Recently an old friend who was visiting Las Vegas asked me about the Internet and my online marketing experiences. He's a long time marketing pro with a very niche business, now retired.
He'd never done much online promotion or marketing and he asked me how it all worked. Well sorry, but that would take more than a Starbucks visit to explain.
So I told him a story that got him laughing, which I'll share with you too. Then we did a little experiment, right from Starbucks, which I think you'll get a kick out of as well, especially when you can duplicate this yourself one day.
First, the story - Then some tips you can use:
It was a rainy Saturday and my plans for the weekend had been cancelled and I was bored. You know how boring Las Vegas can be, right?
I looked at my "To do" list and realized that I'd been procrastinating. So, you might think I'd go to work on that list. Not so fast. I had another idea, which ultimately proved once again, the power of the Internet. But more on that in a minute.
I decided to start an online group for people who've been accused of being procrastinators but wanted to prove that they are not procrastinators. Silly, right? yup. Eventually profitable? I'll show you.
I am no online techie. I learned to create simple web pages and blog pages, which are now easier than ever and with no technical skill. So, I decided to play around with my idea.
I wrote a special report page for those who've been wrongly accused of procrastinating.
This was designed as a humorous piece and thankfully, according to most reports, it proved to be just that, from chuckles to LOL.
I wrote a silly piece that since a true procrastinator would never join such an organization, the provisional memberships were always terminated within 24 hours by the Chairman Of The Bored.
This termination letter was proof that anyone actually joining couldn't be a procrastinator, thus proving to all who've ever accused them of same that they were wrong, etc.
Well, this is all just goofy right? Right. But, and here's the lesson and maybe even for you an AHA. I sold this thing. Sure, for only $7.00, but people were not only paying for it, they were buying memberships to send to friends, etc, too. Now I didn't make any huge money from this, but it was fun.
Then later I realized that I could give these memberships away and ask those who got theirs to let their friends know about it too. This "silly idea" built my online mailing list considerably, added new customers for other products and services who, in turn, told others, and so forth.
That's the power of digital or information products and that's why I encourage anyone with any kind of business to learn and understand the basics of creating your own online promotions to products or market other people's products as affiliates and earn a commission.
A digital product can be nothing more than an email with a commercial purpose, a zero cost special report or a multi-part paid training program.
When I got the rights back to a book I wrote I turned it into a digital product and sold more copies at a higher price than the publisher ever did with the printed copy. I saw downloads overnight from Riyadh (Saudi Arabia) to Ramat Gan (Israel) to Detroit.
But when it comes to online marketing, creating and promotion, people feel stuck sometimes, and that's understandable, because I did too early on.
The power of the Internet is further demonstrated by the fact that I, an almost Internet illiterate only a few years ago, could develop online products and courses now sold around the world.
I began developing products and courses that I wished I'd had in my early days of Internet marketing.
They hype is that it's "easy." Well, it's not that easy, but it's a lot less complicated than what I had to learn 6 years ago.
Here's another quick example of having the power of online information products.
I was able to demonstrate this for my non-Internet savvy friend at Starbucks. I said I would take him out for a nice dinner but that I would get the money from a quick online promotion. I took three of my most popular products and knocked down the price by $100 for each one of them. So, two of the products were now $47 each and one was $97. A great deal and savings for anyone interested, right?
I sent an email to my list promoting this special for one day only. By the time I returned home there was more than enough response to use the money for a very nice dinner for three of us.
That's just one example of the power of digital/information product marketing. While there's time involved in creating anything, you can promote and market online quickly. Since I have no production costs on my digital products, I can literally give them away, though I don't recommend that. People frequently don't respect the free product offers and I do that mostly to build my mailing list and see proceeds from "upsells."
Whether you own a restaurant with a website for promotion or you're writing blogs to promote your business, you can easily master the creation of digital/information products and promotions.
Here are some simple ideas to start with:
All online content is digital. A product is not just something for sale but could be anything from a free report to newsletter to even a free product to further promote your business.
Emails are the best way to start relationships. Of course, to be legal, you should only send to those who've given you permission, ideally through an opt-in list. That is they have send you an email confirming they will receive materials from you. In all subsequent emails you must have an unsubscribe link at the bottom of each email. Automated systems such as email programs and shopping carts will do this for you automatically.
Relationships through social media such as Twitter and Facebook are great for enhancing relationships. Just make sure that you are building relationships and not selling at every opportunity.
Blog sites can now be substituted as web site pages and what's even better, no hosting fees. However, if you use the free service WordPress, you will want to use it via Wordpress.org and upload it to a hosted site for commercial use. Still many sites (get only hosting sites that contain Cpanel)can be had for a few dollars per month.
As you build your email list offer real content and not just selling all the time. It's the same as with your social marketing. Always be building relationships.
Be careful in buying things you don't check out first. Then, when you do buy something, at least scan it immediately to make sure it fits the promotional criteria. Never buy something that doesn't show a money back guarantee.
Watch for the overwhelm factor. Don't try to learn too much at once. Choose one area, such as traffic, blogging or an area you need help with and study that solely for a time. At least enough to become proficient before you move to another area.
Important: review your previously purchased items. If you haven't done anything with the last two, don't buy another thing until you do!
Anyone can make some money online. Only ones who take the time to RSL, Read, Study, And Learn will ever make a living!
Reference:
earn make money online
fast way to make money
how to make money quickly
make money at home online
make money fast and easy
make money online uk
make money on the net
moms work at home
quick way to make money
stay at home mom jobs
You are using this article, which I wrote, without attribution or proper links. This is in violation of US copyright laws. I urge you to either abide by the ezinearticle.com guidelines agreements and US copyright laws or deal with my attorneys.
Posted by: tomjustin.com | 01/04/2010 at 11:16 AM