Richly Rewarding -- In A Schefren Sort Of Way
Wednesday, November 7, 2007
Today I watched a remarkable video by Rich Schefren.
http://patrickpretty.com/businessaccelerationprogram/
The first thing that struck me was the production value. It's striking, indeed. And then I noticed the video had a rhythm and cadence. In short, it had a very pleasing pulse. It was exciting just to watch it.
Even the page on which Rich Schefren's video exists is something to study. It's crisp. It's clean. There's nothing over the top. The design is what I'd describe as professionally inviting.
I do hope you watch the video; this is not YouTube, to be sure. And I hope you read the letter and take action.
http://patrickpretty.com/businessaccelerationprogram/
One of the good things about the Internet Marketing business right now is that more and more people are understanding that professionalism pays. Man, I was impressed by that video. It's a journey worth taking.
Changes are coming. The marketplace demands them. Call it a New Age Doctrine.
One of the things I write about frequently is the need to provide an "experience" for website visitors. So many people try to become memorable by shouting. I've seen headlines on $7 products that practically screamed that the world would end if the visitor didn't pull out his or her wallet right now!
I saw the first of these months and months ago -- and yet the world hasn't ended. Today is a new day and I still (and hear) see lots and lots of screaming. What's the point? All you're doing if you do that is joining a long list of Internet Marketers who scream.
Screaming does not separate Internet Marketers from the crowd. It does nothing to help marketers distinguish themselves. Screaming is what keeps a lot of marketers inside the noisy pack.
"Another screamer" is what visitors are thinking as they click off the page.
It Feels Good
It has been a very busy past couple of weeks.
Work has been richly rewarding lately (pun intended, as it relates to Rich Schefren). :-)
Sales of "20 Ways To Make $100 Per Day Online" have been brisk. The co-authors and members of the Internet Marketing Inner Circle (TIMIC) have been pleased. Willie Crawford has put together a good group. I've met many very fine people in the past few months.
Funny -- but the harder I work, the luckier I get.
Work is good for the soul as well.
New things are coming to IM -- new ways of thinking, new ways of doing things, new ways of promoting. One thing that's apt to change soon is launch strategies.
It's something the marketplace is demanding, I believe.
I'd like to leave you with two thoughts:
1.) "Time is finite. But choice is infinite."
2.) "Build the empire first."
Here's hoping you'll accelerate your business.
http://patrickpretty.com/businessaccelerationprogram/
Patrick Pretty
The Most Beautiful Little Boy In The World" -- 1964
Labels: 20 Ways To Make $100 Per Day Online, business acceleration program, New Age Doctrine, Rich Schefren, The Internet Marketing Inner Circle, TIMIC, Willie Crawford
posted by Patrick Pretty @ 7:10 PM,
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Guest Commentary: Willie Crawford On '20 Ways To Make $100 Per Day Online,' Pathway100.com And Creating A Successful Internet Marketing Product
Friday, October 12, 2007
EDITOR'S NOTE: We are pleased today to offer you this insightful guest column from Willie Crawford. Willie spearheaded the behind-the-scenes brainstorming and ultimate publication of "How To Make $100 Per Day Online," offered through The Internet Marketing Inner Circle.This was a labor of love, Friends. Taking an idea, applying the polish, organizing the team, establishing areas of responsibility and deadlines, and shepherding the product from conception to release . . . well, it's no mean feat in a collaborative environment.
In this guest column, Willie Crawford talks about the importance of doing homework and market research. You'll learn a couple of ways to do this easily and quickly.
I am delighted to present Willie's informative commentary to you.
Patrick Pretty
How To Guarantee Your Product's Success Before You Even Start!
Copyright 2007 by Willie Crawford
Today, I'd like to teach you an easy method of researching a product or project idea before you invest a lot of time and other resources in it.
Over the past 11 years I've been shown over 100 products that "seemed like a great idea," but when they were offered to the market, the customers weren't interested. In a few cases the "marketing" was just bad, but in more cases, the product was simply something that the market didn't want.
There are, of course, more research tools available than you could ever learn to use. So, today, I'm actually going to focus your attention on just two -- and they'll both be free.
Free Internet Marketing Tools
First, I'd like to introduce you to Google Alerts! You'll find this handy, free service offered by Google.com at: http://www.google.com/alerts
Note that Google does own the trademarks to all of the terms mentioned in this article that uses their name.
Google Alerts allow you to subscribe to free notifications of when Google discovers new occurrences of a target phrase anywhere on the Internet. You can specify what types of
databases Google provides you with updates from. As you'll see when visiting the site, it's fairly self-explanatory.
I have dozens of these set up. I have it set up so that, once a day, I get a email summary of new alerts for:
- Target keyword phrases
- Target URLs
- Target product titles
- Discussion forums on a topic
- My name and my company name
- My key competitors
- Unique phrases that I created for various purpose
The second free tool that I use is online forums specific to my topic of interest. These are forums where people discuss your topic or niche. There are hundreds of thousands of them scattered across the Internet, and you CAN find one on almost any topic.
When that brilliant product idea comes to you, the first thing that you want to ask is, "Is this something that the market really wants?"
You also want to know, "Is this something that already exists, and if it does, can I still market something similar?"
The final question you want to answer if you're contemplating getting rich with your idea is, "Is this something that the market is willing to pay for?"
The first objection many people will offer when reading this article is that they don't know where to find discussion forums in their niche. To them, I say ... "Google Alerts!"
Simply set up some alerts for phrases that include the terms:
- "online forums" + your keywords
- "discussion boards" + your keywords
- "forum" + your keywords
- "online community" + your keywords
Become A Problem-Solver
Just go over, register for the forums if required, and then listen to the discussion.
You're listening to see if your product idea will solve a problem that this group of people PAINFULLY want to solve.
You're listening to see if there is a glaringly obvious problem, other than the one your were already thinking about, that you can offer the perfect solution to.
If you don't see discussion that answers your question, then consider posting the question. Explain that you are doing research for a possible product. Perhaps even ask them to visit your site and take a survey.
A living example of how I recently did this AND the resulting product follows. Study my example, and you'll see that you really can confirm that your product is badly wanted by the marketplace before you write the first word of an ebook, or the first line of code for a program.
I'll give you an example from Internet marketing since that is the niche that many readers of this article will be from.
I began by visiting the very popular Internet Marketing Warriors discussion forum. I had an idea that the market was growing tired of products that promised a fortune overnight but that offered techniques many people found daunting.
I suspected that many people in the "Internet marketing niche" were having very little success, and would be completely ecstatic if they could earn even $100 per day.
So I posted the rhetorical question, "Would You Be 'Happy' With $100 Per Day?" That thread generated over 4700 views, and over 170 responses. The responses overwhelming confirmed
my suspicions. It confirmed that most people would not only be thrilled with $100 per day ($3,000 per month) but that they were anxious for instructions on HOW to accomplish this seemingly-daunting task.
You can read that thread, and feel the strong emotion here:
http://warriorforum.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=184530
I mention the strong emotion because if you understand sales, you know that people buy on emotion, and then justify with logic. So, you do need to provide a solution to a problem that people really REALIZE that they have on a deep emotional level ... if you want a bestseller.
After verifying that people wanted this product, and even letting them tell me what the product should feel like, I then felt confident in creating and marketing such a product. I knew beyond any doubt that if I offered this product in the right way, that it WOULD sell.
I have used the technique above in numerous niches. I'm currently working on a similar "exercise" in the very competitive cooking niche. I'm doing it by addressing one of the biggest challenges faced by marketers in that niche. More on that in another article though.
After I had verified the demand for the product in my example above ... the product on "How To Make $100 Per Day Online"... I then had to determine the best method for creating this product.
Realizing that there are literally dozens of easy, viable methods of earning that amount, working just one or two hour per day, I also realized that writing something based upon just my own experiences would be too limiting. I AM involved in a lot of online niches, and do far more things than I probably should be doing.
However, to get a wider variety of experiences, I turned to the best "brain-pool" that I could think of. I went to the members of my inner circle private membership site at: http://TheInternetMarketingInnerCircle.com
I posted the suggestion on our private forum that this was an idea with proven demand, and suggested that we write this ebook as a group.
Instantly, I had lots of people who were actually earning that much, or more, coming forward and offering to do a chapter. Others, who didn't feel qualified to write a chapter, offered to do things such as proofreading, or helping with graphics or programming.
The community at The Internet Marketing Inner Circle WROTE the ebook, producing what many are already calling "The Internet Marketing Product Of The Year!"
One even called it, "The Internet Marketing Product Of The Decade." That may be a stretch, but it clearly filled a very real need. It solved a glaring problem.
You can see the result of my research and our teamwork at: http://TheInternetCouncil.org
I'll close by revealing one other BIG secret. One of several reasons why I was willing to suggest my idea as a group project was that I knew that having more people involved would create a sense of ownership. I knew that getting more people involved in creating the
product all but eliminated any risk in creating the product.
We could even say that the thread on the Warrior Forum reduced the risk by 95 percent. By saying on the forum that they would be happy with $100 per day, and that they were looking for a plan to accomplish this, created a deep psychological connection with those posters, and the
success of the project.
Since the product filled a need that they publicly stated that they wanted SOLVED, they would be inconsistent if they didn't accept the solution when offered.
I don't need to pack too many lessons into this article. I think that I have demonstrated, with a living example, that you can guarantee the success of your product before you even start! Now you just need to do it!
Willie Crawford has been teaching others uncomplicated methods of building successful online businesses since 1996. Today, he does most of his teaching inside an exclusive membership site
filled with other experts dedicated to uncovering the truth about how to succeed online. Join Willie and dozens of other "old-timers" at:
http://The InternetMarketingInnerCircle.com
Labels: Google Alerts, TIMIC, Warrior Forum, Willie Crawford
posted by Patrick Pretty @ 11:28 AM,
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Branding: A Good Way To Drive Website Traffic
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Creating a memorable brand name helps drive traffic to your Internet Marketing website. More eyes on your page mean more sales -- whether you sell Affiliate products, products you create or both.
A case in point is the launch this week of Pathway100.com. The site offers an eBook titled "20 Ways To Make $100 Per Day Online" by members of The Internet Marketing Inner Circle (TIMIC).
The book is a step-by-step blueprint, one that showcases 20 ways to make $100 a day part-time on the Internet.
Under the leadership of Willie Crawford, TIMIC selected the name Pathway100 because it is easy to remember and efficient. Branding works!
How do I get on the pathway to earning $100 per day online? By visiting Pathway 100, of course! The name puts readers right there. Pathway100 is where people go to get themselves on the pathway to making a sustainable part-time income online -- one that can make a difference in their lives and the lives of their family members.
So why don't more Internet Marketers use branding to create a memorable name or product identity?
One reason is because they think -- errantly -- that they already have one.
Owners of Affiliate programs, for example, usually provide a sales page. They also may provide a selection of 468x70 banners with Affiliate IDs embedded to place on a website or Blog. Perhaps they'll even provide a selection of "prewritten" emails to send prospects.
Beginners often think such tools can help their website run on autopilot.
"Well, let's see," the upstart Affiliate might think. "The program owner has provided an Affiliate page for me to get credit for my signups. And the owner has provided banners with my ID embedded. Heck, I even have prewritten emails. Guess I'll use them after I build my list."
It's enticing to use the tools owners provide. And there is a good reason to use them. But the most committed Affiliates add their own value to the tools owners provide.
In short, they do things that separate themselves from the sea of Affiliates who use only the tools the program makes available.
Here's a tool I made (a simple Splash Page) to help promote Pathway 100 and 20 Ways To Make $100 A Day Online. The standard sales page for the product is an excellent one -- any Affiliate can be proud to use it. I'm using it.
But I'm also using the Splash Page I built because it gives me an extra tool -- one that other Affiliates won't have unless they take the time to make one for themselves.
It took me 15 minutes to make the page. The advantage it creates is that I have a second route from which I can direct website visitors to the standard Affiliate page.
Meanwhile, I created a third route. It's a branded News Release that announces my participation as a chapter author in "20 Ways to Make $100 Per Day Online."
Visitors get to see a picture of me as soon as the file loads. (And who doesn't want to see more of me, Internet Marketing's "Sensational Master of Eye Candy?") :-)
Branding is what gives you your own unique voice, your own individual signature -- your own unique "stamp," if you will.
It's a way to distinguish yourself from the competition. The plain truth is that most Affiliates do no more than the minimum.
They often don't get the results they desire because they find themselves buried under billions of Google search results. Why? Customers don't know how to get to them.
But there's a way to emerge from the pile: Brand yourself. Make yourself memorable. Provide an "experience" when customers visit your site.
I wrote about this in my chapter inside "20 Ways To Make $100 Per Day Online."
Making yourself memorable is only common sense -- and yet relatively few Internet Marketers connect those dots. Our business so often becomes a race to put everything on autopilot.
"Well, I don't have to build a sales page because the owner built one for me. And I don't have to create an advertising banner because the owner created one for me. And I don't even have to compose my own emails, because the owner has taken care of that, too -- for when I get a list."
One way to brand yourself is to learn as much as you can about the products you sell and then position yourself as an expert, an authority on the products. This is vitally important, especially if you're a beginner and have no list and no economies of scale.
One way to go is to give yourself a tagline, a single phrase that identifies you as an expert on a specific subject. "John Doe: The Widget Go-To Guy"; "Jane Doe: The Affiliate Marketing Czar."
Another way to go is to create a persona and become the spokesperson in chief for your own products or the Affiliate products you sell.
There are lots of choices. You're limited only by your imagination.
Have a great branding day, Friend!
Patrick Pretty
The "Most Beautiful Little Boy In The World" -- 1964
Related Links
Make $100 A Day Starting Today
How To Easily Multiply Your $100 A Day
You Can Make $100 Per Day Online Using Public Domain Content
Make $100 A Day
"20 Ways To Make $100 Per Day Online"
An Online Fairy Tale Of $100 A Day
How You Can Make $100 A Day -- And Why You Should
The Power Of Teleseminars
Can You Make $100 A Day Online? Here Are 20 Ways!
20 Ways To Make $100 A Day By The Inner Circle
TIMIC
Labels: 20 Ways To Make $100 Per Day Online, Earning $100 a day online, Pathway100, The Internet Marketing Inner Circle, TIMIC
posted by Patrick Pretty @ 8:56 AM,
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