Can you explain your business in few words? Can you engage people in 6 words?
Most business owners have a hard time talking about their business in a concise format. A very hard time when they go to networking meetings and have 30 seconds to do an elevator pitch.
This video shows how very small sentences can be extremely powerful.
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My mother is 72 and technology is not her cup of tea. Since I moved with her only granddaughter to another country 5 years ago, she reluctantly has learned how to send e-mails, not without complaining quite often how ugly the computer, or “thing” as she calls it, was in her living room. Today, things are quite different. When I asked her a few months ago what she wanted for her birthday, thinking she was going to ask for a new croc pot, she requested a new digital camera to use with the “thing”.
Every time we speak using Skype, she uses the camera. She then, sends the pictures to her wall on Facebook, so her new friends can see the granddaughter.
My mother is very good with knitting looms, she makes wonderful scarves. She takes pictures of them and list them on Flickr, and she has even learned to name the pictures with the right keywords. She uses her blog and etsy.com to sell her pieces. Since she got the camera, she started putting together some video tips on crafts and she posts them on Gather. She says the “thing” helped her find a new life and brought a less painful meaning to the word “distance”.
Continuity programs in their purest form are simply a method of developing a subscriber
base and a steady flow of income. Companies like Columbia House, Time Life, Netflix
and thousands of others have been using continuity programs for a long, long time. When
implemented correctly and transparently, continuity programs are a boon to consumers
and an income base for producers.
In the information marketplace, two types of continuity programs are most common: (1)
Newsletters, and (2) Instructional. Typically continuity programs begin with a “too good
to be true” giveaway. The price of the giveaway is signing up for a free newsletter
(which is essentially a sales instrument for your other products). Each newsletter should
deliver valuable information for free, along with extensive promotion of other products
for sale. The initial giveaway builds your subscriber base; the free newsletter reinforces
the relationship and puts your products in front of friendly eyes.
Another newsletter strategy for building a continuity program is to offer the first issue
free and subsequent issues at a monthly price. Here you have the option of the “Opt In”
method or the “Opt Out” method. Using the Opt Out method, the consumer is
automatically signed up for the newsletter and payment information is obtained
immediately. The Opt In method requires the consumer to click on a button to subscribe,
at which time payment information is obtained.
Providing an on-line course of learning is another excellent way to build a continuity
program. For example, your expertise may be in beadwork, and you offer your
subscribers, several new beadwork patterns each month. Usually you giveaway the first
month, and they subscribe for monthly patterns. Or perhaps, you could offer a class
about writing for the Internet. Each week you would provide a new lesson and a new way
to make money from writing for the Internet. The possibilities are endless.
Unscrupulous marketers have given continuity programs a bad name. These marketers
use what is called a “hidden continuity” program that captures payment information
without really telling the consumer what they are buying or even that they just signed up
for a continuity program. These programs are blatantly illegal and unfortunately the stain
of these illegal programs falls on to honest marketers.
If you decide to try a continuity program it is important to be 100 percent ethical and give
your customers more than what they expect. Continuity programs are built on the
relationship you build with your customers. Give good customer service and deal
honestly with your subscribers and you will build a steady income stream.
Whatever you decide, it pays to do your homework and deliver a quality product free
from errors and guaranteed customer service. All information marketing, whether or not
you use a continuity program, is built on building a solid reputation. Reputations are hard
to build and far too easy to lose, so as always proceed with caution.
We talk a lot about the conversation going on with your audience and about how things are perceived by your audience.
Paying attention how you send the message and how this message is perceived is crucial when marketing a business.
This video illustrates the power of the right message and you should watch it until the end.
This new series is starting today. Check what people think about Twitter for business
As a culture we are obsessed with information. The Internet allows us to tap into every
kind of knowledge base anytime we want and from almost anywhere in the world. And
no matter how much information is out there, we have a hunger that is never satiated.
And that’s good news for anyone wishing to get into the lucrative business of creating
and selling info-products. Info-products are the top selling products on the Internet, and
are surprisingly easy to create and market. The three basic info products are: E-books,
audio information and audio/visual information.
E-Books
Creating E-books is by far the quickest and easiest way to dive into the info-product
ocean and start making a profit. E-books are just like any book you have on your coffee
table or bookshelf—except that they are entirely digital. The advantages of the digital
book to consumers are: (1) there is no storage problem, (2) access to the product after
purchase is almost instant, and (3) they can reap the rewards of the information
immediately. The advantages for the creator are equally compelling. Anyone can create
an e-book in just a few days—some are even produced in a few hours. You don’t need to
be technical wizard or purchase expensive software to create an info-product.
Audio Info-Products
Today, it seems that the whole world is plugged-in. Billions of people listen to music and
books on the car radio, on MP3 players, on cell phones and on computers. As an info-
product producer you can easily tap into that profitable commercial sea. And although it
is a bit more technical than e-books, anyone can get started for as little as $15-$20 for the
purchase of a computer microphone. Audio recording software is available for free on
the internet. Audio info-products appeal to a broad cross-section of consumers who are
on the go and do not have time to read.
Video Info-Products
Video info-products are much easier to produce these days and give the consumer an
‘almost live’ experience. Again, you don’t have to be a computer wiz or a camera nut, to
produce quality video info products. Most people begin with some free software that
allows you to create downloadable videos. There are several sites on the Internet that
offer free software, one is called VideoSpin. While the learning curve is a bit longer to
produce a quality video info-product, it is well worth the effort. Successful videos
generate a lot of traffic to your website and when well-crafted can create quite the
Internet buzz—which will in turn lead to more sales and more profit.
Info-products are the ideal Internet marketing business:
? They have a broad appeal across all sections of humanity, young and old, rich
and poor, geniuses and just regular folks.
? They are easy to produce. Some can be produced in as little as a day.
? And most importantly, they allow creativity to blossom, which means that
creating and selling them is about the most fun you’ll ever have.
Don’t let the technology scare you, anyone can create info-products, even you.
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How to Get Started and Get Going
Creating info-products is so simple that many people never even begin because
“nothing,” they say, “can be that simple.” The truth is—it is that simple. You can
produce a info-product e-book, audio mp3 download, or even a downloadable video. All
you really need is the desire and a computer. So let’s get started.
Getting started is the hard part. What to write about? Although it has become some what
of cliché: Write about what you know. And trust me; you know a lot about a lot of
things. The first step is to brainstorm. Make a list of all the things you like to do and all
the things you hate doing. For instance, maybe you love to go camping but hate to
balance your check book. Both have great possibilities to become info-products. Try
make your lists as long as possible. That way, you’ll never be at a loss for ideas.
Next pick out two ideas from you list and test them to see just how much information is
already out there. The easiest way to test them is to do a Google Search for each idea.
For example, with “camping” Google returned 18,200,000 hits, and with “balancing
checkbook” Google returned 66,900 hits. Without revising the topics, it appears that
“balancing the checkbook” has the greater appeal because the market is not over-
saturated.
Once you choose and test an idea, the next step is another brainstorming session. Set a
timer for five minutes and write down everything that comes to mind about your topic,
whether it makes sense or not. When you’ve finished look over all the information you
came up with in the brainstorming session and prepare your outline. Mark the places in
your outline where you will need more information and get to work on the research.
When your outline and research are complete write the first draft. Use a conversational
style and write quickly. Once you’ve finished the first draft, ask someone to read it and
ask them if it makes sense to them. For instance, if you use the “balancing a checkbook”
idea, ask if they could balance their checkbook with the information you provided.
Listen for feedback. Did you miss a step? Was anything unclear? Did you friend not think
it would be useful? Ask them why? This is all valuable information that will make your
info-product better.
Finally develop the final product using the feedback. If you are writing an e-book, design
the cover and table of contents and convert all to a PDF file. There are many on-line
sources that will convert your Word document to PDF for free. One site is doc2pdf.net.
If you preparing an audio info-product, record the audio from your script. Assuming that
you already have a microphone, you can get audio recording software for free at
Audacity. Once you’ve completed the recording, listen and edit.
Creating info-products is easy. So what’s stopping you? You’ve got all the tools you need
to get started right now. You could be making money as soon as tomorrow.
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