Back On Track

Well, it’s been more than 2 months since I’ve been in here so I thought I’d better say something!  I’ve been in survival mode for a while, getting the dreaded day job I didn’t want, to provide a cash infusion to move ahead with the site.  I’ve been working on Ebay a lot too, following the tips in this book, and I’m working on my own line of ebooks and audio material.  No idea of an ETA, but it’s something I’ve been wanting to do for some time.  That’s all for today, see ya.

Staying Motivated, Part 2

Q:  How do you eat an elephant?  A:  One bite at a time!

When I started building my site, everything involved in the process seemed difficult and looked like it would take forever to finish.  And some things almost did.  I hadn’t done as much writing since high school (25 years ago!) and had never written anything intended to do the jobs of the material we have to write. 

No press releases, no sales pages, no articles.  I had information in front of me telling me what each of those was supposed to do and how to write them but somehow that made it even more intimidating, the sense being that anything as important as I was told these things are must be hard to do.  Make sense?  Okay…

So how do you get around that?  One bite at a time! 

Write the headline, nothing else yet.  Re-do it ’til you like it, then write the first sentence.  Fill out the first paragraph.  Next thing you know you’ve got 2 paragraphs, then 3, now 4…tweak it a bit so it ‘flows’ and suddenly you’re trying to figure out how to close it. 

Hot damn, it’s done!  Well, theoretically - you’ll probably change it a few dozen times after that cuz nothing’s ever perfect.  But it’s on to the next page and before you know it, you have a website.  And don’t worry about the fourth page while you’re still writing the first one, finish what’s on your plate now and move on.

One bite at a time.

Staying Motivated, Part One

So, how many of you still believe running a retail website of any sort is going to make you rich by next Tuesday?  If it works out that way for you, let me know how you did it.  For the rest of us, reality sets in pretty quickly. 

We realise we’re looking at a long initial process of setting up webpages, optimising, tweaking headlines after reading ‘1000 Things Your Headline Must Do’ and realising it’s only doing 3 of them, seemingly endless re-writes of the sales copy that follows it…  And that’s before the equally ‘1 step at a time’ process of promoting your site’s even started.

So, what do you do to stay motivated?  Here’s a few things that have helped me…

How Much Is Too Much?

This is just a quick tip but it came to me as I was sorting through my email inbox yesterday. 

Some of you are running email marketing campaigns already, many others will be at some point and will need to work out a delivery schedule.  Which is what this is about.   

When I started building my site I signed up to several newsletters looking for information on internet marketing, copywriting and site design.  I wanted to learn what these people had to teach me but I didn’t expect all the other mail I’d be sent in addition to want I wanted.  At this point I don’t read a lot of what I’m sent, or anything from certain senders.

Perhaps the entertainer’s motto of “leave ‘em wanting more” should be applied here.  Think about limiting your updates to a weekly schedule and sending them on a different day than your newsletter.  Maybe send the newsletter on Monday and the general updates or new product information on Thursday and then STOP!

Wouldn’t you rather have your mailings welcomed - better yet, anticipated - than have them deleted in a fit of “Oh no, not again…?”  Just a thought.

Speaking of email marketing, have you seen this yet?

If The Money’s In The List, How Do You Get It Out?

You may have heard this a few times by now, I know I have.  Time will tell if this is true, I’m still learning the mailing list building ‘thing’ myself, so it’s a bit early to say.  But I have learned some good tricks along the way, and I thought I’d pass ‘em on.

Before you get too far into the process, set up an opt-in page that’s as close to impossible to say no to as it can be.  If you can present yourself (via this page) as a source of high quality information you’re already ahead of the game.

Okay, you want some specifics…

E-Book Ideas You Won’t See Everywhere Else

So, you want to put out your own E-Book but don’t want it to be just another collection of Mom’s recipes?  Here are a few ideas…the research is up to you!

• The World’s Best Nightclubs (have fun with this!)
• The World’s Scariest Vacations
• How To Host Your Own Talk Show
• Throwing  The Ultimate Bachelor/Bachelorette Party
• How To Be A Well Paid Golf Caddy
• How To Start Your Own Club/Bar/Restaurant
• How To Create Chart-Topping Dance Hits In Your Own Bedroom
• How To Get Free Cars
• How To Start A Cellphone Recycling Business
• How To Become An Image Consultant 

For these and other ideas, check here!

10 Steps To A Good Email Marketing Relationship - Part Two

10… Provide expertise-based information.  In his book ‘21 Success Secrets of Self Made Millionaires’, Brian Tracy suggested everyone should “become an expert” in his or her field.  When you have learned everything you can about your field your writing will take on an honest authority people can relate to.  Well, that’s my interpretation of the point…

9… Incorporate an article or newsletter into your promotion.  Kind of tip #2 expanded, let’s interpret it to mean keep your focus on the information you’re providing and include just enough product details to spark the reader’s interest in it.

8… Encourage reviews and testimonials.  Just as a picture is worth 1000 words, a ‘picture’ of the benefits your customers have gained from your products is worth a lot more to other prospects than anything you could write about it.  So set up an easy way to collect these, and make sure everyone knows about it.  Again, a message board is a good way to do this.

7… Provide a customer-specific email address.  This should be posted on your site’s contact page as well as in all your communications.

6… Provide a specific link into your site for more information.  This also applies to any advertising you’ll do.  If you’ve sent a letter promoting Product A, have the link land your visitors on that sales page.  Don’t land them on your home page and force them to click around looking for the information they want.  No matter how simple your navigation is, a lot of people will just give up.

See you Monday.

10 Steps To A Good Email Marketing Relationship - Part One

5… Encourage your readers to learn more.  This could (and probably does) mean from you or information posted on your site, but it could point to a particularily good article you read elsewhere that would whet the reader’s appetite for what you’re offering.

4… Deliver new ideas on a regular basis.  This is why newsletters and ezines are so popular…after all these years, the ‘Information Superhighway’ is actually becoming just that!  Keep delivering quality information that benefits your readers, tied appropriately to your product, and you will pique people’s interest in a way that ‘buy my stuff’ simply can’t.

3…Encourage feedback, comments, discussions.  If your site building service allows it, an on-site message board you can direct readers to in your emails is a great way for your customers to keep in touch with you, not to mention letting them share stories about how great your service is!

2… Avoid distractions like flashy banners, pop-ups in your messages.  C’mon, people…nobody likes these, so stop using them!  One of the objectives of any communication is to set yourself apart from the field so don’t resort to the same cheap tactics.  You don’t have to hide the fact you’re selling something, but let the information you’re sending take the spotlight, at least initially. 

1… Establish a casual, friendly but professional tone.  Did you have a teacher or professor you particularily liked?  Someone who could explain things clearly, wasn’t condescending and made learning fun?  Try to write like that!  It may take some practice, but you’ll find your voice through repetition.

Coming up tomorrow…Part 2.

4 Steps To Your First Membership Site

One good way to establish a predictable online income is the establishment of a membership site.  The same rules apply that would in building any site…you’ll need to register your domain, find web hosting and site building services, for example…but there are some extra things to think about as well.  And we’re going to look at 4 of them here…