Work Yourself Up!

Create Expert Status: Increase Your Visibility

You may have a strong business idea and a great product, but are you doing everything you can to be seen by the right people? Increasing your visibility can change the way that potential customers see your business.

Visibility is the glue that holds all other strategies together when it comes to achieving expert status as a business owner. Each strategy gets your name out among other business owners, movers and shakers and potential clients. Being seen goes a long way with the word-of-mouth crowd.

Here are a few ways that you can increase your visibility:

- Take advantage of all opportunities that come your way
- Attend business seminars
- Public speaking
- Write press releases
- Start a blog
- Publish a newsletter

If you are comfortable doing what you are doing and it works for you, still try at least one or two of these ideas. No one ever made a fortune playing it safe or being comfortable. That comes later on when you are the Big Cheese. Trying new things to elevate yourself within your business is a part of the process. And, it can be fun to learn just how good you are.

Some business owners are too picky. They want to do certain things to achieve expert status. This goes back to the issue of comfort level. When you are on Facebook and a fellow business owner is looking for speakers for his online conference or a local event in your area, throw your hat in the ring.

Someone in one of your associations needs advice or a speaker for the next meeting? Take that spot for yourself. Every opportunity places another feather in your cap. It is a point that you can add to your bio and also your press releases for new products or events.

And, you can create newsletters for your customers. Sending a monthly or quarterly newsletter about your business gives you the chance to add information about accomplishments that have occurred since the last newsletter. Each solidifies your expert status in the eyes of current and potential customers. Newsletters can be printed and passed around to others.

Once you put all of this in place, keep a monthly check on your ventures to be sure that they are still bringing about the desired effect. Some of it won't require much tweaking just checking in with the movers and shakers to be sure they still know your name.

Achieving expert status inspires confidence on the part of customers and fellow business owners. Increasing your visibility is the first step and the information in this article can help you do just that.

Creating Expert Status: Using Your Noggin, Not Your Muscle

Achieving expert status is not all hard work. What it takes is a mind that is open and knowledgeable about their business subject. With a little bit of creativity, you can leverage what you do already to increase sales and product variety.

The first part of any strategy you use to become an expert is visibility. Others have to know that you exist and have something important to say. Through article writing and distribution and networking with other business owners, your "sphere of influence" will begin to grow.
   
But you are still just scratching the surface. Wouldn't you like to take advantage of tools that help you become an expert without expert work? We figured that you might. So, here are some ways that you can do that.

The Pitch

Let's say that you have been writing articles and submitting them to article directories. You might have even written enough to be considered an expert on a certain topic on that site. Ezinearticles.com has experts who blog, answer questions, write articles and provide other multimedia content. Having that label there is a big boost for your business.

The Hit

Those articles are not just articles but pages of potential. One piece of written content can give rise to another. Look at your articles with new eyes. See them turning into:

- eBooks
- Special Reports
- Audio products
- Video products
- Course material
- Seminars

The list goes on but you get the idea. The information in the articles can morph into each one of these. Better yet, take a series of articles, bundle them to create a special report or an eBook if there is a lot of information. Take each section of the eBook and create a course that customers can buy. Add audio and video to the course and turn your course material into a study guide to accompany them.

It's Out of the Park

Instead of one solitary article that has increased your visibility through article marketing you now have leveraged that article into a variety of product offerings all of which will add to your expert status and your bottom line. Instead of the press release saying that you have written hundreds of articles, it will also say that you the author of several eBooks, business courses and a lecturer. If that doesn't say expert nothing does.

If you have a bunch of articles floating around in cyberspace or just sitting on your PC, give them a second look. Each one can bring a new product for sale and a new path to expert status for you.

Want Reader Trust? Keep Your Promises

Every person has bought at least one product that didn't do what the advertising said that it did. That's what we get for watching late night infomercials. If you want your online business to be around in three years, build relationships through integrity.

Integrity

It's a word that some business owners know nothing about. They would promote any product or service to get a quick buck. What happens after the customer pays their money is immaterial to them. Their websites pop up one week and disappear when the heat gets to be too much, only to resurface under another name.

There is a reason for that. They know what people are looking for, but instead of trying to provide it, they exploit it for the money.

Integrity in business means keeping your promise. It may not seem like it, but readers scrutinize website businesses. It could be because there is no physical body to put with the company that the eyes watch a little closer. The result is the same though: if you don't come through you will lose readers and sales.

One area where readers learn to mistrust is use of their personal information. If they opt-in for an email newsletter, don't sell their names to mailing lists and by all means, don't spam them. This is not the way to get what you want from your readers.

Test, Test, Test

Are you selling products on your website? There are a lot of variables with that especially if it is a physical product. Before you offer a new product, always test market to see if it is going to garner a demand. No market means no money.

With digital products testing comes in the form of knowing that the advice inside will work for the person buying it. If you sell an eBook about how to set up your own affiliate program in one day (example only) then every customer should be able to duplicate your process.

The same goes with affiliate marketing. Only upsell affiliate products or services that you know are legitimate and deliver what is promised. What is the money going to help if your online reputation is shot?

Truthful Content

Before readers become customers, they will visit your site over and over. They are reading your content. Be sure that everything you write is truthful and unique. There is enough bad information floating around and you can't build a relationship of trust on false information.

You don't have to make big boasts to get readers to keep reading, just make good on what you do offer them. This builds a relationship of trust that can benefit you and your readers for years to come

5 Quick Tips for Profiting From a Firesale

When you need to make a large profit online in a matter of days, a firesale can be just the answer you're looking for. However, oftentimes people have their expectations high when they begin a Firesale, but unless they follow the right steps, like all things, they may not get the results they hoped for. With the tips in this article, you'll certainly improve the results for your firesale.

First of all, it's best to understand exactly what a Firesale is and how it should be orchestrated. Basically, an online Firesale is when you would pull together a package of infoproducts (ebooks, audios, videos, software, etc) at a reduced rate and promote them via the internet. The products can be yours or products that you've acquired the rights to. People will flock to a good bargain, so if you have a winning selection of products at a great price, there can be huge profits. Oftentimes, the price of the package increases at intervals and then gets removed completely at the end of the sale.

Quick Tip #1: Create a Compelling Package

Be sure to select products that people find valuable. The products that you choose should be of such high quality that people will not think twice about purchasing. If they've previously considered purchasing the same products or similar products at a much higher price elsewhere, they'd be almost silly not to jump on your offer.

Some ways you can create the impression of higher value –

−    Offer products that have never been offered before. (Exclusive content.)
−    Include special rights to the products. (Resale rights or PLR rights.)
−    Offer coaching with the package.
−    Include products that work together, rather than providing a mish-mash of items.

Quick Tip #2: Have a Great Story

People are drawn to Firesales because they are expecting exceptional deals. They are also drawn to them because they are curious about the story or the reason behind the ridiculously low-priced offer. Your sales page should contain a heartfelt and true story that outlines the reason why you're having the firesale in the first place.

Whether you're having the sale because of unexpected taxes, a medical reason, a celebration, or to bail out your Uncle Louie from jail, remember to include the urgency behind why you are offering this great offer. It will certainly help you to do well with sales.

Also, keep in mind that your whole sales letter shouldn’t just focus on you. While a great story is necessary, your prospects will want to know how your package is going to benefit them as well.

Quick Tip #3: Make it a Price That Sells

While you certainly don't want to undervalue the products that you're selling, a Firesale generally needs to move fast. That means you should price your package of products as low as possible to achieve the most sales. Once again, you want to make this such a good deal that people will just not be able to resist it.

Quick Tip #4: Limit the Offer

Be sure that the sales page clearly explains that you're only offering this special price for a short time. Putting a deadline on such a low price will create a sense of urgency resulting in more sales for you.

Quick Tip #5: Advertise your Firesale

Though self explanatory, if no one knows that you are having a Firesale no one will come. Of course the best way to combat this problem is through proper advertising.

You will need to drive traffic to your Firesale and the best way to do this is through an email blast to your established list, mentioning it in internet marketing forums and  utilizing social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter. Of course, inviting JV partners and your affiliates to promote the sale for a profit will certainly give your sale more exposure.

Profiting from a firesale obviously isn't as hard as you may have thought. A firesale can help you to earn necessary funds quickly as customers tend to flock to them in droves. This is no surprise since firesales create a win-win situation for everyone involved.

A profitable firesale is an easy equation. A compelling package plus a great story plus low prices equals a successful firesale event.

4 Quick Tips for Creating One Time Offers

When most internet marketers think of earning money online with infoproducts, they think about the money they'll make from selling their first product (report, ebook, software, audio, or video package). However, while the sales that are made on the front end are very nice, you can dramatically increase your income by making additional offers during the check out process – which is known as the back-end.

A one time offer (OTO), is an upsell or larger package that the buyer will have the opportunity to buy while purchasing your original product. They will have one chance to buy something at a discounted or special price. If they don't buy at that moment it will not be offered again.

Creating one time offers is a smart and effective strategy that allows you to offer your customers additional products, and increase your revenue in the process.

Quick Tip #1: Decide on the Format of Your One Time Offer

The first step is obviously choosing what to offer your customer in addition to the initial product that they're purchasing.

Think about what would best serve and entice your buyer. Oftentimes it may be more of what they are already purchasing, or a complementary resource.

Here are some ideas:

People learn in different ways. Because of this, you might offer something like a video or audio edition of the product they just bought.

Checklists, worksheets, and tools to enhance the results of the product they are buying are also popular.

Coaching, whether group or in a one-on-one fashion, can certainly get people excited about learning more, too.

A bundle of products, or discounts for buying products now that will be released in the future.

Perhaps offering additional rights to the product that they are purchasing – for instance resale rights or private label rights may entice your customer to spend more money, too.

Quick Tip #2: Make Sure the Offer is Relevant and of Interest

Though your upsell offer may be a steal at a great price, you must always make sure that is relevant to your original offer and would be of interest to your potential buyer. Consider your target market and make sure that what you are offering would enhance or add to the offer they have just purchased.

For instance, you wouldn't offer a scuba-diving ebook as an upsell to a gardening guide. It just wouldn't make sense. Both may be great products but neither relates to each other which will confuse and frustrate your potential customer.

The upsell should directly help your customer to succeed with the initial product.

Explain to the buyer that the additional resources in the one time offer will enhance their understanding and therefore give them better results than they would get with just the single product alone.

Quick Tip #3: Set Up Your OTO Properly

There is no better way to destroy your credibility than by saying that you have a "one time offer" but then offering it all over the internet.  While many Internet marketers have become hardened to this sort of thing, there are those in other niches who would be disappointed if you are caught going back on your word. That trust can oftentimes not be regained at any price.

How do you set up the offer? You can use a  software or a script that will truly make your OTO appear one time only. Or just ensure that the OTO only shows during the order process and is not available anywhere else.

This will create the true scarcity you need to make sales and always maintain the trust of your  audience.

Quick Tip #4: Don't Over-Do it and Appear Greedy

Sometimes marketers start to get greedy by offering several one time offers back to back to back attached to the purchase of the original offer.  By the time the person has clicked through pages of additional sales pitches, they may begin to feel like what they originally bought has lost its value.

While one (possibly two) one time offers can work wonders for your profits, you might find that the more of these you offer in sequence, the more disenchanted people can become, not only with your products, but with you as a person. Your sole purpose is to keep your customers happy so they'll come back over and over. If you destroy the relationship by getting too greedy you won't be as successful in the long run and will lose customers quickly.

Creating one time offers is an excellent strategy that can greatly increase your profits. Create a compelling offer that will be hard to turn down. Make sure it is a true one time offer, and that you don't have too many sales pitches that give your customers a bad impression of you. By following this advice, you can increase your profits by 50% or more.

How to “Drill Down” a Niche

Finding a niche topic requires more than just identifying your interests. You need to divide the topic down to a very specific area so that you can better target the audience. Let’s look at how to break down a niche idea using a popular online search topic:  how to make money with online marketing.

That’s much too broad and difficult to market. You’ll also bump into many competitors. Think of the process as an upside down funnel. Or, if you’re mathematically inclined, it’s like reducing a fraction to its lowest terms.

Overall Topic: How to make money with online marketing.

Sub Topics from initial brainstorming include:

•    People who want to work from home

•    People who want to work anywhere using a computer

•    People who want freedom to choose their own work hours

•    People who hate their job and want to get out of the cubicle

•    People who lack advanced skills or degrees and need to learn a skill fast

•    People who lost their jobs due to downsizing or outsourcing

•    Baby boomers looking to supplement their retirement income

•    College kids needing to earn extra money

•    Stay at home moms who don’t want to go back to work

Wow! That’s an entire set of niche topics that can be developed merely by taking time to analyze why people might want to earn money from online marketing. Out of the six topics generated, select two that really interest you or represent areas where you have personal experience.

Take the first topic you chose and brainstorm five to seven key questions that people might ask in searching for the topic. Next, start a niche search using the keywords you developed and see what you find. Using Google Notebooks or designated files, collect this information. Add to your research those websites that deal with the niche topic.

Finally, look in ClickBank and on similar sites for affiliate products that you can use in developing the niche. If you decide to write your own information product, create an outline for each eBook that you’ll prepare. Then get ready to dominate your area of expertise.

How to Set Prices for Information Products

The prices for information products are largely determined by the product owner. That’s far more freedom than that of a book on the shelf at a major retailer. Print books have to make enough to pay the author, editor, printing, marketing, publisher profit and cut to the retailer.

Information products only pay the owner and affiliate sales. No inventory to store, no big upfront costs and if it doesn’t sell, just transfer it to an archive file or hit the delete key. When you consider all of those factors, the information product owner has freedom to set the prices with one exception - what will the market pay?

That’s the tricky part. Ebooks are well established in every genre from textbooks to popular topics so the price is dependent on the market and the following of the author.  Let’s say you’re starting out and lack that major following, how do you price your product?

Start by surveying the prices on comparable information products on at least a dozen sites or vendors. Have you noticed that many information products end in “7?” Popular pricing is $17, $27, $47.

This price seems to click with many buyers.  Other frequently used price points are $9.95, $19.95, $39.95. The “.95” is borrowing a retailer’s trick of making the price sound less than it really is.

After all, $19.95 isn’t a full twenty bucks since buyers tend to ignore the impact of retail tax or shipping. With information products delivered electronically, the $19.95 is the true price, leaving a big nickel for whatever a nickel still buys.

It’s not the nickel - it the psychological satisfaction of spending less than twenty dollars. The $17 products have the same appeal of spending less than twenty dollars.  Look for the middle ground in pricing.

Avoid starting too low or the value of your product won’t be seen as worthwhile. Even if you start slightly higher than comparables, you have room for a price reduction or a “special offer” at the next lowest price point.

Think of how many times you see the infamous television infomercials that flash the price as $129 with reductions that end up at $39.95. The buyer gets excited about getting a discount when the product was never going to sell at the inflated price in the first place. It’s about letting the buyer win.

Price only matters as part of the equation.  Don’t give your buyers a reason to focus on the price. Keep them focused on the product and the excitement of the purchase and they’ll be willing to pay based on the perceived value and not the dollar amount you put on your product.

Online Marketers Need to Ask the Right Questions

Smart online marketers know that asking the right questions is the most important aspect of establishing your expertise in a successful niche. Let’s say your niche is “how to avoid foreclosure on your home.” 

The tendency is to jump ahead of your prospects and give them information on loan consolidation or credit protection. Those are major issues, but not the only issues.  If you aren’t sure what kind of questions people facing foreclosure ask, get into forums on that topic and pay attention to what solutions they need.

Talk to anyone you know who’s facing this problem.  Then ask yourself these basics (regardless of the niche topic):

•    Are the immediate concerns personal or financial?

•    What are the emotional issues?

•    What happens next? 

•    What are creative, non-traditional ways to approach the problem?

•    What products or services does a person in this situation need or want?

Notice how these “personal impact” questions take your thinking processes beyond the usual information “how to” ideas. That’s because each of these questions represents a potential information product, video “how to” and affiliate product that takes a different twist than the generic options.

You can also use the contrary approach. Information products tend to show what happens when the buyer follows the advice.  Some viewers will read your sales letter and dismiss it saying, “So what if I don’t follow that advice?” 

Show them what happens by preparing an information product that explains the worst-case scenario or the less than ideal situation. Then wrap up the final pages by pitching how to change this for the better with the positive spin version.

Other questions that you can use as idea starters for product development are:

•    At what point is the buyer likely to get stuck or frustrated implementing the system?

•    What skills need to be improved to use this knowledge to move to higher level of profits?

•    What are the biggest obstacles to success for a newcomer to this system?

•    How to you want the buyer to feel after using (implementing, reading) this product?

And the final, critically important question is: What do you want buyers to say in recommending your product?  If you want them to say, it’s simple, concise, sophisticated or worthwhile then make sure you build those features into the product and highlight them in your sales copy.

Seasonal Influences for Online Marketing

Just as retailers plan and set out attractive displays to take advantage of seasonal spending, you need to keep seasonal interests in mind for your online marketing. Granted, you reach a worldwide audience, so you don’t need to be too specific. But there are certain “seasons” for buying that are universal.

New Year’s – The start of the year causes people to make those pesky New Year’s resolutions. They promise to lose weight, start exercising, clean out clutter in home and office, establish better time management skills and begin regular savings programs.

The search engines are buzzing with these keyword topics the week before January and throughout the month. You need to be ready with information products to turn those resolutions into workable strategies. But do it fast, because resolutions don’t last much past February.

Spring – When tiny flowers and green leaves peek out from winter weary branches, there’s a sense of renewal.  People start to think about planting a garden, fixing up the patio or landscape and beginning outdoor sports. Package information products on early gardening and join affiliate programs that ship flowers and buds.

Summer – This is prime family vacation time - parents looking for activities for children who are out of school and outdoor entertainment.  You don’t have to compete with the big travel sites. What you have to offer is ideas for summer fun - family friendly resorts, how to choose a summer camp and creating lush outdoor spaces on a budget.

Back to School – At least a month before school starts, parents are shopping for school clothes, supplies and electronics. Present reviews that are informative and connected to affiliate programs for back to school products. Don’t forget the homeschool families and add products for them, too.

Fall, Harvest, Thanksgiving - The change of seasons brings last camping opportunities, team sports, school events and family travel for the traditional Thanksgiving holiday. Put a new twist on information products, such as how to prepare a vegan feast or helping your child cross-train for multiple sports participation.

Winter, Christmas - The colder weather brings winter sports, family gatherings, shopping and decorating for holidays in December. Prepare a list of less crowded, budget friendly winter sports vacations, and how to save time shopping online and decorating using what you already have at home. It’s also leading into the year-end time of reflection when people think about what they enjoyed and what they want to change next year.

As you make seasonal marketing plans, remember that the seasons arrive at different times on each side of the equator. So if you’re marketing outside of the United States, what you consider spring may be fall elsewhere.

Winter break can be prime ski resort time in Aspen, Colorado and sun-bathing on the beach in Sydney, Australia. The good news is that you can use “spring” for both sides of the equator with different timing and slight tweaks of the information.

"Local Business" Marketing

If you're a "local" business, here's some good stuff you can use in your marketing.  Not sure how accurate the stats are or that I agree with them about "carefully planned predatory pricing practices."   Regardless, take what you like and leave the rest.  Or feel free to leave comments on this stuff.

See Local First Arizona for more info.  That's where I borrowed this from. ;)

The Power of Choice

Every time you make a purchase, you're exercising power of choice.

The choice is yours. You have the power to strengthen and enrich your community.

Did You Know…

• For every two jobs national retailers bring to a community, three jobs are lost as a result of local businesses closing down. 
  
  
• When you shop locally-owned businesses, your money is re-circulated over and over and creates up to 75% more tax revenue to our community and state. 
  
  
• Independent businesses raise the standard of living in your community because they take their profits and buy products and services from other local businesses, thus creating more and more tax revenues needed for the community to thrive.
  
  
• Millions of dollars of tax revenue subsidies handed to chains by financially-starved local governments drain even more tax revenue from our community and state. 
  
  
• Blighted empty shopping areas are created in your community when chain stores re-locate to a more lucrative shopping center, or leave altogether. Literally hundreds of big stores are abandoned each year across the United States. 
  
  
• Independent businesses are unique enterprises that contribute to the character of our community by offering a more diverse selections of goods and services. 
  
  
• Independent businesses provide meaningful service with a personal touch. It matters to them that you are satisfied and will come back again.
  
  
• Carefully planned predatory pricing practices have allowed national chains to establish virtual monopolies as they drive local competition out of business. And then they raise their prices.