twitter. I’m sure that my friend Nathan Barry would agree that email marketing is the way to go. Check out Episode 2 of his new podcast “The Nathan Barry Show” and learn from a pro who has built his list to over 18,000 subscribers strong. 4. Three Tricks One Site Used To Increase Subscribers 150% In One Month Find out about some great tips and tools to grow your mailing list in just one month. Tip number 3 talks about the use of a dedicated landing page on your website. Learn more about building outstanding landing pages in my new Udemy.com Course “Marketing Your Business With WordPress”. Learn about landing pages, email marketing and more by clicking here and take the course for just $5 bucks! 5. 3 Unusual Ways to Build Your Email List With Facebook Apps Lets not forget Facebook because it is still the worlds most popular social media networking site. I have been using and preaching custom Facebook tabs for years now as a way to promote product, display your blog post and capture email address from those on Facebook. Read this article and find out about 3 ways you can use custom apps on your fan page to capture and building your email list. BONUS: Here’s one more way to build your email marketing list from the folks at Tabsite. The article is about how a large hotel chain used the Tabsite Sweepstakes app to grow their email marketing list by 394 new subscribers in just 14 days. Read more… Growing Email Lists: How One Hotel Grew Their List with an App How are you growing your email marketing list? Leave some comments below for other readers. [divider] [hcshort id=”13″]

How-To Host a Webinar With WordPress, MailChimp, LeadPages and Google+ Hangouts

July 6, 2014

How-To Host a Webinar With WordPress, MailChimp, LeadPages and Google+ Hangouts Have you ever wanted to host your own webinar? Webinars are great for promoting your business, a products, a book, teaching a course and more. With today’s technology it is totally possible to host your own affordable online webinar. With WordPress, MailChimp, LeadPages and a Google+ account you can be hosting your own revenue generating webinars for less than $50 a month. The best part is you don’t even have to setup a full WordPress website if you don’t already have one. Watch the video below to see how easy it is to broadcast your first webinar in less than a few hours or less. These are the Steps to Hosting Your Own Webinar With These Tools: Here’s the steps I have used to broadcast my own webinars. I have taken this information and put it in a full Udemy course with 40 lectures to teach you how you can do it too. Learn how to use these same free and affordable tools to broadcast your skills to the world with a LIVE webinar or a REPLAY of your webinar. Webinar Success: Broadcast Live Webinars Like A Professional – ENROLL IN COURSE The Tools I Use Are: WordPress, LeadPages, Goggle+ Hangouts STEP 1 – Find WordPress Hosting and get domain name GreenHostUSA Hostgator WordPress Hosting STEP 2 – Install WordPress WordPress More About cPanel STEP 3 – Set-Up Your MailChimp Account and Create Mailing List (Free Forever Plan) MailChimp STEP 4 – Get LeadPages and Create 4 Pages Webinar Registration Page, Registration Thank You Page, Live Webinar Page, Webinar Replay Page LeadPages LeadPages WordPress Integration STEP 5 – Get Google+ Account (Free) Google+ Hangouts Live STEP 6 – Broadcast Your Live Webinar Launch your Hangout On Air (HOA) Live on Google+ then copy and paste the embed code from the Hangout to your Live Webinar page you created with LeadPages. The webinar will be live from this page and also available on YouTube live for the world to view. STEP 7 – Create Your Webinar Replay When you are done with your live webinar take the embed code from the video that was recorded on YouTube and use it to create a webinar replay. This is a great way to continue to promote your business, product, books and more long after your live webinar has ended. Webinar Success: Broadcast Live Webinars Like A Professional – ENROLL IN COURSE Want to watch one of my webinars? Watch Webinar Replays Have questions or a comment? Leave them below and I will be happy to respond. Thanks for reading. Dennis [divider]

Author: Dennis J. Smith