26. Participate in the groups. Post a message at least once or twice a
week. It will increase your visibility.
27. Post links on your wall. These can be to promotional articles you
have written, or to pages on your web site.
28. Upload pictures. They draw interest and will make people look at
your postings more often.
29. Make comments on your wall. Others can see them and offer
comments.
30. Comment on remarks your friends make. The interaction makes
it more likely for them to look at your links, or to recommend them
to someone else.
31. Sign up for a Myspace account. Make sure your screen name is
relevant to the products you sell.
32. Use keywords in your profile that will help you show up in
searches.
33. Use the blog feature. Write something a couple times each week.
34. Include links to your promotional articles, web site, and
anywhere else you have an online presence.
35. Build your Myspace network. Look for other users who might
benefit from your products and try to become connected to them.
36. Comment on other Myspace blogs. It will increase your visibility.
37. Upload pictures and create albums. Use shots of you with your
products, etc.
38. Change your Myspace skins now and then. It will keep your page
interesting.
39. Cross promote your MySpace page and your Twitter page to
increase hits on both.
40. Look for Myspace clubs to join. It will help more people find you
and increase your network.
41. Establish a You-Tube account.
42. Launch your first video. Keep it short and sweet, but use it to
promote some aspect of your product line.
43. If you sell multiple products, make a short introductory video on
each one.
44. Follow up with situational videos that show someone solving a
problem with the use of your products.
45. Promote your videos at Facebook, Myspace, and Twitter.
46. At the same time, find other videos that are relevant to your
business and make comments on them. Others will do the same for
you, helping to drive up the page rank on your video promotions.
47. Add new videos regularly. Something new will keep people
coming back for more.
48. Vary the formats for your You-Tube videos. Some can be
serious, some comedic, some a mixture of both.
49. Retire videos that seem to do nothing or elicit negative
responses. Develop new ones using the comments you receive,
good and bad.
50. Compare your videos to others promoting similar products. You
might pick up a few ideas of how to make your presentations more
popular.
Social Media Tactics Part 2
Social Media Tactics Part 1
Over the last 5-7 years, a new breed of communication has
emerged: social networking. These media sites offer the ability to
network in ways that the more traditional message boards never could
manage. If you are not familiar with social networking at media sites,
here are some of the tactics people are using today to make money
through these important resources:
1. Start with Twitter. If you have never done social networking, this is
easily the most basic of all the current popular sites. Registration
takes no more than a few minutes.
2. Fill out your Twitter profile. It will give you the appearance of being
a permanent participant, and help you build credibility more
quickly.
3. Post some links. They can be to the articles you have posted around
the Internet that track back to your web site, as well as to pages on
your site.
4. Do some searches. Use keywords to find other Twitter users that
may be potential clients. Use the follow feature to create a
connection.
5. Follow everyone who follows you. It can bring you in contact with
others who follow them and possibly increase your follower base.
6. Post something daily. Even a short comment with a link will do
nicely. The more you post, the better chance you have of expanding
your Twitter network.
7. Vary the posts. Don’t simply copy something you posted before. Mix
it up, or your posts will look more like spam.
8. Ask questions as well as make comments in your tweets. It will
possibly stimulate some cross posts that lead to promoting your
web site.
9. Respond to any private messages. They could lead to a sale.
10. Have fun with the site. Once your get the hang of Twitter, you
may be surprised at how many contacts you can make, and how
they increase your site traffic.
11. Set up a LinkedIn profile. Be as precise in what you do and what
you sell as possible.
12. Add a picture to your profile. LinkedIn users range from small
business owners to freelancers to corporate executives. All of them
like to see who they are doing business with.
13. Include background information that will generate hits. This
includes schools attended, past employers, and anything else that
you have done in your life. You never know what will lead to a
connection.
14. Search LinkedIn. Find other people that you have some sort of
connection with, such as a high school, college, or past employer.
15. As part of a another search, use keywords that have to do with
the type of products you offer. You may come across people who
work with companies or in fields that could use what you have to
sell.
16. Always respond to queries or messages your receive from other
LinkedIn members, even if they are general queries. They may pass
your web site address on to other people if the two of you get
along.
17. Check out other profiles for ideas on how to present yourself.
You may come across something that would work very well and
increase your visibility.
18. Update your data from time to time. If your LinkedIn profile
appears active, it will draw more attention.
19. Post a link to your LinkedIn profile on Twitter. It will help
increase your LinkedIn network as well as your Twitter followers.
20. Devote a few minutes each day on LinkedIn, actively looking for
new contacts. People sign up every day, so there is always potential
there.
21. Set up a Facebook account. Spend some time getting to know
the various features on the site.
22. Fill out your Facebook profile. Include the same data as on your
LinkedIn profile, including links back to your web site.
23. Search for other Facebook members to connect with. Look by
location, school, workplace, or any other criteria you can imagine.
24. Make friends. Send friends requests as well as approve any that
come your way.
25. Check out the groups. Search by subject to find groups devoted
to subjects that have some relevance to your product offerings.
50 product creation tactics Part 2
26. Why would they buy it instead of another product?
27. When will the product be bought?
28. How can a customer buy the product with as little fuss as
possible?
29. Consider the format for your product. Will it be in the form of an
ebook, a video, or some combination of the two?
30. If an ebook, what type of file will you go with? Use a format,
such as a pdf, that everyone can manage with equal ease.
31. If a video, also make sure the product is in a format that works
with all major video software types.
32. If a combination of the two, make sure the video and the text of
the ebook fit together seamlessly and do not contradict one
another.
33. If you have trouble developing your own product from scratch,
consider becoming an affiliate.
34. If possible, get the product private branded so you can sell it
under your own company name.
35. Obtain master resell rights as part of your process for selling a
previously developed product.
36. Combine two acquired products into one easy package, giving
what is old a new look.
37. Find your markets. Use your social networking sites, browser
searches, and simple word of mouth to figure out who would be
interested in the product.
38. Use terms that people can understand with ease. Stay away
from too many industry terms.
39. Explain the technical terms you do use in everyday English.
40. Look for informational products that have passed into the public
domain. If you find something promising, rework it into your own
product and design a new package.
41. For new products to add to your line, turn to your existing
customers for suggestions.
42. Set up a page on your web site and ask for suggestions of what
people would like to see in the way of a product.
43. Test-drive your informational product. Once it is complete, try it
out for yourself, to make sure it does what it is supposed to do.
44. Have a friend test drive the product. Your friend might spot
something that would refine the product and increase sales once it
is released.
45. Set up a test group – possibly past customers, or just a few
people who do not know you or your products. The feedback could
prevent you from overlooking something important.
46. Make the product as user friendly as possible. This not only
means a format that can opened with ease, but also a file that can
be downloaded easily, even on a slow connection.
47. Create support products that will help point toward your main
product.
48. Set the product aside for a few days, then take a second look. If
everything is in order, then release it.
49. Keep it simple – the less complicated your product is, the more
appealing it will be to more customers.
50. Always be proud of what you develop. If you don’t think it is
good enough to sell, then don’t risk your reputation by putting it
out there for the world to see.
50 product creation tactics Part 1
Without good products that deliver what they promise, there is not a
ghost of a chance of making money for the long term. This means you
must create products that will attract an audience and keep them.
Here are some ideas to help you along the way:
1. Keep a notebook and pen around all the time. Inspiration can come
from anything at any time. Once it is gone, there is no promise it
will ever occur to you a second time.
2. Don’t edit your ideas for products. What seems crazy today may
make a lot of sense tomorrow.
3. Begin your search for ideas with your hobbies. There is a good
chance you could come up with at least ten good ideas for each
hobby.
4. Consider your past employment. What did you do and what aspects
of your experience could make good copy for an informational
product?
5. Look around your neighborhood. All sorts of ideas on landscaping,
housing, fashion, and even mundane things like lawn ornaments
may bubble to the top.
6. Consider your family’s hobbies and interests. There may be
something there that could be used to develop a great product.
7. Read a newspaper. Current events could trigger an idea that is both
timely and likely to attract attention.
8. Visit the library. Perusing through the shelves might yield
something that would make a great product offering.
9. Find a niche. Look for something that is a little unique and will meet
the needs of a consumer sector that is being overlooked.
10. Watch television. Those infomercials might give you some ideas.
11. Listen to the radio. Listener comments on the call-ins, as well as
the audio advertising, might yield some great ideas for
informational products.
12. Ask some questions. If you have an idea of what type of product
people would like to see, you may find a way to turn that want into
a reality.
13. Do your research. Begin by looking at other informational
products currently online and what they are all about.
14. Browse the Internet. Find out what people are searching for
most often and develop some product ideas that would meet their
needs.
15. Do some keyword searches. This will help you when the time
comes to develop your web copy to advertise your product, as well
as help shape the product itself.
16. Find a product that sells well and figure out how to make a new
one that does the same thing, only better.
17. Consider combining two good product ideas in order to create
one great one.
18. Make sure each product on your list of potentials identifies a
problem.
19. Also make sure each product idea on your list solves a problem.
20. Ask yourself if the problem and the solution are within your
ability to manage successfully.
21. Take your now full notebook and extract five ideas that you are
excited about.
22. Research those five ideas in more detail, especially in terms of
salability.
23. Ask yourself the five basic questions related to all informational
products: what, who, why, when, and how.
24. What is the product all about?
25. Who is likely to buy it?
Search Engine Submission
50 Email Marketing Tactics Part 2
50 Email Marketing Tactics Part 1
Email is a wonderful business tool that, if used properly, will enhance
your sales and marketing efforts significantly. Try these methods to
get the most out of email communications:
1. Use permission lists only.
2. If you buy a list, make sure it is qualified – that is, those email
addresses are valid and they belong to people who have opted in to
receive emails on products like yours.
3. Ideally, build your own list.
4. Include an opt-in page on your web site, so people can sign up to
receive email communications from you.
5. As an incentive, offer customers something free in exchange for
signing up – a one time discount code, or a free ebook.
6. Make it easy to opt out or update an email address.
7. Only ask for the information you need – too many questions puts
people off.
8. Adopt a formal policy about how the data will be used, and make
sure each subscriber has to read those terms before opting in.
9. Honor those terms, no matter what.
10. Put a cap on the number of emails you send each subscriber –
once a week is likely to be welcomed, but three times a week may
cause people to opt out.
11. Set up your system to flag addresses after so many failed
delivery attempts; this will make it easier to keep your email list
clean and up to date.
12. Avoid attachments; many people won’t open them.
13. Go for something that will work in the body of an email.
14. Offer plain text as well as HTML to accommodate different
loading speeds.
15. Set up a reply email, so your subscribers can reach you when
they want to respond to the email.
16. Consider using a newsletter format for your email
communications.
17. Subscribe to a few email newsletters, so you can see how others
are using the medium.
18. Make notes on what type of newsletter formats seem to grab
your attention.
19. Ask others for their opinion of which newsletters they like, and
why.
20. Don’t send email communications when there is nothing new to
say. Repetition will only cost you subscribers.
21. Make the content of the email interesting.
22. Avoid the appearance of being spam, by not using all capital
letters in the title for the email, or announcing "Free" in the title
line.
23. Do always make sure the subscriber’s name appears in the "To"
field. It’s more personal.
24. Look into using email programs that automatically include the
subscriber’s name in the body of the email.
25. Keep it short and sweet. Rambling emails, even if they are
newsletters, are likely to be closed and deleted without being read.
