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List building is probably one of
the key strategies for building a great online business. You
can do this a number of ways. It is imperative that you have a
good management system to do all of this and to track your
results.
You can easily add a
subscription form to your website/s and I have even set up a
specific websites to collect subscribers.
- Create a mini course
- Create a free members
only site
- Start your own newsletter
- Offer a free giveaway
- Create a snatch page
1. Create a
mini course.
Be a Winner! Answer the
Challenge! An e-course
is a sequence of emails set up to be delivered automatically
without any effort on your part after the initial set up. Just
set it and forget it. Setting up a free e-course is a great
way to keep your services on top of mind and educate people
about what you can do for them.
I highly suggest you subscribe to other people's e-courses in
your field and study what information they offer too. Psst! To
make this e-course work, you'll need a sequential
autoresponder service. I use 1 Shopping Cart.
(It's an entire shopping cart system, but I actually signed up
with them initially because of the sequential autoresponders.
They have a free 30 day trial). Others you can look at
are Awebber and Get Response.
HERE'S HOW TO GET STARTED
STEP ONE: Outline your topics. First you have to figure
out what you think people would want to know about. Do a
brainstorm exercise where you limit yourself to 5 minutes (use
a timer). Write down all the topics you can think of on your
area of expertise. Then edit down what you think is most
relevant. For example, here's the basic outline of my free
e-course on streaming audio.
Day 1: Overview of What You Will Need
Day 2:
Tips on Recording Techniques
Day 3:
Recording and Editing exercise
Day 4:
Front and Back Music
Day 5:
Compile Using MP3 Sound Stream
Day 6:
Embedding and Uploading
Day 7:
Audio Postcards
STEP TWO: Go deeper in each subject. Really provide
some content here. Make 2-3 points about each topic.
Don't be afraid to do some hardcore research. Find statistics
and trends and use them. Two of my favorite resources for
current info are http://answers.google.com/answers/ and
http://www.ceoexpress.com. Your message doesn't have to be
long, just information-packed. You have the attention of
people who "asked" to learn from you. So give them
something valuable.
STEP THREE: Tease them till next time. After you've
educated them, let them know that the next lesson will have
something even more mouth-watering. The less specific you are,
the more tantalizing the copy. Here are some teaser phrases I
used in my e-course. Feel free to swipe versions of them for
your own use:
Hang on till tomorrow and I'll give you some tips to turn the
heads of your target market.
In Day 4, you'll learn the secret method I use to tease the
emotions.
Tomorrow you'll learn the SINGLE most important aspect of
streaming audio.
Next I'll show you how to put it all together and make your
website sticky like honey spilt on the kitchen floor.
STEP FOUR: Sign off. End your email like a real letter
with a closing like "sincerely", your name, business
and some ways to get a hold of you. Add your website and any
tagline you use too.
STEP FIVE: P.S. Alert them to your other products or
services. You have something to sell, right? But the purpose
of your e-course is to educate and develop a relationship,
isn't it? Don't worry. You can do both. As long as you're
giving good content, people often like to know if you have
something else to buy they would be interested in. For a
gentle call to action, I recommend putting a product link with
very little text in the P.S. (Studies show that people read
the headline first THEN the PS. Weird, huh? But it's true.)
So to recap. Follow up is one of the biggest problems in doing
business. Autoresponders do it effortlessly.
THE CHALLENGE Write your 7 day e-course and have it
ready to go in 7 days. For sequential autoresponders, again, I
recommend 1 Shopping Cart.
Writing a free e-course is a great way to get business. And
you'll use it for years with only minor tweaks. It gives
people a reason to go to your page. Best of all, they get to
test drive your material at no risk. Autoresponders save you
time and make you look professional. I can't wait to read YOUR
free e-course!
2. Create
a free members only site
My friend Mike Filsaime
of Instant Buzz is a master at this and has taught me a lot. A
free membership site is something you can produce by adding
lots of content etc on a monthly basis and then get people to
sign up for it. You provide them with a sign in and password
to make it private and it creates a special feeling because
they are the only ones privy to the information.
You can set up
a private login simply by password protecting a folder where
you add all the information. You can usually do this in the
control panel of your hosting account. As you find new
material, free software etc, just add it to your members area
and then advise your members. This can be a very quick way of
building a list.
The other
secret here is to add a one time offer in between the sign up
and the actual site so when people sign up you offer them a
never to be repeated offer. And you should never repeat it.
Make it an irresistible offer and you can sell a lot of
product from your free site.
3. Start
your own newsletter
To create a
newsletter you use the same basic principle as the minicourse
however instead of making it a autoresponder you do it as a
broadcast. If you decide to do a newsletter be consistent and
never sell directly through your newsletter.
Offer great
content and add some links to your products however do not
major on selling because remember a reader is just one click
away from unsubscribing. A newsletter is more of a
relationship building tool rather than a selling tool.
Of course your
prime objective is to sell products but just be aware that to
much and you will loose valuable contacts.
4. Offer
a free giveaway
Another great
way to build a list is to give away something of value. There
are plenty of resale right packages and I have even provided
some in this course. You offer to send the customer a free
copy of something if they give you their name and email
address.
For example you
may offer them the open source program Cam Studio just by
filling out a form. Obviously try and make it something
related to the business you working in.
5. Create
a snatch page
A snatch page
is a page where people are required to enter their email
address and name to get more information. You will need to
give an irresistible offer for this to work and niches are
great for this.
A good friend
of mine has made this work very effectively in the scrap
booking field. He noticed that their were a lot of sites on scrap booking
however nothing on how to make money from this hobby. Have a
look at Bretts site and notice his snatch page and also the
multimedia. A great product and marketing plan all round. Have
a look now.
Using Online Video Websites to Promote Your Business
Are you a small business owner? If so, how is your business doing? Despite businesses that are a success, there are many business owners who want more. If you are one of those individuals, it is likely that you would do just about anything in your power to improve your business, especially if you sell a particular product or service. When working to improve their businesses, many business owners spend thousands, if not millions, of dollars on advertising. How would you feel if you learned that there was a free way that you could promote your business?
A free way to promote your business? Unfortunately, many business owners believe that there is no such thing. If by chance it is believed, there are many who would automatically assume that it was a wasted effort. Although many free advertising methods can be deemed time consuming and not worth the effort, there is one that you should try. That method involves the internet and free online video websites.
If you are an avid internet user, there is a good chance that you are fully aware of what free online video websites are and what they do. If not, you will want to learn. Free online video websites are websites that allow internet users to watch videos that are hosted on their website, free of charge. What is nice about free online video websites is that most will also allow internet users, just like you, to make, upload, and share their own videos. Depending on the type of business you own and operate, you may be able to use these websites to your advantage.
When it comes to using free online video websites to your advantage, you will want to familiarize yourself with the websites that are currently available. You can easily do this by performing a standard internet search. Your search should produce a fairly large number of results, including Google Video and YouTube. Before making your video, you will want to examine any of the rules and restrictions that are set in place. When doing so, you will find that most video websites do not have any rules or restrictions concerning the use of online videos to promote your business; however, you will still want to make sure that your video is tactfully done.
If you are an online business owner, especially one that sells a particular product, you could make a video showcasing your product. For instance, if your specialty is photo blankets, you may want to show your samples or even go over the process of making them. It may also be a good idea to mention the overall cost of photo blankets and who should own them. If your product would make a great gift, it is also advised that you mentioned that. When doing your video, you will want to refrain from making your video seem like spam. Although you may want to mention the price, you will want to refrain from promoting your business too much. At the end of your video, you may want to offer directions on how to make a purchase or learn more information.
Although products are the easiest to showcase in an online video, you can also use your video to help promote a particular service that you sell. For instance, if you offer assistance to those that are indebt, you will want to provide an overview of what debt is, who it hurts, and how help can be obtained. Providing general information on debt is a great way to keep your video from appearing too pushy. As mentioned above, you may also want to include information on your business at the end of your video. This may help to increase the number of clients you receive, especially if you provide a service that is used and needed by many.
To make you video, whether or not you plan on using that video to promote your business, you will need a few pieces of equipment. Perhaps, the most important is a recording device. For the best results, you are urged to use a camcorder, but you can also you a webcam. Movie making software is important, as well. Most computers already come equipped with movie making software. After you have made and saved your video, you will have to follow the instructions of the free online video website you wish to use.
Special Note
These are just
a few ideas on how to build a great list. Remember people are
trusting you to provide good content and not to abuse their
trust in giving you their name and address.
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