Adventures In Internet Marketing

Wow, there sure is a lot to do when you’re ready to let people know you have a new product out.
 

*  Create a Warrior Special Offer for the Warrior Forum (to offer it at a special discounted price.)

Done - http://www.warriorforum.com/warrior-special-offers-forum/5012-how-quickly-easily-rewrite-any-private-label-rights-boring-title-great-product.html
This takes longer than it should because the new forum’s WSO area is a bit quirky and likes to remove my paragraphing and create it’s own.  :(  Oh well, at least it’s not trying to re-price my product or anything like that.

Then I have to fix how the payment link is working so it goes to the correct download page.  Good thing I set up an extra web page for opt-ins.  It came in handy today.

I also answer questions on the post and give my thanks to people who have complimented the product.  This is my favorite part!… well, if I’m honest, it comes a very close second behind seeing the “Notification of Payment Received” email from PayPal.

*  Change my signature links on the Warrior Forum.

Done - This was the easiest thing I did all day.  

*  Send notification of the new product to my list.

Done - 3 lists, and several different emails for split testing later… these semi-masterpieces have flown the coop and hopefully landed in in-bins where they are being eagerly read as I type this. 

*  Write a blog post here to let anyone who reads my blog know about my new ecourse. 

Done - I really am quite pleased with how it turned out.  Here’s the link again:
http://www.warriorforum.com/warrior-special-offers-forum/5012-how-quickly-easily-rewrite-any-private-label-rights-boring-title-great-product.html
Rather than describe it all here, just go to the link above.

*  Let all my friends know.  We like to support each other.   I should clarify - my internet marketing friends.  My other friends wouldn’t know what the heck I was talking about and wouldn’t care.

Done - Those who will listen have heard.

What’s next?
  - Put a plug for it on my main website page.
  - Decide how much I’m going to charge for it when the WSO is up.
  - Set it up for affiliates.
  - Article marketing.
  - More, lots more, but too tired to come up with them now.

There is no guarantee that your sales page will sell your product, but if you don’t have a guarantee on your sales page, you’re seriously hurting your chances of a sale.

Okay, I admit that sometimes I buy a product, guarantee or no guarantee, because I know and trust the marketer.  If I trust the marketer, that means I’m pretty darn sure the product I’m buying is top notch or that they would see me right.

But sometimes I’ve never heard of the marketer and don’t know his track record.  His product could be good… and his sales page is very attractive, but will he give me my money back if I buy and then think his product is horse-pucky?  It’s not like I go around asking for refunds all the time, but the situation can present itself. 

Mostly, I just like to see a guarantee on  a sales page , even though I probably won’t use it.  It puts my mind at ease that the product creator will stand behind his words and product 100%.

So does a guarantee make a difference whether I buy or not?  Yes, if I don’t know the marketer.

And does it make a difference what the guarantee looks like?  Hmm… haven’t really thought about that one…

Let’s look at some and do a “feel factor” test: 

For me, the first two score lower on the “feel factor” scale.  They seem to be seals just thrown on the sales page without much thought given to them.  They don’t spell out much in the way of details.

The last one gives the most details - 100%, 56 days.  That’s what I need to know, very business-like.

I probably like the third one the best because it sounds human, honest, and refreshing.  It appeals to me because it’s not the same ‘ole, same ‘ole.  I can see this product is by a real person and he wants me to be happy with his product.

Just another internet marketing pondering.   What do you think?

I believe there are people who are either one of these - but not both.  It would be great to be both, but I’ve never met anyone who is both.

 I’m talking about being a starter or a finisher.  Which one are you?  Me, I’m a starter.  I LOVE to come up with ideas and I’ve got more ideas running around the little hamster wheel in my brain to last two or three lifetimes.  

 I love to brainstorm, to solve problems (mostly other peoples’), to add a unique twist, to create.  Even as a child I loved to have a new notebook with fresh paper in it and a very sharp #2 pencil so I could scribble a new story or draw a memorable work of art.  There was something about that blank paper…

I am a starter, not a finisher.  That’s not to mean I don’t finish things, because I do.  I just don’t like to finish most things.  I’ll start to organize my office; creating new file folders with perfect headings and I’ll put all the scraps of paper (that I’ve created on) into neat piles.  Then… I go off my merry way with a new idea and never quite finish the office organization.  Oh, sometimes I force myself.

Finishers are people who love to wrap things up, pay attention to all the details, and see the results.  They don’t like to come up with the grand idea and brainstorm so much.  They like to take definable steps in order to sew the project altogether and reach a conclusion.   They may be programmers, accountants, lawyers, or secretaries.  I think most virtual assistants are finishers.

So let me finally get to my point here.  Either you’re a starter or a finisher.  If you’re one, find the other and you’ve got a beautiful combination. 

I have an ebook that I wrote that’s going to come out in September.  I have the steps all mapped out that I need to take next, but I don’t have the desire.  So, I found me some finishers - someone to do all the graphics for the sales page and someone else to write the sales copy plus the material for the affiliate page.  I even approached different marketers in just the right fields and asked them to put together bonuses to go with the ebook and they’ve all done it.  Boy this feels good.

Are you a starter or a finisher?  A show of hands please!

Sometimes just saying thank you to a person isn’t enough.

So… I’ve come up with a plan to make my thank you’s public here on the blog under the category “My Thanks to You“, and I’ll post these now and again.

Dear Randy Smith,
www.randolfsmith.com

When I was brand-spanking new to internet marketing I reached out to you with a question.  Well, as I recall it was actually 3 or 4 questions disguised as 1.  You cheerfully answered those questions and offered even more information that answered questions I didn’t even know to ask yet.  Thank you.

I feel you offer me (and others) the right blend of honesty, insight, deep knowledge, humor, and especially encouragement.  Thank you.

You make me think about my internet marketing in ways I don’t want to.  “What Randy?  I should track my conversion rates for THAT?”  And will tell me if my sales page headline stinks.  “Boring, Peggy. That’s not going to capture people’s attention.”  Well, he did say it nicer than that.  But… thank you.

I appreciate that you’re a real person in this crazy internet marketing field who cares about others and it shows up in your site www.randolfsmith.com and your products www.salesletterabc.com and www.moremonthly.com, among others.   Thank you.

I don’t even remember how I “found” you Randy, but I’m sure glad I did!  You’ve been instrumental in making me a better marketer.

Thank you,

Peggy
P.S.  No affiliate links were added to this post.

I now have 2 Warrior Special Offers (WSO) going.  Wow, I’m feeling very productive!

The first one is the PLR article bundle special, see the previous post.  These specials go for 3 weeks so you still have time.

The new one is a report called Testimonial Power.  It came about after I asked for testimonials from new marketers who reviewed a new ebook I had written.  These new marketers had questions on how to write testimonials:

* Who do I write it to - you or the reader?
* What should it say?
* How long should it be?
* What should it include?

It got me thinking about the power of a good testimonial and what it can do for you and your business.  So I put together this report telling why great testimonials are so important, answered all the questions, and gave many examples of do’s and don’ts.

I even included my own recent little true story that still puts a grin on my face every time I think of it.
http://www.warriorforum.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=262725

Maybe you’ve had these questions too?

Or maybe you’ve realized how giving good testimonials can give you a huge amount of exposure?

You can get it for the special discount of $7 and add it to your Internet Marketing Resource Library
http://www.warriorforum.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=262725 

If you want to get it but don’t want to go through the Warrior Forum, please email me and I’ll give you the PayPal info.  peggy[at]peggybaron.com

For anyone interested, I have 3 new PLR article bundles I’m offering at a reduced rate on the Warrior Forum as a WSO.

Topics:

Going Green
Relationships
Resell Rights, PLR, and MRR

Sound interesting?  Check out the WSO for the details: http://www.warriorforum.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=261661

If you’re on the hunt for PLR articles but those don’t suit you, I also have:

Toddler Issues
Kids Activities
Stress
Blogging
Blogging Report
Pet
Lawn Care
Gardening
Business Leadership

All at www.allstarplr.com

I promised I would list my results from the first giveaway I’ve every contributed to and here’s the full disclosure breakdown of opt-in numbers:

133 signed on for my IM blogging report
69 signed on for my Cookin’ Kids free newsletter sample
17 signed on to some of my other lists
I spent $17 for the upgrade
I made $8.50 when one of my contributors upgraded their listing

I think the IM blogging report sign ups are pretty good considering it was a brand new giveaway from Wonderful Web Women and probably not promoted as heavily.  Watch out next year though!  I am thoroughly happy with this giveaway because they were very helpful to newcomers and don’t bombard me with email like the giveaway I just joined does.

I didn’t know what to expect with the Cookin’ Kids free newsletter sample because the product wasn’t in the IM niche, so I’m okay with the 69 sign ups.

I really was surprised with the 17 people who signed up for my other lists.  I realize some were just signing up for everything I offer to (get more freebies, learn from me, become my personal stalker?? ;))  But it appears that some of them came from my giveaway product to my website and just picked up something that interested them. 

From the get go I paid the $17 for the upgrade which gave me a higher standing and a better page listing on the giveaway.  Unfortunately, I did move down the rankings as it went on because I didn’t have as many people join as others did.  I still think it was worth it for me to upgrade or I would have been waaaaay down on the list.  My products were also listed on the “Favorite Products” page.

So to recap:  219 new people (with some duplicates) to my lists and $8.50 out of my pocket.

Would I do it again? 

Absolutely.

This is what I was doing last week with my kids and my dad (orange hat) on the Wenatchee River in Washington state.  It was Class 3 rapids at times which was a blast! 

Even though it was 103 degrees out, we were told to wear partial wet suits as the water was a chilly 42 degrees.  We were quite wet by the time we were through, but we didn’t lose anybody overboard. 

How many times have you heard expressions like “give away your best stuff” or “moving the free line”?  I understand what they’re getting at, but I’m going to go out on a limb here [Please don’t smite me Guru Gods] and profess not to love those expressions.

 Don’t get me wrong - I like to give away free stuff and do it all the time.  I also love to help people as much as I can.  But I worry that when I give everything away for free that my work won’t be viewed as valuable or appreciated… because it’s free.

Remember the kid at school who used to give away all the good parts of his lunch in an effort to get the cool kids to like him?  It never worked and he just got used.  He didn’t make any lasting friendships and when he stopped giving away his good stuff, the kids ran to the next one in line who was willing to try the trade food for friendship route.

Then there was the savvy kid who would only part with his lunch if coin crossed his palm or he could trade his food for something of value.  This guy’s goods had perceived value and he had an actual following of kids who would ask him when he was going to bring this or that again or what was in his lunch that day.

This kid probably even sweet-talked his mom into throwing extra cookies into his lunch, and he just might have convinced her to buy a certain brand of chips because he knew what his buddies wanted.

Okay, I’ll stop with the analogy now before I get too carried away.  I was just pondering out-loud… don’t have anything new to sell right now, dang it.

So what do you think?  Go ahead and leave a comment.

Thanks,
Peggy

Shhhh…. the kiddies are still sleeping and I’m working in my pj’s here, trying to get a LOT done before they wake up.  Well the reality is, they’re teenagers and could sleep til noon if I let them.   It’s tempting!

Here’s what I’m up to these days:

     *  I’m working on a project with several other marketers that will put all our skills together on one website.  My field of “expertise” will be PLR.  It’s going to be an excellent place for new marketers to go and learn.

     *  I’m putting the final touches on my giveaway product for the Wonderful Web Giveaway.  If you’d like to get on board (and grow your list) you can do so here:  wonderfulwebgiveaway2008  It doesn’t start until June 19th so you have some time.  I think the deadline for getting your stuff in is June 10th or 11th.  If you don’t have anything to give, start with some PLR you have, add value, get new graphics done, and send it in.  You can do this!  Email me if you need help getting started. 

     *  I’m in the process of changing one of my website’s hosting.  If all goes well, I’ll move the rest of my sites over too.

     *  I’ve been offered a wonderful opportunity to join the team of a website I admire and respect.  We’re working out the logistics and then I have to decide whether I can commit.  I’m trying really hard to look at my bigger Internet Marketing picture to figure out how to have enough time to do all I want to do.  Am I an overachiever or just a glutton for punishment?

     *  I’m working up another PLR bundle on relationships.  I finished a new bundle not too long ago on PLR, MRR, and Resale Rights.  It’s a great bundle of 7 articles and it’s ripe for putting altogether as an ecourse or report.  You could even use it for the above-mentioned giveaway. ;-)  Here’s my main PLR site allstarplr.com.  If you don’t find anything you want there try Nicole Dean’s site, EasyPLR.

Time for some more coffee.  Why don’t you grab yourself a cup and leave me a comment here?